tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69410615007995488282024-02-19T12:06:52.394+01:00thebansheesThe Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-88987192887314348842011-11-13T20:37:00.003+01:002011-11-13T20:44:39.922+01:00Ansel on Art<div>Just randomly I asked Ansel what his favorite <a href="http://www.independent-collectors.com/profile/greg_christensen/exhibitions/">paintings in our house</a> were. He launched right into an explanation, so I had to pull out my phone to record him. Apparently, he doesn't care about the Terpsikhorovs (sorry, Nana). He's a much bigger fan of <a href="http://www.callowayart.com/gallery.php?E=ID_collection&T=&ID=3">Brad Aldridge</a>.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzg1Pmxpahl3CImfFt3-sK4Xd4Nqoru5gJQrjx_IYjPsnJgjx2Q3Bk9Rh2HsQG_-uTU40C4pgCUfKwOS0qfJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-33849278049830260012011-11-13T20:32:00.002+01:002011-11-13T20:36:10.604+01:00First Family Football Game<div style="text-align: left;">Last week, we went to our first high school football game. High school football in Texas is a lot different from high school football when I played. For starters, we didn't have a jumbotron.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The kids had a great time. They especially liked the hot cocoa, popcorn and Frito pie. Louisa was a big fan of waving the rally sign.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyfoN94EFfYbzHD8d62_fdPwR7uXUUHL9RIkWtyfx61zXcOpFGnum1pQwvmxnk7c9UyULEs1R96vxXXlqAa5w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div>And as with all events that go on past 9:30 pm, this one eventually put the Booch to sleep.</div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFEwgsmwSsrpiI5BDTtQbTOYx4NBsJZEfbVS9fS8vY04qZjBmpWlSw_xizhWAxfpTIYOEdOzvdxaDHU_YETsQI3UV_2233iEDVq2R7SPt3mipmSIom5LQIjhu5Iadq-n21OSgSIZuhGM/s400/IMG_3122.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674565724220770626" /></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-6237122054042063232011-07-29T20:22:00.004+02:002011-07-29T20:37:48.133+02:00Banshee Artists<div>Hi. This is Greg guest-posting.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.radiumreelfx.com/">editing company</a> I work with in Dallas had their 3rd annual art show last night. Their own artists and their friends are given 10"x 10" canvases, which are sold for $50 each, with all the money being donated to the local children's hospital.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazNoD-RWNL-dKJox5bBg_bmjdnYzAXqvNwCVQs0rChpyYAL-ECWtSdrIpWCoMoTcFfcgIB32duFhQyKUexltdcJbDduQTsh2waNxK7NcNvG3aUSTuxdeWn5SF7kVc-yW2obVJzSK48og/s1600/gallery2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazNoD-RWNL-dKJox5bBg_bmjdnYzAXqvNwCVQs0rChpyYAL-ECWtSdrIpWCoMoTcFfcgIB32duFhQyKUexltdcJbDduQTsh2waNxK7NcNvG3aUSTuxdeWn5SF7kVc-yW2obVJzSK48og/s400/gallery2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841884550412546" /></a>The producer I work with gave me three canvases so Henry, Elsa and Ansel could participate. I brought them with me to Utah and all three kids spent an afternoon painting scenes from my mom's garden. Here are Henry and Elsa with their pieces (Ansel was on my back as I shot this).<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo4mgGnImH6KxVsld0n_8PDV-_093BNOkmZTZhr8F3X4CGNrPEcQYyhIyCipv0-qCiFqac2PwooGdAzaM9_k24nUjE9WA_YUgsYcMqcsAWBWvoT2AtUZ83MsEA678S-MWuaxzYT2XvC0/s1600/Kids.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigo4mgGnImH6KxVsld0n_8PDV-_093BNOkmZTZhr8F3X4CGNrPEcQYyhIyCipv0-qCiFqac2PwooGdAzaM9_k24nUjE9WA_YUgsYcMqcsAWBWvoT2AtUZ83MsEA678S-MWuaxzYT2XvC0/s400/Kids.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841771575320706" /></a><br /></div><div>There were some really amazing pieces there last night. This one was painted by a guy who was one of the chief artists on <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129167/">The Iron Giant</a></i>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOYQTR7bDrSN2lg0qqZ-kohG3egnb1yjn1Xhq8svQZQnSLK7pGOt1Y3Z54sm6vRHDYQQBEkvJ5C84xX8_FN7GTcBh9pXsgRwwKRXaF2pMBRiCXlmFNEZMiB5ZQG6Z8o2-1yrm6LPqqZU/s1600/birds.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOYQTR7bDrSN2lg0qqZ-kohG3egnb1yjn1Xhq8svQZQnSLK7pGOt1Y3Z54sm6vRHDYQQBEkvJ5C84xX8_FN7GTcBh9pXsgRwwKRXaF2pMBRiCXlmFNEZMiB5ZQG6Z8o2-1yrm6LPqqZU/s1600/birds.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOYQTR7bDrSN2lg0qqZ-kohG3egnb1yjn1Xhq8svQZQnSLK7pGOt1Y3Z54sm6vRHDYQQBEkvJ5C84xX8_FN7GTcBh9pXsgRwwKRXaF2pMBRiCXlmFNEZMiB5ZQG6Z8o2-1yrm6LPqqZU/s400/birds.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841761816897298" /></a><br /></div><div>This was a great 3D piece. Sorry it's such a blurry picture.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6ONJo1PbwiBF8QvQjN8FQ0KsK_kyYdFCyYOXmJ3isoMkEAPEbNaX1hgTtOPuBJPaEAXk5JxNCD2YFoPP6qfp9bWzhSREWLTDMPxuB1fsuXHov32ig10wEsXiMK_olNtGEDgV2mB-V3A/s1600/Monster.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6ONJo1PbwiBF8QvQjN8FQ0KsK_kyYdFCyYOXmJ3isoMkEAPEbNaX1hgTtOPuBJPaEAXk5JxNCD2YFoPP6qfp9bWzhSREWLTDMPxuB1fsuXHov32ig10wEsXiMK_olNtGEDgV2mB-V3A/s400/Monster.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841759371954002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTWL-3Q3G5mwy2vTdvlYTRy2sR7XHMsIMTtwawvvWe8HTWnKl45Ea6HWkO9e4fk-PpgQykd7yPlwIJrsvK0HnZ3oMwPZa1HoxDpmKsKmKfudLQL1HafhpT0ck2mmIUwldypEyRPMbFfc/s1600/gallery1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTWL-3Q3G5mwy2vTdvlYTRy2sR7XHMsIMTtwawvvWe8HTWnKl45Ea6HWkO9e4fk-PpgQykd7yPlwIJrsvK0HnZ3oMwPZa1HoxDpmKsKmKfudLQL1HafhpT0ck2mmIUwldypEyRPMbFfc/s400/gallery1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841752108256930" /></a>After walking through and looking at all the art, we returned to the Banshees' work and were floored to realize all three of their pieces were sold! We're not sure who bought them. All we know is the tags below each painting were missing.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VLaYvGf9Lkm53g52_e1gO-1jsXxq6FLhIcBYRQMldmCdyYhzv26xvngPk2IX2WVqRcTr04JPAvNZ0eOToRpfpjmjYGgl4VgX-387WIH8wyIBrezeoIa1jjGMPQxG6KRJYrosWHAP4cI/s1600/sold.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VLaYvGf9Lkm53g52_e1gO-1jsXxq6FLhIcBYRQMldmCdyYhzv26xvngPk2IX2WVqRcTr04JPAvNZ0eOToRpfpjmjYGgl4VgX-387WIH8wyIBrezeoIa1jjGMPQxG6KRJYrosWHAP4cI/s400/sold.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841744614907554" /></a><br /></div><div>So our kids made $150 for the Children's Museum, and they've all sold exactly as many canvases as Vincent Van Gogh did <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Vineyard">in his lifetime</a>. Can't wait for next year's exhibit.</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-38417534150542739812011-07-27T01:00:00.002+02:002011-07-29T20:48:20.338+02:00On the Road Again<div>We just made the drive from Utah back to Dallas, taking a slightly different route this time.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr-Iza_DeiRzR2E_Mhv0kP7pDRbltfgPvZV-yOFNYIWrMPqCK8D0nsYmXqV_6dsdbAvjHg7RRMVzDDz5MFf6YHCKqBymjlDabrmbt9qoaSJwrg05nQAkPk91-dTM8ZmKuB_y4f2LJ1I8/s1600/Picture+5.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr-Iza_DeiRzR2E_Mhv0kP7pDRbltfgPvZV-yOFNYIWrMPqCK8D0nsYmXqV_6dsdbAvjHg7RRMVzDDz5MFf6YHCKqBymjlDabrmbt9qoaSJwrg05nQAkPk91-dTM8ZmKuB_y4f2LJ1I8/s400/Picture+5.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633380173391362018" /></a>We stopped at Four Corners National Monument. Here are four kids in four different states. We're glad no one got lost. We're usually pretty good parents, but at one point, Louisa wandered over into Utah while the rest of the family was in Arizona.<br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigziAOd3Wn9n0vlg0luOMXTdG4rVlvh0Fx3s9Ukk_eFh9w-TgcVtAHmNKTtsjFyxUEWZk18_KzSFh_IqBfnpKF9VCci6QTFniJLnOjVmlUDwRyXu3DfeNeXtpvLXYYulegTZahc6-iZw4/s1600/Picture+3.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigziAOd3Wn9n0vlg0luOMXTdG4rVlvh0Fx3s9Ukk_eFh9w-TgcVtAHmNKTtsjFyxUEWZk18_KzSFh_IqBfnpKF9VCci6QTFniJLnOjVmlUDwRyXu3DfeNeXtpvLXYYulegTZahc6-iZw4/s400/Picture+3.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633379068091950818" /></a><br /></div><div>On our way to Santa Fe, we noticed a brown highway sign for a Mormon Battalion Monument. We figured we'd better stop. It was kind of cool. Although there sure were a lot of broken beer bottles nearby. Hope it wasn't from a recent Mutual activity. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRSRHsZjFk0m9r4_MOF5fxYir6hrUJiMx3oYnYNmVmf8YIU_lXjvaA_rw89PdUYqH2Xse7oV-jTRG8mlhlj4gbHoyYPZ6g0d1uCYfjR82EO3sYRod4zHhYbXhC5KyixMpyEJ0f4TPnUg/s1600/Picture+4.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRSRHsZjFk0m9r4_MOF5fxYir6hrUJiMx3oYnYNmVmf8YIU_lXjvaA_rw89PdUYqH2Xse7oV-jTRG8mlhlj4gbHoyYPZ6g0d1uCYfjR82EO3sYRod4zHhYbXhC5KyixMpyEJ0f4TPnUg/s400/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633379054567042914" /></a>We stopped in Santa Fe just long enough to visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which we all loved. It was very small, but with some amazing pieces in it. O'Keeffe's work was, of course, amazing. But we were surprised to see work by Man Ray, Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Norman Rockwell, too.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrh4hoXPs_-wfBRhYCT7kwYrJuGFPAiFM8qTyu6_v6gxnY57tqsWS86XOgL-3omXpZf653SI40fRobH356AfsB15XEOdnH95QQn1Vx0_ugsdFi60glaZGuK6psDG4KpmUq8y7R4SdEZc/s1600/Picture+2.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrh4hoXPs_-wfBRhYCT7kwYrJuGFPAiFM8qTyu6_v6gxnY57tqsWS86XOgL-3omXpZf653SI40fRobH356AfsB15XEOdnH95QQn1Vx0_ugsdFi60glaZGuK6psDG4KpmUq8y7R4SdEZc/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633378962501260706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LdVK4Rj4pifiNlBq-GLCFDmEZFhTe1IDtn2oNB-8u8wNyX6ZBwTohFWz6xx0mTR_e3LolumBWTPSnp5-C_erIAYStl8tMEJk-Mo7TuRDup8guSB18qFLw-jqfpN_qeLx-2MuNThpXg0/s1600/Picture+1+13-12-47.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1LdVK4Rj4pifiNlBq-GLCFDmEZFhTe1IDtn2oNB-8u8wNyX6ZBwTohFWz6xx0mTR_e3LolumBWTPSnp5-C_erIAYStl8tMEJk-Mo7TuRDup8guSB18qFLw-jqfpN_qeLx-2MuNThpXg0/s400/Picture+1+13-12-47.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633378953501164210" /></a><br /></div><div>The last day of the trip, we drove from Amarillo to Plano. As you might imagine, we have no pictures of that worth posting.</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-44903837569563304022011-06-28T06:57:00.004+02:002011-06-28T07:05:10.930+02:00We Like Ike!<div style="text-align: left;">We just drove from Texas to Utah for the 4th of July. (Actually for most of July.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 298px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj66rFGZdKaFvXuF4q1higA0EuZ4kpvHSPRkbVdG03zS4tClRESvDZbhTzhWYTtVOAE_T8-VnNE_Lrbpg7mnSeV2w-VGNKKwN-471XkIj0cgsUdQwPadJPNJ-Ipymf6hMClvGEnfI4_p3s/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623131505807835266" /></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the highlights from the trip was stopping at the Dwight D. Eisenhower <a href="http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/visit/eisenhower.html">Museum and Library</a> in Abilene, Kansas.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfKJaJ-I9omBLzeNF00nmKmOM7KGpZRLLP7mcJimEPEuEjTrAZ26PXIMv2WYNT1cJ27DAqraDxFYpT9dM5xrM6WxyV2trxViwkaJydZUxcf91bAPPFP_feO_s-mXl6dQbEh9VcfQpBbE/s400/IMG_2055.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623131151607211154" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUcoX_uhjgiWt40ATGo8LyFGF9I5ogYmimm_8gHKCxlr5lJ3nvFOu7N5qvDCl4L5QHNUYY92j6IQ93xqkabmX61kJnXT-K58z3dv3DHZKjaaMok0dRDcMoXCoi3-bdGDdwz0Eu4mS2rQ/s400/IMG_2060.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623131157967668434" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>We have a goal to visit all of the <a href="http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/visit/">Presidential Libraries</a> with our kids. Not sure how long that's going to take, but with the LBJ and Bush Senior libraries about three hours south of Dallas, Clinton's just northeast in Arkansas, and George W's planned just down the street from us at SMU for 2013, we'll get a pretty good start.</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-62155837614673951342011-05-23T01:01:00.004+02:002011-05-23T01:07:15.025+02:00Visit Wrench Works<div>Greg's starting a new blog for the summer, inspired by <a href="http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/03/ff_makestuff_projects/">this DIY article</a> in <i>Wired</i>. It's called <a href="http://wrench-works.blogspot.com/">Wrench Works</a>. Take a look. Should be fun.<div><br /></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AM7MlFOBB_zMsOOQH9dOnaqwrFqM6vIEd9ksRzNFpOvuJBsVSTgHV0PzL2kNE_3xL9JPdhe0iBTC-jw6YHSBhGSS0_2nEx83C0HSHhaRilRKrFPc8zCsqyIIBAw-UippsUza1Ay0UlM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-22+at+6.05.10+PM.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3AM7MlFOBB_zMsOOQH9dOnaqwrFqM6vIEd9ksRzNFpOvuJBsVSTgHV0PzL2kNE_3xL9JPdhe0iBTC-jw6YHSBhGSS0_2nEx83C0HSHhaRilRKrFPc8zCsqyIIBAw-UippsUza1Ay0UlM/s400/Screen+shot+2011-05-22+at+6.05.10+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609680455624837394" /></a><div>Legally, I don't think I can ask you to click on the banner ads on the site. But I can probably tell you that all revenue (probably 36 cents-worth) will go to the kids' college funds.</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-58502131349499758252011-03-26T18:41:00.002+01:002011-03-26T18:57:08.661+01:00Freshly-Painted Room<div>A while back, we decided we'd had enough with the color of our room. I'm not sure what the label on the bucket said, but I'd describe the color of our walls as "Vomited Orange Juice."</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpluteiSHQwBwjVZGiakuW2ucne-Ey90jQIzs4HkRTr61bbAPVqHe-0rmoQlvJJpPmODJWmOOaASm0SXjikqcGhAEiEgx1o3f89gGdmg6gMAcO8U73Cz5aTqN6mAeP0osWwZhpQgZcFZM/s1600/DSCN1290.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpluteiSHQwBwjVZGiakuW2ucne-Ey90jQIzs4HkRTr61bbAPVqHe-0rmoQlvJJpPmODJWmOOaASm0SXjikqcGhAEiEgx1o3f89gGdmg6gMAcO8U73Cz5aTqN6mAeP0osWwZhpQgZcFZM/s400/DSCN1290.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446775439337826" /></a>We thought we'd like some kind of blue. And "Valley Forge Brown" looked really good on the label. But once the samples were on our walls, the blues weren't satisfactory. And our doubts about Valley Forge Brown was confirmed when Henry walked in and said, "Whoa! That looks like diarrhea!" Not really a big improvement over Tang barf.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGJg7mF8CkEYlgIX34DyBd2c4luzE_o30XQcTlyL5mv1cxNfc_2gyKLKzk3MiaMU5vMESUmNWRnvvJFBx7fwVmoGa2ACIZmXP2gFifxymoJ1psHjNFbSLZfk2v6xv2nO8Zs4Op8LV478/s1600/DSCN1295.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGJg7mF8CkEYlgIX34DyBd2c4luzE_o30XQcTlyL5mv1cxNfc_2gyKLKzk3MiaMU5vMESUmNWRnvvJFBx7fwVmoGa2ACIZmXP2gFifxymoJ1psHjNFbSLZfk2v6xv2nO8Zs4Op8LV478/s400/DSCN1295.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446769307852082" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We ended up settling on Diplomat Gray. As soon as we started painting, we knew we were going to love it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB39mAMoftvUam-oBlZQQzMZ2MtQCp0A9Eox_nfm8-qTmFp7qrcahyphenhyphenHUGQVMjYXzEggMSioPUrhspsDzTOUvtro5HOI_1ZzoTnQ4zon0EsI4y-ral_IALA6jKEvmXC24BVIxUXTuSdG7U/s1600/DSCN1297.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB39mAMoftvUam-oBlZQQzMZ2MtQCp0A9Eox_nfm8-qTmFp7qrcahyphenhyphenHUGQVMjYXzEggMSioPUrhspsDzTOUvtro5HOI_1ZzoTnQ4zon0EsI4y-ral_IALA6jKEvmXC24BVIxUXTuSdG7U/s400/DSCN1297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446126957592418" /></a>This is our room now, and we love it.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvtnY2P9JBSia32yyyn8Mz3ZUmFQH-W2eDNQPeei4tdp-c4SCbUZiF5-gsh1zYIr5hA5mHfTkXiwfobK3BzuE5T4F30JzY8GCAVcn2rXKYHdmhaF8KCuIQqbPdTkGbAuJQfiJzNs_xSQ/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvtnY2P9JBSia32yyyn8Mz3ZUmFQH-W2eDNQPeei4tdp-c4SCbUZiF5-gsh1zYIr5hA5mHfTkXiwfobK3BzuE5T4F30JzY8GCAVcn2rXKYHdmhaF8KCuIQqbPdTkGbAuJQfiJzNs_xSQ/s400/IMG_1361.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446119930644130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MaIXDsBZQhHu8FRBmnfBKaVptnxkQn0sULZ1U_lO9I9ZpniO-ypiiU4iGvJmHQdeTLDXX9QGOMJF3t3Gibvd_0G_BZpbgcsZE4vqqGO1FBzAzbAn7CZVsRn4E1bKPpM2TcpW94H2e_8/s1600/IMG_1362.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1MaIXDsBZQhHu8FRBmnfBKaVptnxkQn0sULZ1U_lO9I9ZpniO-ypiiU4iGvJmHQdeTLDXX9QGOMJF3t3Gibvd_0G_BZpbgcsZE4vqqGO1FBzAzbAn7CZVsRn4E1bKPpM2TcpW94H2e_8/s400/IMG_1362.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446112473583586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfOQIMro74WTo_Wy7UausNFmpsKyZwu5CBC_MbOlAS9-2YPtGRwlUseGn5VSZgESkxnYPeJCSz_qnu2RV2lin7vMUAHxGEfOSTTZkPbMUWvdczdshTOJQeiNB4m0a-mhfUd6QWcCYv5I/s1600/IMG_1364.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfOQIMro74WTo_Wy7UausNFmpsKyZwu5CBC_MbOlAS9-2YPtGRwlUseGn5VSZgESkxnYPeJCSz_qnu2RV2lin7vMUAHxGEfOSTTZkPbMUWvdczdshTOJQeiNB4m0a-mhfUd6QWcCYv5I/s400/IMG_1364.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588446109870276722" /></a>Now we just need to take care of the rest of our house. Not sure when we'll get to it. We're just slowly eating the elephant.</div></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-58249946099065673562011-03-18T21:16:00.005+01:002011-03-26T18:17:11.837+01:00Dallas Museum of Art<div>Last week we went to the Dallas Museum of Art. After visiting the Kimball <a href="http://thebanshees.blogspot.com/2011/02/fort-worth.html">over President's Day</a>, we were expecting another nice, but small museum. We were in for a big surprise.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0F8eJO9-xDMwto-xtwSTth2ckGuAKX5G5w0qt8Wg6_L5y7hmCO2SfRnDONuZfAbcCIHmXCsf4LWofwRhRhyzRSheYBBUZ9lTbhZGGLSF-6jEb8vYspHjBNN0DMHsBe8hfygsTB_IjHk/s1600/IMG_1311.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo0F8eJO9-xDMwto-xtwSTth2ckGuAKX5G5w0qt8Wg6_L5y7hmCO2SfRnDONuZfAbcCIHmXCsf4LWofwRhRhyzRSheYBBUZ9lTbhZGGLSF-6jEb8vYspHjBNN0DMHsBe8hfygsTB_IjHk/s400/IMG_1311.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517588904321490" /></a>The DMA is not only huge, it's gorgeous. The hallways are large and interestingly shaped. When we arrived, a jazz band was playing in this open area decked out with huge glass <a href="http://www.chihuly.com/">Chihuly</a> flowers. The kids were interested to learn that not only had their Aunt Amelia taught yoga to Dale Chihuly's wife in the Chihuly home, but the artist wears an eyepatch that kind of makes him half-artist, half-pirate.<div><br /></div><div>Elsa loves Georgie O'Keeffe, and we were glad the DMA has two of her works on display. (Elsa' is posing with her Flat Stanley.)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAz3ERNjOtRDXIJOznaNylasuC906GVTRz7xXypiqXSABrwmm_c50RfyheZFsNzhecemZOSooQ1-um8505TyZUpE5QWC98wBwgfOgaMuArjcKmKvQYSKPO7wtrmtcaHSMf-ZOf5qUnho/s1600/IMG_1314.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUAz3ERNjOtRDXIJOznaNylasuC906GVTRz7xXypiqXSABrwmm_c50RfyheZFsNzhecemZOSooQ1-um8505TyZUpE5QWC98wBwgfOgaMuArjcKmKvQYSKPO7wtrmtcaHSMf-ZOf5qUnho/s400/IMG_1314.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517588619418930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65iV6Kd6Efbap9vICuZMRGX_VsmbeP-8uc8G2oVh8cgcmn40FIbpz19hBT7nv7bYGPNx4kAEmflfaeRG10bQx6I4t3vNvub9gM8XxJpn_FMSZpFyr0fjdUC6vPTq9UKSWN1fIL7sT5ng/s1600/IMG_1316.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65iV6Kd6Efbap9vICuZMRGX_VsmbeP-8uc8G2oVh8cgcmn40FIbpz19hBT7nv7bYGPNx4kAEmflfaeRG10bQx6I4t3vNvub9gM8XxJpn_FMSZpFyr0fjdUC6vPTq9UKSWN1fIL7sT5ng/s400/IMG_1316.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517583156252722" /></a><br /></div><div>Not sure who painted this. But it made us a little homesick. It's offers a better view than the one we had <a href="http://thebanshees.blogspot.com/2009/08/zermatt-and-matterhorn.html">when we visited it in person</a>.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1sSm0HoooMhLHpOk4qaCQvVZftddfTmcExJCFlV6yOAHF6VzYnsI3LMlIHjYlJWNFlofngyRT3mKEKBDAHezypVnuzF51fz6pCp21qypbToJcekVmf3sxt_ZEQRcHAqHiGzhERdoyu4/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1sSm0HoooMhLHpOk4qaCQvVZftddfTmcExJCFlV6yOAHF6VzYnsI3LMlIHjYlJWNFlofngyRT3mKEKBDAHezypVnuzF51fz6pCp21qypbToJcekVmf3sxt_ZEQRcHAqHiGzhERdoyu4/s400/IMG_1317.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517117003986530" /></a><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">In the Asian and Pacific art section, Elsa discovered these warriors. Apparently this art really spoke to her.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgkPNg2G99CuHbT34LhSi_ydFmzBUgNZNAigQ-PdxyWHHkDeGH2lcJoHVBpBSI6lVRZRcmjB8WYbP2ki9zLOz9aHHmvgXHRkB4fAezeuaelTeyAFONYS-Z5GzqCtKLlxyHbhyLSCN774/s1600/IMG_1321.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgkPNg2G99CuHbT34LhSi_ydFmzBUgNZNAigQ-PdxyWHHkDeGH2lcJoHVBpBSI6lVRZRcmjB8WYbP2ki9zLOz9aHHmvgXHRkB4fAezeuaelTeyAFONYS-Z5GzqCtKLlxyHbhyLSCN774/s400/IMG_1321.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517107652427586" /></a>Ansel can spot a Modrian a mile away. Actually, I guess anyone can. But it's one artist he knows, so we're happy about that.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy7ddSdCbkfTfOadbN3REmpAtkLq98bt9bRccGuGB3lH_FkY-OYXaUmCUB3I-n1p7PVdWwanhkz_a8fzwmXMGPdPftnto47UhKR7Gr2CgEcU_uHb6NMPvttFjAERpuYoDaXq_WvbA4vE/s1600/IMG_1325.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy7ddSdCbkfTfOadbN3REmpAtkLq98bt9bRccGuGB3lH_FkY-OYXaUmCUB3I-n1p7PVdWwanhkz_a8fzwmXMGPdPftnto47UhKR7Gr2CgEcU_uHb6NMPvttFjAERpuYoDaXq_WvbA4vE/s400/IMG_1325.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517107868514466" /></a><br /></div><div>We had a great night at the DMA. We only stayed an hour (hard to do more than that with four kids in a "do-not-touch" museum). But it was a great victory for us when we were leaving to have Elsa ask, "Can we come back here tomorrow?"</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJr-lSsoVWH9Euc7uDRyVw9OnUgxCr3jeugQgpTCarnP9mH_YZRGwkLx8izrmNu_ixxvelvQZ7qdAVkqHcPvC0-LPVktfjAbBbRIoPqoRX_w68p_1P3inrqBkfq_bwKno4H0zqu8rYZo/s1600/IMG_1328.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJr-lSsoVWH9Euc7uDRyVw9OnUgxCr3jeugQgpTCarnP9mH_YZRGwkLx8izrmNu_ixxvelvQZ7qdAVkqHcPvC0-LPVktfjAbBbRIoPqoRX_w68p_1P3inrqBkfq_bwKno4H0zqu8rYZo/s400/IMG_1328.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585517105435603314" /></a><br /></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-64259678288417088122011-03-18T21:11:00.003+01:002011-03-22T04:56:44.969+01:00Henry's Big Guns<div>Last weekend, Henry went with his scout troop to Camp Wisdom to fire some BB guns and get his shooting pin. Here he is outside the fort with his friend Jack.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YpigI_AbSi0d5W86Q_A6VJNdH5Sw4SAbn2KzrL6qcfW7DFHtVO7myItggMD8lQS7R8S6LrVq9sSbIMlrXhDNPUREwo4XKAnoJZKhWhowK0yhSPWoUKIAAJY3kkY4CRvc0vkrGoYkHqU/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YpigI_AbSi0d5W86Q_A6VJNdH5Sw4SAbn2KzrL6qcfW7DFHtVO7myItggMD8lQS7R8S6LrVq9sSbIMlrXhDNPUREwo4XKAnoJZKhWhowK0yhSPWoUKIAAJY3kkY4CRvc0vkrGoYkHqU/s400/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585515817058583282" /></a><br /><div>That's a real Red Rider BB gun he's firing. And no one shot their eyes out.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLC363SZEuLoJtaiZaB3XZTHmSD7IzwJ0Tm9j4Tt4IUiQJBxgvSjA7BlYAjBRVwcXJjKacLDcJfxHYDQYjOteL-FUU8D7jqwTA99hONuUqgvRtEnXcFy_qkZi6lsyNeFTng0bAYj-MPA/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLC363SZEuLoJtaiZaB3XZTHmSD7IzwJ0Tm9j4Tt4IUiQJBxgvSjA7BlYAjBRVwcXJjKacLDcJfxHYDQYjOteL-FUU8D7jqwTA99hONuUqgvRtEnXcFy_qkZi6lsyNeFTng0bAYj-MPA/s400/IMG_1296.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585515813198687170" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIBxMXW8UgtRkcgbUEL8PyOgjlLUmvqoa3R_qLJoyVRegAW12I8_annfjfUQBlvxJhOsnrDK0qKsb1ZRwkFjIHpLI3SIzy-V1ZlcSynDePbOJXKRCcrM4tTXzI-6tgn2Gfr5Davl5g3M/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIBxMXW8UgtRkcgbUEL8PyOgjlLUmvqoa3R_qLJoyVRegAW12I8_annfjfUQBlvxJhOsnrDK0qKsb1ZRwkFjIHpLI3SIzy-V1ZlcSynDePbOJXKRCcrM4tTXzI-6tgn2Gfr5Davl5g3M/s400/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585515806063957666" /></a><br /></div><div>They didn't bring a flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. But the one on Henry's sleeve worked just fine.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYa6O9aBiq17uOb3OPY4dKIuIpUMsnIKOT9ejzPM9K9tuBTdaZuKZyockjQUGnICBwxlnWMpccJqt8VTVfXM16LRgCZW_8E1xQ-hCkJtlwW4YCRqgWSSPaO9pjJhChFzPY7DOoKrlMew/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYa6O9aBiq17uOb3OPY4dKIuIpUMsnIKOT9ejzPM9K9tuBTdaZuKZyockjQUGnICBwxlnWMpccJqt8VTVfXM16LRgCZW_8E1xQ-hCkJtlwW4YCRqgWSSPaO9pjJhChFzPY7DOoKrlMew/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585515808371654866" /></a>Most of the kids got tired of shooting after a while. But Henry and Jack kept firing until they ran out of BBs, and talked about saving up for their own guns the whole drive home. Not sure that's going to happen. But if it does, neighborhood rabbits, beware!</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-14548421493972867732011-02-24T01:00:00.001+01:002011-02-24T01:00:08.380+01:00Fort Worth<div>We took our first trip to Fort Worth for President's Day. We started off with a trip to the <a href="https://www.kimbellart.org/index.aspx">Kimbell Museum</a>. Not exactly the Louvre or the Chicago Art Institute, but it's free and they did have a Cezane and a Monet.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN7R_awZv4JIinFSWNSLCdh2uNV3Gx53v4VuSGEr4ofL8W_4FJCPZCYons6FGEyEtWvHbtCsIbjelLNt2KT3g1t8RvqgG00-MH4jEbB3y6waCMm9LFEGrJk3In9VxYSWIG4-kobJUjGE/s1600/IMG_1187.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN7R_awZv4JIinFSWNSLCdh2uNV3Gx53v4VuSGEr4ofL8W_4FJCPZCYons6FGEyEtWvHbtCsIbjelLNt2KT3g1t8RvqgG00-MH4jEbB3y6waCMm9LFEGrJk3In9VxYSWIG4-kobJUjGE/s400/IMG_1187.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332679500411970" /></a><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsxkFMCk420z6dEau-KbDD0oAL1MEQeOSlif-4DtTX2wwzSYzj5Br62T8iIm1ZnDFDQ_qlnj4UeEfsDAXX4jletj1N8t413Mi-U61i6ivtb4taPTE8yldlT-g3U5TKDMtKo5fiWcRW_k/s400/IMG_1188.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332327653882850" /><br /><div>Not sure who this is a picture of (someone Spanish), but Elsa's doing her best impersenation of him. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUIT8wtCeFeeljUXcppdusRUWR70lZ_4ChngdaHUs4PyyQ-qJtPNL8EgrG0M9CcY3hFMuFbIAiDxVgIWBQBDV6Ole6wyL1Bn51SvkLD6Aj6DyI7_D9Z1LVdCh08gO6RP5ZI2-GaQO7U4/s1600/IMG_1190.jpg"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUIT8wtCeFeeljUXcppdusRUWR70lZ_4ChngdaHUs4PyyQ-qJtPNL8EgrG0M9CcY3hFMuFbIAiDxVgIWBQBDV6Ole6wyL1Bn51SvkLD6Aj6DyI7_D9Z1LVdCh08gO6RP5ZI2-GaQO7U4/s1600/IMG_1190.jpg"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUIT8wtCeFeeljUXcppdusRUWR70lZ_4ChngdaHUs4PyyQ-qJtPNL8EgrG0M9CcY3hFMuFbIAiDxVgIWBQBDV6Ole6wyL1Bn51SvkLD6Aj6DyI7_D9Z1LVdCh08gO6RP5ZI2-GaQO7U4/s400/IMG_1190.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332675178077234" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYI7f2OqzDKTPwkP2Iibe8VTTIJ7vsEAQSgeAY5TDVtTrq8vpKoOouvneU6rejK3ij37qU5yxid6Gxe6cx_ODZaOdva5asgH2ZKj86HjEhQsIzI9FBUUwkN30XXtm8raBd143BnzmjxA/s1600/IMG_1192.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYI7f2OqzDKTPwkP2Iibe8VTTIJ7vsEAQSgeAY5TDVtTrq8vpKoOouvneU6rejK3ij37qU5yxid6Gxe6cx_ODZaOdva5asgH2ZKj86HjEhQsIzI9FBUUwkN30XXtm8raBd143BnzmjxA/s400/IMG_1192.PNG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332319017526978" /></a><br /></div><div>Later we went to the <a href="http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/">Stockyards</a>. This is <i>real </i>Texas. We saw people with hats and boots and missing teeth and everything. Twice a day, they bring the cattle out into the streets. We couldn't believe the size of these horns! Everything's bigger in Texas. (This street, by the way, was full of BBQ joints and smelled fantastic. Wonder if the cows knew how much better they'd be smelling with a little dry rub.)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk3rFT2bDRE8hyphenhyphenWFvLZ7SOPcggC-3fZ7ApveOzsktRtdRPICqdzMvJd2jPSrA0BFdmnbcaxX-Gx54fVoreRmxAoa8q8EONeb0xYD8GSURNU2uVa9F0ZQWGENvTHS0tBmoTBlIouwLd2I/s1600/IMG_1203.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBk3rFT2bDRE8hyphenhyphenWFvLZ7SOPcggC-3fZ7ApveOzsktRtdRPICqdzMvJd2jPSrA0BFdmnbcaxX-Gx54fVoreRmxAoa8q8EONeb0xYD8GSURNU2uVa9F0ZQWGENvTHS0tBmoTBlIouwLd2I/s400/IMG_1203.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332320328715810" /></a><br /></div><div>We ate lunch at <a href="http://www.joets.com/">Joe T. Garcia's</a> - a restaurant that's been recommended to us ever since we landed last May. The food was good, but Greg and I still think it's pretty tough to be <a href="http://www.chuys.com/">Chuy's</a>. Although Ansel seemed to appreciate the meditation pool.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzTNvd8raC5ANkrvkJvW-Infahh31OY40A26kXJf08KEJiK5Lwg71lZMtD4hjW5rL-if6bbo3sdWtDOPaDQ6Y-xJUxWqkmVApy4bsyzxm8l2rMCt-EO-P_KjsjjdD0heI1RNjkL5LIhE/s1600/IMG_1209.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzTNvd8raC5ANkrvkJvW-Infahh31OY40A26kXJf08KEJiK5Lwg71lZMtD4hjW5rL-if6bbo3sdWtDOPaDQ6Y-xJUxWqkmVApy4bsyzxm8l2rMCt-EO-P_KjsjjdD0heI1RNjkL5LIhE/s400/IMG_1209.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332318400532898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBp8K4ReAXZX_KStLEvKIO1qCmRzP_6RD8gVvuzHJjZKlLmgDscR7JWzQb26RzvKgunxUKmURPMz2gYlbzTFO_Vk3y_Zkwd73dFpDcaT2gU_lgIBWHAKLRr-gLoWcVUxyHONPQLQFDmcM/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBp8K4ReAXZX_KStLEvKIO1qCmRzP_6RD8gVvuzHJjZKlLmgDscR7JWzQb26RzvKgunxUKmURPMz2gYlbzTFO_Vk3y_Zkwd73dFpDcaT2gU_lgIBWHAKLRr-gLoWcVUxyHONPQLQFDmcM/s400/IMG_1213.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576332312566336610" /></a><br /></div></div></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-47369180093011390972011-02-22T03:01:00.003+01:002011-02-22T03:13:35.304+01:00Elsa turns 7!<div>Elsa's birthday was on February 19th. She made a pretty good haul. I think Henry's used the pogo stick more than she has. When she finished opening up her presents she said the words no parent who was up until midnight getting a party ready wants to hear: "You know what I really wanted?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Hesitantly we asked her. "More birthday cards," she said. We explained that birthday cards usually don't come from parents (at least until you're in college), and that she'd be getting some from her friends later that day. That brightened her up. And other that having another confirmation that she's a little nuts, we were very relieved, too.</div><div> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_iC-0mowqSzSh6Ch_CcJYExQP5NwZJn2ywgDUJB8ntetVNx-Jwm4VreZ_SOWKgTznKBnHc_S8OV9NBDhcssTIGlGKAoaJVaPEAjYxpNVriWAUZrfVVRP2LG0_zxngTA9Amkt-eEaNHY/s1600/IMG_1181.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_iC-0mowqSzSh6Ch_CcJYExQP5NwZJn2ywgDUJB8ntetVNx-Jwm4VreZ_SOWKgTznKBnHc_S8OV9NBDhcssTIGlGKAoaJVaPEAjYxpNVriWAUZrfVVRP2LG0_zxngTA9Amkt-eEaNHY/s400/IMG_1181.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576328789534249938" /></a><br /><div>This year's theme was an Artist's Party. My cousin Brittany, who is an excellent illustrator, came to show the girls how to draw Tinkerbell and unicorns (and the girls' renditions were surprisingly good). While Brittany had the illustrators at one station, girls at another station were painting their canvases.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7WFBaP3xGWz-sYWHRfTknz_wsWHNlgb5mvheg1vHfzF3JNLbHOnT0cLkzXNUp3XNQFVmXMoAcXLHZ4RDNSIzIFHmORFPhvfTrOQB6PhG06RAF3RqeWllTVpuhpuP7miyyIa2JNLde1w/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7WFBaP3xGWz-sYWHRfTknz_wsWHNlgb5mvheg1vHfzF3JNLbHOnT0cLkzXNUp3XNQFVmXMoAcXLHZ4RDNSIzIFHmORFPhvfTrOQB6PhG06RAF3RqeWllTVpuhpuP7miyyIa2JNLde1w/s400/IMG_1183.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576328784932639698" /></a>Just so they weren't at a loss and suffer a humiliating artists block in the middle of the party, we gave them the theme "Your Best Summer Day." We had lots of blue skies and ice cream cones. But only Elsa gave us an ice cream cone floating in the ocean near a pink palm tree. Very Dali.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTO5xp2dmECyMmSXq5po4Bh1by_z6-Qgn7T6SvA2kyuVpRHjxp47KVOxlfUha11JLjNWmdMoWjBeDTlO0IeCI_9adgLU_r3jZziGzUYXFuM6qtPGYJP_ey9Z83Zd6TxLyvwlvAT2OwWM/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTO5xp2dmECyMmSXq5po4Bh1by_z6-Qgn7T6SvA2kyuVpRHjxp47KVOxlfUha11JLjNWmdMoWjBeDTlO0IeCI_9adgLU_r3jZziGzUYXFuM6qtPGYJP_ey9Z83Zd6TxLyvwlvAT2OwWM/s400/IMG_1186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576328780429917730" /></a>My artistic contribution was this rainbow cake that I found on the Martha Stewart website. It's a double rainbow all the way!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9rjo0HkDjej6Z8LsY4HacPL8RW6R5eQFI5f1S9WWM08PC_A5HcyiZKO4lXt7IzUDRGoWtEwSZGmtjskd5Kv-i1yc068OJkjCguQO0jn64KqV3i7NeWNsHJI_p4SXy0ywjN5wHSax1DA/s1600/IMG_1185.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9rjo0HkDjej6Z8LsY4HacPL8RW6R5eQFI5f1S9WWM08PC_A5HcyiZKO4lXt7IzUDRGoWtEwSZGmtjskd5Kv-i1yc068OJkjCguQO0jn64KqV3i7NeWNsHJI_p4SXy0ywjN5wHSax1DA/s400/IMG_1185.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576328779302217442" /></a><br /></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-31224072442028708982011-02-12T01:00:00.001+01:002011-02-14T05:15:03.477+01:00Oh, you're sick, are you?<div>A couple weeks ago, Henry said he was sick enough to stay home from school. But this is what he was doing by mid-afternoon.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno7kp2MfK4pl0ofFwV9NsTRE4Fj_AVIZ66aFJw6Ghkhuyl01funOXuoFkbnL_j89Ukw1VVOD0aT6KKSVpOkk1JfwLfj44wVxogbTIgStnRL94hiVty5rV7Q6gfrEj8mtnZX3mHSvK1pw/s1600/IMG_1157.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhno7kp2MfK4pl0ofFwV9NsTRE4Fj_AVIZ66aFJw6Ghkhuyl01funOXuoFkbnL_j89Ukw1VVOD0aT6KKSVpOkk1JfwLfj44wVxogbTIgStnRL94hiVty5rV7Q6gfrEj8mtnZX3mHSvK1pw/s400/IMG_1157.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571323331654830434" /></a>I'm not saying he wasn't sick - he really was. I guess you're just never too sick to rock.The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-90916032490153944572011-02-08T15:18:00.003+01:002011-02-08T21:54:23.532+01:00Henry's introduction to the NBA<div>Greg took Henry to his first NBA game last night. It was the Mavericks vs. the Cavs. It looks like Henry's gagging at the Tyson Chandler poster, but it was just his eight-year-old brain confusing machismo aggression with excitement.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPMG0yQs9QZrTfrv8je-iWlogRPHp7cLjhxLv-WcK-R6s7XYKc7bsNKxfHfr_qdpQOcAelr9PTWzwVnbHAPNikF1TOR6tUfPOw1CPaSe-ZdtM6f1fOGLeBVR0RbSDgTPx33EVy9aSIdc/s1600/IMG_1173.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPMG0yQs9QZrTfrv8je-iWlogRPHp7cLjhxLv-WcK-R6s7XYKc7bsNKxfHfr_qdpQOcAelr9PTWzwVnbHAPNikF1TOR6tUfPOw1CPaSe-ZdtM6f1fOGLeBVR0RbSDgTPx33EVy9aSIdc/s400/IMG_1173.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571323194863067842" /></a>And you know those t-shirts they catapult into the stands between quarters? What are the chances that at his first game, Henry would catch one? Between this and the free Tyson Chandler bobblehead doll he picked up, the kid's going to think NBA games are a giant swag-fest.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomiRQ0w1dI3OA4ZbLNf7NgLUk-sqXzHE6Fi9g_ZoK3Q3dIuIwzSyErRZq_Ozm0KrZKBUdNbLK7YDP9N2Zbvh_f-KVCs2WfnCjWegv6OCDQOctj2fohQ5-OuLnth4pM8XUu8jY99YuWBg/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjomiRQ0w1dI3OA4ZbLNf7NgLUk-sqXzHE6Fi9g_ZoK3Q3dIuIwzSyErRZq_Ozm0KrZKBUdNbLK7YDP9N2Zbvh_f-KVCs2WfnCjWegv6OCDQOctj2fohQ5-OuLnth4pM8XUu8jY99YuWBg/s400/IMG_1175.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571323189548030962" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Final score</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mavs: 99</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cavs: 96</div><div style="text-align: center;">Henry: Super happy</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGyx2iDtPw-8nfNW_kPgahbGxambslIq546IIXKYAJoD5EFYqYuWNFMJWCQOOIpbQ2Wt-uPd4kuS5yxLx9C1cGP6uq8fqplEzfwqpc9lVtyp0KZ8IYHSn5ci3gFGiluZtK791JtKFqKU/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGyx2iDtPw-8nfNW_kPgahbGxambslIq546IIXKYAJoD5EFYqYuWNFMJWCQOOIpbQ2Wt-uPd4kuS5yxLx9C1cGP6uq8fqplEzfwqpc9lVtyp0KZ8IYHSn5ci3gFGiluZtK791JtKFqKU/s400/IMG_1177.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571323186569011954" /></a>(By the way, this was Cleveland's 25th straight loss in a row. Ouch.)</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-89262494361776282692011-02-08T15:17:00.001+01:002011-02-08T15:22:16.934+01:00Is that you, Texas?<div>Last week, we were hit with some crazy snow. Tuesday, the roads were so iced over, newscasters were telling people as early as 6am to stay off the highways. Greg worked from home. And school was closed for the rest of the week.</div><div><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmmtS5SnqCmkwyXVIuiKGrx_7OlJRrkL_gAUDV9YnsKThNdj-X6msv-VTImFwlsbytqY-FOodbawqShwvtim1p2ZU0JDABhLTxw3sg5b0wwQ3puPRkob5aELoctnrrFbqgOQ7sSM7gZQ/s400/IMG_1165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571322954673482482" /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8t6t653m08bcEfrq8QRg5I1twK9D03n25BU_ATsuyhKc_gRPBOwwONllFHQZua1hpCDMIf6_pppxyNlBgskQ8eAptRQx-u-qmtk6oqx0HrvosCCT_6Pn9bnniEJ_Kx9AxoFrtPkQB_Y0/s400/IMG_1169.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571322945767459042" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfXl-lXbX_AlDof1btiCgwJXuSpKE6P_h4MnKKq1ocveqsIow-EE2V-U__LRRy8-Vwn4PWt5zWVJyZthjiX9HJX94_7yauh7b5Pwe3HnBLfPqknqdv2wx2Mdwx_QsfZnjIfOGNklRnwc/s1600/IMG_1166.PNG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfXl-lXbX_AlDof1btiCgwJXuSpKE6P_h4MnKKq1ocveqsIow-EE2V-U__LRRy8-Vwn4PWt5zWVJyZthjiX9HJX94_7yauh7b5Pwe3HnBLfPqknqdv2wx2Mdwx_QsfZnjIfOGNklRnwc/s400/IMG_1166.PNG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571322943973654546" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">It's all melted by now. But we sure had a good time hanging out and doing absolutely nothing!</div></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-64227714713938159402011-02-01T20:37:00.004+01:002011-02-01T20:50:18.063+01:00Elsa and Chairman Mao<div>A few years ago, Greg's mom went to China. She brought back some great art, as well as a copy of Chairman Mao's little red book. </div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2j42NFSba3Akp0QC0WSuciSGY9pkiC0_VNl3Fo2TZ1YPra4GpQl36mZGxtxGtRTXcSKgNGHGHriBcRvl9Ib61TlZgqt8C1PrPnpA5p6ki4I8ODJ6y13FAKT5ak3nrNus1Ec6wHCF9fs/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-02-01+at+1.35.36+PM.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2j42NFSba3Akp0QC0WSuciSGY9pkiC0_VNl3Fo2TZ1YPra4GpQl36mZGxtxGtRTXcSKgNGHGHriBcRvl9Ib61TlZgqt8C1PrPnpA5p6ki4I8ODJ6y13FAKT5ak3nrNus1Ec6wHCF9fs/s400/Screen+shot+2011-02-01+at+1.35.36+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568807940199652642" /></a><br /><div>As I've <a href="http://thebanshees.blogspot.com/2010/07/cliffs-notes-on-last-few-weeks.html">posted before</a>, for some reason, Elsa has since claimed this book as her own. Although she hasn't read it, she has made some interesting contributions to it.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_MzzqOWGEv_RIDrhILlflIi7UM876cn_z-JqM0jp5VsREF7114N1ZuNIlRO_CL8quwzSbDQoxuyWStfiwGTsXAI-0I_2nWwxVcEOh088vmtS9z76dhpBPyQqGLhMK9stgyxZCA_YiU4/s1600/Scan+110290002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_MzzqOWGEv_RIDrhILlflIi7UM876cn_z-JqM0jp5VsREF7114N1ZuNIlRO_CL8quwzSbDQoxuyWStfiwGTsXAI-0I_2nWwxVcEOh088vmtS9z76dhpBPyQqGLhMK9stgyxZCA_YiU4/s400/Scan+110290002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568807937479485090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6jHEh8XGd0tbVnzgTaUUt2KecvVjkabocTDWmURpUUSAcnYaAAhxo0tmiEg4Xv-8PPZg0lzI8QLi8K4gOCPfD122gH3AHkHb1dzQk-2Rk6hBgcxRdCrkzLMKbpZQ5UNjcV_eTlNNp9A/s1600/Scan+110290003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6jHEh8XGd0tbVnzgTaUUt2KecvVjkabocTDWmURpUUSAcnYaAAhxo0tmiEg4Xv-8PPZg0lzI8QLi8K4gOCPfD122gH3AHkHb1dzQk-2Rk6hBgcxRdCrkzLMKbpZQ5UNjcV_eTlNNp9A/s400/Scan+110290003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568807936520524018" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTRI8L9CT-fX-0bPporLM6UgtMsv3Y9dqVaKGjMU_YwwplnIO_Ot1jTVIBuINw_hORDaGhzT8LR4TaqsXImEpGM0izQP0q-fiV2PCBc4VmEhMxZK6klY7UHRgAsNfEVTKlmhLqgJxs2M/s1600/Scan+110290005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTRI8L9CT-fX-0bPporLM6UgtMsv3Y9dqVaKGjMU_YwwplnIO_Ot1jTVIBuINw_hORDaGhzT8LR4TaqsXImEpGM0izQP0q-fiV2PCBc4VmEhMxZK6klY7UHRgAsNfEVTKlmhLqgJxs2M/s400/Scan+110290005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568807932331123138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qPlSqxgZ2_1XTo3nG4n6hCka6iuzCbWAK-TiSskuBG4D5-WVe-5WZgDSm2XTV21W-yPG1y1C2Lzc7SFIPeC5rZtXPhMq69hvzsUI_7IROK4DGNpQ13UOJ4FoDTZkjjCc3QM-qhQMPJI/s1600/Scan+110290006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qPlSqxgZ2_1XTo3nG4n6hCka6iuzCbWAK-TiSskuBG4D5-WVe-5WZgDSm2XTV21W-yPG1y1C2Lzc7SFIPeC5rZtXPhMq69hvzsUI_7IROK4DGNpQ13UOJ4FoDTZkjjCc3QM-qhQMPJI/s400/Scan+110290006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568807930659480322" /></a><br /></div></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-9871242239791874892011-01-25T01:00:00.000+01:002011-01-25T01:00:03.086+01:00Christmas Recap, Part 4: Nana's House<div>How does someone who has a house like this...</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdvd2gfZrewewl7D12e_OMUCl8ueIAkgikTU0FSPXRN2qMf5QVIa93BQ33HbRcFeb1ubvJGFKczl13CNMKSHybHVmtb3iAdyMEzgxMECKLaKpsh1KzNWGyxpdQdQLAXuR7Hf_rKUipCo/s1600/IMG_0923.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdvd2gfZrewewl7D12e_OMUCl8ueIAkgikTU0FSPXRN2qMf5QVIa93BQ33HbRcFeb1ubvJGFKczl13CNMKSHybHVmtb3iAdyMEzgxMECKLaKpsh1KzNWGyxpdQdQLAXuR7Hf_rKUipCo/s400/IMG_0923.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565242333470417026" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS-svqNt-ZzHs6XlxEKpZlqn-_14knig4SnGNi-lsr0hx7KPk-cRAP_1n5CLBzdbxBOqkWq4Ewrl81vmzgyL2gxw-4GlWhgR2Cg9xRvPWsMkxn_JugJt8O4aSm4iKM5FpE1aHq_yD6C8/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS-svqNt-ZzHs6XlxEKpZlqn-_14knig4SnGNi-lsr0hx7KPk-cRAP_1n5CLBzdbxBOqkWq4Ewrl81vmzgyL2gxw-4GlWhgR2Cg9xRvPWsMkxn_JugJt8O4aSm4iKM5FpE1aHq_yD6C8/s400/IMG_0927.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565242326683440978" /></a>Have a backyard that contains this...<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxsZnwdBooDEasWivq9EMOWGKK_vDESQYcSY9RKamExNzSR1ww6ufqjnqvo8puQnwEzyqQ2reFqFdgMBJo0VB4H_mOsisrHkQhmGNcwg2WteLVV3xg8HgDoJgH108TeCGTgUbI0WvyZA/s400/IMG_0936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565242323492675794" /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">We love Nana and her goats! (Named after her grandmothers Minnie and Myrtie Bell.)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgCL9uLv9m9kDdSwH7t8EAI6-yt47w8b3yLhEE7hD6pWZ_ohZgH6O4iUvgUc9wya0QMLZLFf8FLDaNys55kPYS5Y1QxRo6i_OimsMy4In2mNRmWHhQEX2neRzal8ZQQ0Mw5IcUtDszSo/s1600/IMG_0935.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikgCL9uLv9m9kDdSwH7t8EAI6-yt47w8b3yLhEE7hD6pWZ_ohZgH6O4iUvgUc9wya0QMLZLFf8FLDaNys55kPYS5Y1QxRo6i_OimsMy4In2mNRmWHhQEX2neRzal8ZQQ0Mw5IcUtDszSo/s400/IMG_0935.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565242328173505490" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFGRZqizUaiEW1yt-7ZzkH_ixeb7nzLlcGkE_2R-u8zYGvNMB_ql9O3a3nphdsTuyEUinCJsFEhrtNea7S-OopkndHJgEW5lyG3rP4RnGZu1EtU6YS5K1aswuHEK0MoLw04FQ368WUvk/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFGRZqizUaiEW1yt-7ZzkH_ixeb7nzLlcGkE_2R-u8zYGvNMB_ql9O3a3nphdsTuyEUinCJsFEhrtNea7S-OopkndHJgEW5lyG3rP4RnGZu1EtU6YS5K1aswuHEK0MoLw04FQ368WUvk/s400/IMG_0942.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565242313965131010" /></a><br /></div></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-55910819803327897112011-01-23T05:57:00.001+01:002011-01-24T03:52:30.799+01:00Christmas Recap, Part 3: Snowbasin<div>If there's one thing Henry loves, it's skiing.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKVgl0I_rI258sJyYT1hKAv7hDGAdd8xzQ-DEcBEUiEQHCA8Wapdi6Ip4bRRrVnY2QUpFF_Vbx5nualeA0W_sqRXrxvqrIWsxOVGDEx8bwqGd-FoG5gNKX7pm2OCsATDyevVEPymbZsA/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKVgl0I_rI258sJyYT1hKAv7hDGAdd8xzQ-DEcBEUiEQHCA8Wapdi6Ip4bRRrVnY2QUpFF_Vbx5nualeA0W_sqRXrxvqrIWsxOVGDEx8bwqGd-FoG5gNKX7pm2OCsATDyevVEPymbZsA/s400/IMG_1009.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565241413248984050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDerAj1Ve4yofl-F2qTKXIzgb7C2wmQQZ2uY5JEzNvNers_rDms6rNIZL6ipD4crD6JZ2baWH3AlwBZaHQbtGHh4nCV0Uvlab8dzejwTW336576BnGIYjLbfLcxTKStd2_VZZwz4Uz-0A/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDerAj1Ve4yofl-F2qTKXIzgb7C2wmQQZ2uY5JEzNvNers_rDms6rNIZL6ipD4crD6JZ2baWH3AlwBZaHQbtGHh4nCV0Uvlab8dzejwTW336576BnGIYjLbfLcxTKStd2_VZZwz4Uz-0A/s400/IMG_1018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565241408989542402" /></a>It's really been kind of hard to go from skiing every single week to one or two trips a year. Maybe Greg and Henry will have to take another ski trip in February. I'm fine staying in the lodge drinking hot cocoa.The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-88177403336330966712011-01-23T05:56:00.001+01:002011-01-24T03:50:50.151+01:00Christmas Recap, Part 2: Brother Cooper<div>While we were in Utah, we met up with our old friend from Geneva, Ryan Cooper. At Hire's Big H.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7Y1vPlYl-2w6BZOyS_M63Eg2C7Fkyes1_eX_SN0myn0I2r_y4YF_kBuuoyGNEBd__-J7GCd_GFEdsF5g9nuYWQatfS_AX-nQJzwSWYo_7u6AbvCClyESz0ZMH_XKiIkRM3aYljq9nNk/s1600/IMG_1001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7Y1vPlYl-2w6BZOyS_M63Eg2C7Fkyes1_eX_SN0myn0I2r_y4YF_kBuuoyGNEBd__-J7GCd_GFEdsF5g9nuYWQatfS_AX-nQJzwSWYo_7u6AbvCClyESz0ZMH_XKiIkRM3aYljq9nNk/s400/IMG_1001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565240984923012226" /></a>Coop was Henry's Sunday School teacher in Geneva. Just look at these tough guys.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3Ux-6feDF0QYcRE0VbJpD0bh-eYWLoGOqIUspavqtSODRZOMlGBfBp44VOF-lRUwEcFtP2tTwBVieOEeR4KeVWo3SrdvAOEj_WQZAE8gZvmc-Jw195Fh3LRSbyL_5XhEC68tQlFZzQY/s1600/IMG_0996.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3Ux-6feDF0QYcRE0VbJpD0bh-eYWLoGOqIUspavqtSODRZOMlGBfBp44VOF-lRUwEcFtP2tTwBVieOEeR4KeVWo3SrdvAOEj_WQZAE8gZvmc-Jw195Fh3LRSbyL_5XhEC68tQlFZzQY/s400/IMG_0996.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565240978960441122" /></a><br /></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-59411761526728495872011-01-23T01:00:00.002+01:002011-01-23T01:02:37.228+01:00Pinewood Derby<div>Henry just completed his first Pinewood Derby. He didn't come in 1st or 2nd (or 8th or 10th), but he had fun. And he won "Most Gamey-est" because of his Donkey Kong theme. (I would have thought "Most Gamey-est" would have gone to the car that tasted the most like rabbit.)</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbHEEaI6nGgP41QbMYx767aD-1luFQVK96u3CVS9K12fKGwERPN9n0ZjNp2-jzzXxOzkEljyq08o0qlKoPp8Ngudx9Xv1WFMxGFgwUkR1OdFV6bgT0S0mvN2sGrVhJVxW2lKbX4eq2ZM/s1600/DSCN1287.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbHEEaI6nGgP41QbMYx767aD-1luFQVK96u3CVS9K12fKGwERPN9n0ZjNp2-jzzXxOzkEljyq08o0qlKoPp8Ngudx9Xv1WFMxGFgwUkR1OdFV6bgT0S0mvN2sGrVhJVxW2lKbX4eq2ZM/s400/DSCN1287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565164653526750258" /></a>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-41096266296217047722011-01-05T04:09:00.002+01:002011-01-05T04:14:23.434+01:00Christmas Recap, Part 1<div>Two things we loved about Christmas break:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bedtime stories with Nana.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvM5RiRhJQZB_LoPyfvH8IcQEGcFS_rhwqvg-aXdocaOfIbSiCXCMovdDriql9BZwnkHh9LEp4z0Gkm-fFhjk2jFJ4ZHij3p2sYd-DhHeZcMx4Ej-sIs2E46L4nm3jXHHlxCx2h201CQ/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvM5RiRhJQZB_LoPyfvH8IcQEGcFS_rhwqvg-aXdocaOfIbSiCXCMovdDriql9BZwnkHh9LEp4z0Gkm-fFhjk2jFJ4ZHij3p2sYd-DhHeZcMx4Ej-sIs2E46L4nm3jXHHlxCx2h201CQ/s400/IMG_1003.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558534522041941522" /></a><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;">Eating out. (Even after waiting for 45 minutes at the Mandarin.)</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1ixSaJXZhPvyG7K2V-eIxhup28mfGzLHwvsA7LayyAySr07Ppa5q-oGaTbU0YH4Mo9JJC5t2SXd3CP78jjq-hgKPJnUcgIqZEkUn9M6S0dcE0wR3eMUDNBsMtmwE0lge-HTAN_vUX2E/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1ixSaJXZhPvyG7K2V-eIxhup28mfGzLHwvsA7LayyAySr07Ppa5q-oGaTbU0YH4Mo9JJC5t2SXd3CP78jjq-hgKPJnUcgIqZEkUn9M6S0dcE0wR3eMUDNBsMtmwE0lge-HTAN_vUX2E/s400/IMG_1040.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558534515495774930" /></a><br /><br /></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-21869543628242680382011-01-04T06:24:00.002+01:002011-01-04T06:26:54.395+01:00Christmas Recap Coming<div style="text-align: left;">We had such a great Christmas break - full of family, friends and skiing. I'm going to have to break it up into several posts. Coming soon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMA-PYeNP1vx50dIr2scpGm-I3-3AOy7BQ29Ob4Tl0JCHGJZ54rCoYg5WLa5THFgJ7AlnfTEp4ZkFCMBZTcy7sV9DaLuEGKHsrVGJyTi9oRuSJW2t51XcuIbbCqmEZu4nKkgDkbBKLqk/s400/IMG_0976.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558197791455933586" /></div><div>Can you tell which of our kids had never been skiing before?</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-90534612115002936202010-11-29T16:28:00.000+01:002010-11-29T16:29:46.968+01:00Still the New Girl<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As the Relief Society secretary in the ward, I'm responsible for a newsletter that gets emailed once a week.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As the new girl in the ward, I guess shouldn't feel so bad when I include a list of birthdays in the newsletter and someone sends me the following email:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Dear Sister Christensen,</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'courier new';">Sister [so-and-so] died a month ago.</span></span></p>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-87609748524581964522010-11-27T19:58:00.006+01:002010-11-27T20:17:39.775+01:00Our ER Thanksgiving<div>The day before Thanksgiving, Louisa woke up with a temperature of 103. The doctor told us to monitor her temperature for a day, and to not take her around other people. So that pretty much scuttled our plans to celebrate with our Plano friends. We thought just Greg and the three oldest Banshees could go, but when our hostess said she was feeling a little sickish too, we cut the T-cord and decided to improvise our own dinner. (We were planning to bring one of the turkeys so we weren't completely marooned.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday morning, Louisa was still 103, so I called the doctor and was told to take her into the ER. Greg gave her a blessing before we left and we spent Thanksgiving day from 10:00 to 1:00 in the ER. Awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>A blood test, a urine test and a chest x-ray later (great appetizers for Thanksgiving), Louisa was fine. I came home and spent the next two hours getting ready for dinner, and we were eating by 3:00. I think I could be on Iron Chef America. Especially if the secret ingredient were "Take an infant to the ER!" Mario Batali has nothing on me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a picture of Greg and the Banshees in the backyard of our neighbor Al, with his son John. Al deep-fried our turkey for us - he and his wife are all-star neighbors.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5O5yQ-PsIIZp9GLOs9EtNqN07WoU6ggl9lMjakHF2dUWX6PQfJ71Qdxm2Pu49UjsDK9mCAxHr4bf-I-JC_4YMYkmtDjMPA-ZJqzxyw8iNXUHrHl4NwC7L3OEgnpEVgnSghTJgZ77qYg/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5O5yQ-PsIIZp9GLOs9EtNqN07WoU6ggl9lMjakHF2dUWX6PQfJ71Qdxm2Pu49UjsDK9mCAxHr4bf-I-JC_4YMYkmtDjMPA-ZJqzxyw8iNXUHrHl4NwC7L3OEgnpEVgnSghTJgZ77qYg/s400/photo.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544306213417682370" /></a>Here we our at our improvised Thanksgiving dinner. At least I got to use my china and crystal!<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyId2iXKSzRR-RvjTfdTAbfZu5fgvaUes0HRlDjkHjPPgPfOkk3-x_r19GbhLSC1egF0aNqk-4Ea5kVjeHYSyABANHboYBP6rCdw34cW-SFWGWDA088Iwwtom7-bOQVSMD1I2iizN7eU/s1600/thanksgiving.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyId2iXKSzRR-RvjTfdTAbfZu5fgvaUes0HRlDjkHjPPgPfOkk3-x_r19GbhLSC1egF0aNqk-4Ea5kVjeHYSyABANHboYBP6rCdw34cW-SFWGWDA088Iwwtom7-bOQVSMD1I2iizN7eU/s400/thanksgiving.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544306208136675154" /></a><br /></div><div>Here's a video of Al taking our turkey out of his deep frier. This was probably the best turkey we've ever had. Once you go deep-fried, you don't go back!</div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwAkC6dTVUdUqyoMJAxrqIdQsLHFP5fd5YxYp9LikDA3VWdf9aEiYE7veFrDjN3Df8mWRy6GQ0M9cwJw3-86Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-4058125243056905612010-11-20T19:06:00.004+01:002010-11-20T19:07:52.415+01:00How Our Kids SwearConversation in the car this morning...<div><br /></div><div>HENRY: Dad, you know what I say if I get disappointed? I say, "Aw, jackrabbits!"</div><div><br /></div><div>DAD: That's a good thing to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>ANSEL: Yeah, and you know what I say? I say, "Oh, geez! I'm gonna kick their butts!"</div>The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6941061500799548828.post-91361069025200877502010-11-07T18:10:00.000+01:002010-11-07T18:12:01.570+01:00Halloween<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSLt2o2viuHx_3wFrZlPwPGx4sK-3AosPEHhxmSQwzPC2h2x9KB_RJb6Fk1qPS5mPWkcalJgxTGkB2L5hO8ItSFUzci0kWGQcKlzBr0FRwnz6FClEvSX4q8c60C27JJPLNWfGvL3JLc0/s1600/DSCN1138.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSLt2o2viuHx_3wFrZlPwPGx4sK-3AosPEHhxmSQwzPC2h2x9KB_RJb6Fk1qPS5mPWkcalJgxTGkB2L5hO8ItSFUzci0kWGQcKlzBr0FRwnz6FClEvSX4q8c60C27JJPLNWfGvL3JLc0/s400/DSCN1138.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536856502328174354" /></a>A ninja, Hannah Montana, and Super Why.The Christexanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04962647179892336409noreply@blogger.com0