Things went well and we are glad to have one done!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
First branding of the year
We had our first branding of the year last Tuesday. Here are a few shots that I took. The kids both helped this year so that was fun for them!
Things went well and we are glad to have one done!
Things went well and we are glad to have one done!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Boise trip
Andy and I went to Boise for a Ranch Management Consultants meeting. The meetings are three times a year.
We left on Wednesday and it took us 15 hours to get there! And no we didn't drive! We were supposed to leave from Arcata at 10:20. San Francisco had major fog, so things were slowed to a crawl. By noon, there wasn't much hope for us to make our connections to Boise. We switched to Horizon Air, connecting through Seattle. We had a five hour layover in Seattle and didn't get to Boise until 11 pm! It was a very long day...
Our meetings went well. We always have a great time and come back with lots of motivation and ideas for our business.
We went to the Melting Pot on Saturday night. Andy had promised to take me a year ago, but the timing hadn't worked out yet. For those of you that don't know, the Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant. We had four courses: cheese fondue (with bread, green apples, and veggies to dip), salad, coq au vin fondue (with filet mignon, NY steak, lobster, shrimp, chicken, raviolis, and veggies to dip), and the flaming turtle fondue for dessert (with brownies, marshmallows, rice krispy treats, cheesecake, pound cake and strawberries to dip). It was fantastic!
On Sunday morning we headed home. Our flight was at 7am from Boise to San Francisco. No problems there. Our flight from San Francisco to Arcata ended up being about 2 hours late to get home, but at least we made it!
Overall it was a great trip.... and adventure!
We left on Wednesday and it took us 15 hours to get there! And no we didn't drive! We were supposed to leave from Arcata at 10:20. San Francisco had major fog, so things were slowed to a crawl. By noon, there wasn't much hope for us to make our connections to Boise. We switched to Horizon Air, connecting through Seattle. We had a five hour layover in Seattle and didn't get to Boise until 11 pm! It was a very long day...
Our meetings went well. We always have a great time and come back with lots of motivation and ideas for our business.
We went to the Melting Pot on Saturday night. Andy had promised to take me a year ago, but the timing hadn't worked out yet. For those of you that don't know, the Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant. We had four courses: cheese fondue (with bread, green apples, and veggies to dip), salad, coq au vin fondue (with filet mignon, NY steak, lobster, shrimp, chicken, raviolis, and veggies to dip), and the flaming turtle fondue for dessert (with brownies, marshmallows, rice krispy treats, cheesecake, pound cake and strawberries to dip). It was fantastic!
On Sunday morning we headed home. Our flight was at 7am from Boise to San Francisco. No problems there. Our flight from San Francisco to Arcata ended up being about 2 hours late to get home, but at least we made it!
Overall it was a great trip.... and adventure!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Back from Boise
I haven't blogged much lately.... sorry. We got back from Boise today so I will try to get something posted tomorrow!
Monday, February 15, 2010
What a weekend!
We had quite the weekend. Both kids had basketball games on Saturday, but we had to miss Abigail's because we had a red carpet movie premiere to go to..... right here in Humboldt County. The Victorines invited us because Clint and his Eel River Organic Beef were part of the movie. If you want to see part of the movie, click HERE. Clint's portion is at the end of this.
The movie was made about some Humboldt County products. Here are a few photos that I took at the premiere night. Clint is on the left here.
Clint and Christina....
Travis and Joy....
The movie was made about some Humboldt County products. Here are a few photos that I took at the premiere night. Clint is on the left here.
Clint and Christina....
Travis and Joy....
Andy and I didn't get our picture taken that night... hence the special photo session by my friend Sandi (see previous post).
Friday, February 12, 2010
How to stay in love
*I got this as an email a few years ago.*
I believe in love and romance. I believe it is something that can last forever, if it is carefully cultivated.
Here are some tips for keeping romance alive and for staying in love:
FIND time to date... time to be alone and tell each other of your love. You spent time alone at first...why did you quit? My wife and I get away alone every week. Just to refocus on each other. And to fall in love again.
UNDERSTAND what delights the other and make it happen. "The romance is over," says Marlys Huffman,"when you see a rosebush and start looking for aphids instead of picking a bouquet." Does she like to be surprised by flowers? Does he have a favorite dish or activity? Does she enjoy spontaneous affection? Know what brings pleasure to your partner -- and delight him/her!
NEVER forget why you got together in the first place. When you focus first on his faults you're not thinking about his strengths. When you're busy pointing out her imperfections, you're not enjoying those qualities that attracted you to her initially. Choose to appreciate that which first drew you together and your romance
will grow.
The first letter of these three tips spells the word FUN. Have fun together. Laugh. Go on outings. Plan time to enjoy one another. Remember, "the family that PLAYS together also STAYS together"!
I believe in love and romance. I believe it is something that can last forever, if it is carefully cultivated.
Here are some tips for keeping romance alive and for staying in love:
FIND time to date... time to be alone and tell each other of your love. You spent time alone at first...why did you quit? My wife and I get away alone every week. Just to refocus on each other. And to fall in love again.
UNDERSTAND what delights the other and make it happen. "The romance is over," says Marlys Huffman,"when you see a rosebush and start looking for aphids instead of picking a bouquet." Does she like to be surprised by flowers? Does he have a favorite dish or activity? Does she enjoy spontaneous affection? Know what brings pleasure to your partner -- and delight him/her!
NEVER forget why you got together in the first place. When you focus first on his faults you're not thinking about his strengths. When you're busy pointing out her imperfections, you're not enjoying those qualities that attracted you to her initially. Choose to appreciate that which first drew you together and your romance
will grow.
The first letter of these three tips spells the word FUN. Have fun together. Laugh. Go on outings. Plan time to enjoy one another. Remember, "the family that PLAYS together also STAYS together"!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Don't Hope Friend.... Decide!
*I received this in an inspirational email a few years ago and think it's worth sharing.*
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about - the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.
Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, I heard the father say, "It's so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!" His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me, too, Dad!"
Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son's face in his hands said, "You're already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!" They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.
While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother's arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, "Hi, baby girl!" as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.
After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, "I've saved the best for last!" and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed, "I love you so much!"
They stared into each other's eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn't possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment, then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm's length away from me. I
suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, "Wow! How long have you two been married?"
"Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those," he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife's face. "Well then, how long have you been away?" I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. "Two whole days!"
Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he'd been gone for at least several weeks - if not months. I know my expression betrayed me, I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), "I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!"
The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with a forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person.
He told me, "Don't hope, friend...decide."
Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, "God bless!" With that, he and his family turned and strode away together.
I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What'cha looking at?"
Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!"
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about - the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me.
Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, I heard the father say, "It's so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!" His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me, too, Dad!"
Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son's face in his hands said, "You're already quite the young man. I love you very much, Zach!" They too hugged a most loving, tender hug.
While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one-and-a-half) was squirming excitedly in her mother's arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, "Hi, baby girl!" as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder, motionless in pure contentment.
After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, "I've saved the best for last!" and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed, "I love you so much!"
They stared into each other's eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn't possibly be. I puzzled about it for a moment, then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm's length away from me. I
suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, "Wow! How long have you two been married?"
"Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those," he replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife's face. "Well then, how long have you been away?" I asked. The man finally turned and looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile. "Two whole days!"
Two days? I was stunned. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he'd been gone for at least several weeks - if not months. I know my expression betrayed me, I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), "I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!"
The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with a forcefulness that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person.
He told me, "Don't hope, friend...decide."
Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, "God bless!" With that, he and his family turned and strode away together.
I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What'cha looking at?"
Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
D-O-R-O-T-H-Y!
For those of you who know who Dorothy the Dinosaur is, you will know this Wiggles song...
Abigail was cleaning out her closet over Christmas break and came across her Dorothy. She wanted to give her away. We talked her into keeping her because she was Abigail's final potty training prize.
Abigail was cleaning out her closet over Christmas break and came across her Dorothy. She wanted to give her away. We talked her into keeping her because she was Abigail's final potty training prize.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Abigail's basketball
Both kids had basketball games on Saturday. I took some pictures at Abigail's since she wasn't able to play the weekend before....
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Hands
This was taken when J.T. was about 6 months old. At the time, he was completely fascinated with his hands.... he would just stare at them!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Basketball season
Basketball season started on Saturday. Both kids are playing this year. Abigail was under the weather so she didn't play. She will start this Saturday. Here are a few photos I took of J.T. As you can see, he is #1! He had a great time running up and down the court. We need to work on a few basics, but that's okay. He's the youngest one on the team.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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