Hootin' N Hollerin'

Hello family!

Jodi and I have started a vintage store on etsy.com! We are having lots of fun and not investing much! Just 50 cents here 50 cents there at the thrift stores. We just "opened for business" on Sunday and Jodi has already sold TWO things! I suppose we could negotiate some sort of family discount, if you are interested ;)

Here's the address:

hootinnhollerin.etsy.com

Etsy.com is like the ebay of handmade and vintage items. There's lots of cute stuff on there!

Mom will appreciate all the pink/daisy stuff we are selling! Dad will obviously notice our good sense of style! :)

Love,
Jess

It has been a while... sorry!

Things have been good, but a bit crazy here in Milwaukee. I know Jess must be rolling her eyes because it seems like John and I do the same things everyday - but that is just it - I have been spending A LOT of time in the library in a very small cubicle everyday writing my diss. I am happy to report that I've made a lot of progress. I have switched over now to writing my paper for Beijing now, but will be back to the diss in no time (two weeks to be exact). Having a new roommate has been great and just the thing to keep John and I sane this summer. We miss you all and can't wait to see you! Attached are some pictures of John's cousin's visit, Jess being in town and other things.
[Sorry this picture has been removed because it was just too gross.]
This is the lovely Milw. brat dinner I made cousin Peter - I burnt the brats and then cooked them in beer. These are the left overs that looked absolutely repulsive - as you can see- so John and I struck this pose.


This is P. with his one time flat mate who he hadn't seen in 40 years. Doesn't our back yard look classy? I should start a bistro!


This is an awesome cookie jar I bought at the thrift store and am selling on Etsy. I hate to see it go!

Graduation

Jess and Zach graduated on May 10th, 2006. It was a beautiful day and Jess and Zach were ready for the next stage of their lives.

Dinner with Alan

Alan Steinberg spent an enjoyable evening with Ben and Megan. We heard lots of stories about the other Hawaii.

Visit to Plain City

On Saturday, July 5th Ben, Megan, Mom and Dad motored to Plain City, Ohio for a fun two days.

Mom And Jess

Finally getting rid of that picture of my feet.

Here is mom and Jess from Jess' 22nd birthday.

PugPuggy Puts Sticks On My Feet

One of PugPuggy's favorite things to do is carry a toy or stick over to my feet, put the toy or stick on my feet and then chew it. Sometimes, she will leave the toy or stick on my feet and go run off.

It has become so frequent that I no longer pay attention to this behavior. I had forgotten about this behavior until it showed up in our photographs.

Look at the stick on my feet in this picture of PugPuggy.


Weird.

Happy Birthday to Mom!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I hope you are having a wonderful birthday. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

I really appreciate everything you have done for me. I could not possibly list everything you have done for me. I could not even list all the highlights from my life in which you were involved. But here is the list I came up with off the top of my head:

• visited Megan, PugPuggy & I in Austin in 2008
• celebrated my marriage to Megan with me in 2004
• toured Ireland & England with me in 2002
• supported my crazy decision to move to Japan in 2001
• vacationed on the East Coast with me in 1998
• celebrated with me when Arizona won the National Championship in basketball in 1997
• moved me to Arizona in 1993
• helped me graduate early from Bishop Ward in 1993
• did not kill me when I got suspended from Bishop Ward in 1992 (sorry, again)
• moved me from St. Pat's to St. Peter's in 1986
• took me to my first concert (Ronnie Milsap) in 1983 (I think it was 1983)
• moved me from DeSoto to Kansas City in 1982 (I think it was '82, right?)
• took me to Iowa to see the Pope in 1979
• carried me around for 9 months in 1974

This is less than .001% of what you have done for me. Above is a list of big events from my life. But the things I appreciate the most are the day-to-day things you did (and are doing) for me:

• you fed me
• you clothed me
• you gave me a safe & loving home ...even after I should have moved out :)
• you taught me how to treat strangers
• you taught me how to treat family
• you demonstrated the importance of education
• you instilled values
• you are patient with me
• you love me

Again, that is only a partial list of things you have done\are doing for me. I appreciate everything you have done (and are doing) for me. Thank you.

I miss you. I love you. I am proud you are my mom.

Happy Birthday, mom. Go celebrate.

Back from Down Under

Hello Family! Long time no blog.

I got back from Australia last night. We had an amazing trip.
Australia is equal parts

• Texas attitude
• London accent
• Irish driving
• add some Cancuun beaches
• some Hawaiian waves
• mix-in some Union-Missouri-style drinking and fun

That is Australia. I saw a bunch of Masey-Furgeson tractors that made me think of grandpa.

Of all the places I have gone, I would say Australia was both the easiest to navigate (thank you, English language) and the prettiest beaches. It was, however, expensive. Had it not been for Callidus paying for most of it & us using some frequent flyer miles, I do not think we would have been able to afford it.

Here are a few pictures we took.

This is Megan and I in front of the Sydney Opera House.


This is the island of Whitehaven in the Whitsunday Islands in north east Australia.


This is me trying to lift a giant mango in Bowen:


This bus made me laugh so hard. We were walking around downtown Sydney when we saw it. Basically, it was a tour for Australian seniors called, "Adventure Before Dementia".


Here are some kangaroos we saw near the Proserpine airport. This is not a great picutre, but they were wild and would not let us get too close:


This is Megan & I before our helicopter tour of the Great Barrier Reef.


Here is a photo of the Great Barrier Reef from the helicopter.


This is Megan & I in our "Stinger Suits". The "Stinger Suits" prevent us from getting stung by jellyfish. Jodi & I should have had these off the coast of Florida. :) I think these "Stinger Suits" make us look like teletubbies.


And this is a picture of the fish at the Great Barrier Reef. Megan overcame her fear of fish to go snorkeling with me. She had a mild panic attack the first time we went snorkeling in Mexico. She did much better this time. I was very proud of her toughness and her ability to face her fears. She even saw a 4-foot long eel.



It is good to be home. I picked up PugPuggy last night. I missed her.

Megan & I flew home separately. She had a lay-over in Hawaii where she rented a car for a day. I am picking her up from the airport at 9 AM this morning. I am looking forward to seeing her. I am taking PugPuggy to the airport.

Love you much. I really hope to see you all soon.

Ben

OMG yes it is true

Okay I am feeling a bit embarrassed and a bit like a bad family member that I have never posted to the blog before. I am going to try and get better at this.
Next step actually posting some pictures.

We are all doing good. Recouperating from a bought of flu/bronchitis around here.
The kids are doing great. We are gearing up for soccer and softball/baseball season. Gar is in Reno this week and then off to San Antonio for the final four.

Love you all... Miss you terribly. And hope all of our paths cross soon.

Jenni

Jewelry making & snow cont.

Hello again!

Thought I'd update the blog with pictures of some of my creations! I have been making jewelry and other various accessories for fun - to sell at Cherry Bomb. So far my jewelry and hair stuff have been doing very well at the store. Cherry Bomb moved to a new, much better, location. My life at work was very crazy for about two weeks getting ready for the move and then unpacking and rearranging the store when we got to the new space.

Here are some examples of my jewelry:


Fawn Earrings


Kitten Cat Earrings


Fawn and Kitten Cat Hair Accessories


Hair Comb


Metal Mix Necklace


Bird Necklace


Peacock Earrings


Hand Painted Hair Comb

After the snow this weekend, I had some time to work on all this stuff! If you are interested in my jewelry or hair accessories I can give you a special family discount! :)

Here are some pictures of the snow from this weekend:





In other news, Zach got accepted to Marquette University's Law School, thanks in part to Jodi's recommendation letter and Zach's resume. Marquette is the first school he has heard back from - he is still waiting to hear from DePaul in Chicago, Chicago Kent, U of L, University of Pitsburg, Catholic University, and Fordham in New York (the long shot).

Welp, that's all from here!

Love you!

Jess

Snowed-In!

Hello family!

We had a HUGE snow today, and as such, Zach and I were snowed in at Mom and Dad's house tonight.

So, to keep ourselves occupied we did arts and crafts in the basement. I made a few jewelry items and Zach made the cutest cat in a pantsuit EVER!

Here is cat in a pantsuit:




Love,
Jess (+ zach!)

Flat Stanley in Austin, Texas!

Hello Family!

Everything is going well in Austin. Mom & Dad are getting ready to go home (weather permitting). The weekend has been beautiful... but Austin does not want them to leave. They are predicting hail & storms at their departure time tomorrow morning. That is never a fun way to fly. Hopefully their flight will be canceled.

Today, we went to church, took some pictures around town, watched college basketball (Arizona lost... very sad), drank wine from Montepulciano, ate Conchita Pibil & had some angel food cake for mom's birthday (very early). It was a full & fun day.

Also, I finished editing my Flat Stanley video. Madison mailed me a little guy named Flat Stanley. My assignment was to show Flat Stanly around Austin. I made the following video to show what Flat Stanley learned about Austin. I hope you enjoy:

PugPuggy's New Best Friend Is...

... MOM!

Here is PugPuggy sitting on her best friend's lap:


PugPuggy follows mom around everywhere. Mom & PugPuggy spent some quality time in the backyard today. When mom sits down, PugPuggy wants to be on her lap. When mom goes in her room, PugPuggy wants to go, too. If we let her, I am sure PugPuggy would sleep in mom's room. But PugPuggy sleeps in her crate.

We are having a blast here in Austin and wish you were all here.

We will post again tomorrow.

Love you!

Dad in Austin!

Dad has arrived in Austin! Let the party begin!

I picked dad up at the airport. The flight was on time & there were no problems.

We stopped by the liquor store on the way back from the airport so we could pick up a couple of bottles of entertainment. We stocked-up and went home. PugPuggy immediately took to dad. His lap was her chair. They are now best friends.

Here is a picture from the first night:


There will be more updates & more fun.

Mom arrives tomorrow at 9:50 PM. Then the big parties begin.

I've been meaning to do this for some time...

Here are lots of fun snow pics for you!



Me in my rockin new snowshoes



Note how hight the snow is on the trees



Jodi's snowshoes in the park by our house overlooking the icey lake (good thing Zach's not doing Polar Plunge right now!)



Pretty Lighthouse on our street in the snow


Yep, snow to my hip. And we even got more after this photo was taken. I've gotten plenty of exercise shoveling.

Okay, I am ashamed that I haven't posted in so long. John and I clearly are having winter depression. My goals = to take my new snowshoes back outside. We have been having negative degree temps regularly. I knew I was a Wisconsinite today when I went to lunch with no coat -- and, I was perfectly comfortable. Silly.

Clean Garage

Megan and I have owned our house for about 1.5 years. Since we have moved-in, the garage has always been a place of storage, a place of preparation, a place of work. One thing it has never been: a place of cleanliness. Our garage was a mess.


The mess hit its low (or high) point during the 4 weeks I was preparing for 1) filming the Top Gun remake, 2) hosting the Ground Hog Day Benefeast, and 3) filming the March of the Penguins remake. The garage served as a staging area for all of these activities. I paper-mached an F-14 Tomcat. I paper-mached a 7-foot tall tree stump from which we pulled PugPuggy (she was the official Ground Hog of the Alamo Drafthouse). I painted helmets for Top Gun. I made penguin costumes for March of the Penguins.


But one thing I never did: clean. It was a mess. It was filthy. Here is proof:


Opposite angle:


Have you ever seen such a cluttered garage? Yuck.

All of that changed 2 weekends ago. Now that the films are done & shows are done, cleaning the garage became the priority. I am glad to tell you I have had some success. Check it out now:

... and ...



Wow. I feel so proud of my accomplishment. I put cleaning the garage on same plane as putting edging in the backyard. It was a chore, but I feel much better now that it is done.

Cleaning the garage is a 5 phase process:

1. Make it so you could walk without stepping on something or turning an ankle
   
2. Remove junk from the front half
3. Remove junk from the back half
4. Sweep & clean the floor (now that you can see it again)
   
5. Get rid of stuff on Craigslist\E-Bay

I am proud to announce that we have successfully completed 4 of the 5 steps. The great Megan-Ben sell-off of junk on Craiglist will happen shortly.

Attention Fingerlover (aka John & Jodi)... prepare for some more pictures of my delicate hands.

Ben's Movies, Megan's License

First, great news: Megan got her Marriage and Family Therapy License from the state of Texas! Hooray, Megan! She has been working on it for 4 years. We are in celebration mode in the Ben & Megan house.

I am also in celebration mode because I finished my 2 entries for the Alamo Drafthouse Be Kind, Rewind film making competition.

I made Top Gun:


I also made March of the Penguins:


The awards ceremony is Thursday, February 21st. The first 2 places get a prize. I will keep you posted on the outcome.

Ben & Megan Update

Hello Family!

Long-time-no-blog.

I hope you all had wonderful Christmas-es. I hope you Santa was so good to you.

Megan & I spent Christmas in Tucson with the Bayles family. It was fun. I played a bunch of golf... I should say, "I played a bunch of golf poorly". Fred is quite the golfer... me, not so much. I love playing... I just wish the ball would go straight.

Also, we took PugPuggy to the Bayles house. I used to think big dogs were scarey... now I am scared of little dogs, too. They fought pretty much the entire first 2 days. If our trip was turned into a Christmas movie special, it would have been called, "A Very Michael Vick Christmas". There was blood, but no stitches. After the first 2 or 3 days, everyone calmed down. Here are a picture of the three trouble-makers in matching pajamas (dog abuse, in my opinion):


Here is a picture of everyone at Christmas:


We had a great time in Tucson. I got to go to a U of A basketball game. It was awesome!

Let's see, what else.

Megan & I went to a wedding in Seattle last year. I don't think I ever posted pictures. Here are some pictures of our trip to Seattle.


And the Public Market:


Let's see, what else?

I have been doing a bunch of shows. We just finished up a show at the Alamo Drafthouse. The show is called "Master Pancake"... we make fun of movies. Here is me, on stage at the Alamo for our mocking of the movie, "Home Alone". From left to right are my friends John, Joe & Scott. I am on the left, wearing my Cherry Bomb T-Shirt (thanks Jess & Zach)!


Starting January 18th, we are making fun of the movie Breakfast Club. It should be fun.

I am also making a 5 minute version of the movie Top Gun. Jack Black is releasing a new movie called, "Be Kind, Rewind". It is from the directoy Michel Gondry... he is the same guy who made "The Science of Sleep" and "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind". I love his movies. Anyways, the Alamo Drafthouse is having a film making competition to see who can make a good 5-minute-version of a movie. I am making Top Gun. It should be a bunch of fun. I am working with my friends on it (Owen, Les, John, Joe, Scott, Sean, Doug, Mac, Meg, Megan... a bunch of people). Here are some pictures from our first shooting day. I built a paper-mache F-14 Tomcat cockpit & put it on the roof of my house. It was so funny. We shot all the cockpit shots up there. Here are some pictures:


And this is the view from the street:


It is absolutely ridiculous and I love it. I feel very calm about a project that I am very excited about... it is weird & fun. I love it.

So that is what is up with me. I am having fun and working hard. Here is a picture of Megan & I to finish it off. We love you and we look forward to seeing you soon.