No Loss of Words

Brandon is rarely at a loss for words and was able to put his speaking skills to work at Arizona State University in November. He was asked along with 3 classmates to do a conference workshop for Jr. High and High School teachers focusing on the importance of getting their students ready for college. Brandon was a little nervous before he went forward but once he had the microphone on, he was well on his way to deliver a poised and even humorous presentation. His teacher had very nicely insisted that he get a HAIRCUT before the presentation. (It is kind of a treat to see his eyes!)

At last...

(I am back after a ridiculously long blog break but good stuff has been happening!!)

After 3 weeks of wearing a black cast and 3 weeks of wearing a PINK cast (in honor of the Susan G. Komen run he was planning on participating in), Tyler got his cast off and has been enjoying being back at soccer since December. In January he was finally back at full strength and actually scored his first goal of the year in this shortened soccer season of his! He is still working on getting his endurance back up but loves being able to run freely!

Tyler enters the doctor's office for the last time in his cast.

Power tools are handy even in the doctor's office.

I left my heart in San Francisco

Scott and I took a trip to San Francisco over October break to celebrate his 40th birthday. We did all of the touristy things and wore ourselves out! Our highlights include visiting Alcatraz and enjoying a fascinating audio tour. On our 2nd day we went to Giants stadium and enjoyed a behind the scenes tour. We also went to see the classic musical South Pacific. Our last day we rented a tandem bike and rode to and across the Golden Gate Bridge. What an exhilarating and sometimes frightening trip that was! We ended our trip with lunch at the Boudin Cafe where the most delicious sourdough bread is baked and squeezed in a very quick visit to Ghiradelli Square for some chocolate~!

Our friends Agustin and Christina flew in from Long Beach on our second day and added to our fun. We have some hilarious memories to recall and are starting to plan for the next 40th bday celebration. (That would be MINE!!)

Day 1 ~ We were on Alcatraz island on a relatively rare clear day.

Day 2 ~ We were at the Giants Stadium and enjoyed going in the dugout and onto the field. We of course all "HATE" the Giants and always cheer for the D'backs or Dodgers over the Giants. We did keep any nasty comments to ourselves and enjoyed being at their stadium.

Day 3 ~ We set out on our tandem bike to reach the Golden Gate Bridge. It was gorgeous and I was extremely happy to have made it. We took a break in the middle of the bridge to snap a picture and catch our breath.

We could have done so much more but ran out of time. I definitely left my heart in San Francisco and can't wait to visit again!

Susan G. Komen

My family and I had the privilege of participating in the Susan G. Komen 5K on Sunday. We had relatives come in from Texas, California and around Phoenix. We participated because my aunt Cindy was diagnosed with breast cancer in December. My sister, cousin and I ran the 5K. (It was my first 5K and it felt great!) Brandon and my nephew Kyle also ran the 5K but ran a lot faster than we did. My mom, 3 aunts, cousin, niece and nephew walked the 5K. Those of us who ran circled back around so we could cross the finish line with the walkers and were linked hand in hand as we all crossed together in celebration of Cindy. It was a huge event and very special to be a part of. Everywhere you looked you saw people who were running in memory of their mom, sister, aunt, friend, etc. It was a day of kleenex and fun.



After such a huge undertaking, we were treated to a delicious homemade breakfast prepared by the husbands and Tyler who of course couldn't run because of his cast and my nephew Cameron who stayed home to support his cousin Tyler. Next year we plan to participate again and hope to have even more of us participate.

*You will notice we are wearing PINK cowboy hats! Cindy and most of us are from Texas so it was fun to celebrate our roots as well as the power of PINK!


My aunt Cindy and her daughter, Jennifer.



I was so proud of Brandon for wanting to run and support this great cause! It was special to do this together.

Jamie and I with my Aunt Cindy.

2 Boys + 1 Collision = 6 weeks in a cast!

Tyler's soccer tournament in Flagstaff started out so nice. It was beautiful weather that required sweatshirts and jeans. His team won their first game of the tournament (and of their season). Tyler and most of his teammates did not take time off this summer but actually trained all summer to be ready to come out strong this fall. Their hard work was being rewarded.

However, in the second game Tyler got tangled up with one of his opponents which is quite common in a soccer game. However this time, his cleats apparently got hooked into the other player's shoelace because when the boy ran by, Tyler's ankle got turned and popped! This was not something Tyler could just walk off and return to play. He was out for the rest of the weekend.

Once we returned home, we took him to the doctor and found out he actually has a torn ligament. He was immediately put in a cast up to his knee where he will remain for 6 weeks! He then will be "rehabbing" for a few weeks before he can even think about returning to the soccer field. It's going to be a long 8 weeks for a boy who lives and breathes SOCCER!

Soccer Weekend!

There are not too many things our family enjoys more than spending the weekend together at the soccer field! We have missed soccer games all summer and have been anxious to get the boy's seasons under way. Brandon's team was in a tournament in Phoenix this Labor Day weekend. Brandon was playing goal keeper the majority of the games which made the close games even more exciting and nerve wracking to watch.

Brandon's team fought hard in each game and ended up winning the whole tournament. They took 1st place and did not allow even 1 goal through 4 games. They impressively scored 11 goals. Last season was a year of development and there were many tournaments they ended without even 1 win so to win it all was even more special.

I had fun using my new camera to capture some action shots. These pictures don't do justice to the excitement and fun but hopefully they will help us remember the weekend for a long time.

Brandon was beyond excited after each victory leading up to the championship game on Sunday night!

The boys were awarded a 1st place medal and tournament t-shirt declaring they were the champions! Brandon slept in his shirt lastnight and then wore it all day today. I am washing it tonight so he can wear it to practice tomorrow night. The thrill of victory cannot be underestimated. He kept saying, "This is the best weekend ever!!"

Happy 40th Birthday Scott!

Scott was definitely SURPRISED for his 40th birthday. I had played the bad, I'm too busy for you wife all week and Scott was convinced that his birthday had just fallen at a busy time so a quiet family dinner would be the extent of his birthday festivities. He even came home from work and said, "I was thinking maybe after dinner you and I could go out to the movies or something like that." I agreed and even packed my Harkins cups and popcorn t-shirt when we left.
SO much to his surprise when we finished eating dinner with the Carvers and drove to their house for presents and gifts, awaiting us was 25 of Scott's friends from church and work! They got to see him turn red and look at me saying, "Are you kidding me??" I then swooped him off to put on his 70's costume because this was a 70's disco party. We had a great time doing "Scott Trivia", Name that Tune, and even a hilarious round of the Newlywed Game!

Happy Birthday to Scott... I just couldn't let the 40th go by without an adequate celebration!