Just one more quick one for today. Last Friday (Happy Birthday Kevin), Allan had a Cross Country meet. It was way the heck out to Queen Creek, actually at the same campus that Katie went to school, Poly-Technic of ASU part of the Chandler Gilbert campus, anyway - it was a HUGE meet. There were schools there from Alabama! Yes, Alabama. (where did that school get their budget?) There were so many kids that each individual group of kids ran separately. Like: small school freshman girls, large school freshman girls, etc. Sometimes they even had to divide the groups: sophomore boys from large schools into two separate races. It was crazy big. They even had independent schools run - so some races had well over 100 kids and other races had 10 or so. They would start the races every 15-20 minutes which was nice, but it was a long race. Here Allan is looking down. I had just handed him his cleat shoes that the coach suggested he wear, but it was a big mistake and I think Allan could tell right from the get go. Allan here at the very right edge of picture....And this is a photo of as much of the boys that I could get at the start. Mesa High (purple) is pretty close to the middle and Allan is the second kid back. About a third of the way through the race: At the end with a good time - although he has gotten a better time than that, but the shoes were not his friend. At the water station. We had to run home because we were having a group of people over for games that night and with it being about a 25 minute drive home from here we left as soon as Allan's coach let him go. She is NOT making this a fun year for Allan. I'm not even sure he'll run next year which is sad because he used to have what it takes to run but this coach has been, in our experience, not a very supportive one. We miss Coach Nissen.

Bathroom updates

Here's a quick update on our bathroom redo. We took advantage of this weekends conference time and worked when we could. (Even painting some while Elder Ballard talked....oopsie). This will be the last that you see of our disgusting linoleum flowered flooring. Hallelujah! I hated that floor. We quickly painted the two walls and ceiling by the washer/dryer and got them back into place. They had been 'ousted' to the family room for a week and laundry had been building up - especially for Kevin and his work clothes. We put them back into place and got a batch of laundry started before the next sessions started. I went out and bought just the right curtain on Monday and 'walla' - the one half of the bathroom is done. I guess I should finish the toilet room next. Although it is very functional it, lacks the finishing touches. I did a base coat of white to cover up the yellow.....yep, here is the last of it:

Oops - one tiny little speck left to get. We still need to add the mirrors and lights, but the shower, toilet and sinks work so folks can actually use the downstairs bathroom. Here are a few of the accessories that we will be using down there. I love the square look because of the windows that we've put in. It should look good. I'll post the finished project by next Monday. I think we'll need to work on it this weekend to get it done. Big story for tomorrow - stay tuned.

http://shop2.tuesdaymorning.com/_images/Grace-920.jpg Today I am loving these. Of course I would never buy them because of the immodest dresses - However, I think I will try my hand at drawing them and adding in a few sleeves and whatnot. LOVE THEM!

poor, poor, Driscolls

Today I thought I would also share a lovely gift we found in our outside refrigerator. Driscolls. At first it looked as though they were frozen together, but after opening the carton we realized, nope, just molded together. I left them out on my counter for several hours thinking that they would somehow start to 'demold' themselves, one from another, but no, they held on all day long. So now they sit together in my trash bag, in my trash container, out on the curb by the road. Their day will be full of stops, bumps, squishes and eventually a dump. Maybe the birds that scour the dump site will find them and pick them apart, but I doubt even the birds will know what to do with you, our poor Driscolls. Have a good long life my Driscoll friends. Until I buy some of your cousins - Auf Wiedersehn.......

Okay my dear friends. This blog is mostly for my children whom have left the 'coop'. As they all know we are remodeling the bathroom downstairs and it has been a doozy of a job. We thought things would all fit in to a nice little plan we had drawn up and after several 'discovered' pipe configurations we had to scrap what we had started with design-wise. Which is okay, it just sets your mind back a little. But here, for the sake of all of you needing to see the update (and we hope to be done before Katie's nuptials), are the pictures. This is a view as you first walk in the door. New toilet room and shower. The shower is where the water heater used to be. We had to knock down that wall and make it a little bigger than we started with. We are not doing the tiling - that is hired out - AND the red/pink is NOT a part of the final look. I guess it is some kind of sealant. Where the washer and dryer will sit (same place just a little more crowded now). Looking from the washer/dryer spot to where the new DOUBLE SINK vanity will be sitting. Yes, the new toilet room door will hit it, but we are hoping it will remained closed mostly. Looking into the loo. We added 3 windows into the toilet room so it can let the natural light in to the rest of the room. (2 in the shower area and 1 facing the sink area).

These two depict the loo area.

Looking out from the shower to where the original door is. It might be a little tighter than before, but with the addition of a private area (the latrine), and with 2 sinks now, it just might be more accommodating to a family. It's sad, now that we are on the count-down of children, that we are finally doing this, but someday we will be selling it and we are thinking of that. We still have 5 great years of Shannon and Allan around!

Brian's Day

Grape Day

I don't know Day

ASU Graduation Day

Toe Day in Pine, Az. Day

Teaching Lukas to love the 'box' Day

Christmas 2010

Okay - I've worked all morning and my scanner is NOT working! Oh, they scanned into my documents alright, but it is now telling me that another window needs to open to allow it into by blog!! And it is not letting me move my pictures around, so you get the long column of photos.....Uuggggh!!!.....So, sorry Brian. These are some of the pictures that I have of you. The ones I scanned were of course your cute 'little' pictures and you were cute. Happy Birthday to you today - a big 30!!! Wow! And you were my 'square root' baby, being born 9/9/81 AND weighing 9lbs.7oz. Thanks for being a fun son! We miss having you around and your family around. Thanks Celynda, Lukas, Brook and baby Roxy for loving him!

Purple Person!

I really don't have too much to say this evening, but I will say something. My Allan has been made a 'Purple People' at Mesa High this year. This is a big deal. In years past, this was NOT a club, boys would just show up to a football game with an M, or E, S or A painted on their belly and then the tradition grew to where they would paint their whole bodies and 'whoop' and 'holler' out in the crowd to keep spirits up. (I think it all started when a few boys who tried out for the cheer squad and didn't make it). just kidding... But - it got way out of hand, people getting crazy and probably hurt, etc., so the Student Council took it over and now there are try-outs to join - and....well.....we are proud parents of the one and only AND first freshman EVER that made the 'Purple People' - um - company? (just a reminder - this is the first year that Mesa High has 'actual' freshman or should I say 'official' freshman) So Allan will have this claim to fame for the rest of his life. Anyway, as most of you who read my blog know, Allan has always had school spirit - even back in grade school. (He dressed up as his 'hero', who was his teacher, Mr. Mann) Here are a few of his junior high photo's - just to stir up a few memories for us all:Dr. Seuss Day. Crazy Hair Day.Super Hero Day. And Decade Day. I can't remember what this day was, but it was while he was still in Brimhall Junior High. Remember Occupation Day? And finally Bobcat Spirit Day.......
This past week at Mesa High was Spirit Week and each day had a different 'theme'. Allan of course dressed up for them all. Crazy sock day, Occupation day again ( he wore one of Doug's work shirts), and these:Jersey Day, Crazy Hair Day, and finally Super Hero day: He is really wearing a SHIRT here, we just added what was needed to fake people out. Can you guess who he is? Oops! I think I already blogged about this, (check out August 19th) but oh, well.

Our bathroom remodel is going very slowly. Bummer, but we are replumbing, building two new walls, retiling, and everything else that goes into it.

AND I am obsessed with Donny Osmonds album (it's not new, 2005) - What I Meant to Say! I could seriously listen to it all day - especially tracks 1,4, 7, 9 and 12. LOVE IT! (deep breath) (Vayla, are you with me on this one?)