This is a display that consisted mostly of Amy's Tri-State Fair and Rodeo entries (but only a small portion of her total submissions this year). The top row is entirely hers as well as the sailboat dress on the second row and a scripture case on the bottom. Out of her entries she received 9 first place ribbons, 7 seconds and 2 thirds. There's about nothing she can't do!















This picture is of a doll dress Amy did that won a first place ribbon. The doll is belongs to a lady in our church ward and the dress is one of two she won first place ribbons for (the second was also for a doll owned by the same lady).

As usual, the judging was interesting. Some items Amy entered received only an honorable mention though they were the only entries in their categories. A couple of the items were understandable but a couple were not. One example is the scripture case she made from scratch. The problem with that one is, the scripture case looks so good they probably thought it was just embroidered (which it was - with our son's name). A couple of other pieces were very well done with patterns she put together herself but for some reason didn't even warrant a third place in an uncontested contest. It is puzzling but typical.

The best in show for textiles was a poorly done jacket. It would be nice to know justifications for the judges' decisions but that will probably never happen. One just has to be grateful for what did receive proper recognition.

13 Years

Last weekend Amy and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. Sometimes it just doesn't seem like it has been that long. Sometimes it seems like it has been much longer.

We went to dinner at Joe's Crabshack (the first time there for Amy). We both decided we don't need to eat there again, having eaten stale fries and my meal being an overpriced disappointment (lobster and steak). My steak was undercooked and undersized and my lobster was overcooked and undersized. We should have just stuck to one of our usuals but we were brave that day. Going out to eat is not something we do often and when we do it is usually the econo-Chinese food place or, once in a great while, Applebee's. I don't count fast food as eating out but we also do that rarerly.

We went to see Mr. and Mrs. Smith which was an interesting movie to see on an anniversary date and, upon our reflection afterwords, decided it went well with the occasion. It was a good, funny movie. We were planning on seeing War of the Worlds but the day before we went they took it out of the local theaters. So it is in the period between being shown in the regular theaters and the $1.50 theater (which is where Mr. and Mrs. Smith was being shown). It was nice to have a few hours with no kids. It had been a while since we last did that (probably last year for our 12th anniversary). Amy's mom stayed with the kids. When we got home they weren't missing us so we wished we had stayed out longer.

As a husband I still have a lot to work on. We need to be married a long time to get this thing down better. It is quite a ride but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The First Day of School

Well, the first day of school has come and gone. Cyrus was not looking forward to it as he doesn't like the tests. He stressed about the TAKS (the Texas assessment) test last year and is already dreading it this year. He did just fine in 3rd grade and I'm sure he'll do just fine this year but it is ashame a child, especially his age, has to go through that each year. He said his first day was good but the work has yet to begin!

Alonzo started Pre-K with many wondering if we would get a call the first day regarding his behavior. Thankfully, that call was not received! However, when Amy went to pick him up at the door, he had a name tag on that had Michael written on it. When asked how his day was he said he was not going back as he toted his full backpack and then said he was bringing home all his stuff. When asked why, he said they kept calling him Michael but wouldn't reveal anything more. Amy was quite upset that they couldn't get Alonzo's name right, so she went into the school to straighten things out. Upon getting there she found the boy who was now dubbed "Alphonso" (should be Alonzo). Amy got even more upset that not only had our son been "mis-labelled" but his name was misspelled.

Well, after some coaxing, Alonzo said he would go back to school again. We will see how it goes today. It would help if the teacher had made a better effort to get to know the children and not call Alonzo a name he is not. She said she had asked the children what their names were but apparently didn't listen closely enough when Alonzo said what his was (he says it clear enough to understand). Now, can she redeem herself? Time will tell.

Garden of the Gods

The day we arrived in Colorado Springs we had some time to check out Garden of the Gods. We will have to spend some more time there hiking and enjoying the scenery some time in the future.

The North Pole

We took a long weekend trip to the North Pole near Colorado Springs. The North Pole is an excellent amusement park for the younger children. Cyrus (the oldest at 9) was able to ride every ride (by himself, if he wanted to). Deveny and Alonzo had a lot of fun with so many rides they could go on. This is our second visit there and I am sure we will go again to enjoy the highest Ferris Wheel in the world (altitude) and the great mountain scenery.

Christophe Carlier

Christophe Carlier is my cousin in Belgium. This is one of his paintings. Here is a link to the site with information regarding Christophe and his work. Note the site is in French.

From what I gather, as my French is not too good, his paintings are an exploration of his own questions and contemplations. He describes them as a mirror. The state of his heart at the moment.

Maybe at some point I can get some more information directly from him about his work to post here.

Christophe teaches painting at the à l’académie des Beaux Arts d’Etterbeek in Belgium.