we won! we won!

our girls' basketball team won their first game on saturday. we had to play two games and came very close to winning both of them. if only the girls weren't so focused on checking the score instead of getting back on defense. they continue to improve by leaps and bounds and i continue to be so very proud. way to go, fire!

aside from coaching two games, saturday was spent grocery shopping and chatting with our buddy, stan. he's a very sweet guy we met when we went thru his line a few times. i'm looking forward to us hanging out sometime soon. i also did some laundry saturday night - who knew there would be a line for the machines? don't people go out on sat night anymore? the rest of the night was spent relaxing and moving stuff around in the apartment. since our roommate moved out, we're now using the extra room as mn's studio. well, at least that's how i'm thinking it's going to go. she hasn't seen it yet.

speaking of mn, she called sat night to fill me in on the latest adventures. they've spent a lot of time at the beach and enjoying the sites and sounds of southern india. she even got to touch an indian elephant. (apparently there are different varieties of elephants and they aren't all like the ones we see in the circus.)

they had a 28-hour train trip to their final destination. she said the trip was somewhat grueling, but not as bad as some of their train travel has been. they'll be heading for delhi on monday for their flight to amsterdam and on to minneapolis. only 8 more days til she's home - hooray! i love you, mn!

here's a photo of the snow we had three weeks ago - probably won't seem like much to those of you in the midwest, but for us, it was a big deal.


we've been having some great, clear skies here in portland over the past week which have made for some beautiful sunrises. here's one of them...


here are two logos i designed for our bball team...




that's all for now - stay tuned. we miss y'all and love y'all very much.

the colts, a call from mn and a movie

wow! what a game! i'm thrilled dallas clark (highly underrated player, if you ask me), peyton and the crew will be making the journey to miami. it feels good to finally win the big one - and i'm not even on the team. i was disappointed with the saints' loss, but the bears played a better game. since i'm not a sports commentator and all of our readers aren't sports fans, i'll refrain from going on and on about the games.

my weekend started out wonderfully - i got a call from mn friday night. they're still having a great time despite battling with "stomach issues". seems no matter how careful a tourist is, the dreaded "stomach issues" can get you. it would be fantastic if everyone would send lots of healing energy to mn, her bro and sis in law so they can get back to enjoying all india has to offer. only sixteen more days til she comes home. (by the way, thank you to lu for her sweet comment - i would've sent you a personal email, but i don't have your address.)

saturday morning, the girls' bball team i'm co-coaching came very close to winning their first game. unfortunately, the shots weren't falling for us and the final score was 21-24. they played much better and we're so proud of them. it's a lot of fun coaching and being a positive role model for these girls. i sure will be sad when the season ends. a big shout out to liz for getting me involved.

there was also cinematic entertainment this weekend - "freedom writers". if you haven't seen it, you should. it's a wonderful story - very sad, very tragic and very hopeful in the end. it made me take a good, hard look at how i view people of the world and how important it is to respect everyone. we're all just trying to get thru this crazy thing called life - having more compassion for your fellow wo/man is always a good thing.

one other piece of news... our roommate, v, is moving back to indiana. the pull of the heartland is too strong - she wants to be closer to family and friends. we've had a great time sharing space with her and hope her heart feels better being back in indy. good luck, ms. v. we love you.

here's a photo of me and ms. k - of all the photos we've taken during our 12 year friendship, it's one she finally likes. and who can blame her?!



i hope everyone is doing well and surviving the winter and its' freaky storms. i love y'all and miss y'all very much.

walking down, walking down the street

i'm sure many of you have seen or heard about this video of the ice/snow we got in pdx. just as a reference point, this is the street we (when my girlie is here and i when she's not) walk down to get to work every day. people sure are crazy. and brave. enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPE8vL5hlFA

what a long, strange trip

my apologies for being negligent in posting - i promise to post more this week and in the weeks to come...

1.8.07
mn has been gone since friday and i miss her terribly. it’s so strange to spend so much time with someone and then suddenly not spend any time with them - it’s like i’m living in another universe or something. we know this time away is a good opportunity for personal growth and will be beneficial for both of us in the long run - but right now, it’s pretty sucky.

one thing i’m really looking forward to is a trip to atlanta. i’m heading south on wed and will be there for 6 days. seeing the sun and feeling the warmth will be a nice change of pace from pdx. altho, i really can’t complain about the weather so far. it’s been fairly mild and the rain seems to come and go in phases. every day is exactly what you make it regardless of weather or traffic or problems at work or whatever.

1.17.07
i’m back in pdx now. it was shocking to return to 3-5 inches of snow. the city has a hard time handling the frozen precip, but i’m able and willing to walk so getting around isn’t a hassle for me. just gotta make sure you walk a little slower and more carefully.

my trip to atlanta was wonderfully fantastic. i ran around quite a bit in order to see everyone i wanted to see - well, i didn’t get to see my dad and i’m very sad about that (i hope you feel better soon, dad!) - but who says a vacation is all about rest? spending time with family and friends made me long for the time when i could jump in the car and before long i'd be lost in the comfort of mom’s lasagna, grandmama’s chocolate cake, papa’s gentle chuckle, granny’s crazy stories or my brother’s hilarity - not to mention the warmth of every family member and friend who’ve all been incredibly loving and supportive of whatever mn and i have chosen to do.

i spent time with two close friends and it was great to reconnect with them. it’s always dumbfounding to me to go for so long without seeing someone and you’re able to pick right back up, fill each other in on the happenings of your life and proceed as if no time has passed. the sign of a true friendship, i think.

i’m sure many of y'all are wondering how mn’s getting along in india. she’s having a spectacular time exploring every nook and cranny she can find. camel tours, boat tours, the taj mahal - you name it and they’ve done it or will be doing it over the next few weeks. i haven’t been able to speak with her on the phone yet, but i’m hoping that'll happen in the next few days. stories i have to report so far: delhi is incredibly overcrowded (10 million people), smelly, full of cows and stray dogs and people constantly begging. they haven’t had any trouble feeling unsafe, however, so that’s a good thing. in case you’ve seen the youtube video showing the traffic in india, she says it’s exactly like that. in case you haven’t, you can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB8buBmAfzU. and you think atlanta drivers are crazy. she said the taj mahal is breathtakingly beautiful and she’s never seen anything like it. they’ve also visited a mosque, which she enjoyed a lot. unfortunately, i have no photos to share with you since the digital camera didn’t make the trip - too much of a hassle. we promise to post some shots as soon as we have them, tho.

that’s the very latest from the great northwest. i’m settling back into work and the routine of life without my girlie by my side. i miss her every second of every minute and absolutely cannot wait to see her in exactly 21 days. i love you, mn.

thanks for continuing to read the crazy stories making up our lives. we love and miss y'all very much. until next time...keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

i'll be back

although i think most of you already know, i'm leaving tomorrow to spend a few days with family in minnesota, then i'll be spending a month in india with my brother and sister-in-law. i know lucky will continue updating the blog frequently in my absence, and hopefully she'll be able to relay to you stories from my overseas adventure. if not, i'll be sure to share them with you upon my return to portland.

so, until then, i'm sending love and hugs across the miles. i'll miss you (especially you, my luckygirl)!!!