Hello from Missi

Hello BlogWorld! I've been bugging my hubby for months to add us as part of the title. I had no idea he would add me as part of the writers as well:) I'm excited to start writing about the adventure we call life. This year will be almost a shoe-in for the award of "year with the biggest changes" (and we've had quite a bit of change!). It will be fun to write now and look back later on how God, once again, got us through. I guess that this blog can be my modern day "alter" to Him, my One and Only Constant in this world.

For the few that will read this, I will apologize about all of the grammatical errors in advance. Spell check is my best friend on a computer, but not always a guarantee to catch it all. Forgive me:) It's a bit scary when your eight year old can look over your shoulder and tell you that you spelled something wrong. How humble He keeps us. Anyone that says that God doesn't have a sense of humor... (sigh)

Anyways, just thought I would say hello to all you bloggers out there (and by that I mostly mean Amber-Rose and Christy!!) Looking forward to writing you soon! In Him~ missi

Introducing a new blogger!

I'm very happy to announce that this blog is going to be officially re-named (for now it will just be called "A Glimpse of Us...", but I'm taking suggestions) and I will be joined in blogging by my beautiful and talented wife! Hopefully this will increase the posting frequency and the half-dozen regular readers of this blog will benefit from hearing Missi's unique perspectives.

Spring Cleaning (and sorting and organizing and throwing out!)

We received a real gift this Spring Break when our friend Christy came down from Portland to help us organize and clean our house. Like nearly all busy families, our family has a case of clutteritis. The symptoms of this malady include disorganized counters and shelves, as well as messy rooms and stuff everywhere. Christy is an absolute whiz at organizing things, and the results are absolutely stunning. For about 10 hours a day for two straight days, she and Missi methodically went from room to room in our house and sorted, cleaned, and threw out all of the extra stuff we’ve accumulated over the years.

So what did I do as these two worked their magic? I was on full-time kid duty. Christy brought her three kids with her and so I took the five kiddos to the following events: storytime at the public library, looking at puppies at the pet store, pizza and playtime at Pappy’s Pizzeria, to the movie theater to see Alvin and the Chipmunks, browsing at Toys R’ Us, fun and games at Chuck E. Cheese’s, trying to stay warm on the play structure at Skinner’s Butte Park, and swimming at Echo Hollow Pool. I know, it sounds like all fun and games, but my job definitely had its challenging moments as I attempted to corral five kids (sort of like herding cats).

Look at these amazing before and after pictures!

Kitchen before

Kitchen after #1

Kitchen after #2

Pantry before

Pantry after

Sam's room before #1

Sam's Room before #2

Sam's room after

Missi made a comment to me last night that we have never lived in a house this well-organized, and I don’t disagree! Now we just have to hope that we can use this momentum to keep up the good work that has been accomplished by Christy and Missi.

P.S. There must be something to this whole “spring cleaning” thing – while we were undertaking this effort at our house, our good friends the Zimels were doing the same thing at their house in Austin!

Drew's Eighth Birthday Party

Here are some pictures and brief descriptions from Drew's eighth birthday party, held last Saturday at our home.


Here is the awesome "Lego Cake" baked and decorated by Missi's step-mom Cyndy


Here is Sam coming out of the cardboard fort I built out of large appliance boxes.


Here is Drew and Ella (back turned to camera) playing one of the games we set up. The kids had to dress up in some clothes (mine) that were way too big for them and then run back to their "team." The kids seemed to like it and it was hilarious to watch them struggle around in these clothes.


Drew LOVED his cake!


Cyndy even included a cool "sparkler candle" in the shape of an 8


Drew is a huge fan of Yatzee, a love he picked up while staying with my parents. He was very excited to get his own game.


Missi's dad Tom shows the kids how to hit the pinata.


Drew gets ready to take the first crack at the pinata.


The scramble is on to pick up the candy!


Drew's buddy Griffin connects with a solid hit.


My nephew Trevor loved the pinata. Here is a short video I took of him hitting the pinata.


Here we are with my sister and dad after the birthday party was winding down.


My nephew Oliver was laughing like crazy when I was lifting him up in the air.


Here is a photo of the "fort" we built in the garage. I used a bunch of huge cardboard boxes and tarps, and then I poked some small holes in the boxes and stuck Christmas lights in the holes to give some light inside the fort. The kids loved it!

This is WAY too addicting!

I'm usually not one who cares much for those forwards that tend to make their way across the information superhighway via countless email forwards, but I really liked this one. Here is the body of the email that I received:

Air Force Test
This will drive you nuts!! Have fun!
The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.
If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It's been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.
Give it a try but be careful...it is addictive!!

Here is the link to the game.

My high score was 19.919 seconds. How long can you last?

Finally updating the blog...

Have you ever had that feeling where life is just moving by in a blur? That’s how I’ve felt lately. I feel like I’ve had so much going on that I just am constantly in motion, moving from one project or assignment to the next, and never quite getting ahead. But who do I have to blame for this predicament? No one but myself...I've come to the realization that I often find things to stay busy and that I have a hard time slowing down.

As a result of the breakneck pace at which I’ve been running lately, I haven’t blogged in awhile. I can’t tell you how many times I make up my daily “to-do” list and write “blog” as one of my assignments, but it just doesn’t happen. But enough of this making excuses…here is a brief recap from a few of the highlights of the past few weeks:

Law Review Skating Party:
Members of Oregon Law Review and the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation rented out the skating rink at Skate World in Springfield. We were all encouraged to dress up, and Missi and I did our best to comply!


Wow...those cut-off jean shorts are showing a lot of skin. Yikes.

Pretty much the epitome of cool.

Have you ever tried to rollerskate with a little girl on your shoulders? Not easy.

OLSPIF Auction:
One of the most enjoyable social events of the year is the annual auction for the Oregon Law Students Special Interest Fund ("OLSPIF"). Missi and I won a few items in the silent auction and bid unsuccessfully on a couple things in the live auction. It was a great evening!



Oregon Ducks Football Clinic:
Brian Paysinger and a few of his teammates from the Oregon Ducks football team hosted a free football clinic at Sheldon High School awhile back. Drew seemed to enjoy himself and it was really cool to see these players interact with the kids.

Drew running one of the drills.


Jonathan Stewart holds a blocking pad.

Dennis Dixon throwing a pass to the kids at the clinic.

Drew with Garren Strong (L) and Dennis Dixon (R)

Drew with Brian Paysinger


Receiver Jaison Williams talks to the kids at the clinic.

Here is a short video I took of Dennis Dixon throwing a pass to Drew. Right near the end, you can barely hear D-Dix telling Drew "Nice Catch!" A few of my photos were also published on the Register-Guard's football blog by beat writer Rob Moseley. Check out the post here.

A Few Other Notes:

Baseball Has Started - Once again, Drew is playing on a team for Willamette Babe Ruth. It's a great organization, but it takes a pretty big time commitment. We're practicing four days per week (weather permitting), and Drew has been doing pretty well. He's the second-youngest player on the team, but he's got several friends playing with him and seems to be enjoying himself. I'm helping coach the team, which of course I love.

Looking for the Right Person - I'm currently serving on the Search Committee for the new Assistant Dean for Career Services. I'm thankful to be involved in this process as it is critically important for law students to have a strong career services office, but the search is taking a lot of time as I sift through resumes and coverletters, meet with other committee members, and interview candidates.

"Play that Funky Music" - Last night Missi and I attended a benefit concert by the Satin Love Orchestra at the McDonald Theatre. Satin Love is a pretty well-known cover band from the area and they rocked through renditions of "Brick House," "We are Family," and, or course, "YMCA." The proceeds went to Habitat for Humanity for Lane County and it was fun dancing the night away with a big group of friends who also attended. I'll post pics when I download them from the camera.

I Can't Believe He's Eight - Drew is turning 8 on Monday! We had his birthday party today and it was a pretty fun time. Drew and I built this big "space ship" out of appliance boxes, tarps, and Christmas lights and the kids seemed to enjoy it. Missi's step-mom Cyndy made this great Lego cake and we played some games and had a pinata. A highlight was the fact that my sister and two nephews, Trevor and Oliver, were in Oregon visiting from Alaska and so they were able to be part of the fun. Expect a full post on the party in the next few days.