Thursday, December 27, 2007

Recap of the past week or so...

Tuesday, 12/18 – Thursday 12/20
Missi and I traveled to Seattle to visit the firm I have an offer from and to look around at various neighborhoods. We had lunch with a few associates from the firm who have families, and they gave us a good idea of what the work/life balance is like. We also spent quite a bit of time driving around the Seattle metro area looking at various neighborhoods. That part of our trip was more discouraging, mainly because the housing market in Seattle has avoided the nationwide housing slump and home prices are still really high. If we were to move to Seattle, the goal would be to go up there to live frugally and pay down some of my student loans, but it will be difficult to do that if we have to buy a house for $400K. We stayed in Kirkland with one of my classmates, Monica, and her mom, and they were very gracious hostesses. Here are a few pictures of Missi and I with Monica’s bird Kiwi (this was significant because Kiwi doesn’t seem to like Missi very much).


We drove back down to Portland Thursday night and returned to stay with Missi’s mom.

Friday, 12/21

We were reunited with our kids, who had stayed in Eugene so Drew could finish up his school week. My dad had traveled to Eugene to stay with them for a few days, and the kids (not to mention Zeke!) had a great time with their grandpa. On Friday night we had another Christmas sweater party with a bunch of friends from MSCC. The party was held at our friends the Foglios house and we had a lot of fun belting out karaoke and playing foosball.


Nicole is serenading Jesse.


The ladies are belting out a power ballad.


Jesse and I are staying classy.


I'm sorta surprised no one suffered permanent ear damage from this song by Jesse and me.

Saturday, 12/22
Saturday night we had another Christmas party to attend, this one hosted by our friends Dave and Caleen. It was a much smaller, more intimate setting, and it was really good to catch up with them.

Sunday, 12/23
On Sunday morning we went to church and then drove to Salem to visit Luke, Missi’s brother, at his current residence. Because of the holidays, there were tons of people who were visiting their relatives, and we had to wait around for 90 minutes until we were able to see him. We only had about 30 minutes to visit, but it was good to see Luke, especially since it was the first time I had been able to see him since he has been incarcerated. Unfortunately they don’t allow cameras inside, so I don’t have any pics of the visit. On Sunday night all of us spent the night with my parents in Tigard, and we had a really relaxing evening together.


Monday, 12/24

On Christmas Eve morning, my parents cooked one of my favorite breakfasts – huevos rancheros – and we opened parents with my parents and my sister and her husband. In the afternoon we returned to Missi’s moms for more present wrapping and a quick nap. We attended part of a Christmas Eve service at MSCC, then went to Missi’s grandfather’s house for the traditional Hillier celebration, where the kid’s have a “talent show” and Grandpa reads the Christmas story from the family Bible. After that we went over to a family friend’s house where “Santa” visited to deliver some gifts for the kids. After that it was home to write a letter to Santa and then off to bed.


Grandpa reads the Christmas story.


Sam was getting pretty tired by this point.


Drew sings his song in the talent show.


Check out those expressions of wonder on Ella and Drew's face when they see Santa walk in the front door.


Drew gets his present from Santa.


Here is Sam's picture of Santa. Note the hat and beard.


Drew's note to Santa (asking for a laptop).


The kid's left Santa a Christmas donut, some apples for his reindeer, and a glass of soy milk. Mmmmmm!


Tuesday, 12/25 – Christmas Day!

It’s difficult to put into words all of the joy and wonder of spending Christmas morning with two young kids. Needless to say, it was a really great time. What made this year even more special was the snowfall that gave us a white Christmas! According to The Oregonian, this was the first measurable snowfall in Portland on Christmas since 1937! We received a bunch of great gifts, but I'd have to say that the highlights (at least for Missi and I) were the Nintendo Wii that she got for me and the Dyson vaccuum cleaner that I got for her (I know, I know...who get's their wife a vaccuum cleaner for Christmas!? Doesn't that send the wrong message? Not when it was something she really, really wanted and when I got a great price on the top-of-the-line model!) After opening stockings and presents, we visited for awhile with Missi’s step-sister and step-Grandparents, and then began the monumental task of trying to pack all of our stuff into the 4Runner. It was only possible because we were able to borrow a luggage bag and pack all of our suitcases on the roof rack.

Drew is excited about his new Lego set.


Sam is checking out her stocking.


The obligatory "photo in front of the Christmas tree"


Drew gets another Lego set. Are you seeing a pattern here?



When it started snowing in earnest, Drew went outside with his stuffed animal (Zeke) and just started running around because he was so excited. It was pretty precious.

Drew and I outside having a snowball fight


Zeke gives me a kiss on the drive back home.




Now we are back in Eugene and trying to settle back in. I am working a bit, and the kids are busy testing out all of their new toys. The Christmas tree has come down, and the lights will probably come off the house this Saturday. It was a really enjoyable time to see friends and family, but we’re glad to be back home!


Drew and I are breaking in the Wii

Sam likes her new bedding

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

We thought this was funny...

Here is a music video our friends the Welchs put together.



Our kids were absolutely cracking up on the part where the baby sings.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

White Christmas!

It's snowing in Portland right now! And actually sticking! Pics, video, Christmas recap to follow in the next day or so.

P.S. Missi gave Drew and I a Wii this morning!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Make your picks TODAY - Win an iPod Touch or iPod Shuffle!

My buddy Ryan has set up a sweet website that allows you to pick the winners of this season's college football bowl games. The winners will receive an iPod Touch or iPod Shuffle. The best part about this? IT'S TOTALLY FREE!

www.collegebowlbash.com

It will only take you about 10 minutes to go through and pick the winners, but TODAY IS THE DEADLINE!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Heading to Seattle

Missi and I are going up to Seattle later today for a few days. We're going up there to check out the city, meet with some people at a law firm, and contemplate whether we could see our family moving up there. I've got a great job offer from the firm, but we never thought we'd be anywhere except Portland after law school. I'll post some pics when we return.

Christmas Sweaters and Karaoke

This past weekend we attended two very different Christmas parties, both fun in their own way. Friday night was an "ugly Christmas sweater" party and Saturday night was a party over at our friends Courtney and Aimee's house that featured karaoke. Since I'm sure you're all wondering, I didn't rock the mic because my throat was feeling a bit under the weather. That and the fact that I just didn't find the songs musically challenging enough for a talent like me.

Here are some pics:

Those pants are so classy

I hope that sweet rockstar kick didn't rip the seams on my pants

Ben and Lisa, circa 1985.

I love the fake poinsettia in Courtney's vest. And yes, Aimee actually made that dress for the party.

Get down, get down...

These girls are getting into it...

"Summer Lovin', happened so fast..."

Courtney is fighting for his right to PAAAAARRRRRR-TAY!

Surprise!

Last Thursday was Missi's birthday. This, however, wasn't optimal timing for me as I had my last (and most difficult) final exam on Friday. So, I told Missi that I really wanted to have a "family birthday dinner" on Wednesday night, since I would have to be studying on Thursday night. I told her that I'd cook her whatever she wanted, and she picked out crab, grilled vegetables, salad, and peanut butter pie.

What she didn't know, however, was that I had quietly called several of her best friends here in Eugene and invited them over to dinner also. It wasn't going to be an "everyone-hide-behind-the-couch-and-yell-surprise" kind of surprise, just more of a "hey-we-were-in-the-neighborhood-and-thought-we'd-stop-by" kind of surprise. The most difficult part of the event was concealing the quantities. There is a huge difference between the amount of crab needed for 4 people and the amount needed for 17. I tried to keep the extras hidden until the last minute, and then I just played it up to "I'm just cooking extras so we can have leftovers."

Missi's friend Robyn was the first to arrive, and Missi said, "Hey, what are you doing here? Do you want to stay for dinner? We have TONS of food." To which Robyn replied, "Actually, I am here for dinner. YOUR dinner!" A few minutes after that our friends Ben and Lisa walked in, and then Missi knew what was going on. I think she liked it since she got a little teary-eyed. A good time was had by all.

Lisa, Missi, and Robyn

The group celebrates Missi's birthday

Mmmmm...Peanut Butter Pie (photo by Drew)

Missi tries to barge in on Ben and Lisa's photo

I think she was surprised

The aftermath

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Monday, December 10, 2007

Some Recent Photos

Here are some recent pics to ponder as I intently study for my last final examination:


The birthday boy and his bride


I went into Sam's room last night and she had her sunglasses clipped onto her pajamas. Doesn't everyone wear sunglasses to bed?


Los Dos Amigos - Drew and Griffin. Based on Drew's sweet camo headband, it's obvious he has received his father's sense of style.


Walking into the the Civil War


Cassidy and I in the Autzen parking lot at halftime of the Civil War


We start the Duck fan indoctrination process pretty young around our house.


Look out! It's a girl's night out...


Missi and I at a Christmas party for her work (The Difference)

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A round of applause please...

Originally posted over on that other blog I write for:

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So, we’re getting down to the last few classes of the semester. I’ve been pretty remiss about posting on here since I’ve been distracted by finals prep and a job search, but I was thinking today about a weird little tradition that I always find very cool.

Here at U of O, on the last day of class, right before the end of the class period, the professor usually makes a few “closing remarks” along the lines of: "It’s been a real pleasure to teach all of you this past semester, and I wish you the best on the exam and into the future…”

And then (this is the part that I really like) everyone bursts out in a spontaneous round of applause for the professor. It’s sort of a sign of appreciation from the students to the professor for guiding them through the legal morass of, say, Commercial Law, and it is one of those “warm fuzzy” moments that we all experience from time to time. It’s a unique tradition that I’m definitely looking forward to.

Did any of my fellow bloggers have this experience at undergrad? I never did, but I went to a pretty small, subdued, private liberal arts college. Maybe it’s just a large state school thing?

This Morning's Note From Drew


Click to enlarge.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Going into hibernation

A message to the three people that check my blog on a regular basis: With finals starting in about a week, don't expect many (or any) updates for awhile.

Can't keep up with the Joneses, er...Zimels

Just when I thought that we had an awesome Christmas tree hunting experience, I had to read the Zimel's blog to see that they got to see a just-born baby goat being licked and cleaned by its mother at the tree farm in Texas. Some people just have all the luck!

Anyway, even though we didn't get to explain animal husbandry to Drew, we DID have a great time tree-hunting. I knew the day was off to a good start when I only missed the turn to the "tree patch" (Sam's word) by about a mile and we were able to locate our tree without a flashlight (unlike last year, when we were tromping through the woods in pitch darkness).

Here are some pictures:


Sam and I are searching for the perfect tree

Our little princess

Drew appropriately dressed in camo just in case we were to come under enemy fire



The obligatory self-portrait

I think this should be a new competition on World's Strongest Man - Who can lug a Christmas tree uphill for what felt like 3 miles?

Mission Accomplished

The Christmasification of our house is nearly complete