Dan & Nic

A smattering

2011-01-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

of new things:

Dan is a Webelos leader and Elder's Quorum teacher. Pretty soon we will be having a gaggle of 10 year olds at our house on Wednesday nights. Wuhoo!
I am the Miamaid's advisor and can't remember lots about how YW works, but am quickly relearning it. I had a car full of 14 year old girls speaking in British and Scottish accents the other night, so it turns out I don't love everything about the new calling.
We are actually meeting couples in the ward to hang out with, and playing with their kids during church.
Our back yard is getting a makeover from Solid Rock Inc. (Damian) and looking quite nice, although a bit muddy right now.

and Christmas things:

Aly in her Christmas jammies

painting with LIGHT!

our wall sweater

and old things:

cute kids at Jord's reception

eastern New Mexico

hiking at sunset in Chaco

Animaniacs - Nations Of The World

2010-11-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

My friend Meliss and I were reminiscing about Pinky and the Brain, and Animaniacs the other day. She sent me this video. What a great way to learn geography! And here's another if you want to learn the states and capitals:

Adventures in Mexico (New Mex) part I

2010-11-05T12:24:00.000-07:00

These are from a little trip we took, back in June when we still lived in New Mexico. We went to the BIO-park to see some beautiful plants,
some crazy insects, like stick bugs and hissing cockroaches

and gargantuan tarantulas.

While we were there we got lost in a maze.

A maze which took us to this crazy place, where everything was VERY LARGE

and we were very small

So, to make the best of a strange situation, we started gathering food for a picnic. This is when I asked Dan to put down the camera and help me with lunch. He refused, because he doesn't even like vegetables.

So, I kept working on the carrots alone. When suddenly we were attacked by ants! Thankfully Dan is quick as a cat, and brave as a lion. My fearless husband tried to save the picnic . . . and us. Without any weapons, he was forced to engage in hand-to-leg combat. He was greatly outnumbered, even when fighting one ant. You know, the 6 legs. He even tried some wrestling moves he remembered from high school and wrestling with Dave. When that didn't work he tried taming and herding them.

He subdued one or two, but they didn't herd well. It would take months to defeat the ants this way, one at a time. So he began scouring our surroundings, wishing for a giant magnifying glass and sunlight, when alas he stumbled upon this.

Luckily he is swift and amazingly strong. He was able to reach the faucet and turn it to high pressure just in time. He washed away all the black marauders and saved the day!

Suffice it to say, this was one more reason we were excited to get out of New Mexico.

f-o-r-e-v-e-r

2010-10-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

That's how long its been since we updated this blog, just ask Squints.

google image

Yep, it is way past time for a new blog post, but we have been a little busy. We bought a house, moved to Utah and started a new job . . . just not in that order. We are still getting our things situated and working on home improvements. Dan is creating a paint studio work area, and Nicole is studying for her Board certification exam--not much fun.

Plus, we need to change the name of the blog since we are no longer New Mexicans. We haven't come up with anything amazing yet. Any ideas? Maybe we should have a contest, and the person who comes up with the best name wins a prize.

Someday soon we will have a new name and a fun post. So get ready-- but don't hold yer breath.

The End

2010-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's finally here. The end of my residency in pediatrics. It is hard to believe. Some days I thought it would never end and now I can't believe its over. And what a bittersweet ending it is. I have learned so much about pediatrics, parenting, relationships, health, illness and death. I have shared joyous and difficult moments with many patients. I have made lifelong friends. My fellow residents and I have grown close--we've shared happiness and tragedy, both in the hospital and out. I've learned some lessons about myself as well. Dan and I have traveled a rough road, but we survived. Our marriage has been strengthened as a result.

The past three years were the most difficult and the most rewarding. Thanks to my family who loved and supported me the entire way. I couldn't have done it without all of you!

Thank you!

The thing is

2010-04-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's Dan's turn to blog. He really wants a new post on here, but he won't do it. We had a great time last weekend at the arena, took pictures and everything. He writes such funny stuff and everyone loves to read it. It is his turn to blog and he is refusing. I know this is a shock, but he can be a little stubborn sometimes.

The thing is, he needs a little encouragement. We all do sometimes. I was thinking, each of you should leave a comment, send a text or email, call him and let him know how much you would like to read about the monster trucks on our blog. That would help him realize just how many people miss reading his hilarious posts. So, go ahead and let him know. I'm sure he will greatly appreciate it!

A little secret

2010-03-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

I have something to confess, so brace yourselves . . . I am a closet christian rock fan.

Yes, its true. And my all-time favorite is My Savior My God . I first heard it when I was in Illinois for a month studying. I guess that's when I was really introduced to christian rock. There were about 30 of those channels on the radio and nothing else, well, some bad rap, but that's not music. So, that's what I listened to while driving around the little town of Champaign, Illinois. It was Christian Rock the whole way. On the trip back, when Dan flew out to visit me, we downloaded the song, so we could rock out all the way home. I thought it was fantastic, and Dan didn't seem to mind terribly. Then just the other day, I found out that the guy singing could give the Jonas brothers a run for their money in the heartthrob category.

But, lets be honest--that's not why I like the song. I like it because it is upbeat, fun to listen to and has a pretty great message.

It helps me understand why some christian groups incorporate these kind of tunes in their worship service. I can relate with those "holy rollers."

As it turns out, there are a few good stations here in New Mexico as well. Sometimes it is just what I need to hear. And it is always better than mexican circus music.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-02-14T15:26:00.000-08:00

That's what we've been up to the past few weeks, lots of changes.

We found a house to move to for the next five months. A ridiculously tiny house. We went from having plenty of extra room for our belongings, to having way too much stuff. Tons of things, not tons of room. We lost more than 50% of our square footage. It has--out of necessity--helped us purge our junk, or at least be much more selective about what is worth weaving between as we go about our daily lives.

Here it is, the grand palace. This is the view of the north wing. Ok, that's actually the house in its entirety. All 1100 square feet.

We also switched congregations. We are in a brand new ward with lots of old folks. We went from working in the nursery, to not even having a nursery. Seriously, lots of octogenarians. I believe we are one of four couples under 40. Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly. And the building is only 100 yards away.

Relationship changes too. We are figuring out how to like each other despite being in each other's personal space 24 hours a day. Ok, except when I'm at work. I just keep thinking of that old song, "love grows best in little houses." Its probably a good thing there's not a Jack or Jill yet.

We have had some fun figuring out how to deal with these changes. We spent all day Saturday building a shelf for our kitchen. It is the largest room in the house, but only has 5 cupboards, not nearly enough room for all our appliances, dishes and food. The shelf turned out pretty well. It is perfect as far as utility goes. It could use some help in the decorative department, but by the time we finished building it, I wanted to put it to use. I didn't have time for the bright red paint we purchased to color it.

Not so shabby huh? It suits the intended purpose very well. We needed to get the million dollar microwave off the coveted counter space. And it holds all those appliances and big dishes quite nicely.

I'm a little worried that by showing a picture of it we will get tons of requests for shelves. We aren't ready to jump into that business yet. Sorry folks.

Dan went ahead and made this handy little space saver. We don't have a pan cupboard or any sort of pantry. We don't even have a hall closet in this house. He did such a great job, angled it and everything for easier access. He's a dandy.

Probably the best part of this new living arrangement is the back yard. In addition to its vastness, it has a little treasure. We found this little nook that was built in to the fence by the patio, complete with a latching door and shingled roof. It looks like an outside cupboard (Thanks, but we would have preferred another one in the kitchen instead). We haven't been able to determine what it was designed for, but we have come up with our own uses for it.

We are glad we found a place to live for our last 5 months as New Mexicans, even if we don't really fit.

Christmas in the Kirk

2009-12-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

No snow down here in New Mex for a white Christmas. We had some the other day and it lasted about 2 hours. Pretty boring. We were able to find a little holiday cheer . . . at the River of Lights!

Bats and Jack in the box, definitely the first things that come to mind when I think of Christmas.

Santa is writing on his list what Dan wants for Christmas this year. Its the same as last year's Christmas wish and the jolly old man is still too poor to get him a metal lathe. Plus, it wouldn't really fit in the sleigh.

My favorite was the T-rex with moving parts.

It's no Temple Square, but it'll do for these New Messicans.

Practicing with acrylics

2009-12-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

This is the first of many inspirational paintings I'm working on.

jealous?

Well, we don't have our own to elf

2009-11-23T19:44:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

How is it . . .

2009-11-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

How is it that there are so many wonderful, caring people who yearn to have children and never get that opportunity when I see children every day with parents who are unable to care for them or just don't want to? For instance, there is a little four week old girl I have been taking care of since she was a few days old whose mother was in jail for most of the pregnancy, did not get adequate prenatal care, was taking four different types of narcotics including heroine and came to visit her daughter zero times during her hospital stay. The baby stayed in the hospital for over three weeks because she was withdrawing from narcotics.

And then there is the 15 year old girl who was pregnant and kept it a secret until her water broke and she was in labor. And she has no idea who the father is because she had three partners at the time.

Then there is the 20 year old who has toddler twins and a six year old at home, all of whom should probably be in foster care because she is unable to care for them. She told me they weren't brushing the twins teeth everyday because "they can't really hold the toothbrush." Right. I let her know that as the mommy, she was supposed to be brushing them! Sometimes it is really hard to hide my feelings of amazement at peoples' low levels of functioning. People should have to take drug tests and parenting classes before they can get pregnant.

How is it that parents are allowed to name their children ridiculous things like Meconium, La-a (ladasha), Genocide, Unique, King, Nevaeh, (heaven spelled backwards) and Desire? I am not kidding around, I have met children who have been unfortunately labeled with each of these names. Seriously, meconium? You know what that means right? Baby poop. Wow, right? What were these people thinking? Maybe choosing the name of future children could be some sort of screening test to weed out those people who shouldn't be allowed to have children.

How is it that one psycho lady has so much control over my life and happiness? I am speaking of, you guessed it, our landlady. Super crazy. Completely irrational. And she continues to cause all sorts of emotional distress in our lives. This is one very big reason I will be excited to leave this place soon.

Ok, I guess that's all I have for now. Sorry for the rant. Sometimes it is the only thing I can do to help myself cope.

Do you wanna win a prize?

2009-10-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

I like to win things. At least, I think I would like to win something, but I am pretty sure I never have. Ever. So, I'm going to try it out. My sister-in-law is having a fun give-away on her blog for these really cute crocheted headbands. Not only are they super cute, but they are made from recycled materials, so you can be stylish and green simultaneously. That's pretty cool. To see all the fancy headgear (not that kind of headgear) that is eco-friendly, check out Salt City Design products here. But beware, you will want to acquire lots and lots of cute accessories.

From Jill's blog

Make a wish come true!

2009-10-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Make a Wish Foundation is an organization that helps children with life-threatening medical conditions realize their dreams. As a pediatrician I know many children who have been helped through this program. Some children choose a trip to Disneyland. Other kids want to meet a certain celebrity. Make a Wish grants all types of wishes for these sick children.

Riley is a little girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer when she was 6 years old. She has been battling this cancer for the past three years. Her cancer has returned and she is back in the hospital. Make a Wish foundation was contacted and Riley's wish is not a trip to Disney World--it is to have the mailman dump "a million" get well cards at her door when she returns!!

Please take the time to send a get well card to Riley. You do not have to know this little girl to make her wish come true. Please pass this message along to friends and family who might also help make her wish come true.

If you are able to send a card to Riley, leave a comment and I will send you the address. Please have your card in the mail by October 16th.

To learn more about Make A Wish Foundation, and other ways to help check out www.wish.org.

hmm?

2009-09-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

So, I have no idea what happened to chapter one of The Hills Have Eyes? Does anyone else? It mysteriously disappeared the other day, and I am baffled. I was really looking forward to chapter two.

A little update

2009-09-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

So here's some news . . . we don't have to move! At least not right now. Once again Dan has proved himself an excellent communicator, a people person, a diplomat. He's amazing. He discussed things with the landlady and the end result was: we stay until my residency is finished! Hooray for Dan.

Since Dan has been so busy communicating and painting, there hasn't been much time for blogging. Alas, you will have to settle for the second rate blogger. Hopefully this time my entry with pictures won't be mysteriously deleted. We still haven't figured out how that happened.

Anyway, I have taken the opportunity to do some baking this weekend. I like to call it bake-therapy. It is definitely therapeutic--does wonders for my mood, psyche, soul. Yesterday I made honey wheat bread with my Mama's recipe. Then I used the Leamington cookbook to make some good ol' breadsticks, half savory, half sweet. They were delicious!

Today I got all crazy and made some hamburger rolls. Ok, so the recipe is called beef rollups but that conjures up strange images in my mind, so I prefer hamburger rolls. I have wanted to make them since I received my cookbook from Grandma Finn for Christmas. Today was the day. I had to do some fenagling of the ingredients with substitutions and such. (I always think I have ingredients and then get surprised by what I need). Plus I like to add different spices, to keep things interesting. Everything turned out well. It was a nice little reminder of childhood dinners at grandma's. Dan said he liked them too, even if they do look like cinnamon rolls.

I have the recipe for all you daredevils that want to try it:

I made a gravy to go over them with white sauce, cream of mushroom soup, chili pepper, white pepper and a touch of season salt. Super tasty.

Moving again!

2009-08-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

It turns out our landlady is a real jerk. Even though we signed a rental agreement for two years, she decided that she needs to move back to the Kirk and live in this house. We just found out this morning in a "regretful" email. Really not cool. I'm pretty pist about it. I have had many unkind thoughts today . . . many. Even some thoughts of litigation, revenge, criminality. But don't worry, I won't be acting on any of those thoughts. I can't vouch for Dan in that department though. There has been talk of sneaking back into the yard and getting the produce from our garden he has slaved over all summer. Which, if you think about it, isn't stealing. I mean, we planted, weeded and watered it. (And by we I mean mostly Dan). It's still ours, even if someone else is living in this house.

So, Dan and I will be moving yet again. We are really on a roll. This will be the 4th time we've moved since we've been married, and we have only been married 2 1/2 years! Simply ridiculous.

The Adventure Continues!

2009-05-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Okay... where were we?... ah yes... the shrieking eels.

So, as we sped up the 180, I tried desperately to clear the images of the past Friday night from my thoughts. We had attended the Silver Skate Adult night. The lights were dim, and the pungeant odor of wet horse sunk deep into our clothing, never to come out. (and we used Bonami) For a few brief moments the cigarette smoke cleared. There on that rickety "stage" made of shipping pallets and beaver pelts was Silver City's legend... Nancy. We didn't stay long. But even now, weeks later as I sit and spin this tale, the horrifying vision of Nancy's wrinkled, wiggling body actually bruises my brain with every pelvic thrust.

Anyhow, lets focus.

As our first scenic stop, we decided to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings. For those of you who don't know about this fantastic place, here is a little background.

The monument is on a location of 553 acres. The cliff itself was created by volcanic activity. The cliff contains the ruins of interlinked cave dwellings built in five cliff alcoves by the Mogollon peoples. People of the Mongollon culture lived in these cliff dwellings from between 1275 and 1300 AD. (A long time ago) Archelogists have identified 46 rooms in the five caves, and believed they were occupied by 10 to 15 families. It is not known why the dwellings were abandoned, but due to the fact that no one remains there.... they believe they were.

The dwellings were a perfect place for human living and human dying. Two mummified bodies have been discovered as well as a nearby burial ground. Some travelers have reported witnessing Mongollon spirits still roaming the empty caves. The caves provided adequate shelter and gave the inhabitants the upper-hand during warfare due to the unusually high vantage point, while the wooded area concealed the homes. The nearby area also provided for growing and finding food such as wounded deer and wild dogs. The children found entertainment by making games and having contests to see who could throw a rock all the way to the ground.

This is a view from halfway up the trail.

I discovered the panoramic feature on my camera and really gave it what-for. As we finally reached the trails end, and the explorations beginning... we stumbled across this first of the five caves. This was considered to be the kitchen. No kidding, the kitchen. Look it up!

Once inside the kitchen cave, I began to feel that old familiar hunger pang.
Yeah, get this. So I'm hungry right?... So, I tactfully yelled over to my wife, "Hey there, hey you.... lady-friend! .... How bout rustlin up ol' Dan a hot loaf of that Mongollon bread since you're not doing anything constructive?!"
So there I was, famished and freezing. I didn't have the strength to prepare my own meal. I was even ready to pitch in!, I'd found this really old knife carved from a dogs tail, and I already had two pats of butter I'd nabbed from a Dennys three days earlier!
Here you can clearly see Nicole ignoring and disobeying my innocent plea for help.

I made some whimpering noises, you know... to help her understand how hungry I was.
She walked closer to me, I saw the selfish anger in her eyes and I quickly noticed she was not carrying one smidgin of bread!

See that look?! It's amazing we're still married.

As I sucked on the butter for nourishment, we made our way to another cave. Once we entered I thought I heard a faint, and gurgled cell phone ring. "Nicole, did you hear that?" She ignored me as her attention was centered on some movement in a far corner of the cave. "What is that?!" She whispered with restrained excitement. "Look, LOOK!" I saw nothing.
I took a picture to later prove she's crazy. It IS a beautiful view with or without mysterious movement.

Upon further investigation when we made it home and printed the photos, I made of baffling discovery! We may have very well been the first visitors of the Gila Cliff Dwellings to capture on film, an original Mongollan spirit floating about his old stomping grounds.
I've taken the liberty of magnifying the photo for you.

Notice the traditional beadwork he still wears. I was especially amused by the ancient cell phone! I mean, look how BIG that thing is. That's how I knew he was the real deal.

This was taken in Cave 4. It is one great view. Go ahead, view it.

I was always a bit jealous of those "cool kids" who knew the tricks of the panoramic shot we took at the end of the school year. You know the ones, who when you looked close, were pictured on both ends of the photo?
Apparently Nicole has been patiently awaiting this day for her moment (moments) in the spotlight.
EVERYone want's to be the "cool kid".
Sheesh.

So, I'm sure the majority of you have heard by now that we met Rod Stewart on our way back down the trail.
For those of you who haven't..... you're obviously not very loyal friends, and yes.. we met Rod Stewart.

He ran out from the bushes as I was taking photos of Nicole. Jumps out and poses right as Nicole is about to try a heel clicker off a stone step. Scared the livin daylights out of her! I was not pleased, not pleased at all Rod.

I mean, that's my wife punk!!! Don't mess with her! You know?
Plus, who wears a full white suit like that at ALL, not to mention in the forest!?

Yeah, he was a real prick.

Power of Prayer

2009-03-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Nicole and I have been called to help in the Nursery. Some weekends she's got to work and I'm stuck without her Spirit and skills. Today she was able to attend and I was able to catch the magic on video.

Nursery feels like babysitting when I'm there alone, The kids show no respect and run wild. However, Nicole is somehow able to calm the storm a bring a quiet reverence to the room. These kids, who normally smear their own feces on the wall for a good time, are peaceful and pleasant.

Just watch, as Nicole begins her lesson with a prayer. If you concentrate, you can feel the strong Spirit and the serious respect shown for her and her teachings of the Gospel.

She is truly an artist.

Winning the War

2009-03-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, our backyard is popular as a pigeon hangout.
I've taken it upon myself to rid this neighborhood of these dirty little bastards. I've thought up a few designs that may possibly scare them away. These designs would also provide plenty of deep, satisfying belly laughs for myself, and possibly a couple of yucks for you. However, the contraptions seem to take up far more time than I should be devoting on a pigeon.

Although it is technically illegal to use a firearm within city limits. I see no real harm using darts.
Hopefully these fatherless creatures will learn not to play around here anymore.

The Trip to Silver City, AHOY!

2009-03-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, Nicole is trying to be a doctor. She seems to be doing well, I think she looks fantastic in the white coat and the scrubs fit her nicely. So, she's basically there. On her latest attempt however, her owners asked her to travel 5 hours south of the quirk, to a magical little place we'll call Silver City. Her task entailed aiding the locals in big city medical politics, work in their clinic, and teach them to make fire.

While she was away, I (Dan) spent two weeks in Utah, pretending that I still have work. Once my fraudulent efforts were discovered, I gathered my things and fled. I pointed my not-so-trusty steed south, and headed back from whence I came. Upon my late-night arrival in Albuquerque, I was pleased to discover our belongings still locked in the garage and house. I made a thorough and slightly hopeful, trigger-happy sweep of our home for refugees before retiring for the night.

I was offered a flight on Silver City's "You very well may die on this flight" Airline. After checking in at a folding table desk, I tried to appear calm while lounging in one of the four chairs offered at the gate. I remained lounged, because I feared I would step on the pilot who had stretched out to have a nap on the floor next to me. This uniformed man arose from deep slumber at the annoying beeping from his calculator watch alarm. He wiped his eyes, smiled, then led three other passengers and myself out to his winged minivan bound for glory. The 50 minute thrill-ride ended upon landing on a patch of pavement located perfectly in the middle of nowhere.

Nicole arrived, I said goodbye to my new friend, the chihuahua (a.k.a. airport security) and we drove to "town". We struggled whether to dine at Nancy's or Diane's. From the name alone I think we all agree, they both make your mouth water equally! After a lengthy debate we settled on Diane's. I am glad we did. Turns out, Nancy is the town drunk.

Over the last few days of our visit, we explored the entire town of Silver City. They were the best spent 20 minutes of my life.

Scroll down to enjoy a small, photo tour.

___________________________________________________

This is the infamous "SILVER SKATE" where children's roller dreams are realized! Ever heard of Scott Hamilton?! Think about it. AND, every Friday night is 2 dollar (or a blanket trade) Adult night! Apparently Nancy entertains those lucky patrons over 30 with what I hear is very scandalous, yet surprisingly tasteful stage wiggle.

Here we have a view leading into the heart of the city. The city was built around the ancient wall art left by the Gila Indians, depicting their Lizard God long long ago. If you look hard you can still see it to the right of the lamp post.

Here's the thing, this picture is a lie. Nicole stole the camera and is trying to trick you. "Tell everyone I'm doing the last of 100 push ups!" She boasts. I don't like lies, so here's the truth; she's totally on a wall, she turned the camera sideways. I know for a fact she can barely do TEN push ups, let alone 100. Please.

The community built a large park out the wood salvaged when the schoolhouse was deemed pointless and torn down.

The city uses stolen and recovered cars as erosion control.

More erosion control

I don't this one is controlling one bit of erosion

You can't see it in this photos, but Nancy is topless and passed out on top of that cement block.
Nicole had me crop the photo, apparently it would'nt be appropriate to show you.

There you have it. A few of the many photos we use as exciting proof that Silver City exists.

We made our way back to Albuquerque the morning after we ogled Nancy's body under the overpass. We wiped sad but joyful tears from our eyes, as we waved goodbye to those who'd come to wish Nicole farewell. To show appreciation and proof they'd listened to her counsel, they held high their lecture notebooks and ink smeared hands. I saw in the rear view mirror however, the real testament to their newly enriched lives. I watched as every homeowner sat atop their stone wheels and warmed themselves with their first FIRE! Though I was quite a distance away, I too felt the warmth in my chest. Not from the fire, but from the knowledge that Nicole has truly blessed the lives of these once cold, and very deserving people.

Our journey home was not without excitement mind you. No, no... very much the opposite! We stopped numerous times to explore the mountain ranges and wonderment available to all. We will post those and more nail-biting adventures in blog posts in the near future.
Try not to pee your pants while dealing with the anticipation.

Good day to you

This is your Property

2009-03-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is your property on American soil

This is your property on pretend American soil

Any Questions?

Big guns

2009-02-26T21:11:00.000-08:00

I found this picture on my phone today. It is from the first of January when my parents came to visit us. We drove out west of the city to this fantastic ravine to shoot. There were literally 40 people strung out along this barren wasteland target shooting. So, we found some space and pulled out the handguns. Dan had at least two new guns that he had never fired yet. And my dad had his fancy one that he got for Father's day from the kids. Its a sweet gun. I had a great time firing round after round from all of them. I think Dan and Pop had a good time too.

He's here!

2009-02-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

Yay! He is finally here . . . Jonah L. Finlinson, chubby little boy of Dylan and Darci. He is so cute, and he looks quite a bit like his papa. Though Dyl assures me that he has Darci's nose.

I had to put this picture of him with his Grandma Rita, its the only one I've seen with his eyes open. Apparently he just wants to sleep all the time. They are having a rough time even waking him up to eat. He's already acting like his Papa!

I am so excited to have another new nephew. And, its Dylan's first baby. It is so fun for him to be a new Papa. He'll be so great. I am sure that Darci is glad he's finally here. I've heard those last few weeks of pregnancy are not the most fun. I'm hoping one day I might get a picture of the whole little family together.

Sixes

2009-02-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

This is my 6th picture in the 6th folder. It was taken at Wheeler Farm by Ian when he was doing our engagement photos. I guess we were practicing a stand off so we would know what to do when we got mad at each other.

6 people that need to do it now:
Dylan
Brenda
Candice
Camille
Jill
Rachael

Merry Christmas! (Feliz Navidad)

2008-12-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas. Ours was less than exciting. It turns out its not that fun when there are no kids to watch or lots of people to open presents. Dan and I really got our relaxation on, sleeping in front of the fire . . . well, thats what I did. Dan continued to make cool things with his saws. He is so creative and talented. He has made some beautiful things. I will post a picture of my Christmas presents from him soon. They are the coolest!

2 years

2008-12-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here are the beautiful roses I received for our anniversary. I was a little concerned when the doorbell rang and through the peephole I saw a fairly sketchy looking character. But the flowers were breathtaking, so I had to open the door and accept them. They were from my sweet husband all the way from Utah. A dozen for each year we have been married, pretty wonderful!

Big News I

2008-12-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

No I am not pregnant. And I am not talking about the Clutch album. But I do have some big news. Several items actually, but its not all good.

1. Let's start with the good stuff. This Tuesday the 16th is our wedding anniversary. Pretty exciting. Not the day itself, but that we have survived as husband and wife for two whole years now. I know, all of you veterans of marriage are scoffing at my feeling of accomplishment. I know every marriage has its ups and downs. It just seems that we have had some real doozies. (Yes, that is a word, and it is spelled correctly). Dan has put up with quite a bit and he is an amazing, loving husband. He might even be hoping for another 2 years of wedded bliss . . . just not in the Kirk. (see #2 for a better understanding)

2. Damn mexicans. Dan's suburban was stolen (show truck, as I like to call it) . From our driveway. In the middle of the night. You know, the black one, with fire down the sides and scary faces on the back. Yep.

So, it actually happened one week ago today. I've been so pist, I couldn't write about it til now. I'm not even the one who spent weeks on the sanding and paint, then more sanding and paint in trade for the sweet wheels.

And ABQ law enforcement isn't all that helpful. Apparently 30 cars are stolen EVERY DAY in this town. Sweet. The cop who took the report said that the burb was probably already in Mexico by then, picking up 20 mexicans to bring to America. Even sweeter. Damn mexicans. (I can hear Grandma Shields saying it now).

3. Dan and I are signing up to be foster parents. Ok, so because of my work schedule it will be more like Dan is a single foster parent. Maybe. The process takes "4-9 months" so we may be moving out of NM before it ever happens. We have been thinking about it for a while, and after an especially bad night in the pediatric ICU last week, I made the call. I see far too many children in the hospital beaten and abused by their parents. We want to help care for the kids that are taken out of these horrible circumstances. Hopefully we can help. We'll see how it goes . . . in 4-9 months.

Pants peeing

2008-11-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

Remember when I wrote about all the kids who

would be soiling their britches on Halloween night
because of sheer terror? Did you notice that
I never actually posted any pants peeing stories?
Well, it's not because it never happened.

Let me 'splain . . .

I found this hunched back ghoul in the
garage shortly after carving pumpkins.

Pretty scary right? Right. So the crux of the
problem was really technical ineptitude. New
camera. Me. No time between tossing cough drops
in the bags of teen agers with face paint "trick or
treating" to school myself in video making. Don't
be disappointed in the the Halloween man. There were
some scares, screams and jumps. Just none captured
on film.

And once I figured out the camera, still no clog
footage. It turns out, that I must have a little Grandpa
Shields in me. It is impossible for me to hold the camera
still while taking a photo. Yep, Parkinsons, its starting
early these days.

Suzy Breadmaker

2008-11-16T16:52:00.001-08:00

That's right, a bread-maker. No, we didn't buy one
I just got crazy on a Sunday afternoon and decided
to get back into baking with yeast.

Here it is. Looks almost like it could be on a
fabulous cooking show right?

I am obviously pointing out the steam coming
from this delectable morsel. (Look hard, I
promise its there).

And here I am chowing down, I couldn't wait
until the photo shoot was over. Guess I wouldn't
be the best hostess for a TV cooking show.

All Hallows Eve--what does that even mean?

2008-10-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

So, this is what we spent our nightmare before Halloween
doing . . .

Dan made me carve pumpkins, eat dough-nut holes and
watch scary movies with him. He is such a party animal,
forcing me to get into the holiday spirit.

If you look closely you can see the scary face shining backwards
on to the door behind. How eery!

Dan has some great ideas about how to scare the neighbor
kids when they come trick or treating. After tomorrow night
we should have some fantastic pants-peeing stories to share.

Everybody is doing it.

2008-10-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

So WE decided to do it too. I think Nicole looks like a young "Kitty" from "The 70's show"
And I just look real real REAL neat.

HUMAN CONTACT!

2008-10-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Jacobs painting
I picked up a hitchhiker
She's enjoying total eye protection
Emily showing how she removes unwanted hotel guests

A fresh pic of the Newest Mexicans

Jake apparently looked AT the windshield (not through it) and ended up in Africa
The Kelsinator giving the sea lions her full attention

Monticello Temple... en route
See any driblets?
Mocking us
Kelch and the Doc

This past weekend we were graced with a visit from Mom and Dad Langston, el Jakester, and the Badger clan (minus Andy) It was fandamtastic.

We visited the Zoo, Rudy's BBQ, Kids Science Museum and the infamous El Pinto restaraunt. Jake and I painted a cool picture in the garage. The Wii found its way from the dusty corner and we all boxed the daylights out of our shoulder muscles. Dad outsmarted the age-old dilemma of falling asleep during the movie, by watching it twice. Candice maintained her impressive Mothering skills although I now wish I helped relieve her duties by helping more. Momma BARELY offered a sacrifice for science when she strapped herself into the high wire bike at the Science Museum. If you look close, you can see the yellow driblets coming from her fear duct. I WOULD however, enjoy to share with the world that the Momma did NOT sacrifice for science when the opportunity presented itself to truly test the effects of electrical currents to her tongue. Emily and Cyrus DID sacrifice, and I feel that their lives will be richly blessed because of it. Also, what New Mexican trip is complete without a photo of a man (or possible woman) being arrested.

Nicole and I had a great time. ( I hope the fam can say the same). Although the party only lasted a few days, I can't explain how much I loved every minute of their visit. I was rather disappointed and felt a sharp tinge of sadness when I awoke with an empty home this morning. I miss my family. I must admit I had a few transparent driblets escape my wimp ducts.

Not a Picture of Me, but NEATO

2008-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

So... this video is pretty great. We're pretty freakin excited about it and wanted to share.

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/surprise-party/237294/

another NM great

2008-10-11T08:06:00.001-07:00

This is our favorite billboard on the drive from 'the Kirk' to Utah.
Yep that billboard is in the parking lot of the video store.
Pretty classic.

Vista

2008-10-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our balcony. It doesn't suck.

Welcome

2008-10-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Nicole and I have decided that are lives are just too darn exciting not to share with our family and friends. So, if you dare, begin your days with a view into our lives and prepare for some serious jealousy.