Super Bowl Bound

One of Mark's former students, Kevin Boss, is now playing in the NFL for the New York Giants. Today the Giants won the NFC Championship, and are headed to the Super Bowl! Mark coached Kevin in 7th grade football, so, of course, he was VERY excited about Kevin's accomplishments. Mark is fond of telling anyone who will listen to him that he "taught Kevin his three-point-stance, how NOT to jump offsides, how to recover fumbles (which, of course, he did in the NFC championship game), how to put his pads on, and how to knock the pads off the other guy." And I, who have long been a Green Bay fan, was overjoyed to see the Giants beat the Packers. We're SO PROUD of you, Kevin. GO, GIANTS!!!!!!

Yikes... where does all the time go?

I was browsing through a book recently, entitled 1000 Places to Visit Before You Die, and I realized with a somewhat sinking feeling that, at age 55, I will probably never come close to seeing all of those beautiful and intriguing places. I am generally a very happy woman, and love my Lord, my life, and my family very dearly. I know that life is full of so many responsibilities that tend to tie one down, and I tend to be a very overly-responsible person. Still, there is a place deep within me that longs for a real adventure - a place in my heart of hearts that longs to throw caution to the wind and do something really exciting, even daring. So I guess my question is this: if you could have a singular adventure, what would it be? Where might you go, and/or what might you do?

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...GEOMAN !

Readers of this blog who are esteemed alumni of Philomath Middle School might remember the annual Geography Bee, sponsored by the National Geographic Society. This year's version will take place tomorrow, and Mark, a.k.a. Geoman, will make his superhero appearance. A bonus for his costume this year: he will be wearing his mom's wig. Crazy, no? Maybe it will give him extra super powers. Go Geoman!

Thank you, dear Beka

Our daughter-in-law, Beka, gave Hannah and me a wonderful gift for Christmas: tickets to see Anne of Green Gables, which was produced by the Corvallis Community Theater. The showing we attended was on Saturday night, and it was very good. We are all huge Anne fans (both the books and the movies), so the play had a lot to live up to, and it definitely delivered. Most of all, though, it was just a delightful evening of being together with Hannah and Beka. So - thanks, Beka, for your thoughtful gift. I love you so much, and am very blessed to be your mother-in-law.

In memory of Margaret Dorr-Folsom, beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend

Saturday, December 29, was the funeral service for Mark's mom, who passed away on December 16, which, as many of you know, was also David and Nikki's wedding day. We were pleased that so many of her friends and family were able to attend, and it was a very nice service. We will be having another service in May, in Dayton, Washington, to honor her again.This picture of Grandma was taken in July at Sarah and Chris' wedding in Jefferson, Oregon.
This is the floral arrangement that Beka ordered for the service on behalf of all of the Dorr grandkids. Not all of our kids were able to be in attendance, but they were all there in their hearts. Jake and Beka were traveling in New York City, and Ben, Dave, and Nikki were in Colorado. Hopefully all of us can be together at the memorial service in May.
Mark's sister, niece, and cousin worked hard to put together this display of pictures of Grandma with various family members. They also included some of Grandma's infamous Santa figurines.
Much mention was made during the service of Grandma's roots in Dayton, Washington - how she was a "Dayton girl" at heart.
This is the floral display at the front of the funeral chapel. After the service, we gathered at Fred's house for a short while, then went to a casual dinner at Mo's house. It was so good to visit with all who were there, and we are eager to gather again in May in Dayton! We love you, Grandma, and will miss you very, very much.

Christmas stuff...

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas - but not in that order. Being the technologically-challenged person I am, I can't figure out how to rearrange pictures once they are on the blog. So... first we have some pictures from the day after Christmas. We were invited to the Larson's lovely home to watch the newlyweds open their MANY wedding gifts. They received lots of wonderful items with which to furnish their new home in Colorado.
Where else do happy newlyweds sit to open their gifts but on the love seat?
Nikki's parents, Artie and Radwyn, watched the fun. Sarah and Chris were there, too - just not in the picture - sorry, guys. We're glad you were there! :-)
One of their favorite gifts was from one of David's former teachers when he was in 8th grade. A cow-shaped tea kettle. Looks like fun!
OK - here's one from Christmas morning. Hannah received a compass that draws with two colored pencils simultaneously, and can best be viewed with the accompanying 3-D glasses.
And here's Christmas Eve - the traditional building of the gingerbread houses, with Jake, Hannah, and Mark getting into the act.
Sarah and Chris working their magic with graham crackers, frosting, and candy.
A blurry Beka - whose house sported a licorice-thatched roof - an architectural marvel, to be sure.

David and Nikki Dorr