Of Thanksgiving and Hexes

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. We had two feasts at our house. On Thursday, our cousin Chloe joined Hannah, Mark, and me for a small but sumptuous meal. That night, Sarah and Chris came to Philomath following their special time with Chris' side of the family. Jake and Beka joined us on Friday, after their time with Beka's family, and that afternoon we ate Feast II.
When we went around the table on Thursday and shared what we are most thankful for, I said family (aren't you SURPRISED!). Because it's true. I love my husband, my kids, my kids-in-law, my soon-to-be-grandson from Ethiopia, and my extendeds.
I got a little crafty and made these little turkeys for each place setting. They were so fun to make, and they kind of added a little extra personality to the table.
I recently got a haircut, and Sarah came to the house armed with a new straightener to help me maximize the new look. I hope she can come over every morning to do my hair. PLEASE, SARAH???
Friday night, we all played a game that Mark plays with his middle school students. Called the Hex game, teams compete to try to move from one side of the board to the other. The game squares are shaped like hexagons, hence the name. There are a few other rules to remember, and the game can be adapted to any topic, but we played with Thanksgiving trivia questions. The teams were composed of Jake, Beka, and Hannah at one end of the table, and Chris, Sarah, and me at the other end. Mark ran the game. There is definitely strategy involved, as one team tries to block the other from completing their journey from side to side, or top to bottom.
My team takes a break while Mark questions the other team.
Hannah gets her question right, to the joy of her teammates.
Hmmm.... I don't know the answer to that one.
The ever-handsome and charming game-show host.

Chris has his game face on.
Sarah is ready to take on the competition.
Jake contemplates while Hannah giggles.
Beka and Hannah plot their strategy.
Hannah was in a goofy mood - but don't let that fool you - she's one tough competitor who really knows her Thanksgiving history.
And, of course, the real winner of the game was Goliath, simply because he's the cutest.

(School) Night at the Museum

On Friday night, Mark and his 8th-grade boy students spent the night at our local history museum. The girl students had spent the night there the previous weekend, so it was the boys' turn this weekend. The kids have been learning about local history, and this overnight adventure was a fitting conclusion to that unit of study. The kids toured the various exhibits, had a scavenger hunt, and watched a movie before hunkering down in their sleeping bags for the night. It all went very well.
Above is our beautiful museum. We are fortunate that our county's wonderful museum is only about two minutes from our home and schools. Below, Mark explains one of the exhibits to the kids - note his genuine coonskin cap!
A reporter from the Corvallis newspaper, the Gazette Times, was on hand to chronicle the events of the evening, and there was a great article about the evening in today's edition of the paper.
And what better movie for the kids to watch than Night at the Museum? Good job, Mark and students at Philomath Middle School (aka PMS, but that's another story for another day)!

Images from our week...

Ben and Christine flew in from Aspen, Colorado, on Wednesday afternoon, and our time since then has been filled with family, food, and fun times. It had been a year and a half since Ben was last in Philomath, and it was a first-time visit for Christine. Here are some pictures, in no particular order...
Above are Ben and Christine just before they left for their return flight to Colorado this morning.
Mark went to a farm auction in Lebanon on Saturday, looking for some hand tools for the wood shop at his middle school. The auction turned out to be a bust, but doesn't Mark just look TOO handsome for words?
On Thursday night, Denny, Betsy, and Bella came over for dinner. Denny and Ben have been great friends since first grade, and it was fun that they could join us for the evening. Abby wasn't feeling well, so she couldn't be with us - we missed you, Abby!
Here Denny, Ben (holding sweet Bella), and Christine visit.
We also played Boggle at some point this week. Starting at the top: Ben, Christine, Jake, Sarah, Hannah, Chris, and me.
Goliath is always a faithful participant at family gatherings.
Everyone gathered around the table last night: Mitchell, Hannah, me, Chris, Sarah, Christine, Ben, Jake, and Beka. Mark is taking the picture.
Here I am having pity on poor Golly in his Halloween costume. He was a cute little lobster! And by the way, we had 194 trick-or-treaters at our door this year - a new record! We usually top out at around 150, so we were very busy passing out the candy! It was fun.

Family Room - the remodel thus far

We have been working hard the past few weeks remodeling our family room. Here are a few shots that show where we are so far. Below you see the new TV and corner console, also a new (very old) antique coffee table. And - a paper rug! It's the latest fashion, didn't you know? Actually, I was having a hard time visualizing what the rug would look like once we receive the one we've ordered, so I made a paper one the same size to check it out. I think it will look very nice in that space.
Below is a view of the TV-end of the family room, taken from the computer-end of the same room.
And here is a view of the opposite side of the room, where we have some books, our computer, an antique chest and my Grandma Olson's sewing machine. Also, a place to sit when on the phone.
Just one more view.
And on Wednesday, Ben and Christine are coming to Oregon! HOORAY!!!

Surprise, surprise!

Last night we found out that my mom and my brother Chuck would be swinging through town on their way back to California from a quick trip to Boise. They arrived at about 11:00 p.m., then they had to leave at around 10:30 this morning. So, it was short, but so very sweet. And while Chuck was on a work-related conference call this morning, Mom and I sneaked out for a very quick surprise visit to see Jake at his school, and to see Beka at their house.
Thanks, Mom and Chuck, for making time to come see us - I know that Philomath isn't really exactly "on the way" home from Boise, but you made it happen. I love you so much!
Love you, too, Chuck. Family is the BEST! :-)

AMAZING

Celine Dion was great! After waiting more than a year since purchasing our tickets, we were finally able to see her in concert. And she really delivered! A purer voice surely must not exist this side of heaven.
Sign at the Rose Garden welcoming Celine to Portland - no, we did not (could not) use that entrance - come on, people, we're just common folk.
Mark and me - does he look a bit tired?
Take two. Wait - now he looks surprised!
Celine on the big screen. We were thankful for the screen, as we were in the cheap seats.
Pure bliss to listen to. I tried to upload a video clip, but I can't seem to make it work. Maybe if one of the kids comes by, they can help me - stay tuned!
Singing The Prayer with Andrea Bocelli (appearing via video) - perfectly done.
The stage, with Celine in the middle. She did lots of wardrobe changes during the evening, and two encore performances at the end, including "My Heart Will Go On," from the Titanic movie.
She had some of the funniest expressions - she just seemed so likable.
A few ramps extended from the stage into the crowd, so Celine could get closer to the audience. We are so happy we had the opportunity to go. We really had a great time. It was definitely worth the wait.

Just two more days...

The Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon: October 16, 2008

We'll be there.

Can't wait.