meow-na lisa!

a work of art

Looking down the street... on October 6th. Now, most of the leaves have fallen!

a musical family

Cousin Jenny performed here in the north, and we were there to be groupies! :) We are so proud of her... check her out at www.myspace.com/jennymcintyre ... Also considering my dad's stellar performance of "happy birthday" over the phone tonight (complete with electronic backup vocals, etc.), I would say this family is quite talented!

check out this puppy

cosmo getting some air!

the unassuming doris

Just moments ago a crunching sound interrupted the quiet solitude of my house, so I crept to the kitchen to see which kitty was the culprit ... And there was Dory, solemnly munching morsels of dog food she'd stolen from Cosmo's food bowl.

This is another photo of an unassuming dory moment-- when I happened upon her in the bathroom sink.

Ah, the memories...

It was wonderful to hang out with Brendan again. He is very good for one's self-esteem! Made me feel beautiful and smart, which is just what I needed. ;) It was also nice to see our old dorm, even wandering the hallways after the bars closed. We left a note for one of our old professors in the Residential College, Erica Paslick. We had her for a "Literature and Diseases" seminar our first semester-- and I did a fabulous presentation on syphilis, utilizing drama and poetry for entertainment value! In case you don't already know this, the Residential College is a small "school" within the University of Michigan. They have an intensive language program, small class sizes, interesting curriculum areas, and written evaluations instead of grades. An example of the unique offerings that I enjoyed was my "Community Strategies Against Poverty" class (and of course "Literature and Diseases" fits the unique category too!). Anyhow, here are some photos. Unfortunately, we forgot our cameras the first day when the alumni had a parade, complete with bagpipers, costumes, and noisemakers!

Off to Ann Arbor!

The Residential College (part of U of M) is having a huge celebration this weekend, and so I get to reunite with Brendan, who was my best friend in our days living in East Quad... He called last night and said I should bring some of my piano music in case we can get one of the music rooms in EQ's creepy basement, just like old times. So, I'm excited for my mini-get-away. And won't be posting any photos this weekend!

(This photo is from summer 2006, when Brendan and his boyfriend stopped by to see us briefly.)

awesome autumn sky

Only I think it was probably 80 degrees on this particular beautiful October evening (10/6)! We've had nutty weather... although today it's rainy and cold, back to normal.

First Grade Fun

A 6+1 Traits idea is to introduce the writing process through art... My students made "creations" with play-dough, adding and making changes, then titling their creations. As a final step, students went around the classroom and left comments about each person's creation. It was a big deal-- we couldn't just write, "it was nice", because that doesn't actually say much. Anyhow, they were SO mature about it, and they took it very seriously. Below, is an example showing some comments about this person's creation (I have translated the 1st grade writing for you!)... I LOVE how they take chances spelling such huge words! :)
1."Wow, that looks so cool, and that is also my favorite color."
2. "I like it because it looks like a timer."
3. "It is great because it is very creative."

The Girls

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Top row: Bryce, cousins Jenny &Ryan
Front row: Me, cousins Josh & Sarah

2001- Clinging to past traditions, we awed the audience one final time, with yet another stunningly choreographed Christmas Eve performance.

(kudos to Bryce for entering the family with a bang!)

african beauty

Just a slightly-out-of-focus photo from summer 2005 in Ghana, West Africa... I like how it shows development and nature. My thoughts of Ghana are always of this amazing beauty-- a mixture of bright color, wild smells, crowded streets, shabby buildings, and the noise of chaos... I guess beauty exists when all of the senses are engaged.

miss snuggle-up-a-gus

lucy, when cos got his new bed

on another topic, the endless projects being worked on (that never seem to get finished):
fixing backyard fence
beautifying the yard
vacuuming (at least it's fixed now)
putting away PAPERS
side patio
flag pole mounting
dishes

Meet Dory

Okay, so I just keep finding these incredibly adorable animal photos-- I think I'd run a shelter if we had the money. Our animal children are the greatest! :)

Part Retriever?

Cosmo, at Log Lake, ready for action

disc golf -- a little d.g., anyone?

One of our very favorite hobbies/sports... Whenever the four of us play, these are the teams! We had our closest match last weekend in K-zoo at Robert Morris Park, with my dad and I *almost* catching up to Bryce and my mom.

Today's Special

Flashback-- August 2007, Ore to Shore Soft Rock, 28 mile mountain bike race! (Bryce did the Hard Rock, 48 miles) Aren't we cute enough to hug?

a photo a day... or 2?

Since I absolutely stink at updating this blog, I'm going to attempt to at least add a picture *almost* every day!

Above are the two best friends, and this one to the right is Cosmo with his adoring sister Lucy... one of the rare times he actually returned her displays of affection! :)