Tucker running to third

This is Tucker running from 2nd to 3rd. He is having a great time and I can't help but think that he brings some comic relief to the coaches that watch him.

Tim

India Serving

This is India during volleyball a couple of months ago. She did a great job and her only disappointment is that the boys are getting snacks after their games and she didn't.

Tim

Christian Pitching
Here is a picture of Christian pitching in his game on Monday. He did a great job and again threw a no-hitter. The coach is very pleased.

So are the parents.

Tim

tourney

Are we bringing our own meat to the tournery. And what about snack, salads and desserts? You do realize that along with getting to see everyone, I'm most excited about the food. I'm assumming the Porter clan will stay with Greyson and Mel?? We're bringin Greta to hopefully give Ada some company. Greta says she's feeling brave.

India wants a dead or alive tournament since she likes that game. I said she'd had to take it up with Greyson? Maybe a mini-timed tourney between the Halo.

Greta does not run away. I let her out while I sweep the front porch and she just meanders. It's funny the things you come to appreciate.

Christian is really fun to watch pitch, but oh the Coach pitch level with Tucker. Am I a bad Mom to not want to endure a full season of little kids twirling in center field? Tim went golfing Monday for an A.D. conference in Bend. So someone might want to razz him about his lack of Blog input. He faithfully reads the blog you know.

Some of you older folk might not get this....

Kalena Marie Dean

Here is a picture of Kalena Marie Dean

Kalena Marie Dean

Addicted to plants...aka:I must have some of my father's genes

Lucky for me my hubby isn't real aware of changes in our landscaping. Otherwise he might notice new plants popping up every few days. It seems I can't pass up plants when I see them at any store. I have so far hit up Bi-mart, Freddy's and Wal-mart (more than once at each location). And I received plants from my parents and my hubby for my birthday. And the "funny" part is that my company is trying to get a job in Idaho that would cause me to camp out there for 5 weeks during June/July; right when the plants will be at there best.

I came home from work today and found my hubby out tanning on a blanket with Ada on one side and Quark on the other. They were having a real tough day. Greyson said he has been slacking this term so I might have to get on him. Now that he established he can do A work, that is what I expect.

I think that is all. I hope to hear from you all soon.

Sunshine on my shoulders

The sun just popped out up here finally. I think I will ditch work and go home and mess around with my plants. My hubby got me a couple of fushia plants to hang and I have some veggies that need to go into the garden. I think I am just going to do a little hoeing this year and forget the rottotilling.

I got home late Saturday night and will be home all week. Then I will be off again for a week. I hope to make it home for the shin-dig on the the 30th but I am not sure my work will be done by then. Hopefully it will be sunny weather by then and you all can do some good barbecuing outside.

I am surprised that I haven't seen any pictures of Kalena yet. I thought Jenn would have had those out by now. I am going to try to go for a quick visit today or tomorrow.

Not too much else is going on. I am still working out pretty often. I have a 4 mile route that I job when I am in Desert Aire. I tried that distance at home but it is way too hilly here and I only make it about 2.5 miles before dying.

I got news back from my doctor that the treatment we were trying didn't work and we need to try something else. So now I have to go get this special test (Hysterosalpingogram) done at a radiology clinic. This is where they inject a die up into your uterus and see how everything looks using ultrasound. This can find out whether things are blocked or abnormal or whatever.

So I guess that is about it. Hope to see you all in a couple weeks.

Melanie

etc. etc.

I'm incredibly sore today. I started lifting/dieting/cardio again with renewed fervor this week. I'm hardcore because of spite and shame at having let myself go for so long—shame is a very effective motivational tool for me. I've decided to give myself 1 minute of rest between sets, which may or may not be ideal, but far better than my last routine. Given class starts at 2:00 pm at the earliest, I don't have a whole lot of excuse for not getting it done before going to school.

I'd have to say that I did beat a difficult video game and recommend it to you all very highly. It's graphically beautiful, contains old-school challenge, has aspects from most genres (collectibles, rpg elements, action, fighting games). It's called Ninja Gaiden. Folks on the video game channel called it the best of 2004. It hooks you around the 2nd level, when you begin to beat a seemingly impossible boss fight. The challenge is the hook. It is a mature rated game however. Lot's of blood and goop spillage.

Mel wants a kitten or a puppy, and has considerately given me the choice of which of the two I'd like to adopt. Decisions, decisions.

Kitten-
Pros:
Cons:
•becomes a cat
•inevitable conflicts with existing pets
•potential aggressive lover like quark
•potential aloof psycho like cleo
•potential no show like Oreo
•as if the litterbox wasn't full enough

Puppy-
Pros:
•becomes a dog
•Against chocolate and fudge-it's two on two. Even numbers and we'd have a youth advantage.
•A second beating candidate when the first one is well-behaved, and daddy has aggressions.
•I'd feel better leaving two dogs at home
•Quark might vacate the premises
•Same with Cleo
•extra help with the litterbox

Cons:
•you know...Charlie and Lindy
•dog(x)=naughtiness(to the power of x)

Looking like a very close tie to me, guys.

I'm doing a typographical project on Sullivan's Gulch, but suffer from a major creative block right now. Not good.

Terriers are born gardeners

Charlie was ever so helpful yesterday. I had purchased plants for most of our planters and was filling the planter boxes, etc with potting soil. Charlie kept launching herself into each planter to help me "tap" the dirt into place. I would diligently remove her to the deck and she helped me by running off with the plastic pots as I emptied them. Then she deftly started kicking over the plants I had laidout in sets by color in her hurry to help load any new planting mix. Finally she figured that I needed some strawberry plants added to the grouping for interest so she jumped into the big wood planters at the edge of the deck and started removing "unwanted" soil and "relocatable" strawberry plants. I thanked her profusely and I had to help her bathe off in the showerthe "excess" dirt from all her previous work.
She really enjoys helping me broom and rake also.

Where's the news?

So what's going on. Has the Porter dog returned?

Has Melanie again left her husband for fish?

Has Grandma returned safely from Castle Rock?

Is Jennifer having contractions?

Does Nicholas have his new puppy?

Is Greyson back into exercising again?

Is Brian really reading the blog but not contributing? (Ostensibly due to lack of password.)

No news here - my life is boring. Sometimes that is a good thing.

I am home, for the moment

So, since there hasn't been enough snowfall this winter the river flows are so low that our study can only go 4 days a week instead of 7 days a week that was planned. This means that I get to come home these next couple of weekends and return to Desert Aire during the week. Unfortunatly I came down with a bug last week and am just now starting to feel somewhat normal again. I had a fever and chills for 3 days while I was working which made it pretty miserable.

But I am home now for the moment. I have had time to get my laundry done, give my husband and pets some love and I will be off again on Monday. Everything else is the same. I was working out real consistantly until I got sick and even ran 4 miles the last time I was out. Unfortunately I haven't worked out in about a week with this illness so I hope that won't hurt my progress. On the positive side, I haven't felt like eating much since I have been sick.

Tim is going to stay with us tonight so I am going to do my best to send my germs home with them since they apperently like to be sick as much as possible this year. We didn't warn him when he asked if he could stay here. We didn't want to scare him off.

Later- Mel