Davin and LeRoy are 30!

On Saturday, Gina and I threw a big 30th birthday party for Davin and LeRoy at our place. I've always wanted to have a backyard party here. We had plenty of good food with Davin manning the BBQ, and I carved my first watermelon basket. There were lots of lawn games for all ages including a new one for us... bocce ball, which supplied us with lots of laughter. It was a wonderful time with friends; I think we need to party more often!

The House by the A-frame

Here's something you don't see every day! We woke up in the morning to the sound of crunching boards and breaking windows. The house by the A-frame was coming down! I stayed in this house one summer during college. It was a neat, old house built in 1921, but unfortunately, it had many problems and had been sitting empty for about a year or so. It was a pile of rubble by the afternoon. Time to make way for something new.

3rd Anniversary in Ashland

On July 17 we celebrated our third anniversary. We went to Ashland and stayed in the Ashland Springs Hotel. It's a beautifully renovated historic hotel built in 1925, and it's the tallest building in Ashland. After we checked in, they directed us to the back entrance off the parking lot. We entered a dark hallway of rooms, found the old, creaky elevator and as soon as we stepped inside and the doors closed behind us Davin and I looked at each other and said, "Tower of Terror!" That's exactly how it felt... in a fun way. Although Davin did seem to enjoy jumping to make it shake and freak me out. We enjoyed wandering around and sitting in the lobby. The hotel has an inviting atmosphere that takes you back to the 1920s. We will definitely stay here again next time we're in Ashland. We also went to see "Taming of the Shew" at the Elizabethan Theatre. It rained during the performance so the stage and all the people on the main level got wet, but thankfully we were in the balcony which was covered. The funniest part was when a dog came out on stage and the actor was telling him to sit. He sort of crouched down. Then he was told to lay down. He looked at the guy and looked at the floor and just crouched there. "I know, my Lord, it is wet," said the actor and the whole audience laughed which startled the dog. It's a great comedy you should see if you get the chance.

Here's to three wonderful years of marriage!

07/07/07 Weddings

July 7th was a popular day for weddings! Davin and I ended up parting ways for the day to attend two different weddings. I was one of the Matrons of Honor and also sang in Beth Ptolemy and Paul Bomar's wedding in Seattle. Mom came with me so we enjoyed some girl time together. It was a simple and sweet ceremony that went off without a hitch... except the cake topper fell and the groom's head broke off, but Mom fixed it so no one could even tell. It was a fun weekend, and I'm so happy for my friend, Mrs. Beth Bomar! Davin writing now. I went to Tré and Kelly's wedding. It was a really nice wedding. I was great to see Tré get married to a great lady. It was also cool to see Kelly marry a great guy. I think that they will make a wonderful couple and I think God will richly bless their marriage. One funny thing at the reception ... Tré and Kelly were doing their first dance as a married couple and Tré went to dip Kelly and she ended up on the floor ... laughing though so it was all good. Congrats Tré and Kelly Wilbanks (such a proper sounding last name).

Multnomah's Media Library

So, I've been working on a project for Multnomah for a while called the Media Library. It's a place where we can put all kinds of media in a central location that is easy to find. I finally finished the project (well finished enough ... nothing is ever done) and amazingly people have been checking it out. If you read this blog check it out for yourself. Below is a sample from the site. It is a demo that our Tae Soo Do group did for a Multnomah basketball game.

From Purple to Blue Belts

On June 16th Davin and I passed our belt test so now we are blue belts. Since the test was on a Saturday, my family and the Lees were able to come cheer us on. It was fun to have them see what we do in Tae Soo Do. Meanwhile, my work schedule is kind of crazy because we have lots of people moving out right now, so in the middle of the test (when I wasn't needed) I walked over to my apartments to do a final walk through. It felt funny being in my uniform, but they didn't argue when I said they'd have a damage charge for something. Some quotes from our test: Kutz: "Melissa, what goals do you have set for yourself in Tae Soo Do?" Melissa: "To keep up with Davin." Mom (after watching us spar): "So that's how Davin and Melissa settle disputes." Jeremy (my "little" brother, after watching me grapple with Anne): "I just learned something. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but my sister can always hurt me."

Baby in Motion

Well, you can't get much cuter than that! I got to babysit Addison the other day and we had a lot of fun. I can't help pulling out my camera, although as soon as she sees it she makes a beeline for it... and she moves quick. Um, Addison, I can't focus on you when you're that close! But the cuteness still comes through.

A Night on the Town to Celebrate

We got our school loans paid off! We decided to celebrate by using the money we would have put toward the next monthly payment to enjoy a night on the town. We went to the Multnomah Jr/Sr Banquet on May 4th and spent the night at the Heathman. The hotel was in walking distance to the banquet and the rain held off, which made for a perfect night. I've never stayed at such a fancy hotel before. We stayed in a corner room on the top floor of the ten-story building and got to sleep on a Tempurpedic bed. (We're thinking about getting one some day.) The hotel staff was great, breakfast was delicious, and I really like valet parking! We had gorgeous downtown views from our room. We enjoyed the banquet at a table for four with the Lockwoods. There was dancing afterwards, but the instruction always lasts way too long so we didn't get much of a chance to practice our swing dancing moves. Thanks, Gina, for letting me borrow your dress!

Pictures from "The Butler Did It"

Finally getting some pictures up from our play, "The Butler Did It". Davin and I really enjoyed it. Davin was a detective writer playing the part of the main character in his books. He had lots of hilarious one-liners as he tried to solve the mystery, and he got the most laughs from the audience. I was the jumpy, dumb maid with a bad case of the sniffles who turned out to be the cunning murderer in disguise. One of the funniest parts was my kissing scene with Davin while his eyes are closed. Funny because we're married, but in the play I totally gross him out.

Our lovely cast picture:

Yet another quiz ... but I just had to see

This is from the What American Accent do you have quiz? What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast