Carcassonne Master Game

We finally got all eight expansions for Carcassonne! The last expansion we needed (the Count) was ordered on Monday from Funagain and arrived a few days later in time for our weekend game. We met up with the Lees, who introduced us to this game, and played the ultimate round of Carcassonne. It took three hours (partly because we were playing with the little known baby expansion, which adds unexpected interuptions to feed, change, and entertain the little Lee). The Dragon didn't see much action, cut-throat Towers was toned down with all the other expansions, and the King made a huge difference when the points were added up. We thought the massive 50 point city decided the game early, but not so. An affordable alternative to Catan, you should add this one to your games! The Final Scores: 240 Melissa 222 LeRoy 144 Davin 135 Gina

Mom's Winning Shot

Family came over for Davin's second birthday party at our place. We brought out the lawn games again and introduced everyone to bocce ball. Mom was on my team and this is a picture of her amazing winning shot. The guys couldn't beat that. Way to go, Mom!

White Hall Demolished!

This was quite something to watch over the last 3 days. Every errand I had to run included stopping by to see the progress of the White Hall demolition. Let's just say, students will be surprised when they return in a few weeks since this was a very quick progression of events. Many students have called White Hall home during their years at Multnomah. Davin lived here Freshman year (his old room on the bottom left by the stairs was one of the last to go) and Melissa lived here Senior year as an RA. In Davin's opinion, this was the best dorm by far - with the tall, skinny rooms before the remodel. He bets the burrito was still stapled in the upstairs closet. Many fond memories... and there's the massive beast that tore it down this week like it was nothing. Before and after shots. Originally a blind school, I heard that White Hall was built in the 1930s, and this week it is no more. It does not pass earthquake safety standards and it costs way to much to retrofit it, so today all the memories are nothing more than a pile of rubble. A sad day.

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.