Clint 361/365

We celebrate birthday months in my family - thankfully for me! My Pop came
to visit this weekend to contribute to the celebrations since Jean and I
ran away to Vegas last weekend. I finally got my made-from-scratch red
velvet cake with scratch made cream cheese frosting and oreo crumbles. Very
tasty!

Big thanks to my sweet wife Jean - she worked very hard on the cake, and
almost cut her finger off karate chopping our light fixture over the sink
(not on purpose...). Thanks love!

Rachel 361/365

Spent most of the afternoon trying to sleep away the sick I caught. Eddie made me grilled cheese and soup for dinner :)

Lauren 361/365

Lasagna rollups, asparagus, and garlic twists for family dinner. Yum.

Renatta 361/365

Awaiting a police press conference.

Jean 361/365

Made my first ever cake from scratch today to round out Clint's birthday celebration--red velvet with oreo cream cheese frosting. I think it turned out pretty well despite some mishaps along the way (I think he already
mentioned my accidental punching of an overhead light and the red food coloring everywhere that made it look like I'd severed my hand...)

Eddie 361/365

My sister broke my favorite pair of glasses, I wasn't pleased at all.

jennifer11 360/365

Whew... what a day!

We did Lucas' birthday party today. It's been raining NON-STOP all day. We had 7 kids and 6 adults (some of whom we were not invited) but... the kids had a blast. Lucas wanted Minecraft, so I had to make everything. He loved his cake!

ROBIN 360/365

Nothing exciting today. Just out Joe on our walk.

Jordan 360/365

Won our first playoff game in overtime today. So proud of my girls. Farrell pride!

Clint 360/365

Which way to go.......

Rachel 360/365

Eddie went camping this weekend with the Boy Scouts, so I went and stayed with my parents. Saturday we spent over 9 hours in the car... First we went to Shipshewana, Ind. to visit the Amish and do some shopping. Then we had to drive all the way to visit my brother at college in Central Illinois because his cell phone was malfunctioning and he needed my dad's spare phone. We arrived at my brother's college as the sun was setting.

Jean 360/365

Signs of life in front of the house. Maybe this god forsaken winter really WILL end someday.

Lauren 360/365

Hate the Bronco's but the boys wanted to see Mile High Stadium before we left Denver.

Renatta 360/365

So I got sent out to cover a triple shooting last night and then was scheduled to work today and had to track down more details of it. When I got home, The Boyf had made chili for dinner and set out a glass of water and made me a salad, so all I had to do was put some chili in a bowl and I was ready to eat. I thought it was sweet and thoughtful.

chelle 360/365

mitch seems to think we need new dnd figurines... can't see why. ^_-

Eddie 360/365

The WI cabin that the Scouts and I were staying in had a lighted sled hill, a location the scouts spent hours enjoying. For the record, I may have went down a handful of times myself.

jennifer11 359/365

yay! cute stickers for my monitor!

Jordan 359/365

Oh yeah, the hubby was published in a book. He's kind of a big deal ;-) Has his own chapter.

Clint 359/365

We really, really need to get out of this state....

Rachel 359/365

Shoveling is apparently overrated.

Jean 359/365

Big news! (that I can finally publicly share) I agreed to shift to an interim job this semester--a job I'd considered applying for full-time previously. Due to some budget things that are going on, two weeks ago my
bosses offered me a regular (non-interim) position that includes the best of both this current job and my regular job. I jumped at the opportunity, obviously. The contract has all the necessary signatures on it now, and the celebration can begin!

Lauren 359/365

Interview day!

Renatta 359/365

Looking at possibilities to replace our pink kitchen countertops!

Eddie 359/365

Playing a cut throat game of Uno with the other adults at the weekend Boy Scout campout. I believe I actually won this game too :-)

Kirsten 358/365

I am not a fish fan. I love seafood (shellfish) but not FISH. I really
enjoy fish tacos as long as it is made with tilapia fresh coleslaw mix and
fresh tortillas (yes I'm picky). Tonight I was trying to find a new way to
make the tilapia I had just to see if I could handle it. So I made fish
sticks. OMG they were fabulous!!! Better than I would have ever expected. I
will for sure be making these again.

Here is the recipe I used:
www.onceuponachef.com/2010/09/crispy-tilapia-fingers-with...

I added a bunch of garlic powder, onion powder and parsley to the panko for
added flavor. Don't be shy with the seasonings either. I also cooked them
in butter for a prettier yummier browning. HUGE tip...... clean the pan out
after each round of fish you cook. Otherwise you will get REALLY dark burnt
pieces from the previous batch of panko crumbs.

jennifer11 358/365

one of the weird things about being tall is not seeing your whole self in the mirror.

Jordan 358/365

Doing a maternity shoot as a gift for someone so they asked me to make a certificate that they could give to their friend to surprise them with. This is what I came up with.

Clint 358/365

Another day neglecting to take a photo until my return home at sunset...

Rachel 358/365

Jean 358/365

Life has been really good lately, but I've been really uninspired to take photos. So this is another last minute, on my way to bed shot.

Renatta 358/365

Got my work review today... here's part of it.

Lauren 358/365

On our way to Denver!

chelle 358/365

Eddie 358/365

I made homemade burgers for dinner tonight but sadly they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. This photo turned out amazing I feel however because you can even see the steam rising off the patties.

Enzie 358/365

Eddie 357/365

We are supposedly close to having a new landlord as today a surveyor completed an inspection of the property. Fingers crossed that everything works out for the best.

Jordan 357/365

Just flying my remote control helicopter.

Clint 357/365

Tired, tired, tired of this weather...

Rachel 357/365

It's amazing how many little things I can get out of a ball of yarn and some scraps. Spent some time today stocking up on the little items (scratch mitts, hearts, and flowers).

Jean 357/365

How to keep this story short? Yesterday I talked to one of the academic adviors about improving our note-taking on student meetings, and she came in this morning to tell me she'd had an idea. Said some folks in her department had given her the contact information for this great guy who has come in and trained them on some really useful computer stuff. She handed me this note. Clint's contact information. :) Totally forgot that he's been doing trainings on campus--we had a good laugh as the pieces came
together in my head in slow motion. Was fun to tell him how highly he's spoken of on campus, at least!

Renatta 357/365

There's sun!

Lauren 357/365

Trying on grad school interview outfits this afternoon. This is the one I picked. Even though I preferred my skirt I thought it would be best not to freeze since it's still winter weather in Denver.

chelle 357/365

it lights up from the bottom! disco rave cup!

jennifer11 357/365

What I'd *really* like to say to someone... but I can't. Yet.

Enzie 357/365

Spotted a crow.

Kirsten 356/365

Turner has been begging me to take a photo of him with Grace whenever she
lays down with him (which is rare). Tonight I was able to finally catch her
in the act.

Jordan 356/365

My friend's daughter, Skylar, and Ches :-)

Clint 356/365

More photos from Milford today...

Rachel 356/365

Pretty purple earwarmers for my friend's niece.

Jean 356/365

This is my favorite coffee mug. A good friend gave it to me years ago and I use it every day (the handle doubles as a clip for handy transport).
Last week, I forgot that I left it outside the campus bookstore. When I realized this morning what I'd done, I was heartbroken. Then I went down to look for it--sure enough, right where I left it. Whether folks left it alone because they don't drink coffee or didn't want an old coffee mug, the
fact remains that no one threw it away or bothered it. This is a weird place to live, but the people are some of the most honest (and kind, often) that I've met.