An Epiphnany about cars...and how to torture Katie and Thomas

Many of you already may know that in an effort to save money, we have strictly been using the bus for the past month. It has been an adventure, with a few sprints to catch it as it pulls away, and lots of fun conversations while riding or waiting (and even a round of dots on the tablet while riding...can't do that in a car!)... but overall, I have found it to be almost as convenient as car travel, and FAR less expensive. The bus is almost always on time, and waiting is usually very short. Using google maps public transit feature, we have also been able to get detailed bus instructions to every place we have wanted to go. Liam and I especially like that we don't have to drive in crazy Waikiki traffic, we just sit and relax.

We do realize however, that there are certainly conveniences that car ownership brings especially after a baby arrives. So on Friday, Liam had a light bulb go off in his brain (or on?) and realized, that for much less than the price of owning a car, we can rent one every other weekend(we are thinking we will just do this once a month, with gas prices, we would probably drive any car about this much any way!). So we rented a truck, picked up all of our murphy bed stuff, a couch, some chairs, took a walmart and sams club trip and had a lot of fun! And...no car repairs, no insurance costs, much less worry about accident liability, always driving a brand new car, no breakdowns or up keep, it keeps us more conservative on gas and errand running...its just great!

So where do Katie and Thomas come in? Well, we dragged them along on all of these errands, and put them to work, on the pretense that we would then go on a crazy camping and kayaking adventure! Unfortunately, the errands took about 7 hours longer than we expected and we were all too exhausted for the fun part when we were done. But they were such a big help, and made the experience so much fun! Nevertheless, we are so sorry for tortureing you Katie and Thomas! We thank you for all your help, and will certainly find a way to make it up to you!

Welcome Fall!

Why are there pumpkins hanging on my lanai? Thats right, its fall! Welcome Fall! Fall is my favorite season for homemaking... when it starts to get a chill in the air (in most places, but I don't miss it too much) and the family gathers inside for warmth and joy. Hearty stews, pumpkin and apple ladden everything and many other tasty recipes abound. Thoughts of Christmas giving, and Christ' Birth also seem at the front of my mind about now. I just love it.

So happy fall everyone! You can be sure to see more posts to come about fall recipes I've tried, activities we have done, and decorations I have put up. I hope you all enjoy this special season with your families. I can't wait until we add more special beings to ours, and in turn even greater reasons to celebrate.

This Past Week

The past week has been pretty chill! And crazy too! Liam worked a lot! And Studied a lot! We had some yummy meals (Chicken Alfredo, and Bacon Cheeseburger Calzones were my favorites!) Thanks for my Rachel Ray Magazine Cornelisons!

On Wednesday, we had a Dr. appointment, in which we heard the Baby's heartbeat, and scheduled the gender revealing ultra-sound! (I tried so hard to talk the Dr. into giving me an ultrasound that day, but none of my tricks worked). Oct. 1st is the day, lets hope our baby isn't modest! I am starting to notice that I am pregnant. It's kinda fun, mostly I can just tell there is somethin in there! Baby is 4.5 inches long now and the size of an avocado! I love our baby. And so far, I've got a pretty good record as a Mom... no big fits thrown, not a single messy daiper, and our baby doesn't even cry! I think my idealism is paying off! Haha.

We also got Lowes cards in the mail to finish our Murphy Bed! Liam cashed in his Boeing rewards points (for His hardwork and great service.) He has been saving them up each time he is awarded, and now we will make a Murphy bed with them! Thanks for your hard work Honey!

On Saturday we randomly bumped into Katie and Thomas on the bus! I know, how crazy is that! So they came over for dinner and dessert (Liam made us ice cream with pinneapple and chocolate saltimbocca sauce!), and a swim. One of our favorite things to do is have crazy races in the pool (like swimming with no arms, or running on the bottom of the pool). Thanks for hanging out guys! You rock!

More updates to come. Take care everyone!

Advertising Input

Hello Everyone! It is nice to be back bloggin! Liam and I are enjoying being back in the sunshine and in our little house (but we are missing all you Washingtonians!, and those of you that left us for the east coast! We miss our Californians too!)

I have lots to catch you up on, but today, I was hoping to get some input on my new advertising. I need a new sloggan...something that has to do with all the stages or seasons of life...as that is kind of the theme I am going for, following the family from birth to grandkids and beyond.

If anyone submits a sloggan that I choose, I will send you a secrect Prize! Haha! Add some incentive to send me good slogans! So, here are the adverts for your evaluation. Any and all constructive input is appreciated.

Oh, also, do you think I should include "Fine Art Portraiture" under Shoebox of Photographs?

My previous slogan was "Making memories a work of Art" and I do really like that one, it just doesn't go with the theme as well.

Alright, well, thanks to all of you ahead of time for your input, and also a big thank you to those who have participated in my model release program, you all look great!