Four months without updating might just be a record for me. I apologize. My excuse is a good one but you've heard it before, so I won't bother. Here's a list of the major updates I've done:
The biggest news I have to share is that Presley Quinn Rehling-Manullang, Daryl and Sally's baby girl, was born on December 7. We may be biased, but we think she's absolutely beautiful. See a picture of the happy family here.
I finally met Shauni Quishenberry when Vic and I went to southern California in October. She was about four months old at the time--that age when everything is smiles and adorable facial expressions--what a sweetheart! Oh, yeah, it was fun seeing Tom and Kim too.
We went to the pumpkin patch in late October. You can see pictures of our pose-uncooperative kids here, as well as some of the kids dressed up in their trick-or-treating attire on Halloween.
Ted e-mailed pictures of Alec & Abby a few months ago, and I'm finally getting around to adding them to their page.
Jack's second birthday celebration was a small-ish affair. Grandma Mary came early to help me and Debi get things prepared, River and Katie were eager to help Jack open his gifts, and he didn't cry at the attention this year. Kids' birthday parties are so much fun!
One more picture and I'll be done. This is Heimlich (from "A Bug's Life") in a candy corn field in Disney's California Adventures. He's one of my all-time favorite Disney characters, and Jack has taken quite a shine to him too--he loves to walk around the house growling in the German accent of a two-year-old, "CANDY CORN! Here, here, let me help you to finish it!"
I've been busy busy busy lately with Microsoft Access consulting work. I'm designing and modifying some databases that involve lots of time, but I absolutely love the work because it keeps my brain sharp and makes me feel sorta useful. :-) The problem is that I've gotten way behind on all the holiday demands. I got my shopping done last week, thanks to the Internet, but our Christmas cards haven't gone out yet and the house is only half-decorated. Hopefully I can manage my time well this weekend and enjoy next week.
I've got other pictures to add of baby Pete, the Salvador kids, and Lisa Ross' wedding, but I can't seem to find them. I'll try to add them on my next update. Until then, happy holidays! Best wishes for a magical Christmas season from all of us...
August 19,, 2003
Big news! Darlene and Wellington sold their house in Covington last week. Even bigger news is that they found a new one this week. And the best news of all is that their new house is in Clackamas! It's not too far from ours (we're at 149th, they'll be at 127th), and we're very happy about that. The big move will happen over the next month. Here are a few pictures (click them to see full size versions):
Vic and I have finally made our plans for a trip to southern California for a few days in October. We're very excited to see Shauni Quishenberry, go to "The Producers" with Jason Alexander and Martin Short, and meet up with other family and friends. We're planning on spending at least one day in the Anaheim area, but haven't lined up much else yet for our kid-free vacation. If you have any ideas, e-mail us.
Ron and Kathy are coming to Portland in a couple weeks. Jack hasn't ever met Uncle Ron, so this is a much-anticipated visit! They'll probably only be here for a few days but I'm sure we'll be able to cram in lots of fun in that short time.
Our neighbors Rob & Trudy had their baby last week, Taylor Megan. She is such a pretty little girl! I'll try to get some pictures of her. For now, though, I have a new photo of Pete--hard to believe he can get any cuter, but he seems to keep doing it anyway!
I added a bunch of new Simpsons quotes to the quote generator. When you want to waste some time, go to the home page and click the "Click for chuckles" link in the upper right corner.
We've been working with Katie on figuring out all the family relationships (Grandpa Curt is Mom's daddy, Uncle Daryl is Daddy's brother, etc.). Just when we thought she had it figured out, she came up with this: "Katie is Julianne's Uncle Sonya!"
And on that confusing note... bye.
Vic and I have finally made our plans for a trip to southern California for a few days in October. We're very excited to see Shauni Quishenberry, go to "The Producers" with Jason Alexander and Martin Short, and meet up with other family and friends. We're planning on spending at least one day in the Anaheim area, but haven't lined up much else yet for our kid-free vacation. If you have any ideas, e-mail us.
Ron and Kathy are coming to Portland in a couple weeks. Jack hasn't ever met Uncle Ron, so this is a much-anticipated visit! They'll probably only be here for a few days but I'm sure we'll be able to cram in lots of fun in that short time.
Our neighbors Rob & Trudy had their baby last week, Taylor Megan. She is such a pretty little girl! I'll try to get some pictures of her. For now, though, I have a new photo of Pete--hard to believe he can get any cuter, but he seems to keep doing it anyway!
I added a bunch of new Simpsons quotes to the quote generator. When you want to waste some time, go to the home page and click the "Click for chuckles" link in the upper right corner.
We've been working with Katie on figuring out all the family relationships (Grandpa Curt is Mom's daddy, Uncle Daryl is Daddy's brother, etc.). Just when we thought she had it figured out, she came up with this: "Katie is Julianne's Uncle Sonya!"
And on that confusing note... bye.
August 3, 2003
I was thrilled to meet a couple of the new babies in July. Trevor is a teeny little cutie, (though his parents think he looks like Elmer Fudd), and was a quiet, sleepy boy the day I saw him. April says he's starting to fill out a little now. Here's a cute pic April sent of Trevor and Emma.
I went to Boise over the 4th of July weekend and finally got to meet baby Pete. What a doll! He's adorable and on his way to being a big healthy boy if his current eating habits continue. I also got to see Debi's new house and came home wanting a new one for myself too.
We had several medical emergencies in the family last month, and we're glad to report that all have come out OK, for the most part. Darlene had an emergency appendectomy. Vic's back was out for a week. Jack pulled a TV on top of himself and smashed up his face pretty good. My dad was in the hospital again, though this time wasn't as serious as last year when we nearly lost him. I really prefer life without these kinds of surprises.
We were on our way to Walla Walla to meet baby Christian when we heard about Darlene's surgery, so we turned around and headed to Seattle instead. We're hoping to reschedule our WW visit before Christian gets too much older, but that's the only trip out of town we anticipate this month.
Sean, my mom, and Grandma were here for a few days. Having Sean here was fun because, among other things, he was a movie-going companion for me and Vic. He also did some weeding in our backyard and I was sorry to see him go! The week after they left my Auntie Donna stayed with us one night, on her way to Walla Walla. The kids loved her, and we had a nice visit for the short time she was here.
Big news in the Portland area: Oregon's first Krispy Kreme has opened! Even better news is that we can make it from our house to hot doughnuts in about ten minutes, and my, isn't that 24-hour drive through window convenient??? The grand opening was on Victor's birthday--a rare 100º day--but we opted not to celebrate by sitting/standing in the long lines all day. Once the hype has died down a little, though, you can be sure to find a few empty KK boxes stuffed in our garbage can. mmmmm... forbidden donut ...
Hooray! Daryl and Sally are having a girl!!
With the weather so warm in Portland in the past couple weeks, we're appreciating our air conditioning more than ever. If it cools down in the evenings we go outside and let the kids run around. Between the sand/water table, kiddie pool, play structure, and slide, there's plenty to help them release some energy. Take a look at some of the new pictures on their pages: Katie and Jack.
And finally, check out the web site that consumed so much of my time for a couple months--it's finally (mostly) done! Commercial Quest NW
It sure would be nice to see some action in our discussion forum... maybe you'd like to share what you've been doing this summer with the rest of our fine audience???
I went to Boise over the 4th of July weekend and finally got to meet baby Pete. What a doll! He's adorable and on his way to being a big healthy boy if his current eating habits continue. I also got to see Debi's new house and came home wanting a new one for myself too.
We had several medical emergencies in the family last month, and we're glad to report that all have come out OK, for the most part. Darlene had an emergency appendectomy. Vic's back was out for a week. Jack pulled a TV on top of himself and smashed up his face pretty good. My dad was in the hospital again, though this time wasn't as serious as last year when we nearly lost him. I really prefer life without these kinds of surprises.
We were on our way to Walla Walla to meet baby Christian when we heard about Darlene's surgery, so we turned around and headed to Seattle instead. We're hoping to reschedule our WW visit before Christian gets too much older, but that's the only trip out of town we anticipate this month.
Sean, my mom, and Grandma were here for a few days. Having Sean here was fun because, among other things, he was a movie-going companion for me and Vic. He also did some weeding in our backyard and I was sorry to see him go! The week after they left my Auntie Donna stayed with us one night, on her way to Walla Walla. The kids loved her, and we had a nice visit for the short time she was here.
Big news in the Portland area: Oregon's first Krispy Kreme has opened! Even better news is that we can make it from our house to hot doughnuts in about ten minutes, and my, isn't that 24-hour drive through window convenient??? The grand opening was on Victor's birthday--a rare 100º day--but we opted not to celebrate by sitting/standing in the long lines all day. Once the hype has died down a little, though, you can be sure to find a few empty KK boxes stuffed in our garbage can. mmmmm... forbidden donut ...
Hooray! Daryl and Sally are having a girl!!
With the weather so warm in Portland in the past couple weeks, we're appreciating our air conditioning more than ever. If it cools down in the evenings we go outside and let the kids run around. Between the sand/water table, kiddie pool, play structure, and slide, there's plenty to help them release some energy. Take a look at some of the new pictures on their pages: Katie and Jack.
And finally, check out the web site that consumed so much of my time for a couple months--it's finally (mostly) done! Commercial Quest NW
It sure would be nice to see some action in our discussion forum... maybe you'd like to share what you've been doing this summer with the rest of our fine audience???
June 30, 2003
Babies, babies, babies! Four of them were born within 16 days--yep, you can blame our friends for the world's rapidly growing population. Peterson Gutierrez was born June 10 to David & Deanna; Shauni Quishenberry, born June 18 to Tom and Kim (no pics yet); Trevor Jordan, born to Jim and April on June 25; and Lonnie and Sherrice's son Christian Croft, who arrived just after midnight June 26 (no pics yet).
I'm Boise-bound to meet baby Pete in a few days, and will be in Seattle and Walla Walla to cuddle Trevor and Christian in the next couple weeks. Victor and I are hoping to make a trip to Southern California sometime in the fall to meet Shauni. Of course, that's not all... Sally and Daryl's little one will be here in December!
Speaking of Sally and Daryl, we were lucky to spend a long weekend with them (and Darlene and Wellington) in Sunriver a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect and we had a nice, relaxing, fun time. Pictures here.
Not much else worth sharing. Have a great summer!
Lovies--
I'm Boise-bound to meet baby Pete in a few days, and will be in Seattle and Walla Walla to cuddle Trevor and Christian in the next couple weeks. Victor and I are hoping to make a trip to Southern California sometime in the fall to meet Shauni. Of course, that's not all... Sally and Daryl's little one will be here in December!
Speaking of Sally and Daryl, we were lucky to spend a long weekend with them (and Darlene and Wellington) in Sunriver a few weeks ago. The weather was perfect and we had a nice, relaxing, fun time. Pictures here.
Not much else worth sharing. Have a great summer!
Lovies--
June 2, 2003
The big exciting Manullang family news is that Daryl and Sally are expecting a baby! Check out the ultrasound pic here.
My poor friends. I know six pregnant women right now and except for Sally, all of them are getting quite miserable. You can be sure that as their misery is relieved you'll find pictures of their new additions here at manullang.com.
the latest
Victor and I went to Las Vegas. It was really wonderful and surprisingly relaxing. We stayed at Treasure Island this time. The location was good, since it was across the street from the Venetian where Victor's conference was, but we still like staying mid-strip best. One night we had dinner at Chinois, Wolfgang Puck's Asian restaurant in Caesar's Palace--loved it! Otherwise we spent most the trip wandering the nearby hotels and getting much needed rest.
We took Jack in for his 18-month portraits. Very "Dennis the Menace."
Made a trip to Walla Walla to visit with Mom and Grandma. Also had some time with Sherrice. It was a short weekend, but we packed in a lot of fun in the time we had.
Kathy came for a way-too-short visit. We didn't do a lot, but it was still wonderful to have her here. Except for Katie calling her "Sally," a fun time was had by all.
Debi's trip to Portland overlapped with Kathy's by a few hours. We spent most of the time she was here watching movies, which brings me to my next topic...
Everyone's a critic
I've seen so many movies recently--for me, anyway!--that I feel I really must share my thoughts on them. Don't care? Don't read!
A Mighty Wind. If you loved Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, you won't want to miss this one. It's a mockumentary of folk music. Some of my favorite scenes: the candle, description of the Folksmen's first record, and pretty much everything Eugene Levy said and did.
Far From Heaven. This was a beautiful movie; the colors were incredible. I'm not a fan of sad endings, but it was still a very well-made film.
Catch Me if You Can. Big hard-to-believe fun and a great cast. I liked this much more than I expected to. Weird that even in a normal role Christopher Walken is still creepy.
Down with Love. There was some corny stuff in this movie, but mostly I thought it was very cute, and I loved the music! Ewan McGregor was, as always, fabulous. Even Renee Zellweger was good. It's getting harder for me to keep hating her.
Finding Nemo. Pixar has done it again. I loved this movie, and am having a hard time NOT buying every Nemo item at the Disney store--for Katie and Jack, of course! I got several free passes so I'm going to HAVE to see it at least a couple more times, hm?
Summer plans
We're looking forward to a long weekend in Sunriver this month with Darlene and Wellington. I'll be going to Boise to meet Deanna's baby boy--he BETTER be here by then!--in early July. Mom and Grandma will be stopping by during their long road trip, this time on their way to Medford and again on their way home. We're hoping to see Sean while he's in the area too.
The end
If you haven't seen our cruise photos yet, check them out. Feel free to skim past my very long trip report...
Buh-bye.
My poor friends. I know six pregnant women right now and except for Sally, all of them are getting quite miserable. You can be sure that as their misery is relieved you'll find pictures of their new additions here at manullang.com.
the latest
Victor and I went to Las Vegas. It was really wonderful and surprisingly relaxing. We stayed at Treasure Island this time. The location was good, since it was across the street from the Venetian where Victor's conference was, but we still like staying mid-strip best. One night we had dinner at Chinois, Wolfgang Puck's Asian restaurant in Caesar's Palace--loved it! Otherwise we spent most the trip wandering the nearby hotels and getting much needed rest.
We took Jack in for his 18-month portraits. Very "Dennis the Menace."
Made a trip to Walla Walla to visit with Mom and Grandma. Also had some time with Sherrice. It was a short weekend, but we packed in a lot of fun in the time we had.
Kathy came for a way-too-short visit. We didn't do a lot, but it was still wonderful to have her here. Except for Katie calling her "Sally," a fun time was had by all.
Debi's trip to Portland overlapped with Kathy's by a few hours. We spent most of the time she was here watching movies, which brings me to my next topic...
Everyone's a critic
I've seen so many movies recently--for me, anyway!--that I feel I really must share my thoughts on them. Don't care? Don't read!
A Mighty Wind. If you loved Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, you won't want to miss this one. It's a mockumentary of folk music. Some of my favorite scenes: the candle, description of the Folksmen's first record, and pretty much everything Eugene Levy said and did.
Far From Heaven. This was a beautiful movie; the colors were incredible. I'm not a fan of sad endings, but it was still a very well-made film.
Catch Me if You Can. Big hard-to-believe fun and a great cast. I liked this much more than I expected to. Weird that even in a normal role Christopher Walken is still creepy.
Down with Love. There was some corny stuff in this movie, but mostly I thought it was very cute, and I loved the music! Ewan McGregor was, as always, fabulous. Even Renee Zellweger was good. It's getting harder for me to keep hating her.
Finding Nemo. Pixar has done it again. I loved this movie, and am having a hard time NOT buying every Nemo item at the Disney store--for Katie and Jack, of course! I got several free passes so I'm going to HAVE to see it at least a couple more times, hm?
Summer plans
We're looking forward to a long weekend in Sunriver this month with Darlene and Wellington. I'll be going to Boise to meet Deanna's baby boy--he BETTER be here by then!--in early July. Mom and Grandma will be stopping by during their long road trip, this time on their way to Medford and again on their way home. We're hoping to see Sean while he's in the area too.
The end
If you haven't seen our cruise photos yet, check them out. Feel free to skim past my very long trip report...
Buh-bye.
April 16, 2003
We're home from the cruise, and you can read all about it here. I finally got Katie's 3-year portraits scanned and posted. That's the only new stuff for now.
This week we've been trying to adjust back to the Pacific time zone. The good thing is that we've been going to bed before midnight ever since we got home, and that's a rare thing for us.
Next week we head to Las Vegas for our mini-vacation. I plan to catch up on sleep, maybe see a matinee or two while Vic's in his meetings, and try out some new restaurants. We're excited to go, but having finally just unpacked the last of the suitcases from our cruise, the idea of packing all over again is exhausting.
I had a fabulous time in Boise a few weeks ago when Debi and I threw a baby shower for the lovely and pregnant Deanna. I plan to go back in June after Petey's born so I can meet him in person. You can read more about the party and see some pictures if you go here: Deanna's shower page. And PLEASE ignore that hideous picture of me.
Kathy's going to visit in May!
That is all.
This week we've been trying to adjust back to the Pacific time zone. The good thing is that we've been going to bed before midnight ever since we got home, and that's a rare thing for us.
Next week we head to Las Vegas for our mini-vacation. I plan to catch up on sleep, maybe see a matinee or two while Vic's in his meetings, and try out some new restaurants. We're excited to go, but having finally just unpacked the last of the suitcases from our cruise, the idea of packing all over again is exhausting.
I had a fabulous time in Boise a few weeks ago when Debi and I threw a baby shower for the lovely and pregnant Deanna. I plan to go back in June after Petey's born so I can meet him in person. You can read more about the party and see some pictures if you go here: Deanna's shower page. And PLEASE ignore that hideous picture of me.
Kathy's going to visit in May!
That is all.
March 14, 2003
Our cruise countdown is going to be in the single digits before we know it. We're all very excited about boarding the "Mickey Boat" for some sun, especially because both the kids have icky colds again. (Shhhhh... I'd prefer not to be known as the people who brought the Norwalk virus on board.)
I haven't scanned Katie's portraits to publish yet. Sorry. Lori's page, though, has lots of new pictures and they're beautiful! You may oooh and aaah over her kids for now, but get back to adoring MY children immediately after.
My sister has a funny job.
The latest on my friends' growing families: Kim Quishenberry is due June 8, and is having a girl. Deanna's having a boy sometime around June 17. Emma's bouncing baby brother is due to arrive June 24. Sherrice is due July 22 and ALSO having a boy! Trudy hasn't had her ultrasound yet; she's due in August (I'm crossing my fingers for a girl).
Vic is on call this weekend. It sucks to be him.
I haven't scanned Katie's portraits to publish yet. Sorry. Lori's page, though, has lots of new pictures and they're beautiful! You may oooh and aaah over her kids for now, but get back to adoring MY children immediately after.
My sister has a funny job.
The latest on my friends' growing families: Kim Quishenberry is due June 8, and is having a girl. Deanna's having a boy sometime around June 17. Emma's bouncing baby brother is due to arrive June 24. Sherrice is due July 22 and ALSO having a boy! Trudy hasn't had her ultrasound yet; she's due in August (I'm crossing my fingers for a girl).
Vic is on call this weekend. It sucks to be him.
February 24, 2003
We've all spent the past few weeks suffering from bad colds. Our house is no fun to be at right now, but I'll kick a path through the Kleenex if you really want to come hang out.
We had Katie's third birthday party at Build-a-Bear. If you haven't been there, you really must go! Pictures are here.
Katie's 3-year portraits are coming soon.
Vic and I saw The Producers in Seattle a couple weeks ago. It was hilarious! My favorite line from the show-within-a-show "Springtime for Hitler" was Hitler singing, "I'm the German Ethel Merman!" If you get a chance to see it, DO.
Yesterday was our sixth anniversary. Married life is good, and pretty much as hoped, except that we thought we'd be driving around in a van solving mysteries.
I'm headed to Boise in a few weeks for Deanna's baby shower. I'll refrain from further details until she updates her own site with the big gender news. C'mon Deanna, what's the latest?
Our cruise is just weeks away, and we're suddenly panicking over how we're supposed to get tan and swimsuit-ready in time. I've been taking careful notes from the Disney Cruise forum in the hope that we'll be well prepared for our adventure. We can hardly wait! For those family members joining us, I've created a section on the site with some basic info that you might find useful. Check it out. Anyone else will find it a complete bore, I'm sure. You've been warned.
Oh, I heard that wake-up calls on Disney cruises are made by Mickey Mouse himself! I'm working on finding a way to connect Mickey right into Ed's phone every morning. Ed, what's your new cell number again???
Later in April Vic and I will be taking a quick trip to Las Vegas. He's going to a boring medical conference and I'm tagging along for fun. He's worried I'll be bored for the two days he's in the conference. I'm thinking, two days to myself! Uninterrupted sleep! Coming and going as I please! And a Krispy Kreme right downstairs! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is seeing Celine Dion's big face all over town--her show opens next month. Double ugh.
Can't think of anything else to share. Toodles--
We had Katie's third birthday party at Build-a-Bear. If you haven't been there, you really must go! Pictures are here.
Katie's 3-year portraits are coming soon.
Vic and I saw The Producers in Seattle a couple weeks ago. It was hilarious! My favorite line from the show-within-a-show "Springtime for Hitler" was Hitler singing, "I'm the German Ethel Merman!" If you get a chance to see it, DO.
Yesterday was our sixth anniversary. Married life is good, and pretty much as hoped, except that we thought we'd be driving around in a van solving mysteries.
I'm headed to Boise in a few weeks for Deanna's baby shower. I'll refrain from further details until she updates her own site with the big gender news. C'mon Deanna, what's the latest?
Our cruise is just weeks away, and we're suddenly panicking over how we're supposed to get tan and swimsuit-ready in time. I've been taking careful notes from the Disney Cruise forum in the hope that we'll be well prepared for our adventure. We can hardly wait! For those family members joining us, I've created a section on the site with some basic info that you might find useful. Check it out. Anyone else will find it a complete bore, I'm sure. You've been warned.
Oh, I heard that wake-up calls on Disney cruises are made by Mickey Mouse himself! I'm working on finding a way to connect Mickey right into Ed's phone every morning. Ed, what's your new cell number again???
Later in April Vic and I will be taking a quick trip to Las Vegas. He's going to a boring medical conference and I'm tagging along for fun. He's worried I'll be bored for the two days he's in the conference. I'm thinking, two days to myself! Uninterrupted sleep! Coming and going as I please! And a Krispy Kreme right downstairs! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is seeing Celine Dion's big face all over town--her show opens next month. Double ugh.
Can't think of anything else to share. Toodles--
January 16, 2003
Only a few changes on this update. I added some pictures to our Christmas 2002 page, edited the Jen's List page, and am adding a few paragraphs here.
We're settling into the new year nicely... had a lot of company for a week, but things have quieted in the last few days and we're back to our regular routine.
After Mom and Len left on the 5th, Darlene and Wellington stopped by on their way home from Daryl and Sally's. They gave me and Vic a chance to go out--dinner and even a movie! They were also kind enough to take the kids away for a few hours and I managed to get a bunch of stuff done around the house, so it was a good day all around.
The day after they left, Debi arrived. We spent Thursday in our jammies and pretty much let the kids entertain us. Friday Victor took the day off and stayed home with the kids. Debi and I took advantage of a day to ourselves and got pampered with professional manicures and pedicures, a little shopping, a movie, and all that girly talking stuff we so enjoy! It was really wonderful to have her here, and the kids thought so too. Unfortunately, with her starting school again this week, she won't be able to make another trip here for a while. Our next get-together will probably be in March when I go to Boise.
Congratulations to Annalee, Mark, and Olivia Medici, who welcomed Eva Anastasia on January 6. Olivia and Eva have the same birthday, just two years apart!
Seems like almost everyone I know is pregnant all of a sudden. Kim Quishenberry, Deanna, and April are due in June. Sherrice and my neighbor are due in July. OK, well that's not even close to being everyone I know, but they all fall in the "my favorite people" category, and I think that's a pretty amazing thing. The best part is that I'm not even a teensy bit jealous, though that could change when I hold their sweet newborns in my arms...
Last night Vic trekked to the Asian market all the way across town because he's been craving natto. Don't know what natto is? Well, here's an excellent description I found on the Internet:
"Natto is molded beans. It gets worse. It's not the description of its make-up that makes this food disturbing. It is its smell. Imagine being locked in the trunk of a car for 24 hours with only a dozen rotten eggs and yesterday's socks to keep you company. I think you can get the picture..."
I'm pretty sure I've heard Sonya describe natto in exactly the same way.
I used to be flattered when Vic complimented my cooking, but because he eats that garbage (and that is what it is!) I'm not sure I trust his taste buds.
Smooches--
We're settling into the new year nicely... had a lot of company for a week, but things have quieted in the last few days and we're back to our regular routine.
After Mom and Len left on the 5th, Darlene and Wellington stopped by on their way home from Daryl and Sally's. They gave me and Vic a chance to go out--dinner and even a movie! They were also kind enough to take the kids away for a few hours and I managed to get a bunch of stuff done around the house, so it was a good day all around.
The day after they left, Debi arrived. We spent Thursday in our jammies and pretty much let the kids entertain us. Friday Victor took the day off and stayed home with the kids. Debi and I took advantage of a day to ourselves and got pampered with professional manicures and pedicures, a little shopping, a movie, and all that girly talking stuff we so enjoy! It was really wonderful to have her here, and the kids thought so too. Unfortunately, with her starting school again this week, she won't be able to make another trip here for a while. Our next get-together will probably be in March when I go to Boise.
Congratulations to Annalee, Mark, and Olivia Medici, who welcomed Eva Anastasia on January 6. Olivia and Eva have the same birthday, just two years apart!
Seems like almost everyone I know is pregnant all of a sudden. Kim Quishenberry, Deanna, and April are due in June. Sherrice and my neighbor are due in July. OK, well that's not even close to being everyone I know, but they all fall in the "my favorite people" category, and I think that's a pretty amazing thing. The best part is that I'm not even a teensy bit jealous, though that could change when I hold their sweet newborns in my arms...
Last night Vic trekked to the Asian market all the way across town because he's been craving natto. Don't know what natto is? Well, here's an excellent description I found on the Internet:
"Natto is molded beans. It gets worse. It's not the description of its make-up that makes this food disturbing. It is its smell. Imagine being locked in the trunk of a car for 24 hours with only a dozen rotten eggs and yesterday's socks to keep you company. I think you can get the picture..."
I'm pretty sure I've heard Sonya describe natto in exactly the same way.
I used to be flattered when Vic complimented my cooking, but because he eats that garbage (and that is what it is!) I'm not sure I trust his taste buds.
Smooches--
January 6, 2003
Happy New Year!
You may notice things looking a little different around here... I've spent the last few weeks sprucing up the site for the new year. The biggest change you'll see, besides the general look and feel of the site, is the addition of thumbnailed photos. Some of our pages were very slow to load and I decided that thumbnails were the best way to remedy that. Just about every image on the site is clickable, and most of them won't take you to porn (anymore).
Navigation has been removed from the top of each page, and can now be found at the bottom and/or on the left hand side. The Simpsons quotes are still here; I even added a bunch of new ones. Look for the link on the home page, where the quotes will open in a separate winder.
For you techie types, if you care, manullang.com's new look was created using cascading style sheets. No more FrontPage themes! Altogether now: Oooooooh, aaaaaaaah!
Anyhoo...
We had a wonderful Christmas, Santa was good to us, and we all got fat(ter) and happy. Our New Year's Eve festivities were kept to a dull roar--we've resigned ourselves to the fact that they won't be "normal" again for several years. Vic and I watched the ball drop, but we're always up late, so it was nothing really special. Poor Scout was terrified and hid in the closet until the neighborhood fireworks were long over.
We had a belated Christmas celebration with Len & Mary this past weekend. They were at Kathy's for Christmas, but came down to Portland at their first opportunity to see their other four daughters and families. Hopefully I can get the pictures from that part of Christmas posted in the next few days.
The Wondrous Debi will be coming out for a few days starting Wednesday evening. I can hardly wait!
After all my efforts in getting the site up and running smoothly, I'm left with nothing much to report. I'll try to update again soon. Please e-mail me if you notice anything working incorrectly or if you want to say hi.
xoxo--
You may notice things looking a little different around here... I've spent the last few weeks sprucing up the site for the new year. The biggest change you'll see, besides the general look and feel of the site, is the addition of thumbnailed photos. Some of our pages were very slow to load and I decided that thumbnails were the best way to remedy that. Just about every image on the site is clickable, and most of them won't take you to porn (anymore).
Navigation has been removed from the top of each page, and can now be found at the bottom and/or on the left hand side. The Simpsons quotes are still here; I even added a bunch of new ones. Look for the link on the home page, where the quotes will open in a separate winder.
For you techie types, if you care, manullang.com's new look was created using cascading style sheets. No more FrontPage themes! Altogether now: Oooooooh, aaaaaaaah!
Anyhoo...
We had a wonderful Christmas, Santa was good to us, and we all got fat(ter) and happy. Our New Year's Eve festivities were kept to a dull roar--we've resigned ourselves to the fact that they won't be "normal" again for several years. Vic and I watched the ball drop, but we're always up late, so it was nothing really special. Poor Scout was terrified and hid in the closet until the neighborhood fireworks were long over.
We had a belated Christmas celebration with Len & Mary this past weekend. They were at Kathy's for Christmas, but came down to Portland at their first opportunity to see their other four daughters and families. Hopefully I can get the pictures from that part of Christmas posted in the next few days.
The Wondrous Debi will be coming out for a few days starting Wednesday evening. I can hardly wait!
After all my efforts in getting the site up and running smoothly, I'm left with nothing much to report. I'll try to update again soon. Please e-mail me if you notice anything working incorrectly or if you want to say hi.
xoxo--
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