Gunnar Octavius Smith

I will try to keep this abbreviated...

Gunnar came to live with us on January 17, 2009.  He flew by himself from Kearney, Nebraska.  We've been waiting a long time to get this guy from my Uncle Norman and he was well worth the wait!  

So, as my camera has become crowded with pictures of his every adorable move, I will do my best to keep you all from getting tired of him (I'm also going to pretend that is possible). 

Here he is in his crate (not cage) with Alice.  

He is the cutest little sleeper... I have plenty of action shots too, but the sleepy pics are so perfect!

Okay~ I'm done for now! 

Happy New Year!!

Welcome 2009!  

Travis had a game in Prescott Valley on New Year's Eve (why does this seem so familiar... moving on) so we decided to celebrate up there instead of trying to make it home in time for midnight.  We had a really good time despite having only about an hour to get ready to ring in 2009.  The pic above is the Court House in Prescott - crappy photo, but it's such a cool building.  

Your on ice crew for the evening... nice photo boys.  

Mike (on the left) and his posse found us the perfect spot to celebrate.  With our cover charge we got a cocktail, access to a coveted bathroom, and ringside seats for the dozen or so fights that broke out in the bar - all included!  Score!    

Oh - we had to get a picture of this get-up.  Do you think she noticed we were talking about her?  Probably not.  This was taken between bouts...  

So sleepy!  

This was in the elevator of the Hotel.  I think this is my BEST self-photo ever.  It's what Travis gets for always trying to ruin my photos.  After the bar we hung out with everyone until the wee hours.  The cracker barrel we had the next morning was sooooooo good.  Can't believe I didn't take a picture.  

2009 is looking good!   

Merry Christmas!!

Travis and I were lucky enough to have three Holiday meals between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  You would have thought that we would be sick of eating, but neither one of us complained...
Isabella is hanging out with her Uncles Lonnie and Travis ~ just waiting for the time to open presents... or eat!

Ah yes... presents for the kids and mayhem for the grown-ups.  Batteries, directions, small pieces... lovely!  Dad, DeWayne, and Chad look like they have it under control.  

The Smith Family tree ~ we didn't have one this year, but we're all set for next.  Hooray! 


More gifts!  


The Chefs getting ready for meal number 3... yum!  

Merry Meatball Nine!

Here's the story: When my very good friend Karie and I were living together we thought it would be great to have everyone over for a little Holiday Happy Hour - we made some cheap snacks and put most of the money towards a keg (naturally - we were in our twenties!).  The party was a success and the meatballs were a huge hit - some people tried to eat them while they were cooking, they were so popular!  A tradition was born, and we've had a Merry Meatball Madness holiday party every year since.  Now you know...

 

There they are... the famed Meatballs.  No they don't come in different flavors - just 'Marvelous Meaty Meatball'.  No complaints yet! 

Ah -

 The traditional mother/daughter photo.  My moms - Patty, Me, Karie, and her mom, Gail.  Next year will be ten years of MMM, and we will be trying to get all the photos together.  It will be awesome, I'm sure. 

What an all-star shot!  

Steve and Tony discuss something captivating in the background while beauties Britt, Kyndee, and Trish talk about... possibly Daughtry? 

Look who's all warm inside with the M&M's, Dorito's, and Java

That is the lovely imprint of Sonji's beautiful face.  It's not a party until someone runs into the door, gets gum in the carpet, attempts to steal the keg, or spills red wine...  one out of four isn't bad for one year.  

Trish LOVES that sweater...

Sometimes a hug can heal anything.  That looks like a good hug.

ASU v. UCLA

There she is... Sun Devil stadium!  Okay, this family is clearly confused.  It was already cold, the sun was almost gone, and they were putting up the E-Z up... for... shade?  They weren't doing it well either.  Good entertainment for a couple minutes.  

I went all out for Lonnie's birthday - Barro's pizza, brownies, and cupcakes!  Travis is of course eating the veggies(?)!  Can't believe he married me...

  

The UCLA game was Senior Night for our little Sun Devils... we're going to really miss our Mike Jones!  Go Devils! 

Sun Dogs!

I went with Travis when he officiated the Sun Dogs game in Prescott Valley the night before Thanksgiving.  I got to see my friend (and former Yavapai co-worker) Jayson and his wife, Jessie - they've got a great house and two of the cutest cats.  They made an awesome dinner, and then we went to the game to see Travis in action!  

 

Garfield Thanksgiving Dinner

My office is also a residential center for some of our "clients" - we just call them 'the guys'.  Every year we (I don't do much) host a neighborhood Thanksgiving dinner.  A lot of  our people bring their families and come to see Santa as well as have some good food.  There's a ton of effort that goes into this thing, and I think the final guesstimate was around 700 people served this year.  The kids LOVE Santa and his gifts.   

It's probably funnier if you know these guys and what they do for the Department... you will never see me dressed as an elf.  
It was a perfect day - it was really windy and rained the next day... lucky!