The Name Game

Joe and I have been discussing names a lot lately. The problem is we cannot agree on one single name and usually the names he comes up with I do not like and the ones I come up with he does not like. So we have made a short list of names and we are wondering what everyone else thinks. There is a survey on the right side of the blog. Please pick your favorite name. Joe told me I needed to add a disclaimer to this post so here it is. Disclaimer: I, Celeste, change my mind often so please be warned that names in the survey may change without notice.

BSA Spring Camporee

My degree requires me to do either a Thesis or a Major Project. The idea of me sitting in the library doing a ton of research and then implementing a questionnaire to 200 or more people and analyzing the data and then defending my findings to a committe of intellectuals all a while jumping through all the Univerisity's policy and procedures for reasearch doesn't sound like something I would like to do. Therefore, I opted for the Major Project route which is more hands on and honestly will be more applicable to what I want to do in life. Now the Major Project also has a bunch of policies and procedures and things I needed to do to make it a culminating experience. I know almost all of you do not really care to hear about the acadmeic side of the project and so I will not bore you with those details. Basically, with the increase of inactivity in our society and within our youth especially, I wanted to target a young audience and develop a annual event that involves physical activity. My audience was the Boy Scouts ages 10-14. My idea was an Adventure race combining scout survival skills and physical activity. What was born was the Lewis-Clark Trails District Spring Camporee 2008. The main event, a Survival of the Fittest relay race where troops would race against eachother in a friendly competition. There were seven different legs to the race. The idea is after the participants have ran or biked their respectful leg they would perform a survival skill such as knots, .22 Shoot, and first aid techniques. The terrain was pretty rocky and steep at some points but the boys took the challenge and I think the event was a real success. I also got a lot of positive feedback from the scout leaders. Below are some pictures of the kids.

The Archery Range.








How good is your balance?








How good are you with your Knots?








The Race is on and here comes.....








Ahh, the 'ol .22 gun range.







I also put together an orienteering clinic to teach the scouts the basics of a compass and map. I was able to get a great volunteer to teach the clinic and then he sent each group in pairs of two through the area to test their skills.

We had a closing ceremony where I presented awards to the race champions, best camp, and best troop. I was able to get a couple hundred dollars worth of donations for different awards like dutch ovens and propane stoves which was really nice to give to the troops. Each scout also was given a camp t-shirt and camp patch.

The end of the Ceremony was something special. There are only 4 organizations that are allowed to retire an American Flag: the American Legion, the US Military, Girls Scouts, and the Boy Scouts. We ended the Camporee with the retiring of 10 American Flags. A short speech was given about the American Flag, where it came from, where it has been, and what it stood for. It was a really cool experience and gave the boys a new found respect for the great country in which we live.

Canoe Trip

Joe has been loving his outdoor class that he is co-teaching. They have been getting to do a lot of fun activities when the weather is reasonable. This week they went on a canoe trip down the Palouse river. They were able to see deer and elk as they floated down the river. It looked like a lot of fun! Too bad my dad couldn't bring his canoe when they come. I think he would really enjoy it. Joe had a blast and has now decided that someday we'll have to buy a canoe. He's so funny...so here are some pictures from his adventure.

32 Weeks

Well, I promised Joe that I would take an 8 month belly shot...for some reason he thinks I'm going to want to remember how big I was every month of this pregnancy...so just to satify him here it is. 8 weeks to go and hopefully not too much more to grow!

March Madness

It is finally here, the NCAA 64 Tournament. This is the time of year I forget I am in school or have responsibilities and just sit on my couch and watch basketball all day. I thought I was going to be in trouble this year because we do not have a TV but this year all the games are going to be broadcasted over the internet. So I will be okay. This is one of the most exciting times of the year. Why? Because of the upsets, the cinderellas, the endurance, the Davids and Goliaths, and of course the brackets and pools. The major conferences and the mid-major conferences all combined for 3 weeks of some of the greatest basketball to be played all year. It’s one of the few things in life where people of all ages and levels of sports geekness can come together as one. It’s also something in which someone with little to no sports knowledge can defeat someone who watches college hoops religiously. My mom didn't know hardly anything about the teams last year but yet her bracket did better than most of the people in the same pool with her. As many of you know Celeste is a Duke fan and I am a North Carolina fan. We have some heated arguements over our teams at times (not really). So this is always a good time to see who's team is better.

Here is the run down for Celeste's bracket. Celeste's upset include: 1st Round - George Mason over Notre Dame, South Alabama over Butler, Siena over Vanderbilt, Oregon over Mississippi State, and Baylor over Purdue; 2nd Round - Michigan State over Pittsburgh, and a shocker West Virginia over Duke (Did I read that right?); 3rd Round - No upsets; 4th Round - Texas over Memphis, and Georgetown over Kansas. Celeste's final four are North Carolina, Georgetown, Texas, and UCLA with North Carolina and UCLA playing for the championship with UCLA winning it all (Of course, she can't pick the Tar Heels).

Here is the run down for my bracket. My upsets include: 1st Round - Arkansas over Indiana, Kent State over UNLV, Kansas State over USC, Davidson over Gonzaga, and Arizona over West Virginia; 2nd Round - Clemson over Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame over Washington State; 3rd Round - Louisville over Tennessee, Pittsburgh over Memphis, and Xavier over Duke; 4th Round - Georgetown over Kansas. My final four are North Carolina, Georgtown, Texas, and UCLA with North Carolina and UCLA playing for the championship with NORTH CAROLINA winning it all. "You got to love it baby!"

Pretty in Pink

So my amazing, VERY HANDSOME, and funny husband has been working a lot lately and has come to the realization that he is quite handsome in pink...lol...he really is, it's just funny to see him wearing pink... because he is such a farm/country boy. Anyway at the basketball games they have been doing cancer awareness nights and all the employees have to wear the pink shirts the school is selling... So I thought I'd let you see Joe in his hot pink shirt. I really think he's just getting to know his girly side so he can bond with our little girl!

Book Tag

Okay, I'm finally getting on the ball and doing the book tag.
Here are the rules incase you don't know.
1. Pick up the nearest book (the one you are reading)
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence
4.Post the fifth sentence
5. Tag 5 people

I am trying to read "Fishers of Men", but I got side tracked for a week by the "Twilight" series, which are really good no matter what Joe thinks...but I admit I really didn't want to read them at first, but everyone at worked loved them so I hopped on the bandwagon. Anyway I am back to "Fishers of Men" which is really opening my eyes and helping me to understand Christ's life better. So I would definitely recommend it to everyone...Okay... the fifth sentence of page 123 is...

"Built by Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and named for the emperor as a way of gaining favor with Rome, the city had very few Jewish inhabitants."

I know it doesn't sound very interesting, but it is a very good book! I really don't know who to tag...so I'll do Jillybean because she seems to always have a book she is reading, Meagan cause she's so smart, Sharla cause I think she likes to read...eventhough I doubt she has the time with all the nursing stuff, Josie because she is now a mommy and reading might help her to fall asleep eventhough she probably can't stay awake... and Kamarie cause hopefully it will take her mind off her morning sickness!

Third Times a Charm/The Belly

One friday night we went into Old Navy and Celeste found a pair of pregnancy pants. She tried them on and loved them. The best part was they were on the clearance rack for 75% off. Celeste tried to buy them but was told that it was a mix up and they were not on sale. So we left them with the cashier and continued our walk. The next day Celeste returned to the store only to find those same pants again on the clearance rack. She again tried to buy them and was once again told by a different cashier they were not on clearance. My sweet wife was heart broken. The next friday, agian walking through the mall we went into Old Navy to find those same pants still on the clearance rack. This was the last straw. I took the pants and approached another different cahsier from the previous 2 times and made our case. I guess the third times a charm because we walked out of the store with Celeste's first pregnancy pants with the discount of 75% off.


With so many requests for a Belly shot here is the close up. It was 6 months when this picture was taken.

Fruits of Being a Younger Sibling

The benefits of being a younger sibling is the fact that when you start having children of your own, mostlikely your older sisters are usually done having children. Such is the case in Joe's family. We recieved a package last week from Joe's sister Jackee. A box full of baby clothes. Thank you so much.


This is our favorite, basically because of the shoes!

One Boy, One Girl

It's a Girl!!

At 20 weeks and 5 days we went in for the "find out" ultra sound.
There's no doubt about it we're having a girl.
We thought we were having a boy, so it was
a nice surprise to see that we were having a girl.
Here are some pictures.














Look at those long legs. Well they look long anyways.














Joe says he forgot to put the stem on the apple.
So enjoy the moon of our child.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

We have only been home for 4 days now and it has not stopped snowing. We have not seen the pavement for several days, I guess snow plows do not exist in Idaho. Actually I saw 3 the other day but not one of them had their plow down nor cinder coming out from the back. Our 3 lane roads are now 2 lane roads with a giant snow median as tall as our car dividing the two lanes. Welcome to Idaho Winters! And they say its just the beginning. I guess Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Chirstmas 2007

Hello

We're Back in Idaho after a long Christmas break. GrandDan didn't lose anytime putting us to work. He had us branding the 2nd day we were there. We both loved every minute of it. Joe got a lot more ranch time than me. Once GrandDan realized that I wasn't much help being 20 weeks pregnant he asked mainly for Joe. My dad also got Joe to work a few days. He is starting to learn all about the well and glass businesses. We got to watch Brennon and his team in Blue Ridge at a tournament. They ended up getting second! It was a lot of fun. Vanessa had us laughing a ton and she had a blast playing with Uncle Joe. It was so great to be with the family! It was such a great break...it's always nice to get away and relax and go home!!!!