Merry Christmas

We’re very busy lately, celebrating Christmas with friends and family! We haven’t forgotten you though and we wish you a very Merry Christmas. Here's a copy of our 2010 Christmas Card that will be sent out in the mail....tomorrow!

Yonder

I don’t use that word, ever. But when I’m here at my parents’ ranch I feel compelled to use it as often as possible. Especially when this is the view from the front porch of the little house when I’m enjoying my morning coffee.



Everything about this picture says “look at that mess of horses over yonder”. And when I’m here I feel like it’s perfectly acceptable to speak in this way. Even though no one else does and they all look at me funny when I use my new country vocabulary.

So this is where we’ve been. There is internet here but we’re just too busy enjoying each other’s company to bother with using it.

St. Barbara's Ball

We go to formal occasions a couple of times a year. Sometimes I absolutely dread these balls but we went to one this past weekend and had a blast. We had so much fun we're both still recovering. Mike and I realized that we don't quite recover as quickly now as we did when we were in college. A group of us decided to rent a limo and travel in style (and in safety). It was my first ride in a limo! Its really nice to let loose once in a while! But before we get to the pictures I have to share a bit of the background......

St. Barbara is the Patron Saint of the Field Artillery. Saint Barbara's day falls on December 4th and is traditionally recognized by a formal Dining-In or military ball. Saint Barbara, the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat, was tortured and executed after her father discovered she had converted to Christianity. Legend has it that after her father executed her, he was struck down by lightning in divine retribution. Because of this, she soon was regarded as the patron saint in time of danger from thunderstorms, fires and sudden death. She became the patron saint of artillerymen from early on in the development of artillery pieces as early cannons were unreliable, and at times would explode wounding and killing their crews. Saint Barbara was invoked by these early cannoneers in the hope she would protect them from this fate

Mike was induced into the Order of St. Barbara last week. The Order of Saint Barbara is a military honor society of the US for both the US Army and the US Marine Corps Artillery, including field artillery and Air Defense Artillery. The Order of Saint Barbara is awarded to those individuals who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displayed an outstanding degree of professional competence, served the Artillery with selflessness; and contributed to the promotion of the Artillery branch.

Here's a quick pick of Mike being inducted.


At the ball I was given a Molly Pitcher award for my service to the artillery community. Here's the background on Molly Pitcher: Mary Ludwig Hays was born in 1744 to a German dairy farmer in Pennsylvania. She began her career as a maid to Dr. William Irvine at age 13. She later retired to marry John Casper Mc Cauly, a barber. In 1775 he enlisted in the Colonial Artillery and Mary was there every step of the way. At the Battle of Monmouth she used a pitcher to carry water from a nearby spring to thirsty and dying soldiers, even to her former employer, Dr. Irvine. After her husband was wounded, she took over his cannon. These deeds earned her recognition from George Washington and her nickname, Molly Pitcher.

Here's the Colonel and Mike giving me my award.



Now for the fun pictures. Here's one of the few pictures of Mike and I together. It is a terribly unflattering picture of me but Mike looks good.



Obviously these were taken later in the evening after we'd enjoyed a few cocktails.

Christmas Photo Rejects

Our schedules lately have been so busy that it's been impossible to get a family photo together. I'd given up on getting a family photo of the 4 of us together and decided to do a photo card with each of our favorite moments of 2009. When I went online to create our card I saw all the adorable cards and decided I could try and get just one cute picture of Olivia and Peter together. They love each other and they love to give each other hugs and kisses so I thought I'd be able to get a couple of cute pictures!

This is what I got.....
I do love these little feet but I'm not sure this is the Christmas message we want to send!
This is a completely unacceptable look to get from my 2 year old! He must be at least 12 before he's allowed to look at me with that much annoyance!
" Mom why are you torturing us like this"
Olivia helped calm Peter down. This would be an adorable one if only they would look at me. But by this point they were so annoyed with me they didn't even want to acknowledge me (or the camera).
I love my happy little girl. I just wish the weird shadow didn't make her have 2 heads!
Oh well! Maybe next year? On the plus side they were so exhausted from our photo shoot that they are both taking naps at the same time on a Saturday, a rare miracle!