Monday, December 16, 2013
Break Time!
Yay school is over for the quarter! Now we have a week to count down the time until we are with family!! It was a great quarter and I wanted to post some pictures of a project I had for my fabrication class. It was to make a block plane and mallet. The block plane is used to make the end of boards flat. We were given the blade to use and then it was our job to design pretty much everything else. I chose to use walnut and cherry for my wood. It turned out really well and it was by far my favorite class. The other classes were good too. My instructor asked if mine could be taken to be put on display in the school which is cool. Now I get a much needed break before getting back into the thick of it again! Can't wait to see all of you! The Lord blesses us so much!
Thursday, November 28, 2013
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Andrew and I are major Frasier fans and while mashing up 20 lbs of potatoes today I kept hearing this clip in my head. So funny! Thankfully we mashed instead of whipping our potatoes and they are not bland! Lots of love and thanks to you all! We are so blessed to have our families in our lives! Love you!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Visit From Katelynn!!! and other fun stuff!
Hello again! It has been another break from posting and we are sorry about it! Being so far from family we want to keep in better contact with you all and update more often. We'll try to be better...especially me! (Karen) Any way, this weekend Katelynn came to visit!! We loved having her here enjoyed every day she spent with us! Thanks Kindred!! Here is a little overview of what we did this weekend and some pics too!
Katelynn flew in on Thursday night. I took the train and fetched her from the airport! It was great to be together after so long and to finally spend some time together! Friday morning Elli was pretty skeptical of our sofa bed pulled out in the living room. She was even more surprised once she realized there was a person under the covers! It took around 20 minutes for Elli to finally warm up to Katelynn, but once she did there was no going back! Elli just loves her Aunt Katie and misses her already! Friday we all went to IKEA and looked around. That night we left Elli with a sitter (whom I feel really bad for since Elli was behind on naps and very clingy to me) then headed off to the temple to do a session all together. Traffic was CRAZY getting there which we knew would happen....but we made it and had dinner at the temple, then did a session! It was great! Love being with family in the house of the Lord! On our way home we stopped at an ice cream place called Salt & Straw http://saltandstraw.com Two words... SO GOOD! We were so blown away by how crazy good the ice cream was and we picked up a pint for you sitters for their service.
Saturday was a day in the city! We drove a little way to a train stop and rode in to the city. It was cloudy but still dry. We first headed to Voodoo Doughnuts, a beloved Portland institution. They have super crazy doughnut flavors and designs. It is a major tourist attraction also. We stood in line for 10 to 15 min to get some fun doughnuts and then headed to the shop Andrew uses to work on school projects. It is part of the school, just not in the same building. We got to see where he works a lot of the time and we also ate out doughnuts there where it was warm and cozy!
Next we headed to the food carts to pick up some lunch! Portland is also famous for its food carts and the variety they offer! Sadly on Saturday many are closed, but we found a couple that we liked. I got grilled cheese for Elli, a BLT grilled cheese for me, and Andrew got Chicken Tikka Masala while Katelynn got Chicken Curry! The rain started to fall at this point and we booked it to Andrew's school to eat in the student commons area. It was yummy! After eating we wanted to get some documentation of some of Andrew's class work getting put up on display in the halls. These are seen by classmates, faculty and tours for prospective students and their families! This is a great achievement for students to have their work selected for display. Andrew had artwork displayed from 3 of his 4 classes! The 4th class was an English class so we were pretty stoked about it and very proud of Andrew! Way to go Andrew!!!
Here are some pics of Aunt Katie and Elli and Andrew and I with her also. It was a fun day!
Katelynn flew in on Thursday night. I took the train and fetched her from the airport! It was great to be together after so long and to finally spend some time together! Friday morning Elli was pretty skeptical of our sofa bed pulled out in the living room. She was even more surprised once she realized there was a person under the covers! It took around 20 minutes for Elli to finally warm up to Katelynn, but once she did there was no going back! Elli just loves her Aunt Katie and misses her already! Friday we all went to IKEA and looked around. That night we left Elli with a sitter (whom I feel really bad for since Elli was behind on naps and very clingy to me) then headed off to the temple to do a session all together. Traffic was CRAZY getting there which we knew would happen....but we made it and had dinner at the temple, then did a session! It was great! Love being with family in the house of the Lord! On our way home we stopped at an ice cream place called Salt & Straw http://saltandstraw.com Two words... SO GOOD! We were so blown away by how crazy good the ice cream was and we picked up a pint for you sitters for their service.
Saturday was a day in the city! We drove a little way to a train stop and rode in to the city. It was cloudy but still dry. We first headed to Voodoo Doughnuts, a beloved Portland institution. They have super crazy doughnut flavors and designs. It is a major tourist attraction also. We stood in line for 10 to 15 min to get some fun doughnuts and then headed to the shop Andrew uses to work on school projects. It is part of the school, just not in the same building. We got to see where he works a lot of the time and we also ate out doughnuts there where it was warm and cozy!
Next we headed to the food carts to pick up some lunch! Portland is also famous for its food carts and the variety they offer! Sadly on Saturday many are closed, but we found a couple that we liked. I got grilled cheese for Elli, a BLT grilled cheese for me, and Andrew got Chicken Tikka Masala while Katelynn got Chicken Curry! The rain started to fall at this point and we booked it to Andrew's school to eat in the student commons area. It was yummy! After eating we wanted to get some documentation of some of Andrew's class work getting put up on display in the halls. These are seen by classmates, faculty and tours for prospective students and their families! This is a great achievement for students to have their work selected for display. Andrew had artwork displayed from 3 of his 4 classes! The 4th class was an English class so we were pretty stoked about it and very proud of Andrew! Way to go Andrew!!!
After a long day in the city, we headed back home for a gourmet meal from Katelynn. She made us Pasta alla Carbonara! Delicious! Can you say Leftovers? Yum! It was so great great great to have Katelynn here with us and we LOVED it!
I'll be trying to post more often. Can't make any promises but I will try! Lots of heartfelt love to ALL our family and we look forward to seeing many of you over the Christmas and New Year holiday!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Strangers from the East...South East...
Guess who came to visit?
That's right... My parents! Grandma and Grandpa Packham happened to be in the area for some of my dad's work, so they stopped by for a few days and we had a lot of fun! We went shopping, made bread (well Mom made it), watched a movie, played games, talked, and even went out to Multnomah Falls! These pics are from that outing. In the picture of my parents my dad is looking a little weary because the hike up is short, but very steep, and on a gentleman of his years and bad knees, it was rough. What am I saying... it was rough on all of us! We borrowed a hiking pack from a friend of mine and Andrew was the lucky one to pack the Goob around. We went about half way up and decided we'd better turn back. Luckily, just as we got to the car it started to rain pretty heavily. Talk about good timing eh?? It was great to have my folks to visit us and to be around people we knew really well and who knew us... I know that sounds trivial, but when you move away from everyone you know and all your families, it is nice to be around familiarity. Enjoy the pics of our outing!
We love all our family members so much and love communicating via phone, facetime, email, text, or any other form of communication, anytime! We hope you are all well and enjoy some of what we share with you!
That's right... My parents! Grandma and Grandpa Packham happened to be in the area for some of my dad's work, so they stopped by for a few days and we had a lot of fun! We went shopping, made bread (well Mom made it), watched a movie, played games, talked, and even went out to Multnomah Falls! These pics are from that outing. In the picture of my parents my dad is looking a little weary because the hike up is short, but very steep, and on a gentleman of his years and bad knees, it was rough. What am I saying... it was rough on all of us! We borrowed a hiking pack from a friend of mine and Andrew was the lucky one to pack the Goob around. We went about half way up and decided we'd better turn back. Luckily, just as we got to the car it started to rain pretty heavily. Talk about good timing eh?? It was great to have my folks to visit us and to be around people we knew really well and who knew us... I know that sounds trivial, but when you move away from everyone you know and all your families, it is nice to be around familiarity. Enjoy the pics of our outing!
Some of the day to day to day !
Andrew and I are so blessed to have what we do have. Especially we are blessed with our little angel, Ellinore! She brings so much joy into our every day happenings and is involved in everything we do! She walks very well and is getting used to wearing shoes. Elli loves music and singing. Every night Andrew and I sing a hymn or primary song to/with Elli and she has lately started to wave her arm to lead the music, thanks to her daddy. Whenever pandora is playing she is intermittently waving her arms around, conducting the songs. We just love it! Elli is not only a conductor, she sings too. Her voice can get very loud as she belts out her tunes :)
Here is an example of such a time....
Here is an example of such a time....
Elli loves to play with her clothes. Most of the time, the floor in her room in littered with her clothes that she has so quickly emptied from her dresser drawers. My efforts to put her clothes away usually end up futile. :) Elli also enjoys my purse. She loves to unload it and carry it around. Other items she enjoys playing with are couch pillows and her blankets. All of these and more are found throughout our apartment and are always in the kitchen. We sure love our little trouble maker and can't wait till she starts to talk more clearly. We spend evenings, when Andrew is not doing homework, hanging out with Elli and just playing with her. Right now she is placing all of our shoes in different spots around the room :) Fun Fun!!
Laughing and pinching Mommy :)
Below is a video taken right after dinner. This particular time she spit out a lot of food all over the floor instead of swallowing it! So to clarify my out bursts during this segment... the moment I say wahhh! is because I almost knocked something off the counter, next.... when I say I stepped in it, I mean the dinner that she spit on the floor :)
All in all we have loads and fun and sometimes not so much fun, but there are always a lot of snuggles and loves to go around.
It has been AWHILE!!
Wow! It has been a little while since we really made a post on here and I am realizing more and more that some of you (our family) have been wanting updates! So here goes! First of all, we are officially living in Fairview, Oregon. This is a tiny area about 12 miles east of the heart of Portland. We moved the first of June and have settled in nicely. We live in a ground floor, 2 bed 1 bath apartment with neighbors on either side of us and above us. We are re-learning the life of having actual neighbors and living with noise, not a ton, but still it's noise.
For the move, my parents, Joel and Marie Packham, drove with us! It was great to have family to help us and Elli loved having Grandma around to entertain her :) Thank you Mom and Dad for coming up here with us! It was such a blessing, especially for me, to have you there.
Andrew started school on July 9th ish? He is doing really well! (Especially in his art classes) You may think, "Aren''t ALL of his classes art classes since he is attending an art school?" Not necessarily! Anyway, his creative talents are finding their way to the surface and he is thriving! What a blessing to see him doing so well! This testifies to us often that we are where we need to be and that our Father in Heaven is indeed aware of us..... Speaking of blesssings, Andrew got a job! He started about a month ago working for Nautilus in their shipping dept. They ship parts for exercise equipment and such. He only works Mon and Tues from 730am to 4pm, then Wed through Fri he has classes. This work is only a few miles away so Andrew gets to ride his bike to and from work always, and sometimes to school if there is time. Sadly, some of his classes have him bringing ginormous drawing pads to class so he can't ride and carry those at the same time.....
Moving on......
I am staying at home with Elli and for the most part love it! There are days when it doesn't pay to get up in the morning and I swear that I will always have food somewhere on my kitchen floor, in the carpet, or on the couch. But not to worry! Elli is learning to be a helper and I'm sure we'll get better at it. When Elli sleeps I crochet, clean, cook, and play games on my ipod. I have a minor Candy Crush Saga addiction and was stuck on level 125. Elli deleted the game off my ipod and needless to say, I don't like starting over at 1. :) Anyway.... Elli and I go for walks and love the beauty here! Everything is so green and there are 2 nature paths that I have found so far that are only a mile or less from our place!
We love our ward! The Columbia Ward is another "place we needed to be." We are surrounded by great people and a couple Idaho folk too! About 2 weeks after we moved into the ward, I was called as 1st counselor in the Primary Presidency! Crazy! It has been great and I love the ladies I am serving with. Compared to the last primary I served in where there were over 50 kids in primary, our primary here has about 25 all together and on a quiet week less than 10 kids! They are great kids and I am loving getting to know them all and their families! Andrew was recently called to be the Priest Quorum Adviser. It has been a lot of waiting for this calling to go through with scouting paper work and such, but he is excited to serve in a new capacity and get to know the young men in our ward. :)
Sorry this was so long! Just had to get the basics over with so there will be more postings but they will be shorter! Whew!!
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| Andrew and I with Elli on our first Sunday in our new ward!/ Pic of Elli with Grandma Packham |
Andrew started school on July 9th ish? He is doing really well! (Especially in his art classes) You may think, "Aren''t ALL of his classes art classes since he is attending an art school?" Not necessarily! Anyway, his creative talents are finding their way to the surface and he is thriving! What a blessing to see him doing so well! This testifies to us often that we are where we need to be and that our Father in Heaven is indeed aware of us..... Speaking of blesssings, Andrew got a job! He started about a month ago working for Nautilus in their shipping dept. They ship parts for exercise equipment and such. He only works Mon and Tues from 730am to 4pm, then Wed through Fri he has classes. This work is only a few miles away so Andrew gets to ride his bike to and from work always, and sometimes to school if there is time. Sadly, some of his classes have him bringing ginormous drawing pads to class so he can't ride and carry those at the same time.....
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| An assignment Andrew had on texture drawing. Each level of dark to light is a texture. Put it all together and BOOM! He did it of Elli and we LOVE it! PS,,, so did all of Andrew's classmates and teacher :) |
Moving on......
I am staying at home with Elli and for the most part love it! There are days when it doesn't pay to get up in the morning and I swear that I will always have food somewhere on my kitchen floor, in the carpet, or on the couch. But not to worry! Elli is learning to be a helper and I'm sure we'll get better at it. When Elli sleeps I crochet, clean, cook, and play games on my ipod. I have a minor Candy Crush Saga addiction and was stuck on level 125. Elli deleted the game off my ipod and needless to say, I don't like starting over at 1. :) Anyway.... Elli and I go for walks and love the beauty here! Everything is so green and there are 2 nature paths that I have found so far that are only a mile or less from our place!
We love our ward! The Columbia Ward is another "place we needed to be." We are surrounded by great people and a couple Idaho folk too! About 2 weeks after we moved into the ward, I was called as 1st counselor in the Primary Presidency! Crazy! It has been great and I love the ladies I am serving with. Compared to the last primary I served in where there were over 50 kids in primary, our primary here has about 25 all together and on a quiet week less than 10 kids! They are great kids and I am loving getting to know them all and their families! Andrew was recently called to be the Priest Quorum Adviser. It has been a lot of waiting for this calling to go through with scouting paper work and such, but he is excited to serve in a new capacity and get to know the young men in our ward. :)
Sorry this was so long! Just had to get the basics over with so there will be more postings but they will be shorter! Whew!!
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Art class
So I had a project I just did for my Art101 class that was pretty fun. It was a project focused on the differences between positive and negative space relations. I created a design on a 4"x4" square in my sketchbook and then duplicated it onto two black versions and two white versions and then put them all together twisted to make the final result. I'm loving the classes I'm taking this semester and am in the right place for sure. Life is good and the Lord blesses us!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
" Wakey Wakey ... time for Cakey!! "
Happy Birthday Elli!!!
We cannot believe that our little girl is already one! My my how time has flown by! She is the sunshine in our days and brings joy wherever she is. We feel so blessed to be her parents and LOVE her SO SO SO much!! Here are some recent pics and video :)
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We cannot believe that our little girl is already one! My my how time has flown by! She is the sunshine in our days and brings joy wherever she is. We feel so blessed to be her parents and LOVE her SO SO SO much!! Here are some recent pics and video :)
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Medals for Andrew
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Andrew showing off his awesome T-shirt design! Though the face he is making is not as awesome... :)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
I won Gold!
So for those who don't know, back in November my manufacturing program instructor urged me to compete in a design contest for SkillsUSA Idaho. SkillsUSA is this:
http://www.pte.idaho.gov/Skilled_Technical_Sciences/SkillsUSA/SkillsUSA_Home.html
The design contest was to design a pin, t-shirt, and banner and my instructor just let me know yesterday that I won 2 golds and a silver!! Yay!!! A gold for my t-shirt design, a gold for my banner design, and a silver for the pin design. We thought at first that winning this state competition would allow me to compete at nationals for the same event, but that might not be the case. It seems that anyone can enter the national design contest regardless of winning any state competitions. And when we looked up some info about the national competition we found that the deadline for design entries is February 1 . . . . so that means I have less than a week to create something and turn it in via snail mail only!!! So really good news mixed with annoying news then! This category of competition is something that my instructor wasn't really aware of so that is why we're finding all of this out now. So I will give it a shot and see what I can conjure up! Here are the t-shirt and banner designs that won me a gold :)
T-SHIRT/PIN:
BANNER:
http://www.pte.idaho.gov/Skilled_Technical_Sciences/SkillsUSA/SkillsUSA_Home.html
The design contest was to design a pin, t-shirt, and banner and my instructor just let me know yesterday that I won 2 golds and a silver!! Yay!!! A gold for my t-shirt design, a gold for my banner design, and a silver for the pin design. We thought at first that winning this state competition would allow me to compete at nationals for the same event, but that might not be the case. It seems that anyone can enter the national design contest regardless of winning any state competitions. And when we looked up some info about the national competition we found that the deadline for design entries is February 1 . . . . so that means I have less than a week to create something and turn it in via snail mail only!!! So really good news mixed with annoying news then! This category of competition is something that my instructor wasn't really aware of so that is why we're finding all of this out now. So I will give it a shot and see what I can conjure up! Here are the t-shirt and banner designs that won me a gold :)
T-SHIRT/PIN:
BANNER:
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