Christmas in Big Spring

You can tell I took this from my car window! But I wanted everyone to see the lighted poinsettias that decorate Big Spring. They are everywhere! Big Spring is the "Lighted Poinsettia Capital of...(the world? Texas? The Permian Basin? I really can't remember, but I am not kidding on this. It was printed in the paper recently.) We all have enjoyed the Christmas lights and if you want to make a few bucks, learn how to weld these and put them on a website. Here they cost $100 sm, $150 med., and $300 lg!

I hope Santa was good to all of you! Merry Christmas!!!

Writing the Tribute

Okay. It is time for me to contribute in earnest to the memory of Mother. First of all, thanks to all of you for posting such wonderful creations. Nothing would have pleased Mother more. I have been thinking about what I would write for a long time, and have really struggled with what to say, but finally, maybe have worked through some things...like denial that she's really gone from this world and getting past the last years of her suffering to remember her for more of what her real character was. Again, thanks to Molly for the challenge and honor to do this. I think we should continue with more good topics.



I will begin with the Christmas card. This was number 19 out of 20. I put together a couple of notebooks with the cards that told a little of the history of each card. For this one I wrote a quote from one of my students, "This looks like God could just step down from the sky." That is how this painting felt to me. I also quoted a carpenter that was remodeling our house that said, "This is the way it will look when Jesus returns." Mother painted me a duplicate of this original because I liked it so much (don't know where the original is) and I have it hanging in my house now. I look at the opening in the sky and really do see eternity where Mother is. I also stretch it a little and see a "cross" in the wire above the gate. It is my comfort. These cards are Mother's touch reaching out to us today and I loved every one of them.



Now to lighter things. Mother invited me to go on a trip with her and Granny to see Betty and Wally in Connecticut. It was a time filled with many, many laughs.
Mother saw these liberty hats in the souvenir store. I couldn't believe she bought them! We had a good laugh with Betty. Mother just had so much fun on this trip and she was so good with Granny who was really beginning to enter into the middle stages of Alzheimers. Betty and Wally took us to New York. It was such a treat for us to all be together and I treasure the experiences we had there.


Well, confession....it has taken me 3 hours to get this much done on this post, as my scanner and I do not communicate well, and the picture posting has been a real challenge. I had several others to show, but will bring them to the next family reunion. What's the next topic for posting, and I'll read up on the editing of my pictures? Love to all you kin folks!.....and Happy Birthday Mother, Number 75, today, December 12th. We'll see you soon.

Memories of a Good Mother

I've enjoyed reading the stories. It's so neat to hear others' perspectives on someone you love. Several ideas that Mother used to impress upon me when I was a kid ... to look at the details...ie. ALL THE COLORS IN A CLOUD...I know I've told this before, but I can remember many times when we would be driving along and she would get me to list all the colors I could see in a cloud or in a hillside, but guess what, she could see several more than I could come up with. Besides details in creation, she was good at looking at details in people. She would encourage me to look at WHY someone might be like they were, WHY someone might be a little rough around the edges because of sorrow or fear or hard times they had experienced. If I came home from school not liking someone, it would be time for a life lesson. I probably needed a LOT of interpersonal training, but it really has had an influence on my life, hopefully made me a more merciful person. The last years took their toll on her positive nature, but she was good at looking for the good in people.

Mother was a patient person, Lord bless her. I can't believe she always let me do my own decorating, and boy, in the 70's, it was really gross, but she let me make my own decisions, and I know she must have cringed at my color choices! Funny, but much later, I tend more to the fall colors she loved best.

Best memories...Mother in the kitchen, fried porkchops and those creamy potatoes with lots of salt and pepper...Mother at the piano...now and then I'll hear one of those oldies and it really takes me back. Linda, I never realized it then, but looking now at old photos, she really liked to dress her kids well. How many little dresses did she sew?! I can remember going to Cloth World to pick out fabric. And a LOT of shopping trips through the years, which, come to think of it, weren't the best memories through those teenage years! The photo of Mother and Meredith is still my favorite! And the rabbits are one of my favorite paintings. The photo of Mother and I and the boys was during one of her visits to Kerrville. I think she was taking an art class at the Cowboy Artists Museum.

She drove that little white minivan down here many times during about a ten year period...Texas Arts and Crafts Fair, or Carson's graduation, etc. Carson's graduation was a funny memory, as she was here and the sky's broke open and SOAKED everyone during the Star Spangled Banner. It was chaos. We all ran ten directions, and most of us made it home! It was a couple of hours before Landon showed up because he went the other direction. We knew someone would bring him home! Graduation was resceduled until 9:00 that night in a crowded, warm auditorium. Most of the crowd had dry clothes by then, but the graduates were still soaked in their caps and gowns. Once, Mother and Verdi Brown came down on their way to an art show in Corpus. That was a fun visit. They stayed in downtown San Antonio for a night or two.When I dread that long drive from the Panhandle, I always think of the times Mother drove it, and I get a little tougher! Justus ought to tell this story, maybe he will, but for a year or so, Justus really had a weak stomach. That kid would get the throw ups really easy, and he was just like me when he did, just wiped out. Once when she got here for a visit, he had been sacked out on the couch all day, very sick little camper. Mother always carried those little orange peanut butter crackers when she travelled, her emergency food. She went in an sat with Justus for a while, got him to sip Sprite and nibble on those crackers. In a little while, he revived, and was as good as new.It's always been a family funny when we are sick that we need some of Granny Nelle's miracle crackers!
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A subtle guide

Your stories and memories of Granny Nell are all amazing and have brought me to laughter and tears in the same moment. Reading your blogs have provided a great escape from my studies. She meant a lot to each of us, and loved us more than we probably all deserved. She believed in us and I knew that even if I was not blessed to have spent the amount of time with her as many of you had. I don't have a funny story, just lots of little memories that I hold on to. For instance, I remember her taking us to the Museum in Fritch, and being in awe of the murals. Breakfast was always a momentous occasion on the ranch, what a great way to start your morning and Ive never had better biscuits. She also was a great healer and one time gave me a sprite and peanut butter crackers and I was cured, I thought it was the greatest cure ever.

One particular memory stand out. One summer just my mom and I visited the ranch, I think it was right before my senior year of high school and I got to spend time with them without the rest of my brothers. One day Granny Nell's pastor came over to discuss funeral arrangement stuff and I sat in with her and my mom. I was amazed that through the meeting she never seemed afraid, but instead she just bragged on all of us ; her kids and grand kids, and it was obvious the extreme love she had for us. I was scared not wanting to come to terms with her planning her inevitable funeral, but left blown away about how focused she was on others. That has stuck with me over the years, and I only hope that I can care about others the way she did.

This picture is at the entrance to the Poling Ranch on the day of Granny Nell's Funeral, I always thought it fitting how beautiful the sky was that evening!

I read these posts this morning and I have been on the verge of tears ever since! Granny Nelle was such an amazing person and someone who taught me so many things. I remember going to the post office with her, and on her way out she said hello to someone who didn't return the courtesy. She looked straight at me and said, "ALWAYS say hello to someone when you pass them - even if you don't know them." It seems fitting that she came up with the name for "Howdy Neighbor Day." She taught me other things - like to always use "cream rinse" when you wash your hair. A nice coat of red nail polish always looks good. Accessorizing matters. It's ok to spend $50 on a shirt if it's at Annzel's.

She also taught me how to draw - I remember being at the ranch during the summers, and when I would get bored she would set pots and vases on the kitchen table and have me draw them on the chalkboard in their kitchen. When I was ready for her to come look at it, she would erase the parts that weren't quite right and I would re-do it until it was perfect. My senior year of high school I had an art piece that was chosen to go to state, and I think she was more excited than I was.

I remember when I was a kid (10-12 maybe?) and there was a new litter of kittens. One of the kittens got an ear infection which left it a little retarded. It would try to walk and would only be able to make a half-circle and then would fall over and start the whole process over. We quickly named him Dizzy, and I was determined to nurse him back to health. After a few weeks Granny Nelle took me into Fritch and had Jock Lee put Dizzy to sleep. I'm sure that's the only ranch cat that ever had a dime spent on it, and I'm still thankful for that.

Of course, there's also the story of Parrish's first visit to the Ranch when Buddy died. The five of us stood in a circle around Buddy, dead on the kitchen floor, and Walt said, "Yep, he's dead. Stan, get the back-ho." As we were walking out to bury Buddy, Granny Nelle tried to make conversation with Parrish. She asked, "Well, Parrish, do you think dogs go to heaven?" A perfectly good segue for the theology student. I don't know why we thought it was so funny, but it still cracks us up.

My Freshman year of college...

This is a picture I took at the Ranch one Spring,

and for some reason it makes me think of Granny Nelle.

Exactly how I remember her...

I have so many great memories of Granny Nelle. Some of them are about the quirky, funny things she did, like the time she told us, "Did you know that if you go to the gas station and get an ice cup, you can put coke in it and they won't even charge you!" I also have a funny, funny memory of attending "A Chorus Line" with Granny Nelle, Mom, and Monica in Amarillo after my parents divorced. Mom had decided that Monica and I needed to be versed in the arts, and who better to include than the artist Granny Nelle? So off we went to the Civic Center for the off-Broadway production of "A Chorus Line." This was back before the Internet existed, so I don't guess any of us knew much about the plot. When the production began, we were so excited for what was in store. We had no clue. I was probably 8 yrs old at the time, but I guess I was old enough to realize what a homosexual was because I remember thinking, "This is kind of strange," when the men were singing about being gay. I recall many native Amarillans leaving during that song. The crowd was really beginning to thin out. Then came the song of all songs: "Tits and Ass." No kidding! Granny Nelle and Mom just laughed while all the other stuffy people filed out furiously. I'm very proud to say that we lasted until the very end. Thank you, Mom and Granny Nelle, for the wonderful "art" lesson I received that day!

When I think of Granny Nelle, I think about sitting on the porch of her house and always seeing her face through the little window into the kitchen. And she was always laughing. The last time I saw her was one of the most precious days of my life. Carly was 2 at the time and Granny Nelle was pretty much confined to her bed. Carly was at the stage where she didn't like anyone except Marc and myself. So, I was worried about taking her to the Ranch and her acting ugly. But on this day, Carly climbed onto Granny Nelle's bed and started jumping up and down, laughing, squealing! Granny Nelle loved it and was laughing right along with her. It was precious. I cherish this memory and I'm so grateful that my daughter remembers Granny Nelle and got to know her if only briefly. I am also grateful that I have a "Grandmother's Memories" book that Granny Nelle filled out (if only partially) before she left us. It tells me about her experiences growing up ("I never knew we were poor," she writes.) She also wrote about knowing God ("I always believed he was real, but any doubt was gone when we had our first child. When you realize you gave birth to a perfect tiny human being -- perfect in every way -- God had to be the Creator.") She also writes about being a Christian. She says,

"I have fallen short -- every day of my life. I think being a caretaker to someone who needs you and you quit thinking about your needs -- it helps you become a Christian. Learning to be a giver instead of a taker -- in any walk of life."

To me, that is the embodiment of Granny Nelle's life.

Wild Plum Jelly

One of my favorite memories of Granny Nelle was her wild plum jelly on those itty bitty biscuits she would make. The wild plum thickets would only produce fruit about every 5 years, and Granny Nelle would go out and pick them all. She then would make this beautiful pink jelly.

One year (1993-ish), there was a bumper crop. My boyfriend at the time and I went out to the ranch to visit. We all decided to load up and go pick plums. By the time we arrived at the thicket, Karl, the ex-boyfriend, decided he was allergic to the bees and wouldn't get out of the truck to pick plums with the rest of us. There was Granny Nelle, in her shorts and pantyhose, picking like crazy, while the lazy boyfriend of her granddaughter sat in the air conditioning! Needless to say, I don't think Karl was her favorite!

Now, back to those biscuits. Does anyone have the recipe? What did she use to cut those out? They weren't any bigger than a silver dollar, and she always had them ready to go before I was even out of bed. They were hard and dense, and I still crave them when I visit Walt. And, I think she baked them on the same pizza pan as when I was a little girl.

Granny Nelle was always interested in what I was doing, and more importantly, HOW I was doing. She was such a good listener and cared so deeply for me. I miss her funny sense of humor and her big hugs, kisses, and pats on the hand. I feel so lucky to have been a part of her family!

remembering Granny Nelle

This is the last picture we have of Granny Nelle. It was taken right around Mother's Day of 2005, I believe. I know that someone had brought her those beautiful flowers from their own garden, and she was so amazed at all the different textures and plants that person had grown.

Ed Montana had come over that morning and played his guitar while she played the piano and sang. And that had been so much fun for her.

So when I look at this picture, I remember the Granny Nelle I knew, who always had a smile, a sense of wonder and a sense of fun.

Thanksgiving in Ft. Worth

The Linda Poling clan had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving in Ft. Worth this year. Jeff did a crab boil in the freezing weather, while Mom prepared lots of yummy sides and desserts. Carly and Conrad entertained us all. I've been instructed by Carly to take her American Girl wish list directly to Santa. The list kept getting longer as the day progressed! Conrad is going to be the smartest kid in our family, as proven by him telling us, "That's not funny!" He's already observed that his mom, grandmother, and aunt all have an odd sense of humor.

It was an interesting end to our day with SNOW! Just as we were all dozing off, mom announced it was snowing. Sure enough, there were great big flakes falling from the sky. Only in Texas can it go from 80 degrees one day to snow the next. Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving together and wish everyone of the Poling peeps could have joined us!

The Poling Family Curse

So I've been gathering dates in order to properly present the Poling Family Curse.

Here goes: the first born of the Poling family parent is destined to be born in the month of the Poling parent's birthday.

It starts with Walt (born in June) and his firstborn Linda, who was also born in June. Then Linda's firstborn Monica was also born in June. And, lo and behold, Monica's due date for her firstborn is also in June!

Next Stan. His firstborn Robert shares his birth month: October. And then Robert's firstborn, Genevieve, was also born in October. More on this later.

Next Wendy Poling Anderson, who was born in April. Her firstborn, Carson, was also born in April.

Molly and Carly are the only exception. How they were able to escape the curse, we may never know.

I (Wendy Lee) had hoped to escape the curse. Genevieve's due date was September 25. My mother-in-law informed me about the curse about 2 weeks before my due date, but then added "But I'm sure she won't be born in October!" Yep, it was funny then. Until she was a week overdue, and I went into labor with her right at midnight on October 1. The curse lives!

Amarillo Poling blog

Hey everyone,
We have a blog for Genny, Rob and I now. Check it out sometime!
http://thelandofpoling.blogspot.com/
love you all,
W

Pharoah, Pharoah

This is a picture of Wendy buying me a tie for Christmas. She had to fly all the way to London to shop at Harrod's for me, but hey, I'm worth it.

Actually, I'm stepping up in my challenge to post something on the blog and this was the funniest picture I had. I took a picture of the flowers I planted but they just didn't look very flashy. It took me two whole days, I'm sore all over and I got two strange insect bites on my wrist. A lot of work for very little flash!

Funny stories about Mother - One time she washed and dried an adult wool sweater and it came out of the dryer about the size of a baby size one. She just kept holding it up and laughing. She wasn't upset - just thought it was funny. I like to remember her laughing.

Love to you all! Linda

News from Irving

So, this past weekend, Bryon and I created this poem for our parents:

Get ready to giggle.
Get ready to laugh.
Because next June,
there’ll be a baby Pfaff!

Boy or Girl?
We still don’t know.
The news will be out
when Monica shows!

Will she have Monica’s eyes?
Will he be blond like Bryon?
No doubt about it,
There'll be some cryin’!

So postpone your summer
plans next year.
When the weather turns hot,
Your grandkid will be here!


So, we aren't the next Robert Frost, but I think we got our point across! June 11th is the official due date. We are really excited, although I feel nausea about 75% of the day right now. I would post our sonogram, but really, they all look the same. (only ours is MUCH cuter than anyone else's EVER!)

"Fight Night"

I thought I would share this article with everyone - we were presented with the check from "Fight Night" and the grand total was $130,000. They just handed us a handwritten check like it was no big deal - crazy!

http://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?articleID=070728_4_D11_Fight11346

How to Post a Link

When you are typing your post, there is a little button on the tool bar that has a green globe with a chain link above it (to the right of the Text Colors button). Just click that button and paste the address into the URL field. Also, make sure that the type matches the first letters of your link (usually either http or https). Enjoy!

Great day for the Pfaff Family!!

In Denver today, OSHA released their report on the zoo concerning Ashlee's death (Bryon's sister). The zoo was cited with 1 "serious" violation, and several other violations. Basically, OSHA found the zoo to be at fault, verifying what we knew all along. I spoke to Bryon's mom today, and she sounded better than she had since that horrible day in February. Healing can now begin as we all can move on.

Check out some of the local Denver news at http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=74732 if you get a chance. (Meredith--will you teach me how to do link within a post?)

Hey, everyone! I wanted to post just to let you know that our plumbing was finally fixed. They dug up some of our pipe and it was crushed. After it was replaced, everything worked. So if you ever come visit, you can flush with confidence. Here are some pictures of the kids on the 4th. I could not get Conrad to smile. Then he ran off and got into the pet carrier...and what do you know? Big Smiles!

Hey everybody! Greetings from Robert and Wendy and Genevieve. We sure enjoyed the reunion at Monica and Bryon's house and we hope that it's a yearly tradition! We also learned that traveling with a baby is a new experience...

So, here's what we are doing now. Robert is an engineer at Amarillo Gear Company, and he's been there for 4 1/2 years now. He works with right-angle gear drives mostly for cooling tower applications. Wendy was teaching at Amarillo College full time until this May, when she went to part time to stay home with Genevieve. For the foreseeable future, her classes will be online, which just offers a little more flexibility.

We will be married for 9 years next January. And this October, Genevieve will be 1 year old! Can't believe she is growing so fast.

Right now we are doing some work on our house. We had siding put on, and we are painting the doors and stuff. I put in 2 new flower beds in the back yard, which is just one of my favorite things to do!

We are also trying desperately (still) to get Genevieve to crawl. She wants to walk--big people walk, why shouldn't she??--but not crawl. Any ideas out there?

Using the Poling Family Blog

Meredith has figured out that from this blog, anyone can contribute without using the "poling family blog" username so that we can all tell who has written an entry. If you are already set up on blogger (or is it blogspot??) and want to use your current account, just shoot me an email at monicathedove@yahoo.com and let me know your username. I can then add you to the members of this blog. Good luck!

It's a busy weekend around here. We had our 16th annual neighborhool parade one the Fourth. You don't know this kid in the wagon, but he rode the whole parade with the dog's tail wagging in his face, which was too much fun. The parade photo is from last year, as it was not so sunny this week. Our fifer grew up in the fife and drum corps in Williamsburg, and Gary is our official storyteller/historian. We usually have about 60 neighbors, and it is a good tradition. Andrew and Landon are shown with a group of the younger Bluebonnet boys who have all grown up shooting each other with paintball guns, etc.

Carson and Julianne are here this weekend. I drew her picture on the board in honor of her birthday, but it has undergone various changes back and forth over the weekend...fat legs, skinny legs, buck teeth, BIG boobs, even a sex change with the artistic additon of extra unmentionable anatomy. Brother in laws... So far, there has been skeet shooting, kayaking, and presently fly fishing going on. I have done a lot of laundry and some cooking, but I definitely notice extra help when Julianne is here. She made the decadent ice cream sandwich desert for tonight! Justy even dropped by for a few hours off from camp and just woke up from a 3 hour nap before he heads back. What a week they have had at camp on the Frio River. They've had 3 floods...4foot, 15 foot, and 3 foot rises. One thing Justy is responsible for is the waterfront, which has been destroyed each time...losing docks, slides, the blob. How would you like to be in charge of 8-12 year olds with daily rain all summer?

We do have sunshine today and it looks like the weather patterns are changing. I wish I could send some rain to those who want it, even though I am not tired of it yet! One photo is my back yard with constant rain since about March!

That's just news as I see it for now! I loved Molly's ongoing narrative...You write so well, and could publish as the new Erma Bombeck! Meredith, I didn't know you were such an artistic designer! You've done a great job! Monica, thanks again to you and Bryon for hosting us in June and for teaching me how to shutterfly and blog!!! Much love to you all, Wendy

Morris Update

Well, what can I say. If you haven't already heard, I have been experiencing a string of bad luck. We have our health, so who can complain.

Well, I can complain! We recently moved to Big Spring. It feels great to be back in dry air country...you know, less frizz in the hair and the laundry doesn't mildew quite so badly if it sits for a little while in the washer (mommy needs a little time for herself on myspace.) Oh, and the people are really friendly. Everyone has a tatoo, so I'm feeling a little left out, but I'm thinking of putting "Marc" or "Marc's chick" on my left shoulder pretty soon so that I can fit in. Kidding. But here's the kicker, our house flooded a few days after we moved in. We went to visit some friends for the evening and we'd been having some problems with the ole potty. That little floater deal that tells the water when to stop seemed to have a malfunction. So, everytime you "went" you had to remember to turn the water on (fill the tank) then off (when the tank was full.) Well, being the blonde that I am, I didn't remember step 2. You can't expect me to remember these kind of things. No really, in my defense, I made sure that the water had quit running, but I didn't turn it off. Yadda, yadda, yadda, we got home and our house was flooded. We attempted to pull up the carpet and suck out the water ourselves, at which point I stepped barefooted onto the nail tack strip, but eventually realized that our efforts were useless. In fact, it seems that the water we were sucking up and dumping in the shower was beginning to back up and out of the other toilet. Meanwhile, I had developed tetenus. Not really. But we did have to call in the experts. I don't have photos, but I did make a video, of the 17 blowers and 3 dehumidifiers we had going. This kind of thing costs about $3000 in case you are curious or happen to even still be reading this. I couldn't even turn on the coffee maker without blowing a circuit. So, we tiptoed around our dark and extremely loud house for 4 days. I felt like I was on an airplane. I slept on the floor, which isn't so easy at this age I have discovered. But eventually we were declared dry! And yes, we have an insurance claim that will hopefully go through. And we're good friends with the plumber. And if you ever need a good blow dry, I can hook you up.

The bad luck continues. So, last night we went to see some friends for the fourth, and my friend notices that there is no longer a diamond in my wedding band. It's all pathetic and prongy looking. NO I DID NOT INSURE MY DIAMOND. Like, who insures there wedding ring? I don't want someone to replace it; I want MY diamond. The one that all the vowes were said over, the one that went to me on our honeymoon. The one that I managed to wear through both pregnacies despite measureable water retention and potential loss of finger. Let me move on here.

Did I mention that the septic system backed up again? Could I just use the restroom in peace?

So, I decide today (Marc's and my 9th anniversary, yay us!) that I need a makeover. You see, we are headed to Marc's 15th reunion tomorrow in Andrews and I want to look hot. You know, 30 year-old hot, if that's such a thing. Perhaps I should have realized that my luck being as such, it's not really the best time to roll the dice on a new hairdresser and/or style. Long story short, I have a West Texas hairdo. She even ratted it out for me and put on some extra hairspray. Just in time for the Andrews Class of '92 reunion.

I have some other funny things I could share...like the fact that Marc and I tried to have an anniversary meal out this evening with two kids (disaster...Conrad screaming, "Chicken French Fries," for the entire time until the seemingly very slow meal was delivered. Margarita take me away.)

Really, things are fine. The kids are a blast. It's going so quickly.

I so enjoyed the Poling reunion and hope we make it a tradition. Maybe Conradical will eventually be declared disciplined enough to attend (and Marc, too.)

I love summer...Carly made this on Paint:

Molly

McDaris Family Update

Hmm...where do I start the official McDaris update? This will largely be based on the photos that are available on my computer, because our hardrive was recently wiped out, so our photo choices are limited. Parrish and I are getting ready to celebrate the big 0-4 on August 9th, and I can't believe we've already been married for 4 years. For those of you who weren't able to attend, here is one of my very favorite wedding pics. You just can't beat those Amarillo sunsets!




During our first year of being married, Parrish was finishing his degree at Ozark in Joplin, and I was working at Christ in Youth organizing overseas trips for high school kids. I don't miss the job, but I DO miss all those stamps in my Passport! After we both graduated, we moved to Tulsa for me to start my MBA and for Parrish to take a job at a church in Jenks, right outside of Tulsa. Parrish resigned from that job last year and started seminary at Phillips here in Tulsa. So, we are now both in grad school and looking forward to finishing! (Me especially...only 2 more classes).

In September I took a job at a local non-profit (The Bridges Foundation) doing fundraising/special events/grant writing/etc. I just love it! We find jobs for people with developmental disabilities, and they are just some of the most amazing people I have ever met - they overcome more struggles in a single day than I can possibly imagine. We recently had a black tie boxing night to benefit Bridges and Joe Frazier was there as a special guest. Now, although I didn't previously know who exactly Joe Frazier was, I now know that he famously knocked out Mohammad Ali back when they both could talk without a slur. I'm sure you all already knew that. So shocking that I wasn't up on the sports trivia! So, it was a great event which raised over $120,000. Here we are with Smokin' Joe:

In April we stumbled upon a loft apartment on Main street of a town called Sand Springs. It has cut our drive time in half, and we think that it is just soo cool! The first picture below is of our kitchen area - we used our bookshelves to make a wall and covered the ugly backs of the shelves with scrapbook paper...so far, my favorite project :) The second picture is of our living area. Get the full loft tour here

So, other than that, we are not too exciting. We are constantly on the lookout for the next greatest Mexican restaurant, a good place to study, and/or good day trips to take around Tulsa. We're looking towards a possible move in 2009 (Northeast, maybe?), but until then we are takin' it easy in T-town...

Monica and Bryon's Babies

Since Bryon and I do not have children, we are one of those obnoxious couples that is obsessed with their dogs. I just wanted to post a picture of them both. Here is Lilly, our OCD pointer:



She loves to stay on point at birds for hours and run laps around the hot tub in search of frogs that might be living there.

Not to be outdone, here is Winsor, our overactive Weimaraner:

This picture was taken at Walt's in May. The yellow flowers covered the ranch and were beautiful. Walt says they are a weed, but I personally think he planted them just for my visit!

One of these days, Bryon and I MIGHT have kids of our own and will quit bugging everyone with pictures of our dogs. In the meantime, just act like we are normal!

Monica

Monica and Bryon's State of the House Address

Monica and Bryon Pfaff

Who are Monica and Bryon, and what have we been doing lately? I, Monica, am a pharmacist with Target in Irving, Texas, and have been with the company for about 7 years now. Bryon works for McCarthy Building Companies as an engineer. He is currently working on a new performance arts theater in downtown Dallas.

We live in Valley Ranch, near the Dallas Cowboys' Headquarters. We enjoy going out on our boat on Lake Grapevine. Bryon's favorite thing is to fish, while I just try to keep from getting seasick! For the cousins that were our tubing with us in June, take a look at the marina now:

We can't even park in the lower parking lot, as it is 5 feet under water! We really enjoyed taking everyone out and have an open invitation to anyone that wants to go again.

We also enjoy traveling when we get the time. In the past year, we have spent a lot of time with Bryon's parents in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As you probably all know, Bryon's sister passed away in February, so we have stayed busy sorting out all the details. His father has created a website for those of you interested--www.ashleepfaff.com. Please shoot him an email if you like the site! Anyway, we have also been to our favorite get-away, Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in May. In a perfect world, Bryon and I would be traveling food critics, and Playa del Carmen would be our first stop. We tried 6 types of ceviche this time in search of our favorite. YUM!

In the past year, we have definitely learned the value of family and can't say enough about what a great time we had having all the Walt Poling grandkids at our house. Thanks to all of you for making the trek our way!