More Christmas Pictures

Christmas Pictures

Watch Emma, Tasha, Jo and I Dance as Elves

This is hilarious, check out Emma, Tasha, Jo and I dance as elves.

Emma (and Tasha) with Santa

Emma wasn't interested in sitting with Santa alone so Tasha had to as well..hahaha. I am not sure who it is more embarrassing for? Tasha sitting with Santa at age 33 or Emma needing her mommy to sit with Santa.

New Images of Emma

Here are some new pictures of Emma. She just got her hair trimmed.

Promotion at Work

Got a small promotion at work. My new title is Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, so in addition to overseeing the admissions office I will now oversee the financial aid office.

Pretty cool....

Darts!!

Last night was our last dart match of the fall season. The evening left me both sad because it was over but incredibly excited because it was our best effort as a team and my best showing of the year. I had my first sweep of the year in single's cricket and got my first highlight of the year with a 125 during a doubles match of 501. Almost everyone on the team had a great night and for the first time went into the final round of doubles having clinched the match so there was no pressure. That might explain how my doubles partner Wayne and I got swept for the first time. Prior to last night Wayne and I were 11-1 on the year. We ended the season 11-3 which was the best doubles record on our team and likely one of the best in the league. The team had many highlights last night with multiple 7 counts and a few 120+ throws.

The season was a time of learning and transition. The team had won the C division last year which moved them up to B division this year. The original team had four players and brought in two new players this year including myself. I was a rookie and the other guy (Jon) was rusty and hadn't played in awhile (sounds like he was a pretty good dart player back in the day). We ended the season on a 2 match winning streak and finishing tied for 7th in the 11 team league. It was great to end the season the way we did and should give us some momentum heading into spring league.

On a personal level, I truly enjoyed playing and am so glad to have been asked to play on the team. It is a great group of guys and we all get along very well (even though we tend to pick on each some members from time to time). Wayne, out team captain, did a great job. We found our groove and should be set for spring league. I developed some good relationships and found another guy who likes Tom Waits as much as I.

Till Spring!!!!!

Thanksgiving With Emma

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The company was great and the food was amazing. We celebrated at Tasha's mom's house.

Video of Emma from Thanksgiving

Trip to See the Bears in Seattle

My friend Scott (in the middle picture) was able to score the best seats I have ever had for a professional sporting event. We drove up to see the Bears play the Seahawks. Although the Bears lost it was a real blast. There were some "high society" types sitting in front of me so I made sure to be extra obnoxious. The bottom picture is the view from our seats.

Pictures to come

I hope to soon post pictures from a recent photo shoot we had as a family as well as some pictures from our recent trip to Seattle for the Bears game....

Emma and Tasha Visiting the "Rain Man"

Pics from Halloween

Emma was a ladybug for Halloween and as you can see by the pictures she was as cute as can be. She got the hang of trick or treating pretty quickly.

Video of Emma from Halloween

Emma Downtown

The weather was beautiful this past weekend so we some the day downtown. Emma loves going to Pioneer Square and chase the pigeons.

Video of Emma on The Train

Emma LOVES riding on the train. This was taken this past weekend.

Results From Doctors Visit

Emma had her year and a half check up today. As expected, she checked out perfectly. Dr. Heffernan, "Dr. Bob", couldn't stop talking about how impressed he is with Emma's development and health. She was totally calm and cool throughout the check up and just let Dr. Bob do his thing. He was very impressed by her overall demeanor and curiosity, as well as her happiness. She kept smiling at him.

Of course her stats remain off the charts and she shows no signs of slowing down. She measured at 34 inches long and 31.5 lbs, both stats are way off the charts. Also, her head is still huge, measuring in at 50 centimeters. She did have to get 4 shots which she wasn't too happy about but once we told her she could go on the slide she forgot all about the shots.

Misc. Happenings

1. My younger sister Samantha is flying in this evening for a visit through the weekend. Should be fun and we will be sure to post some pictures from the visit. Looks like the weather this weekend will allow us to go outside.

2. Saw Matt Pond PA in concert about 1.5 weeks ago...great show. I got to pee next to Matt Pond in the bathroom and Jessie and Tasha got to hug him (not while I was peeing).

3. Emma goes in today for her year and half check up. We will post anything of relevance after the appointment. Can you believe she is already 1.5 years old???????

4. Emma is the funniest person on the planet.

5. I am getting ready for a trip to Boise for a little recruitment (I leave next weekend).

6. Jessie is still searching for the perfect house to buy....stay tuned.

7. Emma's 3 favorite people are Aunt Jessie (au-gee), Wayne (weene), and her cousin Nathan (nee-nee).

From The Polish Festival

A few weekends ago we went to the Polish Festival here in Portland. Incredibly surprising, but the Polish Festival here in town is the largest on the West coast. Never knew there were so many polacks in Portland. In the picture is a button that we purchased, too perfect. We had great polish sausage, pierogi, and Polish beer. We also watched some cool dancing.

More Emma Pictures

These were all taken within the last couple of days....enjoy.

Images of Emma

Here are some images of Emma that were taken with my new laptop. Mac's have this cool program called "Photobooth" and there is a camera built into the laptop. These pictures were taken with that program.

We Won Our First Dart Match

This is a few days past due, but this last Thursday my dart team won their first dart match of the year. We had lost our first four matches. We did play the top 4 teams in the league the first 4 weeks (what a great way to start the year??) and we should have won one of those. The rest of the season has us playing the bottom part of the league so if we play the way we can then we should win the rest of our matches. If we can do that there is a good chance we will go to the playoffs. I also won my first singles match of the year. Prior to Thursday I was 0-6 in singles; however, 4 of those matches were against that other teams best player! I should have won both single matches last Thursday but I couldn't hit a bullseye to save my life. In the second match I had closed out all of my numbers and only needed to close out bulls. I had a good point lead which basically meant the guy I was playing had to hit quite a few more bulls to score on me. To make a long story short, he did, I couldn't hit one last bull, and ended up losing the second match. On a positive note, one of my doubles teams remained unbeaten. Wayne and I are 4-0 in doubles.

This week we play what is maybe the weakest team in the league....stay tuned.

Also, I hope to post some new pictures of Emma in tonight or tomorrow.

New Mac Laptop at Work

I was able to get my entire staff at work outfitted with new Mac laptops. We have all used Dells up to this point. I haven't used a Mac since I was a small child but I am learning. I can say one thing, Apple understands style and function. This laptop is amazing.......

I am officially converted to an Apple person.....bye bye PC's.

Emma vocab update

I can't keep up with all the words that Emma is learning. Some notables include Aunt Jessie, Wayne, tomorrow, and sorry. The funny thing about how she says Aunt Jessie is she combines the two so it sounds like "ahgee". Damn cute.......

Misc. Updates

I am done traveling for a little while. I was in Montana the last two weeks. I have two more trips that will require me to be away from home. In early November I am off to Boise and then in late January I am off to Florida (Miami and Sarasota).

Emma is doing great. She is growing up WAY too fast. She is definitely a little girl now. She is incredibly self-sufficient and is talking up a storm. She will say "ice" when she wants ice water. She is saying kittie, Jessie, Wayne, night-night. She loves putting her stuff animals "night-night". She will lay them down, cover them up, say "night-night", pat them on the back or chest, and then will sometimes tell us to "shoosh". She is shaking her head "yes" so she can tell you if she wants something. She will also grab your hand and drag you to something she wants.

Pictures from Today

Spent the day with Aunt Jessie downtown in Pioneer Square. Emma was obsessed with some hacky sackers. They even gave Emma a hacky sack and tried to get her to do it.

Video of Emma Laughing

Her new thing is to throw something and if you go to get it she cracks up......not sure why but it is funny to her.

Emma Updates, Her New Hair Cut

The most obvious updates shown in the pictures is Emma's new hair cut. At only 17 months her hair was out of control so it was time to get her first hair cut. SHE IS EVEN CUTER....IS THIS POSSIBLE? Sounds like she did a great job while her hair was being cut.

She is talking all the time and her vocabulary is pretty expansive. She loves to feed her dolls and stuffed animals. She will put them into her booster seat and give them fake food or even some of her real food. She also loves to put her dolls and stuffed animals to sleep. She will lay them down and cover them and say "night, night" and then tell us to "shoosh". Pretty darn cute. Nana has taught her to shake her head yes so we can ask her if she wants something and instead of pointing or whining she can shake her head "yes".

I am home for a couple of days and then head back for one more week in Montana on Sunday. Tasha got her hair cut and it looks fabulous.

Montana So Far

Well, it is officially here, the start of recruitment season and as usually happens, I am the first out the door. Montana for whatever reason starts early.

Sunday was my travel day….nothing too exciting. It is tough to leave my family. My daughter was not happy about me leaving which killed me.

Was happy that none of my flights were canceled since I was flying Horizon. Had to fly up to Seattle and then over to Bozeman. It is quite obvious that Montana has had a bad fire season. The smoke is thick. The sunrise this morning in Bozeman was somewhat muted by the smoke which created a cool effect.

Had my first two college fairs yesterday, Bozeman and Livingston. I wasn’t sure what to expect since we have never traveled to Montana before. But I was very happy by how many students stopped by to talk and studying at PNCA. Had a fair amount of driving which will be the case every day. This is a big state!!

If you are even in Billings and need a little dive bar for drinks, make sure to visit the “Rainbow”. We met a man who claimed to be Jesus…they have shuffle board and cheap Pabst on tap.

Today’s college fair in Billings went very well. Lots of students interested in Photography. Overall I am very pleased with the response.

After the fair it was off to Lewistown which is a small town right in the center of Montana. In the hotel I am staying at (Yogo Inn), they have a marker in the courtyard that shows the geographic center of Montana. Great little town. Will have dinner with some other admissions types and then off to the famous Montana Tavern which has a river that runs beneath it and you can usually see trout. Kind of weird as you sip a beer and watch the trout below you. They also have shuffle board!

Tomorrow there are two fairs, one here in Lewistown and then one in Great Falls. Tomorrow night we will visit the most famous bar in all of Montana. It is in Great Falls and is called the Sip and Dip.

The bar was rated by GQ as the #1 bar in the world. If you ever are in Great Falls you MUST go to the Sip and Dip.

As for the picture, that was van parked at Montana State University where the Bozeman Fair was held yesterday. They take their sports and mascots seriously.

I Am In Montana

I will be in Montana this week....flew into Bozeman today. During the week I will be in Bozeman, Livingston, Billings, Lewistown, Great Falls, and Shelby. Pretty smoky here with all of the wild fires that have occurred.

Recent Pictures of Emma

Video of Emma on a Slide

Dart Match #1.....One We Let Get Away

Last night was the first match for the Fall 2007 season of the Portland Area Dart Association. I am on a team for the first time, excited to be a part of the team that won the C division last year. We are in the B division this year. We actually have a very strong team with 3 great dart players. I am likely the wink link on the team but I will get better as the season goes on. I haven't played that long and only got serious about a month ago and try to practice most evenings.

We lost, I believe the final score was 17-12. We were up 8-3 at the beginning but hit a wall. The entire team started to play horribly and included two of our best players being swept in singles cricket. Wayne, our team captain, got swept, he lost only once all last year in singles cricket. I went 2-4 on the night. Wayne and I swept our first round of doubles. I got swept in singles cricket but the other teams best player. Then Eric and I got swept in doubles even though we were well ahead in both matches. Was one of those nights. The team we lost to won the B division a year ago so we were going against a great team.

We play every Thursday night. If you care to keep up, the PADA has a great web site. We are in the B division and our team is the Mooninites.

Yet Another Word

Emma learned how to say bubble today!

Sorry if I am posting these too often but I don't want to forget what she is saying and she is learning so fast.

Even More Words For Emma

She has added happy, eye, and elbow.

Web Article About PNCA Enrollment

PNCA put out an announcement on their web page about the enrollment growth that I am quoted in: PNCA Article

More Words for Emma

Emma keeps saying new words and has added the following to her vocabulary: up, baby, please, daddy, and No.

Amazing Enrollment for Jr's (Chris) First Fall at PNCA

Today is the first day of classes and the numbers of students coming through the doors for the start of fall is staggering. The goal for undergraduate enrollment to start this fall was 377. As of this morning we are at 426 (nearly 50 students over goal). The new student goal was 155 and we are 195 right now and it is expect that another 2-3 students will register in the next couple of days.

I wish I could take the credit for this but I have a truly amazing staff. This staff is a bunch of "doers". All I do is mention that something needs to be done and like magic, it is done. I don't need to beg or ask twice. It is truly impressive and a joy for me as a supervisor. They make me look good.

When combined with our first MFA class, the total enrollment on campus is 440. Last year at the start of fall, the enrollment was 336 so we have 100 more students on campus this fall. That is truly amazing for a school our size. The most impressive stat is that nearly 50% of all students in classes this fall are new to the campus! And not only is this class huge but they are the most talented we have ever had and represent 28 states and 3 foreign countries.

The weird thing is now we need to really focus on next year's class.....off to Montana in 2 weeks.

Pictures from Aunt Luci

Some pictures the Aunt Luci took and sent to us. 3 of the pictures are taken at a family favorite restaurant, Ocean Harvest. My personal favorite is the ones of Emma and Boompa.

Emma's Expanding Vocabulary

Seems like I just updated everyone on Emma's vocabulary yesterday but it has already expanded. She has added: ball, up, and purple.

General Updates

Here is what everyone is up to:

Jessie: Seems she has been very busy but that is a good thing for the old pocket book. Before we know it she will rule the design industry in Portland. She is seriously thinking of buying a house sometime soon which is exciting. She is anxiously awaiting the start of NFL.

Tasha: Like Jessie, Tasha has been very busy lately with some very large meetings. Although I can't feel too sorry for her as these meetings involved transformers, tricycles, and relay races. She and Jr recently celebrated their 6th anniversary and she thanks her lucky stars for marrying such a great guy.

Jr (Chris): Keeping busy with work. Wrapping up the current recruitment cycle and getting ready for the next. He leaves for 2 weeks in Montana in mid-September. Numbers for the current year are through the roof and the numbers of students who start on September 4th is at a level that PNCA hasn't been even close to. Total enrollment will increase by nearly 25%. He too can't wait for the NFL season to start...DA BEARS.

Emma: You get her updates all the time but she is doing pretty good. She seems to be mostly recovered from her illness this last weekend. She is talking more and more. She can say the following words:

Mama, Dada, Nana (grandma Jo), Baba (great-grandpa Forkner), Dadu (not sure what that is), another version of nana that means night-night, she has said Jessie a few times, Uh-oh, WO!, something like nanu which means thank you.

Emma continues with sign language but is becoming more and more verbal. She is spoiled by all, especially by Nana and Aunt Jessie. She is obsessed with large forms of transportation, particularly planes, trains, and buses.

Well, that is all for now.....

What a Day....What a Day

Yesterday (Saturday) was quite the day. The great thing is it was Tasha and I's anniversary (our 6th) so it will always be memorable. Emma had a couple of firsts yesterday:

1. She had her first sickness. She has had little colds but nothing that slowed her down. She had a fever yesterday and although she was in good spirits she was a little slower.

2. She climbed out of her crib!!!!!!!!!!! We had put her to bed already and it was about 9pm or so. Emma all of the sudden started to cry and at one point she really started to cry. We said "we should go check on her". All of the sudden we heard a big "thump" on the ceiling above us (her room is right above the dining room and living room). We popped up and sprinted up the stairs. To our surprise when Tasha opened up the door there was Emma walking towards us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She climbed out of her crib. Thankfully she wasn't hurt. We calmed her down and put her back to bed. I lowered her crib to its lowest level so we will see how long that will contain her.

Crazy stuff..............

Recent Pictures of Emma

These were taken last week during our trip to California.....STOP GIVING ME A HARD TIME ABOUT NOT PUTTING UP NEW PICTURES OF EMMA!!!!!