The Return of the Beard

This is the beard after one week. Looking scruffy and still too prickly to kiss!!! I'll give it a few more days to get soft.












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Las Vegas 51s

On Tuesday, August 15th, Ana and I attended a Las Vegas 51s Minor League Baseball game with our friends Joe, Janis and Rebecca. Joe's brother, Jim, is the Media Relations Director so we were treated like VIPs!! We had dinner in the air-conditioned Club Level and had great seats to watch the game! A big thank you to Jim!!









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Happy 43rd Birthday Mike!

On Monday, August 14th, Mike will turn 43 years old. Due to our busy social schedule (read: karate) we won't be available to celebrate then. We chose Saturday night instead. Yesterday we went to lunch at the Salt Lick Bar B-Q at the new Red Rock Resort and Casino and picked up a slice of Chocolate MotherLode Cake from Claim Jumper. Can't wait for Ana's birthday in 2 weeks so we can do it all again!! Happy Birthday, Mike!

The Consequences of our Words

Before.......................After

This is what happens when I give Mike a hard time about all the gray in his beard and then leave the house for 3 hours. For anyone who doesn't know, the last time I saw Mike without a beard was October, 1984. Quick! Do the math! That's just short of 22 years.

Bodies

We went to Bodies - The Exhibition with the kids today. It was really kind of cool. Sam's favorite part was seeing the lungs of the smoker compared to the non-smoker. "It was black and ugly and nasty looking and I hated it!" said Sam. The "Fetal Development Room" was a little bit on the freak-show side but it was all fascinating. It was $82 for our family of four with our Nevada residents discount. Worth the money if you have any interest in anatomy or the inner workings of the human body. If it comes to your city, go see it.

Pool Time

What do you do in Las Vegas when it's 110 degrees? You meet your friends at the Activity Pool. This is Ana and Sam with our friends Sera, Ethan, Grant and Dana (on the far right.) This is the pool where Ana is a Junior Lifeguard. She helps teach swim lessons in the morning. In the afternoon she has to option to "shadow guard" which means she follows the life guards around and does everything they do (except she doesn't get paid!!) She enjoys it and when she is 16 she can do it for money.

Karen's 40

Karen is 40 years old today. If the baby of the family is 40, how old does that make everyone else? The family (Mike, Ana & Sam) took me to Brighton Collectibles and picked out a beautiful necklace for me. Then we had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and Ana & I went shopping and picked up what I really wanted...a bo staff!

2006 Chun Kuk Do ITC

July once again brings us to the Chun Kuk Do International Training Conference and World Championships. Ana attended the 3 day event which included training classes, competitions and an Awards Banquet and Dinner at the Stardust Resort in Las Vegas . Ana competed in kata and fighting and took 1st place in both events! She competed against other girls her rank and close to her age. Next year she will be a higher rank and competing in an older age group. I'm sure she'll be great next year, too! The highlight of this year's event was a class taught by Grand Master Chuck Norris himself. We did not participate but were able to watch which was really fun!

Four

FOUR

Four things to do before I die
1. Get my black belt in karate
2. Learn to shoot a gun
3. Fly on the Concorde (not gonna happen - out of commission)
4. Stay at a seaside inn on the Mediterranean

Four things I can't do
1. Jump
2. Swim 50 laps
3. Sleep through the night
4. Figure out Sam's thinking process (WAY different from mine!)

Four things I love about my spouse
1. He works hard so I don't have to
2. Takes days off that hard work so I can pursue karate when I want to
3. He is THE barbecue master and cooks every weekend
4. Loves and accepts me in spite of myself

Four things I say often
1. "You're smoking crack!" as in...you've lost your mind
2. Cha ryut and kyung ye (Attention and bow in Korean for karate class)
3. Shush!!!
4. Get off the phone!

Four movies I could watch over and over again
1. Sense and Sensibility
2. A Knight's Tale
3. Toy Story 2
4. Okay - I don't spend a lot of time sitting around watching movies so I can't think of another one.

Four jobs I've had
1. Sandwich maker at Wendy's (a good lesson in how not to treat people)
2. Travel Agent (both leisure and business...business is better)
3. Accounts Payable Specialist for a grass seed company
4. Mom (the hardest one yet...working was a lot easier!)

Four places I've lived
1. Idaho (born there)
2. Montana (grew up there)
3. Oregon (got married and had kids there)
4. Nevada (want to retire here)

Four TV shows I like to watch
1. The Amazing Race (when it's on)
2. Survivor
3. Dog The Bounty Hunter
4. Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations

Four places I've been on holiday
I've been a travel agent so the list is long - I'll pick my favorites
1. Russia (1989 - right after the Berlin wall came down)
2. Bermuda - didn't see any triangles
3. France
4. Germany - to play soccer when I was in high school

Four favorite dishes
1. Brownies
2. Garlic mashed potatoes (but probably only because I can no longer eat them due to dietary restrictions)
3. Filet Mignon grilled over mesquite by my husband
4. French Onion Soup

Four places I'd rather be
1. On a massage table
2. On the mat doing karate
3. Almost anywhere my children are not fighting and someone is handing me a Margarita
4. With my husband (didn't mean to put you last, honey)

Phoenix - July 2006

We took a little summer vacation to Phoenix to visit the grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin.

This is Ana, Sam and Delaney on the bumper boats. A wet time was had by all!!










The Go Karts were a big hit with Ana and Sam. Delaney was not quite tall enough and had trouble pushing the gas pedal.












Swimming in the grandparents pool was the preferred entertainment AND it's already paid for!!!







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Fourth of July

Since the fireworks of my youth (you know, the ones where you get to blow stuff up!) are against the law here in Nevada, we did what we could. The kids did Poppers, SmokeBalls and Sparklers! Our neighbors who always do the really good fireworks moved last fall so this was all we had. Michael - we missed you!

Salt Lake City Again

We took a side trip while visiting Salt Lake City to actually visit The Great Salt Lake. It didn't make sense to drive 7 1/2 hours from Las Vegas and not see the Lake. It looked like a Lake!!

Salt Lake City

The weekend of June 9-11 I traveled to Salt Lake City with Ana and my mom (Julie) for a karate seminar and black belt test. I had hoped to test but the surgery on my foot in January has delayed my plans. Instead, I've included photos of our favorite vacation activities. Karen is drinking wine, and Ana is sleeping.

Sam's Final Soccer Appearance

On June 3, 2006 Sam competed in his final soccer tournament with his current team. They did well in the tournament and reached the semi-finals. They ended in Third Place. Sam played offense this time which is a switch since he usually plays defense. He was very proud of his performance as was I! This was a recreational team that was rather competetive so next fall we will return to the truly recreational league where he enjoyed playing a lot more.

Spring Break 2006

Spring Break 2006

We took a great family vacation to Walt Disney World and the Bahamas for Spring Break. Animal Kingdom has a new ride called Expedition Everest - it's a roller coaster that goes both forward and backward! Really fun!!


We also sailed aboard Carnival Cruise Lines FunShip Sensation from Port Canaveral to Naussau, The Bahamas. We arrived in the Bahamas on Good Friday which is a religious holiday so most of the shops were closed.

Regional Karate Competition

On February 4th, Ana competed in a karate tournament where she won 2nd place in kata (a choreographed fight) and 1st place in fighting. She lost kata to her friend Niki pictured here (in the red belt). The man kneeling in front of them is Mr. Gallacher, a 9th degree black belt and the Executive Vice President of United Fighting Arts Federation and Chunk Kuk Do, the style we train under. He is third in line in our organization behind Mr. Chuck Norris and Mr. Aaron Norris. It's good to know people in high places. This man is also my instructor's instructor. In karate lineage that makes Ana and me (Karen) the great granddaughters to Chuck Norris!!

Ana's Writing Award

On January 10th, Ana was honored at an Awards Reception at the headquarters of Nevada Power for an essay contest on the Future of Las Vegas. The contest was open to all students in the Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 kids!!) and Ana was one of 10 winners in her age group (grades 6-8). For her efforts, she received an award and a $100 gift certificate to Target. Quite the accomplished writer, her poetry is also being published in the Anthology of Poetry for young people. She was the only student in her school (1800 students) to be published. Now if I could just get her to do her homework!!!
This is Ana with her English teacher, Mrs. Brewer and her school principal, Mr. Larnerd. Both accompanied her to the awards reception.

Christmas 2005

Merry Christmas 2005


Karen, Mike with Guinness, Ana with Magic and Sam with Gizmo.







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Why we homeschool

This is a great example of why we homeschool. Most public schools don't allow students to sit this way while reading. Sam and I like to sit in the master bedroom in the winter since it is the only room in the house that gets direct sunlight.
Sam was often in trouble in 1st grade at his public school because he liked to sit on the edge of his chair and he "took up too much space."

Soccer Season

October brings us to soccer season. Both Ana and Sam played this fall. Ana was on a team called the Bluz Sisters. She played in a recreational league. Her 17 year-old coach spent much of the season looking pretty instead of coaching so it was rather a disappointing season. Ana spent much of her time as a defender and goalie. She did manage to score one goal this season. Unfortunately, it was against her own team!!! Poor Ana. Sam had a much better season. He had a great time just being out there with his teammates. Sam played defender all season since he is not the fastest runner. He did a great job of getting in the way of the other teams' offense!