Haley plays ball!

My Sunriver pics

Here is a link to my Sunriver photos.


Love you guys!

Sunriver pics

Hey, I thought I would post my best pictures from Sunriver and if everyone did that we could copy each others. I battled with the picture uploader on here, and it seemed to be putting random spaces everywhere and put the pictures in the reverse order I uploaded them, but it took too long for me to do again. I had a great time!!

Perhaps...

I experimented with this for breakfast to see if it would work for Sunriver...









It was delicious.

What's new with the Murrietta's

Hello all...

I thought I would send a little quick update on the happenings of the Murrietta family.

Well as of today Ricky has lost over 60lbs!! he is doing SO great! soon he will be going back to his old job out in the field ( as a tech for the cable co) we are both very excited about that...because that means more $$ plus its what he loves to do.

I am still working at the hospital and loving it. I was just offered another job however and am very much considering it. one of the Dr's here is pregnant and wants me to be her nanny. She will drop her son off at my house and will pay very well! That way I can go to school at still make good money. Also this job comes at a very wonderful time becuase Ricky and I have started the Adoption process. No we are not adopting Mahelia... but maybe some day! Our classes start march 1st and are every monday for about 12 weeks! we are so very excited to finally start our family. Also we are moving to a bigger house! yay lots of changes! Anyway i better get back to work....We will see you all in MAY!!!
emily&ricky

Let the record show....

After a lengthy discussion between Max 2, Morgan and I ... I did some research and I just wanted to share what I found.

The question was, "Do celebrities write their own tweets?"

I found proof.

We cant be right ALL the time Max. And photos on the internet don't lie. Ask Paris! ;)

I had fun with you guys tonight. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISABEL!

Also.. Why am I the only one still posting on this blog?

I cannot wait for Friday!

I finally did it!

Live from my APARTMENT! It's Jen online!!

After a week of waiting for my lovely package from Comcast... I finally received my welcome kit from Comcast yesterday. Only to find out my modem didnt work... So today I took a jaunt over to their service center and picked up a rental. So here I am... online and getting ready to post some of my cool creations on ETSY. I am excited to use my creativity for good! Well, my own good, anyway. And everyone elses enjoyment.

Also, I am totally looking forward to the Rockband rematch on Feb 5th. Awww YAH!

superjennyp

Check out my craft blog.. if you wanna..

http://superjennyp.blogspot.com/

I am going to get my etsy shop started this week.

Party Like a Rockstar!

Dress Like a Rockstar Rockband party at the Langworthy's last Saturday kind of started out as a joke, but when Jennifer realized I was really going to dress up she realized she had too as well. It was a gang of fun, and we'll have to do it again soon. It's kind of hard to tell in the pictures, but my shirt is all ripped up and held together with saftey pins.

After saving up a couple of months, combined with money I got for my birthday and Christmas I went out and bought a MASSIVE 42' HDTV. It has a port on the back to hook my computer up to, so I went out and got a wireless keyboard and mouse, and am now kicking back in my recliner (I tried to go to sleep about an hour ago and was just tossing and turning) writing this using my giant TV as a monitor. It's pretty awesome.

Another Blog

For anyone who is interested, I started a new blog.

Here is the link:

http://camsquest.blogspot.com/

I also plan on blogging more on Cam, Kay, Tay, and Hay.

Happy New Year to you all!

I made these. Dont worry. I added the other flower.

I was proud and happy to finally have a successfull slipper!!

Pretty soon I will have my Etsy shop up and running... So be on the look out! I had such fantastic models!

Big news!!

With all the big news surronding the Langworthy house I was wondering if we could take Saturday night to celebrate. (oh wait maybe first I should ask....Gina, is it okay if we come up on Saturday and go home on Monday?) Jenn and I were thinking how fun it would be to go out to a fun dinner like Greek food or something? Any idea's. Part of me thinks it would be fun to do grown ups only (meaning to exclude my kids) but I also think Taylor deserves to celebrate just as much as the next person. So I don't know give us your ideas. Love you! Kristy

Christmas

I have started crafting. It makes me SO happy that we are handmaking gifts this year!!

Mom was telling me this story of a woman who makes prayer shawls and the entire time she is making them she is thinking good thoughts about the person who will receive the shawl.... even though she does not even know who that might be. I just want you to know I am going to be thinking about each of you while I make your presents!!

Love to all of you!

My new blog!

Dear Rutabaga  lovers, 

               Its Isabel and I would just like to Inform you that I have m own new Blog. Its at blogger and is called Isabel Kate's Blog. Any  of you who would like too follow can.

                        Love ya lots.

                    Isabel K.

Ditto ditto ditto to Gina's post about homemade gifts! I think that it will be fun... and will make the holiday a little more meaningful and a little less commercial.

As far as our family dinner.. I am not working the Sunday after Christmas, so that would work best for me. Hope that works for all of you.

I am excited to make your gifts!!

It was lovely to see you all yesterday Williams Fam. The house looks fab. I will come paint soon!

Christmas - Gift exchange

We hope that you all won't mind, today Jen visited, she and Morgan and I decided that we should try the idea of a homemade gift Christmas exchange. We thought it would be fun for a change. If it is too much trouble, then give what you want, but keep in mind at least some of us will be giving you something we made. We concluded the gifts should reflect or match your resources and talents and everyone, children and adult can participate. Small or big is allowed including baked goods. Also we think that it can be partly homemade and part purchased (for example something framed).

I hope that works for everyone - if not speak soon or forever hold your peace.

Homecoming

It is pretty here. We found this lovely view from a hotel in Fira. Two more days here and then back to Athens one night and then home. (BOO!)

Max and Gina... are you around this weekend? I would love to stop by and see you.

Loves to everyone!

Christmas

Unfortunately I have nothing as exciting to post as Jen. I am starting to plan for the holidays. Last year we mentioned the possibility of a different gift exchange and I wondered if we could make a decision so I could plan. The possibilities I have thought of 1) continue unchanged, 2) exchange homemade gifts, 3) instead of gifts for the adults plan a family outing perhaps to a Christmas program or nice dinner.

We are still hoping that you all will join us for the traditional celebration. It would work for us to do the Sunday before or the Sunday after Christmas. We are having Max's work party at our house on Friday, the 18th, but otherwise both weekends are clear. Which weekend would you all prefer 20th or 27th?

Love, Gina

We left Crete yesterday... We were not bright eyed or bushy tailed.. but we were out the door at 5am.

Our neighborhood in Hania was all cobblestone streets... during our stay we could hear the coming and going of travelers by the sound of their wheeled suitcases. As we left, I was saddened to be the one making those noises.

We arrived at the port in Iraklion around 730am to find there was a ferry leaving earlier than we thought. It was a speedy trip... and two hours later we found ourselves coming into the port of Thira on Santorini. It was daunting. The port is in the bottom of the huge caldera and I had this momentary fear that I would have to trek up the big rock wall with my huge rolly suitcase (whose wheels were blown out in Athens... so really it would have meant dragging.) Luckily there were taxis and transport vans waiting for us. We took a van to our hotel.... and that leads us to the most dramatic part of our trip thus far.

We reserved it on Expedia.... which I have used on more than one occasion and has actually been great... but when we arrived we found many of the amenities listed on their page were absent (wi-fi, private beach, cafe, 24hr desk, pictures that did not remotely match what we actually happened upn, and showers that werent just a nozzle attached to the bathroom wall). We waited over three hours for someone to come and let us in. Then spent one night... and I braved the crappy, even by europian standards, shower. This morning at 830 we snuck out the back door with our heavy luggage and made tracks for the hotel we found yesterday afternoon. One that had wi-fi and a swimming pool. The only hitch in our escape was that they had Chelsea's passport. This morning we spent negotiating with them. (We actually started the process last night.) And after 5 hours, we had paid for only one night, they had returned Chelseas passport... and now here we sit in the lobby of our new beautiful hotel... Amber is swimming... I am surfing (the net) and we are all happy and can go about pursuing sunshine and our peaceful vacation.

So far Santorini has been an adventure.... actually since Wed afternoon, when we went on a road trip to small town Crete we have been livin la vida loca involving small town folk, militia, and crazy waiters. It has been fantastic and fun.. and nothing I could have anticipated.

Honestly, who would expect the cook at a restaraunt to invite himself to come home with me? If he hadnt been thirty years my senior I would have considered it. For the record I would have been okay with fifteen.

I love it here. I am sad that in a week from now I will be somewhere in the middle of my trip home... but I plan to thoroughly enjoy the time I have left.

Sfini Ejassis.... maybe? Cam.. Something along the lines of To your health?? or Cheers?

To see more of our adventures... and food pics, visit this blog:

http://lizzydishesportland.blogspot.com/

We took a boat tour today out into the Sea of Crete... A three hour tour. And yes we sang the song. And discussed our favorite episodes... I wish I could have gotten pictures of the Cretan versions of Skipper and Gilligan.... Stavros and Georgious... but the lighting on the deck was bad.

This place is amazing and beautiful... and feeling the warm warm sun on my shoulders in October is absolutely fantastic. You should see my tan. I haven't been this dark since I was 9 and spent the entire summer in my bathing suit.

As we were heading back into the harbor today I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this experience and I may have cried a little bit when I thought about having to return to rainy Oregon and home and reality.

I guess I have two more weeks to work on getting home sick.

For the last two days we rented a car and toured around the Island. Mostly in search of BEACH. The first day we went to Elafonisi. Driving was an adventure. Okay, I didnt even drive. Amber did. But riding shotgun was still an adventure. We drove up and over the biggest mountains. And through some very teensy tiny little towns... they were barely towns. More like two or three houses right on the mostly one lane road and maybe a church and probably a taverna. Elafonisi is beautiful... it is on the southwest corner of the Island... a super amazing pink and white sand beach. For 7 Euro you can rent 2 chairs and an umbrella. We took advantage of that deal. We were surrounded by tourists... Russians, Swedes, and some Greeks. "Creta" is the vacation destination of Europe.

Everyone we meet seems to be envious of our trip. The first Greek we met on the plane told us that we had planned a vacay "only Americans could plan." When we left Athens, the desk man at our hotel said, "Take me to Creta!"

Our second backroad adventure took place mostly because we had overcalculated gas and didnt want to waste it. We decided to rent the car a second day... We drove to Hora Sfakion. Its at the mouth of the Samarian Gorge and also the location of some of the events during the Battle of Crete in WWII. Also on the southern coast.. We stopped for lunch... I ate dolmadakia, and my friends ate greek pies and meatballs... and of course greek salad with tomato, onion, cucumber and lots lots lots of olive oil. The south coast is gorgeous and our second beach stop was Paridisos Beach. We parked at the top of a huge incline and had to slide down the steep sand to get to the water. It was amazing. So clear and warm. Playing in the waves was fantastic fun. We relaxed there for awhile before we drove back through the mountains. The small back roads are so phenomenal... and as we gained elevation we had some of the most amazing views of the Libyan ocean. (It was kind of crazy to think, while looking out over the water, that the body of land on the other side of that water was Libya or Egypt. It is also within my awareness how close we are to Iran and Iraq. We see American military almost every day. The is a naval base here in the port of Hania.) At one point as we drove through a gorge there was big huge towering rock within two feet of us on either side of the car, and within about five feet hanging over the top of us. We saw churches built into the rock wall. We saw elderly Cretan women all dressed in black walking to the churches. We saw sheep and goats. The mountains are huge and looming.

It was interesting to get off the tourist track and see the real Creta. I promise I have pictures!

Loves to all of you!

Wait, what day is it?

Oh.. Sunday.

Internet here is super slow mo... so pictures will have to wait.

But this is the most amazing place.

We have been in Hania, Crete since early early early Thursday morn. Wed our other friends met us who were coming from Sweden and we toured Athens. Took a cheesy double decker tour bus... Slightly stereotypical, but an easy and stress free way to see the sites. We got off and toured the Acropolis and hiked up to the Parthenon. From there we could also see the amazing span of the city. SO HUGE!!

We took the metro to Pireus around 7 (after getting caught up in, but negotiating safely out of a communist parade)... and boarded the night ferry for Hania. It left the port at 930pm. We ended up sitting on the deck... accidentally because we didnt know there was an inside lounge... and couldnt figure out why EVERYONE was smoking. It was an 8 hour tour.... I couldnt sleep. Read and people watched.

We arrived in Hania at 5am and dawdled for a few hours before leaving the ship and finding a cafe to sit in... Cafe turned out to be a bit of a "truck stop" kinda place... all they had for breakfast was white wonder bread toast and butter and jam. We then took a taxi and arrived in beautiful old town around 9.

It is beautiful here. It has been sunny and in atleast the 80's everyday. Our studio is in the old Venetian port and there are lots of beautiful alleys and small walkways with no room for cars... lots of places to walk. Yesterday.. or the day before we took a 15min walk and found ourselves on the beach. We have eaten delicious food and balanced leisure and adventure. Naps are a daily occurence. As is walking everywhere. The only taxi we have taken was from the port to our neighborhood.

I cant wait to show you all the pretty pics. I will as soon as I find internet that isnt so slow I want to tear my hair out.

We still have 11 days here... and then it is on to Santorini.

I love and miss you... but I am having the most amazing time!

Greetings from Greece.

Hey family.... Here is a pic from my first day in Athens!! It is crazy and beautiful and old.... and a bit dirty, okay, a actually pretty dirty, but beautifull!!! And there are tons of HOT HOT HOT men. Like really beautiful. Like even when they are wearing fanny packs they still manage to be amazingly beautiful.

More to come... just checking in from this side of the globe!! Have to go get dinner before it gets too dark! (So far the jetlag hasnt been too bad!!)

LOVE YOU ALL!

The remodel

Our house remodel started last Monday. It is amazing at what has been accomplished so far. Mostly a lot of destruction. But we now have a new roof and a dormer. We were grateful for sunny skies and hard work (mostly done by others).

Rafting pics (continued)

Here are pics from the second camera. I don't think Max will ever be able to follow in his dads footsteps politically with that wierd nipple picture. Don't ask, you don't want to know. I still need to finish off a roll from the second trip, then I will post pictures of that. Enjoy!!

Pics of rafting (1 of 2)

This is a best of from one of my cameras, and feels like it took me like an hour to get this online, and since I have plans today (GO DUCKS!) you will have to wait for the other camera. Enjoy!