IN MEMORY

Sept 11, 2003-May 30, 2009
You will be missed by many. We love you!

MARISA TURNS 30!!!!

Home Improvement Projects

Lately we have been spending the rainy days doing some home improvement stuff. First we added a new utility sink in our laundry room. We put it into the existing cabinet. It is so nice to have & we have already used it several times. The other thing we did is add laminate flooring in our kitchen & dining room. It was a lot of work but is a huge improvement from the ugly laminate that was there.

Gonzaga basketball banquet

This week I was given 2 free tickets to the Gonzaga mens basketball banquet. Greg wasn't able to attend so I took my dad with me. It was a fun night full of wine, good food and visiting with the players. They even wandered around the floor & took pictures and signed autographs. While I was there I got my picture taken with a player that is 7ft 4. Here are some pics from the night. Today the Zags were selected for 4th seed. They play on Thursday in Portland. Hopefully they make it all the way to the Final Four. Go Zags!!!

Back from Brazil!

I returned on Tuesday afternoon from Rio after flying for 18 hours! The trip was unbelievable. We stayed with my friend Milton at his house. The house is like a resort spa. Tropical flowers everywhere, a pool, even a cook and a maid. We ate amazing foods, fresh squeezed juices everyday, walked the beaches, shopped, and went sight seeing. We went to the top of Sugarloaf mountain, Corcovado where the Christ statue is located, the Botanical Gardens, and attended a Brazilian wedding that lasted until 4am. The highlight of my trip was our side trip to Foz do Iguacu to see the Iguacu falls. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. Over 2 miles and 200+ individual falls, pictures and words just do not do it justice. We even took a boat ride in the Iguacu river that actually took us underneath the falls! We were soaking wet but the weather was so warm and humid it didn't matter. We also went to a Brazilian BBQ for dinner that served amazing meats such as prime rib, filet mignon, and 10+ other cuts of meat plus a few interesting kinds (chicken hearts & turkey testicles which I passed on)! When we stepped off the plane on Tuesday the temp was 5 degrees, a full 70 degree difference from when we stepped on the plane in Rio. By Wednesday morning it started snowing and didn't stop until Thursday evening. We had over 2 feet of snow by the time it stopped. My parents saved the day by coming with their snow blower to get the snow out of my driveway. It would have literally taking me all day to get all the snow off the driveway. I think I'll return to Brazil until spring!

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving this year was at Greg's parents house. It was a relaxing day filled with lots of fun and good food. We had bowling and tennis tournaments on the Wii, watched the Seahawks lose horrible (nothing new there), ate a lot and just hung out and visited. Greg and Elijah both got into the spirit by sporting their Seahawk jerseys. We even had the first snowfall of the year. Hope everyone elses Thanksgiving was just as nice.

Hiking

Despite being the end of September, the weather is still wonderful here in Spokane. Yesterday was one of those days. I decided to go hiking on the mountain up behind Liberty Lake. It was quite the climb but the view from the top made it all worth it. Even saw some wildlife; a snake, lots of chipmunks, and some even some horses. Today I am very sore but feel good that I got out and got some exercise.