family

Jessica and I caught an early screening Thursday night with 400 of our closest friends from the University of Washington. Every single seat was taken; we had to sit in the front row (not recommended - particularly for a 3D movie).

Would I recommend the movie? For nerds, yes. For normal people - wait for Netflix. It was visually dramatic, aurally dynamic, and reasonably interesting - however, it's not going to carry the interest of non-nerds.

What about for kids? Geeks over 8 years old should enjoy it. Might be a little intense for kids under 8.

Anne, Aurora, and I had the great honor to share in Ken's graduation from boot camp last week. I've posted a few pictures on-line for friends and family to enjoy. I hope to have a video posted from some of the highlights when I can.

CLICK HERE to see all of the photos

Platoon 2121, Fox Company, Marine Corp Recruit Depot, San Diego, January 8, 2010

At attention during graduation

Salute, prior to dismissal

A very rare smile from the drill instructors - only after graduation!

Anne, Ken, and Aurora spend time near the Exchange

Ken reflects on boot camp after graduating

It has been a crazy December; I hope to do a better job with my blog in the weeks to come. We made it through the holidays, although it has been quieter with such a small family here. It was just Anne, Jessica, and me to celebrate this year. As it all comes to a close, here is a link (CLICK HERE) to Jessica and I taking down the Christmas tree.

We had a smaller crowd around the Thanksgiving table this year, but we're grateful just the same. Our thoughts and prayers are with our missing family members - Kenny at Marine boot camp, Moms, siblings, and extended family. Here's wishing that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a good start of the holiday season!

Jessica has started on a 24 month process with braces. She has endured all the spacers, molds, & photos to get to the real thing today. The orthodontist is dealing with jaw alignment issues, crossbite, and class II malocclusion. Amazing to see all the colors available for braces now. She chose blue for now, but is already planning for red & green when they are replaced before the Christmas holiday!

Notes from Jessica: Well, first I had spacers, but those are out now. In my mouth now, I have an expander and (obviously) top braces. The spacers were the little plastic bands that made space between my teeth so the expander could be seated. The expander is also called a quad-helix because it's like a spring, all wound up, to push my upper teeth apart. My upper jaw is so narrow that I can't properly eat with a spoon because a spoon will not fit. Hence, expander. The top set of braces is just normal braces, brackets cemented on with a wire that will pull teeth into the correct position. The bands are twisted differently because the teeth are twisted differently. There are only 2 bands on, out of 10, that could be put on simply. The others had to be put on all twisted around or not even fully put over the bracket to increase movement in a certain direction. I picked "mediterranean" and "light blue" bands 'cause blue felt patriotic on Election Day. I have to get new bands in December, so I'll probably go with Christmas-y colors.

Jessica has been knitting again! I'm not (knot?) a knitting expert, but her work is really looking pretty good to my eye. She's getting very consistent stiches for long runs. She tells me that this yarn was 85% wool and 15% mohair. It just looks great! It's super-warm and very comfy. Jessica says that if she gets a little better, and manages to master making fruit jams, she'll officially qualify to be one of the older ladies at the state fair. I think she's got a few more years before she qualifies...