So Mike postponed his training with Direct TV for 4-6 weeks.  He went in on Monday and talked with a supervisor and they were willing to postpone.  He really needed time to get a head-start on his new business and take care of some other things.  All week he’s been working on establishing his business and generating customers and is very excited about all of it.  His website (courtesy of John) is capitolfireandbackflow.com.

For the first time ever, we are done with our taxes early!  We are getting a nice return as well that will more than off-set our debt to the IRS.  We were very pleased when our CPA emailed us with the numbers.

Reagan is as cute as always.  She still loves to laugh and play and smile.  She’s starting to show her wants and needs and demands.  It’s really quite comical.  She is a full time crawler now and is getting better at standing without holding on to anything, especially when she doesn’t realize it.  We can’t put her down and expect her to stay any more, she’ll crawl right after you!  Here comes the security gate!  She and I are heading to San Diego on the 21st to see the Creans and meet baby Aaron.  We can’t wait!

Just a quick note to explain the recent update to the site. John is converting our babyhomepages.net site to this one for a couple reasons: one is save money on the fee and the other is to allow us to blog in one place versus two websites. Over the next couple of months, John will transfer the guestbook and pictures from Reagan’s site.

We had a fun 4th of July as some friends from Sonoma County came to visit. Our friends Ken and Rhonda Martin came with 10 month old Piper. Newlyweds Dan and Jessica Allen came later that day. Ken and Mike played gold, while Mary and Rhonda played with the babies and went to lunch. We then BBQ’d and talked for a while. It was a really sweet time with everyone.

Mike left the 6th to drive to Nashville with his boat. He made it mid-day on the 8th, after stopping in Memphis to say hi to his grandparents. Mary and Reagan flew in on the 8th. Reagan was such a great traveler! We received so many positive comments about her being such a good traveler!! While there she met her cousins Jackson, Brenden and Kyla. The kids just loved her although she wasn’t able to really acknowledge them. She also met the aunts and uncles as well. We went to the lake house on Tims Ford Lake in Winchester, Tn. Mary and Mike rode the wave runners (Mary’s first time.) Everyone had fun taking care of Reagan.

Mary and Mike also went house hunting and feel we have narrowed the areas we’re interested in. We just need to work out the financing as in this market, we’re not able to sell the Ca house as we are upside down on it. We still plan on moving the Nashville in October, just in time for Mike’s championship in Branson, MO in November. Mary told her work and has been watching for a position in the Nashville claims office to open so she can transfer.

Nana Sherrill came out with Mary and Reagan to watch Reagan while Dad is in South Carolina. They have been having a great time together, getting to know one another. Grandma Pat comes next week!<

This past weekend my brother, Michael and his wife Gaile came to visit me with my niece Keira. They arrived on Saturday evening which we spent hanging out and playing 80’s Trivial Pursuit. That was a lot harder than anyone of us expected … so much for believing the commercials! On Sunday, we drove up to Redding to visit with Mike who had been gone since the prior Tuesday. He was fishing the WON Bass Pro-Am at Lake Shasta, so Michael and Gaile had the opportunity to see how the weigh-in and awards ceremony commenced. Mike missed a check by three places, which is a bummer. He is still up there preparing for the FLW Stren Series which commences on Wednesday the 10th. On Monday, Michael, Gaile, Keira and I (Mary) went to see the Sundial Bridge in Redding, the Shasta Lake Dam and Mount Shasta. It was a lot of fun with many great sites. I’ll post pictures once they send them to me. My birthday was low-key yet nice with the family visiting. Mike had missed his birthday as he was in Shasta on that day but we celebrated when he returned with the annual fried catfish and hush-puppy meal he loves so much.

On Tuesday I had my D&C to take care of my miscarriage. Michael and Gaile were great in taking care of me (and my house!) I feel blessed that it went well and was fairly uneventful. While I rested and hung out with Keira, Michael proceeded to take care of some things on my Honey-Do list such as replacing outlets, putting up a new light in the back-yard and fixing my bath tub. Gaile cleaned up the house for me so that I wouldn’t have to worry much about it. Mike and I appreciate all that they’ve done for us.

Mike will be returning either Friday or Saturday as it depends on how he does in the tournament. For those that like to follow his progress, check out the FLW Website.

So here we are on January 1st of 2007 with a new website layout and a much easier way for me to update. This is again in thanks to my little brother, John, who graciously put this together for us. He also designed Mike’s fishing site so be sure to check that out.Since my last post, much has happened. Mike quit working for his dad and fished full time starting in April. He did pretty good this year, even without any major boat wins. He spent the summer losing weight, getting in shape, working hard on starting a pressure washing business and nailing some sponsors. He has been doing very well in the sponsor category, getting more confident with each presentation. Check out his site for more information on who he managed to sign up with.

May brought us a new addition, a puppy! Our good friends got a Trigg-Walker Hound and Mike fell hard for the little gal. So we brought Dixie home on Memorial Day when she was only 7 weeks old. She’s much larger now but still a sweetheart!

In June we went to Las Vegas to celerate Ryan’s 21st birthday. We had a blast with family and each other. We took in a few shows, including The Blue Man Group and KA (a cirque du soleil production) We really like Vegas and will be there again in February for Mike’s Tournament at Lake Mead.

Also in June I went to my 10 year high school reunion. It was such a blast, I had so much fun catching up with old friends and aquaintences. Mike decided not to attend his this time.

In August, my niece was born to my brother Michael and his wife Gaile. She is so adorable and so much fun. Mike and I went to meet her and see the family a few weeks after she was born. We went on quite a world-wind trip that included the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Keira and her parents held up quite well given her newborn status.

In November I lost one of my favorite uncles, Steve “Jaime” Jaimeson to a very short battle with lung cancer. He was not a smoker so it was even more devastating. Our family convened in Minnesota to support my aunt and her family. It was amazing the amount of people Jaime had touched over his short life. His wake and funeral was nothing like I had ever seen …. hundreds of people came to pay their respect to a great, fun person.

Thanksgiving found us excited about a pregnancy. Family and friends were so excited for us as were we. Unfortunately in January, the ultrasound revealed that the baby never developed in the sac thus revealing an empty sac (called a Blighted Ovum.) Upon further research, we found out that this is a very common form of miscarriage. So we’ll keep on trucking ….

I think that’s enough for now but I’ll be back sooner this time!

What an eventful year so far …. mostly in Mike’s corner. He finished in 99th place out of 200 boats at the event at Lake Havasu. Not bad for it being his first time on that lake. He came back and finished 2nd for the same circuit at the Clear Lake event. He’s really proving himself as a great tournament fisherman. Check out Mike’s Bio at FLW Outdoors to see the circuit he’s fishing. His next event starts on March 29, 2006 at Lake Shasta. He’s up there pre-fishing as we speak.

With Mike doing so well tournament wise, he’s decided to cut back on working for his dad tremendously and fish full time. Kind of scary but with his recent boat wins, he has the money to do it. We’re planning on him netting a few more checks before the season is done.

I’m still studying for my Financial Analyst designation with the test coming up in June. My little brother and his friends came up for a visit. We went to Tahoe and snowboarded and then saw Unwritten Law at the local club. Had an awesome time with the boys. Not much else to report. Oh yeah, my older brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby girl this August. We’re all so excited for them and the first grandchild/niece. Check out their website!