Salsa Time!

Well, we finally had a few tomatoes that could help me make some salsa. We planted our onions too close together, as you can see by the small size, but the end product is delicious! The bowl that you see on the counter will probably be gone within 1 day of Christina realizing that it is in the fridge. (I think she would probably shrivel up and die w/o some sort of chip and dip combo.)

Besides making a big bowl of salsa I finally fixed the sink that has been... well I guess the best way to describe it would be to say "wobbly." The piece that allows one to tighten up the faucet to the the sink was a wee bit rusty.

If I wasn't wearing safety glasses, I would have two eyefulls of rusty metal. So, Dad, you might want to think about replacing it when you get back. I used my ingenious skills to make it work for now though.

I took another practice LSAT last night for the course that I am taking, it didn't go as well as I hoped, but that is typical they say as people are trying to do things following Kaplan's method rather than their own. It's a good thing they have a higher score guarantee because unless things change in the next 5 weeks I might be taking advantage of that.

Everything else is going great. Kathryn is busy working and actually had a friend from the ward over while I was at class so she could watch "So you think you can Dance?" with someone who will squeal and giggle with her. (I don't squeal or giggle). Life goes on, and Porkchop wanted me to include a picture showing how difficult it is to be a dog.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Hollister

Well, every once in a while I get the chance to go down to Hollister, CA with some other Scout enthusiasts. (That is "Scout" like my old truck, not the scouts that I am going to be in charge of). This was the 4th time that I went down there and I had a fun time camping overnight and AVOIDING the poison oak.


The LSAT course is going along just fine. There is "required" homework, which is the hw you have to complete for Kaplan to back their "better score guarantee," and the "recommended" hw, which is what I try to do as well. It took me probably 4-5 hours per session. But, I am actually enjoying the course. Every time I sit down to either the class or homework I really feel like I have to exercise my brain, unlike some of the classes I have taken where the instructor just wants you to regurgitate your class notes. Kathryn went to SF with her sister and bro-in-law and had fun walking across the golden gate bridge. Hmmmm... what else... the primary lesson we taught today was on "The Lord Blesses Missionaries." Our challenge to the kids was to write a missionary and thank them for their service. So... if you know a missionary... wink-wink... write them a letter.

Porkchop has decided that it is too hot to walk if he doesn't get his walk first thing in the morning. If you try and take him on a walk later in the day he will flop down on every bit of shade and grass and not move. However, he still likes a nap on what was previously the cats' blanket.


ps. for a size comparison, the tires on my Scout are 35 inches tall. About 3 ft.

Feed Me Seymour!

Well, I wish the picture would do the pumpkin plant a little more justice. The thing is ENORMOUS!! It is taking over the whole back corner of the yard by the compost pile. One of the vines is crawling up the fence and is trying to escape our yard and start the takeover of the neighbors.
I was able to thin out the peach tree today (again) and probably took off at least another 100-125 peaches. I am sure that the overloaded branches appreciate it, but Porkchop was looking forward to eating the low-hanging fruit I am sure.
Tuesday, Thursday are my LSAT classes and the first one was horrible. I mean I learned some great techniques, but the temperature that day was close to 100 and the building they have the course in had its a/c broken. But since the heater worked that was turned on. I know, it didn't make sense to any of us either. So I cooked in a room with sweat literally pouring down my face for 3.5 hours. Oh joy! I get to go back tonight! I really hope they fixed the a/c. I have already spent 4-5 hours doing my homework and whatnot for the class today, so I should fry my brain about 30 minutes into the class this evening.
Kathryn was in charge of setting up the tables and chairs for an enrichment dinner this week. Why you ask? Because she is on the enrichment committee. Oh, and since it's not at the church it's a good thing her husband has a truck and can haul all the chairs (60+) and tables to go with them. So Kathryn took a day off work to help me haul them over, and sweet guy that I am, I told her I would take care of the returning the items the next day. The total of time used? 4.5 HOURS. I told Kathryn next time she gets to make the posters for the announcement and someone else can take care of the other stuff.
One of the good things that came out of this event (besides blessings for service) were the multiple bouquets that Kathryn put together and was able to keep. So now we have sunflower bouquets scattered around the house. So there are some perks to getting to keep some of the decorations from the activities.

Another Try

I was told that my first blog was too long and that blogs are supposed to have more pictures and less writing. But doesn't everyone know that I am an English Major?! Porkchop has been a big help with finishing up my last assignment for school that I get to turn in tomorrow.

For those that wonder on his size, I just weighed him today and was hoping since we have cut back on his kibble that he would be down from the 47 lbs he was a few weeks ago. No such luck. He is a whopping 49.8 lbs of pure puppy. We really need to get him away from the fruit. Oh well. Kathryn and I just returned from her parents' house where we celebrated 2 birthdays and a belated father's day. It was a great time and I was able to take a picture of the fence that is being built.

I did take another practice LSAT yesterday and didn't do as well as I did on the previous attempt. I guess it's a good thing that I am taking a class for it. Just to round out this post I will include another picture of my dog. People obsess over their kids, well, until we have our own I will obsess over my dog. I hope everyone has a great week!

ps. porkchop doesn't like to let go of his tug toy.

New Blog

I guess since everyone else has a blog that Kathryn and I might as well start one as well. This is kind of like the idea of facebook where I just don't want to do it, but when in Rome....
Seriously though I think I will still hold off on joining facebook, you know, purely for stubbornness. Today was the last day of summer school for me. Unfortunately I still have one more assignment to turn in on monday. You would think that if school is over homework should be over as well. Obviously not. School never really ends for me though since I start a LSAT prep course starting this saturday. Lovely, I get to twist my brain in knots over yet another practice LSAT for a few hours on one of the few days Kathryn doesn't have to go to work. The sacrifices we all make...
Since Kathryn and I don't have any children, there isn't nearly as much fun stuff to update everyone on. Porkchop has lost a little weight, but he likes to supplement his diet with whatever becomes available. Recently that has been with a LOT of plums. Picking up the side yard is just picking up a bunch of plum pits clumped together. Oh, and since the apricots have started dropping he decided that he loves those, not so juicy and messy (since too much juice is a bad thing when you don't have cheeks to keep the mess in your mouth). As if that wasn't enough to keep him full he spends the evening hours running on the back lawn chasing and eating what I can only assume -from his jumping and darting with smackings of lips- are grasshoppers. Then when he has tired of those he goes to the back porch to polish off his meal with a few moths trying to get through the screen door. He is a spaz and eats everything in sight, but he's a pretty good dog. And as you can see he leads a pretty rough life. (This is from a few months ago before the diet and the summer weather arrived.)
On another note, last weekend we were lucky enough to see David, Griselda, and all the boys as they came down to see some of Griselda's family and spend some time with us. I think they are really happy to be back in California. The weather was great for them and I can't imagine they would be missing the Michigan summer. The boys got to play with Porkchop in the backyard and they found out that he is able to fit 2 tennis balls in his mouth at once so you need to have 3 balls in order to play fetch for any length of time. They also joined us for breakfast on the 4th of July since the ward was putting on a pancake breakfast, hey free breakfast?! Who can pass that up. There, David was accosted by a few people, but mostly Steve Keller, as David was re-introduced to many of the Heritage Oaks ward members.
Kathryn spent a week down in sunny southern California at her grandparents when all of the sisters, nephews, and niece went for a mini-vacation to hang out at a pool for a week. I think being around so many kids was detrimental to her sanity, but she loved being there and had fun just enjoying the pool. While she was enjoying her pool, I and another one of the son-in-laws were conscripted to build a new fence for the in-laws. I actually enjoyed it since it gave us a time to hang out without the wives and kids around. I didn't really enjoy the 6.5 hours of digging post holes and pouring cement in 90+ degree weather (I know, I know 90 degrees isn't hot it's only temperate, but it seemed hot at the time). We even went back again this week to work on it some more. The Lowe's (Kathryn's parents) really appreciate the work and it's a good excuse for a get together. I am sure that I am forgetting something more that would be interesting to some of you, but I just can't think of what it would be. Oh, I am now supposed to be the assistant scoutmaster for the older troop. I haven't had a chance to meet with the scoutmaster since he is currently on a family vacation, but it sounds as if it should be fun. I will either be great at the job, or horrible. I don't think that I will be anywhere near lukewarm.
Well, I hope that everyone enjoyed the blurb about what is going on in Mountain View, CA and I will post up updates when I can.
-Pete