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Merry And Glee Christmas 5x7 folded card

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Italy 2009

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Blog Catch-ups...

We haven't forgot about this thing! Just never enough time to write. So - in the near future I'm going to post the updates... but I'm going to date them when they actually happened, so it's chronological. I don't know if that's crazy, but that's what we're going to do. For the record, everything between this one and the Picnic post will be (or are) new.

Kim & Emma

On Feb 28 & March 1 we went to Knoxville to visit Kim J. and her daughter Emma Cruz. What a pretty baby!

And then we got caught in that bad snow storm.

But we made it home safe - it just took a bit longer.

Picnic in the Park

Bathroom Before and After

BEFORE... (yes it was purple)

AFTER...

Ahh... much better... and lots more usable storage space!

Now we'll have to update the photo of Buck in the old sink...

Julie passed the exam!!

YEAH!!! She's officially a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner. It took about a year to complete the courses, internship, case studies, and sit for the exam. And the great news is she passed! We knew she would do it!

Tai (from NYC), Brandy (from Washington State), and Julie - they ALL PASSED! Julie with one of her case study animals - Thunder.

KJ and MB make it to CLT!!!

The globe trotting Kyle & MaryBeth made a stop in - of all places - Charlotte! They brought the two Wonder Dogs - Syd & Maxine - who got to sit in our kitchen for the evening. It has been quite a while since we were able to spend some time with them, so it was great to catch up over a meal at one of our favorite restaurants. Y'all are welcome back anytime... And here's a plug for The Viewfinder Project - a great way to foster creativity in children that will aid them through their entire lives!

A Fun Day at App Ski Mtn

This was a nice day to go with hardly any crowds at Appalachian Ski Mtn in Blowing Rock, NC. This year I (Tim) have officially been riding 12 years (Julie's been riding 7), but this is the first year I've really gotten into the Terrain Park. This was my second perfect ride on the flat rail of the day. The picture is a little misleading, because there's a snowbank between the camera and the rail. So what you don't see is that at the end of the rail is actually a drop of about 4 feet to a 45° down landing.

This was a crazy fall. I started out straight, then my board decides to turn backside (which means clockwise), and then *bam!* the edge caught and flipped me over backwards. I got up laughing though... thankful my head didn't hit anything!

Gack! When shin meets metal flat rail... This must have happened on an earlier run that we didn't get on camera. Funny thing is I didn't know it happened until much later.

Martin in Greenville, SC

What a beautiful day it was to spend time with our friend Martin (from the UK) at a park in Greenville, SC of all places! We had a fun afternoon just hanging out at Reedy Falls Park right in the middle of town. Although we missed seeing Jo (his wife) and Grace (their beautiful little one), it was really nice to see him and laugh at his stories and learn more of what's been going on in the world... Special thanks to our friends Heth & Cindy for the park recommendation. :-)

Farmer Julie

Julie did some condo-farming this year! She planted two Sweet Bell Pepper plants, a green one and a red one...

Above is the Green Bell Pepper plant...

And here's the Red Bell Pepper plant... Can't you tell? We think there was some cross-pollination going on... They may have been small, but they were tasty in pasta sauce.

Anguilla 2007 (and St. Martin too)

July 23 - August 1, 2007. We've found a new favorite in the Caribbean! The island of Anguilla, British West Indies. We also went to French St. Martin and enjoyed it too - but not near as much as Anguilla.

Tim & Julie on our balcony at Carimar on Meads Bay, Anguilla

The town of Grand Case, French St. Martin. Lots of restaurants!

Sugar Bird!! (aka Bananaquit and Kissy-bird)

Tim at Grand Case Beach Resort, French St. Martin. Creole Rock in the background.

Julie at Grand Case Beach Resort, French St. Martin

Meads Bay sunset... from our deck at Carimar Beach Resort, Anguilla

Meads Bay rainbow (after our 10 minute rain)

Tim at Rendevous Bay. Julie snorkelling at Shoal Bay.

Julie at Barnes Bay. Shells on Rendevous Bay.

Sea Cushion, a yellow fish, Parrot Fish, a Stop Light Parrot Fish, and a Queen Angel Fish

Sea Spider, Sea Urchin with Sea Spider, Squirrel Fish, a cool little fish with a red top, and pretty purple Coral

Spotted Eagle Ray, Eel, Fireworm, Trumpet Fish, two Squid, French Angel Fish

Dolphins!! Dolphin Discovery Anguilla BWI

A Tucan, Macaw, and (blurry) Red Parrot (at Dolphin Discovery)

Dolphin trainers being SHOT STRAIGHT IN THE AIR!!!

"Only in Anguilla!!!"

Introducing... Buck!

On June 16th, 2007, we took ONE cat to the vet for a regular check up - but we came home with TWO! Our home hasn't been the same since... Buck is "bumble-ee" and not very coordinated: he falls off things and slides in the kitchen with his furry paws. But he's as cute as they come - and we're glad he's joined the family. If only he would eat his food slowly, and not vacuum it up so fast!

(No, it's not bath time... this was Buck's bed the first few nights.)

We met Mr. Pryor!!

So on June 3rd, 2007 we got to meet the one-and-only...... Andrew Pryor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's the webmaster of Sound Mind Investing (my favorite mutual fund investing website and message board) and is totally up on all the new things going on. He's quite the savvy techno-gadget enthusiast. Along with Andrew were his two girls, his wife (Angie), his two brothers (Tre & Matthew) and their wives (Jen & Kim) and all of their children. About 13 grown-ups and youngins' combined. Oh yeah, and his mom and dad too, so make that 15 total I think. Ok, so we caught them on a family vacation in South Carolina... But Andrew did invite us. We did a lot of talking about everything you can imagine, scoping the island out, getting his dad's autograph in my SMI Handbook, and even fed some apples to the deer - by hand! Julie and I found out what a wonderful family of believers they are and were really encouraged by the visit. All of it was really really cool. Thanks Andrew!

Andrew, Macy, Angie, & Regan

Tim, Andrew, Julie, & Macy Feeding the Deer

Julie and Macy feeding the Deer

A Great Christmas Present for Tim's Parents

I decided this year to do something to honor my parents for all they've done for my brothers and I growing up. So, I made a list - a big list - of all the gifts they made for us for the Christmas's while we were kids. And when I say "made" for us, I mean it! Mom & Dad would build us these toys out of wood, metal, and fabric - then paint them and have them ready for Christmas morning (they're in red below). What makes this significant is that most, if not all, of those things don't physically exist anymore because Mom & Dad's house burned down in August of 2003. BUT they do exist in our hearts and memories. I also included a lot of funny things we did and great memories we had. So, I must say I'm very blessed to have the parents that I do. Here's the text from it:

• Growing Up at the Wallace’s
• Goats, Chickens, Rabbits, Ponies, Cats, Doves, Tarantulas, Turtles, Llamas, and Kids!
• Height marker on the kitchen doorframe molding
• Tractor rides in the cart up to the woods to gather pockets full of acorns
• Dairy Goat Shows
• The Raffle Ticket Salesman of the Millennium!
• Reindeer tracks all over the house Christmas morning that helped us believe
• Tractor Trailer with twin steering wheels, shifters, and pedals
• The Big Trip to California and Mexico
• Puppet and Marionette Stage
• The Big Oven prop for the Gingerbread kids
• All of the artwork props at Centerville Elementary
• All kinds of Signs
• Encouragement to draw and be artistic
• Lots of paper from Monumental Life
• Making lots of things from Play-Doh – Muppets, animals, people, and cars
• Star Wars AT-AT (that fell on us Christmas morning)
• Dukes of Hazard, Knight Rider, and many custom Birthday Cakes
• Tipis to camp in under the stars
• Indian bow and arrows
• Indian headgear and horses on poles from Biederlack scraps
• Trips to Hershey Park
• Haircuts in the Kitchen
• Threats with the Wooden Spoon
• Flushing the toilet with a bucket of bath water
• Timed multiplication tests before school – made with carbon paper
• The Clubhouse – that became an animal carrier during the county fair
• Throwing rocks at the telephone pole – then barn windows and the old blue Opal
• Our very own cussing locations – far away from the house and each other!
• Baseball Dugout
• Basketball by the barn
• Running Track in the pasture
• The three Blue Beds – with side guards to keep us from rolling off – and Mattresses
• The Wooden Swimming Pool
• Trash bag costumes
• Rob’s Gizmo costume
• Lots of goat costumes – for the Prettiest Goat Contest
• Dollar Movie Wednesdays during the summer
• Swimming at the YMCA pool
• Sunday school at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
• Shoveling coal in the winter
• E.T. with glowing Heart and Finger & the little E.T.’s
• Helping us save money for toys – and even putting them on Lay-away
• Star Wars, G.I. Joe, He-Man, and Transformer Action Figures
• Castle Grayskull with Jaw Bridge, Trap Doors, and different levels
• Those gory – and slightly dangerous – Medieval Torture Chambers
• Guitar lessons at the Rainsburg Home for the Elderly
• Jugs and Jugs of Iced Tea
• Skateboard Mini Ramp
• Countless Trips to Bedford to pick us up from skateboarding after school
• Loving encouragement for us all to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes
• Living by example – showing us that there is so much more to life
• ♥ A strong marriage and friendship that will last Forever, Ever, and Always ♥

Check this guy out!

You've got to see Ryan Ferguson reciting Hebrews 9 and 10! It's an eleven minute video. It's amazing! You'll see on that link more info about him.

And here it begins...

...For our friends and family members, we welcome you to join us as we post updates, news, pictures, and anything else we can think of. Thanks for visiting and we look forward to reading your comments. Isn't the internet great?! Love, Tim & Julie