Just dropped $1000 to get Sarah to France in September. Ah, the price of education!

Happy Birthday Sarah and Ben!

Finally, finally, hung the old stained glass lamp.

Sarah has flown West to Oregon to return to school; her Winter Break is over.

Sarah flies home tonight from Oregon to start her (almost) month-long winter break from OSU. Yay!

Sad news, Hoshi the Guinea Pig has passed away. She was a good pet for Sarah, May, Cameo, Ben, and Jason.

 

Sad news, Wonton the Dog has passed away. He was a good pet for Andrew, Shauna, and Khazana.

 

Happy Diwali Day, Andrew!

 

Also, you're now old.

Happy Birthday Grandma Kerry!

Happy Birthday Cameo!

The van is all packed up for Sarah's trip to Oregon

Sarah is in Oregon today for OSU Registration. Here's a shot from the room where she's staying.

Today the family is heading out to climb Gray's Peak, the highest mountain in the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains and the highest point on the Continental Divide. It's an easy 10-mile hike, and will help count toward Ben's Hiking Merit Badge. We have good weather and should have a nice time.

Cameo and I have been married for 21 years today! Happy Anniversary!!

Stylized pictures of Andrew and Khazana

Happy Birthday Sarah! Happy birthday Ben!

Happy Birthday, Cameo!

Jefferson County Public Schools resume classes today. Sarah is entering her Senior Year of High School, and Ben is starting as a Sophomore. Both are in the International Baccalaureate Program at Lakewood High School.

Sarah and Ben have one week of "freedom" left before they start the 2011-2012 school year. However, they've been hard at work already completing summer assignments, so their schoolwork actually started August 1st. And to think school used to start after Labor Day!

Had my first Rocky Ford cantaloupe for breakfast this morning. Yum! Always reminds me of how much my Mom loved good cantaloupe.

Happy Birthday, Khazana!
Welcome to teenage-hood.

Happy Birthday Dad! Hope your day is great!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Lakewood High School recently made a video of Katy Perry's "Fireworks" and posted it on YouTube.

Read more about the production on 9-News - and how the video made it to Katy Perry's Facebook page.

I saw Sarah around 1:13-1:17, haven't seen Ben yet Ben is in the crowd scene at the end.

If all goes as planned, by the end of the day today Ben will have his learner's permit and will be able, if not ready, to begin practicing driving. As he said yesterday: "Stay off the sidewalks..."

Happy Birthday Sarah and Ben!

UPDATE @ 2/1/11 9am - I spent the night in the hospital; the morning CT scan showed the bleeding had stopped. I was released soon after. I will be taking today easy and will have a follow-up scan in three weeks. Moral: BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

UPDATE @ 5:15 pm - I've been admitted for observation, as my CT scan showed some internal bleeding. I get scanned again in the morning and if all looks okay will be released by lunch.

This morning while scraping ice from the truck I slipped and smacked the back of my head. While I did drive into work, dizzyness and other issued led me to seek medical advice. A doctors visit determined I have a concussion; I'm now waiting at hospital for further tests to make sure there's no internal issues. Hopefully everything is okay and I just need some rest.

What a difference a day makes...
Now I'm no longer on the north side of 60; I'm on the south side of 70!

To celebrate her 70th Birthday, Grandma Kerry went on a hot-air balloon trip! Thumbnails below, click through for full-sized pictures.

Happy Birthday Cameo!

Happy Birthday, Shauna!

Thanks to Grandma Kerry, Sarah is now driving a 2002 Dodge Intrepid. Sarah will have it for a couple years, and then it'll pass down to Ben, and after that to Khazana. Click a thumbnail for a full sized shot

Sarah and Ben have their first day of school today. Sarah is a Junior and Ben a Freshman. I remember when they went off to Kindergarten as if it were yesterday, and now they're both in High School.

Lois Terzis is 90 on July 9th!!

We're wishing for you from afar a great birthday. You've been a source of wisdom and inspiration for us all. Enjoy your day, and weekend celebration with your friends and family.

Back from a week of summer camp (some pictures soon!); Ben is going to Tahosa to staff Bighorn Leadership Training this coming week; this weekend is the Cherry Blossom Festival. Lots going on!

Happy Anniversary Cameo!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Sarah "sits" for her driver's license today. We've got the paperwork done, a year's worth of practice driving documented, and the necessary forms of identification. The weather should be sunny and in the 50s today, so she shouldn't have any issue passing the exam. Good Luck to you, Sarah!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

More photos from the concert:
 

Happy Birthday, Ravioli!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Also born today...

Happy Birthday Cameo

Last night, what started as a quick trip to the grocery store, turned into a two-hour drive around town. Sarah needed to get in some practice drive time, and had volunteered to drive to the store. Coming back, she asked if we could take a longer way home. We ended up driving highway 93 up into Boulder, looped around campus, and then took US-36 back to Superior and home via Indiana Blvd. She did great, and can count the trip for practice, night driving, and highway driving.

Sarah and Ben are back at school today (first day is a Friday?!?). Sarah's a sophomore at Lakewood High and Ben is a "top of the heap" 8th grader at Manning Middle School. Good luck today, kids!

August 5th--Happy Birthday, Khazana!

Happy Anniversary, Jason and Cameo!

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Kerry, Andrew, and Khazana came down last Saturday to help celebrate Ben and Sarah's birthday. We had a great time playing games and eating cake & ice cream.

More Birthday Pictures

Happy Birthday Sarah! You're 15 and can get your permit!

Happy Birthday Ben! You're 13 and are officially a teenager!

Ben's finally on the tail end of being sick. Yesterday he had a lot more energy and his fever was gone. He's still stuffed up and coughing but is feeling a lot better. We'll still take it easy today, however we expect he'll be back at school tomorrow.

Sarah is taking the behind-the-wheel part of her driver's ed course today. We dropped her off at a big parking lot at 8am, handed her the keys, and wished her good luck. She's under the guidance of MasterDrive program, and based on the feedback we've gotten from other parents she's in great hands. She's already passed the written part of the course, and as soon as we find the time we can hit the DMV and get her official learner's permit.

This past weekend Ben and I attended Klondike Derby at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. It was COLD, but all the scouts got through the weekend with few issues. However, Ben came down with a nasty bug Sunday morning and is now laid up with a cold and fever. We're hoping things improve today, but he's staying home from school to rest more. If he's still running a temp we'll call the doctor tomorrow.

Sarah and Ben head back to school today after their long winter break. Both have a similar schedule to last semester, with just their elective courses changing. They both were able to get up at the correct time this morning, so vacation didn't spoil them for early mornings. (Ben did request a cup of coffee, though). Good Luck Kids!

Happy Birthday Piper! Our "millenium" dog turns 9 today.

I've uploaded photos from Christmas on Flickr.

Also: Jason and Piper: Santa'd and with snow!

Today is National Adoption Day.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Happy Birthday, Ravioli! 12 years old today.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my birthday.
It is also the 250th anniversary of famous lexicographer Noah Webster's birth. (1758-1843)
It seems fitting that we share a birthday, given my love of words!

My Skandha have been flaming lately and I've become keenly aware of Dukkha in my life. Hopefully this month I can find some time to become re-centered.

Today Sarah is dancing at the Boulder Asian Festival at 3:30. We've had lots of rain this weekend, so hopefully it'll NOT be raining when she performs.

Today is the first day of school: Sarah as a 9th grader and Ben as a 7th grader. Good luck at your new schools!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Lois!

I wrote Aunt Lois asking if she was okay with all the flooding in Iowa (including Des Moines). Here is her reply:

Thank you for your concern and kind thoughts. Fortunately we are high and dry here at Wesley Acres. I'm so grateful to be here and not have the responsibility of the house. My heart goes out to all the victims of the floods, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms etc.--all tragic losses. The entire country has been deluged with viscious storms, and lots of places in the world with earth quakes and other disasters. I watch the Weather Channel more than regular news it seems. The destruction and deaths at the Boy Scout Camp were heartbreaking. I must get the TV on and see if the DM River hs crested. Thanks again. Lovingly, Lois

I've finally uploaded photos from Sarah and Ben's continuation ceremonies. See them here on Flickr.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Here is a list of other important things that happened on this date.

Congratulations to Sarah for "graduating" from Manning Middle School! Congratulations to Ben for "graduating" from Kullerstrand Elementary School!

we went to a pinball expo last night. All machines were on free play so we were able to use any working machine. Sarah and Ben had a good time and we all went home tired.

This is a great picture of Sarah.

Last Month Ben participated in a multiple-school Sports Stacking competition. Ben has been "stacking" for a few years now, and is very good at it. Today he came across this article about the competition and how he and his fellow participants "stacked up": Ben took 4th in the Boys 3-6-3 and 1st in the individual Boys Cycle.

I've uploaded some photos of Sarah dancing at Hanamatsuri last week. See them here: Pictures | Slide Show

Happy Birthday Sarah! You're 14 today!

Happy Birthday Ben! You're 12 today!

Today Ben heads off to Windy Peak for Outdoor Lab School. He'll be there today through Friday, taking classes and electives. Have fun and stay warm, Ben!

Sarah received a digital camera for Christmas. Below is a slide show of her first set of pictures.
Click the triangle to play - requires Flash

Happy Birthday Marishka Shuto!!

After months of looking, we finally found a minivan we like, and last night we made the move to purchase it - a 2003 Honda Odyssey:

Note: Not our actual van, but it's the same type and color

Now we will have enough room for the five of us, plus cargo space, when we all travel together!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

Happy Birthday, Ravioli!

67!!!
What can I say? It's a PRIME number!

Happy Birthday Cameo!

Khazana's First Gymnastics Meet

Khazana competed for the first time this Saturday. She did very very well. She was steady all-around. She ended up placing 3rd all-around score for her age group. She also place second for the beam event. Her score qualified her to compete in the State championship in December.

Today is Ben's first day of school, and the start of his last year in Elementary School.

Have a good day, Ben!

I've been terribly lax in posting things lately - lots of work commitments, Sarah and Ben activities, and I was sick for some of the week last week. We all escaped up the Poudre Canyon to our friends' cabin for the weekend, leaving behind the city, str

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting.
Unknown (quoted in an e-mail from Aunt Lois)

Happy Birthday, Aunt Lois!

Cameo's Uncle (and May's older brother), Henry Yamashita, passed away today from complications following a heart attack. He was 81.

"At a memorial service a Head Priest declared one day, "We usually say that the deceased has gone bac

Cameo and I have been married for 16 years today.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

Sonic Drive-In will help you celebrate with Free Root Beer Floats from 8:00 PM to Midnight.

Tonight Sarah was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. She's maintained a 4.0 average in school and has demonstrated Leadership, Service, and Character. Congratulations, Sarah!

Yesterday was a gorgeous day - warm with nice breezes. We thought there was enough wind to go fly kites. We loaded up the truck and headed over to our usual flying park. When we arrived there were four kites in the air, but by the time we got unpacked

Now that we have Piper, the kids get to clean up the back yard. It's actually pretty hard to find a plain old "pooper scooper" any more. At first we got a cat-box litter scoop, but then I found the Scoop and Sack It

While we did not have a big Easter event this year, Ben did mention (loudly, often, and forcefully) that he "never" had dyed eggs before. So we went out and got a dozen grade A's and a pack of neon food coloring and went to work. He and Sarah did 5 egg

We've had Piper the Dog for three weeks! This evening the kids decided to give her a bath. She was a dirty dog! The bath went all right - she hopped out of the tub a couple times - but after a thorough cleaning she's a clean looking and smelling pooch!

For some time now I've been trying to get involved with the Boulder Humane Society's Pet Cruiser. This is a large trailer rigged out with cages and other equipment for transporting dogs and cats (also rabbits, ferrets, etc. from time to time) to commun

Happy Birthday, Ben!
Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Yesterday we went up to the Boulder Humane Society and found a dog to adopt. Her name is Piper, and she's an 8 year old Lab mix. Sarah and Ben both took to her right away, so she will fit into the family just

Yesterday I spent $6.00 putting my car through an automatic car wash. It was WORTH it to get rid of 3 months of road grime and splashed mud. It's also very nice to be able to walk near my vehicle without getting oily dirt on my clothes. My Mom used to

On February 10th we had a 25th memorial service for Cameo's father. Family from Virginia and Cheyenne came down to participate. I took some pictures of the visit, and finally have them up on Flickr. Posted by Jason to Family 

I was driving Sarah to the craft store today to get supplies for a school project when she noted, "We're really busy this month!"

I couldn't agree more: between school requirements, Scout activities, family coming into town, family leaving to

Today was the Spelling Bee at Kullerstrand and Ben won first place! His winning word was "geranium". Now he goes on to the regional round to compete against some of the other area elementary school. Well done, Ben!

Posted by Jason to Family 

Last night we participated in the Joya-no-kane service at the Buddhist Temple. This New Years service welcomes in the new year with the ringing of the large temple bell 108 times. Each person who attended got to ring the bell. Below is a picture of Cam

What have the kids been doing on their Winter Recess? Well, Sarah has been playing on the computer and Ben got a new Le

Here are three photos of Sarah, Ben, and cousin Khazana playing in the quinzhee we built in our front yard.

Because of the blizzard, we finally had enough snow to build snow forts. Over the past couple days I built a quinzhee in the front yard. It's about 4 feet high, 8 feet across, and can hold 2 to 3 peop

Sarah, Ben, and I shot some video of the blizzard, and Ben edited into a nice little movie. Check it out on Google Video, or play it below.

Posted by Jason to Family 

Sarah joined the Manning Middle School volleyball team last month, and after school today is their first game when the girls take on Arvada Middle School. Good Luck Sarah!

It appears the blower motor on the furnace has died, so it was a chilly night for us. We'll be calling a HVAC company to come look at (and hopefully fix) the unit today, which is good as tomorrow's HIGH is only supposed to be 34°F. The modern convenien

Happy Birthday, Andrew! Enjoy your trip to Washington, DC.

Today is Ravioli's 10th birthday! Happy day, sweet puppy.

Sarah's got a new post up on her blog, giving a quick rundown on school, her arm, and Halloween.

Sarah got her cast off today! She now has a removable brace she has to wear for a few weeks, and has to avoid "contact sports" for a month. She's happy to have her arm back and can wash it in the shower.

Happy Birthday James Shuto!

It winds from Chicago to LA
More than two thousand miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66!

Happy Birthday, Lenora Shuto!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Cameo!

Over the weekend we went up to Beaver Meadows Resort, by Ft. Collins and Red Feather Lakes. We were attending my company's annual "camp out" - though this time we were sleeping in condos instead o

I've had my motorcycle for about three weeks now. Here are some milestones:

• Rode around the neighborhood - up and down hills
• Rode down Carr Street (stalled out at a traffic light)
• Rode down and up Kipling Street to Lakewo

So, awhile back Cameo and I attended the ABATE motorcycle training class and received our "M" endorcement on our licences. Since then we've been wanting to get some bikes and put our new s

Posted to flikr:

Sarah's new cast

Sarah's new hair cut

Sarah went in to the doctor to have her arm examined. It appears the bones are healing properly. Other details:

• Sarah has a new cast
• It's a half cast so she can move her elbow
• It's blue
• She needs to

Good Luck in Middle School, Sarah!
Good luck in Fifth Grade, Ben!

Here are two pictures (1, 2) of Sarah in her cast.

Sunday Sarah, Ben, and I went up to a roller rink in Brighton to skate with the Denver Roller Dolls roller derby team. The event was a fun "family skate" held as part of a team fundraiser. We skated for a

Sarah and Ben attended Apple Camp today, participating in the Video track. Cameo drove them to the Apple Store in Broomfield and the kids spent the morning learning how to use iMovie and iDVD to create a

Today I went up to Broomfield and helped Andrew top off his front-yard cottonwood tree. It was dried up and dead and needed cutting off. It was a lot of work as the section we were cutting through was quite thick and required several passes with the ch

Happy Birthday Dad!

Congratulations to Cameo for passing the ABATE motorcycle class and earning her M endorsement!

Looks like my niece may need glasses. Regardless of what her aunt says, glasses are ok!

Three new blogs are linked on the right-hand side, under the Friends and Family section: "Bean's" Blog, "Kit Kat's" Blog, and Posted by Jason to Family 

Andrew and Shauna had to get rid of their second dog; to avoid therapy costs for Khazana they rushed right out and got a third pooch: Won Ton!
Posted by Jason to Family 

Over the weekend Cameo and I participated in the ABATE Motorcycle Basic Rider Education Course. It ran Friday evening, and all day Saturday and Sunday. The class taught basic motorcycle skills,

Khazana got a dog.

Today was the last day of school for Sarah and Ben, and Sarah's last day as an Elementary School student. Kullerstrand held a "continuation" ceremony for the kids, to honor their transition into Middle School. The class sang a song, there were three vi

Today would have been my Dad's 88th birthday. Charles William "Bill" Teale was born in Ringgold County, Iowa, and raised by his Grandmothers (mostly his paternal Grandmother, Theresa Rauch Teale) after t

Today was the first big yard work day.Things I did:

• Cleaned and refilled the birdfeeder
• Pulled out a strip of grass along the front yard
• Mixed in compost in a new flower garden area
• Mowed the lawn

Shauna posts some sad news regarding her pregnancy on her blog:

I just recently announced on this blog that I was pregnant, however, I have since miscarried.

Congratulations to Andrew and Shauna! She's pregnant with their second child, which should be born in December. What a special gift!

Ben has been working on learning HTML and has been wanting his own website - not just a section of pettis.org but his own domain domain. Over the weekend we registered the name he wanted and it's finally gone live. Check out Ben's site at Posted by Jason to Family 

Things have been busy again lately. Here's a mini-update on some recent things.

Sarah has been sick with some form of the crud going around. She was sent home from school Thursday and was in bed pretty much through Saturday. She is better toda

Happy birthday to Sarah, who is 12 today!

Happy birthday to Ben, who is 10 today!

March 6th is also the birthday of:
Michelangelo Buonarroti painter/ sculptor/architect] (b. 1475)
Cyrano de Bergerac [writer, swordsman (yes, he was a real person!)] (b. 1619)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Tonight Sarah performed in the Jeffco School All County Honor Orchestra. She had been tapped to participant by her orchestra teacher, and had been practicing her music for a couple months. Today she had an all day rehersal which ended in the performanc

Friday through Sunday I was in Ft. Lauderdale attending the Lasso Summit. I met some great people and learned some new things to help me with my web development.

Between the trip, work things, scout thi

Shauna's Valentine's Day

link fixed

This came in from Aunt Lois today, in regards to the big blizzard that hit the east coast.

In addition to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics Friday, I checked the Weather Channel regularly, wondering which area would get the most. It

Ben took part in his school's Spelling Bee today. While he didn't place in the top three (and won't be going to the next round), he did a good job getting in front of a crowd and participating in the competition. I'm proud of how he did and know he'll

Last night Sarah, Ben, and I joined Pack 111 at a Denver Nuggets game at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 105-104 in an exciting finish. It had been awhile since we'd been to a basketball g

Sarah and Ben return to school today after a long winter break. Both are excited to get back to lessons. Sarah actually got up at 5:00 today to get ready. Hope they both have a good day!

Family History from Aunt Lois:

One hundred thirty years ago today ---November 28, 1875 --- your grandfather Joe Pettis was born. He was the youngest of the 8 children, but I doubt if anyone referred to him as the "baby of th