Hello from Dennis, Hollie, Max & Madeleine!

A Perfect Picture July 2007

30 December 2008

Beach Adventure



This photo was taken while we were vacationing in Seaside, near Portland, Oregon, in August 2006. Only a few months old at the time, Maxwell was strapped to the front of me in a Baby Bjorn while I snapped the shot. I remember it being very windy and chilly, but Madeleine still loved running in the water along the beach with her daddy.

29 December 2008

First Effort for Digital Scrapbooking!



I've been trying to learn how to create digital scrapbook pages with Photoshop Elements. The results are not bad, if I do say so myself! And I didn't do any retouch work on this photo, so I anticipate to have better-looking pages in the future. I was suprised at how easy the whole process was.

23 December 2008

A Work of Art!

Here are a few more Japan photos!



Hollie and Dennis with friends partying in Matsumoto.



Hollie in Chinatown, Yokohama. She blends in well, no?



Shinjuku in Tokyo.



Hollie in a student's home. She visited for tea.

22 December 2008

"I'm turning Japanese, I really think so."

Hello from Hollie. Here are some fun pics of our time in Japan. 


Dennis saying a prayer at a temple in Kyoto.



Hollie in Hiroshima.



Shinkansen (bullet train)!


Yogi, Dennis, Hollie, Francie, Cara, and Jeff bowling in Matsumoto.



Building in Kyoto---sorry, I can't remember the name!



Russell, Hollie, and Dennis in Matsumoto.



Jennifer, Dennis, and Hollie at Dennis' b-day party in Matsumoto.



Yuka, Hollie, and a friend at Orange Bar in Matsumoto.



Chinatown in Yokohama.

Dennis and Hollie at Dennis' birthday party in Matsumoto. This is around the time we started dating.

09 December 2008

Totally Yummy Cheese Ball

Hi! We wanted to share this Totally Yummy Cheese Ball recipe with you. It's sooooo good! And the red and green colors in the pimentos and parsley make it perfect for Christmastime gatherings. This recipe makes a good-sized cheese ball, but if you're feeding a large crowd, it's easy to double the recipe for more.

4 tbs. margarine or butter
2 small packages cream cheese
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbs. milk or dry white wine
2 tbs. finely chopped green onions
2 tbs. diced/chopped pimento
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot pepper (we use Tobasco)
2/3 to 1 cup snipped parsley or finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or sliced almonds (we add some parsley to the mix and then use pecans on the outside of the ball)

Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature, mix well; to that add the shredded cheese, milk (or wine), green onions, pimento, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce.

Beat until well combined (a hand-mixer works well). Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Shape into a ball and roll onto parsley or nuts. Serve with favorite crackers (we use Ritz or Triscuit crackers).

Bon appetit!

Quality Time with Santa


We took the kids to see Santa last week. Maddie was excited, and Max was nervous. He didn't want anything to do with sitting on some stranger's lap. But then Santa said he liked his shirt and offered him a candy cane. That's all it took for Max to climb aboard and start chatting.

 

04 December 2008

Matsumoto City: Where Our Story Begins


Matsumoto City is a small village (200,000+ people) in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It's where we met while teaching ESL classes. We lived there for three to four years, from 1998 to 2002. Although we were sad to leave our friends in Japan, we were very excited to move back to the United States to begin a new chapter in our lives. You can read more about Matsumoto City here: http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/nagano//matsumoto.html. 
(Castle photo by ehnmark, Flikr.com)


03 December 2008

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time
In a house so big and wide
The family that lived there
Were so happy inside

There was mommy and daddy
[One] little boy and [one little] girl
Every night they would gather
In the living room they would twirl

They danced and sang sweet songs there
How close the family was
The love was great they shared
You see they showed they cared

Remember that your family 
Can be the same way too
Just trust and love each other
And share each other's thoughts
Because you need your family
To communicate a lot

And as you all grow older
You will always know
In times of trials and troubles
To your family you can go

--- Jacqueline Shore