A White Christmas!!

Dan and I hosted our first family Christmas this year in Seattle. Mom and Amy came over and Dad and Grandma drove up from Chehalis. We had a yummy ham dinner with all the fixins and had fun opening gifts. You will see Amy in one picture dancing around her new suitcase we bought her...so much fun!! Dan left for Ohio on Christmas night to surprise his family with a visit before starting his new job next week at the Seattle Times. I wish I could have gone, but couldn't get out of work. I have heard his family was soooo surprised and I can't wait to see the pictures (look for those on the blog soon as Dan took the camera with him). I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and wishing you and your family all of the best in 2008!!

Illustrious Team 5 Holiday Gathering

On December 18th we met up with Dan's MBA team, "The Illustrious Team 5," at Tutta Bella to celebrate the successful end of quarter one. It was fun to spend more time with Dan's teammates and their wives/girlfriends. It was fun to hear the boys scheming on their business plans. As Dan put it...one quarter down nine to go!

Boes Family Christmas

On December 16th, we headed down to Chehalis to take part in the Boes family Christmas gathering. We had a nice time visiting with everyone and spending time with dad. Before the party, dad drove us around Chehalis to show us the recent damage caused by the flooding in Lewis County. It was so sad to see so many homes destroyed and families displaced.

Happy Birthday Mom

On December 11th, the day after celebrating Rufus's birthday, we were out celebrating again for Mom's special day. Amy and I met mom for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate and afterwards we picked up Rufus and drove around to look at Christmas lights. Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy 4th Birthday Rufus

Rufus turned the Big #4 on November 8th. Due to a crazy November we celebrated his birthday on December 10th with his Aunt Amy and Grandma. Rufus got a new polka dot Bella Bean collar from his mom and dad. Aunt Amy bought him a stuffed octopus (which was destroyed in minutes) and Grandma bought a new blankie. As you can see from the picture he was so thrilled with his party and was smiling from ear to ear.

Picking out the perfect tree

This year we headed back to the boy scouts tree lot to pick out our Christmas tree. We found a nice little tree for a small fortune. I suppose that's the price you pay for living in the city. We sure had fun decorating it once we finally got it into its tree stand (which took a special trip to Target for a bigger one).

Merry Christmas from Seattle

Merry Christmas from Seattle to all of our friends and family!! We hope to connect with you all during the holiday season!

Love,
Dan, Mandy, and Rufus

December 1st Brings Snow to Seattle

December 1st brought a wintery mix of snow to the Seattle area. It was so pretty and a fun day to stay inside and put up Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, Dan was stuck studying for finals, but I know this was a happy day for him too as he found out the Buckeyes are going to the National Championship game. Go Buckeyes!

Carbo Loading with Jill and Jeff

On November 24th Dan and I met up with my dear friend Jill and her husband Jeff at the Spaghetti Factory for some good food and fun. They were in town from Monterey, CA visiting Jill's family for Thanksgiving. Jill and I worked together in Washington, D.C. and were instantly connected by our home ties of Seattle. I miss getting to see her each day! Dan and I were happy to help Jill pack down the Spaghetti to prepare her for running the Seattle Marathon the next day. Jill finished in 4hrs 10minutes. You Go Girl!!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we headed down to Olympia to spend it with the James family. It was a beautiful day to be right on the Puget Sound. As always, Aunt Susan put on a fabulous feast that still has my mouth watering for more. Daniel was bestowed with the honor of saying Grace--and lets just say he's been banned from this honor in the future. I guess you just had to be there to understand. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Welcome New Neighbor - Ashley Renee Timm

On November 5th Ashley Renee Timm was born to proud parents Brian and Emily. We were honored to have been able to take care of their dog, Brody, while Emily was in labor. Brody was an angel...a good sign of great parents!! We are so excited to have a new edition to the 85 Stoner Group!

Mandy's First Time Driving a U-Haul

Look out Seattle!! On November 3rd after we got my mom moved into her new condo in Seattle I drove her U-Haul down to Ikea and back to pick up some new furniture items. Now normally I would have left a job like this to Dan, but Dan had to study and Ikea couldn't wait. Not only am I a driving machine, but I have found that I'm good with a power drill and putting together Ikea Furniture. Who knew?!

Rosstoberfest

That's right ladies and gentleman the 2nd Annual Rosstoberfest has come and gone. On October 20th 40 of our closest friends stopped by the Rossi complex for some heaping portions of pork butt and apple crisp. And when I say heaping, I mean the Rossi's aren't so good with judging how much food to make for 40 people. We made enough food for like 100 people. At the end of the night we were begging people to take food home. The crowd was good, the illustrious team 5, my MBA teammates, met the "Stoners" for the first time and a pretty good crowd representing Che-town was there too. Long live Rosstoberfest...we'll see you again next year.

Dan officially becomes an MBA student

On September 26th Dan officially started the evening MBA program at UW. The night before Dan and I attended the MBA student/family welcome BBQ on campus. A Husky at last!! I couldn't be prouder of my hubby!

Dan Rubs Elbows with Michael and Kitty Dukakis at Kara and Nelson's Wedding

On Saturday September 22nd Dan, Amy, and I left Seattle immediately after Dan's MBA seminar and drove 4 and 1/2 hours to Spokane where we spent the night at the historic Davenport Hotel. The next morning we woke up and drove another 1/2 hour to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to attend the wedding of my dear friend Kara. The wedding took place outside on Lake Coeur d'Alene at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. When we arrived at the resort we hopped on a boat that took us over to the golf course where the wedding was held. Much to our surprise Michael and Kitty Dukakis were on the boat with us. Kara's new husband Nelson worked with Mr. Dukakis as one of his first jobs in politics. Of all the people on the boat Mr. Dukakis walked straight up to Dan, shook Dan's hand, and said "who are you and what are your connections?" Leave it to Dan to hob nob with the Dukakis'. The wedding was absolutely beautiful with a reception immediately following. The food was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed the special hot chocolate Dan had made for me. Unfortunately, Amy and Dan had to work early the next day. So around 8pm we left the reception and I drove us straight back to Seattle while Dan tried to get a head start on his reading for the first week of classes in the back seat.