Monday, January 12, 2009

lulu de francisco

Karly has officially moved to San Francisco!

She sold her car, bought a one-way plane ticket, and took as many personal items as she could cram into 5 suitcases. She is sharing an apartment with a friend, and so far is loving it! We had a bon voyage dinner at the Cheesecake Factory before she left. I miss her already!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

shelley's work is never done

I have resisted the urge to post much about this, but it is time to give credit where credit is due. If you are offended at namedropping, or so intellectual and deep as to be bored by celebrity news, exit this post now.

Anyhoo, Shelley (my twin sister) has been keeping very busy with her "work" in Tennessee.

Living in such close proximity to so many stars, she has become a real Nashville celebrity enthusiast. Unlike L.A., Nashville treats the celebs like regular people. They seldom get approached for autographs or photos(tacky!) and therefore go about there lives like regular folks. Some of us, who are unashamedly interested in the personal business of such celebs, find this a real treat.

Back to Shelley's "work": Shortly after moving to Nashville, in 2005, Shelley came to the realization that all of this was going on right under her nose. It only seemed right to enjoy the gift and share it with others, and hence her "work" began. After opening HSI - Hensley Special Investigations, the jobs came easily. With the aid of internet info and her trusty Junior Agents, the sightings flooded in, many right in their very own neighborhood.

Her "work" became so thorough and up-to-the-minute, she was asked to incorporate it into the children's ministry she leads at her church (also the church of Miley and her family). Shellebrity News was born! Imagine, what 11 year old kid does not want to know just what color Nick painted his kitchen? Or if Aaron is indeed living with him? Or, who are Nick and Aaron? Children who may otherwise be atheist, democratic heathens, have been led to faith by Shellebrity News.

Her most accomplished work began about the time that Keith and Nicole got together and made their homes (yes there are 2) nearby - VERY nearby. It was clear that all agents needed to be on full alert, and that work paid off. Oh, reminder: Shelley and I have been huge fans of Keith for years. His concerts, the CMT awards, etc... I even got to meet him at an awards show, but that's another story. Nicole -we're not big fans of hers, but she is A-list, and got both Tom and Keith all whooped over her.

It all came together this New Year's Eve. Neil and I were there visiting, and Shelley woke us up at 7:00 am. She said "get dressed, and get in the car". She then drove us to the back alley of a certain coffee shop. She parked next to a black Bentley with deep-tinted windows, and we went in the back entrance. There they were, just the two of them, drinking coffee and chatting.

Most of the tables were taken, except for one right by theirs. We then took that table and enjoyed 45 minutes of coffee and breakfast next to Keith and Nicole.

I must say, "excellent work, Shelley! That's the way to start 2009!"

celebrations

Christmas sure was different this year! Something about Camp just doesn't say "warm and special celebrations"...


so we celebrated and opened gifts at Paul & Rosemary's hotel room!


...and bonus - no cooking!

...except on Christmas morning, at Camp. Do Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls count as cooking?

Paul & Rosemary, thank you for another very special visit!


On the evening of the 25th, Neil and I flew to Tennessee for a week with the Johnsons and Hensleys. Grandpa and Neil went fishing, and Neil caught 2 1/2 catfish! (I'm still not sure about the 1/2. The front or back 1/2?)


We spent a day at the incredible Opryland Hotel...

...with Leaf Lady.

Mom and Dad took us to their delicious buffet...

..and they went ice skating.

I took bad photos of Mom...


...who was taking great photos of this life-size Nativity.

Neil loved the Discovery Science Center.

I loved Old Spaghetti Factory.


so did Hailey.


On New Years Eve, we had a family party, complete with an 'Apples to Apples' tournament, 'Scene It', and a hot dog feast. (Yes, Shelley was the cook). Thank you, Mom & Dad, Hensleys and Johnsons, for a great week of Tennessee Christmas fun!Happy 2009!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

merry CHRISTmas!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

staircase, appliances, sinks, faucets, and more

It's sure fun watching this house get built! After choosing all of the finishes and options, now we just get to watch the progress.

staircase (duh!)

laundry

kitchen sink

kitchen


neil ...

on top of this dirt
the guys in neil's room, which has the best view!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

colored concrete and cool school

Clearly, Neil did not pose for this photo! He was pretty happy to see that we now have a real front porch. Keith and I were pretty happy to see that they used colored concrete.



Keith is our official photographer, when visiting the house. I love these.
Ours is the fourth one in from the right.
The school that Neil will go to for the last half of 4th, and for 5th grade, is so cool! Check out the video: (I guess it requires a cut & paste, if you are interested).
http://www.cbs8.com/community/cool_school/story.php?id=145168

Saturday, December 6, 2008

my favorite celebrity (the one on the right)!



Karly was amazed to find that when she googled Keith, there was a ton of stuff on him! It is all good stuff, and mostly pertaining to his work with the USGBC (US Green Building Council). This year he has acted as the San Diego Chapter President, which involves a little extra travel and some speaking engagements like the one below. He appeared with Mayor Sanders and some guy from SDG&E for the lighting of Balboa Park's Christmas lights. After his speech, he got to pull the switch and light up the park!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

camp guests

Charles and Natalie joined us for the remainder of their visit here, and didn't seem to mind the whole "one room living" thing. They have been camping quite a bit before, but those conditions were far superior!

Monday, December 1, 2008

this is cool

On one of the days we were visiting our house, we found a ton of empty boxes scattered around our usually tidy lot. They were from the tape and joint compound used on the walls, and they were all exactly the same.


kelly is here!

As soon as Shelley got back to TN, she packed up Charles, Natalie, and Kelly, and sent them out here to visit! Kelly stayed here with us, while Charles and Natalie headed up to Hollywood. They were going to see the Jonas Brothers, and do some other Hollywood stuff.

Kelly and Neil have so much fun together! It's quite warm, so they have been doing lots of swimming...

and snacking...



and playing at the splashpark...


and swimming some more...
and into the night!