All in the Family

I have a new brother. He’s smart, funny and gets along great with my family. I really couldn’t have asked my sister to marry a better guy.

Ren and Rebecca were married at my parents’ house in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, last weekend in a low-key, small country wedding. Families met on Thursday and fell in love with each other, friends joined the happy couple for an ice cream social on Friday, and on Saturday a Hix and a Stinson were joined as lifelong partners.

It’s hard to believe my little sister is grown up enough to be married. It seems like just a couple years ago when we were naming our Barbies, sunbathing on our trampoline, goofing around on family vacations, hiding each other’s clothes when the other was in the shower and taking dance pictures in the yard. I remember us grinning with braces and singing songs of the 80s and 90s with gusto. The days before full-time jobs and yard work...now those were the days.

It’s so easy to look back and dwell on the good times, but I know that the addition of Ren in our family will only open the doors for new memories yet to be created. Those memories began when Cory and Ren talked shoes in an art museum a little over a year ago and have traveled through time to butter cream cake topped with paper cranes, a dimly lit barn edged with antiques and relatives busting a move on the dance floor—yes, even the grandparents got down and boogied.

I’m so excited for my sister and brother-in-law. They are on journey of a lifetime…and I’m so happy I can be a part of it.

A sister of two,

JoAnna

Home away from home.

Here you are kids...as promised, pictures of the classroom.


This would be the view of my room from the front door. I have 8 groups of five...you do the math.







This is my classroom library. Notice the kick ass sign Jo made me last year.
















This is the view of my room from my desk. The Letters hanging from the ceiling are there to designate groupings.











We have a Duck, a Beaver and....*gasp* a Husky that teach at Findlay...I am sure to fly my Coug pride. Jo made this sign for my door.


Oh, and I was also just named Findlay Reading Department Chair...W00t!




School starts Monday...I'm excited, I hope you are too!


-Cory


P.S. My dog is lazy

The New Furniture!

Whew...

It's been a while since I wrote in this beast. We've been pretty busy getting things ready for me to go back to work and getting JoAnna's sister married off ( congrats again Ren and Becca).

About eight weeks ago Jo, Mike and I went to a huge designer furniture sale. For the most part it was pretty disappointing but we did find two gems. We found a sofa and a chair and got a great deal on them both.

About two weeks ago they arrived. Both are very squishy and comfortable but the chair, known as the Nest, is amazing. Behold!:

Jo and I can both fit on this beast comfortably. It is wonderful!

Coming soon...Pictures of my Classroom!

peas,

Cory

A Dog's Tail

August 1 marked one full year for us in Las Vegas, but what a year it’s been! Two fantastic new jobs, one successful writing career, homeownership, travel adventures and the general knowledge that we might actually be adults now! The final piece of our Las Vegas transition was made complete a couple weeks ago when Butch Mbwa, the dog who adopted us in Kenya, made the journey from Wisconsin to Nevada and officially moved back in with his mom and dad.

Butch Mbwa has always been a sun dog. He loves the heat, and we have to force him to take “cool breaks” throughout the day to come inside where the air conditioning is set to 80 degrees. The backyard is still in a state of flux, but he does like the fake grass and he’s taken up his old habit of digging holes to lie in—unfortunately he likes to dig those holes where the irrigation tubing is buried. We take two or three walks a day. For a lazy dog this isn’t a lot of fun, but he’s up to speed on the latest neighborhood news and frequently leaves pee-mail for his fellow canines.

The cats took no time at all to adjust to life with Butch Mbwa again. He’s so laid back that they barely even notice he’s around. He has a special spot in the living room and every night we take some time to canoodle. Last night I was reminded of how sharp his little doggy elbows are when he laid across my chest—it was a welcome recollection of how lucky we are to have Butch Mbwa at all. What better way to mark our one-year anniversary in Las Vegas than with a homecoming and reunion of the final member of our family?

With licks and kisses,
JoAnna