Rugby at Duke

Kevin had a rugby tournament hosted by Duke in Danville, VA a few weeks ago. I sent the camera with him in hopes that he would take pictures of their nights out. They had a Scotsman night and a Bowler night.

While he didn't take tons of pictures, he did manage to get a group shot. I could have tried to track down pics from other guys on the team, but if it hasn't happened yet I don't think it will at this point.

The guys placed 3rd in the tournament losing only to Canada and some other international team. They've been calling themselves national champions since then.

The guys all grew out their facial hair and shaved it into mustaches for the tournament. That is why they all look sort of stupid. I was pretty happy when it was over and Kevin finally shaved.


They had a really good time and Kevin came home with a black eye and only a few scratches and bruises. (The black eye was actually courtesy of his own teammate during the game).

Photo Booth

I came across these pictures while I was doing some picking up today. These are from last summer when we went to Santa Cruz for the PAMF Family Fun Day. I'd put them in a book to flatten and completely forgot about them.

They were fun so I wanted to post them.

Skiing + Reno

Kevin and I still had vouchers to Kirkwood Ski resort from the Boxer Lab Ski trip earlier this year. Ski season ends at the end of April and we were really needing to use the vouchers soon or else they would go to waste. We decided to make a weekend out of it and stay in Reno after a day of skiing instead of making the 4 hour drive back to Mountain View.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed up to Tahoe. We had to stop and put chains on our car. We'd never had to put them on before so it took a little longer. Kevin did a good job. I pretty much just watched him get them adjusted.


It was a fantastic day for skiing. There had been snow earlier in the week and the snow was pretty great, especially for April. We spent the morning just getting our ski legs back and getting a feel for the mountain. We stopped for lunch before heading to the back side of the mountain.There weren't very many people out that day so we didn't have to wait long at all to get on any of the lifts. We were hanging out toward the back side of the mountain for awhile and then took the last lift up to one of the highest points of the mountain (everything higher was blacks). We got off the lift and immediately came across ice, tons of wind, cold, and snow swirling around all around us. It was difficult to even really tell when you were coming up on a hill and we wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. We headed down as quickly as we could without falling or crashing to get away from the wind. After that the conditions were much better and we were able to enjoy the rest of the run. By that point we had to head back over since the lifts were about to close.
We were coming down that run and noticed that they had a pond skimming event going on. We wanted to watch so we headed up the nearby lift one last time and stopped where we could watch some of the event. I had never heard of pond skimming before and I thought at first Kevin was joking when he was telling me about it. Basically, you ski down the slope and try to skim across the pond.
A few people were able to do it successfully and come out dry. Others were not so lucky and wiped out in the water. Then they got right back up, walked up the hill and did it again over and over. Power ranger girl here made it every time, but cow girl was not so lucky.


It was very entertaining and we found ourselves rooting for Josh. He kept wiping out and finally on his last run he made it. We were yelling and cheering for him. Later Kevin saw him in the locker area and congratulated him.

We finally left Kirkwood and headed to Reno. We were pretty tired from driving so early and skiing all day, but we finally found the energy to get ourselves cleaned up. We ate a late dinner and did a little bit of gambling. I watched Kevin play a little blackjack and thought about playing myself but I just didn't have the courage. Kevin lost about $2o and decided to call it quits. I ended up winning $8 on the slots, but we spent it the next day. Although we didn't come out ahead we were definitely entertained for a few hours. The casino world is such a different culture and one that I only like to visit on occasion.
Even though we were exhausted, we were glad that we made it up to ski for the weekend. Now we have to wait until next year before we can ski again.

KSU Cookies

After watching a lot of the tournament with my Dad while I was back in Kansas, I was really excited to watch Kansas State matched up against Xavier. We were having a few people over and I wanted to do something fun to get ready for the game.

A few months ago I was given these 'Message in a Cookie' cutters by Patti and I'd been excited to break them out. Since making roll out cookies can be quite labor intensive I hadn't gotten around to it. Plus, if you are going to make customized cookies you need to have a special event to make them for right? I thought KSU making it to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in a long time was a good enough reason to break out the cutters.

Even Kevin got into helping me.
It was hard to get the purple as dark as I would have liked, but I still think they turned out pretty well.
It was really fun to make these and I'm excited for another occasion to make them again. The recipe was a little tricky at first, but now that I've done it once I'll know how to improve them next time.

The Xavier game was AMAZING which I'm sure you all know even if the Butler game didn't turn out so well that weekend. Regardless, we were proud of the Wildcats and how far they made it. Can't wait until next year!!!

Spring Break Continued

Before it got cold and snowed at the end of my week in Kansas, we had a little really nice weather. Last May when Kevin and I were both back we were working a little with Hailie and Seth on riding their bikes without training wheels. Back then they were getting there, but a little unsteady. This time they couldn't be stopped! We enjoyed the sunny day and rode around the block a few times. Lance Armstrong better watch out!!!!


Before the cold front came in and dropped snow on us, we did manage to get a little playground time in.

Ignore the 'No Climbing' sign on the step of the train. We did. (Hopefully that doesn't make me a bad aunt)
It got really cold really fast while we were out there and we had to run to the car when the wind picked up. We did stop for a crazy picture though. This is Seth's favorite face to make right now.
After the park we went to the Y with Dad to do a little swimming. That day, Seth just wasn't ready to put his face in the water. Since then (less than 2 weeks ago), he has mastered the art in the bathtub and is ready to show off his new skill at the pool tomorrow. So much happens so fast!

That night was a Copp family dinner. We were celebrating my cousin Levi's 20th B-day, cousin Chris' 31st, and Aunt Sandy's 60th (even though she couldn't be there). Happy Birthday everyone!

I didn't get to talk to everyone as much as I would have liked....but there is just never enough time on any of our trips home. It was still a wonderful evening though despite the sleet that began to fall.
Next, I headed over to the Kent house to celebrate Patti's 49th B-day. I was lucky enough to get to see Kevin's Mom and Dad as well as all of his brother's and Serena. We had lots of laughs playing Guesstures and although brief...it was a wonderful visit. Except the part when Dallas peed on the floor. (That's a dog in case you were wondering)
Just the girls!! I'm very excited to officially welcome Serena to the family this June when she and Thomas get married.
The plan for Saturday was for Lindsey (roommate in college) and I to drive to Emporia to meet up with Kara (another church friend). Because of the snow, however, we didn't know if it would be a good idea to be on the road. I was very sad to miss out on seeing Kara, but Lindsey and I were able to get together and catch up over a cup of coffee.

I've said it before, but I just love it when you can get together with someone that you haven't seen in a long time and just catch up like no time has passed at all. We had the best visit and it reminded me of how lucky I was to live with Lindsey throughout my time at Washburn.
Later that day with chili going in the crockpot, we were getting geared up for the K-State game against BYU. I needed a new KSU shirt, so the kids and I set out on a mission for new clothes. This simple mission turned into a mini shopping spree and somehow both kids ended up with new clothes and shoes and even a hat for Hailie. I just can't help myself when it comes to those two!
Before the game we enjoyed our chili and cornbread and tried to get a few family shots taken.
Hailie was in the middle of an "I'm not going to smile for you" stretch (which apparently I did on more than one occasion as a child), but I think we still got a few good shots. We were very happy when K-State won to make it to the Sweet 16! Go Wildcats!!!
Here is the hat Hailie got while out. That girl just loves her clothes and is very stylish for an 8 year old (at least I think so). There was actually an entire series of these pics with different expressions and the hat turned differently. Adorable.

I had such a fantastic week back home and I didn't want it to end. There is never quite enough time to do all the things you want to do and to just sit and relax and enjoy being with family. Kevin and I will both be back in June for Thomas and Serena's wedding and that is only 2 months away. It is already April though so it will be here before we know it.

Spring Break in Kansas

It has taken me FOREVER to try and get to this post. I've had the photos loaded on my computer since I got back, but I just haven't taken the time to post them. Better late then never I suppose.

I was lucky enough to get time off of work that matched up with spring break back in Kansas. It was nice because Hailie and Seth were out of school, my mom was off, and my dad was able to take a couple days off from work too.

I bought the kid's new games for their DSI's, and this is what things were like right afterward. I couldn't even get them to look up from the games to smile for a picture.

I did, however, explain to them that their brains would go to mush if they played too much, so I was able to peel them away.

I wanted to do a project with my mom while I was home, but we didn't want to do anything too big since even a week can manage to fly by in the blink of an eye. We tacked Seth's closet. Mom went through things to get rid of and I painted. It's been the plan to do this since the new carpet went in the bedroom...but everyone knows how hard it is to find time. We got rid of a lot of stuff and now it is going to be much easier to organize. I actually love to paint, but I don't ever get to do it here since we are renting. I managed to talk my mom into starting to paint the basement office. She tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted. We weren't able to finish, but there is a definite plan in the works.

Here we are cleaned up from all of our hard work.
One great thing about this trip, was that I was able to catch up with old friends. I hadn't seen Laura in almost 2 years. It was wonderful catching up and reminiscing about our college days. It is hard to believe it has been nearly 4 years. We had dinner and spent hours chatting like no time had passed at all. It was fantastic.
For St. Patrick's day Mom and I decided to take Hailie and Seth to the parade downtown. It was really cold out so we had to really bundle up to stay warm. This picture cracks me up since Seth has no teeth and his hat is way too big.
Those dang horses in the background were making me nervous. One got spooked by a band and was standing with it's back legs just a little too close for comfort. They finally took them away from the crowd and let them calm down a bit.

Overall, the parade was just okay. There wasn't a lot of energy (probably because it was so cold) and there wasn't much candy. Those who did give out candy weren't very good at throwing it around and we were definitely ready to go. We headed to the library for awhile to wait out traffic. We stocked up on kid's books and learned about sea urchins from the fish tank.
By the time we left the library, it was warm and sunny. Gotta love that Kansas weather.

Later in the week I met up with Heather and her daughter Avery at the zoo. It wasn't long enough (never is), but I loved every second of it.
Avery has changed so much since I saw her last May. It is still hard to believe that Heather is a mommy and that Avery is a year old already.

I have my pictures up for the rest of my trip, so I will do my best to get the typing part done tomorrow. Then I can post my K-State cookies that I made last week for the Xavier game. More to come soon!!!!

Weekend Getaway in Napa

To celebrate our 4 year anniversary we decided to head up to Napa to stay at a B&B and do a little wine tasting. We had to drive in the pouring rain through the maze in Oakland which is not an experience I'd like to repeat anytime soon, but after making it out of there alive we were able to start relaxing.

We stayed at this beautiful place called Churchill Manor. It is a gorgeous mansion built in 1889 and was within walking distance to downtown Napa. We walked there the first night for dinner and just enjoyed walking around.

Here is the view from the front porch of the mansion.
We made sure to take an umbrella with us on Saturday in case it started raining again.
Our first winery stop was Sterling up in Castiloga (the northern most region of the Valley). We'd never been quite that far north before and we were excited to try out this winery.
We had to take a tram to get to where Sterling is actually located. It made for a gorgeous view both on the way up and at the top. Everything was so green from all the rain. We've only ever been up in the summer so it was a nice change from all the brown.
On the tram.
After grabbing some sandwiches from a deli, our next stop was not far from Sterling. We could actually see Castello de Amorosa from the top at Sterling. This castle was impressive to say the least. It was under construction for 14 years and has only been open for the last 2 or so. They imported stones from Spain and tried to make it as authentic as possible.

We didn't go on the guided tour so we missed out on the torture chamber (Kevin was bummed), but we were able to wander around the main level on our own.

Kevin making gun sounds out the window of the watch tower and getting strange looks from people down below.

4 years....doesn't time fly!
The scenery was amazing!

After leaving the castle we had to stop and get a picture with the grape vines and the landscape.

The next day we stopped at Rutherford Hill Winery to go on the cave tour before heading back home. We had such a wonderful time. We've been so busy that it is nice to get away just the two of us with no t.v., computers, etc to distract us. We were able to catch up on sleep and we left very relaxed. Maybe we'll go camping for our next getaway since the weather is starting to get nicer.