Happy Howl-o-ween!

Because the majority of my co-workers were dressing up for the holiday (as you can see, some even got really creative) I felt the need to go with a new look for the day. To my old college friends you have seen my gothic look before, but to my new friends here in Texas they got a kick out of the "Mormon girl" dressed goth! Tonight I was fortunate to get to go trick-or-treating with my friend Andrea and her little boy Andrew in our neighborhood. When Andrew started to complain that his bucket of candy "hurt" aka. was too heavy, we came back to the house and passed out candy for the rest of the evening. Brandy and Tootsie didn't enjoy being dressed up but they sure loved being with a fun little boy who danced around boxing. I hope that you had as much fun as we did this Halloween.

Time Out and Family Time

Michael and I had the opportunity of going to a Time Out For Couples event in Plano (just outside of Dallas) last Friday night. We took the day off from work Friday so that we could make the drive north to attend the conference. It was a great program that focused on being the best husband and wife that you can be and in bringing out the best in your partner too. We were spiritually uplifted and edified by the speakers' experiences and testimonies of how the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped them to keep eternal perspectives. It was such a blessing for us to be reminded that our differences are what make us and are to be celebrated. We've decided that this is an event that we will return to year after year and that we need to insist that our friends take the time to attend as well.

Alex's rugby team "the Houston Wandies" were playing matches in San Antonio on Saturday, so some of the Owuor gang made the drive to support him. Michael and I were in the Dallas area the evening before and so Saturday morning we begun the road trip to San Antonio to meet up with them. After the matches Dwayne, Kina, Kiki and Kioni then followed us up to Austin for an overnighter. :) Twas a long day for Michael and I, as we got to travel around the great state of Texas between Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Its a good thing we both enjoy road trips as much as we do.

We were glad to be able to spend time with the family, and were especially excited to see our adorable niece Kioni who continues to grow and is nearly walking by herself at only 10.5 months! As you can see, her smile is infectious and so all of us had a good time playing with her and visiting with one another.

We're looking forward to more family get-togethers over the up-coming holidays.

A season to smile

After much prodding and begging over the years from my Mom, we finally made it in to a portrait studio to have pictures taken of just the two of us. It's not that we didn't want to have them taken, we just haven't made the time to do so until today. We've noticed that in the digital age of photography, it is really easy to be without prints. Our experience at the photo studio was fun and we feel like they captured some treasured expressions, so we hope to make it at least a yearly habit... we'll see.

To all of our friends and family reading along, we issue the challenge to have an updated portrait taken and shared this holiday season. We look forward to seeing all of your happy smiling faces! :)

50 years of a Beautiful Life

This is a special tribute to my Mom - Lorna DeRoest who turns 50 today and doesn't look a day over 35! She's a special part of our lives and has always been so supportive of all that she comes into contact with. Thank you for your example and your love. We wish you all of the best this year and always.

Love from your children in Texas,

Naomi & Michael

We got a new dog....sort of!

Brandy got a new look when we took her to get groomed on Saturday they asked us what kind of dog she is. We gave them our normal answer that she is a shelter rescue and so we think that she is a schnauzer mix. So, they gave her a standard schnauzer haircut. She looks like a whole new dog. Michaels' response when he saw her was "that's not our dog!" Then she jumped up and gave him a smile, that's when he recognized her. :)

Michael celebrates his 33rd!

Well, it has been a fun week of celebrating Michael's birthday. I surprised him last weekend with a dinner out amongst friends. It was a good time had by all and even our waiter appreciated the Tiramisu cake that we brought in. (Michael rewarded him with a piece because he was kind enough not to embarass him amidst the friendly requests for singing or some other recognition!) A special thanks to our friends who made his birthday a special surprise and a fun celebration! We're lucky to have such a great "family" here in Austin. :) Michael was excited to pick out a mountain bike for his birthday so now he's able to go riding on the trails around town. I'll have to get a picture of him with his new toy and post it later.

To be a CCIE or not to be, that is the question

Michael is in San Jose, CA taking his CCIE exam for VoIP today. We'll know the results on Monday... He is very optimistic and we're very hopeful that he will succeed with this portion of his career. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and well wishes. We really appreciate everyone's support. 9/16 UPDATE: Sadly, a curve ball was thrown his way and so we are in for another month of studying and practice. We'll keep you posted on his new test day.