BLACHLY KIDS ROAD TRIP - Day 1

So as you may have heard...the Chris is moving to New York for photography school. He was going to be traveling back there and his three sisters invited themselves to come along. Chris graciously allowed us to sign on for the trip. Yesterday was our first day of traveling we left Ridgecrest at about 8:45 am. Kim and Kelcey said goodbye to their kids as mom took them to the park so that no one would be sad as we left. We finished loading the car, posed for some pictures from our dad and then were off. We sang favorite songs, laughed and had a great time. We veered off course to see Zion National Park, and then back on the road. We made it to Green River, UT, just an hour and a half or so away from Grand Junction,CO, our intended destination for the night. We are trying to get out of our hotel and on the road this morning so this post is going to be short and sweet. We wanted to share the good time with you all.

The Book

Well, if you have not had a chance to read the secret message to the right yet, this post will spoil the surprise. Eric and I are having a baby! Yahoo! I am probably around 6 weeks or so, but I do not have an official due date from a doctor. I saw a nurse practitioner right after I found out I was pregnant to confirm it, but he didn't really tell me anything helpful besides, "yeah, you're pregnant."

Anyways, we are very excited about the whole thing, and will most likely have a baby in early February. Thank goodness it will not be during any scorching summer months.

Eric thinks it will be a boy, so because he thinks that, I will think it is a girl. It is no fun to guess if you are guessing the same thing. Kelcey and Kim think it would not be too bad to have twins right off the bat, so we'll see how hard they are praying for that. (It might be some pay-back prayers). Either way, we would be happy.

I am moving to Ridgecrest this next weekend, just before the end of the month, and I will finally get to live in the new house. So that means only 5 days of work left before go!

Please keep our family in your prayers, from the move to the baby to good jobs for both of us. Thanks.

This picture was taken by Don Blachly; his work can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/blach00

Graduation...Finally

Well, I finally graduated. I know it has been a while since then, but I wanted to wait to write anything until I had pictures.

Besides not hearing anything said at the ceremony except for the first few words, which were, "This day is not only about you..." at which point, I quit listening and devoted my full attention to text messaging my family, the day was very special and memorable.

Kelcey's kids made cool signs to hold up as I walked across the stage, but...oops, they never heard my name! It is the thought that counts anyways. Everyone else except my mom and Kelcey's group heard it, although, in the evidence of the video tape, it was difficult to hear it, so I have to cut them a little slack. It is funny to watch the video and hear them commenting on why I walked across without my name being called.

Eli decorated my cap with the all famous Grin, so you can be sure to spot my cap in the picture with the yellow and white on it. Good job Eli! They even zoomed in on the cap for the big tv.

I graduated with Cum Laude Honors, so that was pretty special.

After the ceremony, we all went to John's Incredible Pizza for an incredible time. I rode the train with Kaya and Canaan, and Dad caught a great picture of me really enjoying myself.

Thanks everyone who was praying for me during school, especially at the end when I was having a hard time wanting to do any work. It is my family who really supported me though everything.

Although I am probably not done forever, it sure feels great to be done for now!

So much for the poll...

Well, Thank you everyone who participated in the cat naming and voting. According to the winner, the ca should be named Intruder. I was talking to Eric today on the phone, and he really likes the name Boomerang. I told him too bad because the people have voted, but who knows. Boomerang sounds a little bit nicer than Intruder, so I might scrap the poll, and go with Boomerang. Also, for short, we could call her Boomer or something. Intruder does not lend itself to any convenient nicknames. Tell me what you think.

Also, I wish that I had exciting things to blog about right now, instead of a cat name to a cat that I have actually never met, but I don't have any graduation pictures to post and all I am doing is working everyday. No one wants to hear about how I got exposed to foot and mouth disease on Monday, or how I had to clean up throw up twice on Tuesday. Today was more fun, we played with shaving cream and I didn't have to send anyone home sick, so that is a plus. Hopefully I will think of something clever to blog about soon. If not, then beware of boring posts! Just kidding.

What Should We Name Our Cat?

First things first, I GRADUATED!!!Yahoo! I will post some pictures about that later, but I wanted to get you all to think about something else first. Apparently, when we bought our new house, it came with a cat. This cat wouldn't leave, so after a day or so, Eric began feeding it, then a night or so after that, he make it a little cat bed, and let it sleep in the garage. It seems to be friendly, and loves attention. We are pretty sure it is a male, and maybe fixed..but we didn't check that close. It is white, with a fluffy tail. Anyways, I don't think it will leave now.

Eric told me we should start thinking of a name for him, so I guess that means he'll be around for a while.

I thought it would be fun if you all would submit names for him, and then take a poll. Some members of the family have already put in their requests.

Eli: Pat
Ethan: Bowser
Kelcey: Fluffy
Kira: Fabio
Kara: Shadow or Intruder
Eric: Trouble


Let me know what you think. I would like to start the poll within the week. Think up fun names!