Pictures from New York

Check out the slideshow of some of the pictures from our trip to New York...
If you want to see the pictures larger, just click on the slide show and it will take you to the site.

Christmas in NYC!!

As many of you know, Paul and I decided to take the kids to NYC this Christmas and surprise them with a show on Broadway --- specifically the 75th annual Christmas Spectacular at the Radio City Music Hall.

We took off on Saturday, late morning, and started off on the 4 hour drive to the city. For the most part, the trip went smoothly...until we actually got to the city. Now, both of us KNEW it was going to be stressful driving in the city, but I guess you just never know HOW much so until you're actually in the middle of it all! In retrospect, I don't think I will ever drive in the city again, but hindsight is always 20/20 *wink*.

After a lot of waiting in traffic due to an accident and MASS amounts of people in the city we finally made it to our destination and were able to check into our hotel. We stayed at The Roosevelt Hotel -- right on the corner of East 45th and Madison. It's a nice hotel with a beautifully decorated lobby and we actually were able to get a room with two double beds (thank the Lord!) which we had not been guaranteed. For all you travelers out there...I actually was able to get a great price on Priceline.com but didn't realize that when you book through Priceline it is only guaranteed for a party of 2.

To make this shorter, suffice it to say that New York was spectacular at this time of year. Yes, it was cold and yes, it rained all day on Sunday while we were trying to sight see, and yes it was expensive, but it was an experience we hope our kids will always remember. And for those of you who have never been to NYC at Christmastime, I highly suggest you take the opportunity at least once in your life.

I've posted some videos from our trip and hope to have a link to our photos soon. Enjoy!


The kids first look at Times Square


a clip from the end of the Christmas Spectacular as everyone raised their lighted stars and sang some Christmas songs


a couple of workers at FAO Schwartz playing the famous piano from the movie, "Big"


a very short clip of the christmas display along a store on 5th avenue. The snowflakes light up to the beat of the music. We caught just the tail end...

Snow, Snow, and More Snow!!

Well, winter is upon us. Fully. We have had some cold weather recently and several snow, sleet, and ice storms. In fact, we're getting more snow right now. See below for pictures from Thursdays little snow storm...




This is a picture of our patio table at dusk after it had snowed all day on Thursday (12/13)...I think we got about 6 inches.

A Holiday Treat

Below is a video clip of Jessica's Christmas solo from last year that so many of you have seen and enjoyed. I thought I'd post it again for the holidays! If she sings again for us this year I'll be sure and post it for you all here.

Our Thanksgiving Crew

Clockwise from center -- Paul, Vetica, Ken, Kurtis, Jessica, Brandon, Justin (the back of his head at least), Greg, Lauren, a little bit of Abbie, Andres, Mariana, Sophia and Diego. Oh, and me....behind the camera. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of this day, I thought I'd post a list of things I am thankful for this season.

I am thankful for...

God's Salvation -- although this may sound cliche to some, without it I would be a hopeless, wandering creature.

Health -- We often take for granted the fact that we can run, jump, skip, walk, play sports, speak, hear, see, etc. What an amazing gift we have that we can do all these things.

Freedom & the U.S. -- I've recently watched a handful of movies about war, civil unrest, etc in other countries. Those have reminded me of how lucky we are to live in a land where there is no threat of war (at least among our own people), no widespread diseases, famine, and extreme poverty of the masses; where we don't have to live every day in fear that we will be shot, or have to run and hide for our lives.

Family
my dad for his wisdom, guidance, and friendship
my husband for being my best friend and teammate
my brother for being a spark of light and fun
my children for just being who they are and gifts from God
my mom for her kindness and servant's heart
The Kurtz's for their love, acceptance, welcoming, and hospitable hearts

and the list could go on and on and on...

Other things -- the fact that i have a decent job; my husband is employed; we have a nice home; live in a nice, safe neighborhood;have reliable vehicles; heat; light; water; and food.

Really, there is so much to be thankful for!

To all our family and friends -- we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Paul, Monica, Jessica, Abbie, Greg, .... and Boone ;)

After the Snowfall

Scene outside our back door this morning...

First Snow

It's been spitting snow on and off for the past few days but it looks like we're finally getting something to stick. The following pictures were taken just moments ago from our backyard(approx. 8:15pm)...nothing special, but the flakes are big! I thought I'd just post them as a tribute to the First Snow, of our First Winter in Athens, Pa. ;-)

Home is Where Your Heart Is

I received a text message from Paul yesterday that said, "I miss home".
This is typically not a statement I hear from Paul...in fact, I'm not sure he's EVER said he's missed a place other than where his kids and wife are.
I texted him back and said, "Home as in Ca.? Me too!!"
Later that day when he was driving home from work, he called me and I asked him, "What "home" did you mean that you missed?" It was indeed California. And then he went on to say that it was the familiarity of a place he missed most. Driving up the I-5 corridor, coming into Red Bluff and knowing Redding is just up and over the hills, recognizing everything around you and knowing you are coming back to a place where you grew up, where your family is, where your roots are, where your memories first started, where you know how to get just about anywhere.
His comment really struck me because I have been struggling a lot lately with just being in yet another new place...with another new job...more new faces...everything being unfamiliar. I think we take for granted the comfort and safety that comes along with just being somewhere we feel we belong; a place that we know almost inside out.

This reminded me of a poem I wrote years ago...some of you may be familiar with it, but I thought it would be a good time to share it again. It was written as Paul, me, and the kids were making a trip from Sacramento back up to Redding one day.

North on I-5

The clouds you hold in your blue-tinted hair
run smoky black and indigo, bruising
your canvas with their unpredictable power

Your eyes reflected in the spaciousness
of this pregnant land, spotted calico
with the green of oak leaf full in nourishment,
the burnt orange of a fading sun,
and richness of your vibrant earth

Bright lights travel in growing darkness
a constant, streaming symbol of hope
permanently imprinted upon your face.
Always alive, you are the pathway run ancient
between my childhood and my future.

I know you well; I hate you...I love you.

Hunting Season

Paul just returned from a weekend trip to his brother's to finish off the bow hunting season. He came back with a nice buck (see pics below). Paul also took Greg on a couple of hunting outings this season and I've posted some pictures of that as well. Next up is rifle season and I know Paul hopes to get a couple of doe so we can put some good meat in the freezer.

waiting in the "blind"

Guns N' Such

So last weekend Paul celebrated his 34th birthday and we decided to head on over to our Sportsman's club to shoot some clay pigeons which we haven't done since we lived in Colorado. Below are some pictures from our day. Mind you, this was the first time I had picked up my shotgun since shooting in the spring trap league back in Grand Junction in May. I was feeling a bit rusty!


Jessi trying to "throw" the clay for Paul to shoot.









Safety Glasses!










Me...TRYING to hit a clay (but, just for the record, I think I actually hit this one).

The Weekend

We had a lot going on this weekend. Friday night we hosted a Halloween Costume Party/Surprise Birthday party for one of the residents in Paul's surgery program. It was a packed house with kids and all but it turned out to be a lot of fun and everyone said how much they enjoyed it.

Saturday Jessica played in the Volleyball Tournament and her team ended up taking 2nd place in the entire tournament. I forgot to get a picture of Jess with her 2nd place medal though!

Saturday evening we had some friends over for a bonfire and just relaxed. I've posted some pictures below of the party and one of our bonfire pit. :-) I'll try and add more pictures later...


Paul was "caveman"
I was a flower child/hippy








Mariana and Andres
It was a surprise party for Andres' 32nd birthday
both are from Venezuela and are surgical residents






Jessi











Abbie was a "cat" but shed most of her costume by the time I took this picture.










Our bonfire pit...with Boone in the background.

Hiking

We were able to meet Paul, Renay, baby Madeline, and their dog "Bear" at Ricketts Glen State Park this past Saturday to hike the waterfall trail. For those of you who don't know, Renay is my cousin and she and her husband live in Youngstown Ohio.

Ricketts Glen is located about 63 miles south of Athens off of route 487. It was beautiful with the fall colors at their peak. The park was pretty packed on Saturday but we had a nice hike and got some fun pictures. Below are some of those pictures...

News to Share

Happy Saturday mornin'!

I just wanted to share a couple of updates regarding the family. First of all, Jessica has been invited to play in the "A" team tournament for volleyball that is coming up next Saturday. It was quite an honor to her since she has been playing on the B team all season. She was the only player chosen from the B team to help represent her Jr. High School. We're happy for her and know that her hard work this season has paid off!

In other news, a graphic artist who is putting together a real estate folder for a company in Charlottesville, Va. has asked to use one of my photos for the folder. It's not a "paid" deal, but she will credit the photo to me and send me some final copies of the folder. The photo she wants to use is the one titled "Country Road" and I believe it is posted on this blog a few entries down. It's the one with the red barn and the tree with the fall colors. Anyway, it was fun to get asked!

Paul has been working what seems to be long hours recently and he's also been spending a lot of his free time hunting. Right now, him and the kids are outside cutting up the meat to the latest catch. Actually, it was one of Paul's resident friends who got the deer but Paul has offered his "butchering expertise" for the occasion. :-)

Up until just yesterday we have had unusually warm weather for this time of year. In fact, it had been warmer here for the past week and a half than it was in Redding, Ca.! Anyway, that has quickly changed and yesterday started a cold spell and boy, has it been chilly! The leaves are still turning their fall colors and today is a very crisp, beautiful fall day.

We hope all of you reading our blog are in good health, good spirits, and enjoying the weekend!

Jessica & Volleyball

Here's a short video of Jessi serving in a game she had yesterday. Below that are some photos of her during a game. She started the season 3 weeks late and is therefore playing on the B team right now. She's improving every day and turning into a great player!









No, she's not screaming "Aaaggh!" She's calling out "Mine!" :-)

On the Cusp of Fall

Here are some pictures of the Fall colors starting to show in our area...

Pictures

Here's just a random sampling of some recent pictures I took of the kids, etc...


Abbie and Greg







I love this shot of Abbie except for the sun spots on her face! I couldn't figure out how to get rid of them well in Photoshop.





Another picture of Abbie...











The underside of a leaf bug's face. Looks like a grumpy old man...

Buttermilk Falls Video

for Michele... :-)

And You Know What They Say About Dumb Blondes

I found this clip on another website and was FLOORED. This is a REAL response on a televised Miss Teen Pageant. Eek!

Back from Vacation

So, I (Monica) returned last week from my 10 day trip to Northern California where I had the opportunity to give a friend from Colorado a taste of my hometown. It was a wonderful trip and I hated to come back to Athens, Pa. although I did miss my hubby and kids.

I had a little bout of "post-vacation blues" as my friend called them but now that my new job has started and the kids are back in school, life is moving on and there's no time for pouting.

There are several other pictures from the trip posted on my Flickr page in case you were curious.

While I was away, Paul took an entire week off and did LOTS of things around the house. He installed a brand new kitchen sink and garbage disposal (I won't tell you the horror story that goes along with this), unpacked boxes, organized the garage, hung up pictures, shampooed the carpets, moved the washer/dryer hookups to the garage, put the kids to work, etc.! I was impressed!

So, as said before, the kids are back in school...started Tuesday. I started my new job as a middle school counselor on Tuesday as well. The week is going by quickly and we're all pretty wiped out. Paul is working long hours and has 3 calls over the next 5 days! Yuck!

Anyway, it's back to reality around the Beck household. Would love to hear from those of you we haven't heard from in a while!

Summer in the Mountains

Summer in the Mountains
Originally uploaded by mo_beck

One of my favorite shots I got this last time while visiting Northern California. This shot is taken in the Lassen National Park...looking east towards Lake Almador.

Pictures of Our New Home

Since several of you have requested to see pictures of our new place...



The front of our house. The sidewalk that leads to the right goes down to our basement door.







A view of our backyard from the edge of the property








The "living room"









Stairs leading to the 3rd level











Stairs leading to the basement












The TV/Movie room (basement)











another area off the TV room...we hope to add a ping pong table someday...









The other side of the basement. There's a built in desk on the left hand side that you can't see









the "play room"...which we hope to someday make into a guest suite.











Another very small room off the "play room". We'd knock out that wall to make the guest suite bigger...








Hope that gives you an idea of what the house looks like. The bedrooms were too messy to take pictures of. ;-)

Video of Trip to Moab

This is a movie a friend of mine, Julia McGee, put together of a trip to Moab and Arches National Park that I made with her and another friend. Thought some of you might like to see it. It includes photos that each of us took while there...

Up and Running!

For those of you who still happen to check back here every so often, we are FINALLY back online so I can start posting again! A brief summary of what we've been up to the last few weeks...

We signed closing papers and got the keys to our new home on July 31st and moved into our new home on Aug. 1st. Have been spending most of our time getting settled, unpacking boxes, setting up furniture, etc.

Jessi turned 13 on August 3rd.

Paul has been working A LOT but continues to come home with a good attitude about his work and is really enjoying surgery...even with the long hours!

This week I'm attending a conference for work to learn the Win-Win philosophy of school discipline. Very interesting. I leave this Friday for California to spend some time with family and friends...can't wait!

I'll be adding some recent pictures and video soon!

Moving Day

Well, the day has finally arrived! We'll be moving into our new home today and will finally have our things out of storage so we can begin to relax a little!

We won't have a land-line or internet service until the middle of next week but we'll be sure to let you all know what our new phone number will be.

Stay tuned...

House Closing

For those of you who have been following the progress of us buying a new home, you will know that we were set to close this past Friday, July 27th. Unfortunately there were some issues that came up with closing and things are sort of up in the air as I type this. We are hopeful that we will be able to close by tomorrow evening (Monday) but also realize this may not happen.

Obviously we are very disappointed and frustrated by this whole process but trust things will work out as they should. We had to cancel our movers and the rental truck and are feeling a mounting restlessness as we are still in the rental without any furniture or the comforts of "home".

Keep us in your prayers!

Too Cute!

I have no idea of what is being said but this is ADORABLE...what a vocabulary this little girl must have! :-)

How We Spent Our Weekend

So this weekend Paul had off and we decided to take the kids geocaching. If you don't know what that is exactly, you can click here. Below are some photos from our "ventures".


The kids posing in a tree along one of our hikes

Some very cool fossil rocks that Jessica and I (Monica) found on another of our hikes



Lots of butterflies around here!

For Those of You Who Have Never Seen a Porcupine

I was out on a drive the other night and happened upon this little cutey. I shot a short video of it. He didn't seem to pay any mind to me at all. I just sat in my truck and watched him (or her!) from about 10 feet away. Pretty cool, huh?

Our Town

We took a short drive up to Round Mountain this evening and hiked around the area with Boone and the kids. Below are a few pictures from our hike...

Me and Paul with the town of Athens behind us.








Athens, Pa.








According to Paul this is a bona fide bear track. You can barely make it out in this picture...










This was not from our hike, but rather it's a picture of the pond at the Sportman's Club that we belong to now. Apparently there's good fishing here. ;-)