tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29036540402414356752024-03-08T08:38:30.910-08:00The ThuesonsEst. 2003Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-81694533007479447402011-06-19T21:37:00.000-07:002011-06-19T22:30:21.597-07:00Going NowhereA few months back a pair of Jehovah Witnesses came to my door. I invited them in and we had a very pleasant conversation. I was enjoying the points they brought up because it made me research and study my faith on a deeper level. They came a second time and again, had a great conversation. It was interesting seeing how a simple scripture can be interpreted in a completely different way. I am so thankful for the restoration and how it has cleared so many things up! However, they came a third time and I almost felt attacked. <br /><br />I could handle the little comments about how they "only study the word of God, not the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith wrote" (which I totally corrected on the spot), but this time they crossed the line when they actually printed out discrepancies between the Book of Mormon and the Bible which therefore voids the validity of the Book of Mormon. Discrepancies that don't even make sense! The problem is, I don't know the scriptures well enough to compete with the knowledge they have of the Bible. They know everything about the Bible. I am envious. This has really motivated me to get to know the scriptures more, but is it healthy to keep having them come here? I'm afraid that I will keep looking like an idiot and giving the church a bad name. For example, they don't believe in pre-mortal existence or a spirit world after death. We do. So, they bring up bible scriptures like Ecclesiastes 9:5 and Psalm 146:4 that I have no clue how to explain except with the Book of Mormon which they don't believe in. Now I look like an idiot and they think they have caught me in a religious discrepancy. I know there has to be an explanation here, but I don't know what it is. <br /><br />Obviously, we can't even get to common ground...so this is going nowhere. Now what? If I tell them to stop coming then I look like they I'm asking them to stop coming because I don't want to be proven wrong anymore. I've bore my testimony over and over, but that's all mumbo jumbo to them I think. Where do I go from here?Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-26159904571032914642011-05-26T23:24:00.000-07:002011-05-26T23:49:08.601-07:00House ConfusionI first moved down here absolutely hating everything about it. But, I now love my ward, my amazing friends, and our neighborhood. If we get the house we put an offer in on, then we will be in another ward and in a new neighborhood. While I hear the new ward is amazing, it is huge with a ton of young couples. On the outside that sounds nice, but I would feel like we would get lost. With our ward now I'm happy that I feel like we add to our ward. We feel needed and wanted. Our girls love our yard in our rental house, we live on the corner so we have a nice view of the mountains, and we are less than a mile from the temple! We can't buy our rental and we have tried to find a house in this subdivision and we can't find anything in our budget. This is so frustrating. I'm wondering if all these doubts are creeping up because we should find out in a couple days if we have just bought a house, or if we really shouldn't have it and instead just wait for something else. <br /><br />The new house is fantastic, but it doesn't "wow" me. Brandon and I talked about it and we don't think anything can "wow" us in our price range. We have looked almost everyday for the past 3 months and nothing compares to this house. My question is, does a good decision always get divine confirmation? I would like to think that if something is not the best thing for us then God wouldn't let it happen, but we all know that's not true. So...what to do, what to do? Free agency right? There have been only a handful of times in my life that I truly felt God's hand in my life, and one of those times was when we moved here and into this ward. That leads me to another question. Should we buy a house based on the ward? My answer is no since wards change so frequently, but why were we inspired to be here and then just leave?<br /><br />I guess all of this is a little premature since we don't even know if we got it. I am going to go forward with it, I'm just hoping it's the right thing to do.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-11492069288225983652011-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:002011-03-15T10:57:07.382-07:00Good Reason...I AM SO SICK!!!!! My throat feels like I have needles poking out of it. Yuck! So, after dinner last night I crawled up on the couch and fell asleep. I even missed my Chuck! I went to bed when the girls did and fell asleep for a full 12 hours. Peace on Earth. <br /><br />I am so impressed with what a wonderful father Brandon is. When he came home last night he immediately went outside and started playing catch with the girls. Then, he took it upon himself to do Family Home Evening with the twins. I was busy cleaning Cali's poop off of the training seat and bathing her stinking butt. So, he read out of the Friend, and played music from the interactive music player, and prayed with them. He is amazing. I am so grateful everyday that I could snag him. Why am I so lucky? I think the Lord just knew that I would need someone with a really strong faith to save my stubborn soul.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-26479798371812914032011-03-13T22:19:00.000-07:002011-03-13T22:35:22.187-07:00Sister WivesI love this show! Christine makes me laugh, she's my favorite. How does everyone feel about this show? I am proud of them for standing up for what they believe in, but I wish that everyone didn't think they were Mormon. It impresses me that their family functions so well and that they are happy.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-60531537523572745162011-03-12T18:31:00.000-08:002011-03-12T19:14:16.883-08:00House HuntThis house hunting thing sucks! Why does House Hunters and Property Virgins make it look so easy? You look at 3 houses and you pick one, piece of cake! Oh no! They don't show you the 20 or so houses they had to look at before they could narrow it down to those three. They don't show you the numerous offers you have to make before actually being accepted by a seller. They don't go into the frustration behind short sales, 203K loans, and the cost of replacing carpet. I heard that this whole process would be difficult, but it is so emotional I can't stand it. Brandon warns me before we walk into any house that I shouldn't get attached, but it is so hard not to imagine where your furniture will go and what color to paint each room because that is the most exciting part of buying a home, making it your own. Anyway...we put an offer on a short sale, we are waiting for the seller to get his butt back into town to sign the papers so we can sign his counter and get on with this. He's only countering with the exclusion of a home warranty so it's pretty safe to assume he will accept it after we take that off. <br /><br />I'm also having mixed emotions about the house we chose. I am always thinking that there is going to be something better. The house is fantastic and in a great neighborhood, it's a good deal, but it is in a new ward. Now, 2 months ago that would have been a really good thing, but I have really been enjoying our ward lately. I got a new calling that has tremendously increased my testimony and I would be sad to leave something I have invested so much time into. However, I am getting ahead of myself because since it is a short sale we won't find out for several months if the banks will accept our offer. Here is a link so you can look at some pictures<br /><br />http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/645-Meadowbrook-Dr-Central-Point-OR-97502/58492081_zpid/ <br /><br />There have been so much I wanted to blog about recently and I can't remember what I was going to say. We gardened today! Freshly cut grass smells so good! <br /><br />Cali said something cute the other day. After sneezing about 3 times in a row she said, "Mom, my bless yous keeps coming out!"<br /><br />We are watching the craziest movie right now called Ponyo. It is a Disney movie, but it is Anime style, so weird. Brandon called me a xenophobe last night because I didn't want to watch this Japanese film that one of his co-workers said we HAVE to watch called Departures. I have nothing against foreign culture, but foreign films are usually crazy! This one was actually pretty good, just sad. Not sad sad, happy sad. I cried the whole time. I hate crying over movies. I don't watch TV to cry, that's stupid. I watch TV to escape sad and laugh at stupid people. That's entertainment. <br /><br />I have a sore throat. BAD!!!! It hurts to swallow my own spit. So you know what I'm gonna do? Go to the store, buy and apple pie and some ice cream and watch a funny movie. <br /><br />This post is for Kristin. She was getting on my butt about not posting and I tried to tell her that what I have to say isn't that exciting. She insisted that I just write about what is going on in my day. So here you have it. My goal this week is blog EVERYDAY. You lucky people!Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-58902849892577142572010-11-01T10:52:00.001-07:002010-11-01T11:30:18.449-07:00Halloween<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TM7-mKOP14I/AAAAAAAAE4U/pge9NY2Y3rU/s1600/PacMan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 96px; height: 64px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TM7-mKOP14I/AAAAAAAAE4U/pge9NY2Y3rU/s320/PacMan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534640923617515394" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TM7-l7F0JnI/AAAAAAAAE4M/0i9fAMjxFR8/s1600/HalloweenGirls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 160px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TM7-l7F0JnI/AAAAAAAAE4M/0i9fAMjxFR8/s320/HalloweenGirls.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534640919555614322" /></a><br /><br />Halloween was a success. The girls had more fun giving out candy at our door than doing the trunk or treat. They were plastered to the window next to our front door and when trick-or-treaters came up the sidewalk they would do a happy dance before opening the door. Of course, Adia woke up this morning puking all over the place, so I think we will have to stick to veggies and water today to work all that candy out of our systems. <br /><br />Brandon and I were invited to the most awesome Halloween party I had ever been to last week. It was 80's theme, so I decided to make us Ms. PacMan and Ghost costumes. The costumes turned out great, but I didn't even think about how massive they would be. At the party we had to stand against a wall because we couldn't fit anywhere! It was worth it though, we took home the prize for best Arcade Look-a-Likes. I can't bear to throw the costumes out, but they are so huge they take over a side of our garage. What am I going to do with these things? <br /><br />Last week was a good week, I was really happy. But, the last few days have been really tough for me. I think I need to get outside and enjoy the sunshine today and count my blessings. I could go on for hours listing the things I think I have failed at. I've handled these emotions before (usually monthly if you know what I mean), so I know I will snap out of it. Monday's are especially hard because I always have a great weekend with the family and then Brandon takes off for work. On a more positive note, I have found an awesome running buddy who makes it easier to get out and run. On Saturday we ran 4 1/2 miles. I want to make it up to 5 this week. <br /><br />Another thing I can't wait for is Reno this coming weekend. I miss family so much, and we will be down there for our newest nephew Jackson's baptism. Oh, I can't wait.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-80486340403178757142010-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:002010-10-18T09:56:45.107-07:00Yes, It has been since January<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TLx2GbQqOxI/AAAAAAAAE3U/M4tucXNZhsc/s1600/DSCN0585.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/TLx2GbQqOxI/AAAAAAAAE3U/M4tucXNZhsc/s200/DSCN0585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529424295273052946" /></a><br /><br />Well, obviously I am a horrible blogger. So much has happened since January. Brandon finished law school, passed the Bar, and we moved to Medford, OR. We have only lived here for about a week and half and it is definitely growing on us. This move has been extremely emotional for me though. <br /><br />I loved Salem. The minute we moved there I wanted to live there forever. I had just been accepted to OSU before Brandon got his job offer too. Not to mention my family is there and we were in the most amazing ward ever. So, this is a change, but one we had prayed about and knew was the right thing to do. <br /><br />So here we are in our pink house. Yes, I said pink. It was built in 1990 and hasn't been redecorated since. We have mauve and dusty blue wallpaper in almost every room. The light fixtures are brassy gold and the trim outside is pink. Our girls LOVE our house. <br /><br />Brandon got the job of his dreams too. Even before going to law school he worked with kids with behaviorial problems. While in school he worked at a DA's office doing Juvenile law and he was just hired at the District Attorney's office here in Medford doing Juenile dependency/deliquency. I am so proud of him. <br /><br />We are incredibly blessed. We finally have a house, a job, and we are now almost halfway between both of our families. This will be good (at least that is what I tell myself everyday).Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-38023355215822450842010-01-21T13:52:00.001-08:002010-01-21T14:10:47.421-08:00The SecretI am fascinated with the idea of "The Secret". Have you all heard of it? It is a movie that explains that if you visualize what you want you WILL get it. For example, there was this guy who explained how he cut out pictures of a specific house and hung it up on these dream boards and several years down the road he was unpacking old boxes and found these dream boards only to realize he was actually living in the exact house of the pictures. <br /><br />Many years ago I was struggling with some issues and had written to an author(Glenna Salsbury) of a book that really helped me get through. Glenna, a strong Christian, explained the same things in her book, visualize and it will happen. In her case she did similar things, she glued pictures of things she wanted in her life in collages not overlooking any detail. An example she gave came from her pictures of diamonds and flowers. Years later she married a man who had a hobby of collecting diamonds who just so happened to love showering her with flowers all the time. She explained that no detail is too small, visualize what you want out of life and life will bring it to you in ways you would never expect. <br /><br />So my question is, does this really work? Are these examples just coincidences? In both cases did these people unconsciously seek these things out or did these things come to them? Is there some unknown power that our mind has that controls the universe? If God controls the universe then is He the one giving us everything we want? <br /><br />I have started my dream list already and plan on embellishing it tonight. The important step is to actually believe that it will happen. Visualize everything, down to what it will smell and feel like.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-55605868681228942762010-01-21T13:29:00.001-08:002010-01-21T13:43:55.193-08:00Okay, Fine!So I've been getting a lot of crap for not updating my blog. Honestly, I have not had one free minute. Right this second my kids are ransacking Cali's room and Cali is climbing ontop of our office desk and I am postponing my math paper to blog about nothing worth while in my life(don't ask why I have to write a paper in math, I don't know). But if it makes you happy...<br /><br />Brandon has finally made it to his last semester of law school. Now we are job hunting and the odds aren't looking so hot, so if any of you know of any firms hiring please let us know. <br /><br />I am in school again and should be done by the time Brandon is done with the bar which brings me to a story. I have a know-it-all in my group in math class. Yesterday we took a test (individual test) and we finished about the same time. We walked out in the hall and were discussing the test when she proceeds to tell me that my answers looked pretty good but I got one wrong. Okay, first off, why was she looking at my test in the first place, and second why on earth would she point out my mistake! Who are you crazy lady?!!! Are you the teacher?!!! No!!!! So, while trying to figure out a problem she was stuck on she was looking at my paper and correcting it. If she gets a better grade I'm gonna tell the teacher:) Okay, I won't be that childish, but I really really wanna!Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-24945939142217640742010-01-21T13:20:00.000-08:002010-01-21T13:25:40.132-08:00Some Pictures<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGPqe-CiI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/mtCAc4gOqGg/s1600-h/xmasdresses.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGPqe-CiI/AAAAAAAAE2Y/mtCAc4gOqGg/s200/xmasdresses.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429307323199654434" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGPS0WzII/AAAAAAAAE2Q/KpRtCy6kZow/s1600-h/Xmas+PJs.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGPS0WzII/AAAAAAAAE2Q/KpRtCy6kZow/s200/Xmas+PJs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429307316846906498" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGO-mQ2II/AAAAAAAAE2I/7pRKM2knmjw/s1600-h/preschool2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGO-mQ2II/AAAAAAAAE2I/7pRKM2knmjw/s200/preschool2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429307311419086978" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGOhBAP3I/AAAAAAAAE2A/o_m8ukkOM8g/s1600-h/calipre.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/S1jGOhBAP3I/AAAAAAAAE2A/o_m8ukkOM8g/s200/calipre.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429307303478181746" /></a>Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-32150201545267022212009-05-05T13:43:00.000-07:002009-05-05T13:49:05.805-07:00I need some motivationSo besides school, the one thing occupying my mind is my weight, sad I know. I was doing good for so long and I recently didn't just fall off the bandwagon, I threw myself off the edge! What can I do? I need some advice from my skinny friends on how to control the urge to eat every 5 seconds. I have a normal BMI but I still want to lose 15 pounds. I need some motivation, skills, whatever you can to help a sister out. Thanks!Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-87761001087625334712009-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:002009-05-05T13:41:28.346-07:00What?!!!!!Okay, so I was at Church on Sunday and this friend of ours comes up to Brandon and I and starts talking about some post that Brandon put on our blog. I personally haven't looked at our blog in a few months, so I was questioning what on earth she was talking about. Brandon doesn't blog? So I immediately come home and start balling my eyes out as I'm reading the last post. He is a turkey for not telling me but amazing for writing it. <br /><br />A disclaimer to all of that though is that straight A's is not that big of a deal at all. For one, I was only taking 3 classes, second I am definitely not getting straight A's this term so it was probably just a fluke. Either way I love Brandon so much I can't even express it. He is better than any man I know, and I wish I could be half the person he is.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-87828306694448901682009-04-25T10:33:00.000-07:002009-04-25T10:53:55.977-07:00Melody Is Smart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SfNNFfveCuI/AAAAAAAAELE/N1_HODPZj-M/s1600-h/Melody+and+Cali.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 178px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SfNNFfveCuI/AAAAAAAAELE/N1_HODPZj-M/s200/Melody+and+Cali.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328687540924713698" /></a>I don't have much time right now (dang final exams, I should be studying for an Employment Law final right now) but I wanted to tell everyone just how smart Melody is. If she sees this post she may delete it, sorry. As many of you know, Melody began taking online classes this year through the college here in Salem. Melody attended some college right after high school but then has taken five years off to go to Massage Therapy School, Cosmetology School and of course take care of me and the girls. After such a long absence wouldn't you think she would be a little rusty in the academic department? No, and it makes me sick. She took three classes and got straight A's. She got a perfect 4.0! If the school gave out A+'s, she would have had a 4.3 because she finished each course with higher than 100%. She was informed this week that she made the Academic Honor Roll. She did all of this while taking care of three crazy screaming girls and me (mostly absent husband/father trying to stay above water in law school). Most of her homework and studying came between 9 p.m. and 1 or 2 in the morning. She is pretty nerdy, but quite smart and so incredibly wonderful and beautiful. So if you see her, give her a pat on the back or a congratulations, or something, she deserves it. Melody, the girls and I love you and are very proud of you, keep up the good work.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-68043394121414126492009-03-17T11:20:00.000-07:002009-03-17T11:26:01.561-07:00Weigth Loss Challenge UpdateWe have had a pretty big response for the challenge, it is really great. We are going to set the start date for next Monday, March 23. If you have already let us know that you are planning to participate, or even if you are just deciding to, please send us an email at loserchallenge at gmail dot com. That way we have your email addresses and can relay the rest of the information and rules to all the competitors. Please do this within the next couple of days. Thanks!Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-39364340068819930302009-03-11T22:40:00.000-07:002009-03-12T11:36:19.382-07:00Weight Loss Challenge<a href="http://thethuesons.blogspot.com/2008/11/woo-hoo.html"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--></a><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CBrandon%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As you have seen <a href="http://thethuesons.blogspot.com/2008/11/woo-hoo.html">here</a> in a prior post by Melody about running, we have been trying to live healthier lifestyles.<span style=""> </span>After months of doing really well, we have both hit a wall and are constantly seeking new ways to stay motivated.<span style=""> </span>I recently ran across a blog entry of an old friend who did a weight loss competition and lost 28 pounds, winning $500.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Because we enjoy money and want to lose more weight, we are starting a weight loss competition and invite everyone to join.<span style=""> </span>To join, you need to pay $10.<span style=""> </span>The winner will take the entire pot.<span style=""> </span>The prize awarded will depend on the number of participants.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Details</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">How long:</span><span style=""> </span>The contest will last eight weeks, beginning as soon as we have at least 10 participants.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Format:</span><span style=""> </span>Have you ever seen The Biggest Loser on NBC?<span style=""> </span>It is a weight loss challenge where people compete to lose the most weight, calculated by percentage of weight lost.<span style=""> </span>If A weighs 250 pounds and loses 25 pounds, he has lost 10% of his body weight.<span style=""> </span>If B weighs 150 pounds and loses 15 pounds, she has lost 10% of her body weight.<span style=""> </span>For the purposes of the challenge, A and B are tied.<span style=""> </span>The reason for basing the contest on percent of body weight lost is to level the playing field. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Our contest will also be based on percent of body weight lost.</span><b style=""><u>
<br /></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Rules:</span><span style=""> </span>When we decide on a beginning date, each participant will be required to submit their official starting weight.<span style=""> </span>You can email it to me and I will not disclose the number to anyone.We will designate Monday as the official weigh-in day.<span style=""> </span>Each Monday you must weigh yourself and send me the latest weight.<span style=""> </span>Again I will keep the actual number confidential.<span style=""> </span>I will calculate the percent of weight lost that week and make a new blog post listing the top three losers and their percent of weight lost. At the end of the eight weeks, whoever has lost the greatest percentage of body weight will take the pot.<span style=""> </span>As I mentioned above, I want to wait until we have at least 10 participants so <span style="font-weight: bold;">the pot will be at least $100 but hopefully more</span> (just enough to buy a new outfit to show off your new look).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">If you are interested, leave us a comment or let us know on Facebook and we will email you with more details. </p>Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-83787040750844086792009-02-18T10:06:00.001-08:002009-02-18T10:13:56.818-08:00We didn't fall off the face of the earth, but we want toOh my gosh! Life has been so busy. So I started school and ever since I really don't have time for anything. The girls make doing homework during the day pretty much pointless, so that leaves from 9pm to 1am for homework. Ahhh! Teaching better be worth it dang it. <br /><br />Brandon is doing really great in school. We are trying to figure out where we will go after he is done in about a year. We were thinking of taking a trip to Colorado over spring break because everyone we talk to loves it. It would be great to stay in Oregon, but we need to leave our options open. <br /><br />The girls are doing great, we have been potty training all week and have made some progress! Cali is now 7 months old, crawling and standing on things, and I just pierced her ears! She looks so cute. I will post some pictures soon.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-20695081909244250372008-12-22T23:10:00.000-08:002008-12-22T23:20:29.316-08:00Freakin' ChristmasWhat a great mother I am! I had this idea in my head about how fun it would be to bring a tree home and have the girls decorate it with me, have Brandon hang lights, drink hot cocoa...you know, the perfect family Christmas. I guess I didn't factor in that our kids are HORRIBLE 2 year olds with the biggest emotional crises every 2 seconds. Brandon and I had to hurry and put the tree up while the girls were in time out for like the 15th time that night and by the time bedtime came around half the ornaments were already off the tree with the stupid little metal tops pulled off!!! Ahhh!!! So next year I hope it will be better with only one 2 year old to deal with.<br /><br />On a positive note, we got a free tree from one of the local state parks. The Silver Falls State Park bought some land with a Christmas tree farm on it and every year they cut a few down and have this Christmas activity day where they give out free trees, hot chocolate, the kids can make ornaments and gingerbread houses, it was so much fun. So, the whole day wasn't so bad, I really do love Christmas.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-23638922132242956842008-12-20T12:44:00.000-08:002008-12-20T14:38:58.598-08:00The 80's Are Back!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SU1z-xBb7XI/AAAAAAAAEDM/hsX2edf1MRk/s1600-h/DSCF2241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SU1z-xBb7XI/AAAAAAAAEDM/hsX2edf1MRk/s200/DSCF2241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282005460123905394" border="0" /></a>Yeah Baby! A woman in our ward had a surprise 80's birthday party for her husband yesterday and Brandon and I really wanted to go so we could make more friends since all of ours are moving away. Anyway, the invitation encouraged people to dress up and it was super fun!!!! If you look closely, Brandon ended up SHAVING actual lines on the sides of his head. Oh my gosh!!! It was flippin' hilarious!<br /><div></div>Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-38941015522647350882008-12-15T21:28:00.000-08:002008-12-15T22:23:12.110-08:00Winter Break<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SUdC9nBJZ2I/AAAAAAAAECc/9_AGCGJxVYg/s1600-h/Law+School+Front.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SUdC9nBJZ2I/AAAAAAAAECc/9_AGCGJxVYg/s200/Law+School+Front.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280262714328442722" border="0" /></a>Melody has begun to refer to this blog as hers, rather than ours, so I thought it would be nice to make my very first solo post.<br /><br />Today I have officially begun my winter break. Four weeks off. Four weeks of no reading, no studying, no sitting on the edge of my seat in class filled with anxiety that I might get called on, no case briefs, holdings, majority opinions, concurring opinions, or dissenting opinions. Four weeks of not having to go to that big building pictured above. It is four weeks to give my brain a rest. And trust me, four weeks is not nearly long enough.<br /><br />The really cool thing about this semester coming to an end is that this officially marks my half way point in law school. The first half flew by and really challenged me. I fully expect the second half to go just as fast and challenge me even more.<br /><br />Please do not take this the wrong way, I really enjoy law school, the law school finals however, are not so great. I have spent the last three weeks in the law library, non stop, studying for these dang tests. Poor Melody has pretty much been a single mother because I have rarely been around. She continues to support me though and doesn't complain about the time spent at school too much, even though I know our three little girls are not easy.<br /><br />We are going to my parent's house in California for a few days after Christmas. My mom called last week asking if it is okay for she and my dad to rent a hotel room for Melody and I at Lake Tahoe so we can sneak away together for a night while our girls stay with them. Of course that is okay! Is it sad though that the first thought we had about having a hotel room to ourselves was that we can go to bed early and sleep in as late as we want? I guess we will work on that.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-83238176157115370412008-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:002008-12-15T23:28:23.164-08:00Jon Heder<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276416909337652898" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 124px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/STmZOS_vbqI/AAAAAAAAEB8/_B-QczOY1rA/s200/images%5B4%5D.jpg" border="0" />So Jon Heder's aka Napoleon Dynamite's parents are in my ward. His parents are soooo nice and his mom talks to me all the time because we have twins and she has had twins. Anyway, two Sunday's ago Jon Heder's daughter was visiting her grandparents and was playing with our girls in Church. How cool is that! It gets better. Last Sunday guess who was in town visiting family for Thanksgiving? Yeah!!!! Jon Heder was sitting 3 pews ahead of us and to the right. Ahhhhhh!!! It took everything I had to not start screaming. You could see everyone in the ward taking glances at the big fat elephant in the room, the movie star casually sitting in church. He has touched Will Ferrell for crying out loud! Holy Moly! Too bad Church is not the appropriate time to be like, "So, I want to be an actress, can you make that happen?".Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-84154264299711838882008-11-25T14:25:00.001-08:002008-12-15T23:28:46.188-08:00Twilight Addiction<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276413809293769378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 103px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/STmWZ2bruqI/AAAAAAAAEB0/6En6GNGRNIk/s200/images%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" />Not even kidding, I am addicted to this stupid stupid Twilight phenomena. I have read all the books one and a half times (the second time around I skipped all the stupid parts about Jacob and the silly fight scenes and went straight to the love story, hence the half). I saw the movie and loved it, and I think I am going again tonight by myself. The bad part about all of this is that I am soooooo incredibly happy while I am reading and watching the movie that when it ends and the lights go up I get so depressed and start crying. It is ridiculous! Why can't love be like that? Then again, who on earth would want a boyfriend or husband who smothers you like that? I guess I just love the notion that you can't live without someone, they love everything about you, your smell, your hair, your eyes. I guess as women we really need that though, that feeling that you are their world and nothing could ever replace you. Don't get me wrong, Brandon is my perfect man and I love him more than anything, I just wonder why I have such a strong emotional tie to this dumb story? I have a happy marriage and family. Hmmmm...Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-1044149515574469872008-11-16T16:37:00.000-08:002008-11-16T16:53:15.689-08:00Apple Picking<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOo4jpaI/AAAAAAAAEBo/fT6q0q85KL4/s1600-h/apple_pickin%27_007%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269422921748817314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOo4jpaI/AAAAAAAAEBo/fT6q0q85KL4/s200/apple_pickin%27_007%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOWeh-YI/AAAAAAAAEBg/yqhIQRjcT1M/s1600-h/apple_pickin%27_005%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269422916807817602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOWeh-YI/AAAAAAAAEBg/yqhIQRjcT1M/s200/apple_pickin%27_005%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOe1pvMI/AAAAAAAAEBY/RPK6abywqaM/s1600-h/apple_pickin%27_001%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269422919052278978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SSDAOe1pvMI/AAAAAAAAEBY/RPK6abywqaM/s200/apple_pickin%27_001%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><br /><div><div><div>I can't tell everyone how much I love Oregon! It was so much fun, look at all those apples on the ground. There were people there loading truck beds full of apples since apple season ended and all the apples were completely free. Apple pie anyone?</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-55972091822221212862008-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:002008-11-16T16:28:32.416-08:00Woo Hoo!Everyone who knows Brandon and I know that we are not the most fit people. Well, a few months ago Brandon started this running program and has worked up to running 3 to 4 miles straight! I was really envious of him and he encouraged me to do this program too. Well, just yesterday I was able to run 30 minutes straight and could have easily gone longer. I can't explain how good it feels to run like that, my muscles get so tired and sore but I have a ton of energy and want to keep running longer and longer. I love it and can't wait to go running tomorrow. I have this friend who is running a marathon and I have the greatest respect for her, I don't think I would ever want to do that, but build up to running 5 miles a day would be great!<br /><br />Here's the site <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Running">http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Running</a>Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-49948032117207922112008-11-02T21:38:00.000-08:002008-12-15T23:41:23.170-08:00Happy Halloween!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SQ6PoWDpHVI/AAAAAAAADJU/ouc_nwpHe2k/s1600-h/DSCF2183.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264302937721085266" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 150px;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SQ6PoWDpHVI/AAAAAAAADJU/ouc_nwpHe2k/s200/DSCF2183.JPG" border="0" /></a>Halloween is my second favorite holiday. My friend Mary-Anne and I thought it would be fun to have a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Halloween</span> get together as an excuse for all of us adults to dress up even though all of our husbands complained about it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Adia</span></span> and Layla were witches, Cali was a 49er fan, I was a "whore" vampire, and Brandon was white trash. It was fantastic, Brandon played the part so well that when we were trick or treating people actually wondered if it was a costume or if he really dressed like that. I will be the first to tell you that if he dressed like that all the time we would <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">definitely</span> NOT be married. It was hilarious! *Brandon shaved his goatee into a handlebar mustache (what a trooper) and wanted to make it perfectly clear that the Hooters shirt, John Deere hat, and flannel shirt are NOT his.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SQ6PoKqcQfI/AAAAAAAADJM/JvUEgv5wDlQ/s1600-h/DSCF2164.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264302934662595058" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px; height: 150px;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Hs1qxvMJuhg/SQ6PoKqcQfI/AAAAAAAADJM/JvUEgv5wDlQ/s200/DSCF2164.JPG" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Adia</span></span> was loving picking out all the seeds.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2903654040241435675.post-79238905757994575492008-11-02T21:11:00.000-08:002008-11-02T21:20:47.042-08:00Crazy Aha Blonde Moment!!!!Okay, so all I watch anymore is The Wiggles. If you haven't seen these shows, it is 4 australian guys dancing around and singing kids songs. It's a great show for kids. Anyway, I was watching this live concert they were doing and they were singing Christmas songs and mentioned that it was almost Christmas. The audience was wearing shorts and tank tops! Then I realized that it is summer in Australia in December! What! I went 25 years thinking everyone in the world had snow or at least cold weather for Christmas. Are you kidding? These people are having BBQs and going to the beach for Christmas. What would Christmas be without snow, fireplaces, warm cozy cinnamon smelling houses, and all the other stuff that comes with Christmas? Crazy Crazy.Brandon and Melodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482515724746872054noreply@blogger.com2