Brian and Amanda Lain

For this Memorial Day Weekend, we went to Belton, TX to visit Amanda’s little brother, Chris. While we were there, we went to a huge waterpark–Schlitterbahn– and we went to Belton Lake with the dogs. We had a great visit, and Ciara got to meet her cousins, Shane and Chewy, pictured below.

Shane and Ciara. Shane is 5 years old and between 110 and 120 pounds. Ciara is 5 months and 45 pounds–one chomp if Shane were that kind of animal!

Shane, Chewey, and Ciara. Ciara thought that was SO funny!

Brian and Ciara at the lake–Ciara likes to swim, but not for long.

Amanda and Kassy (Amanda’s sister) went to the “Red & Black Ball”–a fundraiser for NMSU’s Dance Program. The evening featured many different styles of dance (Contemporary, Latin, Ballroom, Flamenco, etc), as well as Hors d’oeuvres, free wine, dinner (talapia, beef, asparagus, rice, salad, rolls, and dessert), a silent auction and the Mike Caranda Orchestra. Below are 2 pictures of us, all dressed up with someplace to go.

The Wearys (Amanda’s family) just had a reunion in Phoenix. This one was especially monumental as Harold (Amanda’s great uncle) is turning 100 years old this year! His brother, Mel, (Amanda’s grandfather) is turning 94. Below are some pictures of the event.

Amanda, Grandpa Mel, Brian, and Ciara

Grandpa Mel, Amanda, and Uncle Harold. Together, we equal 221 years!

Ciara went to the vet and we found out that she is 2 months old, very healthy, and about 18 pounds. She will not be as tall as a lab, but she will be stockier (more brute strength). She had her first puppy shots and is scheduled to go back in a couple of months. So far, as new parents, we have found that we are more tired than before, as we have to get up at all hours of the night, but we are still happy with our new addition, and have not yet experienced any post-partum depression. Below are some recent pictures of the family (Brian and Amanda, plus the “fuzzy-faced kid”).

All three of us, one of whom is NOT cooperating!

Both cooperating.

Ciara on her bed.

Ciara fighting Brian for her bed!

Meet Ciara (Kee-Ra), Celtic for dark hair, brown eyes. Ciara was found on the side of the road, very dirty and scared. Amanda’s co-worker rescued her, but then was unable to keep her, so wah-lah. She is a lab/pit bull cross and very gentle. She is 15 pounds, and we think she is about 2 months old.

We have already traveled out-of-state this year!! We went to San Francisco in January so Amanda and her co-worker could attend a work training and Brian could get some much-needed R & R. Unfortunately, it rained every day we were there, but Brian was still able to go do some sight-seeing, and he got a lot of exercise hiking around the big city. (Brian walked 13 miles in one day–from the mass transit system to the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the transit system.) Brian also got to do some touristy shopping and go to the aquarium at Fisherman’s Wharf. There are a lot of sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf, and you can see Alcatraz in the near distance. All in all, it was a great trip, though a bit soggy. Some pictures are below.

San Fran

Golden Gate Bridge

Sea lions

Alcatraz

Aquarium life

Yes– “Foto”, to go with the slightly off family pic below!

From left to right:
Front: Luke (15 months), Natasha (4), Nicole (4), Brad (7)
Middle/Back: Kassy (24), Mom (36 for years!), Chris (22), Laura (29), Amanda (26)
Luke, Natasha, and Brad are Laura’s 3 kids. Nicole is Kassy’s only child.

The problem is, we all see each other in shifts, but we are rarely ever all together. Enter picture above. This is a conglomerate of experiences, with multiple lightings, all melded into one. Whatcha think?!!?

We had a great Christmas, with lots and lots of family. Let’s see, so Kassy, Tim, and Nicole were at their house. Saturday, Brian and Amanda showed up. Sunday, Amanda’s Uncle David’s family from Houston showed up (Lisa, Jessica, and Tina). Monday, Amanda’s brother Chris showed up (though, it took almost running out of gas, being stranded in Van Horn, getting a severe bloody nose, spilling orange juice, getting rear-ended, and running a 100*+ fever). Tuesday was Christmas. Amanda and Brian left Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, Amanda’s sister Laura showed up with her three kids (Brad (7), Natasha (4), and Luke (15 months)). On Friday, Chris left, then Laura and her family left. On Saturday, Lisa, Jessica, and Tina left for Houston, Kassy came to Las Cruces to fly to Montana, and Amanda’s Uncle Chris and his family showed up (Linda and Shane) from Colorado. On New Year’s, all the extended family was gone and it was just Tim and Nicole. Whew–good thing Christmas is only once per year!!
Below are some pictures of the kids:

This was Nicole’s biggest Christmas present–Barbie’s Jammin’ Jeep, but she was too big for it!

This is Nicole in her Christmas dress with Honey, the new puppy (aka Frosty, Sarah, Sagittarius, Rocket, and Mutt).

This is Natasha holding Amanda’s biggest Christmas present–a giant panda!

This is Natasha and Luke, barely waking up.

This is a a picture of all Laura’s kids, and again the Panda.

Kassy, Nicole, and Amanda went to Texas this past weekend to welcome Chris, our little brother, back from Iraq. Chris was there for 15 months. Chris is supposed to get out of the Army in September ’08, so he should not have to go back over. We had a great visit, starting with the Welcome Home Ceremony at Fort Hood, followed by a field trip to Dallas and the Dallas World Aquarium, and then back to Killeen to get things in order before he had to go back to work. We are really glad to have Chris home and are doubly excited that he gets to spend Christmas with us all!

This is Chris’ unit–300+ soldiers–marching toward us.

They are the Crazy Horse Unit.

Amanda, Kassy, Tim, and Nicole went to Phoenix to visit our 93-year-old grandfather Thanksgiving weekend. He was very excited to see all of us. On the way there, we stopped at the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch and fed ostriches, deer, and lorakeets. Once we were there, we went Christmas shopping, Christmas-tree-stand shopping, played cards, looked at Christmas lights, visited family, and ate a lot.
Check out the pictures below:

Amanda had to go to Albuquerque for a conference this past week, so Kassy and Nicole tagged along. They went to the zoo, the botanical gardens, and the aquarium. Nicole got to ride on a gigantic ant, and then they took the train around downtown Albuquerque. Then, everyone got dressed up to go to dinner. See pictures below.

Below are a couple pictures of Chris, Amanda’s brother, with his unit in Iraq. He was recently presented with a Good Conduct Medal (Yahoo!). Chris just turned 22, and we’d also like to congratulate him on his recent success in filing divorce papers. For those of you who know Chris’ now ex-wife, join me in saying “Good Riddance!!” Two years was two years too long. But, as Chris says, there are two ways to do things: the right way, and again. So, he will get another chance, and we all know who Amanda has picked out for his next/final wife. 🙂

(Chris is the guy toward the left hand side, wearing glasses, and blocking the person’s face who is behind him.)

According to the October Newsletter: MAJ Heape, SGT Lyon, SPC McGee, SPC Weary, SPC White, PFC Mendoza, MSG Kimble

Great news! Kassy (Amanda’s sister) et. al. have moved to Silver City to take care of Amanda’s grandmother. It was an exhausting trip, but totally worth it. Amanda flew to Bozeman, MT on Thursday, we cleaned the house and finished packing on Friday, drove all day Saturday, drove all day Sunday, then unpacked all day Monday. It is usually a 20-hour trip, but with a 26′ truck, an 8′ trailer, and a 5 year old, things were a bit slower. Kassy drove the UHaul like a champ, and almost died only once. (Not really almost died, but she did almost wreck the Uhaul in horrible road construction when the trailer was fish tailing like crazy, which, by extension, could have killed her.) Otherwise, mostly uneventful, and glad to be home. Since we got back to New Mexico, Amanda’s grandmother has been in the hospital. She should be released in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, Kassy, Nicole, and Tim will move in and make themselves at home, without supervision.
Pictures coming soon!

Camino de Vida’s Annual Red Ribbon Bash was September 22. It is our largest fundraiser of the year and features dinner, entertainment, and live and silent auctions. Over 300 tickets were sold for $75 each! The goal for this year was $45,000 (the numbers are still out), and all the money raised directly benefits the clients by assisting with medication and doctor visit copays, and travel to see their case manager, among other things. It was a really fun event, with lots of community support. Below is a picture of the ice sculpture in the shape of a ribbon with red lights, to symbolize AIDS, and a picture of Amanda all dressed up for the occasion.

Below are pictures from our Montana 2007 summer trip. All of these are taken around West Yellowstone, Montana where Amanda grew up.

Nice greenery from one of our hikes.

A natural spring that feeds into a lake.

Amanda resting near the bottom of a looonnnnggg hill.

Brian with his new fishing hat.

Wolves at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.

Bears at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. Sam weighs over 1,000 pounds, and Illie weighs 800+.

A grouse (prairie chicken) that charged out of the grass hissing at us!

Brian and Amanda enjoying the fresh morning air.

We just got back from our Montana trip, and what a great time we had! It took about 20 hours of driving to get there, then we went to Lewis and Clark Caverns, Cliff and Wade Lakes, Whit’s Lakes, the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, on a boat ride, fishing on the Madison River, Johnson Lake, Hebgan Lake, and built a fence. We did a bunch of hiking, and quite a bit of fishing (Brian caught one 2-inch sucker and a Whitefish, Amanda caught stick and rock fish). No fireworks because of the high fire danger, but everything was so green and fresh and beautiful, we may just move there–3 months out of the year, that is. There are several pictures below, and more if you click here.

Picture is taken on the deck of Amanda’s house in Montana, with a view of Hebgen Lake.

Shane (the dog), Brian, Amanda, Tim (Kassy’s husband), Kassy, Brittany (Kassy’s friend), Kitty (Amanda’s mom), and Nicole in front.

View from one of our many hikes.

We are babysitting over the next two weeks–preparing us for parenthood! We are taking Shane (Amanda’s little brother Chris’ dog) with us to Montana when we go. So, in the meantime, he is visiting us. It’s so nice to have a greeting committee when we walk in the door!!

Look at that vicious dog (all bark, no bite)!

Here are the pictures from our Memorial Day Weekend. We went to Seven Falls and the zoo, where you can actually pet the giraffes!! We had a lot of fun. Now, we just need to visit Laura and her kids in Virginia!

Amanda with Luke and Natasha

Brian with Brad and Natasha

Luke, pulling himself up

Brian and Amanda at the falls

Laura and Amanda at the falls

View from a hike around the falls

Kids ready for the zoo!

Feeding the giraffes!

The giraffes, up close and personal!

Laura and her family

Brian’s lizard

Well it took us awhile to find time to post these pictures, but better late than never, right? So, over Memorial Day weekend, we trekked to Colorado Springs, CO to see Amanda’s older sister Laura and her three kids (Brad, Natasha, and Luke) one more time before they moved to Virginia. We went to Seven Falls and the zoo.
Since then, Laura and her kids made it cross country, with the assistance of Amanda’s little sister, Kassy. It was quite an adventure, but everyone is home now. Click here for more pictures.

The Falls

Laura, Brad, Luke, Natasha

Brad, Amanda, Natasha, Laura, Luke

Below are pictures from our family trip. Included are pictures from Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, the beach, Silver City, and Las Cruces.

Three Shamu’s.

Shamu doing a flip.

Dolphins saying “hello”.

Dolphins jumping VERY high in the air.

Kassy, Nicole, and Brian petting and feeding the dolphin.

Kassy and Nicole holding a starfish.

Nice ears!

Kassy giving Amanda a piggy-back ride, but not for very far!

Kassy very proud of her panda cup.

Nicole, Kassy, and Tim on a large rhinocerous.

The three girls in front of a waterfall at the Wild Animal Park.

The girls on the pier, with the San Diego skyline in the background.

Nicole helping Mama build a sandcastle.

Nicole helping Brian with digging for water.

Nicole wanting to go WAY deeper than Amanda wants to.

Kassy, Tim, and Nicole making a world-winning size bubble in Silver City.

Nicole watering Amanda and Brian’s flowers after a week of being away.