the fountains at the bellagio have nothing on these guys. (hope the link works)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1498735521253677636


richard

Woodblocks!!!

Even more work.

Etchings!!

As promised, some new artwork.

The Evolution of Dance

I must give props to this guy. Everyone needs to watch his dance routine. You might just feel nostalgic. I know I did.
-Emily

Thank heaven for little....

GIRLS!!!!! (just one girl) Sophia Elizabeth Swayze. We now have a name to attach to 'it'. pretty soon she'll start kicking emily. that'll be fun.....for sophia.

We're really excited about the new house we are renting in clinton. bye bye apartment life!!!! we move june 24 so if you wanna help that would be great. but don't expect anything except a 'thank you' in return!!!!! so come on down!!!!

richard

HOW DO I TELL MY MOTHER?!

So we FINALLY find out what we are having tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I would love to update our blog with a new post, but I don't know how big of a fan my mother is of our blog. Just to keep her in suspense a little longer, Richard and I are not telling my parents until we get to their house tomorrow night. So that means that the rest of you will have to wait until the screaming and hugging stops and Richard and/I can get to the computer.

Now the big question is how we go about telling my parents. For some reason, there seems to be a need to make a big deal about it with them. This is not their idea, but a scheme that Erin and I have decided needs to take place. My cousins Angela (w/Blake and baby Baylee) and Peggy will also be at my parents’ house tomorrow night, adding to the anticipation.

Erin and I thought that wrapping-up a Cabbage Patch Kid for my mom’s birthday present would be funny. Erin suggested that I find the doll that has the name we have chosen, but I think that’s too much trouble. So we would just wrap up the doll with the same gender. It’s a good idea and our child will already have one toy. I don’t know though. What do you think?

NO MORE PINK!

As some of you may know, I have been an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay for about 7 months. While struggling to walk pass my bookcase in the den with all of my MK products displayed and collecting dust, I began to wonder if I had made the best decision in getting involved with this company.
I think that I am truly destined to be one of those people that actually goes to work and earns a paycheck. I do not see myself dressing up in a suit and trying to convince women that they need my products. Even though I was “working for myself,” I still had to conduct my business under the guidelines of Mary Kay. Among other things, this meant no advertising. Sure, I could put up flyers and announce my phone number to everyone, but do I really need people stalking my cell phone for unrelated issues?
Since deciding to close my business and return my products to the company, I have had a sense of freedom come over me. I emailed my director (who is trying to talk me into staying) to inform her that I was finished. Did you know that once you return your products to MK, you can never return to the MK Consultant life? This is pretty drastic for a Godly company. Being excommunicated isn’t as bad as I thought though. All I had to do is call the MK repurchasing department (had to find the phone number on a website other than MK’s website) and request a form. I will have to box up all my stuff that I’m not keeping and return it for a 90% refund. Too easy.
Even though I am feeling free, I began to wonder if I was alone in my questioning the MK way of like. then I stumbled upon the best online support group a former MK consultant could ever have. I encourage everyone to visit this website. It does not bash MK; it only informs the public of the truth behind the pink. Here is the address: www.thepinkingshears.org
So I am ending my career as a beauty consultant. I am not sad about my decision. I am excited about the return of my money. :)

Schooooool's out for summer!

Ok maybe only 3 weeks, but you rock alice cooper!! we just finished another semester of school. we are tired and the house is a mess. it's a good thing our friend trey is coming to visit so he can clean our house. he said he had a wedding to go to but i don't think he'll have enough time for that.

as soon as i take some pictures of my work from this semester i'll post them. anyway, i'm tired and kathy griffin is on TV making em laugh so i'm gonna go laugh too.

richard

13 weeks and counting...

I am now entering my 2nd trimester. I would like to think by now that I would have realized that I am actually having a baby. Unfortunately, that "ah-ha" moment hasn't happened yet. I keep hearing that when I see the next sonogram, it will hit me. So I guess I'll get hit in 2 months. Boo to that!
Richard is being the best expecting father ever! He is taking such good care of me! I just wish that I would get off my lazy butt and take care of myself! If only I could only pass the couch and go straight to the treadmill.
Oh! I almost forgot! The baby's heartbeat was 144. "They" say that if it is over 140, it's a girl. I think that 4 bpm is just too close to call. So I'm thinking that either we are having a metrosexual or sporty spice. :) I wouldn't expect anything else though.

- Emily

What Makes Me Sad

So I got depressed a couple of days ago when I heard some disturbing news. It seems that when President Bush signed the revamped version of the Patriot Act into law earlier this year that he issued another one of his signing statements, basically saying how he interprets the law and how he will apply it. The signing statement for this law basically said that Bush will ignore the Congressional oversights that the law requires to protect the rights of citizens whenever he chooses. Which is basically Bush flipping the bird to some of his fellow Republicans and many Democrats in Congress because the Patriot Act was in danger of not being renewed because of concerns that there were no Congressional oversights in place. After those oversights were put in the law passed. And now we get Bush saying the law doesn't apply to him. He's done the same thing over and over again since he took office. The other notorious time was when the McCain bill banning torture got passed. Bush fought tooth and nail to block it but he failed. Seeming to concede defeat, he invited McCain to the signing ceremony, said what a good bill it was (now who's the flip-flopper?), and signed away. Then when no one was around, he issued a signing statement that said he could ignore the law if he chose to. This is friggin' ridiculous. People keep saying how long Bush has gone without vetoing a bill, but he doesn't have to veto it if he can sign it and issue a statement that says it doesn't apply to him. He has done this some 500 times, using the signing statement more forcefully than any president before him. What happened to the Rule of Law? That great indicator of democracy that says everyone is equal under the law and no one, not even our leaders, are above the law.

Speaking of democracy. It seems over the past week or so a man in Afghanistan who had converted to Christianity some 16 years ago is about to go under trial for doing just that, converting to Christianity. Under the Afghani constitution that was put in after the ousting of the Taliban, Sharia (which I'm assuming is some kind of religious law) law is the supreme law of the land and converting to Christianity is punishable by death. Since when is that democracy? Since when is that the "freedom that is on the march" that Bush always talks about in Iraq? What has actually changed in Afghanistan? Ok, so they can vote, but it seems they just get to elect who will persecute them next. That ain't no democracy! Well, you'll be glad to know the man was released and has taken asylum in Italy. But still, the very fact that this actually happened is appalling. And that is the reason of my discontent.

Richard

new due date

We obviously cannot count, so we were a little off on the due date. Since having the sonogram, we have been informed that I am now due October 24th. This is 6 days after Richard's birthday and 8 days before Erin's birthday. So I have decided not to get either one a birthday present this year...other than a new son/daughter and a new niece/nephew. So mark your calendars for October 24th! I just hope he/she gets here as close to the due date as possible...I have a wedding to go to in November!!!!

First Baby Pic

Here is the first picture of our baby!! S/He looks more like a butterbean or a peanut than a person right now. We go back for another sonogram in 4 weeks and we should know if its a boy or a girl in about 9-12 weeks.

TWO LINES!

I never expected there to be two lines! But as I looked at the pregnancy test on the counter I realized that the unexpected just became reality. I called the doctor the next day (Valentine's Day) to make an appointment. Thinking that it could be a kidney infection, I waited about 3 days and took another pregnancy test (different brand). This time there was a plus sign screaming at me, "You're pregnant!!" Well, today I went to see my doctor. She decided that my due date would be September 23rd. So Richard and I are going to be parents! I wonder how tall he/she will be.

This one is funny

We both agree this video is funny. Search Google videos for "Blair + Bush at the gay bar".

Now that's good times.

That didn't work

Alright so that link doesn't work. Go to Google video (if you don't know how to get there go to google.com, click on more and then click on video) and then search for curry-n-rice girl. it's funny!

Putting It To A Vote

Click on the link below (i hope this works) and tell us if what you see is funny or not. Emily thinks it's stupid but i think it's hilarious.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4532245984549289375&q=curry-n-rice+girl&time=10000

Senseless yammering

I was wearing one of my aqua teen hunger force t-shirts tonight and realized how much i have missed the adult swim block of tv on cartoon network. so here are some fun quotes from some of my favorite episodes:

"don't put that wet towel on my computer!"
"i'm gonna!"
(that one's for corrie)

"have you seen a woman in a bikini around here?"
"you mean the beer promo from the liqour store?"
"um yeah."

"rabbit troop sucks!"
(another one for corrie)

anyway, another watercolor posted, this one of ventress hall at ole miss. and a woodcut posted. not telling you what it means, you gotta do that for yourself. it's up to you to decide if it means anything, as with all art.

richard

One more time

Here is our first Christmas tree (notice the down comforter bed skirt). And a watercolor of the side of my grandparent's house........Hopefully.

We register for classes this week. On my agenda is printmaking, curriculum development, and figurative watercolor painting. And in case you were wondering, no, there are no nude models in art classes at MC, Christian college ya know. The professors are talking with administration to see if we can at least get models in bathing suits or tights.

We had air-popped popcorn in our brand new air-pop popcorn popper (say that 3 times fast). It was bought with the gift card I found in my wallet last week. I didn't even know it was there. I'm cleaning my wallet out more often!!!

Richard

OK so I lied.

Yeah, in the last post I said it would be a few days before we posted again and you can see how long ago that was. Anyway. We took a family photo in front of our first Christmas Tree and I tried to upload it along with some of my paintings but the painfully slow dial up just won't let me tonight. Maybe next time.

Our Christmas was great. It was spread over about 2 weeks so we could visit both of our families. That was nice, getting gifts for 2 weeks.

Classes start back in a couple of weeks so we are getting a long holiday. Emily made A's in her classes. I haven't gotten my grades because I owe five bucks in overdue library book fines.

We went out with a friend of ours tonight and ate sushi. Mmmmmmm....crawfish roll.....glaaaaahhhaaaaaaaa....oh hang on...got a little drool. There we go.

Finally we would like to congratulate Corrie Tyner on her wonderful news. I think she has a blog (corrietyner.blogspot.com) so go check that out! Good night.

Richard

Long time no blog

Yeah so things have been hectic here...at least for me. I thought I had 8 paintings due thursday and I knew I had 3 prints due wednesday night so I've been working like crazy to get those done, get mats cut for them, go to work, walk the dog, and spend quality time with my lovely wife (love ya baby!). But no. The paintings are due NEXT thursday! So I missed out on being able to write my research paper draft so my instructor could proof it before I turn it in to be graded because I was painting for nothing! NOTHING!!!!! At any rate, things will slow down next week when the semester is over and I'll get some pics of my work from this semester onto the site.

Richard

PS- Wyatt bought an electric bicycle kit so he could turn his pedal bike into an electic bike. It's awesome! It can go about 20 miles on a charge and costs 50 cents to go 100 kilometers (i think). You have to give it a little peddling to get some momentum, but then you can hit the throttle and off you go! It's really fun to go up hills and watch people wonder how you can go uphill without peddling. Google Wilderness Energy (I think) if you want to know more.