Best Fall Festival Ever

I have a new responsibility at church... to plan the activities. We will be having a "Fall Festival." I need your help... what was the best fall festival you've attended, and why? You can also share fall party duds, so I know what activities to avoid.
Thanks!
-Nicolle

Eating some cereal

Clara is starting to learn to eat solid foods. Here are some photos from one of her first attempts.

First, she played with the farm animal toys on her high chair.

Before:

During:

After... what a messy girl!

Better Opera Photos

I just got ahold of some better opera production photos.

The Britts and the Beach

A couple of weeks ago (yes, we are behind on blogging) our good friends, Mike and Leah Britt, came to visit from AZ. We met them after we were first married...they lived in the same condo complex as us. While they were here we tried to show them some of our favorite things about NC. Mike and Leah (with their cute boy, Hendrix) are pictured below at Carter Brother's Barbeque. YUM! I told them about how we came here at least once a week during the last month of my pregnancy.

Then we went to Carolina Beach... we love that it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house. It was Clara's first trip to the beach. We put up an umbrella for shade and set up her favorite chair.

Here is our little beach bum.

She loved digging her feat in the sand and watching the water.
We hope to go back to the beach, soon!

Thanks for traveling all the way across the country to see us, Britts!

Who's In?

by Nicolle:
I found a triathlon I want to do... anyone want to join me???

Saturday, August 25, 2007 ::: Hillsborough, North Carolina: Endurance Challenge Triathlon
Swim 500 meters, Bike 16 miles, Run 3.1 miles
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Location: Triangle Sportsplex - 209 Meadowland Dr - Hillsborough, NC 27278
email: jdavis@setupevents.com
Register On-Line At: Set Up Events
Price: $55 (+as race day draws nearer)
Course Info: S-500 m (pool), B - 16 miles, R-5k
Great spectator friendly course at one of the regions largest aquatic centers. Scenic bike course finsihes with a nice downhill stretch to transition.
2007 Results At: Click Here
2005 - 2006 Results: Set Up Events

The Good Life

by Nicolle:
When Greg and I first met, I was in graduate school working on a Masters degree in Vocal Performance. He asked what I wanted to do with that... and I respoonded by asking if he wanted the right answer or the real answer. He said he guessed he would like to hear both.

The right answer was... to use my degree to teach voice at the college level and travel around performing in operas and oratorios.

The real answer was that I what I really wanted was to be a mom, who could sing professionally on the side when the opportuntiy arose.

This past month I got my wish. I got to spend my days with my wonderful baby girl and my nights rehearsing for and performing in a new opera called Strange Fruit. This was only possible with the encouragement given to me by my wonderful husband, who pushed me out the door when he got home from work so I wouldn't be late, took great care of Clara while I was gone, did the dishes before I got home, and waited up for me to hear my excitement or frustrations... depending on how the night had gone. -He didn't know what he was in for when I gave him my real answer. :)

I am living "the good life," am fully aware of it, and am SO grateful. Thanks to all those who helped watch Clara and to everyone who came to see the show!

Here is a photo of Clara helping me practice...

This is a bad publicity photo taken early on in rehearsals. There are some better ones that were taken during dress rehearsals that I'll post later if I can get ahold of them.

Here is a photo of me, my Mom, and my brother Sean after the final performance.

Happy Fathers Day

By Clara...
I have the best Daddy, so for Father's Day I learned how to ride a boogy board and gave him one, too. Also, I wore an "I love my daddy" bib and pacifier.
I have been able to spend lots of time with daddy one-on-one while my mom was at opera rehearsals. Daddy took very good care of me, but he did teach me one bad habit...

What Superhero are you?

Jerry Seinfeld would be proud, I am 85% Superman. The 15% is the weakness to krytonite, and spelling. You can take it at : http://www.thesuperheroquiz.com/
Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 85% Spider-Man 70% The Flash 55% Supergirl 53% Robin 53% Green Lantern 45% Wonder Woman 43% Iron Man 40% Hulk 35% Catwoman 25% Batman 20%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

She Works Hard for the Bunny

Clara is learning how to crawl! (I never knew seeing my child figure out new things would be so thrilling, but it sure is!) Here are some photos of her trying to crawl towards her stuffed bunny...

She works hard for the bunny,

so hard for the bunny

She works hard for the bunny so you better treat her right.
(She hasn't figured out how to pull her knees under her and stand on her hands and legs, so instead she sticks her butt in the air and launches herself forwards... very cute).
Clara got to meet her Grandma Sherwood this week. These two had a great time playing together while Greg was out of town and Nicolle went to opera rehearsals and caught up on some work. Thanks Grandma Sherwood!

Clara at 4 months

Clara turned 4 months old this week. She wieghed in at 14lbs, 12 oz. (75th percentile) and is almost 26 inches tall (95th percentile). She has decided that she is too big for her bassinet and would like to take over the King size tempurpedic mattress that Mommy and Daddy sleep in.

She went swimming for the first time, can roll from her back to her stomach and tries really hard to scoot forward when she has her tummy time. She grabs for toys and sticks anything and everything in her mouth... including Greg's face. If she is hungry and sees Nicolle, she laughs. She is growing up too fast! We are having a blast with her.

Kids can be so mean.

On Sunday, I was walking out of a class and overheard one of the young men refer to me as “Unibrow Guy.” While I try not to be sensitive to the nicknames that kids give me, I did shave any hair that existed between my eye brows. It got me to thinking to the nicknames that kids gave me when I was younger. I am sure that most of you have experienced the same thing. That is why for my next list, I will be awaking painful memories. The list for today is the mean nicknames that you received when you were younger.


1: Booger Nose: I got this nickname when I was in 1st grade. I was riding the bus home and must have been caught reaching for something lodged in my nose. For the next three years, all the kids shouted “Booger nose, Booger nose.”

2: T-Bone: My sophomore year of high school I shaved my head while on the basketball team. After shaving my head, I found out that I have what appears to be a “T” in my head. Hence the name T-Bone. I wore a hat for the next year after that experiment

3:The Suchi song: Just to show that I was not always the victim, here is a moment that I am not so proud of. My freshman year of high school, I helped Jon Kupper make fun of a girl in our class named Suchita. Suchita’s nickname was Suchi, and we had a song about her

“My name is Suchi and I like to eat,
My favorite food is (slap leg) Horse Meat.
I like dinner,
I like lunch,
I eat them all watching the Brady bunch.
Because I’m hungry …
I’m hungry
Bobby, Cindy, Peter and Jan
I cook them all in a frying pan”

Even as I write that, I feel terrible. I guess I deserved far worse than being call Unibrow guy.

Idol Chatter and Lost

Before I give my options on American Idol, I need to add a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I am biased towards Melinda because she graduated from the same institution for higher learning that Nicolle did, so just as I am rooting for my fellow ASU alumni Barry Bonds to break Hank Aarons home run record, I am rooting for Belmont Bruin alum Melinda Doo a whole lot better than Jordan or Blake.

With that said here are my feelings about the show other miscellaneous observations.

Even with the Disclaimer aside, Melinda is in a different league than the rest of the competition. She is held to a higher standard than the rest of finalists. How can Randy call Jordan’s first song “The best vocal of the night.” Melinda on her worst day is better vocally than any of the other finalist on their best day. Nicolle made the comment that, there is so much detail in her songs that the judges know that she sounds great, but they don’t know how great it really was.

The best comparison I can make is when Nicolle and I were golfing with our friends Carlos and Melly. Melly, got up to the tee on a par 3 and got a hole in one. Carlos and I could not believe it. It was unbelievable. In my 18 years of golfing, I estimate that I have played 1,640 par threes. I have tried 1,640 times to get the ball in the hole in one shot. Add 500 more shots on the driving range. In addition, I have seen about 10,000 attempts for a hole in one. The number of hole’s in one that I gave gotten = 0. The number of hole in one’s that I have seen = 2.
Sorry, that is the analyst in me coming out.

Anyway, Nicolle had been golfing about 5 times before. My reaction was one of shock and awe. Nicolles reaction, that is cool.

Back to American Idol, the judges, based on their comments take me as someone who thinks a hole in one in singing is cool.
Nicolle reaction to Melinda’s hole in one every week is more like shock and awe

The problem is that the judges have taken her for granted. Every week, Melinda goes out on stage and does better than every one of the Special Guests that give a “Master Class” on how to really be awful at singing. Come on, think about it how many of the special guests would have been voted off if their performance was compared to the finalists (one exception is Bono). Did you hear Barry Gibb last night? I love the “singing” that he did, if you call talking in a high pitched voice singing. If that is singing, then sign me up for a record label right now.

Melinda takes every one of her songs and doesn’t just sing them. She becomes a storyteller. Her performances have a introduction, building up, and then when she pulls you in and has your attention, she blows you away with the ending.

Compare that with Jordan who sang the safe and boring “To Love Somebody'' and was giggling through it. Who was she thinking about when she sang that song? Was she even thinking about someone in that song? Jordan did not convince me at all that she had any emotional investment in the song. And then she comes out for the second piece and proved that if she had to sing in a concert, she is good for about one song. After one bit of belting, her voice is so shot that when she tries to sing another safe boring ballad, Paula in her infinite wisdom, encourages Jordan because the song was a hard song. I am no music expert, but I have heard some of the songs that Nicolle has sung, and if “A Woman in Love” (Jordan’s second song) was difficult song, then “Popcorn popping on the Apricot Tree” is the black diamond of songs.

Blake Lewis is a unique singer, who has a Sting type voice. I am interested in what he will end up doing.

But hands down, Melinda is the best.

What are yours thoughts?

Here is one more question for you. Is Locke dead?

Happy Birthday Nicolle

Today is Nicolle’s Birthday and I thought I would list 20 (since you are turning 20) of my favorite experiences with you, that are not too personal to share with everyone:

1. Our first date: Who knew that the key to your heart was have everything that I planned on doing, go wrong.

2. Playing soccer: There may be 1 or 2 times that would not make this list, all the other times do

3. Lake Powell: I have never jumped as high when I was wakeboarding as I did during this week, I had to show everyone else what a stud you were dating

4. Hawaii: This was great because we had shave ice everyday and had so much personal time, oh wait, forget that last thing.

5. New York City: we were able to see a Yankees game and 2 Broadway show, plus we both lost about20 lbs each because of the heat

6. Europe: Too many to name

7. Victor NY: We were able to see the Hill Cumorah, Sacred Grove and the basement bathroom

8. San Diego: Each time we went, Coronado Island was lots of fun. SeaWorld was great when we got the photo of you yelling at Speedo boy

9. Riders to the Sea: Aside from Brea’s toes, and me falling asleep on stage, I loved making my Opera debut with you

10. Denver/Payson: Coyotes, Weird couple where we camped, and shag carpet at my grandparents place, what more could anyone ask for

11. Whistler: Snow that felt like a pillow when I fell (which was quite often) on a mountain that we skied through 3 different weather systems. Good times

12. Drive across the country: Remember how soft the bed felt compared to the Uhual, and you can’t beat Golden Corral in Gallup NM

13. Carolina Beach: You got to see me in my Barney wetsuit trying to learn to skim board

14. Colorado: It was a bountiful place and the impala makes for a nice tent

15. Cruise: Only real men can climb the Iceberg
16. Prescott: Friday night concerts just don’t get any better than that

17. Camping with the Rancho youth: Good thing we had experienced #10 otherwise we would have ended up like the Jordans

18. Breaking Hope out of the MTC: That was fun to see Koni’s face when we told her what we were doing

19. Manhattan Beach: Do you want to go eat breakfast at that place again?

20. Gatlinburg: I don’t know which was better watching the family do the Amazing Race or hearing Rob give the clue “Franco Prussian War” in 25 words or less

And I would have to say that my favorite experience with you is being with you everyday, because when we are apart that is my least favorite time.

I love you.

I love to cook

by Nicolle:

I love to cook. Mainly because I love to eat, but I also like the creative aspect of cooking. We finally got DVR, which allows us to record the shows we like and watch them (without commercials!) anytime. I have been watching "Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller" and I love it. Her recipes "morph" into each other. For example, on day 1 I cooked olive stuffed pork loin with asparagus/sun-dried tomato pasta salad. Here is Greg ready to dig in...

On day 2, you use the leftover pork in wontons for wonton soup (see photo) and on day 3 you use the pork again for pork fried rice (no photo, but it was yummy).
My favorite recipe set so far starts with roasted vegetable stew with Moroccan couscous. On day 2 you use some of the leftover roasted vegetables to make a side dish of eggplant-olive caponata. The main dish is grilled chicken kabobs with scallions instead of wooden skewers (see photo below). On day 3, you use some of the leftover chicken and, again, the roasted vegetables for chicken curry.

Greg has been a good sport with trying all of these crazy meals, and I am having a great time. If you want to see some Robin Miller recipies, you can find them online...http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_rm/0,2757,FOOD_23676,00.html

Happy Easter (a few weeks late!)

by Nicolle:
Here is a photo of us in our backyard on Easter Sunday. I love the Spring in NC. Behind us, you can see our Azalea bushes in full bloom.

Clara wore an adorable bonnet, which you can see a little better in this photo. (It was pretty cold on Easter, so I was trying to keep her bundled in her blanket while we took pictures outside).

The day before Easter, we drove to Roanoke to visit my sister and her family. We had a great time. They cooked a yummy Easter dinner which we ate on Saturday night. While we were driving, we saw a church sign with the quote, "The tomb is empty, so our lives are full." I really liked that. On Sunday, our home teachers invited us for another Easter dinner. He is a professional chef, so we didn't hesitate in accepting this offer. So, we had two delicious Easter meals and I didn't have to cook a thing!

Nicolle's list of threes

Three Things I Love:
1. Greg
2. Clara
3. to eat

Three Things I Hate:
1. my neighbors' barking dogs
2. grimy hotel rooms
3. airport/airplane delays

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. Greg
2. Jonathan & Lewis (college friends)
3. neurotic female TV characters (Karen from Will & Grace, Joy from My name is Earl, Elaine from Seinfeld and in her new show...Chitstine from the new adventures of old Christine).

Three things that scare me:
1. Rats
2. Birds
3. Bats

Three Things I Don't Understand:
1. anything mechanical
2. puzzles
3. people

Three Things On My Desk:
1. concert tickets
2. bills
3. a plant that almost always looks like it is dying

Three Things I Plan To Do Today:
1. practice singing... learn new music
2. work (prepare for tomorrow night's concert)
3. kiss Clara

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. rafting trip down Colorado River
2. become more charitable
3. Have more children

Three Things I Can Do:
1. sleep... anytime, anywhere
2. sing
3. try out new recipies

Three Things I Can't Do:
1. go a day without running into something (I am a clutz!)
2. be patient in airports
3. beat anyone at "SingStar"...maybe I should remove "sing" from the list of things I can do!

Three Things I Miss:
1. being in school
2. Real Mexican food (Chevys)
3. friends who are far away

Three Things I'd Like to Learn:
1. How to speak a foreign language fluently (French, German, or Italian)
2. How to garden (vegetables, flowers, plants)
3. How to be more compassionate

Three Things I Regret:
1. rejecting Greg the first time he tried to get my phone number :)
2. living in a "Brentwood bubble" during high school
3. Not taking more advantage of Nashville while I lived there for so many years

Three Favorite Foods:
1. chocolate
2. Italian
3. chocolate (I really like it, okay)

Three Favorite TV Shows as a Kid:
1. Gummi Bears
2. Grease (I know it isn't a TV show, but I used to watch it every day after school!)
3. The Cosby Show

Three People I Tag
1. Mike. Leah, or Hendrix Britt
2. Janell (you know you love these things!)
3. anyone who reads this blog and wants to participate!

Greg has been Tagged

Three Things I Love:
1. Nicolle
2. Clara
3. Sleep

Three Things I Hate:
1. Hypocrites
2. Being Away from Nicolle and Clara
3. Teenagers that know it all

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. Tracey Morgan
2. Chris Farley
3. Nicolle

Three Things that Scare Me:
1. Big Dogs
2. loosing everything(see Job)
3. Grammar

Three Things I Don't Understand:
1. Grammar
2. Why the Portland drafted Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan
3. Why ASU can’t be good at basketball and/or football

Three Things On My Desk (at work):
1. Photos (Nicolle and Elena)
2. Clutter
3.Gum (unopened)

Three Things I Plan To Do Today:
1. Put Bike together
2. Clean up basement
3. Workout

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. Baseball game at Fenway Park
2. Golf at Augusta, Sawgrass, or Pebble Beach
3. Have more children

Three Things I Can Do:
1. use Excel (Everyday)
2. Change an alternator in a Jetta (4 times and hopefully not again)
3. Tile a bathroom floor (3 times and counting)

Three Things I Can't Do:
1. Speak a foreign Language
2. Focus on one thing for more than 2 minutes at a time (unless it is in excel)
3. Sing the female part for “Love Shack”

Three Things I Miss:
1. My Nieces and Nephews
2. Real Mexican food (Chevys)
3. Wakeboarding

Three Things I'd Like to Learn:
1. How to speak a foreign language (French, Swedish, German, etc.)
2. How to work on cars better
3. Patience

Three Things I Regret:
1. Asking for a Million Dollars in a job interview
2. Whatever I say in the heat of the moment during a sporting event
3. My Temper

Three Favorite Foods:
1. Mexican from Arizona
2. Thurman Chilli
3. Dairy De lite Hamburger – Has a diameter of 8 inchs

Three Favorite TV Shows as a Kid:
1. Duck tales
2. Looney Tunes
3. The Cosby Show

Three People I Tag
1. Chuck
2. Brandon
3. My family (on the comments section)

Clara and friends

Uh, oh... this little boy (Max Harmon) is already making the moves on Clara. She is looking over at me (Nicolle) as if to say, "Mom... he grabbed my hand... what do I do now?!?"

Clara had her first "conversation" with her little girlfriend, Shaelyn. These two were so enthralled by each other and it was pretty cute. You can see the video at the link below. (Clara is the one on your left with the dark skin and dark hair).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPVTDmxXEH8

I saw this next video on you tube and it cracked me up. I don't know who these people are, but if you want a good laugh, click on this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ARBWKpfA4&mode=related&search=

Name Game

Greg and Elena(Vern Alvin Wolfey IV's Oldest Sister)

My sister Kindy, gave birth to a big 9 lbs 1 ounce baby boy on Saturday morning. This is their fourth child, but their first boy.

Kindy and Vern(Vern Alvin Wolfey IV's parents)

Vern, the father, was very excited, because before they had any children, he knew that he would name his son Vern Alvin Wolfley IV. There is a problem, now there are three living Vern Wolfleys.

This is where you come in. What I would like to hear from you is what Vern Alvin Wolfley IV’s nickname should be. Please be creative. Here are my top ones right now:

Natalie(Vern Alvin Wolfey IV's 2nd Oldest Sister)

Fourth: You all have seen Seinfeld when George says a good name for a child is Seven, after Mickey Mantle, well who is more of a Yankee than Lou Gehrig. Besides, Fourth can mean many things. He is the fourth child of Kindy and Vern. He is the fourth Vern Alvin Wolfley. He is the fourth Grandchild born to my parents in the last year.

Val: This is taken from Vern Alvin. What can I say. I need some more suggestions.

Please let me know what you this a good nickname would be for Vern Alvin Wolfley IV.

Meghan(Vern Alvin Wolfey IV's 3rd Oldest Sister)

Busted

by Nicolle:
I should be working right now (I have two very involved grant applications due in the next two weeks), but I had to show off what we caught on camera today... Clara sucking her thumb during her nap. She has been sticking her fist in her mouth for weeks, testing all of her fingers to see which one tastes the best. She tried really hard to test out the thumb, but it was usually stuck inside her fist. I guess she finally figured out how to get it out and liked it enough to keep it there. Uh, oh. I think she'll be a thumb-sucker like I was. (The thing sticking out at the top of her head is her pacifier, which she spit in favor of her thumb!)

We had planned to take Clara on her first camping trip this weekend, but the weather has turned cold and it is supposed to get down to 28 degrees on Friday night... too cold for the baby. OK, too cold for me, but Clara is a good excuse, right? Instead, I think we'll go hiking to some waterfalls during the day on Friday, since we have it off work.

Happy Easter weekend!