top 10 from 2012

We had some graduations this year, 

Melanie from High School and Roxanne from College!

Melanie moved out, started a new life in a new apartment, new school, new zip code, and everyone loved her so much, she was  Homecoming Queen 3 months later.

Grandpa turned 90 years old and we all 

got together in Idaho to celebrate.

I got some awesome hikes in - 

this one through Aravaipa Canyon.

Rachel spent this year immersed in music and children. She taught at a Music Studio and had many students on her own too. These are some of her students at the recital.

Brady got his Bronco back from years gone by. 

I'd forgotten how big it is. It suits him well.

Shannon and I celebrated 20 years of holiday window painting together. I searched through 20 years of photos, and there was not one decent picture of the two of us. That's our goal for next year.

Dave built another float for the Electric Light Parade. 

This was his 6th year. It was bigger and better than ever.

My favorite highlight of 2012 . . . we did not do one single 

home improvement project this entire year!!!

color run

This morning was the 5K Color Run out in Tempe. Roxanne and some friends ran in it last year. It was sunny and dry and pleasant. This year, Melanie and her friends wanted to run, but it was not sunny and dry and pleasant. It was raining all night long and was raining pretty hard as it was time to leave. I thought the rain would decrease the attendance and participation in the race, but no. It was crowded with crazy people.
I was just following a conversation between Melanie and a couple of her friends on facebook:

Brad: “What the heck is a color run???”

Kinsie: “You run a few miles, and they throw chalk stuff on you as you run and then you look colorful at the end “!

Melanie: “ Kinsie that was a very anticlimatic explanation.  It’s true,  but needs more umph. Brad, it was a magical journey across the lake in the town of Tempe. At first you start off getting a packet of a Tee shirt, bracelet, tattoos(removable), headband, a personal packet of chalk, and your honorary number of runnage. Then at once your leg is about to start. The personal packets of chalk are supposed to be used at the very end when everyone goes wild throwing it at each other's faces. As you start off,  the hosts are chucking fanny packs and free offerings at you. The countdown begins and you are running off into the distance with your fellow friends hoo-raying the entire time. On this particular day, it was raining, Therefore we splashed in every gutter/puddle possible. All puddles were colored. Every half mile or so there would be a part of one color where as you run through they chuck a puff of chalk in your face or body & you holler some more and push through. The journey ends and you gather yourselves at the DJ stage and crowd area only to receive more chalk to the face in a form of personal packets and go cray the whole time all to the tune of sweet sweet remixes and screaming happy people. Pictures are a must and you go home only to try and scrub off the stained chalk..because it wasn’t supposed to rain. That is the color run."

 Here are a few before and after pictures.

 Sometimes it's fun to just walk around and see what everyone wears to this crazy race. (This dress started out white.)

Roxanne and I watched for them near the finish line. We were huddling under the bridge to stay out of the rain. Surprisingly, we both made it through the morning and didn't get colored or muddy.

Here's the group at the finish line.

 And then this happened. I'm not sure why.

 They tried rinsing it off, but there was no hope. They were all permanently tinted green even after we got home and everyone showered. I think they got about 90% of the color off when we got home, but the last 10% is going to have to wear off somehow!

 I almost bailed out of going with them because of the rain. I'm glad I went along after all.

(except when they had to get back in my car)

getting his money's worth

This is Brady. Brady goes to college. COLLEGE! I just need to emphasize that he is an adult in college and he went to class and was asked to draw a picture of himself on the first day of class as an introduction. Not only was he asked to draw a picture, but the stick figure outline was already provided. He brought home his masterpiece and put it on our fridge with a magnet. He felt like he needed to post his receipt for tuition paid to the college next to it. "This is what I am paying for!"  Kind of ridiculous. 

He also asked me one day "We used to always have some popsicle sticks and glue around here. . . do we still have any?"

"Probably . . . what do you need with popsicle sticks?"  

"A class project.  Remember that ship I built out of popsicle sticks in 5th grade? I'm building another ship to go with my paper. "  

I wish we would have saved the ship from 5th grade, it was intricate and had working lights and a moving rudder. And in 5th grade, he had a lot more free time on his hands to be making arts and crafts projects for school than he does now as an adult who is working his way through college.

 I think he is anxious to get to the University next year and move on from crayons and arts and crafts.

jumping over things

A while back, Melanie needed to put together a write up about herself and perform a talent for a show. She had a writer's block. I suggested she get a paper out and brainstorm a list of her strengths.
I just found the paper. It says:
I can rap.
I can dance. But I just dance spontaneously, not like an act.
I'm good at making ugly faces.
I can play the air drums.
I can paint my nails cool.
I'm good at jumping over things.
I can eat an entire hot dog all at once.

Maybe I failed as a mother, not training her in performable talents - ballet classes? piano lessons? Anything more significant than "I can jump over things".

family party

I realize it's not Christmas anymore, but I want to document our holiday so I can get the year printed up into our yearbook. 

We had a crazy little family get-together during December.  The Whipples are a crazy and unpredictable group and there is just enough Whipple DNA that flows through my kids blood that brings out their crazy-ness. 

We played some "Minute to Win It" games. Ben was trying to blow down Olivia's stack of balanced hardware that she carefully stacked up with a candy cane.

But in the end, Olivia prevailed.
Brady and Stephanie tried to move a Christmas ornament across the room and place the hook correctly on the string.

Dave and I made an effort too.

I'm not sure Garry and Debbie were trying to play the game, or were just smooching.

Shaw took the whiteboard game pretty seriously.

Lesa was able to shimmy a cookie down off her forehead and into her mouth without her hands.  This family has some skills!

To top off our evening, Dave gave us a ride around the neighborhood on his Christmas Parade float so we could serenade all our neighbors with some beautiful and solemn Christmas Carols.  The first song that was chosen was Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". The WHOLE song!

Eventually we moved on to real holiday songs, but realized we were limited to only one verse per Christmas Carol and nobody knew more than the first two words of "Feliz Navidad"

Jonny, Roxanne, Olivia and Jeff

Melanie, in her natural state. She forgot to pose for the camera.

Niels, Brady, Stephanie, Melanie and Darren

Roni holding Coralie, and Chelsea

Rachel, Lauri and Kelsie

And one of the littlest members of our family, Addison , with her Grandma, Debbie.

guess what!!

 Guess what we're doing at our house -- we're planning a wedding !!!! 

overheard

Seeing a group of Segway riders around Tempe,
Melanie: "I rode a Segway once in girl scouts. I'd never own one though, too nerdy."
Me: "Yet, for some reason, I could see you joining a club like that one"
Melanie: "Oh, most definitely! It would be cool in a group. I'm in a Segway Club! Say it again! I'm in a Segway Club, oh yeah !"

"This food looks so good! I can't wait until it's all in my belly!"

At the fire pit: "Marshmallows are like little kids - you turn your head for a minute and they catch on fire."

Talking about all the crazy ways you can ask someone on a date. "What if you need to say 'no' to someone when they've gone all out to ask you out in a creative way?"
"Put a couch on their porch, with a note "I think I'll sit this one out".

On Christmas Morning:
(receiving nail polish) "Good, I don't like naked nails."

"That's a good dude scent. That's my new man stank."

"Looks like Santa was doing some last minute shopping at Newport Beach this weekend."

Nude color eye shadow: "Can you put some clothes on that nudity?"

Talking about toe socks:
"My baby toe never fits the socks right. Can your toes lose weight?"
"Wait until you get pregnant. You'll find out what can gain and lose weight."
"Your toes will swell."
"You will have swell toes."

A jump rope: "I'll have to learn to use this on my new scooter." (fyi, these were gifts to an 18 year old, not a  10 year old.)

Dave to Rachel: "A little bird told me you might like that dress."
Melanie: "Must have been an awesome bird!"

"This is from you??? You picked this out?? I love it!"
Brady: "Hey, a brother can shop. Well actually, Stephanie did all my shopping with me."

Soft furry gloves: "Everyone's going to want to hold my hand."

"That's FORREAL!"
"What? the fur is real?"
"No! What's wrong with you people? Give it some 'hood' - FORREAL!"

Brady got a present hidden inside a box of cereal : "All you dieters, stay away from my Captain Crunch!"

"Christmas isn't complete without a chocolate orange."

places we slept in 2012

Pine, Arizona
Portland, Oregon
Idyllwild, California
Hermosillo, Mexico 
Pocatello, Idaho
Visalia, California
Banning, California
Ankeny, Iowa
Omaha, Nebraska
Clinton, Iowa
Quincy, Illinois
San Francisco, California
Newport Beach, California
Salt Lake City, Utah
Provo, Utah
Chicago, Illinois
Los Alamitos, California
San Diego, California 
Flagstaff, Arizona
Logan, Utah
Thatcher, Arizona
Los Alamitos, California

It's fun to remember where we've been all year. Now that we have a bunch of adult-ish people in our family, and they all have their own cars and their own lives and their own schedules, there is a lot more traveling. Most of those trips did not involve me in any way. In fact, I only went to 5 of the above places, and not really for exciting reasons - dropping Mel off at college, girl's camp, family reunion. (ok, they were fun, but not really a 'vacation destination'.)  In fact, we're very rarely in one car all together. We went to a family event in Mesa once and showed up in 4 cars between the 6 of us - all coming from different directions and from different work and school schedules. We did all hop in the car to California last week and it brought back memories of all our road trips when the kids were younger. Our old mini-van is not so user friendly on a road trip for 6 adults and our luggage. 
I think Chicago was a great trip for Rachel and Dave. Our niece, Stephanie, was getting married and they enjoyed that quick trip to celebrate with her. 
Dave and Brady had a great road trip back to some of the areas of Brady's mission. The down side? They DROVE. TO. ILLINOIS ! The older I get, the less I like long road trips. I wouldn't have minded driving around Iowa and Illinois, but driving straight through from Phoenix to the Mississippi River? I would need some nerve calming drugs to get me there. 
Dave and I spent a delightful weekend in Idyllwild, California.  Most people don't even know where that is. It is in the mountains south of Palm Springs. You're in the desert, then start driving up into the mountains and 30 minutes later you are in a wonderful cute cabin-filled small town in the pine trees. It's a five hour drive from Phoenix and a great get-away. We even found a cabin we loved, tried to buy it for a vacation rental home, but in the end, the deal fell through. darn. 
Melanie was involved in an exchange program in high school with students in Mexico. They spent a few days in Hermosillo, and their students came here for a few days. It really helped Melanie's Spanish vocabulary. She loved the trip. Although I've got to say, she loves everything she does, everywhere she goes, everyone she meets. She could be in the county jail and she would say "I LOVE THIS PLACE !" 
Dave took a road trip with his 90 year old father this year. That was an adventure. His dad is a road sign reader. Dave realized that habit might get on his nerves about 30 minutes into a 5 day trip. Dave is a good son. He really enjoyed taking his dad to a tractor show in California and having a few days of one on one bonding time.