The "Increbidoh" Dash!

This definitely needs to be preserved for future posterity.
Please note the Incredibles theme song in the background. :)

The next generation ET

So Mike and Sully join the nativity. :)

And, I would like to announce that we have the first Ricks family Jesus box ever.

We are gonna miss you guys this year, but rest assured we are carrying on the best family traditions...

National I Love You Day Takes to the Frisbee Field

In other news, a new phenomenon has begun to spread across the country in the way of National I Love You Day. Demonstrations were held yesterday, November 18th, in numerous states as professions of love to, well, everyone. "In a time of so much political action, a day like this is something this country really needed," said Vicki Pond, as she donned various articles of yellow clothing. "Yellow has become a symbol of Lindsay and of this day for many people."

Allison Pond was the proud recipient of the Linzotional this year and a strong proponent for the "Tears of Joy" chapter of National I Love You Day, in Alexandria VA. She came home to a warm mug of Hot Chocolate and her sister Lindsay's hand crocheted blanket waiting for her on her bed. (For more details, visit http://allisonroadblog.blogspot.com.)

Indiana was site to another outpouring of love as Emily Pond Ricks commemorated all kinds of affection and yellow wearing in honor of her sister. "My sister Allison helped me realize that each National I Love You Day is different, and that different years bring out different memories of Lindsay's attributes. This year was definitely really happy and yellow for me." (Read more and see more photos at http://www.puttinonthericks.blogspot.com. )

Even Park City, Utah joined in the fun as Trina Talbot hosted her nephews for a fun loving round of Marumi Marblez, a family board game rumored to eclipse the gaming world with its upcoming release in 2011.

And finally, in the wake of so much excitement in Los Angeles, one man took his emotions not to the Mormon Temple sidewalk, but to the frisbee field. "My sister Lindsay and I used to play frisbee together a lot. She was great, and she even wore yellow gloves to play in high school," shared Zach Pond, Frisbee enthusiast living in LA. "It's something I absolutely love to do, and she loved it too, so it just feels right to be wearing yellow and running after the disc thinking of her."

All in all, an amazing day with much love to be shared by all. "It's just a fabulous way to put the politics behind us and really ring in the Holiday Season of thankfulness that is nigh upon us," said Preston Pond. "This day helps me open the door of my heart even before Thanksgiving and Christmas and primes the pump for even more giving." So if you missed it this year, set aside some yellow and mark your calendar for next year's November 18th.

National I Love You Day is here to stay.

Sunrise, Sunset...Swiftly Fly the Years...

So Aunt Cindy sent these out, and they NEED to be out here where we can all see them in their full retrospective glory! So I'm going to make up my own captions, and then we'll ask Mom how close I got. Ok? Ok.


Pres and Vick on their wedding day at the Luncheon. Mom was so happy in yellow. Dad's collar was too tight...apparently.



After the Tornado of 76, the happy couple decided kids couldn't be any more destructive and decided to start a family.



Little Allison was born shortly thereafter...

Then Zach came into the world, equipped with his own green backpack carrier. They had to use forceps.

Then our heroes had to decide--have more of the pitter patter of little feet? Or focus on President Kimball's counsel to plant a garden, and simply raise a crop of Cabbage Patch Kids instead?

They thought long and hard on the decision. Allison said, "Yes we should, and that's that." Zach was like, "Sure Dad! Why not!" And Dad stopped eating for a while.

Dad took some time to express himself through music at the ol' Purple Piano in Lexington Kentucky, and Zach liked the idea of writing songs...

Ultimately, when Al and Zach both musically promised to "never tell a lie--not even sometimes..." Pres and Vick decided it was the right thing to do.

So along came Linz and Em, Standin' Tall tapes, the Safety Kids and well, the rest is history. One season following another... =)

The End

2008 Pond Fam Reunion

The Ponds returned to Idaho roots this past weekend, and loved the Sawtooth Mountains and camping at Redfish Lake! We sure missed Kyle who was back in Indiana being a diligent dental student - but we loved the cool mountain air and the beautiful drive! But first, we stopped in Twin Falls to go thru the Temple Open House!



What a beautiful temple! And really nice reception afterward. This was Ethan's first day of wearing his "dad costume", which is what he called the new white shirt and tie we bought him for the occasion!


We love our boys! (pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain...)



And now on to the camping! "Let's go touch the boat" -- Redfish lake is so beautiful!



It was a cold cold night - down to about 38 degrees!



But what a great morning!


Ever heard of Mr. Stand on One Leg??



Mom finally got the idea that I wanted some Hot Oatmeal!!




At the cabin in Stanley - Number one sons in our family!

A view from the cabin -- we missed Grammy and Grandad, and are so grateful for the homestead and heritage they left us!


At the cabin -- 29 years after Grandad and Grammy bought it, and painstakingly planted trees and grass and so much for all of us to enjoy. I'm sure they were delighted to see all 70 of us there enjoying it so much. Special thanks to Linda and Kent for taking such great care of the "place for Pond posterity"!

The Candle of Zach's Education

Do you remember the story of the little boy in Mexico City who went up to say "I now light the candle of my education" at his pre-school "graduation" and was too shy to say anything? Well, he may have gone in like a lamb, but he came out with "flamethrowers." And that's not just because Pepperdine's colors are blue and orange and the MBA hood is blue and gold... The band, "Slightly Skewed" (a great name from accounting jargon) played at the graduation dinner on Friday night. The dean and assoc dean loved this group - Zach had pulled together 2 professors, a first year student, second year, and international student earlier in the year when he and a friend created "PepperJam".
Saturday was a beautiful day in Malibu, and we all got pretty excited...
Some of the friend and fan club- Dan and Margie, Rache and Steph
Ocean, palm trees, and mountains everywhere you look...
Looking down, from about halfway up to the grad school

And we finish at The Heroes Garden, just outside the Grazadio Business School. Fitting place to pause before the next chapter! Without taking away from the memory to the 9-11 Pepperdine Alumni, Dad and I were grateful to honor our own Pepperdine hero for the way he became a friend to so many students and faculty who truly love and enjoyed him, the way he served and brought people together, and the way he studied and worked thru blood, sweat, and tears to become a man of honor in the eyes of man and God. We love you, Zach! Onward and upward!

Pepperdine Finale April 2008

So I just found this in draft form amongst the posts, I don't think it ever got posted! How sad is that?! How many songs, dreams, blog posts and masterpieces in the world never get shared because they never "get posted?" So here's to muddling and just getting it out there so it can be--well, out there. Enjoy and share together. "Let us not die with our music in us..."

The sky is the limit, apparently. Not sure what this was for...

Dean Linda Livingstone wishing us well in front of blue and orange flowers. Go waves!

Yes, those are pictures of ping-pong on the screen...ah, tournaments...

And the famous band "Slightly Skewed" With guitarist and Stats professor Joe Hahn, Bass player and Finance professor Grateful Ed Fredericks, and Graduate Singer and Guitar player Zach Pond.'

The pre ceremony gymnasium waiting for the graduates--and yes, One Accord sang the National Anthem for the occasion. Seems like a long time ago. And it feels like I finally have closure now somehow. I couldn't quite feel like I had graduated until finding that job and moving on to the next chapter. So that feels amazing. To new chapters!

Want to end the day with a bang???

Well, that was fun, and I just keep giggling about it. We had been over at Sorensons tonight watching Dateline "Mistaken Identity" (which I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to see pure Christianity at its finest), and I decided I'd take an Airborne before I went to bed since Diane had said she might be coming down with something. So, I got the water ready in my right hand, got the airborne in my left, and just like you take pills, put the Airborne in my mouth and took a BIGGGGG drink. I'm giggling again. What a buzz!! I was laughing so hard I couldn't get the fizzie out fast enough!!!! And Dad had already gone to bed, so he missed the show. Wish I had it on video... quite a sensation! Maybe Airborne could be a cheap thrill for teenagers instead of sniffing or whiffing or whatever they do now!!

Grad School, Bank Merger Simulation

So this is my amazing group that powered through the simulation of two Banks Merging for our Strategy 619 class. Pretty cool 3.5 hour simulation where you have a virtual office and laptop and emails and meetings and try to keep 13 people (CEO's, CFO's, HR director, IT etc, PR, Media, Govt Rep) from each company from strangling each other or hating you as you decide which branches to close, who to fire, which systems to keep, how soon to do it, and how much money it will cost. yikes. wow. Check out the whiteboard after all that...

So we mapped all their opinions and relationships out on the whiteboard and went to work! )Yes I think I ate the entire time.) Really cool learning experience, and a great group. Kate and Nat are so great, and Shani (blond) I'll love forever, and Michael Tanenbaum and I have jammed and played and worked together on so many things. Surround yourself with greatness!

The Back Stretch

Remember this? I was thinking about this the other day because I was doing this stretch and for the first time it actually worked for me. (My bones have been shifting back into place--which means I am back into my pre-pregnancy pants!--but I have been really hurting the last few weeks.) Anyway, thanks for the stretch, Zach. Over a year later it is helping.

Strawberry Manilow

This has to be the coolest flavor ever created by a beverage company in the history of the world. Yes, it is called Strawberry Manilow. I laughed so hard. And it tastes pretty good too. I added the picture in the background (Thank you Allison for the nose that keeps on giving) for emphasis. "I write the songs of love and special drinks..."

Super Readers

You would think this was way cooler if you had seen the PBS Super Readers Show, but Ethan (among his other identities) has been Wyatt this week, and I have been Princess Pea and Kyle has been Alpha Pig. They find out about "Super Big Problems" and then use their spelling power, alphabet tools, and power to read to change stories and solve the big problems. As they go, they put super letter they find into their super duper computer to find the super story answer.
So, we found out that the birthday presents were LOST and we went on a hunt for super letters to find out where they were! It was a big hit. Ethan's super duper computer (which he saw lying around and called it his computer the other day) is a wet wipes case that looks amazingly like a laptop when it's flipped up.
Fun.

Live Birthday Footage from Indianapolis!

Ethan got a Weeble treehouse to add to his one weeble and weeble cars. It was a big hit. They just said prayers with us and they're off to bed with Ethan. (Hard to hold 4 of those things in your hands when you're 3...)

Daddy, are there computers in heaven?

Thanks for the fun story, Dad...

A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the very hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. Because both had jobs, they found it difficult coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday; and his wife would follow him the next day.

Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. In his room there was a computer, so he decided to send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left out one letter in her address, and sent the e-mail without realizing his error.

Meanwhile, in Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband’s funeral. The dearly departed was a minister of many years who had been called home to glory following a sudden heart attack. The widow checked her e-mail, expecting messages of condolences from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message she fainted. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I’ve arrived.
Date: 16 January 2004

I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hopefully your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

Your Loving Husband,

P.S. Sure is hot down here.

Catherine E. Cook Semi-Finalist!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15, 2008 – The annual $50,000 Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting
Screenplays (sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation) has announced 32 semifinalists for
this year’s competition, including LA's own Catherine E. Cook.

http://kairosprize.com/kp/news.html

Her historical fiction screenplay, "Underground Railroad," will now be considered for the final round of the competition where three winners – who will share the $50,000 prize – will be
announced at the 16th Annual Movieguide® Faith & Values Awards Gala on Feb. 12.

Catherine, who was available for comment, shared, "I thought it was just another email saying the worst, but then this, and you feel like people really are reading and appreciating your writing." (at least, I think that's the gist of what she said...)

Best of luck to Catherine and the finalists.

Is that a "Jump-Me Blue" Tuxedo?!?

Yes, it's true. Mickey Mouse was seen in his very own Magical Kingdom this week wearing a "Jump-Me Blue" tuxedo. A stunning look for the magical mogul, he was greeted by many flashbulbs and hugs from his miniature fans. Investigators are looking into rumors of Kyle and Emily Ricks working part time as fashion designers and coordinators.

Brain Cells

Well, Karla Ricks says that you lose a piece of your brain with each child, and already I am starting to see her wisdom. :) I feel like my life consists of running around in a circle about 8 times a day, trying to keep up with feeding everyone and cleaning up all the comings out and managing blood sugar and rotating laundry and keeping groceries and othert stuff stocked, and I end up doing things twice or not at all because I can't remember what I've done and what I haven't. Every 3 hour cycle seems so strangely like the one before, that they all start to blend together... Yet it's all in a constant state of change, too. My clothes went from skinny to weird pregnant transition to full on maternity, to postpartum big, and now we are into the "just face it, those size six jeans might fit you in the resurrection" stage. And Jake wears a new size every month and his seasons are exactly off of Ethan's since he was born in October, and Ethan is growing out of his stuff... With all of the spit up and other varios substances that are out of control, by the time I get a load of laundry into the dryer, there is half a bucket full of new ones to wash. And then, when I get a moment when everyone is fed and happy and I have a second to think, my blood sugar gets low and the fog sets in and i can't remember what i was doing or why or when and by the time I recover i'm on to the next thing and i don't realize until later what i didn't finish when i was low. :) (as I'm writing this, Jake is fussy and needing to be held and I keep losing my train of thought).
Well, it's not that bad every day, but today was totally crazy:
I get home from the grocery store and unload some of the groceries but realize that Jake needs to eat so I grab a quick late lunch, and shepherd Ethan to the living room so I can nurse. I spend 20 mintues trying to feet Jake to no avail because he has lots of spits and burps and diaper fills to take care of, and so I finally give up. So I go into the kitchen to finish unloading the groceries and as I'm putting away the strawberries I see another case of strawberries already in the fridge that I bought yesterday. Hello?! Then, I decide to super glue two magnets to the back of my newly purchased dry-erase eraser so I can keep it up on the whiteboard, and I try to unscrew the lid. After 4 or 5 unsuccessful attempts, I assume that I have to unscrew the whole thing instead of just the cap, and right as I am trying to figure out how to make it work and I'm reading the front part of the bottle that says "goof proof," I manage to spill superglue all along the inside of my hand in between my third and fourth finger, pooling right to where my wedding ring is. (I'm just taking this whole eternal marriage thing being SEALED to your spouse so seriously, I wanted to make sure my wedding ring would never come off.) So of course I have to spend the next 10 mintues trying to see if I can get any of it off, and I finally give up and resign myself to feeling like a leper for the next few days until my totally chafed skin sheds off. I put the q-tips away upstairs and realize that there is a brand new box sitting right where I am trying to put the one I just bought. At dinner I realize I never gave Kyle the message from several days ago which primary class he has now and that he is supposed to teach tomorrow, I open the wrong end of the butter box so that I can't re close it, so I put it back on top of the two already opened butter boxes that are crowding the door of the fridge and not fitting, and decide that I have pretty much lost my marbles.
Anyway, why am I writing this? I'm not really sure. And there were so many interruptions during it that it is probably as fragmented as my brain.
Okay, really I am not trying to whine I am trying to give us all a good laugh at how things can be sometimes.
Love you all, have a swell day. Wish me luck in my first ward choir rehearsal tomorrow!
Love Em