THE HUXFORD'S: March 2009

The Chapman's

I wanted to introduce you to Jim and Aaron. We don't have a lot of pictures of or with them, because we do every day life with them. We try to eat together at least once a week (usually we eat at their house). They have been so helpful since the day we moved in. They helped us get settled and took us out to dinner. They informed us on all the things they wish they had known about Pasadena or California when they moved out here. They are from VA, which is where my mom is from. It was nice to have some East Coast people that we could connect with right when we got here. They also love sweet tea and Chick-fil-A!!!! These are a few things you can't find very easily out here. Here are a few pictures of them when my parents were here. They went out to eat with us on Sunday afternoon, to get to know my parents a little bit. We have some great times with Jim and Aaron and have appreciated their friendship. They are very giving people and are always thinking of what they can do for others. We are glad to have them in our lives and are grateful for them. These pictures aren't that great. I will try to get some more soon.

This picture isn't very good, but this is the whole crew

Jim and Harrison

Dad and Jim

Me and Aaron

FAAP Day Fun!

Our office has something called FAAP day every year around this time. This is when all the financial aid paper work is due for the new year. FAAPs (Financial Aid Applications) usually fly in on the due date and so it makes for a busy day. To make things fun for the staff on this day, they have started a tradition of having a new theme each year. The theme this year was Faapy Days (from Happy Days). So we dressed up like we were from the 50s (the best we could, with what we had in our closets) and decorated the place to look like a 50s prom or sock hop. It was fun to see everyone dressed up. We had food laying around all day…so I ate and ate and ate!!! It was fun and at sometimes hectic. But overall it was a great day.

We had a ballot that we all had to fill out. Shannon (left) and Kelly (right) tied for Prom Queen. Here they are fighting for the title.

Here's Rachel (or June Cleaver) hanging up more decorations

Noel (neighbor and co-worker) working hard

Josh working hard

Prom King (Doc - The Director of Student Financial Services) and the Prom Queens!

Kelly and Heather (Heather got best Dressed)

kelly putting in her ballot

The whole gang!

Lance Armstrong comes to Pasadena

Patrick informed us in January that Lance Armstrong and his team were ending a ride in Pasadena. We decided we shouldn’t miss out on something like that and had Patrick find out all the details (since he keeps up with this kinda stuff). Mark Hall happened to be in town that weekend, so he got to go with us as well. So, we drove to the Rose bowl (where the ride was ending) and it was crazy. We had no idea that there were going to be so many people. We thankfully found a spot to park, but called Mark (who was coming a little later) and told him it would probably be easier for him to ride Harrison’s (or Jeff’s…if he is reading this) bike. So Mark rode the bike from our apartment, which isn’t very far (I mention this because we have a great picture of Mark coming down the hill). Anyway, the excitement of this race is more than I can describe to you. I didn’t think it would be this cool to watch a bike race, but they are flying by you and they have cars and motorcycles that are following them. It was really crazy! They came by us 5 times, so we got the chance to try and locate Lance 5 times. Finally on the 5th round someone told us that he was the one wearing the yellow helmet. So, on the last lap, we finally saw him. They are going by you so fast that it is hard to see anyone. Patrick almost got hit by a motorcycle from leaning into the rode a little to get a good picture. It was a blast though and I am glad that we went!

That's Lance Armstrong in the yellow helmet

Here they come

Patrick and Lindsey

Mark riding in to meet us

Dad and Mom Come to Pasadena!

My dad and mom got to visit us in February. We were so excited to see them, but also for them to see the school, our apartment, our church, our friends…pretty much, our life out here. We have a one bed, one bath apartment, so things were a little cramped, but that has never stopped us before. Dad and Mom actually came out here for a conference, so they were gone for part of the week and then came back for us to hang out over the weekend. The weather was not what you think you will get when you go to Southern California. It was rainy and cold almost the whole time they were here. Saturday, it did clear up, so we were able to enjoy the outdoors. It was still really cold though. While they were here we went and visited Kyle Livgren, an old friend that is out here for military training. It was great to see him!!! We went to Malibu and the Santa Monica Pier while they were here. So, here are some pictures of their visit. Hope you enjoy!

In front of my office