Christmas Family Pictures

Melinda and I got our Christmas family pictures taken a week ago. Of course we used Matt Clayton - the same photographer who shot our engagement photos because he made us look like we were Gap models. He had free creative reign on these photos. So take them for what they are...which is pretty dang good-lookin, in my opinion (especially that Melinda)!


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FCCLA - Phoenix

We just got back Sunday from our latest of FCCLA trips. Last time we had to worry about the boys who were "playing the field" like they were all-American. This time we had angel boys and had to worry about a couple of the girls. It was fun, though and our marriage survived. Unlike Tennessee, we worked very well together because both of us had a better understanding of each other's expectations. (Incidentally, we've found that not understanding expectations is usually the culprit of marital disharmony).

Staying in the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, we decided to live it up the first night and stopped for dinner at one of my favorite pizza chains: Pizzeria Uno! Ever since Anna and Tommy introduced me to the pizza with flaky-like-it's-from-a-pie crust, I've been in love. Melinda ordered a Spinach, Gorgonzola, and Walnut salad and I had a Primo Pepperoni deep dish pizza. Awesome. For dessert we picked up a deep dish brownie with ice cream. We got it to go because we thought we were to stuffed to eat it and wanted to share it with Melinda's students.
Nope. It was gone within minutes.
It was gooey and warm and chocolatey and chewy. Amazing. Seriously.

Later on the trip we visited the largest mall in the southwest and went into a Christmas store. The picture shows Joseph-heaven: Christmas everywhere, hugging Melinda, and I have a big Cold Stone ice cream cone!

No pictures of the Saturday night dance, but Melinda was cutting the rug with the best of them. She gets pretty crazy out there! All-in-all a fun weekend and a nice getaway.

Rock-N-Rollment Shoot

Click to Play

Here is that final version of Sweet Square Goodness.

Square TV - Flash version

Hey kids!

Flood

Here is a play-by-play on the flood in our tiny apartment last Wednesday.

Tuesday, August 1st
12:00 pm I returned home from grocery shopping to find a huge black cloud just to the east of us and I hoped it would bring rain to my dead lawn. I ran inside to bring some grocery's in and recruit some help from Joseph.
12:02 pm We went to the car to get the rest of the food and the big black cloud was now directly over us and moving at a tremendous pace. We marveled at the sight for a bit and then ran inside.
12:06 The sound of rain was heard, and the windows were open so we could watch. We started taking pictures of the neighbors rain gutter (which didn't work so the rain was pouring on our lawn)

12:07 We closed the windows because the rain was splashing inside.
12:07:30 Water started pouring through the window cracks!
12:07.33 We started gathering our towels (which consisted of two...) and trying to stop it.
12:08 Joseph ran outside to help the rain stop coming in and I grabbed anything I could to help the water stop. Blankets, washcloths, hand towels, our bed comforter etc.
12:09 the nice girls next door lent Joseph a bucket so he could get the water out of our window well faster (which had filled to the brim). This proved faster than his previous tool....a flower pot.

12:17 The water finally stopped coming in....but we had 2 inches of water ALL over our floor.

12:20 we began the process of mopping, drying, fanning....
2:30 pm the house was all mopped up, the fans were going and we went to lunch.
All in a day's work folks!


Top Five:
1. I don't have to mop the floor this week
2. I got to see Joseph in a wet t-shirt
3. All my shoes got a bath all at the same time
4. We only had to clean up one room...because that's all our house consists of.
5. In the true spirit of girls, we were feeling sorry for ourselves and went out to eat afterwards.

Bottom Five
1. The library frowns on water-damaged books
2. Our new vinyl floor (put in in June) is coming up on all sides
3. Where do spiders go when the rain floods their house....my house
4. I sprayed clorox on the baseboard area to kill any mold or bacteria that was growing, Joseph used my favorite red towel to mop the baseboards up.
5. Since we hadn't had enough water today, Joseph decided we should go see Poseidon. I hated it.

A special video Blog

A special video Blog

Watch the video

Sure, Preston and I promised we'd have the music video DVD out a couple of Christmases ago, but these things get put off easily. To whet the Draschil/Shumway family appetite, though, here is a sneak preview of the first video: Mirror in the Bathroom with audio commentary.

Viva Las Vegas

Friday at around noon I get an IM from Joseph that says he needs to talk to me ASAP. I kinda was nervous because my parents were coming in out of town and I thought that something was wrong with them. Anyway come to find out they wanted Joseph to do a remote for Comedy Sportz that night......IN VEGAS. So to make a long story short I got a sub for the rest of the day and we left an hour later. I have never been to Vegas before and Curt invited me so I couldn't resist, though I did feel a bit werid becuase I was with only boys.....We got there and did a show for a tri-stake youth confrence. I enjoyed observing and noticing the kids, fashion, and some challenges they face. It was a really good experience for me because it brought me back to my days in Colorado where no one was LDS and where we looked forward to Youth Confrence for months. I could not help from thinking that I was going to move there, and teach there, and try to find someone to marry there......Man I love Joseph and am so so so glad that I am here, teaching, and married to the most amazing man in the world! Not that I wouldn't have loved Las Vegas but I am just really happy to be where I am. I also could not help but think about the future of the world and the church and I looked around at these young people and thought-I really hope they can do it and I prayed right there and then for the youth of the chuch to be strong and hold on to their testimonies. During the show I sat by a sister who had just been baptized two weeks before. I couldn't help think about Bri and how she has fallen away from the chuch and how I hoped that this young girl would hold stead fast to the truth. The kids loved the show and after we went back to the hotel and then left to go walk the strip. It was midnight and we got back at 3am....I felt like a single college kid again. The city was beautiful and so so much money went into making it look good. But they don't call it sin city for nothing. So many bad things happen there and it is really hard to keep your eyes and thoughts on good things. Joseph and I were talking about how surprised we were to see all the evil, in the people and the city. I just kept thinking that I really can't wait for the Savior to return again. People have such a false sense of fun and happiness, and it makes me really sad. I also felt odd becuase of the way that I was dressed-and that is exactly how satan works to make us feel that we are the weird ones not the other way around. We were walking back to the hotel and there was a man who was drunk and yelling things from his car, he said something about Mormons-the thought came to me that the persecution is going to get worse as the world becomes more separated between the truth and the not.
On the way home Matt had really bad gas and it was really funny at first, then it just anoying.

It has been a while

We went on a mini honeymoon/anniversery because we are going to be at FCCLA nationals in Tennessee with students during our one year anniversery. We had a wonderful time up in Salt Lake-going shopping, eating out, and spending some time together that was WAY over due. Life gets crazy sometimes and so it is important to chill and remember what is most important and that is our marriage and love for eachother. Joseph got to eat pizza and have an amazing breakfast and I got to get a new outfit and eat at the Garden (what more could we both want?). We also did a session at the Salt Lake Temple which was totally the highlight of the trip. We both got so much more out of the session then we normally do and the history behind that temple is so amazing.
Joseph is working on a the Savior Project and I got the Golden Apple award-which means that the studnets and parents voted me the best teacher! Well that's it for now.