The Noehren's

Getting your Ph.D. is one thing...paying for it is another.  So, I am happy to announce that as of today we have officially paid off all of Brian's student loans!!!  Oh, happy day. 

I have officially promoted Dusty, our faithful cat of 9 years, to sainthood.  He is such a patient cat and has put up with being sat on, dressed, chased, and having his tail pulled by our children...and he keeps coming back for more.  Grant especially loves Dusty - for a while he loved Dusty almost a little too much (remember Lenny from Of Mice And Men?).  Here is a brief photoshoot of their friendship from today: Grant "comouflaged" Dusty in UK pom poms.    BIG hug!  This is my favorite - I love Dusty's annoyed look and Grant's eyes.  Another annoyed look...  Grant even gratiously fed dusty from a 1/4 measuring cup.

Man!  I'm so excited!  Today was sooooo nice - in the 60's and sunny.  I pruned the raspberries and grapes and we put together the swing set!  When a neighbor's kids outgrew their playset I didn't hesitate to take it off their hands!  Their handyman even drove it over in his truck and it didn't cost much at all.  I love it!  The kids love it!  And winter was kind enough to give us a nice day to enjoy being outside.  Soooo fun!

Woo Hoo!  I'm married to an older man!  ...for 3 weeks until I join the ranks of the 35 year olds.  We had a laid back day celebrating with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate - one of Brian's favorite things.  My new favorite thing are the teeny tiny chocolate chips that Tollhouse makes now.  They really dress up a cake with zero effort!  We made him a special card that listed 35 things we love about him and I was pleased to find it was very easy for find 35 things!  He's a great guy!  My new goal is to be able to make him the same card for his 65th birthday.  :) For some reason turning 35 has made Brian and I feel like we're getting older.  Neither of us mind aging - but it's made us realize how much we haven't done yet.  So hopefullly this year we'll have a little more fun and a little less work!  Let the adventures begin! On a slightly different note - but still relating to Brian - I wanted to mention that ...