She won the million!!

A the NYE party, one of our friends brought in a "Deal or No Deal" handheld game.

Our other friend Deb started to play and hand an interesting run.

She was between $400 and $1,000,000 and the banker's offer was $600k. We all told her to take the offer, but she decided to go for it.

She won the million!

1 year old doggy vs bully stick...

Christmas -- Part Deux..

Clayton came back from Oklahoma today, so we had the second part of Christmas (the part where he opened his gifts under the tree).

That was one tough test...

Well, I can't always put down the stuff I'm proud of. Sometimes I just have to document what actually happens.

In this case, I was all of 10 points shy of passing (I needed 825 out of 1000, I got 815). Had I passed, I would have earned my Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). Alas, now I have to study harder, pay another $150, and take the test again.

Artisanal chocolates

Caryn's step-mom, a woman of exquisite taste, sent us a box of these chocolates. These aren't your basic "Russell Stovers" -- the flavors include things like "Rosemary Caramel", "Passion Fruit", and "Persian Spiced Marzipan". A quick view of the website for the chocolateer, http://www.elbowchocolates.com, will give you an idea.

Does the cat look happy?

A Most Unique Present ...

My brother is an incredibly talented and creative craftsman. I have often said that he could take two pieces of wood and put them together with pegs and glue and make them balance the checkbook and wash the dishes. He's that talented.

His gift to me this year was this wand.

No, he's not a Harry Potter freak. In fact, as a strongly spiritual Christian, I suspect that he may not be the biggest Harry Potter fan out there.

But the wand is a study in making wood beautiful. The scroll (printed on paper which was also hand made, along with the box it was packaged in, all of the labels, etc) explains the intricate manufacture of this piece (you may have to look at it at the largest resolution to be able to read it all).

I love the last line (of the big print) ...

"I hope you enjoy this wand as much as anyone can enjoy a stick."