Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!

Dan, Caitlyn and I hope that everyone hada  beautiful holiday today!!  We had a beautifully relaxing day!  We woke up late, watched movies all day and had a beautiful dinner around 6pm.  While we watched the Harry Potter series (Dan recorded on Cox DVD for us :)) Caitlyn and I worked on some "special" gifts for the guests that will be at our party tomorrow evening. We hope they like them.  If nothing else ... they will be conversation pieces ... good or bad :)

We (Cat, Dan and I) decided to keep this Christmas simple and make it more about the meaning of Christmas.  We spent a lot of time helping the homeless, needy families and Toys 4 Tots.  It was much more rewarding.

Caitlyn will be turning 16yrs old on Jan. 5, 2010 and she is doing phenomenal in school!  We couldnt be more proud.  She takes her first SAT on Jan. 22 and her first CLEP on Jan. 5th (her BD :).  She is beginning to review various colleges that are mainly in VA or the surrounding area.  Her interests right now lie with James Madison University (JMU). 

Dan will find out in the near future where his job will be for the next 4 years.  We're hopeful for Portsmouth, VA and say a little prayer each night that we're fortunate to have his career continue here in the local area.  There are many events and circumstances that can affect the orders ... so we'll just say our prayers.

We appreciate the beautiful Christmas/Holiday cards and letters we received this holiday season.  We enjoy learning about how you and your children are doing.

Happy Holidays to You and Your Family!!

Dan, Heidi and Cat

ps ... here are a few pictures of our day :)

 

The Winds of Change ....

Happy Holidays Family and Friends!  I am writing this update as more of a request than an update.  There are many things happening within the House of Boe and I would like to make a special request to all of you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We have so many blessings in our life and thankful for each and everyone of you.  I am reminded of something that was said to me several months ago ... life is like a long road trip with incredible scenery on both sides of the road, but sometimes we only pay attention to the potholes on the road ... we need to remember to look at the beautiful scenery and be thankful for it :)  Change can be uncomfortable or scary, but it sure makes it easier when we look at the beautiful scenery and see all of you :)

We have, also, updated our "slideshow" with some photos that my Mom sent this week of when Caitlyn and her best friend Chelsea went to Disneyland with her this summer, Thanksgiving and some photos from when I was in CO for my Grandfathers funeral.  Thanks for sending all of the photos, Mom.
Happy Holidays!
Dan, Heidi and Caitlyn

PAMPERED CHEF FUNDRAISER - Team KAOS Indoor Soccer

Hello & Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Caitlyn's team is playing indoor soccer this season (Team Kaos) and we are working on a fundraiser to raise the fees.  We chose Pampered Chef :)  If you have holiday gifts to buy for friends or family (or yourself :) this is a GREAT opportunity!!  If you click HERE you will be directed to the fundraising site for Caitlyn's team.  Any purchases you make through this site will have 15% of the total go towards their fees.  The fundraiser will run through December 9th to ensure that you receive all of your orders before Christmas.

To learn more about the league you can visit the indoor soccer league by clicking here

Happy Holidays!
Dan, Heidi, Cat and Team KAOS

Thanksgiving Holiday

We hope that everyone had a phenomenal Thanksgiving holiday!  We sure did!  We had a great visit with Heidi's Mom, Andy, Andrea, Chase and Devin Lilly!!!  Mom just took off today to go back to Phoenix.  We were sorry to see her go so early, but we had a fantastic visit and were appreciative to Heidi's Dad who not only stayed home to take care of Grandpa, but he had Mom still come out :)  Thanks, Dad!!  We know you missed Mom and she'll be home shortly and we sure enjoyed our time with her.

Mom and Dad gave us each a very special gift this year and that was to give to others.  We went on a shopping trip to get supplies to make 16 packets for the homeless (8 men and 8 womens) and purchased toys to bring to the Toys for Tots.  Cat will bring the 16 packets to her school for Project Homeless and we will bring the toys to the toy drive at Dans work next week.  It was a great experience and we appreciate the opportunity from Mom and Dad.  Here are a few pictures to share :)

Here are a few more pictures from our holiday weekend.

Chase (11yrs) and Caitlyn (15yrs)

Andrea and Chase

Andy and Devin Lilly

Caitlyn's "Vampire" Photo :)

Heidi And Caitlyn

Charlie :)  Hes one of our puppys from our last litter.  What a cutie!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that everyone is enjoying a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday! We have been blessed with the visit of Heidi's cousin, Andy, and his wife Andrea, and daughters Chase and Devin Lilly and Heidi's Mom, Barbara. Andy, also, brought his dog Mack who has been getting along with Gunner/Liberty/Stanley quite well! Heidi's Dad was supposed to come into town, but Grandpa Grainger hasnt been feeling very well so he stayed in Phoenix to help him out. We have certainly missed him. We had an incredible meal today with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, strawberry/pear salad etc. It was GREAT!



Yesterday, Heidi/Cat/Chase, went to the New Moon Twilight movie yesterday and had lunch. The movie was great (I've now learned about the Edward/Jacob war ... and I choose Jacob :). Cat told me I need to read the books and then I will choose Edward. I dont think she is right, but I'll read the books and then we'll see :)

Chase has been so much fun. She is 11yrs old and such a sweetheart! She and Caitlyn have cooked all of our deserts and been a great help in the kitchen. In fact, they cleaned all of our dishes from dinner. That was rockin!

Well, we hope everyone had a beautiful holiday!
Love,
Dan, Heidi, Cat, Gunner, Liberty and Stanley

House of Boe & Pic of Liberty

Hello All -

We worked in the yard last Sunday. It was a beautiful day! I guess the calm after the storm. Dan successfully repaired our fence from the storm and we cleaned up the backyard ... Put the pool cover on etc. Cat and I delay putting the pool cover on every year ... Somehow it seems like it will keep summer here. We do enjoy our pool!

We are looking forward to having our family come visit for the Thanksgiving Holiday!

Attached is a picture of Liberty ... She won't stop staring at me :). I thought it was a cute pic.



We wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Cheers!
Dan, Heidi and Cat

Tropical Storm Ida ... Report From VA Beach at the House of Boe

Hello! We are sitting in our home with full power, TV and we all had today off so it's not so bad :) Caitlyn has tomorrow off from school, as well, so she is really happy! A four day weekend that she wasn't counting on!! The rain, winds and flooding are pretty severe so its better to be safe than sorry. So far, we've had parts of our fence fly off and the gate come off all but one of its hinges in the backyard. Its a good thing the pups don't like to go outside without us when it rains :)

Here is a video of the area where Dan and I work:
Downtown Norfolk

Here is a video of the area where we live:
Virginia Beach, VA


We have rain starting to come up on our front lawn and were supposed to receive more rain throughout the night and tomorrow. Somewhere in the area of 7-8". We have a few friends a few miles away that have been out of power since around 6pm this evening. All in all we have it pretty good :) We'll keep you updated!!

Have a nice evening!
Dan, Heidi, Cat, Gunner, Liberty and Stanley

Caitlyn's Team Wins Championship!

This weekend has been a soccer weekend! Cats team (Kaos) had a great weekend! They tied their first game 0-0, won their 2nd game 9-0, Won their 3rd game 3-0 and won the championship 1-0!! Attached is their winning team photo. Cat is on the bottom left.

The weather for the tournament was crazy .... Yesterday am we had ice on our windows @ 35 degrees and today it was 75 degrees and HOT! As a kid I thought 60 degrees was freezing but since moving from AZ I'm A little more experienced ... Now 75 feels like a hot summer day. Were all sun burnt! When we got home from the games pur house was so flippin hot we could barely come inside ... We were planning on freezing ... Not 75!

The girls played awesome this weekend and we're so proud of Cat, the team and thankful for their coaches Heather and Tammy!! They invest so much time and effort and we really appreciate it!

Take Care -
Dan, Heidi And Cat

Caitlyn & Stanley

Hello - I thought you might enjoy the attached pics of Caitlyn and Stanley (our youngest Maltese). We thought they were pretty cute! Cat is doing great in school (her sophomore year) and Dan and I are both working hard. We are excited to have Mom and Dad (Heidis) and Andy/Andrea/Chase/Devin come visit for Thanksgiving.

Take Care -

Dan, Heidi and Cat

House of Boe Update

Hello! Its been awhile since I sent an update so while the power is out at my work ... I figured I would make good use of the time and send an update on what we have been up to :) Conveniently, the power went out during lunch time. I cant help but think about all of our executives on the top floor with their faces turning red and steam coming out of the their heads thinking about the 1,000+ people in this building that are 100% ineffective right now!! Since we're a publishing company you can imagine the type of financial issues my company has been dealing with over the past 2 years and this is like icing on the cake :) Its been out for about 1/2hr at this point so I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesnt stay out for much longer.

Caitlyn is now in her Sophomore year of high school at the Legal Studies Academy at First Colonial High School. She just received her first progress report and shes doing FANTASTIC! She received 5 A's (Spanish 4, Chemistry, Honors English, PE/Drivers Ed, 2 B's (Math Analysis/Calculus, Criminal Justice) and 1 C (AP Government). She has a tremendously difficult schedule and we're very proud of how well shes doing. She has been playing soccer, as well. I believe she is going to try out for the school soccer team in the upcoming weeks. She is doing really well in soccer and we love to watch her games every Saturday. She received her drivers permit and will be able to get her drivers license in March 2009. She cant wait!! The three of us have been enjoying going on bike rides down to the beach (about 8 miles each way)! I wish I had a picture of us, because we each have a basket on the front of our bikes where we have one dog per basket :) I am sure we are quite a site riding down General Booth (its a pretty busy street). Dan really enjoys when we ride past the biker bar (Boneshakers) and all of the bikers on the patio tease him as we ride by ... I keep telling him that I got him a "manly" basket for his bike, but I dont think hes buying it :) We werent able to ride down this past weekend, because it was raining cats and dogs! We were, also, in Newport News at the hospital, because Grandma Anne is in the hospital. She had another heart attack so we are doing what we can to help she and her two daughters, Annette/Sue. Caitlyn stayed the weekend with them and put a smile on Anne's face while she wore the hospital gown and blue gloves. We are sending our prayers that she will get better very soon!

Dano is doing wonderfully, as well! He has ventured into a business with some of his associates into their own Fitness company. He did very well at 24hr Fitness so he has put his skill to work in his friends company. Its an exciting time for him and we're very proud of him for taking this jump.

Dan should be making E9 in 2010. He isnt "circled" on the list yet, so we dont like to count our chickens before they hatch, but the # of people retiring etc. should allow for him to advance. We are not sure what this will bring for us yet, but it may be another move. There are two positions in Portsmouth, VA that should be opening so we are keeping the faith. We'll let you know as soon as we do what this will mean for us. We've been in VA Beach for almost 7 years so we've really gotten comfortable :)

We had a great visit with Mark, Shelley and Annabelle a few weekends ago! They were on their way home from Hilton Head. We usually get to watch Annabelle when they go out of town, but this time they took her with them :( She is such a beautiful pup! Speaking of pups we did get to babysit one of our other puppies ... her name is Annabelle, too :) Her family was down for soccer tournament so she stayed with us for the weekend. She is so sweet and soft just like Mark/Shelley's Annabelle.

We went down to NC last weekend for Annette and Brad's wedding reception. Annette is the one that introduced Dan and I!! She is, also, Grandma Anne's daughter. What a beautiful couple and we were very blessed to be a part of the reception. Congrats to Annette and Brad!!

My parents are coming out for Thanksgiving!! We are very excited to spend the holiday with them. I, also, found out over this weekend that Andy/Andrea/Chase and Little Devin will be out for the holiday, as well. Caitlyn is really looking forward to having a family filled Thanksgiving :) Its not very often we get that out here on the East coast :)

I will get a photo of the three of us riding our bikes with the pups as soon as possible and post it on the website ... thats if Dan will let me :)

Take Care!
Heidi

PS - the power is still out .... 45 minutes and counting :)

Addition to the House of Boe ...

Somehow we have had one car since October 08. We expected to look for a car for a few weeks ... that turned into months. We were surprised at how well we coordinated our busy schedule with one car, but today we added a new addition to the family. An Acura TSX. We really like it. Its pretty sporty!! We still have our faithful TBird ... it just hit 200,000 miles yesterday! Caitlyn will be getting her drivers permit in July so she will definately be learning in the T-Bird :)

Caitlyn had a soccer game today where they won 2-1. Not only did they win, but the weather was BEAUTIFUL! It was cool enough to wear a light sweater, but sunny! We've had a lot of rainy and cloudy days so today was definately welcome.

We hope your spring is going well!
Dan, Heidi & Cat

Monsters AND Aliens??

Caitlyn and her best friend Chelsea went to the opening night of Monsters vs. Aliens Imax 3D this evening. They sent me this photo from their phone ... pretty darn cute!

I am thinking that those 3D glasses look pretty fancy ... :)

These two kids are something special! Lets hope that the movie is everything it looks like it will be!! Movie reviews to come :)

House of Boe Update

Hello! Its been awhile since we've updated you on our "goings on" ... its been a little bit busy.

Caitlyn started soccer, again. She is back on the same girls team she was on in the fall and really enjoys the girls and the coaches. Cat just had a spring chorus program that we attended that was wonderful! Dan and I always enjoy listening to her sing. About a month ago Cat had the opportunity to be a part of the United Nations program for youth where she spent 3 days learning and building initiatives for various countries. She had a great time!

Dan has been working very hard around the house. He had a chance to take a few days off and start working on our front yard. Last year was the backyard and this year is the front. We're not sure what we want to do yet, but we had a few trees taken down and have another few areas in the front yard that we're filling with grass. It will make mowing that front yard a whole lot easier! He opened the pool for us, too. Much to his dismay ... its been freezing ever since so hes been having to take care of a pool that we cannot use ... it does make me feel better knowing that it might be close to being able to use it, though :) I dont think that makes him feel any better :( Dan went out to Seattle for about a week about 1.5 months ago. His sister, Karen, had an accident so he wanted to be out to help if he could and to visit Dano, hi Dad and brother. He had a great visit.

I have just been a wreck! I fell the other day on my way out of the Drs office (just a little ironic dontcha think :) and aside from being COMPLETELY embarrassed I ripped my hands up to shreds ... litteraly it looked like my hands had been put in a cheese grater. I have been pitiful ever since! My beautiful watch that Dan got me several years ago is scratched up and so is my phone, but the good news is that I managed to keep from having my face hit the ground. Work continues to be challenging with lots of movement and change happening within the company. Dan and I feel fortunate to both have jobs and the ability to take care of our family. We are thankful for this.

We just heard from Dans sister that Nicole (her daughter/Dans Niece) will be coming to visit us this summer for her HS Graduation gift from her Dad. We're sooooo excited!!! We cant wait to have her come out and visit with us.

Caitlyn will go out to AZ this summer to visit her Dad. She'll be out there July 8 - August 12th. Shes not leaving until July 8th, because she gets her DRIVERS PERMIT on July 6th. Can you believe that! She has to have her permit for a min of 9 months before she can get her license so every day she doesnt get it ... is another day she has to wait after she turns 16. Its, also, great, because she'll get to learn how to drive with her Dad when she is in AZ :) I am looking forward to not having to be the first person to teach her ... besides theres lots of open space in AZ for him to teach her :)

Dan, Caitlyn, Dano and I will be in Denver for Easter. This will be our first family vacation since Dano graduated HS (hes 24 now) .... so needless to say we're looking forward to getting together and having Dan and Dano meet my family in CO. We'll be in Breckenridge for a portion of the time and keeping our fingers crossed that there is still snow to ski. If not, we'll just enjoy being together.

Little Man our last little pup now has his own home. We are very very sad ... he was the best! He was house trained, played catch and just a lover!! Hes at a home with a little boy (Landon) and his sister, Mom (Kristy) and Dad. Hes also just up the street from where 2 of our other puppies live. I know that he will have a great home, but boy do we miss him :(

We hope all is well with everyone! Happy Spring!
Love,
Dan, Heidi, Caitlyn, Gunner, Liberty and Stanley

Last Puppy Standing :)

We have one last little boy left :) I am posting this photo for the families that call and are interested so they can see how cute he is :) I call him "Little Man" .. he is so very sweet!

Birthdays, Travel &Test Scores

Hello!
Caitlyn celebrated her 15th BD on Monday. It was a quiet celebration since it was just she and I, but we went out to sushi (her favorite) and opened the gifts she received from family. We're planning to have her friends over for a sleep over weekend after next. Dan was in Biloxi, MS and Pascagoula (sp?), AL for work ... or perhaps one would call it a "boondoggle" :) He stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino where he had a beautiful room. He hit the jackpot for 10,000 on the Wheel of Fortune ... did I forget to mention it was 10,000 pennies! :) He ended up ahead by $90 and by the time he got to my cousin Andy's house in Mobile, AL on Wed night he couldnt find it. So, I guess you would say he broke even :) He went to Andy and Andrea's house on Wednesday night and got to see their beautiful kids, Chase and Devin Lilly. Little Devin was just born on September 16th. I have included some pictures of their family. Cat and I sure wish we could have visited with them, as well, but we'll have to wait for another time. They were so kind to pick Dan up in Pascagoula and Andy BBQ'ed a terryaki pork tenderloin that Dan is still talking about. He was, also, so impressed with little Devin Lilly ... she didnt cry and was such a great baby. Chase is their other daughter and what a wonderful little one she is! The last time she was out Dan took her to the dollar store where she bought a "grill" for her front teeth ... it was was gold teeth and I sure wish I had a picture of it! What a smart and wonderful little girl she is!

Caitlyn took the PSAT (Preliminary SAT) in October. Its not typical that a Freshman would take the test, but as a result of her math and the academy she is in they asked her to take the test. We just received the scores from it. She did incredibly well! Her overall selection index was a 155. The average score for Juniors is a 147. I wont go into all the mumbo jumbo of how the score is built, but suffice to say she did incredibly well especially as a Freshman. We're very proud of her ... I know we say that every time, but we continue to have reasons to remind ourselves just how fortunate we are :)

Caitlyn and I were just saying that we "feel" like 2009 will be a better year ... not for any political reason and its certainly not based on Wallstreet, but we feel positive about it and we're ready for an outstanding year!! We send our best wishes for a fantastic 2009, as well.
Love,
Dan, Heidi and Caitlyn

Happy New Year from the House of Boe!!

Hello Friends and Family!! We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and great start to 2009! We have been quite busy since the weekend before Christmas. We had our annual Christmas party for Heidi's staff. We had a great time and for some crazy reason ... we have no photos! We did take photos of Christmas day and Caitlyn smothered in Maltese dogs and puppies :)

We were fortunate enough to spend Christmas with the most wonderful neighbors on the planet! And ofcourse our very good friends Paul and Kathy. Dan smoked a turkey and it was fantastic! I enjoy having Christmas dinner in our dining room ... I am so fortunate to have my Grandma and Grandpa Graingers dining room table, china cabinet, chandelier, dishes and china. It really reminds me of being at their home for the Holidays. We are so fortunate to have these memories in our home. We, also, have the added love of Grandma's china painting in the china cabinet. We took some photos of our home with Christmas that we thought you might enjoy.

We were a little late in getting a tree this year ... it was one of 5 trees left, but once Caitlyn decorated and lit it up it was beautiful!

Caitlyn went over to her friend, Chelsea's for New Years. Her parents have an annual party that Caitlyn loves to go to. The two girls have actually been inseperable for about a week ... we adore Chelsea! They will be back over at our house tonight :) Together the two are a wonderful influence on each other. Chelsea attends another academy, but the two girls met in 6th grade.

Dan and I spent New Years having a wonderful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then over to Paul and Kathy's for a wonderful evening. I couldnt convince them to play Scruples with me, again (we played on Christmas), but I'll keep trying :)

Dan and I did actually send out Christmas letters this year. I know its hard to believe ... since its been over 5 years since we've sent them out, but we did. It was our traditional 12 Days of Christmas at the House of Boe. We mailed them out late, but hopefully they will be received shortly.

Dan, Caitlyn and I are looking forward to a fantastic 2009 and send all of our best wishes to you and your family!!

Love,

Dan, Heidi and Caitlyn