Days 9-11

June 10 (Day 9)

The world famous San Diego zoo! We made a day out of this great experience, and it was a good one. It was easy to see why it’s known across the world, for sure! We saw all kinds of neat critters, and I think we all agree it was well worth the day!

Best part of the day? The zoo!

June 11 (Day 10)

We started out day ten by leaving San Diego and making our way to the one and only Los Angeles, California. Day Ten was pretty uneventful, although it was nice to just ride. We did however see a little of the city, including a really neat dog park in the Hollywood hills. We also got eat at an Armenian restaurant. It was really neat! Mom, the boys and I all got to try some new foods and Dad got to show off his Russian and Armenian vocabulary to the waitress J It was really fun!

June 12 (Day 11)

What a day! It all started at church that morning (Hollywood Church of Christ) where Weird Al nYankovic served communion and we got to experience an all new kind of culture. You know what they say, normal is what you’re use to, and that sure wasn’t it. But worshipping God is the same no matter where you are, and we all enjoyed it. After lunch (which was no easy task, believe me), we did some sightseeing in downtown Hollywood. The really neat part was that we happened to be there the same time as the red carpet premiere of Toy Story 3! We got several glimpses of quite a few “stars” such as Tom Hanks, Dylan and Cole Spouse, some American Idol finalists and Weird Al (twice in one day!!). Talk about exciting! After taking as many pictures as we could, we continued on downtown and saw all of the attractions such as Grauman’s Theatre and the walk of the stars and the Hollywood signs (oh and of course all the tourist trap shops!). Oh and I can’t believe I almost forgot, we also celebrated Blake’s tenth birthday! It was a long, but awesome day. As always, God is great.

Best part of the day? Seeing Weird Al in church and exploring Hollywood!

June 8 (Day 7)

We started out day seven by making our way to California. When we first crossed the California state line, we pulled over near Mexicali to see the sand dunes there. It was so cool! The dunes looked like something you would have seen in Aladdin. The boys had fun goofing around passing the football, while Mom and I just enjoyed the burning sand. After dusting off our clothes the best we could, we got back in the car and continued to Mexicali where we actually got to go into Mexico. We didn’t spend much time there, Dad basically just wanted us to be able to say that we had. However, as we were in line to cross back over into California, Dad noticed they didn’t have my birth certificate (He had taken it out in Prattville when I got my permit) and without it I couldn’t get back in! Let me tell you, it was a little frightening! However, when we pulled up to the station the guy was really friendly and said he only needed to see my permit. Close call!

One big difference we noticed from Arizona to California was the drastic temperature drop. In Arizona we saw up to 112 and in San Diego it never got out of the 60’s! Like everyone else, we had pictured a sunny California, well not in San Diego during the “June gloom” it was overcast and cold! However we all had a fun time walking around Seaport village before we turned in for the night.

Best part of the day? The awesome sand dunes!

June 9 (Day 8)

Pretty early Thursday morning we hit the road so we could see as much as San Diego as we could before lunch. The first stop was the beach in La Jolla where we got to get right on the Pacific ocean and see tons of seals and sea lions laying around lazily. It was so neat! Then we made our way to the Children’s beach where the sea lions have taken over. We also had the chance to play in the waves and find what sea shells we could before the waves came crashing down without mercy. It was a lot of fun, even though walking around with wet clothes wasn’t. J After that we drove to Cabrillo National park, where we met up with Christy Cobb and her husband John and two children Shelby and Abby. Dad and Christy are friends from high school, and we both happened to be in San Diego at the same time. Her husband John is retiring from the Navy, so they made a vacation out of it and we got the chance to meet up with them. We all went down to the Pacific and played in the tide pools at low tide. It was really cool to see all the little sea critters!

After Cabrillo we met back up with the Cobb’s at the Naval base on Coronado Island where they had been staying. John showed us around the base a little and then we went to their hotel for a cookout along the beach. It was a little chilly, but we all had tons of fun! After roasting some marshmallows for smores, we said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel.

Best part of the day? Too hard to decide! It was all great J

Days 5 and 6

Day 5 (June 7)

We left early Monday morning and made our way to Carlsbad, New Mexico to see the world famous Carlsbad caverns. And we could easily see why they have made such a worldwide impression! The caves were amazing! The Great room alone was a one and one fourth mile round trip and was full of millions of rock formations. And some people say there isn’t a God!

Best part of the day? Carlsbad caverns!

Day 6 (June 8)

By this time on the trip, we’re all getting use to early mornings (7 is considered sleeping in) so hitting the road this morning was routine. We drove several hours to Tombstone, Arizona where we had the chance to visit the location of the O.K. Corral shootout, as well as Boothill cemetery. It was really neat to walk through the dirt streets of this old fashioned ghost town and learn about its famous legends such as Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holiday. It was also funny to read a few of the tombstones, one that read “hanged by mistake. He was right, we was wrong, we strung him up and now he’s gone.” And these were actual tombstones!

Following Tombstone, we drove to Saguaro National Park to see the Saguaro cacti, which can reach nearly fifty feet and weigh tons. We also saw a large variety of other desert vegetation including the prickly pear cacti. Kyle really enjoyed getting out of the car and climbing the massive boulders and I really loved picking little thorns out of my clothes J It was a rally cool experience!

Best part of the day? The whole day was great, we couldn’t decide!

Days 3 and 4

Day 3

Personally, I had been long awaiting the day we could visit the San Antonio River Walk as well as the Alamo, and it truly was worth our time and the wait. We all got chill bumps as we toured the Alamo mission when we read of the great love that those men had for their country. It was truly inspiring. After the Alamo Dad bought the family tickets for a river boat tour around the San Antonio River walk, it was really neat to learn the historical significance of the surrounding area. After the tour we stopped for lunch at the Casa Rio (River House) a little Mexican restaurant right on the river. We all enjoyed good food, and Blake especially enjoyed feeding the ducks his lunch!

Now long before we actually began our vacation, Dad had warned us (oh I mean told us) that we would be spending the night in Kerrville to visit some of his friends from South Africa, Al and Donna Horne, and to get ready because they were a sight to see. We arrived at their house and chatted before dinner. Well let me tell you, it didn’t take long for us to realize Dad’s caveat was a serious understatement! They were absolutely hysterical! Between bites of Mr.Al’s famous mashed potatoes we would roll with laughter at their comical stories and hilarious outlooks on them. We truly had a wonderful time!

Best part of the day? Getting the chance to meet the wonderful Al and Donna Horne!

Day 4

It is my personal belief that there is no better way to start the day out than by laughing, and laugh we did! After church services at Kerrville Church of Christ (the friendliest congregation in America) we had lunch at the Lakehouse with Al and Donna and went back to their house where we played an absolutely hysterical game of Apples to Apples. We then said our regretful goodbyes and made our way to San Angelo where

we were able to reunite with Dad’s cousin Jackie Rogers and her family (Jackie, Jack, Derek, Emily, baby Jack, Sarah, Kenzie, Logan and Aunt Fran). We hadn’t seen them in eleven years and Blake had never met them at all, so that was a nice treat. Jackie made some delicious ribs, we got to visit with our Aunt Fran (Pawpaw’s sister-in-law), and had some awesome snow cones. Oh, and of course, we got to play with baby Jack! We had a wonderful time with our family!

Best part of the day? Apples to Apples with the Horne’s and laughing with our Texas family!

Days 1 and 2

In between houses, we decided to just take a long road trip this year. We left Prattville, Al. on June 3 and will probably be back in early July. We're enjoying our time together and we hope you enjoy our blog!

June 3 - Day One

Talk about a long day! We all started out our five week long family adventure around 4am where we(and by we, I mean Dad, the rest of us were cutting some z’s) left from Prattville, Alabama and made our way through Mississippi, Louisiana and into Texas where we stopped in Beaumont to visit Mom’s cousin Dena Williams and her husband Tony and their three kids Erin (12),Alex (9), and Morgan (7), and of course Sammy, their adorably stout beagle. We had all the important aspects taken care of, food, family and fun! Once we said our goodbyes, we continued on to San Antonio where we all promptly fell asleep!

The best part of the day? We all agreed that it had to be meeting our cousins in Beaumont!

June 4 - Day Two

When we woke up Friday morning, Dad was waiting with the granddaddy of all surprises: season passes to six flags!! And what a perfect day it was, the heat was a bit vicious, but it was unusually un-crowded and we were fortunate enough to be able to spend nearly eight hours in the park. Our favorite ride was Superman, which we rode multiple times.It truly was a great day!

However, the fun wasn’t over, Dad had kept his eyes peeled and on Twitter he noticed that it was National Donut Day and that Krispy Kreme was giving free donuts to those who wanted one (but seriously, who wouldn’t?!). After eating our delicious donuts, we all grabbed some paper Krispy Kreme hats and paraded like morons through the hotel lobby, laughing hysterically as we went (after all, we are Kasarjian, it’s in our blood). So all in all, we had yet another wonderful day.

The best part of the day? National Donut Day, duh!

January 09

Our 2009 is off to a great start! We hope yours is too. Here's a brief recap:

On New Years Day Kyle and I went hunting for wild Russian boars. We had a blast! The entire experience, from the lodge to the hunt, was super! We both had success and now a freeezer full of meat. Watch the video and you'll get a small sense of how happy I was for Kyle. I've never been as thrilled with any of my kills.

In other news, Blake is reading like a pro, Molly has both Future Problem Solvers and Speech and Drama competitions coming up, Kim is learning to play guitar, and I am (finally) moving back into my old but new office.

Hmmm...I was sure I parked my car around here! I have just returned from Montreal and happened to be there during their first snow storm of the year. Lucky me! It was pretty impressive. As always, it was great to see Guido and the gang!

A blast from the past! A few years ago in Bangkok, I jumped into the group photo of these people at the last second! The funniest part is the look on the face of the guy next to me!

Kim and Molly each have their own Facebook page now. Look `em up. For now Kyle and I don't have one - he's not old enough and I'm not cool enough! :-)

Have a great February!

Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake

November/December

Our November included a trip to Commonwealth Satdium to watch our Dawgs take down the home team Cats. It was a great game (better than we'd hoped it would be!) and we enjoyed our time with the Williams guys.


Speaking of football, the boys and I are pictured here trying out the craft they made at Lowe's. I don't remember who won (really!) but don't you love the intensity!?

Many cities have a "Turkey Trot" (5 or 10K) on T'giving morning but not ours :-( , so, it has become a T'giving Day tradition to have our own. We certainly have the turkeys!




Dec. 6-7, the 5 Stooges took a road trip to Lexington to celebrate Kim's big 4-0! Sounds like they had a blast!


On Kim's actual brithday she hosted the monthly ladies class. They had 37 and did a gift swap as well.


We had a great Christmas this year too! Our annual trip to Alabama was short but very enjoyable. Shortly after we got home Santa stopped by the house and treated us all very well. Be sure to look at the Christmas 08 web album (upper right hand).

So far, this winter has been colder and wetter than usual . This was the scene from "our mountain" the other day. We've already had more snow than we did all of last winter. Must be global warming!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that you will have a Happy New Year. We'll be back in touch in 2009. Boy that sounds strange!

Love,
Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake

P.S. Kyle and I leave New Year's Day to hunt wild boar in TN. Boo-yah! Or should I say, "Boar-yah!"

Rocktober!

Happy November to everyone! The fall colors are late in the mountains this year, but they're finally here and the reds, golds, and yellows are as brilliant as ever. This is the scene we enjoy from our deck.


Now, on to the October news.





Blake finished his football season last month by scoring a touchdown in his final game. He had a great season!

Even better, his school work has been VERY good and he brought home a super report card.


Kyle ended his Cross Country year by finishing 2nd in the Area 9 championship, bested only by his good friend Dalton.

He too is having a great school year. His first report card in Junior High was straight A's!

BTW, for those of you who knew me when I was in 7th grade, (there are a few of you) who does the kid on the far right remind you of?!?! Eerie!


Molly has transitioned very nicely into High School. She ended the soccer season as a starter for the team that came in 2nd in the region and went to the 2nd round of the District playoffs.

Her grades are great too! 5 A's when you're playing a varsity sport is tough to do!

She is pictured riding in the Homecoming parade and sporting her new Metal Mouth! Dawgnabbit-Why'd she have to be so purty?!

Molly and Kyle both enjoyed having Nana and PawPaw see them end their seasons.


Kim, along with Kim and Jerry Read planned a well-attended and well-planned devo. for the younger kids at church. Unlike her husband, she does a great job with that kind of thing.






Another one of the things she does well is teach pre-school. This is only 1/3 of her students (can you tell it's Halloween?) but see how attentive they are.

My current office is adjacent to her classroom which has helped me get to know the kids and to realize what a great teacher she is and how much she loves it.

Upcoming events:

Opening day of deer season AND the UGA/UK which the boys and I are going to with the Williams guys.

A Thanksgiving visit from Aunt Kristy and the Cuz's

And a big 4-0 for someone we all know and love!


I'll close with this pic taken at the shore of Lake Victoria near Busia, Uganda.

With love from,
Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake

September 08

This update begins in Roatan, Honduras. We had an incredible time! Even though we had a full week it just wasn't enough. I won't presume that you want to see our pics, so there is a webalbum on the right if you'd like to see more of us in paradise.

"The sea, once it has cast its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." [Jacques Cousteau] I can vouch for that! I got to dive incredible sites with really neat people from Colorado, Texas, Spain, France, Switzerland, Canada, and England. Be sure to check out the pics of my underwater safari. And you must see the video! (be sure to click "more info" for all the details)

Meanwhile, back at reality, the kids are all involved in fall sports. Molly's soccer season has gone by fast! I guess it does that when you're winning. She has even worked her way into the starting lineup - the only freshman to do so. Check her picture from the newspaper. Just don't tell her you saw it - she hates it!

Kyle won his first cross country meet! He's running my favorite trail. (the kid next to him was in the younger division and had a big headstart) Yesterday in his meet he ran in the high school division and placed 14 out of 22. Not too shabby!

Blake is playing flag football again this year and loves it. So far Crazy Legs has run 3 length-of-the-field TDs in his first 3 games.

After months of training for the Akron Marathon the day finally came and it couldn't have been any better! I beat my goal of under 4 hours (considered pretty good for most) with a 3:53 finish. That was good enough to place 428 out of 1,581 finishers. I was very pleased!

YEAH BABY!!! I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment!

One of the neat things about this race, and one of the reasons I chose it, is that the kids of the runners have a run too. They had a lot of fun while waiting for dad to finish.

The new pic on top was taken on our trip to Akron. We enjoyed a detour driving out thru Sugar Creek, Walnut Creek, and Berlin in Ohio Amish country.

What a year! First Philadelphia, then New Philadelphia and Dover in both Delaware and Ohio!

Whew! Maybe we need to stay home a little more. No, wait, can't do that. In a period of 10 days we will have made a round trip to Akron, another to Alabama, and I will have gone to Uganda!

Take care and God bless.

Love,

Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake

Summer is over so it's back to normal...

One of our favorite things to do in the summer is swim whenever we can. The boys especially are like a couple of fish! This year we had fun with the new camera; I took this shot while lying on the bottom of the pool.

We were also able to fish several times this summer. This is my buddy Jeff Holbrook as we are about to night fish at Pound Lake, Va. He skunked me!

Shhh, don't tell anyone just yet, but this is the yet-to-be-unveiled UGA Pop Tart. Blake got this while playing at his buddy Sam's house. Sam's dad is the Plant Manager at the Pop Tart factory (yes, Pop Tarts are made in Pikeville!) and gave this this to him. There will be other schools too, but this is the 1st UGA one that we know of to leave the facility. Blake accidentally broke it - I hope that's not an omen!

During one of the Summer Fun Days Kyle spoke at the devo in the city park. Can you tell they did face-painting first?!?!

I started our "Road Trip" board last year and it is quickly filling up on the east side of the country. We mark where we've been and collect small momentos to post. Looks like we'll heed Horace Greeley's advice next summer.

You know, he's the one who said, "Head west, young man, head west."

Unfortunately Blake didn't get to go to camp this year due to a severe corneal abrasion. So, to make him feel a little less-bummed, I got him a few accessories to go with his patch!

1st day of school!

Molly is in 9th grade, playing on the varsity girls soccer team, and a member of the Student Council.

Kyle is in 7th grade and is now the 2nd tallest member of the family and wearing a size 9 shoe! He's also on the Jr. High cross country team.

Blake is in 2nd grade and is really looking forward to flag football starting soon.

Molly got a decent amount of playing time (as a freshman) in last night's season opener: a 2-0 win!

And Mom and Dad, well we're just trying to catch our breath, which we plan to do a lot of next week in Roatan!

Bye for now!

Love,

Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake

June...it's much more than a vacation!

In addition to our annual vacation (see last blog entry and webalbum) we got to do a lot of other neat stuff in June.

BLAKE IS 8! It's hard to believe (I always say that but it's true) but that guy turned 8 on the 13th! Can you believe it?!

On the 14th I ran the Hatfield/McCoy Reunion Festival Half-Marathon. Pre-race nausea and abdominal cramps (bad pasta at the pre-race dinner???) for the last 10 miles kept me from running the time I wanted , but I still ended up 18th out of 126 runners. I guess I should be satisfied...

On the 17th Kyle and a few others were honored by the Board of Education for having achieved the Presidents Physical Fitness Award. It was a nice presntation complete with a patch and a certificate signed by ole G-Dub himself!

This month was also the Future Champions Football camp that Blake has participated in for the 3rd year now. Somehow he has earned the nickname "Crazy Legs". Does he look like a future champion?

Well, it's been a great month for us and we hope it has been for you too.
Take care and God bless.

Love,
Keith, Kim, Molly, Kyle, and Blake