Winter so far...

Donald:
Unfotunately this year we did not have a white Christmas. Somedays I miss living back home in Colorado. This winter has been the second warmest in recorded history for DC. We have had numerous days in the 70s. However, this warm climate has not been so bad. For instance, this year we went to a tree farm and cut down our own tree. There is nothing like the smell of a fresh-cut tree in your home. Another first for this Christmas was attending church at the National Cathedral. Troy, Paula, and Malin invited us to the cathedral this year for Christmas service and it was a great experience, especially the music.

With our mild winter, I've had the opportunity to run outside a lot more than the usual winter. For a Christmas I got the Nike+ apparatus for my Ipod. It is a great tool that measures my distance and speed through a little electronic chip hooked onto my shoe. If you are a runner or walker I definitely recommend this device. I have gone through a few pedometers and none were able to accurately track my run distance. However, the Nike+ has been accurate to within 0.01 of a mile. As an added bonus, the pedometer will vocally give you an update on your run progression.

Besides running, the weather has allowed us to do other outdoor activites like visiting the zoo. We recently took a trip to the National Zoo to see the new baby panda and baby tiger cubs. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the red pandas, gorillas, pygmy hippopotamus, Asian elephants, and numerous monkey species. We even got to tour the reptile house, which is very rare and generous on Erika's part because she hates snakes. I think she enjoyed it, though!! (Erika: No, not really.)

I need to get as much running and playing done before my six-week break from school will be over. I have one week left. Fortunatley, I only have six more classes to complete before I am finished with my degree. So even though this upcoming year will be real intense with two classes every semester for the rest of the year, I will be done by the beginning of 2008.

Erika:

You recall our friends Carlyn and Chris right? Well, they are now engaged, and Carlyn asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. Their wedding is this June, and I have an old high school friend getting married in July in Texas. Weddings and more weddings!

As you know, we married in 2004 at South Padre Island. So in keeping with that tradition, we have celebrated each of our wedding anniversaries on beaches (the first being Virginia Beach, VA and second being Ocean City, MD). This year we thought we'd head south in order to fully enjoy our mild winter. More specifically, on New Year's Eve, we loaded up the truck and headed five hours south to North Carolina's Outer Banks. We stayed at a wonderful bed-and-breakfast, the First Colony Inn. Since we were there during the off-season, we received a lot of personal attention. On Sunday night we planned an outline of our week. Each day was packed with hikes, sightseeing, and more. Although it was the off-season, the Outer Banks has a lot of historical sights, allowing us to enjoy off-season activities. One of our favorites was the Wright Brothers Memorial and learning about the Lost Colony, British's first and failed attempt to colonize the Americas. Below is our web album of our trip. Just click and enjoy!

Outer Banks, NC

We did celebrate the Christmas holiday, but we also celebrated the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. Many countries, particularly in Latin America, celebrate el Dia de los Magos by exchanging gifts on January 5th or 6th. The Epiphany means "to be revealed" and is when many celebrate when Jesus was revealed as King and the Savior. Many exchange gifts on Three Kings Day because that's when the wise men delivered gifts. I liked celebrating it this year because on December 26th, I didn't feel like the Christmas holiday finished abruptly. I had a transition period, still enjoying Christmas music, baking, etc. after Christmas day.

On the afternoon of the Epiphany, January 6th, we baked Mexican cookies and prepared coffee. The Thomas Family and Carl came over to celebrate together. We gave them their gifts and also played a gift game, which we played in CO with the Pittz family and boy are they competetive. I wrapped a gift several times with packaging tape. Then we gather in a circle and roll a pair of dice. If you roll doubles, you must put on the gloves, and attempt to open the gift. If you get your hands on the gift, you win the prize. The thing is that while you're trying to open the gift, others are rolling in an attempt to get a turn at the gift. It's a fast moving game that can even get Paula really excited. At one point, when it wasn't her turn, she unknowingly grabbed the gift and started to try to open it with her bare hands. She caught herself and apologized knowing what she was doing wasn't allowed. We had a wonderful time but poor Malin became frightened each time someone would shout for the gloves because they got doubles. Play this game; it is so much fun!



Metiche: I too have been enjoying the warm weather. They open the windows for me everytime it is warm out, and that's often. I hear that in two weeks I have an exam! Something about dropping me off! We'll see about that!

Greetings Family and Friends,

We hope all is well with you. It has been unusually warm this November and December. We've been enjoying 60 degree weather! Erika wore a skirt this week! However, it being the holiday season, we're looking forward to some snow! Hopefully we'll have a "white Christmas" this year here in D.C. We've decided to stay in town and are considering inviting some friends over for a Christmas dinner.

Here is a wrap-up of our autumn this year. We hope you had a wonderful one as well. Additionally, you'll see what look like mini-albums or simply another picture embedded in the text. However, they are actually links (the dark gray colored title is the link) that allow you to go to our web albums. Now you'll be able to see more pictures! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas,
The Browns

Donald:
This fall has been extremely busy for me. Besides work, I was enrolled in two more classes. After this semester, I will have one year left; unfortunatley that means two classes each semester including the summer. I do realize how important another degree is so I budget plenty of time for school work. Plus Erika is very supportive, which make the long hours easier. As for work, we just finished implementing and conducting a new field sampling technique. Basically, we have been monitoring gases in the air like carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrous oxides. These are the major pollutant gases that are normally reffered to as greenhouse gases. I really enjoyed learning this new technique and spending many of the fall days outside.

Due to my busy schedule I was not able to participate in any organized runs during the fall. However, that didn't mean I was stuck inside all autumn. Erika and I have started exploring some of the great outdoor sights in the area. On one Saturday we went to Sugarloaf Mountain, which is about 30 minutes north of our place. Now don't get the wrong idea, this was not nearly as impressive of the mountains I am use to. Nonetheless, it was beautiful in its own way. Plus, the summit gave a great view of the surrounding region. If you are ever out here, we would love to take you out there. Closer to home, we have spent a lot of time in Rock Creek Park. This national park is literally a block from our condo. During the fall, the forest looks awesome, especially with the creek running through it. I also enjoy taking my afternoon runs through the park. It is very serene and a nice break from the city life. Click on the following web album to see more pictures.

Fall 2006 in Our Backyard (Rock Creek Park)

Though I did not take part in any runs, Carl and his brother Ben ran the Marine Corps marathon in October. This was Carl's third straight year of running the 26.2-mile race. Maybe next year I will join him again.















Probably the biggest highlight of this fall was Thanksgiving in Richmond. This year, Matt Boisen decided to come up and spend the holiday with his girlfriend, Dorcha. She happens to be living in Richmond, so Matt invited people to spend the holiday with them in Virginia.
Since we are so close, my mom and sister decided to fly out so we could all go down together. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Matt and Dorcha at the house of a family friend. The meal was tasty, but the highlight was 200 barbecued oysters before the meal. Yummy!! The day after Thanksgiving, Matt and Dorcha gave us a tour of some Richmond sites. Also, we met up with Carl who was down visiting his brother. The highlight of the tour was Hollywood Cementary with dignitaries like Presidents James Monroe and John Taylor and a giant pyramid commemorating the 18,000 buried Confederate soldiers.

After the tour we had a great meal of Black Angus beef burgers at Dorcha's place, which really had the feel of the Brown holidays that we are so used to, having gone around and share what we're thankful for. All in all, it was a great trip and was so nice to visit with Matt and family along with meeing Dorcha. Enjoy the following web album.

Thanksgiving in Richmond, VA

Erika:

Our good friends, Carlyn and Chris, invited us to a formal social gathering. Many people exhibited the traditional and official Washington, D.C. dance: hand dancing. Carlyn describes it as "swing with more soul." Both she and Chris have been taking lessons. Ah, it looked easy enough so Donald and I thought we would try joining in. We would just copy anyone next to us on the dance floor. On one particular time, a male started to kick and spin his partner around. I immediately looked at Donald and prepared myself! Weeee! I go twirling! Our table, including our friends and their parents, were all laughing at our attempts. Overall, we had a wonderful time!

From Web Blog

Pumpkin time! One of my favorite things to do during fall is visit a local pumpkin patch. The one we usually visit was closed so we traveled a little farther north and found another, Bulter's Orchard, which we've been meaning to visit. We discovered that they had soooo much more to offer. Since Halloween was the week before, they still had their Halloween exhibit out for the children. Also, no one was really there, allowing us to just let loose and have a great time on their giant slide, hay maze, and a lot more. It was a cool, crisp autumn afternoon, but running around like children again made us warm.

This year was Malin's first Halloween.
We drove over to Alexandria to be part of her first Halloween Parade. Now, we're not biased or anything, but she was the happiest and cutest there! After the parade, we had a quick bite to eat with the Thomas Family where we had a chance to catch up.

Perhaps you are curious as to what I'm doing for work. Well, I am a private tutor for five students (I may get two more here soon.). I see each student for two hours a week. I am proud to say that my little Tom, who received a C on his math last advisory, just earned a 97% on his recent math unit test. That's huge considering he was beginning to hate school in general and hated math. After less than a month, another one of my student's parents were impressed at their daughter's increased confidence and organizational skills. They attributed it solely to me. I'm not bragging here, just sharing my job with you. How can I walk away from something I'm so good at you ask? Easily. I don't feel peace in my spirit about teaching IN the classroom. Still, I want to contribute to something that allows me to leave an impact. I'm trusting the Lord in what He has already prepared for me. All is good!

Here is a picture of Donald on his "Gotcha Day". We went out for cupcakes at the famous Cake Love Bakery (featured on the Food Network). We promise to take you all there when you come to visit.

From Web Blog

Here are some more web albums for you to enjoy:

Fall 2006 at Butler's Orchard

Malin's first Halloween Parade

Metiche: Finally! My turn! My name is Metiche, although Pam calls me "Mechichi". I just thought I'd clear that up before everyone else starts calling me "Chichi". Does no one know what that means in Spanish?! And yeah, I pulled down their Christmas tree. ME! Attention on ME! No one nor ANYTHING else! So I hear that I have an upcoming vet appointment. Bring it on, Erika! I'll be ready for you...under the bed. Ha! Find me there! Oh, check out my 2006 Christmas ornament. It has my letter to Santa on it. Hey, why put a fish on top of it if I can't eat it?! How dumb!

On a last note, our church has partnered with an orphanage in South Africa, Baby Haven, to provide gifts to the children waiting for adoption during the Christmas season. We have received a bottle to fill with coins, cash, and checks to support Baby Haven. So we are asking for your help to fill the bottle. If anyone is interested, checks can be made out to Metro Morningstar. The donations we go directly to the orphanage, so please consider it. You can email us for our mailing address, and we'll make sure that it gets to our church. Please note that we have to return the bottle filled with donations by January 7th. We hope you can help support this cause. For more information or questions, you can contact Joni Whitaker and jwhitaker@metromorningstar.org.

From Web Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello All,

We've had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to an even greater autumn. Here is a recap of our summer months' events (sorry for the long length, but we have a lot to share):

You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take Iowa out of the boy. Donald: When Donald learned about our county's agricultural fair, he knew we had to go. He needed to see his pigs, goats, and good ol' beef. And did he see it! As soon as he got to see his first goats, he leaned over to me and said, "Thanks for coming, Erika. I needed this." It's funny. When we entered the pigs' area, a man jokingly told his family as they were leaving, "Now there's a good reason not to live in Iowa." Whereas when we walked in, Donald said, "Now that smell is the smell of money." Ah, he'd make his dad and grandfather proud.

Donald writing: Recently, the division of Lockheed that I work with started a peer recognition program. At one of our group meetings, my project manager was discussing how this new program works, and that Lockheed's first selection ever had been made by the committee. To my surprise, he announced that I was the first recipient of the award. I was completely caught off guard and never even knew that I was even nominated. Later I learned that one of the team leaders nominated me, and a Lockheed committee agreed that I was a good candidate. Then, a higher up made the final decision. Definitely a great surprise!

On Sunday, September 17, I spent some time with Mary Jean Keating while she was in DC escorting a group. I met her at the National Portrait Gallery where we saw portraits of many famous historical Americans. After the gallery we walked to Potbelly Sandwich Works, a sandwich shop that began in Chicago and is known for its unique menu and great prices. Though it was a short visit, it was really great to see Aunt Mary Jean.

As Erika explains below, she took a small sabbatical to Texas after quitting her teaching job. At first I thought it would be great for some alone-time then day 10 went by followed by days 11, 12, and 13. I realized that two weeks is a loooooooong time to be away from my wife. Though I respect her need to visit her family, I think next time maybe a few days shorter. I was so glad to see her return. However, while she was gone I got to spend some time with friends. I went out and saw a movie and went to a local Jazz festival with my friend Dwayne. I also went on a late night historical hike through Adams Morgan with Troy. Plus I was able to spend time with Aunt Mary Jean. Furthermore, since Erika does not like to watch movies (weird), I was able to watch all the movies that have been collecting on my list. If you have not seen the movie Crash, go rent it tonight. Anyways, although being a bachelor can be fun, I would definitely rather spend time with Erika.

I decided to go through water baptism classes that our church was offering. Though I was baptized as a baby by my parents, I thought it would be cool to go through a full immersion adult baptism. Plus, this would be a great step for my personal Christian development. Therefore on October 4th, I went to the local YMCA and got baptized with three others. It was a deeply spiritual event and afterwards the pastors prayed over me. It was a great occasion and I really felt renewed with a great sense of purpose afterwards. I look forward to my continued spiritual development.



You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl.Erika: What excited me about the agricultural fair was the possiblity of finding a JUMBO turkey leg. And did I find it! In fact, it was not only my lunch, but my dinner as well. Although I tried to finish it myself, Donald helped me in the end.

I had quite a bit of time on my hands not having a job. I volunteered to help with our church's annual picnic. This allowed me to meet young women from the church. Although I was not heading it, many people thought I was, including the pastors. I guess I give out that "controlling vibe." Well, the day of the picnic, I stepped it up when needing to take charge of certain events. The pastors hadn't seen this side of me and thus, asked me to head up a costume party at the end of October. I felt that I had to say yes because of the scripture says, "Enjoy serving the Lord, and He will give you what you want" (Psalm 37:4). The costume party's theme was "A Night in Hollywood: Be the Character." Donald and I were the dairy cow and the tornado from Twister, the movie. We won the award for "Most Original Costume". So, what do you all think?



With so much time on my hands, I went to Texas (THANKS PAM!). Besides, I needed some "me time" with all of my job frustrations. Plus, I felt that with whatever job I get next, I wouldn't have the traditional teacher vacation time. So, off to Texas I went! I enjoyed myself on South Padre Island at my father Manuel and Cris' condo. Ah, I spent SOOO much time in the WARM water. After playing in the Atlantic Ocean, you realize very quickly how warm the Gulf of Mexico is. I was in HEAVEN. Just floating alone in the water. I even went to a high school football game! After visiting South Texas, I flew to Fort Worth to see my mom and my dad. I helped both of them at work. I read to my mom's kindergarten class and spoke to teens about preparing for college at my dad's teen court night. All in all, I needed and got my "Texas Patch". I give it one more year before I'm due for another dose.

So, after three offers in one week, I decided to work for Aflac Insurance (yes, the duck commercials) as an employee benefits sales agent. What got me interested? Well, I know I am blessed with the ability to speak and persuade people so I figure, why not use it? Since I know Spanish, I can help educate Spanish speakers about great policies since many of them have dangerous jobs in construction and lawn care. In fact, when I went for my interview, my interviewer set me up for a test. He had me sit and socialize with his assistant (hoping I would speak well in Spanish with her). To his surprise...and mine...I passed! Keep me in your prayers that God's favor is still very much present.

Metiche: HA! Donald and Erika were wrong! I'm not fat! The vet said I'm just "a thick cat" and "big boned".









More Summer Highlights:
**We attended the annual summer outdoor film festival. Although we watched many movies, we watched our favorite movie, The Princess Bride, with our friends we've made through church. We all had a wonderful time sharing snacks, blankets, and laughs.



**Ana also came down for a weekend. We visited with the Thomas Family and Carl, where she met Malin for the first time. Malin met Ana's long hair in which she enjoyed tugging on. While Donald did some homework, Ana and I played Nintendo games after enjoying a six-layer slice of chocolate cake...and a 1/2 gallon of milk! We also took a day trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey. We heard that the historical Steel Pier will be shut down by the end of the year so we thought we'd go and see it before then. There we saw Allen Iverson, a NBA star, playing Black Jack.


**We went bouldering at the Virginian Great Falls with some friends. A few weeks later, we took our college friend, Jonathan, to the same spot also to boulder. Although he wore sandals, he was still able to keep up!




**We've made a lot of friends with people lately. We enjoy having them over to watch movies or play video games. Who said Christians don't have fun?!






**We went on a day trip to Delaware's State Beach this summer. On our way, we found our nearest Sonic, only 1 1/2 hours away! It was great visiting the beach, only the Atlantic Ocean is soooo cold!







**Today is not only Halloween, but our one year anniversary of owning our condo. Here is a picture I took on our anniversary. Our unit is the window right above the loggia and consists of the three windows to the left of that. If you look closely, you can see Metiche looking out the open window.