Gratuitous Washington DC pictures

Here are a few pictures from your capital city from two separate trips. One was on the opening day of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and the other for no special reason that found us in the front of The House of George...Erik's future home. The picture of a building across a pond is the Jefferson Memorial.

Chris, that pepto pink was really lovely...and can you believe when I was a kid, I had that color in my bedroom!!! EEWWW!!! Cool pictures! I love castle pictures...and hey, while I'm here, is anyone planning on being in Seattle this summer? And if so, when? Could Ya let me know, Please!!!

DIY!

My dad just commented (my past castle post) on painting walls, and after reading it, I realized that most of you don't know I just bought a home. I therefore decided I would post some pics of my past DIY mishaps and current projects.

After moving in (last month), the first thing we wanted to do is paint the boring white walls a color that would match our wonderful red IKEA sofa.

Past DIY mishap:

Despite watching at least a million DIY home shows before buying our house, we decided not to paint the walls a neutral color...we went with pink:


(that's me flashing the west coast sign)

We then decided that pepto-bismol walls were a bit too eccentric, and went with a more neutral duck egg:



The next DIY project is the second bedroom. So far I've taken the carpet out, and put some insulation on the floorboards. Now all I need to do is figure out how to put these laminate floors in!



Dad...Jerry...any advice??? They're the non-glue type (click on). Do I need an electric saw (e.g., jig saw or miter), or will a hand saw do the trick?

Easter Break, as we call it here in sunny England

The blog has been quiet for some time now so I thought I'd upload some photos. Sorry Jay, no nude photos of myself.

Here's two photos from a castle (Bamburgh) we visited yesterday (one hour drive).






















Better photos and info on:

http://www.bamburghcastle.com/

Spring Break, North Carolina

Hi y'all. We made it to North Carolina. Jamestown Settlement was very interesting, but someone ?!?! put old batteries in the camera, so we didn't have it when we needed it most. These pictures are from the Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hills area, where we are staying. The top picture is a full-size, flyable replica of the plane Wilbur and Orville built. The marker on the top right shows the exact spot from which the plane took off. The third is a picture of the markers of the first three flights, as each one flew a bit longer (120, 150, and 175 feet, I think). Way down in the background of that picture is another marker that you can barely see in the picture. In the 4th flight of the day (Dec 17, 1903) Orville flew 852 feet, 59 seconds; unfortunately, he landed the plane upside down so they were done for the day. The other pictures are from the beach in front of our hotel...we were hoping for a little warmer weather, but as you can probably tell, we didn't get it. 48 degrees when we arrived, up to mid-50s today, and possibly up to 70 tomorrow, but after a short visit to the beach in the morning, we will be headed back home. More later...

Spring Break in Maryland

Erik and Erin are on spring break, and we are travelling a bit in Virginia and North Carolina. These pictures are from Colonial Williamsburg. Tomorrow morning we will stop by Jamestown (401 years old!) on the way down to North Carolina, where we will be staying near Kitty Hawk. Erik and Erin are keeping journals, so I will try to publish them to the blog, spelling errors and all. Hope all are well, and more tomorrow...

Life's Little Mysteries

Hello Everyone! The picture above was Matthew's living quarters during his time at Stevens Pass. Beautiful country up there, right next to Lake Wenatchee, and some of the photos in the link below show a little Luge run he and his friends put together that runs from one of the adjacent houses down to the lake. Even with this incredible entertainment, for some reason, Matthew decided to trade that in for better living arrangements down around Malibu. He will be looking for work and hanging out with old friends down there, and who knows how long he'll be there. He wasn't sure about the Internet connection in the place where he would be staying, so he's somewhat out of touch right now, but will be back online soon, I'm sure. Here are more pictures from Steven's Pass Pictures
Anyway, everything else around here is going well, no big changes, no big news. Just sitting around waiting for Spring!

Great Job!

Hi everyone - Been a while since I posted a message, so I thought I should post something. In my defense, I'm kind of old so not much new and exciting happens for me. I did find a long-lost Bruce Springsteen CD the other day. That was a pretty big day! Great video of the budding musicians! That's the kind of stuff I love to see on this blog. And happy belated birthday to Erin. I knew it was your birthday and I had it marked on my calendar, but sometimes my calendar and I lose touch with each other.

I thought I would share this picture I found that shows how much the Seattle skyline has changed since we were young'uns. I always tell people that I remember well when the Smith Tower was the tallest building in Seattle, and newcomers find it's hard to believe. Of course I know that this might open me up to some of Chris's old-timer jokes, but that's all right. You can click on the picture to get a larger version.Here is a brief Seattle PI article about the best places to view Seattle from, in case anyone is ever in the area. I have been up in both the Columbia Center and Smith Tower. The Columbia Center offers a much better view of course, but the Smith Tower is pretty cool because they have kept inside looking much like it probably did back in the 1930s http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/visitorsguide/entry.asp?ID=12

I also have another link to share for Janelle. She is trying to get selected to be in a calendar and win a free trip. This link is not R-rated or anything, of course, but probably not for young kids either. Vote early and vote often! She is in the bottom row. http://campusgirlsusa.com/finalists.php

Valentine's Day Serenade

Here is a little music to soothe your souls on Valentine's Day...big day for Erin, it is her birthday and Valentine's Day!

WamBamALam

Predicting the future in a very Nostradamical fashion(can I say that?), my wedding will be filled with dancing dwarfs (no, not my wife's family) and Swedish supermodels as bridesmaids... or are they additional brides??? Either way, it's going to ROCK guest's tuxes and gowns off; a little like our birthday bash at the local pub this year, but much classier. That's the thing about us Jenks folk, we consistently bring class, sophistication, and a dollop of delight to any occasion.

And Christopher Joseph, I've been checking my mail up here on a daily basis and must have somehow missed my plane ticket to England. I'm sure you can print another one and send it my way again, it was probably misplaced by one of several buffoons I work beside prior to my reception. I checked just now and it seems the $1162 minimum price during summer months is a little out of my price range, being that I will soon be defaulting on my school loans at this peasants wage.

And, once he begins adding to the news updates, I want to say that I'm happy for Nick on spawning another member within the Jenks Military Corps! We need all the bodies we can get. Janelle and I have successfully laid siege to Algona and much of Pacific over the past few years, and recently make significant progress on the Supermall and adjacent businesses.

Man I am bored at work, can't you tell?

My 7th Grandchild

Not a real good picture, but this is Sydney Olivia Stinson...

born Jan 29, 2008, in the evening, 6#, 2 oz, 18.5" long...

Her parents are Nick and Kelcie...I haven't gotten to hold the lil bundle of joy, cuz Mother Nature has other thoughts...Sydney was born in Newport, WA which in good weather, is only an hour away, but in the latest weather, it would take forever!!! Nick is still in San Diego, trying to figure out if he can come home or not, and apparently, just giggling like a girl!!! I spose that's something he will have to know how to do later in life!!!

To 'my golden calf'

Yes, young Matthew, I have nothing to offer in defense. Those white gloves are very Thriller-esque. What can I say? You've got me. However, if your future wedding with that snow beaver behind your lodge is anything like your father's wedding...

Hey Christopher, did you take off one glove and sing "Thriller" at the wedding? Those white gloves are quite masculine. Just joshin' ya. By the way, I'm still waiting for you to come use some of my infinite ride for $10 coupons, closer to 5 pounds in your strange currency. You may want to leave your wife at home, I don't think she could resist the wealth of "swoleness" I was blessed with and overall charm.

And to my dear Auntie Cheryl, I have taken some pictures up here to post, it's just tough to do so up here using computers that aren't mine.

Pre-cool Days

Great pictures, guys! And congratulations to Chris and Jin! (Hope I have that name right, I can never remember if it is Chris or Kris). Steve, I don't know what all we can do with this blog as far as file size and such, so I would encourage you and everyone else to try anything and everything that you can think of just to test the system out. You're not going to hurt anything. The picture above is a great picture from Lincoln's cabin back when Chris wasn't so cool and debonair looking, and his main concerns were his coloring books and keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks from Dennis.

Another Wedding Picture

Here's another one. We have a bunch of pictures that Jane's brother-in-law took, as well as a couple of videos. Since the videos are mega-MB, I don't think I can post them. I might try later, so don't get mad, Jay!

Wedding Story 1

So 381 people showed up...and yes, those are white gloves I'm wearing. They were forced on me at the very last minute by the venue staff. Believe me, it could have been much worse. That's my black suit. The venue wanted me to wear their tux which consisted of a white vest and strange white tie with an ugly fake diamond. And, of course, my massive lats wouldn't allow any room for mobility so I would have been standing like a statue. Good times though...

Airheadedness Cont'd

Ok...since the issue of my airheadedness was brought up along with the comment about Jaylani getting into her early 20's and still having a bucket on her head, I thought I'd share this picture of Rebecca in her early 20's with a bucket on her head. This poses a whole new question. Do my kids really get airheadedness just from me, or was this something passed along from higher sources, such as the Jenks bloodline via their grandmother? Since Rebecca is not a blonde, we have to assume she gets it from somewhere. :)

Erik warms up for the next time he sees Chris

Source of future trauma?

Here is a brand new picture of Erik, less than an hour old (if you happen to be reading this as I am typing)...I'm assuming all parents dress their kids up to look like candy canes, and this isn't a picture that cause "issues" in the future.

Well, speaking of photos that might be slightly embarrassing...I thought I'd share a couple photos with the family and pose this question. Why is it that other kids are building compost bins and mine are sitting with buckets on their heads or getting stuck in the bottom of a stroller? Is it because I'm blonde?? Is it possible to pass a slight amount of airheadedness to your children? Hahaha.

I will get some pictures soon, I don't have internet in my sub-standard living conditions at Stevens Pass (more specifically Lake Wenatchee) so I haven't had the opportunity to upload any of the goods. The last couple of days we got about 8 inches of new snow down where I'm at so maybe I will create a to-scale Jenks family snowman nativity scene and snap off some pictures. And I must thank my dear Aunt Cheryl for the goodies, I had one of the chocolate puff things last night and it cured my sweet tooth right away. Until then, my address is P.O. Box 100 Skykomish, WA 98288-0100 if anyone wants to send a working hot water heater or a satellite for an internet and cable connection.

A picture from this summer at Cheryl's

Hi everyone-I've been hoping to get some new pics from Matthew and Janelle in their new living places (Bellevue and Stevens Pass) but nothing yet, so I will just occasionally add some other pictures that I've just been too lazy so far to get on the family web site. Here is one from this summer when Dad and Nancy made it back to Cheryl's Place in Idaho. The people are back row, left to right, Rebecca, Hannah and John holding their twins, Paige and Payton, Jaylani and her mom, Andi, and brother Darrius, with Nancy and Dad in the front row. Steve as far as you wondering about archiving items, I know that it is set right now to archive things after 30 days. I haven't been able to find out exactly how much space you are allowed in one blog, but no big deal, I'm sure we'll find out one day. I was just reading yesterday about how you can buy extra space real cheaply for the various Google programs, and I'll think about that if we ever have a problem. Great pictures that you posted by the way. We should all have more around Christmas time, I guess, and maybe some embarrassing shots from New Year's Eve. Happy Holidays everyone. Here is a link to a Seattle Times article that some of you other old-timers might appreciate, especially the YouTube videos. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2004071353_ventures140.html

More Pictures

Okay...don't know what all these pictures do to the Blog space limit, but I'm sure Jay will let us know if there are getting to me too many. Can they be archived?

Picture 1 - Erik and Erin at Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park (right before everyone in the van except me saw a young bear in a tree);

Picture 2 - Erik and friends at a scouting camp in West Virginia

Picture 3 - Erin helps Erik build his compost bin for a school project

Picture 4 - Dennis and Matthew share Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving (weekend)

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...we did! We traveled up to Dennis and Hewan's in New Jersey and enjoyed a great dinner and some very good weather. Temperatures were almost up to 70, until the day after Thanksgiving when we left to come back and the temperature took a nose dive.

Matthew, the younger

Here is a dated picture of Matthew; this is almost a year old, when he was 13 months old. We will be going up to New Jersey for Thanksgiving, so I will try to take some more pictures...and maybe introduce Dennis to this blog.

Good morning, all you Jenksters, as "old" matthew likes to say!!! And Matthew, how's it feel to know you are now the "old" one??? Hahahaha, welcome to the land of the elderly...

Okay, I have decided to make a calendar for all of us, just for fun, with birthdates, anniversaries, etc on it, important dates that I know you won't want to forget...like what day I'd like to receive flowers during the year, or what day I'd like candy...I know I won't need to put my birthday on this calendar, as I'm sure you all remember that, as it's such an important date...

Anyway, could I please have birthdays and anniversaries for everyone...I know I've asked before, but when you get as old as me, you tend to forget...and actually, I know some of them...but send them anyway...also, I could use some recent pictures of all the grandbabies there are now...which would be dad's great grandkids...and Kelly, I need the year Austin was born...i will be working on this this weekend, so the sooner you get it to me, the more appreciative i'd be, I might consider thinking of you all when I start making peanut brittle and christmas candy!!! How's that for a bribe???

And finally, I would like to say thank you to Jay for coming up with this blog...I've heard more family news in the last couple of weeks off of this blog, than I have all year long!!! So way to go, Jay, and I will definitely be sending you some peanut brittle!!!

More Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Chris and the other Matthew Jenks, the little one living in New Jersey and not working at a ski resort.

...a few words

First of all, I would like to congratulate Matthew for landing his first post-undergrad, full-time position, albeit shovelling snow, making coffee, and taking out the garbage. If they have you doing any real calculations, I am sure it will be for the daily take of lemonade. I'm sure they will give you a calculator with big buttons for that task.

Second, the next time you watch National Geographic, make sure you turn on the spell-checker. It's Borneo, not Bornio. Good try, though. BornEO is actually a large island with animals that look interestingly enough (now that you mentioned it), much like you. Here, I've included a photo.

Look at me, I'm EMPLOYED!!!

Hey all of you Jenksters, I figured it was about time to announce that I am entering the full-time working world. After a long 6 months, and plenty of carousing, I accepted a job up at Stevens Pass as an auditor. What, you may ask, does this really entail? Well, to the best of my knowledge, I am the guy the accountants rely on to ensure accuracy in the bookkeeping process... and plenty of free snowboarding for 7 months. How this job actually exists bewilders me and my snowboarding counterparts, but I would have been foolish not to take it.

A concern I have, however minor it may seem, is about my wee cousin Erin. Erin, if you're reading this (I assume you read at a 12th grade level by now), why was your most adorable cousin Matthew not mentioned in your video audition for the Mickey Mouse Club posted yesterday? Coco is furry and stinky and I am far cuter than Coco and especially your older brother, Chris. Maybe when you get famous you can mention my name on TV!!! Until then I will have to rely on Erik to make sure you turn out right. Thanks Erik!

As for Chris, I'm still waiting for my ticket to England. I'll need something to do once the snowboarding season ends in April and I lose my job. Surprisingly, I am watching Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel right now and see some chimps in Bornio who look mysteriously similar to you. Have you heard anything about a rare strand of DNA that would create such an anomaly? I will keep you posted on any medical releases.

If anyone wants to give skiing or snowboarding a try, or just have an old fashioned snowball fight with some hot chocolate don't hesitate to come to Stevens Pass. There are great places to stay, like Leavenworth, right next to where I will be living starting in a few hours (yes, I am typing on this instead of packing my goodies so that I can move out at 9 am tomorrow). I would love the company.

Until then, keep your hips swayin' and your booties shakin'.

A Star is Born

Jaylani and Darrius~~June 2007

Shockingly, the only way we could get him to smile was to throw him on her back. That was the first real smile he'd give the photographer.

pirates sighted out East

Trust Me! These guys are drunker then they look!!

So it's "Birthday Day" here in Jenksville West! I was born just a short 50 years ago in the Ballard Hospital here in Seattle, and Matthew was born an even shorter 23 years ago in St. Vincent's Hospital in Billings. This is the best of birthdays (Glenn Frey, Sally Field) and the worst of birthdays (Don King). We actually had our big birthday party on Saturday with a bunch of old people and a bunch of young people and we started out here with a "Happy Hour", then finished up at the local pub doing karaoke and dancing until 1:00 AM. I refrained from both activities, but Matthew represented himself very well and I hope to have pictures soon. Since today is our actual birthday, I'm starting the day out with oatmeal/birthday cake and tonight we will go to the Muckleshoot Casino for our free birthday gifts and meal vouchers. Should be a good day!

Good news?

Big news...good news?

I'm getting married this coming up Jan. I know, finally! This is us in Venice (taken this past summer).

Chris

Yea Jay next time come up with a more realistic example then Chris gettin married. Iused myt hungover wisdom and was able to sign up also

Welcome to the new Jenks Family Blog!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Jenksville Gazette! This is a blog or news page that will be running off the Jenks Family Web Site. Invitations have been sent out to family members in hopes that they will take the time to sign up for a Google e-mail account, which will allow them to log-in to this blog and leave any messages, thoughts, announcements, or pictures. For instance, say that Chris was to get married someday. This would be a very easy way for him to put that announcement out for family and friends to see, and he could even add a picture if he liked. I know this sounds like a far-fetched example, but it could happen someday. This is a very easy system to figure out. Hell, even Cheryl mastered it in only five minutes. Even if you don't sign up for a Google e-mail account so that you can contribute, please keep an eye on this blog in the future and we will try to make it somewhat interesting. Thanks.

The twins last spring...