Cannon Family Ties

The Blankie!

2010-06-15T07:28:00.001-06:00

Swimming in Midway

2010-06-15T07:24:00.001-06:00

An Ode to P90X

2010-03-19T17:40:00.008-06:00

This is a true story:

Do you want to get in the best shape of your life?....

Do you want that sleek beach body?.....

Do you want the ability to lift large shrubbery? (only true P90Xers would understand)

I was just like you once, all soft….fat….snacking on potato chips while watching my favorite soap. Then one day this guy came on tv….

Yep, that’s Tony Horton….and you know what he taught me? MUSCLE CONFUSION.

What’s that you say? I know what your thinking….that’s crazy, right? Maybe crazy for some people. Or maybe it’s just so sane that it blows your mind? Think about it. I know I did…..can’t you tell?

I've been going through old videos and found these. Everyone's so tiny and cute.

2010-03-14T20:45:00.005-06:00

Just Look At McKennah's Face

2010-03-13T08:43:00.003-07:00

Guys, I'm famous! Well, my living room is. Kinda. Click on this.

2010-02-25T09:31:00.003-07:00

Hawaii Part Two

2010-02-18T05:48:00.006-07:00

Two Cuties

and zip line performances by Danny, Lisa and Diane

Remembering Hawaii

2010-02-18T03:47:00.006-07:00

I just discovered some video's and one picture

from our Hawaii trip. So thought you

would enjoy seeing them.

Bryan on the Zip

Lisa on the Zip

Grant on the Zip

Cannon M. D.

2010-02-14T14:52:00.001-07:00

We started a new blog if anyone cares. http://cannonmd.blogspot.com/
There are only a couple posts so far. Here is a teaser picture.

Life in the Pitts

2010-02-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

I guess the time has come for a little update on life in the Pitts. We could not be happier here! Well, I guess Danny would be a little happier if the sun would come out once in awhile, but other than that, things are great!

I spent a couple weeks at the beginning of the school year going back and forth everyday subbing in five different districts. Then the first school I had subbed at, Moore Elementary, started calling me in for whole weeks at a time. The principal would walk into the class I was teaching periodically and just sit there for about 10 minutes and then walk out again without saying a word. I just figured he did that for all the teachers. Soon after though, they asked me to be a building sub and come in everyday until Christmas break. I wasn’t in a certain grade; I just floated around the building to wherever they needed me that day or that period. As the Christmas break started approaching I started feeling really sad that I would have to leave Moore Elementary and go back to subbing at a different school every day. It’s hard emotionally to never feel like you belong and to be among strangers every day. At Moore I really liked by all the teachers and feel like I’m at work with friends. A couple days before the break I went to ask the secretary if I should plan on coming back in January, and she said yes and asked me to stay through the rest of the school year!!! I was SO happy! I love my job more and more everyday. The last day of school before Christmas Danny told me, “Just think, you don’t have to go to work tomorrow.” And I said, “But I like going to work!” I don’t think I’ve ever said that before. I feel like a celebrity at my school because I get to go around and help the teachers with whatever they need and I get to do fun activities with the kids. They are such sweet kids and all come from really great families too. It is a BIG difference from teaching in Philly!

I am also enjoying falling in love with photography all over again. I’ve done a couple photo shoots already of kids and families, and a couple weeks ago I got to do a newborn shoot. It was so fun! Hopefully come summer I’ll be getting a lot more jobs. One of the teachers at my school has already told me she wants me to do pictures of all of her kids this summer, and her family this fall, so maybe that will spur into even more business from my school.

I’ve been going to some estate sales in the neighborhood every Saturday looking for unique props for my shoots, and I’ve been finding some great stuff. At one estate sale though I found an entire dark room set. All the equipment, lights, trays, etc! They had everything individually priced and it probably would have come out to a couple thousand dollars, but it was late in the day and I talked them down to $175. It has always been my dream to have a dark room just because it’s so relaxing. I love feeling secluded as I watch my pictures develop. I’ve always told Danny I would want to have one some day in the very distant future, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. The problem is, it takes up to much room, and I would never be able to use it until we’re in a bigger house and have the money for the film and chemicals. I took pictures of each item individually and posted it on craigslist. Maybe I can make some money off this buy, but if not I’ll have all the equipment I need for my future darkroom.

Danny loves the rotation he is in right now. He is doing family practice in a city about 45 minutes south of us called Washington. He loves it because it is so laid back and the hours are good, but I don’t think he would want to specialize in family practice. He enjoys being out of the classroom and getting hands on experience. He’s assisted in a vasectomy, suturing, removed skin tags, and informing 17 yr old girls who thought they were impervious to pregnancy that they are indeed pregnant. He doesn’t have call this rotation which means he is home every night with me instead of having to sleep at the hospital 1-2 nights a week. He doesn’t have to go in early and he’s usually home by 5:30 for dinner. I love it! He takes the family practice shelf exam this Friday, so hopefully he’ll do well.

Danny is also falling in love with basketball. A lot of the students from all over the stake get together every Thursday night to play. Basketball is what gets him through his week. It’s gotten to the point now where 2-3 times per day he’ll ask me if it’s Thursday yet because all he wants to do is play. Also, this Saturday they are starting the stake men’s basketball league, so he’s really looking forward to that. That is another reason why we love Pittsburgh so much more than Philadelphia. I would have the occasional girls’ night in Philly, but Danny never got to hang out with a group of guys. He loves it. I’m also loving making so many great friends here. Last night I went with a group of girls downtown to see the musical, In the Heights. I also go to a book club, sewing group, and girls night as often as we can fit them in. It is such a vast difference from Philadelphia where we didn’t feel like we had any close friends. We’re getting very sad that some of our best friends are 4^th year dental students and will be leaving us in May. L

I got a new calling at the beginning of the year. I was teaching Gospel Principles and Danny was teaching the 9 yr old class in Primary. Right before we left for Christmas they called me into Primary as Danny’s teaching partner teaching the 10-11 yr old class. Which means, Danny moved up with his class this year and we got the older class tacked on as well. He was looking forward to a new class because this one can be a little wild, but we’re working together trying to make it run smoothly, and it’s been fun. I was really sad to lose my Gospel Principles class but after a couple weeks I think I love Primary even more! In both classes I was teaching basic gospel principles and both classes are excited to learn about the Gospel, but in primary you get to play silly games.

In summary, we love each other, we love our jobs/school, we love our hobbies, we love church, we love our friends, and we love Pittsburgh! I’m trying to take my own advice and enjoy life as it happens. Not everything is perfect, but I know that we’re going to miss this.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods,

Maretta

The Funniest American Idol Audition Ever!

2010-01-14T20:44:00.001-07:00

To see a better version (image wise) click the title.

DR Pictures...I know you're excited!

2010-01-11T20:22:00.004-07:00

I finally got through all of the pictures of our trip and got them up on Picasa! I know you all have been waiting on baited breath, and here it is! :) I will warn you now, some of the colors are crazy. There were so many pictures and I went through them quickly.

Here is a link to the album of the entire trip - including detailed captions.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/DominicanRepublic?authkey=Gv1sRgCI_Jzq3htZvp9wE#

And here is the link to my blog where I posted the more photographic side of our trip and a link to the entire album.
http://cannonshotsphotography.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

New Old Person Commercial

2010-01-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Bumpits Much?

2010-01-09T09:15:00.003-07:00

We were eating out when we saw this lady who looked like she had a HUGE bumpit. We thought it was absolutely hilarious, so we took a picture. Here it is for you to all laugh about and enjoy!

Philippines Part Deux: Boracay

2010-01-02T17:44:00.013-07:00

So many, too many photos! I added another picasa album of all the photos from the last half of our trip so click on the title if you dare. But here are some videos...

To get to Boracay we took a small plane, a boat & a ride in this truck. It was so fun.

These guys took us sailing. They are our new best friends.

And I can say that cuz the cap'n (on the left) took us to his house and even gave us fresh boku juice and let us see his home & family & talk to his adorable dad.

Saaaaaailing (takes me away)...

It's weird cuz you think...How can this get any better? But then they played Air Supply while we were lying on the beach and it DID make it better.

And you know how mom loves to wear her curlers in public? She loves it even more on the beach.

Here's dad snorkeling.

Best shakes we've ever had.

This guy wanted us to buy ice cream and I thought he was kidding. But apparently he wasn't. But I guess snorkeling & ice cream really are a pretty natural fit.

Philippines: Part I

2009-12-26T17:14:00.013-07:00

We love the Philippines! If you wanna see all the photos we've taken so far click on the blog title to see them all. Here are some of the highlights up to now...

Eating a lot of these

and seeing a ton of these. This transformer Jeepney might be my favorite yet.

Dad's clinic is finished! And Lisa is very happy about that.

Everything was going great in Manila til I had to get on an airplane to Palawan with these losers wearing their passports around their necks. NERDS!

But, what can I say. Listen, it's very practical & oh so convenient.

We arrived in Palawan which is about an hour flight from Manila. Palawan is one of the most natural & undeveloped islands of the Philippines. They're trying to preserve its ecology and it's really really beautiful. When we got to our hotel we knew Grandma Afro was lurking around somewhere cuz we were greeted with GUAVA JUICE. Chilito!!!

At a crocodile farm, Dad took this as a friendly welcome rather than a macabre warning.

Too bad.

Do you like to gag? Our tour guide ate a balut egg. It's a fertilized duck egg with a nearly developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.

We went to the Underground River which was very dark and very cool. Bats everywhere! I mean it.

We have been eating the best food in the most beautiful places.

Snorkeling in Honda Bay.

My Very Own Bus

2009-11-25T06:31:00.003-07:00

Did I tell you that the buses and jeepnees here in Manila have a lot of religious pictures and phrases on them? While driving around one day I saw the Susan Mormon Bus!

Pandemonium

2009-11-21T12:57:00.005-07:00

Watching New Moon was so fun. The theater was PACKED!! And when Edward and Jacob appeared on screen, everybody screamed! (Maybe I squealed a little bit too. What!? I couldn't help it! I was caught up in the moment!!) Anyway, it was hilarious. I loved every second of it.

So happy...afterwards we all had to do this:

New Photo Blog (just what you've been waiting for)

2009-11-17T22:36:00.005-07:00

Some of you have heard me tell you that I'm starting a Photography business. (YAY) I know it doesn't seem like much, but I've been doing nothing else for the past 3 weeks except work on this, go to work and think about this, or stay up late into the night not being able to sleep because I'm obsessing over this. After much tweaking, rearranging, editing, and even learning some HTML, I am ready to unveil my new Photography blog! (YAY) It's still not perfect, but it will have to do for now, because too many other necessities have been neglected the past 3 weeks. In each blog post there is a link that will take you to the web album with all the photos. I know it's not aesthetically pleasing, but it cut my time from 750 hours of editing down to 75 hours of editing. As my business grows I will make an actual website.

I ordered my 1st DSLR camera and it should be coming tomorrow. I'm so excited! Too bad my gorgeous city just turned ridiculously ugly within the last week. Perfect timing!

Come check it out and follow along for upcoming posts!

Cannonshotsphotography.blogspot.com

Maretta Cannon
Cannon Shots Photography

Halloween Parade NYC

2009-11-01T16:24:00.009-07:00

Happy Halloweenies!!

I tried to stay in character but every time I saw Amber's mic I couldn't help but sing I'm just a sweet transvestite...

This is my friend Chris. Fun Fact: Did you know when Bob Ross goes in the rain he glistens?

Another letter

2009-08-03T18:09:00.002-06:00

I know this isn't really how you're supposed to use a blog, but I wrote another letter for my family newsletter and thought some of you may be interested. Sorry for abusing the family blog.

I guess I have been procrastinating this letter long enough. I have been meaning to write since before we moved from Philadelphia but never got around to it. I will put it off no more.
As most of you heard…I LOVE PITTSBURGH!!! Sometimes I wonder if it’s because the city really is so great or if I’m still in shock that cities are actually inhabitable after being so tainted in Philadelphia. I guess it’s also not a completely fair comparison since we lived closer to the city in Philly and we live just outside the city here. It seriously seems like night and day though. People actually take care of their homes here, there is not one trace of litter on the sidewalks, buses have their own roads and aren’t hogging mine, pedestrians don’t cross busy roads whenever they feel like it, freeways have predictable rush-hour traffic instead of 24/7 rush-hour traffic, stores actually have parking lots, and the #1 selling point of Pittsburgh…people are NICE!!! Neighbors come over to greet you or wave hello as they are passing on the street instead of yelling at you, customer service helpers actually help you instead of yelling at you, drivers are polite and honk to let you in instead of honking to be rude and yelling at you. I love it!! Of course it’s also helped that we have been having unusually nice weather. Even though we finally have central air here, we rarely use it. The hottest it has been here is 85, though it typically stays in the high 70’s during the day and gets into the 60’s at night. We open our windows and leave them open for days at a time. I can mow my lawn or go out to garden at 3 in the afternoon (in July) and not even break a sweat! The first week we lived here we ate every meal out on our deck because we couldn’t bear to eat inside with such nice weather. It rains a lot, but that’s great because we never have to water our plants. We could not be happier here. I have to pinch myself everyday to make sure it’s real. I told Danny I could see us doing residency and maybe even raising our kids here I love it so much! The only downside obviously is being so far away from family. I also have not experienced the winters yet. I may be singing another tune come January. A couple things I’ve noticed about Pittsburghers – they must love tanning salons, martial arts dojos, and car dealerships because they have one on almost every corner and all men between the ages of 17-95 yrs must hate their shirts because they never wear them. The 2 things I could do without in this city are the hills (some neighborhoods are worse than others but every neighborhood has them and too many of them are on a 45 degree angle) and the brick roads (you may think it sounds pretty but they are just bumpy and loud, especially if you live on one).
Danny is really enjoying 3rd year. He’s glad that the boards are over and he isn’t buried in a book all day. 3rd year is all clinical work, rotating through different specialties every 6-12 weeks. Right now he is doing Internal Medicine. He really likes the people he’s working with and enjoys working with patients. He has some really late hours, so I get a LOT of time to myself; very boring but I’m used to it. He also has to work an occasional Sunday so I have to go to church by myself – not fun. I’ve never done that before. I’ve always had someone to go with; family, friend, or roommate.
Speaking of church, Danny and I both got callings yesterday. He was called as the Valiant 10 teacher, and I was called as the Gospel Essentials teacher. *WHAT?* It seems a little backwards to me. I really thought they were going to call me to the nursery. I guess there are a set of twins in Danny’s class that are on the wild side so they need him to regulate. I am really nervous to teach Gospel Essentials. I love teaching kids, but I feel awkward in front of adults. Plus, I’m used to teaching young women lessons that map out every single word you are supposed to say. This is truly going to be a humbling experience but I think it will be good for me.
While Danny is at the hospital all day, I fill my time by looking for a job. I had forgotten that searching for a full-time job IS a full-time job! I have applied to over 30 different jobs and the only people I hear back from are the ones who want to pay me half of what I need to be making to support us. I applied anywhere I could think, be it teaching, day-care, nannying, subbing, secretary, or lab assistant working with rats. My best bet right now is to substitute and hopefully get my foot in the door to later get a teaching job unless a miracle happens.
Of course, you can only fill out so many applications before you go crazy. I adopted a couple other hobbies to fill the time. I’ve been spending a lot of time in our yard gardening. I’ve been trying not to spend too much money on it since A) we are just renting, and B) we don’t have any money. I’ve mostly just been pulling weeds and trimming the plants. It’s amazing what a difference it makes. I also started some bean seeds I had left over from my kindergarten class that I’m going to plant out there. I’ve also been very proud of myself for mowing the lawn. I haven’t touched a lawn mower for over 5 years but I guess it’s sort of like riding a bike. It’s amazing how much pride one can have for a yard when they’ve invested a little bit of effort into it. I never touched our yard in Philly (what little we had) I just gave it up as a lost cause.
The other hobby I’ve started I’m a little embarrassed by. Did you know I’ve never really learned how to type? You would think after all those novel-long letters I’ve written I would have learned the correct way to type! I guess I was too young when I first started typing and my fingers weren’t long enough to reach the keys so I never learned how to type without looking at the keys. I didn’t type with 2 fingers or anything, but I didn’t always type with the correct fingers and I always had to look at the keys so I could never get any faster than 43wpm. I found a typing tutor online and taught myself how to type. I’m now down to 20wpm but I don’t look at the keys!! It’s very frustrating to be so slow and it’s so tempting to just look down, but I know I’ll never learn that way. Danny is fascinated by it. He never knew I didn’t know how to type. He loves to take my typing tests right after me and blow my score out of the water. I think he’s just excited that he’s actually better at something related to computers than I am. That won’t last long though. I found a fun website that lets me copy any text I want to it and then it will turn that text into a typing test. I’ve found it a good way to go through all my backed up family letters and practice my typing at the same time. So next time you send a letter, just think, I’ll be typing those exact same words soon.
Well it’s hard to write a novel at 20wpm. I guess 2 pages will have to suffice. :)

We love you all,
Maretta and Danny

I'm gonna miss this...

2009-05-25T13:29:00.001-06:00

I drove over to Pittsburgh this weekend with my friend Amanda who grew up there. Danny couldn’t come because he’s stressing about his test that’s only a month away now. It was a long drive, but very pretty. By the end of the trip I just wanted to hide in a hole so I didn’t have to meet any new people. I don’t think I could ever do PR. I’ve learned I have a limit to how many new people I can meet in a 36-hour period. I stayed with a Bryan's friends that are in dental school out there. I had never met them before, and they didn’t even really remember Danny, so I was grateful that they invited me into their home. Not only did they kick their 6 and 3 yr old children out of their room so I could sleep there, but they did it on a weekend that her sister’s family came in town from Detroit. To top it all off, they spent a couple hours driving me around the city to show me around and to find houses while their relatives sat at their house. I am so grateful for their sacrifice to someone they had never even met. It’s amazing how the church can bind complete strangers so easily.

Before I went out I spent hours finding houses on Craigslist, comparing neighborhoods and scoping out the city on Google street view. I contacted landlords and made appointments to go see 12 houses on Saturday. The problem was that on street view I couldn’t tell that all the neighborhoods I was looking at were on hills and some of the streets were at 45 degree angles or worse. Not exactly where I want to live. So I spent all day going to appointments in areas I would never be happy living in. By the end of the day I was so discouraged. I was regretting my decision to move and just wanted to stay in Philly (Can you believe those words would ever come out of my mouth?), but it is too late, all Danny’s rotations are set in Pittsburgh now and we can’t change them. It’s not that those neighborhoods were ghetto by Philly standards; they are still a lot nicer than a lot of neighborhoods here. It was a different kind of ghetto though. I think there are about 5 black people in the whole city. It was a white trash, red neck ghetto, complete with the female mullet and men walking around without their shirts. As I felt totally defeated and started driving back to the suburb where CJ and Megan lived I noticed that the streets were looking nicer and nicer, and the houses were more spread out and better taken care of. I fell in love with the idea of Pittsburgh again. I told CJ and Megan my sob story and that’s when they drove me around their neighborhood and showed me what there is to love about the city. I found several houses that I’m interested in. Now the hard part is going to be making the decision. It’s hard because Danny wasn’t there and doesn’t understand what I saw. We can’t bounce pros and cons of houses off each other like we did when we moved here.

I spent Sunday morning doing some more driving around to find all the nice areas of the city and then I went to their sacrament meeting. I am sad to report there was not one black person in their ward. Am I a bad person to say that sacrament meeting felt 4 times longer there than it does in Philadelphia? I am really going to miss all the new converts in our ward. The people who are hearing the gospel for the first time and have so many interesting comments to add, prayers to say, and testimonies to give. I’m going to miss that my 2nd counselor is a gospel rapper. I’m going to miss that we hear the sacrament prayer multiple times each Sunday because the guys blessing it are new converts and the prayer is still new for them. I’m going to miss the man that wears a sweatband to pass the sacrament and invites people to his community college fashion show for his testimony. I’m going to miss the character and sass, and raw love for the gospel these people have. There has never been a dull moment here.

As I came back home I was surprised to realize how beautiful some parts of Philadelphia are. In comparison to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia is stunning. I’m sad it took me this long to realize it. At least I still have a month left to enjoy it to it’s fullest. Don’t get me wrong, the bad neighborhoods here are SO much worse than the bad neighborhoods there. But the nice neighborhoods here are SO much prettier than the nice neighborhoods there. I feel like there was a lot more care that went into the building of this city; so even though it’s been run down more, you can still see the beauty underneath. Pittsburgh hasn’t been run down as much, it just wasn’t that pretty to begin with. I don’t know if that made any sense, or maybe it was too repetitive, I just wanted to get my thoughts out there. I’m excited to move to Pittsburgh, but I also have a new love and appreciation for Philadelphia and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I heard a song on my Pandora player today and it put me in tears. The song “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG9XfJxMY8A.

It’s so fitting. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. I keep waiting for the next thing. I try to get through this point in my life so I can get to the next point that is going to be so much better. I forget to stop and enjoy what I have now. That’s the moral for my letter. No matter what point you’re at in your life, if you find yourself longing for something more, snap out of it! Stop, and enjoy the life that God has set before you. He created a good one, and you’re gonna to miss this.

Love,

Maretta

Mother of the Year

2009-05-10T13:12:00.001-06:00

Susan was named "Mother of the Year" by CNNBC, check it out! Congrats Susan!

http://news.cnnbcvideo.com/?nid=9pKBwz24Z6cBUHbQ9JTx7DE2MDM0MQ--&referred_by=16483838-8GdRYRx&p=moveon

Springtime in the Rockies

2009-05-02T17:36:00.004-06:00

Taste of Africa Part 2...

2009-04-26T19:21:00.003-06:00

Grandma couldn't get her video to work so she asked me:

Makes Unicorn Cake & Wins!

2009-04-26T06:52:00.009-06:00

Me & Jacob Black decorated a cake. Got a prize for our ingenuity and execution.

Tom Cruise.

A Taste of Africa

2009-04-22T09:19:00.002-06:00

We had such a great time in Africa. It was a trip of a life time. Here is a little clip from one of the safari's we went on./Users/grantcannon/Desktop/P1020283.MOV

I chopped my hair off!

2009-04-18T08:40:00.005-06:00

I Couldn't Help Myself

2009-04-11T22:19:00.009-06:00

While in Florida last month, I stumbled upon this:

A lone bunny suit? Was this a set up? Or just my dream come true?

I mean, what else was I supposed to do?

Happy Easter.

Pictures

2009-03-31T21:32:00.000-06:00

I've spent most of my time adding a couple web albums on my picasa and typing in captions. That's where the bulk of my typical letter went. I figure it's more fun to read about our lives while looking at pictures than to just read about it in a letter. If you want to really know what's been going on in our lives lately check out the album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/March09#

I also posted all the pictures I've been taking in my class. If you want to see what my class looks like and some of the things we have been doing you can quickly glace through this album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/PhillyClass09#

Enjoy!

Making it all worth it...

2009-03-31T21:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, every time I write a letter I start it out by saying how short it’s going to be. Then I have to go back and erase that statement once I finish the letter because it ended up being 5 pages long. If you’re reading this right now you’ll know I succeeded. I just wanted you to know that I do actually try to keep it brief. But then, the longer I type this “brief” disclosure, the longer my letter is getting, so really I’m just hindering myself. Onto the letter!

Teaching has been going really well. It has its ups and downs. Right after I wrote my last letter bragging about what an amazing teacher I am and how my class runs like clockwork, I got a new student who tore my ego to shreds. He is definitely one of a kind. I thought he had Asperger’s at first because he would burst out into random fits, run in circles around the room, throw things, bite things, yell at students, etc, etc. He wouldn’t listen and I was afraid my year was shot. Since then he’s really calmed down. He’s very sweet he just needs constant attention. Some days I can teach a lesson and my students listen and they participate, and they get it. Other days all they seem to want to do is hit, make fun of, laugh at, talk to, and just bother each other. I have to stop my lessons, every 2 minutes to correct their behavior. Even though it’s a rough neighborhood most of the kids are very sweet and they all have their moments. One day after school when I was walking down the street to my car I saw a dad and two boys outside their house fixing a car. I glanced at them, but didn’t recognize anyone so I kept walking. As I passed them one of the boys shouted across the street, “Hi, Ms. Cannon!” I looked over at him again, still didn’t recognize him but waved anyway. To me, that makes teaching all worth it. Even though I’ve only been teaching there 3 months, the students have noticed me in the halls and heard about me from their friends, think I’m a good teacher, and excitedly greet me on the street. It made me happy.

Our ward has also been a love/hate relationship (I hope that’s not bad to say). It’s so frustrating some times that there are so many demands of us, and so many expectations of us by the local members just because we are students. I know that may sound awful, but coming from the wards I was in before it has been a big adjustment. It’s frustrating driving around every Sunday and Wednesday and some Saturdays through these filthy neighborhoods to pick up youth who don’t seem to be getting anything out of your lessons, nor do they ever show appreciation for the hours upon hours of time you spend for them. They go right on with their habits of swearing and writing filthy notes to each other. Sundays, mostly sacrament meeting, can be very entertaining though. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never fallen asleep in church here, even though I am a Powell and have been cursed to frequently sleep through meetings. I guess the curse has no power here. There is never a dull moment in church. This last week was fast Sunday. One of our young men was sitting with us and when testimony meeting started he got up and bore one of the best testimonies I’ve ever heard. It was straight from the heart. Several people were in tears and sacrament meeting went 15 minutes over because so many people felt the spirit. It’s moments like that that make it all worth it. When just one person listens to what you’re trying to tell them and you make a difference in someone’s life.

Well, I tried. I think this effort was better than most, so I will leave the disclaimer, even though it’s not I short as I would have liked.

Thanks for being my family and making me feel like I’m worth it. I love you all!

Maretta

Sugar Cubes

2009-02-27T20:26:00.003-07:00

The latest fashion for Emma and Annika are Sugar Cubes. Thank You Aunt Nancy for buying them for Emma's b-day!! She loves them.

It's Official!!

2009-01-15T16:56:00.001-07:00

So, it's official! We're going to Pittsburgh! Are we out of our minds...we'll find out. I remember that when we moved here I swore I wasn't packing up all our things and moving again for as long as I could help it, but I can't remember exactly why. I'm sure it will hit me again as I'm finishing the school year and packing up this house all by myself while Danny finishes up Step 1 this summer. I finish school June 23rd around the same day Danny takes his test, and we'll probably move the next day or so. Hopefully we'll be able to do 4th year there too so we can settle down, and hopefully I'll get a job so we can afford it. It's weird to think that 4 days ago I still thought I was stuck in Philadelphia for eternity, and now so much has changed. It's all so sudden! Wish us luck!

The Cannons

Well....some......RIBS!!

2009-01-08T15:09:00.009-07:00

In light of recent events (refer to the full story on Amber's blog), I have decided to purchase this:

This is a wonderful invention & the creator should be praised for his/her work. They make a good point...Why risk falling, when you can safely ride? And I have just the spot for it! You thought these were just for old people. NOT TRUE!! (Although last night I DID sleep sitting up like a geri)

Anyway, it's a very bad idea to put tights on when you have my "condition". If you attempt it, you will get stuck. With your tights. Around your ankles. Also try not to communicate with hilarious friends cuz laughing feels like destruction. And load up on narcotics that Pharaoh (my doc's name was Pharaoh!) prescribed.

On a totally unrelated note, does anyone know the street value for

plus

???

Look How Adorable Mom Is...

2008-12-31T09:05:00.004-07:00

Mom says she's 17 in this photo! Isn't she cute? She made that suit for the Make It With Wool contest. I'm really upset she doesn't still have it.

The Remake of Twilight Before Christmas

2008-12-23T15:27:00.006-07:00

Here is a remake by Maddie and I:

For All Our Twilight Loving Peeps-Thanks Di

2008-12-21T11:22:00.002-07:00

http://www.take180.com/s/ep5l7

Sorry...

2008-12-20T18:02:00.002-07:00

Okay everyone, I am so sorry I have not posted anything forever!! I am working on it right now and so I will have posts shortly, on www.thecannonfamilytimes.blogspot.com.

The Cannon Family

2008-12-11T18:53:00.003-07:00

Click on the title to see the whole fam damly.

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

In Case Your Hair Isn't Big Enough

2008-12-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHPYPOo-oDQ

I'm about ready to rock a bob!

Our Dad is Famous!

2008-12-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Here is dad's news spot if you missed it.

McKennah turns 12 years old!

2008-12-04T09:51:00.003-07:00

McKennah have a happy birthday on Friday. You are so much fun to have in our family. Thanks for all your help with the computer. You have so many talents that I don't know where to begin. I especially like your "Grandma Afro" routine. Love ya, Grandma

Happy Birthday to Bryan

2008-12-01T12:31:00.004-07:00

my uncle Johnny doppelganger

2008-12-01T12:23:00.003-07:00

Danny has got me all interested in doppelganger's and I wanted to show you Uncle Johnny's double that I saw in France and see what you think.

GoLean Crunch.....more like GoFart Crunch

2008-11-29T17:09:00.002-07:00

So I tried this new cereal today...BIG mistake. This may be TMI but I ate a bowl of this cereal today, ok 2, and all was well...It is quite tasty and definitely is very crunchy but...2:00 pm came rolling around and the fun began! I have had gas from fiber before but this was something else! I thought it was the 4th of july all over again. Explosion after explosion. As dad would put it "violent peristalsis!"

So anywho, needless to say, I will not be purchasing THIS again.

Do NOT eat GoLean Crunch.....I cannot emphasize this enough.

Oh my gosh, I'm freaking out!

2008-11-19T20:03:00.002-07:00

Ok...so as some of you may know, my favorite band in the world, Coldplay (these guys so handsomely clad above me) are coming to town THIS saturday. So, I was on my way home from work and I was listening to 101.9 the end and low and behold they were holding an auction for a private piano lesson with Chris Martin himself! So I'm sitting in my car and I hear them say there's only 20 min. left in the auction and it was at $2,000.

So, I start thinking...who in their right mind would pay $2,000 for a piano lesson with Coldplay, right?....wait a sec...I would pay $2,000 to play with Coldplay! Time keeps ticking away and I'm really contemplating "should I do this?" I keep listening to the radio....no one is calling in! I pull over to a gas station and start filling my car up with gas. Five min. left in the auction, i'm still thinking. What have I got to lose, right? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Finally, one minute to go I work up the nerve to call.

So they answer and i'm like "So what's the bid at?" They're like "$2,000". So I say "Ok, I will bid $2,002." Immediately, he's like "whoa, stay on the line." I'm literally freaking out at this point. Suddenly, I hear the radio guys pick up and start talking and they're like "So we've got something interesting going on. I've got Kristen and Lisa on the line and I was in the process of calling Kristen up to congratulate her on winning the Coldplay auction, but with literally 30 seconds left Lisa calls up with a bid at $2,002." At this point I'm like "Oh my gosh I'm on the radio..." He continues, "So I am going to ask you Kristen, are you willing to go higher?" Immediately she's like "I will bid $3,000!" I'm like "DOH!" So he asks me "Ok, it's at $3,000. Lisa are you willing to go higher?" At this point I am so disappointed. Who does this? I was expecting maybe $200 more, but another $1,000?? I hesitate for a while and finally say, "you know, I am such a huge Coldplay fan, but I'm not going to be able to pay $3,000." So here I am, disappointed, listening to Kristen steal away my dream. But then, Parker (the radio guy) comes on the line and is like, "i think I can still get you in to meet Coldplay just because of your effort." I'm like OH MY GOSH! (say it like Sue from SNL)

So end of a long story....Parker took down my number and it seems like my chances of meeting Coldplay are actually pretty good. I don't necessarily get to play with them, but it would still be sooo awesome just to meet them. So now I am constantly sitting by my phone waiting for a call. So, cross your fingers for me and I will definitely keep you posted if I actually will get to meet them!

Old Colony

2008-11-11T20:26:00.007-07:00

My Doppelganger?

2008-11-07T15:49:00.007-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the theory of dopplegangers, it is the idea that for every person there is another person somewhere in the world that is an identical replica of that person only their opposite. If he/she is good than the other is bad and vice versa. Some of you may recall a seinfeld episode where Elaine meets bizarro Jerry, George and Kramer. It's similar to that. So my friend sent me a picture text of this ad and wanted to know when I started doing commercials. I was like, what the crap are you talking about. Then I saw the picture and I had to do a double take. Is that really me?

I started thinking about all of the possibilities. What if this person becomes a really famous actor? I could be his stunt double or maybe even get a segment on a "stars look-a-like episode" of the Maury Pouvich show. Maybe he becomes America's next top model and all of a sudden women mistakenly recognize me and chase me through malls and parking structures. I could dupe the paparazzi into thinking I was him and sell pictures of me on the beach with a gut and having really let myself go. I could drop out of medical school with all of the money I would make. Then I found this tidbit on wikipedia about dopplegangers... "In some traditions, a doppelgänger seen by a person's friends or relatives portends illness or danger, while seeing one's own doppelgänger is an Omen of Death!"

That can't be good. Do you think you have to see the doppelganger in person or does it work when you see their picture? Anyways, this triggered my memory back to a family outing we had about ten years ago. We went up to deer creek for labor day and while we were on the "beach" there was another kid my age in a similar swimming suit and when he turned around I thought I was looking in the mirror. I think that Sylvia may have actually pointed him out to me. (Do you remember this, Sylvia?) Well, it definitely weirded me out and I still remember it. I can't remember anything particularly bad happening to me after that though.

I searched the internet and found the ad. It's the ad at the top of the page that alternates with another ad, so you may have to wait a second for it to appear. Just click on the title of this post for a link and let me know what you guys think?

2008-11-04T18:07:00.002-07:00

So much to say, yet so little time! Since June 2007 I have spent hours on hours and wrote check after check working to get a job with the School District of Philadelphia. I was reading websites, filling out paper work and applications and resumes, taking tests, studying about the schools, neighborhoods, distances, blah, blah, blah, and up until Tuesday none of it has done me an ounce of good. Instead of getting a job with the school district when we moved here I had to spend a year nannying. The next school year I quit to start teaching but still didn't get offered a safe job, so I had to teach preschool for $13.50 an hour.

It was a really complicated process, but to save time I'll just leave it at, I finally got a job with the school district!! The name of the school is H.R. Edmunds and I'm teaching kindergarten!! Technically I should be getting paid a substantial salary at my current preschool job but didn't think they'd ever get around to paying me with the way things have been working there so I gave them an ultimatum. They didn't want to lose me, but weren't willing to cough up the money either, so I gave them my two weeks notice. I'll be really sad to leave my perfect class, but the administration was unorganized and didn't seem to care about the teachers so it isn't going to be that hard to leave. I'm excited to get a lot more paid holidays now, and if I work over the summer to be getting two paychecks.

I went into the school yesterday and had a really good talk with the assistant principal. They're going to let me spend some time in the other K classes and give me some time to get my classroom all set up when I first start next Monday. It will be a week or two until I'm actually teaching, which is nice.

In other news, life here in Philly keeps rolling along. It's weird that we're celebrating holidays for the second time in this city and in this house. It makes it feel like we're actually residents here instead of just visitors.

We were supposed to go to the timeshare for Halloween weekend but then Emma Arnquist (a friend I grew up with) called and told me she wanted to come visit. She enters the MTC on November 19^th so this was the only weekend we could work it in. She came on Thursday night and just left today. Friday I had to work so she just walked around center city all day by herself. She had great timing since that was the day of the Phillies championship parade. She enjoyed the streets of Philly with the other 2 million (literally) Phillies fans. It was a crazy day.

Saturday Emma and I had a girls day at Longwood gardens (it's like the arboretum times ten)

and then a little shopping at Plato's Closet. Today she got to enjoy my ward on a fast/testimony day (which is always a treat) and she even got up and bore her testimony. It was weird to have her here. When I'm hanging out with my friends in Dallas or Utah I feel like a kid (basically I feel my own age) and when I'm here in Philly with all the other couples I feel like a mature, responsible wife. This weekend my two worlds collided and I had to reconcile them together, which made for a unique realization.

On Halloween we had a parade at my school and then a Halloween party complete with a piñata. I dressed up as Miss Swamp from the book Miss Nelson is Missing. I got a few pictures but not any great ones.

My kids love that book and have me read it to them almost every day. I always threaten that if they misbehave I'm going to call Miss Swamp to come in so they are always good because they are so terrified of her. They were so scared of me when they came to school they would cling to their moms and wouldn't come near me until I took off my nose and teeth. Even kids in other classes were running up to their moms at the end of the day and the first thing they told them was "Miss Swamp came to school today!"

That night when I came home Danny and Emma and I went out to eat and then planned to come home and pass out candy while watching The Others. The dinner took so long though that by the time we got home it was too late for trick-or-treaters. Whoops. Now I'm stuck with a lot of cheap dollar store candy. Dang it! It was still a fun Halloween though.

There's much more I could write, but in the interest of time once again I will spare you. :) I love you all! Maretta and Danny

Halloween Greetings

2008-10-31T11:11:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone, Happy Halloween. Lisa is in Disneyland, Di in NY with Stephen visiting her and Danny and Maretta in Philly celebrating the big baseball championship today. Everyone else is in Salt Lake (I think). Dad and I are going golfing this afternoon because he has the afternoon off. We are looking forward to seeing the grandkids in their costumes tonight and maybe I can figure out how to post some pictures on this and will show you what they look like. Bye for now. Mom

Who Misses Bama???

2008-10-23T20:30:00.002-06:00

Who misses Bama??? I sure do.

I can draw...who knew?

2008-10-11T16:30:00.003-06:00

I was bored today while Danny chose to focus on his books instead of me (the nerve), so I decided to do something I've never done before...sketch. I took my headphones, blanket, drawing paper, pictures to draw, and bug spray out to our infested backyard and began. Two hours later I ended up with these. I thought they were pretty good (the originals look better than they do on here). Who knew I could draw? The first one is the boy I used to nanny, the second is the most adorable boy in my preschool class.

We're getting a temple!!!

2008-10-05T18:43:00.001-06:00

AHHHH!!! We are so excited for our temple!! We watched conference over the internet yesterday. Last conference we had a lot of problems watching it over the internet. Either we would get the wrong session or the broadcast would freeze, etc. Yesterday morning we were late getting conference started because we were talking Grant and Susan. We got it going about 10 min after it started but weren't sure if we had gotten the right session or not. We could tell that he was about to announce temples so we listened to see if we had gotten an old session or the current one. When he announce Philadelphia, Pennsylvania I started screaming and I think I hurt Danny when I grabbed his arm in excitement!

We couldn't be happier right now. I've always lived within 15 minutes of a temple and it has been so hard that almost as soon as I received my endowments we moved to a place where our temple is 3 hours away (or if we chose we could drive to the manhattan temple which is 2 1/2 hours away and pay $65 in tolls, parking, and gas). I'm embarrassed to say that we've only made the trip once. It's hard to take an entire Saturday off for the temple when your husband is ALWAYS studying.

They've already posted on our stake website the address for our new temple, and it's only 10-15 minutes away from us!! The church already owns the land. It's on the outskirts of center city. They were planning on building us a new chapel there for our ward to use, but now they are going to make it a temple/chapel like the one in Manhattan. I'm assuming since our ward was going to meet there before that our ward will still meet there when it's complete. That will bring a whole new meaning to going to church if it's attached to a temple! What a neat experience for us, hopefully. I'm hoping since we already have the land, and it's going to be a small temple that they will finish it quickly. We only have 2 1/2 more years here. I've always wished that I could work and serve in the temple during this time. I don't have kids and Danny is always busy, and this will probably be my only chance for years and years since mothers can't work at the temple while they have children living at home. My prayers have been answered and hopefully we'll be able to have lots of time to enjoy it. The Lord is so good to us!

The Taming of the Fro

2008-10-02T21:31:00.015-06:00

Politics

2008-10-02T14:56:00.002-06:00

This is a letter I wrote for Maretta's family newsletter

2008-09-28T18:18:00.003-06:00

This is my third attempt at starting this letter and after realizing that if I updated everyone about what has going on since the last time I wrote I would be here all night. Instead I will just focus on the past week. Last Sunday we had our third visitors since we have lived in Philly. Maretta’s uncle Sid and cousin Remington spent the night at our house so that Sid could visit a specialist at the U of Penn hospital about his recent loss of smell. We very much enjoyed their company and were glad to put them up for the night as they put us up for the night a couple of months ago in New Jersey. It is great to have family so close by. Maretta prepared a wonderful meal and we all sat around talking for hours afterwards about a million different topics. It was interesting to hear Sid talk about his job working for the oil companies and his reasons why gas prices are so high and that big oil companies are not as evil as people would have you believe (except Citgo). Remington was excited about his mission call to Sacramento and still adjusting to wearing garments. We hope to have more visitors soon.

Monday and Tuesday was the day of my first test of the school year. Supposedly this block is the most difficult of the year and I can see why. They gave us an enormous amount to cover in the six weeks and it’s hard to prepare for the first test because you never know what they’re going to focus on. To celebrate, Maretta and I went out to Olive Garden for dinner and feasted on the never-ending pasta.

Wednesday was back to business as usual with a new case to study. They don’t mess around in med school I’ve realized. Our tests are always on a Monday because heaven forbid they gave us a weekend of nothing to study. Anyway, as a reward for finishing the exam I decided I would regrip my golf clubs. They still had the same grips on them as when I got them for graduating high school. I went to Dick’s sporting goods and purchased some grips, tape and solvent. I watched a few demonstrations of how to do it on youtube and felt like it should be an easy task. In fact, some of you reading this may have even done it before and can attest to the simplicity of it. I removed the old grips and cleaned off the shaft. I wrapped the double-sided tape around the shaft and removed the backing from the tape. Now the tricky part is to soak the tape and the inside of the new grip with a solvent. Mineral spirits work, but the guy at Dick’s convinced me to get the store brand. I sprayed it on and attempted to slide the grip over. I got the grip on about a half an inch and tried to slide it on like the dude on youtube so effortlessly demonstrated. I couldn’t budge it though. I pushed and pushed, but the grip was too flimsy and would collapse and the tape was too sticky. Even after I cut the tip to give it a bigger caliber it still wouldn’t glide. I had to give up before I drove myself crazy from frustration. I don’t claim to be a handy man, but I knew I should have been able to put these grips on and I could tell Maretta lost a lot of respect for me.

Friday, I took my clubs back to Dick’s and the guy that helped me felt bad that he had convinced me to get the tape and solvent from their store. He remembered that someone had complained to him before about the solvent or tape and regripped my clubs for free. He let me go to the back and watch him do it. Five minutes later my clubs were ready to go and I now had a good excuse for Maretta to gain back her respect.

Earlier on Friday we had another group meeting to discuss our case about a patient with liver disease. In honor of completing our first test and maybe since we were studying the effects of alcohol on the liver, our group decided to have a little group party. I made pretzels from a recipe that a lady in Jann’s neighborhood gave to Maretta and others brought hummus, beer, and donuts. Everyone enjoyed a bottle of beer (rootbeer for me) and we finished our discussions on the liver. The pretzels were a big hit and in fact Maretta is thinking about making them every Saturday and selling them in our neighborhood for some extra cash. She needs some money to pay off her latest purchase, a keyboard. She’s been diligently practicing ever since she got it yesterday. She can already play ode to joy and Fur Elise. Speaking of Maretta, today she was told she was being “promoted” from young women’s advisor to first counselor in the young women’s presidency. She’s excited to whip our young women in to shape and increase the attendance from 2 active girls. Maretta is also enjoying her job as a preschool teacher and we just found out that one of her student’s dad is a classmate of mine. So now we’re becoming better friends so that Maretta will give his daughter an A. Ok. I have to end this letter. We love and miss you all.

Danny and Maretta

Caden is About to Knock Down Duke

2008-09-27T20:39:00.005-06:00

Here is Caden about to knock down the Duke Statue at Grandma's House. Look how long his hair is.

I Love It When Maddie And McKennah Get A Hold Of My Computer

2008-09-21T22:41:00.006-06:00

Creepy...

2008-09-04T20:02:00.003-06:00

Hey y'all! As you all know I was applying for jobs not too long ago. I got so desperate that I started responding to random postings on Craig's List to apply for a job. This was one man's response. I thought y'all might appreciate reading about the caliber of people we have here in good ol' Philly. I promise I did not tamper with his letter in any way. This was exactly how it came to me...

Me:

Good Afternoon,

I read your ad on Craig's list seeking a nanny and am interested in speaking to you further about the job. Let me know if the position is still available and if you are interested in speaking further with me.

Him:

Hello,
How are you doing and i got your response and i do like to know more about concerning the Job. i am Solomon by name and i do work for a IT company and i do travel alot and i need a nanny for my son John , i will be going to for a business trip soon and that should be around 14th September and really appreciate your reply and i can see that you are willing to be my son nanny so i will need some information from you so that i and my wife can have you interview and we can have a date for the interview and i will need your
Full Name......
Address........
City...........
State...........
Zip code.......
Phone number...
Sex............
Age.............
Experience.....
Your picture...
Because i will be sending to my company because they will be taking care of this and they are the one that will be in care of the financial part and you will be paying $500 weekly. i will love you to be my son nanny . So that we can see and you will be taking my son to your place for 2 weeks and i will get you all what you need and you will just do your best to me him happy.
Hope to read back from you.
Solomon.

Creepy...

Some pics!

2008-08-18T22:00:00.003-06:00

We've been posting all our pics we've taken this summer online and figured y'all might enjoy taking a peek at them. Here they are...(or just click on this post's title)

Philly Summer 2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/PhillySummer2008

Alabama 08
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/Alabama08

Dallas Trip Summer 08
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/DallasTripSummer08

Utah Trip Summer 08
http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/UtahTripSummer08

We need to get better at taking pictures. Some activities we had MORE than enough photos and some we completely forgot to pull out our camera all-together. Oh well, it's better than nothing, right?
--
Maretta

Oh BAMA, For Change

2008-07-26T14:10:00.005-06:00

Click on the post title for some 'bama pics.

Emma and Annika: Bargain Shoppers

Caden Doesn't Crack Under Pressure

I Got Fake-Punched In The Stomach By A Homeless Guy And It Was Kind Of Awesome

2008-07-12T07:55:00.008-06:00

Yesterday I got fake-punched in the stomach by a homeless man. I was walking down 8th Ave with my friends Mollye and Chris and wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings (texting). Out of nowhere I see a giant fist coming at my stomach. I'm thinking...

Am I getting punched in the stomach?

NO! I'm getting FAKE-punched in the stomach. And by somebody I don't even know. And, what's that?...oh jeez, I think he is homeless. But, due to my cat-like reflexes, I still double over as if I'm really getting punched. I immediately start laughing out of serious disbelief, shawkwardness (shock & awkwardness at the same time), and cuz hey, that was really funny.

I hardly even saw the guy cuz we immediately went into a bodega and were like...Did that really just happen? But a few minutes later, as we were walking down the same street, I saw him sitting by the wall with some of his buddies. So I fake-kicked him in the face.

Susan's been on a diet

2008-07-11T00:48:00.001-06:00

I think she's had enough. Here she is asking Dad for more cookies, for some reason he thinks her name is Katrina.

Ramble On

2008-07-10T20:52:00.005-06:00

To my beloved family or the 5 people (give or take a few) who actually read this blog,

Remember when we went to breakfast and the 2 girls who work at Cafe Normandie blew our minds with their inability to control the rock godesses within them? I haven't forgotten. So I give you this gift:

Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama

2008-07-03T15:56:00.002-06:00

Pay close attention to the Amateur Sketch. It's very important we know EXACTLY what the leprechaun looks like.

Countdown to Bama

2008-07-03T12:41:00.002-06:00

Are ya'll as excited as I am for Gulf Shores? My kids can't stop working on their six packs. Seriously, Tommy makes me check his out several times a day. Annika's is looking tight n' right too. I have a video that I've been trying to put up, but can't get it to work. So I've asked Diane to post it. Look for it soon. Ya'll need to be aware that there has been a Leprachaun spotting in Mobile. If any of you have a leprachaun flute or a belt that wards off spells I stronly suggest you bring it.

Just So You Know...

2008-06-27T19:20:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone!! Just so you know my family (Dave, Sylvia, Me, Caden, and Emma) has made a blog. I wasn't sure if anyone knew, so I decided to advertise it a little. I have made a link to our blog. To go to it, click on the title of this post.

I LOVE NYC....

2008-06-24T16:14:00.005-06:00

Look how young Maddie and I are in this picture. I love this picture it is so cute!!!

Breaking Dawn

2008-06-21T15:36:00.009-06:00

Just to let everyone know that this is the new book in the "Twilight Series". It comes out August 2nd. For more info about this book click on the title of this post.

Sweet Sweet Victory Dance 2 in Progress...

2008-06-21T15:25:00.004-06:00

Do not worry, I won't stop posting even though are family has a new blog. For those who haven't heard it's THECANNONFAMILYTIMES.BLOGSPOT.COM. Back to the point....

I am in progress of SWEET SWEET VICTORY DANCE #2. Keep your eyes pealed for it around next week. HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

I also plan on doing an APOLOGIZE THE AWESOME WAY (when Emma Sings it).

KEEP COMING TO THIS BLOG AND YOU MAY BE LUCKY TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO SEE ONE OF THE VIDEOS LISTED ABOVE.

Sanders Family News and Happings

2008-06-08T20:48:00.002-06:00

Well, I didn't really post those pictures. McKennah was helping me but ended up doing the whole thing. I can't believe how good she is on the computer and how really bad I am. She says I need to get a Mac. That would be much easier for me she says. Last night we went to a great play at Hale Center Thretre. It's called the "Curious Savage". I am going to try and get some tickets for it while Diane is here. You would all love it. Today we went down to Cindy and Tim Slone's farewell. They will be mission Presidents in Equador. They are going to be great. Their son Chad who just graduated from high school gets to go on his mission early so it was his farewell too. He is going to Spain. Their whole family will be going down to Equador together and be there for a couple of months. Chad will leave for Spain from there and the two oldest Jason and Jessica will come home to go to school. The two youngest girls Stephanie and Natallie will be with them in Equador. They are 13 and 10. LeeLee is moving into their house with her youngest daughter. Her son Jesse is having his farewell next week and going to Brazil. We are hoping to say goodbye to all of them at the family party the day after fathers day. We saw Jason Sanders down there and he has one more year at Utah State and is working in Sandy this summer selling food storage. Mika and Sara Pullins are moving to Michigan this week where he will be doing his residency in orthepedics. Brad Sanders is getting married August 8th and we met his finance' Emily. Now you have an update on some of your cousins etc. Looking forward to having Diane out for a few days and then meeting ya'll in Alabam! Love, Mom

2008-06-08T19:13:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of us in Hawaii for Christmas. I hope you enjoy them. I'll try and post more.

Update...

2008-06-04T17:05:00.002-06:00

Well, I guess this isn't huge news, but seeing as how no one has posted anything since the whole David Archuleta craze, I figured we could use some change.

I had my first job interview today to teach this next school year and it went Gr-r-r-r-r-EAT! It was for an inner city school. It wasn't my first choice of schools, and I don't even know if I'll except if they offer it to me. I was just nice to get an interview and will be even nicer if they offer me the job so I know I'm not completely unwanted. :)

I'll keep y'all updated with any news. Love y'all and can't wait to see you in a month and a week!

Out Of The Random

2008-05-08T18:08:00.001-06:00

Go David Archuleta!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going to his party on Friday the 9th. I hope he sings!!!!

Script for the New Play: Where Are My Pills!! Created by: McKennah Cannon

2008-05-04T19:24:00.003-06:00

Chilito-Honey!, have you taken your pills???

Grandma Afro- No!!! I need guava juice to chug it down. We don't have any in my stock!! Go get me some!!! (mumbles) I hate pills....

Chilito- I just bought you a....

Grandma Afro- ...Don't start it!!! You married me you promised me all of my unusual desires.

Chilito- Well, I guess I'll be right back...

Grandma Afro- Good, get on with it!!!

Chilito just left to go grab Grandma Afro a case of Guava Juice.

Grandma Afro- (grabs phone and dials Chilito) Hey Chilito, while your out and about grab the new BACONATOR at Carl's Junior.

Chilito- Okay, see you in a little while.

Grandma Afro- (gets pills and throws them out the window and flips on the tv) CRUNCH... CRACKLE... CRUNCH.... CRUNCH.... YUM-O THESE CHIPS ARE SCRUMPTIOS!!!

Chilito- (opens door) Honey, I'm home!!! Here's your BACONATOR and case of Guava Juice, so now take your pills.

Grandma Afro- Go look for them!! Your interupting my favortie soap opera!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chilito looks for them for more than an hour and still can't find them

Chilito- I can't seem to find them, do you know where they are?

Grandma Afro- Nope.

Chilito- Well, we better go to bed it's getting kinda late.

Grandma Afro- Okay.

Chilito walks Grandma Afro to bed. They are now laying in bed.

Chilito- We'll look for your pills in the morning.

Grandma Afro- ZZZZZ.....

Person Unknown- CRUNCH! CRUNCH! MUNCH!

Chilito- What's that!!

Chilito walks to living area where he see's the man an apartment below him munching on their chips.

Chilito- What are you doing here!!!

Man- Oh, I was just came here to return these (hands Chilito the bottle of pills). Grandma Afro threw them out the window and so I went to see if it my be something good, like last month when she through the $1000 check out the window. But I don't need these.

Chilito- (starts walking back to bed) Thanks!!! (pauses) Hey get out of my house!!!!)

Man- (starts running out)

Grandma Afro- (still sleeping) YOU MEAN MY HOUSE CHILITO!!

THE END

It was not at gunpoint!

2008-05-02T15:31:00.002-06:00

If any of y'all are interested, we have a ton of pictures from the Special Olympics. One of my girls got a hold of my camera and filled up our entire memory card. I deleted lots of pictures and we still have several. Check em out if you wanna. http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/SpecialOlympics

Another letter at gunpoint

2008-05-02T14:17:00.001-06:00

Since Maretta is watching her new favorite show Step it up and Dance with Jesse Spano, I guess that gives me a little time to write a letter. Sorry I don’t have any major injuries to write about.

First of all my shoulder is feeling completely better. It took about 6 weeks, but now the only thing is my left AC joint sticks up more than my right. I had to wear the sling for the first two weeks which was really annoying. It also added a level of difficulty to the physical exam practical we had to do. One part of the exam requires me to place a finger on the patients back and tap it with my other hand to listen for fluid or a tumor in the lungs. I tried to lift my arm up, but couldn’t do it and just described what I would normally do. I’m sure the evaluator looking through the two-way mirror got a good laugh.

Things have slowed down a little bit for me school wise and I’ve had more free time. With that free time I’ve decided to work off the freshman fifteen that I’ve gained since school began. My friend Preston and I have started to go to the gym every morning. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Right now instead of classes I have been working with a local physician. He has a family practice that I go to on Monday and Wednesday nights. My first night there he sat me down and asked me what year I was and then said, “Ok, I’m gonna throw you into the frying pan then. Go get a history on the patient in room 1.” It’s been great so far. He’s really laid back and is teaching me a lot. Last night he gave me a prescription pad and wants me to start writing scripts for the patients. He’ll check them after I present the patient to him and either sign them or tell me what he would have done. So now I have this list of 35 drugs that I need to memorize what they do and when to prescribe them. This is so much better than going to group or lecture. On Tuesday and Thursday I have been interpreting Spanish for the ambulatory clinic at a local children’s hospital. It’s been a lot of fun, but most of the doctors and residents speak a little bit of Spanish to get by and I’m not as busy there as I would like to be.

Last Saturday we took the young men and women to help out with the Special Olympics. We were in charge of the standing long jump event. There were a lot of competitors and it was a challenge to keep all the groups together, but it all worked out and the kids all had a great time helping out. Meanwhile one of the boys (Amir) from young mens was actually competing at another Special Olympics venue somewhere in the city. He was proudly sporting all the medals he won at church the next day. He always keeps me entertained during priesthood meetings when he yells out “KFC” or “Chicken” or “Burger King” at the top of his lungs whenever anybody mentions something related to food. Basheer and Baseer (or if you’re like their grandma and can’t pronounce those names you can call them by the names she made up for them, Tamir and Tamik) are twins that are in deacons. I pick them and their older brother Daryl up for mutual every Wednesday night from their grandpa’s house in West Philly. We recently had a basketball tournament with the stake and lost all of our games. They had a blast though and everybody scored, so I called it a success. I’ve enjoyed working with the youth so far and I hope they keep me in there for a while. I know I’ve already gone to more mutual activities here than I ever did growing up.

On the 17^th Maretta and I are participating in the Great Urban Race that Eddie (Maretta’s brother) told us about. It’s basically a huge scavenger hunt around the entire city. I don’t think we’re going to do so well, but it should be fun either way. At least it will give us a chance to get out and see the city some more. Well that should do it for now. We miss you all.

Love Danny

Guys, remember when we went to Hawaii?

2008-04-30T21:15:00.005-06:00

And we could NOT stop reading and talking about this book?

Oh, sorry, I mean THIS book

"Why did he have to look like a runway model when I couldn't?"

Gosh dang that was fun.

And do you know who's going to play Edward in the movie version?
Oh, you don't?
Let me show you. . .

. . . so this is from my scrap book:

This is when I Edward and I went to prom. Emmett's in the background wearing part of the grizzly bear he ate and Alice and Rosalie and there too. What? You don't believe me? Well, if I had a scanner and my 1995 prom photo you'd see i DID wear a Chinese dress.

And seriously, you know the English dude who played Cedric Diggory is going to be Edward, right?

Well I think we should ALL as a family go see the movie on 12/12/08 when it comes out.

Our Little Ad Executive

2008-04-24T10:41:00.003-06:00

Maddie's school district participated in a slogan contest sponsered by the National Energy Foundation. She came up with "Energy savers come in many flavors and every sprinkle counts." Her class voted to submit her slogan as their entry. Fast forward a few weeks. Out of 8,000 entries, Maddie's was selected! The Foundation is using it and put it on a poster with some neat graphics (I will try to post that later). Best of all, her school gets a $1000 grant! This photo with a little blurb about it was in the Deseret News yesterday (Maddie is in the photo, standing closest to her teacher.)

My Happy Birthday + New Blog Look w/ Reference To Awesome 80's TV Show

2008-04-20T17:53:00.006-06:00

I am now 31! I had such a fun birthday and it was the best weather yet of the entire year.
April, Amber, Beky & I went to Tea & Sympathy for tea/lunch.

I met a bunch of my friends later that night in Central Park where we ate pizza, had cupcakes...

...and scared babies.

Sweet Sweet Victory Dance

2008-04-16T21:00:00.004-06:00

Here is a really funny video of Emma singing and dancing the Sweet Sweet Victrory song on Spongebob. Watch the facial expressions.

Or

2008-04-12T10:53:00.000-06:00

just go to www.youtube.com and type in dang fetch.

Try this

2008-04-12T10:45:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t1xxkHcv1Q

What the holy crud???!!!!

2008-04-11T13:41:00.003-06:00

I just found out that Annika did not get into the preschool which I had her on the waiting list on for 3 YEARS!!! This song sums up my feelings and hopefully makes those of you living outside of Zion, a bit more at home. Hope this link works.

Come visit us at our new house

2008-04-10T10:59:00.002-06:00

Where the floors are clean enough to eat off, the counters, not so much.

Susan Cannon In The NYC, Ya'll

2008-04-06T20:11:00.008-06:00

Moms been in town with Jane, Penelope, and Jackie. It has been so much fun and I've gotten to eat out sooo much! I'll let mom get into the details of what she did, but for now i'll just post some of my favorite moments...
Tavern On The Green

delicious pizza with some of my lady friends

One night Amber's LEADER graciously allowed her to leave the commune and join us for dinner at Celeste, her favorite restaurant.

As soon as Mom's friends left town I brought her to my house and was like, "GET TO WORK, MOM!"
Oh I'm kidding. Kind of. Mom offered to hem my pants. Isn't that so nice of her? I just love having Mom here and never ever want her to leave. Ever!!!

The Letter

2008-04-02T20:43:00.002-06:00

It's long, but here's the letter I wrote to my family if y'all are interested.

Cannon comings and goings:

I think this may be the 1^st letter I’ve written when I haven’t had 4+ emails from Mom begging for one or threatening to send out the Pieces of 8 without my contribution. I feel pretty proud of myself right now. Maybe if I am successful in keeping this letter short I will do it more often.

The most interesting events in our lives recently have been Easter, a trip to the zoo and our ANNIVERSARY!!

I’ve had to put extra thought into every holiday that has come upon us in the past year. Before, my parents planned holidays and I just went along with whatever, but every holiday this past year has been a first for Danny and I as a married couple and traditions are being formed. I wasn’t sure how to start our Easter traditions as a newly married couple with no kids, so I asked Danny what he wanted to do and he said, “Well, you will be hiding me a basket, of course!”

We decided to spend Easter day in memory and gratitude for our savior and then do the candy thing on Monday (when everything is half off J ). I spent the entire day Saturday buying food and the entire day on Easter cooking up a feast (plus church of course). I’ve never cooked so much in my life. If we had planned ahead we could have fed eight people with all the food I made, but it was too late to invite anyone by the time I figured out how much food I was making. We started out with orange rolls in the morning, chicken salad croissants for lunch (Danny told me he would eat it, so I made a lot. He only ate one croissant and I was left eating chicken salad all week. I got so sick I almost hurled, so I had to throw the last half of it away. I was not happy.) For dinner I made leg of lamb, cream cheese jell-o, homemade rolls, and creamed potatoes. I also tried to make little nest rice crispy treats with robin eggs in the middle but somehow I messed them up and it didn’t set. Regardless, I think it was the most delicious meal I’ve ever made. It made me feel like I was at home feasting on my mom’s home-cookin. I don’t know how she whipped out dinners like that every Sunday for us. Some day I hope to make it look easy too. Monday I stopped at Target and bought WAY too much candy for just the two of us, eggs, baskets, etc. I came home and Danny and I stuffed the eggs and made the baskets. I went outside while he hid my basket in the house, then vice versa. Danny definitely found his basket long before I found where he hid mine. He always wins at everything… We only ate a few pieces of candy but we felt so sick that we never got around to dinner. I figured candy for dinner is acceptable once a year at Easter time, right? Danny’s been so busy studying this week that we still haven’t dyed eggs yet. What do you think the chances are that we’ll ever get around to it? Danny is also letting me keep the tradition of getting a new dress every Easter which I am definitely taking advantage of.

The family I work for owns a zoo membership that I talked them into letting us borrow a couple weeks ago. It’s been one of the highlights for us this year because Danny studies so much that we rarely have the chance to get out together. It was one of the first warmish days of the year so it felt great to get out. We took our time and enjoyed walking around together. I’ve been to the zoo a number of times with the kids, but it was nice to go with someone who doesn’t lose it after an hour of walking around and will spend more than 5 seconds looking at an animal.

Now for the biggest event, our ANNIVERSARY!! I still can’t believe that we’ve been married for over a year now. Time has flown so fast. It seems like such a big point in one’s life. It has truly been one spectacular year. I see a lot of people we know that have gotten married and not make it even this far. I, on the other hand, have never been so happy in my life. Living in Philly is definitely a challenge, but Danny makes it all worth it and it doesn’t seem so hard. Being married to Danny is the easiest thing I’ve ever done. People have warned us that there will be bumps in the road, and I know they’re right, but we have been so blessed not to come upon one yet. (Knock on wood) We decided to spend our anniversary at a bed and breakfast in Lancaster County (Amish country). We drove out Friday night, met the owners and got settled, then went to grab a bite to eat. Saturday they served us a HUGE breakfast that filled us all the way to dinner. We spent the day in Intercourse, PA (Great city to spend your anniversary in, huh?) perusing all the little country and Amish shops. We appeased our bellies with cheeses, crackers and jellies, chips and salsa, fresh fudge, real kettle corn, and Amish made root beer (no carbonation). When our feet couldn’t walk anymore we spent the rest of the day exploring the county by car. Even though we were only an hour away from Philly it felt like we were in a completely different world. There was such a peaceful atmosphere, partly from being in the country and partly from all the Amish. It was interesting to see all these people who live like they’re in the 1800s intermixed with people living in the modern age. They walk or drive buggies wherever they go; use horses to pull their plows and farming equipment, and don’t use any electricity, and somehow co-exist perfectly with everyone else around them. It was an amazing place to experience. We ate dinner that night with an Amish couple and their 3 young kids. It was a very unique experience. We were surprised to see that they lived in a very modern house. The difference was there were no lights on the ceiling and no outlets in the walls. They were a very down to earth family, just a little hard to talk to though because English is their second language (they are first taught Pennsylvania Dutch). It was a very relaxing trip, and AMAZING to have Danny all to myself and not have to share him with his textbooks.

Two more random tidbits:

Last Sunday two young women were baptized into our ward. One of them has only been coming for a couple weeks so I don’t know her very well. The other one has been coming for months with her cousin. Her mom, aunt, and uncle were baptized several months ago so she is going to be one of our first yw with family support. It was incredible to see her all dressed in white and to think of the transformation that has happened since she first came to our ward. You could tell the spirit was with her. She looked so beautiful. It was a very special moment for me because I truly felt a connection to the young women and a strong prompting that what I’m doing is very important. I feel an urgency to help these young women nurture their testimonies in anyway I can and to let them know how profoundly loved they are by their Heavenly Father.

My boss has been asking me when I’ll have to leave so they can start thinking about getting someone once I’m gone. Yesterday she asked me if there was a bulletin board at my church to post jobs and other things. I didn’t understand where she was going with it, but I told her the only bulletin board we had was used to post pictures of previous activities. She seemed frustrated and told me they were trying to get someone just like me once I was gone. They love the way I am with their children and said they want someone with my same values. I told them when the time gets closer I can start asking around. It made me feel so good to think that I had set such a good example, even in my worst moments, that they would only want a Mormon to replace me.

Sorry, I didn’t accomplish my goal of a short letter. I really did try, but I feel like this is my journal so I need the detail.

We love to read all your letters. You guys are such great examples to us.

Carry on, carry on,

Maretta and Danny

Check it out, check it out!

2008-03-31T20:52:00.001-06:00

Here is just a teaser of what's going on with us. A letter should be following in the next day or two.

Philly Zoo:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/PhillyZoo

Lancaster Anniversary:
Danny and I celebrated our 1 year last weekend. We went to a bed and breakfast in Lancaster county which is where all the Amish people live.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Marettap/LancasterAnniversary

Enjoy!

Mother's Ramblings

2008-03-31T08:59:00.002-06:00

This was a big weekend. We got Nancy and Matt moved into their new house. It is going to be a very nice home for them. Yesterday we celebrated Danny and Maretta's first anniversary and thought about their fun wedding one year ago. We had much better weather last year. You picked the right year to get married. Dad mowed our lawn on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday it was snowy rain. Today Monday we woke up to three inches of snow. Last night Dad and I went to the stake center for a special meeting to re-align the wards in our stakes. Our ward really took a hit. I can't believe all the streets they took out. We barley managed to stay in the ward. It will really be a different ward and one that you will hardly know. They came up Flimingo and took both sides of the street and everything north over to Milo. So both sides of Milo and Flimingo are in the 18th ward. Then they put back the part of Aix La Chapelle that has been in our ward to the 4th ward. (you really didn't know any of those people). Then they came along Wander Lane and took the east side taking Florabundia and Sleepy Hollow. We are the only circle left in the ward. They gave us back all the people they took from us up on Wallace and up to the freeway. So the Paulsens and the Thackerays are back in our ward. I guess the problem was that the 25th and 18th wards were struggling with small primaries and YM YW. We really don't have that large of a primary or YM YW either. It seems like our ward always gets punished for doing well. Anyway it won't be hard on us but I know there were some tears over there last night. I know the Stake Presidency thought about this long and hard and so we need to give them our support. Thought you all would be interested in knowing what happened to the old 28th ward. This Wednesday I leave for NY with Jane, Jacque, and Penelope. It will be fun to see Diane. I am staying and extra night (Sunday) with Di and then I head down to Savannah where I will meet Aunt Elaine. We will drive over to Hilton Head and Stu and Grant will drive down and meet us there. The will be coming from Agusta, Ga. and the Mastes Tournament. It will be an exciting trip. Maybe Diane and I will post some pictures from New York. Love, Mom

Silence of the Lamb-cake

2008-03-30T16:55:00.006-06:00

i nearly wept with joy when i saw the little lamb cake beky made for easter. isn't it the most precious thing you've ever seen?

and amber created a delicious limeade slushy beverage that she couldn't get enough of. i only got like a teaspoon. and abby had a ton of it too. thanks a lot, guys.

and mollye got sad when we had to eat little lamby. but he was delicious.

Okay, let's talk about MY Easter now.

2008-03-28T22:51:00.007-06:00

Let me just start out by saying how much i LOVE my church lady-friends. Just look at Mollye & Abby. The only reason Abby goes to Relief Society is for the candy bucket. And she has no qualms about taking >5 pieces of candy which is at least 3 more than the suggested 2.

This is Mim, Mollye, and Olivia. Look how excited they are celebrating Easter in Relief Society.

Here's me and Abby. You might recognize Abby from her role as *bank teller* in the hit film Crocodile 2: Death Swamp. Her performance is stellar. It's really sad it went straight to DVD. Also, I'm obsessed with Abby's apartment in the West Village. I might even devote an entire post to how much I love it and imagine myself moving in there with her. Oh and also, I am obsessed with Abby.

More later. Me tired. Although I'm also scared to go to sleep. Last night I'm pretty sure a bug landed on my head while I was sleeping (I can't admit yet that it could possibly be a roach). I woke up in a total panic and did a crazy head shaking dance and then had to sleep with the light on. Oh man, I hate bugs. Bugs and B.O.

The Paulsen's Easter

2008-03-26T14:56:00.002-06:00

We were in St. George over Easter break and enjoyed some baseball and lovely weather, it was in the low 70's the whole time. On Easter we went to church and after, had an Easter dinner and egg hunt with some friends in our ward.

Celebrity Sighting

2008-03-24T18:31:00.003-06:00

Attention. I just gave Pauly Shore directions. Uh huh...this guy

I was walking home from work & he asked me for directions to the Soho Grand Hotel. Then he invited me to go to some party with him. Okay, not true. Probably for the best anyway, his breath was STINK.

Special Moments

2008-03-24T11:49:00.001-06:00

We're Famous

2008-03-24T11:45:00.002-06:00

THE Concert

2008-03-24T11:37:00.002-06:00

Easter

2008-03-23T20:37:00.002-06:00

McKennah posted some pictures of our Easter Egg Roll. Emma was the best. She sent two eggs down that didn't crack. We had an Easter Egg hunt in the back yard after dinner. Lisa was in charge of hiding the eggs and filling them. It was kind of quiet this year because the Paulsens were in St. George. Hope you had a good Easter Danny and Maretta and Diane. We actually had nice weather here. Love, Mom

Easter Pictures

2008-03-23T19:59:00.003-06:00

My Argument for Adoption

2008-03-21T22:18:00.002-06:00

Dear Cannon Fam, esp. Sister Cannon,

Will you adopt me? I mean, I've known you for almost 1/2 my life? (If I were 26 and not 30).
These are the reasons I want to be part of the Fam:
1. Sister Cannon offering me pancakes and toast and cookies. . . even when I'm not hungry (cause she knows I'll still eat it). Plus she always tells me not to call her "Sister Cannon."
2. Nancy emailing celebrity comics asking them to date Di
3. McKenna re-enacting Twilight
4. Anika's hair
5. Knowing Maddie since she was BORN (Maddie that makes us practically related!)
6. Tommy visiting me Junior Year of college being all adorable (and 1 year old)
7. I got a shout out at Danny's wedding
8. And stories about poor sweet Lisa being harassed in Guatemala.
9. Plus, if I'm related I get to drive one of Brother Cannon's sweet cars, right? right?

Love,

Amber

The things I'll do for (nearly) free carpet

2008-03-21T10:37:00.002-06:00

My friend Allison lives in a obscenely large home. Unfortunately their basement flooded, ruining most of their nice only 3 year old carpet. I said most. There were three pretty large areas that were fine, but she couldn't use them because even if she ordered the exact same carpet, it wouldn't be an exact match because of variations in dye lots. She is graciously giving the carpet to me since in our new house, Annika's room and Maddie's room could really use less hideous carpet and that would bring the grand total of different types of carpet in the house down from 4 to 3. The catch, I had to get the carpet out of her basement and into my new house. It would have not been so bad if there were not a large screen tv to move, and an entire room dedicated to Christmas decorations, and various breakable items mostly resting on very heavy storage shelves. Enter the Tongans, oh and me. Yes, I worked side by side with these two huge guys, lifting and moving heavy items, hauling carpet and pad up stairs (ok, I only hauled pad) for two hours! They spoke English perfectly, but would often talk to each other in "their language". I can only imagine that they were saying this like, "does she think she's helping?"and "How much do you think she weighs, as much as my leg?" "Is she a direct descendent of Mr. Burns?" Anyway, the carpet is currently being pieced together in each of the girls rooms. It's not exactly the carpet I would pick out, but definately better than what was there. Peace out.