Ahhh... Fall!

As many of you already know, this is my very favorite time of year. The colors, the smells, the weather, the food, the clothes, and the FOOTBALL! It definitely makes saying farewell to summer easy on me!

OK, let's take it from the top...

HUSKIES! Finally got that monkey off of our backs. Some of you may not know this, but Ricardo and I are going on our second season as season ticket holders. We have fabulous seats and so far this season has been far and away more fun than the 2008 season. I needn't explain why (OH, and thanks for nothin' TY!). I cannot even describe how excited we were for the Dawgs in those final seconds against USC, it is a feeling I will never forget, and it was another incredible experience that we got to share with each other. AND Ricardo was clever enough to capture the last two kicks of the game on his iPhone, as soon as I get my hands on it I will share with you all. Enjoy, you KNOW we did!

So far we have no plans to miss a single home game, add that to another Clifford family vacation in November and we are a busy family. However, Ricardo was able to secure two Row 6 seats to see Jay-Z at Key Arena on October 17th and we were THRILLED! We had an incredible time!

Speaking of busy, PHEW! Ricardo has healed up so well from his surgery, which is a very good thing because he has been running NON-STOP! He seems to be having a great deal of success and is learning so quickly. He also ended up first in his class after the week he spent in Warsaw, IN. So the pressure is on for his trip back to Warsaw this week. I have somehow survived yet another federal government fiscal year-end. at PNNL. And, of course, school started back up the last week of processing for FY09 (which I lovingly call "Hell week"). I'm taking full loads from here until I have completed my BAS degree. So I am out of the house everyday from 7 am - 7:30 pm. It can be very exhausting and overwhelming but I have the most supportive husband in the world, and couldn't do it without his support. I'm 2/3rds through this quarter and hanging on for dear life!

On a personal note, my most favorite thing about fall is the weather, especially when it gets cold and dark early. It forces us all indoors and back into the constant company of those we love the most. I cherish the early evenings on the couch with my little family, daydreaming about the vacations to come and of course plotting and planning for the day when we will be ready to start planning for our first child. And last, on that note, I want to extend a most excited CONGRATULATIONS to Randi and Tony Butorac. They welcomed their first son, Luca Leon Butorac on November 2nd at 9:27 pm. He is beautiful, weighing 8lbs 4oz, and measuring 20 inches long. We couldn't be happier for them!

The DoValles would like to wish you all a blessed and beautiful fall season!

European Vacation!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Random. Miscellaneous. Overdue. Out of order. Continued...

These are from our 4th of July BBQ.

(Ok, THIS is not our BBQ. This is Badger Mtn. Just a few 100 yards behind Ricardo's parents home!
Don't worry, the Tri-Cities firemen did an outstanding job, and not a single home was lost.)

Random. Miscellaneous. Overdue. Out of order.

Just thought I would take some time, because I FINALLY have a little time, to update this blog with some pictures from our 4th of July, Bethy's baby shower, Katie and Octavio's blessing, etc.

Also, I am so happy to announce that Ricardo has recently accepted a position with Zimmer Northwest (ZNW), an orthopedic medical device company. This has long been a career goal of his and we are thrilled at the ease of this transition so far. Not only do we believe that this is our path, but we feel so blessed for the incredible group of people that Ricardo has had the pleasure to work with through the past few years with GSK. What a supportive and encouraging network he has created, and I believe it just speaks to what a wonderful individual Ricardo is to be able to leave a company with such high praise and well wishes! We couldn't have asked for more!

Last few updates, Ricardo has injured (a mystery injury thus far) his left knee, putting a black cloud over his Sunday soccer outings. We are HOPING that he will only be out for a month, but we still don't have an official diagnosis so keep your fingers crossed for him. As for me, I am just settling in to another quarter of school. ONLINE of course, I just couldn't resist! No one wants to be stuck in a classroom all summer. Ok, on with the pictures. You will forgive me if there are a few shots of Sir Poncimus included... ;)

Here are a few from Katie and Octavio's blessing:

Introducing.... Ryder Jay Pierson!

We are so very delighted to announce that Ryder Jay Pierson was born to Bethany and Ryan Pierson at 2:40 this morning, July 1st 2009. Ryder weighs in at a WHOPPING 9 pounds 5 ounces, he is 20.5 inches long and is just as happy as can be. Bethany is doing GREAT and barely felt a thing (rest easy Randi!). They should be bringing Ryder home to his big sisters, Rees and Madison, on Friday. Ryder spent all morning cooing at whichever lucky family member was holding him at the moment, he is eating very well, and seems to be the perfect little boy. OH BOY!

Work in progress

So, the whole "update the blog on our trip" thing didn't work out. But we are working very (read: kinda) hard on getting all 1000 pictures edited down to a few key highlights and then I will update with a full synopsis of our trip. In short, we had an absolutely unforgettable vacation. Italy was so beautiful and the art there is simply moving! The highlight of Italy (of the WHOLE trip, actually) was Florence. Paris was very cool, I imagine living there would be very fun. Amsterdam was interesting and strange, the red light district especially was not what we imagined it would be. And London was a lot of fun, especially seeing The Lion King musical. Here's a quick list of what we saw:

• Vatican city (Sistine chapel, Rafael's rooms, etc, St. Peter's Tomb, St. Peter's square)
• Spanish Steps
• Colosseum, forum, ruins
• Michelangelo's David, Moses, and La Pieta
• Duomo
• Eiffel Tower
• The Louvre (Especially loved all of DaVinci's work, St. John the baptist in particular)
• Palace of Versailles (Underwhelming except for the landscaping)
• Ann Frank's house
• Red Light District
• Buckingham Palace, changing of the guard, Prince Charles home
• Westminster Abby
• The tower of London
• London Bridge

We would also like to introduce you to our newest member of the family. Mr. Poncy DoValle!

First of all...

Ricardo and I are heading off to Europe in just 3 short days! We are so excited! This will be the first trip to Europe for both of us. We will be making stops in Rome, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, and finally London. Technically, we will also be stopping for about an hour in Lake Lausanne, Switzerland which I understand is BEAUTIFUL! We have so many plans for this trip, Vatican City, the Louvre, the Tower of London, the Palace of Versailles, and on and on. I created this blog so that those of you who do NOT have facebook (Mom & Dad), will be able to see what we are up to while we are away. So enjoy our posts and keep us in your prayers!