dallas arboretum & pumpkin patch!

it's becoming an annual family event to go to the arboretum during the last part of october to see the beautiful gardens and pumpkin patch. this year we went sans mom & dad because they were in oklahoma on the lake, but we still took advantage of dad's TI employment to get us in for free on sunday, the 26th. we went with sarah, ray, tinkerbell and a spider. the kiddos were *adorable* but jonah didn't enjoy his hat very much. we enjoyed the chance to be out and about in the beautiful weather before staying in to watch the cowboys game and send the proctors off to the lake to meet up with my parents.

enjoy the pics!

pumpkin patch/arboretum 2008

oh, and here's a video of liv being a cutie and running in her costume (sorry for the shakiness!)

halloween party 2008

hollywood house!


matt and i get into our characters


a pic on the red carpet

every year one of the doctors at my work hosts a huge halloween party, complete with dance floor, live dj, lights, decorations, tons of food, costume contests and a bartender. the theme this year was red carpet/hollywood and there was no shortage of great costumes. matt picked out our costumes (since i couldn't decide and otherwise he really doesn't enjoy dressing up) and we went as a boxers. if you are looking for the hollywood connection: he was "rocky" and i was "million dollar baby" (i know, a stretch!). we had an awesome time, and really enjoyed the chance to hang out with friends and my coworkers. thanks, dr. westerberg, for a great party! happy halloween!!!

WARNING! due to the nature of the adult-only atmosphere, some of the following pictures are adult-only (including, but not limited to, skimpy costumes and fake, exposed body parts!) do not view if you think you might be offended! otherwise, click the pic below.

westerberg halloween party 2008

annual pumpkin carving

on saturday, per tradition, matt, sarah, ray, myself and the kiddos carved pumpkins. unfortunately, since my parents were out of town and shari and her kids couldn't make it, it was just the little group of us, but we enjoyed carving the pumpkins and decorating cut-out sugar cookies. now we're ready for halloween!

see the pics!

pumpkin carving 2008

jonah's 1st birthday

happy birthday, ray!

the one-year old, jonah!


on the 19th we celebrated jonah's 1st birthday with a party at the proctor's house. sarah did a wonderful job hosting, and we all enjoyed the food, the cupcakes, the slideshow and watching jonah open his presents. for those who are curious, jonah's actual birthday is october 21st, but his grandpa proctor's birthday is actually the 19th, so we actually got the chance to celebrate two birthdays. happy 60th birthday, ray & happy 1st birthday, jonah!

jonah's 1st birthday

uncle jared was sleepy during the party, so liv repeatedly had to "wake him up"

sunday funday

on sundays during football season, we typically spend the morning at church then come home for naps before heading to my parents' house to watch the cowboys game. sunday the 12th was no different and these are the pics from the "sunday funday" so you have an idea of what goes on!

winkler wedding

a friend of mine from work, heather delatte, got married on october 11, 2008 to cody winkler and we were invited to join in the festivities! the ceremony was at the alexander mansion in garland, texas at 1:00pm. several friends from work attended, in addition to heather and cody's families and friends. we had a great time, and matt and i both enjoyed that i had a saturday off!

congratulations, mr. & mrs. winkler, we wish you all of God's blessings in your future together!

winkler wedding

all done!

in the previous post i mentioned that matt would have to turn in a polished final draft to the university before he would be *completely* done. just wanted to update everyone that he did that today! he came home from work and told me "I'M ALL DONE!!!!" i can honestly say it was the most victorious, celebratory, relieved expression i've ever seen cross his face! congrats again, honey!

here's a mini-slideshow of matt for your viewing pleasure!

James Matthew King, Ph.D.

matt's dissertation defense

you heard right! after 10 years of very hard work and admirable dedication, james matthew king has completed his requirements and earned his doctorate in humanities (with a focus in the history of ideas). he defended his dissertation on wednesday, october 8 at 1pm on the UTD campus. he had a huge show of support from his friends and family, including his mom all the way from ohio, who were all there to cheer him on as he gave his 20 minute public presentation. the professors actually said it was the largest turn-out they had ever seen for a defense -- with standing room only! after the presentation, the "public" were asked to leave and the 5 committee members and outside reader were allowed to ask matt questions about his research, dissertation and arguments within his work. around 2:48pm matt was asked to step out for a few minutes while the committee discussed what they had heard from matt, before asking him to step back in so they could congratulate him on passing his defense!
matt passed at the highest level possible, with no revisions! this means that he only has to make sure the formatting is up to UTD's requirements and turn in a last final draft to the university and he's done forever!
later in the evening, we got everyone together again to celebrate matt's accomplishment at macaroni grill. although this would have been a great location anyway, it was especially appropriate since this is where, in crayons, i helped matt first outline his rough draft of the dissertation! yes, we actually still have that section of the "tablecloth!" everyone told matt congrats, including the wait staff and the people at the table next to us. thank you, pat, for a lovely dinner!
and, for those who are curious, even though he has completed the requirements, he will not *technically* have his Ph.D. until december 20, when he has the degree conferred upon him by the university....
but to us, he's already DR. James Matthew King!

i love you, sweetheart!

muddy lexi

this is what happens when you leave your white lab out in the rain for an hour. matt had to leave for work and i had to stay late for a meeting, so lexi was accidentally left in the rain (it wasn't raining when matt left). although the pictures don't make her look very muddy, keep in mind this was *after* i cleaned her up. she was so amped up when i finally got home that she wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a pic of her *really* dirty.

lake texoma

lake texoma 2008

matt and i had the luxury of taking a mini-vacation october 1-3 at my parent's condo on lake texoma. we enjoyed some time with the proctors before they had to head home, then spent the next day enjoying the resort, the lake and having nothing to do! we headed back around 1030am on friday morning so we could get back into the "swing" of things before matt has to defend his dissertation on the 8th. thanks mom and dad for the mini-vacay!