Baby Ultrasound

All,

We have confirmation... it's a baby! Last week we got to see the little baby moving all around in Julie's tummy, it was really cool! We didn't have an ultrasound scheduled, but when we went in for our 11 week checkup the doctor said "every parent should be able to see their child" so he whipped around the machine to give it a look.

He commented on Julie's "pooch" and thought she looked more than 11 weeks. Luckily he did it with such tact that Julie blushed and laughed, and I didn't have to show off my brute strength and defend my wife. Once he took a look at the baby he knew it was bigger than 11 weeks, and it turns out that we were 13 weeks (now 14) along, so he changed the due date to May 30th! That means the 1st trimester is already over! He actually looked around for about 5 minutes to see if there were twins! He couldn't find another one on the last go around, but I think he'll have to take another look before I rule it out :)

Anyhow, I'm posting a picture of the ultrasound here:

Can't wait for the new life that has begun to join us in this wonderful and mysterious life!

Love,

Joe and Julie Roach

We are having a baby!

All,

(I emailed this out earlier to those on John's email list, so if you are on this distribution, but not John's email distribution, you need to talk to him)

Family,

We are pleased to announce that Julie is pregnant! We waited until the 8 week doctor visit, and once we heard the heartbeat we couldn't hold it in any longer! The expected date is June 9th so we have a lot of time to prepare and pay close attention to all of the other babies in our lives (Finn eats HOW much?)! I thought I could hear synchronized heartbeats when we were at the doctor, but Julie assures me it's just one little guy in there.

Of course it would be wonderful to tell you each in person but as technology goes, the word will be out instantly so at least now no one can say who was the first or last to be informed! Now that you know, we would love to hear your stories and ask you questions and advice next time we see you. Please say many prayers that our baby will be as healthy and happy as the cousins it will soon meet!

Love,
Joe (Dad) and Julie (Mom)

P.S. - Julie is going to be a great mom and I am one excited daddio! :)

We're Engaged!

Heelo Familia mia,

just a little post to let you all in on our Big Newes. Yes, Roger Hales (Pasco Native) and I are Engaged! Hooray! Please say lots of prayers as we start out our Super spectacular adventure! We're both very excited. We both feel like God has brought us together. (Actually, back together-- Roger and I first met on the 66 bus route we took to and from grade school and middle school.) I (re)met him at church in Richland where I was manning booth for my summer work project (I taught art to children in a spirit-led ministry). We are planning a wedding at the Park in Pasco (Chiawana) where we both have secret places= maybe in the spring? We hope all the family can come. Roger is an engineer at PNNL in Richland, I started a new job at the college at the end of the summer. I am taking classes working towards a masters degree in Art Therapy. Our first date was RunNIng up Badger Mountain and back down. "Awesome," we both thought! A few weeks (4) later, Roger proposed on a trip to Ringold to look at stars. Please pray for us! We are both eager for the Holy Spirit to lead us every step of the way. I love you!
Anna, and Roger says hi too!

Chips

Dear all,

During this present period of worldwide financial crisis, the American presidency being up for grabs and everybody just being out trying to make a living, I figured I would take the time to inform the masses about a subject that I find myself spending way too much time thinking about on a weekly or sometimes even more frequent basis. I know that this isn't really important to many who may be reading this, and as a matter of fact, the actual item discussed isn't even that important to me, in and of itself, but it is a good example of the small cultural differences aren't just noticed in the color of people's hair or eyes, their driving habits or even in their language.

Sometimes the differences can be most drastic by just strolling down the potato chip isle of your local Chinese grocery store. Though this might not be quite as easy for most of you as it is for some, there is quite the glaring cultural difference located just in this aisle, I don't have time to mention the meat department where the chickens are still alive and and cows still have their heads on, or the bread aisle which is virtually non-existant due to the fact that mostly everyone eats rice, not wheat, or even the seafood section that is full of sea cucumbers, live fish of every shape and size and more gross-looking seafood than I could refuse to eat in a lifetime. Anyway, I digress...

As I was saying, since coming to China on the 6th of October, I have been eating a lot more potato chips. I'm not sure why, maybe because they are one of the few foods that I can read the labels of here in Hangzhou. And they remind me of the abstract idea of potato chips that the Chinese have taken and skewed to match their own idea of "Potato chips with Chinese aspects" directly in line with their idea of "Communism with Chinese aspects."

So, I'm eating more chips than I ever would in the United States, and these aren't your "healthy" corn potato chips, I'm talking about Lay's and the like... the ones that I avoid like the plague in the states for fear of chemicals that I can't pronounce the names of and deep fryers that try their best to take the "potato" out of the chip. These are the only ones offered here within China's borders and I have at least a few bags a week.

You might think that this is bad, and it is, but I haven't run out of new flavors yet. You might think that there are only a few different flavors judging by "American Standard" store aisles. However, you would be mistaken, the flavors offered here aren't those preferred by us fat Americans, the Chinese have a totally different view of what flavor tastes good and what doesn't.

"Normal" flavor is always the standby flavor for those without any imagination, but once you diverge from that flavor they go from tomato to Barbecue to the outright unbelievable. Pringles have a presence here and their best selling flavor is Breezy Blueberry. We quickly move on to Cantonese Roast Duck Lays (which aren't too bad), Inca Ethnical Flavor (not a spelling error, at least on my part), and Seaweed Chips.

None of these are to be outdone, however, by my new personal favorite, Salmon Sushi Flavor...


While I am usually a pretty conservative flavor player, I disregarded my usual apprehension while buying this bag of chips that I saw in a store in Guangzhou. Once I opened it I realized that it had two bags inside and it was at that point that I saw that there were directions on the back, luckily they were also pictorally narrated.



Step 1, you opened the big bag, and out came a smaller bag with the chips in it and the other bag with the powder.
Step 2, pour the chips and whatever amount of powder you wished (in my case all of it) into the big bag.
Step 3, Shake it, shake shake it, shake it, shake shake it.
Step 4, enjoy.

And boy did I. These were the greatest chips I had ever tasted. After blocking the thought of what type of chemicals had made this delicious, genuine-tasting raw salmon on a rice bed with wasabi for added taste I managed to eat the whole bag, and then buy another one and eat that one too...

So, next time you cruise the chip aisle of whatever store that you happen to be in, wherever that might be, if you see Salmon Sushi with wasabi powder flavored chips, do yourself a favor and buy two. (And appreciate the cultural differences that brought you those two bags of heaven.)

A public service announcement brought to you by none other than Ai Meng.

Pat Here

Heyya Fam,
I don't blog enough. And so I'm blogging now. Just wanted to say hi and much love to all of you. Have a great week.
Willy Pat

Northern Cali

Hi family,
We wanted to let you know that we are finally settled in our new city of Menlo Park. We are located between Palo Alto and Atherton. We are about 15 minutes from the Baumels in Los Altos. Brian started his new job for Coast Capital yesterday and I have a few interviews today for positions at Stanford Children's Hospital (1.9 miles from our apt). We hope that you will give us a call if you are ever in the area. We would love to have you over and have a guest bedroom for a comfortable nights sleep. :0) We miss you all and hope so see most of you in the next few weeks as we make our rounds to Portland, Pasco, and then Seattle for the baptism. (Brian will not be joining me in Ptown, unfortunately someone has to work in our family. But he will be in Portland and Seattle.)
Love you all.
Ner

Eamonn?

Is Eamonn in China or something?

Happy BDay to Joe tomorrow (the 16th!!) and Happy Bday to Shannon on the 17th!

We are dying to see what we missed at the ChamJohn Triathlon last week.

Please Blog It!!!!!!

Happy 87th Bday to Mom and 19th to Nick today!!!!

The Thornhills hope you both celebrate well this week! We started Mom off well on Saturday with a celebration at Jerry & Maria's house.

Making the big move

Hello my wonderful family!

I am almost out the door taking my last load of ish down to Portland. Yep, the rumor is true, I am indeed moving there...today! I decided in July that moving to Portland is probably the [most reasonable] next step in Miguel and my relationship. He reminded me a couple months ago that we haven't lived in the same city in almost THREE years. geesh, I had never really put it together like that before. (time flies when you're having fun in San Diego, and then at home with the 'rents, and then at the Sammamish summer vacation spot!) Dispite the fact that it is not exactly the circumstances in which I imagined moving there, I am very excited! I am living right on NW 23rd with my best college friend and roommate for 3 years, Sara. It should be awesome. If any of you need a place to crash in Portland for a night or two, this is seriously the place to stay! I will be working with my same company I work for now ( per diem at various hospitals around the city), it just will be through the portland office. Hopefully I will pick up a travel assignment soon and make as much as Colleen does! haha. :) I am excited also to be closer to my favorite sister and to 5 of my 7 closest college friends. Plus, I think the best part about all of this moving thing, which I surprisingly often forget, is that I am only, only, only just three hours from Seattle and Pasco! WOO!

(WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURES) On another note, many of you are wondering what has happened to my eyeball. Last week I was having strange symptoms in my left eyeball, as if I had a crumb or something stuck in my contact. My eye got redder and redder, and more painful each day. By Thursday I was doubled over in the worst photosensitivity eye pain/headache ever. (picture attached of what my eyeball looked like) I finally went to the optomitrist at that point. (I know, I should have gone in earlier, I have already been lectured like 67 times). Turns out I had/have one huge bacterial ulcer (ulcer means hole) on my cornea from not cleaning my contacts well enough. (SUUUPER embarrassing since I am a RN myself, they must think I am the worst nurse ever if I can't even clean my stupid contacts correctly!) I started a regimen of antibiotic eyedrops every 30 minutes for the whole weekend. I went back and saw the Opthomologist on Friday. She added two more eyedrops and basically scared the crap out of me saying that I would end up blind in the L eyeball if I don't keep up with my meds. I still have a visible white mass on my cornea, but it is getting smaller each day. Anyways, I am now only having to put eyedrops in every 2 hours, and I think it's going to be okay without any visible damage. I am telling you all this story because I want you to understand how important it is to clean your contacts every day, change the solution every day, etc. They doctors also stressed the importance of going to the eye doctor if you are in eye pain for 24 hours, and going immediately if you have photosensitivity. Oopies.

I really gotta go pack up, but love you all, and hopefully see you soon!

~Cait

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODAY FIONA, AILIS AUG 14TH, AND TOM AUGUST 21ST!!!!!!

Fiona is 18 today, Ailis was 17 on the 14th, and Tom....how old were you on the 21st?????

Hope all celebrate/celebrated in style!

Reading material

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a new looking used book at a local bookstore that piqued my interest. It was about five guys who entered a Carthusian monastery in England in the early 1960s. It's a pretty good read that gives some insight into the mindset and lifestyle of the men who are members of what the author claims is the most austere of all orders of cloistered monks. It's called "An Infinity of Little Hours" and was written by Nancy Klein Maguire. (As an aside, over the past 22 years of raising our children I've heard Jacquie say 50 times if I've heard it once, "I should have been a cloistered nun." She hasn't read the book yet - if she had I'm not sure she'd give up even those toughest child-rearing days for the cloistered life.)

For our birthdays, shortly after starting that book, Bill and Mary gave Jacquie and me a book called "The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality" by Ronald Rolheiser, a Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate priest. I read the first couple chapters of it last night. Wanting to know a little more about the author (who you all may know but who I have never read), I googled him this morning and see that he has a website where he posts a weekly column.

I viewed the archived columns and came upon one he'd written sometime back called "The Secret of a Monk's Cell". That brought me back to the book on the Carthusians. The monk's room in the monastery is called his cell and there were lots of references to those cells in that first book I mentioned.

To get to the point, the Rolheiser column about the monk's cell is good so I am posting the link to it below.

http://www.ronrolheiser.com/columnarchive/archive_display.php?rec_id=408

I know John and Nancy are pretty high these days on Franciscan priest Richard Rohr who I have not yet read much of and who I know little about.

And I know that Fr. Beaver thinks a lot of Peter Kreeft who Nancy has turned many of us on to through her gifts of his books at Christmas.

Does anyone in the family have any current favorite contemporary authors in the Faith development genre whose name or works you'd like to share?

(I have a list of 100 works called "A Lifetime Reading Plan" put out by a bookstore in Washington, D.C., called the Catholic Information Center that I'd be glad to share with any of you who might request it.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOMINIC!!!!!

Dom,
Hope you're having loads of fun on your birthday today!
Love,
Your Godmother

Colin Roach, 1st Lieutenant

I was just thinking that Colin Roach is the only Roach relative in (my)(our) generation to join the military. If you really dig down deep and think about that, what he has done, and what he has committed to, is a pretty big deal. When I was in College, my best buddies were all ROTC guys. Which is wierd, because I was not a military type. But something about them, for some reason, made them my best of the best friends, and the only guys from college that I still stay in touch with daily. I think we should all contemplate for a brief moment what this cousin of ours has committed to, and acknowledge that most of us dont have the cojones to do it. I have a lot of respect for you Colin. You are a lot bigger man than I. And I mean that. I hope we can chat about this sometime soon, as my kids took me away from the party too early tonight ( I still love them...!) to be able to chat with you. But I was seriously wanting to congratulate you, and talk to you about your future endeavors. I appreciate what you have done.



bpr

Happy Birthday to ED!!!!!

Ed, for you I'm thinking your birthday was yesterday, but for us it's still today so we will celebrate for you over at Dan & Jacquie's house!!!!! Hope it is/was happy!
Love,
The Thornhills

Piano! Going...going...

All,

I want to give you all a chance to to speak up if you would like Pat Magula / Uncle Rex's old piano. I got it when Pat went on the lamb years back, and since Fr. Beaver so gratiously offered his old piano from Aunt Liz's house, so we now have 2 pianos. The Magula piano is in my garage and needs tuning. I had a guy come out last night and take a look at it, and he said it can be fixed for $300 in hardware and $200 in labor.

It is a decorative piece and was made around the early 1900s. Obviously it is free for any takers in the family. I want to give you all a chance to claim it before it gets posted on Craigslist and in the Giant Nickel. It is heavy as hell, so take that into consideration.

Any volunteers are more than welcome to move it and store it if they don't want it going on the market (probably as FreeSale), I'm totally fine with that. I am advertising this in a public Roach forum because I don't want to hear any complaints down the road if it doesn't end up in Roach possession. I would prefer to keep it in the family, but understand that it is going to take about $500 to get it up to speed. It may be worth much more than that after a tuning, so if someone wants to pick it up as an investment, have at it.

Any interest, shoot me an email or give me a call and we will make arrangements. Hope everyone's doing fine, and see most of you in W^2 on Saturday!

JDR

Happy Birthday today to JACQUIE and Wednesday to DAN!!!!!

Hope you are celebrating in style this week! See you soon.
Love, The Thornys

Migrant Work for Hire

Hey All!

I am in Caffeine Dreams, my favorite coffee shops almost ready to study for my "final" in radiology tomorrow. Anybody know what a cephalometric image is used for in dentistry?? I know a few of you have had them taken....

Anyhoo, I cant wait for this week to close so I can hop one last jet this summer and see all of you! I get to Seattle Friday night, and plan to stay a few days to meet my new niece (!) then carry on to Pasco.

I will be twiddling my thumbs, or thumbing through the pages of a book unless you all have projects that you have not gotten around to that you need done...

I cant wait to see you all!

hasta pronto,

barto

Europe

As some of you may know, I recently went on a 2.5 week wirlwind trip across Europe with Father Beaver. We left Seattle on May 21 and arrived back home on June 7th. We traveled to 13 countries and I drove about 3000 miles on our rental car. The trip was an incredible experience and I was blessed to have been able to travel with such an experienced and knowledgeable companion as Fr. Beaver. He wrote up a summary of our trip that is attached below, along with some pictures that we took throughout the trip.

-Kevin



Fr. and I in front of the Cathedral in Helsinki

Fr. and I bought some Cuban cigars for our three hour ocean ferry from Helsinki to Tallin, Estonia

Us in front of a Russian Orthdox church in Tallin, Estonia

We visited King Ludwig's Versailles model castle at Herrenchimse and then two days later visisted his famous "fairy tale" castle at Neuschwanstein


Thirteen Country European Adventure
Father Beaver and Kevin Roach
21 May to 7 June 2008

Hellen Keller said: “Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.” I am not sure I can say that,
but she has a point. I travel a lot because I hate having my life disrupted by routine . . . and moreover, I want to live before I die. And I want to do it while I am still young because next
May I will be 80. Actually it is far easier to travel than to write about it. I always see more than
I can remember. Obviously, I haven’t been everywhere, but it is on my list.

Once again, I stress that more important than the itinerary, is the person who travels with you and
Kevin Roach (my cousin’s grandson) is an undeviating champ and an unsynthetic partner. We did
it all: planes, boat, bus, train, and automobile.
21 – 22 May We flew non stop from Seattle to Amsterdam and then on to Helsinki where we spent our first night. Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (3d largest in Europe) was a challenging source of congestion and confusion with a tight interval and security stations making it difficult, but we made our connection and arrived mid afternoon in Finland’s capital. We walked the city and road the trolley until we felt we had seen the highlights. The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is the “space needle” of Helsinki and our pictures prove it. We crashed in the most expensive hotel of the trip at an early hour after dinner in a Chinese restaurant.
23 May We took the 11 am Superstar (new) Ferry across the Baltic Sea to Tallinn, Estonia arriving
arriving at 2 pm. On the ship we were able to pickup a box of Cuban cigars to enhance the quality
of our trip. Neither of us smoke, but no one is perfect. St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
dominates this small city and we spent time checking it inside and out. It was “Kevin first!” It
was here that we had our only Italian Dinner. We did spend about 5 hours walking the old city and
it is indeed a charming place. When you go stay in Hotel Central . . . very nice.
24 May 10 am we boarded a “luxury” bus in Tallinn destined for Riga the capital of Latvia arriving
at 3 pm. We had plenty of time to get to the Russian Cathedral (all a bit different) and the Opera
House (couldn’t get in) and enjoy the public market. Had dinner in a Mexican place. We decided since there was such limited commercial transportation, we had better take the overnight bus through Lithuania to Warsaw in Poland. We encountered two Canadians from B.C. who were coming from Mongolia and we learned a few things from them. We left Riga at 6 pm.
25 May We pulled into Warsaw at 7 am . We took a taxi from the bus station to the train station and a quick walk in the morning shadows of the Soviet style buildings and got the 9 am train destined for Prague. It was Sunday, we were alone in a compartment, so I celebrated Mass on the
train. We had a couple of hours to hit the hot spots in Prague, one of which was the celebrated clock in the central square. Our time was limited and Kevin, in front of one of the most famous clocks in the world asked me “what time is it?” and we rushed off to the train station. We took
an overnight train to Frankfurt.
26 May We arrived in Frankfurt at 6:30 am, picked up a Fiat Panda from Avis and headed for ULM
on the Danube River where Kevin climbed 510 feet through the tallest church steeple in the world.
Next stop was Ottobeuren where one finds the largest Barouke Church in existence. This has always
been a favorite place to introduce people to an atmosphere of devotion. We arrived in Munich and
stayed at the Hotel Asta (I always stay there.) We had plenty of daylight to see the major sites of
the Bavarian Capital. We had dinner and ended the evening at the Hoffbrau House.

27 May We departed “the silent capital of Germany” at 10 am and arrived at Hararon Chimsee,
the Versaile style, lakeside Castle of Ludwig. One has to take a 30 minute boat ride to get there.
Salzburg was our next stop and we enjoyed several hours visiting the scene of “The Sound of Music.” We then headed through the Bavarian Alps to Bercheshgaden to see the original stone
carving of the “Prodigal Son” (A miniature of it is over the altar in my chapel.) After dinner we
drove to an Alpine Gashthouse to spend the night.
28 May By noon, we reached the Military Guest House in Garmish (George Marshall Edelwise Inn) and enjoyed an American buffet. We spent the time visiting with other Americans and Kevin met some people who knew friends from Gonzaga.
29 May Departed for Oberramagaou (wood carving center of the world and scene of the Passion
Play every 10 years.) And then off to what could be the hightlight of any trip . . . the Fairy Tale Castle of Neuschwanstein. A few hours later found us in the Black Forest on our way to Frieburg.
We lodged at a Gashthous . and witnessed a mighty storm that hit the German and French press
the next day.
30 May We left driving again though the mountains to Nancy and Vitry le Francois (lunch) and
pulling into Paris at 5:30 pm. Stayed in the St Vincent district at Etap Hotel. We took the subway
into the city where I was “mugged” in the Moulin Rouge district. I had may hand on my wallet in
my front pocket, but it was a scarry encounter. Kevin was ahead of me so he did not see the whole
thing.
31 May Next day was Saturday and we experienced long lines at many of the popular sites, but we
still saw everything to include: Opera House, Arch of Triumph, the Grand Arch (new section of Paris) Eifel Tower, Tomb of Nepolian, Notre Dame, Pantheon, Sacr Coer and Lovre. We saw it
all as we enjoyed the salubrious climate of “Paris in the springtime.”
1 June Left Paris at 7:15 am arriving at the Bascilica of St Threse in Liseaux at 10 am. It was Sunday and I celebrated Mass for Kevin at table in the park in the shadow of this great shrine.
We were ahead of our schedule, so we drove north to Amsterdam arriving at 6:30. When you
go stay where we did . . . .Hotel Falcon Plaza on the edge of the city center. We met friends
of Kevin’s ( Sean Evans and Ryan Shelddon) in Rembrant Square from Gonzaga and spent the evening with them.
2 June We spent 2 hours at the VanGogh Gallery and visited the home of Ann Frank (I am just
23 days older than Ann.) In the afternoon we watched some very talented street performers.
3 June We left for Germany and picked up Mathias (family member Kevin’s age) and we
headed north where we spent the night at an excellent Bed and Breakfast on the Mosel River.
4 June After breakfast we started driving to Colone to see one of the major Cathedrals of Europe
on the banks of the Rhine River. We had plenty of time to visit the Cathedral Treasury and walk
around the city. We headed south following the road that passed the Castles on the Rhine and spent the night near Koblens.
5 June By mid-afternoon we reached our family’s home in Wiesbach where we spent the evening
visiting with Peter, Ingrid and Mathias. Great dinner Ingrid fixed.
6 June Peter took Kevin and me (Kevin drove our Avis car) to Strassberg and the concentration
camp on the French border called Struthof. This place did not take in the Jews, but concentrated
on the dissidants, resistence and POW. They were brutal in so far as the did “medical research”
in a barbarically bloody manner. We returned to Peter’s house where the family (about 19) gathered
for dinner. It was pleasant event for all. Lots of German food and wine from Peter’s well-known

celler. As always the German hospitality of our family goes unsurpassed. Ane when we cannot
speak with a common language, we communicate with warm hearts. “Cor ad cor loquitor.”
Mathias gave Kevin and me shirts and everyone left about 11 pm.
7 June Kevin and I left Weisbach at 5 am and arrived at the Frankfurt airport in time to turn
in the car (3000 miles . . . gas $10 per gallon) and board the airplane for Detroit and Seattle at
5:30 pm.

All,

In light of the recent dearth of blog entries and the subsequent (and well-deserved) call-out by Aunt Katie, here is what has been happening in my life. On May 17^th I commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force in a formal ceremony with all of the other cadets, as my parents, maternal grandmother, Father Beaver, and childhood friends looked on. The evening prior to that, I had a private commissioning performed by Father Beaver. We were both in our dress blues (he in army, I in air force). The ceremony consisted of Father saying a few words (attached in comments per Father's request), the administering of the Oath of Office, my parents pinning on my gold second lieutenant bars, me saying a few words, me receiving my first salute, and then lots of pictures with friends and family (full video available). On May 18^th I graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. The ceremony was certainly full of pomp and grandeur and guests Cardinal McCarrick and Martin Sheen each spoke.

After moving out of my house, I departed South Bend with four of my friends from Walla Walla and we drove home, stopping to stay at Bart’s in Omaha, and in Boise at another friend’s house. Following that, I spent one night in Walla Walla before attending Chris Campbell’s wedding. The next day I left for Orlando to spend a week with several college friends for one last hurrah. I then came home for my sister’s high school graduation and two more nights in Walla Walla before beginning my next journey.

On June 2, I left Walla Walla and picked up Kevin Johnston in Portland and then headed down to San Francisco. We spent the night at Matt Baumel’s and the next day I headed up to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield for my first day of work. I have been slowly getting acclimated to my job (official title – project programmer, which means securing funds from congress for construction projects 5+ years down the road (yawn?)) and more quickly getting acclimated to the fun of San Francisco as I have spent every weekend there with a couple of my college buddies.

I am spending the 4^th of July in Laguna Beach with several other college friends. To continue on with my immediate future plans, I leave here at the end of July for 7 weeks of school in Montgomery, AL followed soon after by 7 more weeks of school in Dayton, OH which leads into Thanksgiving. If you are still reading, there is the rundown of my life for the last 2 months and the next 5. I cannot wait to get settled in down here and start having visitors. I look forward to seeing everyone for Thanksgiving (as I have missed the last 4 -so it better be a great one!).

Colin

Pipe Stress

All,

Since most people don't know what I do, and verbalizing my occupation is often a better sedative than a conversation starter, I sent my family this email to give them a visual. Enjoy.

Family,

Pop quiz, what the hell is it I do? Most couldn't answer, so while I'm waiting for this program to run it's computations, I grabbed a snapshot of the pipe system I'm analyzing to give you an idea. It's part of a nuke process plant in Savannah River.

Each pipe has to be analyzed to make sure the stress and deflections are below allowable. Most of the pipes you see are 2-6" diameter, about 50' from floor to structural steel. I find out where and how the pipes need to be supported during normal and occassional (seismic) loading conditions. The calculations are anywhere from 600 to 2,400 pages when complete, and I had 2 weeks to finish the 2,400 pager.

Good times…

Looks like I have the Record for Posts for the month of JUNE!!!

You are a sad lot who have no time to post a simple blog for our enjoyment!

John, maybe everyone needs a little refresher....I have heard several comments in the past about people not being able to blog because they don't have a password or were not invited or something.

We haven't heard what Eammon is studying these days and we miss him. Haven't heard what Dom is doing lately, or Will or Maggie, etc, etc..........
Come on...give us a thrill!

Love,
Katie

While I'm at it......Aggie Steeves is in the hospital

I just spoke with Mom who heard from Rosie Campbell last night that Aggie Steeves is in Lourdes Medical Ctr.

They aren't sure exactly what is wrong with her....possibly pneumonia, but sounded like other things also. She's been there for a few days apparently and didn't recognize her kids the first few days. She does recognize them today and she's in ICU.

Please pray for her.

Eat Your Hearts Out!!!!!

Okay, don't be too jealous....we had lumpia today at Tere's office for lunch made by his new employee who is Filipino. It was very good and then he had Avocado Icecream for dessert for us!!!! Yes, It was very good....had to share.....have a good weekend.

Happy Birthday Clare and Sean the Johnston!!!!

Hope you guys are enjoying (or did enjoy, Sean!) your birthday.....we've been thinking about you today.
Love, The Thornhills

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY CHAMBERS & COLLEEN COOKE!!!

Girls,
The Thornhills hope you have great birthday celebrations today (this week!) Update us on what you are doing!
Love,
Katie

Luke's Thinkin' Spot...

Salutations, my illustrious clan.

I believe there are a few places on Earth where Heaven is the ideal, and their residents actively try to create it. Zug is one of those places, where culture and civility is ostensible in everything they build...

I am staying with the Landtwings right now, and just returned from a tiny park just down the street from their house, where Luke would, as Karl says, "write letters to his family, drink a beer, and make his dreams."

Unfortunately I have not seen a single mountain in europe, as they are socked in by fog -- just another reason to visit again. But when I visited Luke's thinking spot, the sun broke through the clouds for the first time, and I got that feeling that we all have felt before -- his supernatural presence. I know Luke's spirit resides at that point, on a regular basis.

I miss you all, and look forward to telling you all about my adventures here.

Cheers Luke! Cheers Uncle Bill! May we keep them in our minds and hearts forever...

HAPPY GRADUATION COLIN!!!

Hope the weekend is all fun and games for you! Too cool that your hometown boys are coming to help you celebrate along with your parents.

Wow....that'll be 18 of 44 of the Roach Grandkids that will have graduated from college to date ....very impressive I'd say.

Hey when are we going to see baby Clara???

Jimmy, Shashee, BooBoo, Uncle Meezy--
Come on guys I want to see pics of baby Clara! Especially with Lucia and Clara together....I mean who's with me on this! It has been well over a week now. Get yo blog on....

HAPPY GRADUATION KEVIN!!!!

Hope it all goes well and you have lots of fun!!! Just found out from an email that your Mom sent (not particularly about your graduation) that this is the weekend. Glad you made it!
Love,
Your Godmother

WUT WUT Portland Timbers!!

I am very excited at the moment because I just discovered that my BF Miguelito is on youtube.com. WOAH! like a celebrity! He is currently pursuing his futbol carreer and had his third game last Saturday. He's seriously tearing it up, not to brag. The first game, he didn't play, boo. The second game, they put him in for the last 30 min of the game and he had an assist to a goal...the THIRD game, happened to be against the Seattle Sounders (who won the championship last season), he started, played the entire game...AND...SCORED! I've attached the youtube link for you all to witness the glorious goal yourselves and experience some of the madness that goes on in the cheering section at Portland's PGE Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYYfAd8EfvI

FYI, he has another game against the Seattle Flounders on May 10 here in Seattle. Get ready to see another @bleep$$ whooping. And if any of you are ever in Portland, let me or him know, and he can hook you up with some tickets. SO FUN!
~Kitty Cat

Hey guys... this is my first blog ever!! This is my THANKS to everyone who bought coffee from me for my trip to Washington DC. I went with my class on April 6th, after a little bit of trouble at the airport, and then spent six days in WA DC seeing the sights, meeting our senators, seeing Obama about 20 feet away.... (haha uncle ed!) and all that jazz. The group picture above is the 9 of us who went from my school.

THEN after a fun week in DC, Lib picked me up and we had a fun week together. We went to Philly for a few days, Annapolis for a day trip, then hung around Baltimore for the rest of the week until I came home on Thursday the 17th. We went to an Orioles game on Tuesday night, bought $8 seats and then somehow ended up sitting in the VERY FRONT ROW behind home plate from about the fourth inning on. Sneaky, sneaky :)

In other news, and I'm sure its no suprise to anyone, I have decided that come September, I will be a Zag. I'm glad to have that all decided, and I think I'll know just a few people on campus when I get there... :)

Okay thanks again to all! I can't wait to see you all again, until then I hope everything is great. If anyone wants to see the Chambers real soon, my graduation in on June 6th. :)

-Clare

Happy Birthday Tere & Jack Chambers!!!!!

Today is the big day for Tere Thornhill and for Jack Chambers! Tere is 48 today and Jack, I'm guessing is 20???

Hope you boys have good days today!


Love,
Katie

(Tere was a bit dismayed this morning to read that he shares a birthday with Michael Moore also!!)

Bush Flatscreen Rebate

All: I have not talked to my accountant yet about this, but here is the quandry: If you file your income tax late (as I always seem to do for 401k issues I have), then is it true that you will not be able to partake in the george bush 2100 dollar flat screen tax rebate? Somebody please advise as to whether we can still get the flatscreen rebate. Or if certain of us even qualify. I want another free flatscreen.

bpr

Great HBO Miniseries that all of you should watch

Hi All,
There is this great Miniseries on HBO right now that any of you who have access to should be watching! It is called JOHN ADAMS, and it is very well acted and extremely interesting. It is about the founding of our nation. I think it is 7 parts (about an hour or hour and a half each). It's On Demand on HBO and doesn't cost extra once you have access to HBO on your cable package. You can order it any time of day. We have seen the first 4 episodes and it is EXCELLENT! Let me know what you think about it. It's great / historical for kids too!
Here is the link online to preview it. Watch them in order if you can!

http://www.hbo.com/

Happy Birthday John! AND Happy Anniversary Mike & Nancy!

Long Rifle Lives

Happy 29th Birthday to Luke Michael Roach. Though no longer with us in body, his presence and Spirit remain ever more strongly in and through the Body of Christ.

I always like this day better than that other day we tend to remember him on. It is spring, it is joyful, and the spirit of Resurrection is in the air.

So today, in his memory, go climb a tree, pet your dog, ride your horse, comfort a friend, or toss a small child high into the air!

Viva Espiritu!

Baseball

hey all,

today we won our third baseball game of the season. so far we are 3-1, and 1-0 in league play. we beat columbia-burbank 7-6 in the first game. we then beat liberty christain 6-0. We lost to the defending oregon 4a state champion La Grande baseball team 13-9. Today we beat Mac-Hi, the milton-freewater school, 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th. I haven't played in any of the games because of my surgery, but in two weeks when I get back, Richie Westphal, one of my teammates, is going into surgery to get his shoulder repaired, so i will be playing left field for him on varsity. I'll be back and playing in the Tri-Cities Prep game. I can't wait.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITLIN!!!!!

Hope it's Happy!!!!!

appendix

hi all,

just wanted to let you all know that i had my appendix removed late tuesday night. i had the pains since sunday, and the surgeon said that i should have come in earlier because i had one nasty appendix. it was huge and just about to burst. it was surrounded in puss. the time for the surgery was about 45 minutes, but since there was all of that puss they had to vacuum out, it took about an hour. i have been sore for a couple days and will be for the next week or so. i cant play baseball for 2 weeks, and dont go back to school until tuesday. i hope to see you all this easter weekend!


shane

PANAMA~~~~2008!

Hello ALL!







I know, I know, I am seriously the lamest blogger these days! But don't worry, I am finally here to post a few pics and explain the happenins.




About a week after we returned to normalcy from Korea (comsimidad!), Miguel's Mama called him and said that she will be attending some military thing in WA DC with Papa, and was going to go to Panama while over on this part of the world. Geesh, we freaked out a little of excitement, and then realized the reality of us being able to go after just getting back from a big vaca was probably slim. Plus, tickets were a little spendy. Will Ch. and I had been discussing because he's going there in just a few weeks, and about a week before Miguel and my unplanned trip to Panama, Will called telling us that tickets had in fact DROPPED $100! We looked and bought immediately, deciding that it was meant to be. And we are so happy we made it happen! We arrived on the evening of Feb 3, and might I add that the flight from Houston to Panama was absolutely BREATHTAKING! We could see practically all of central america on the way and blue/green/purple waters! Anyways, I have posted some pics of the trip below with captians to let you know what we did while there:

1. This is the first night right after we arrived. Ate the biggest plate of seafood I've ever seen! And pina coladas of course!
















2. This is Taboga. Its an island right off Panama City, about 40 minutes by boat. When we were there, it was summer break, and many of his uncles and aunts rented out places for the week! WOO!














3. This dressed up Queen is Miguel's cousin. She was nominated to be the queen of the year of the island of Taboga. She was gorgeous, but looked so uncomfy in that outfit! Look at all the peeps celebrating Carnival!















4. This is a photo of Migs and four of his primos (cousins). All of these boys were born in 1984! They are called "the cuatro" by the Vasquez family! haha! (Guije, Ricky, Miguel, Popo)















5. Night at the discotec. All but the girl in blue are his primos and prima. Reggeton music is da BOMB! (Popo, not related, Gabriella, Ricky, Migs)

6. Miguel went deep sea fishing with his tio (uncle), and primo Popo. Look at what he caught!















7. This is in a different part of the country at another Carnival celebration. All these people are wearing traditional Panamanian dresses. They cost at least $800 and can be well into the thousands. Hand embroidered. WOW.














8. this is my gorgeous rocking chair that I was unable to bring back to the US. It's a long story, but hopefully Will Ch. will bring it with him when he goes in a couple weeks!





9. CUTE little kids that we found around a little neighborhood we stayed at in the countryside (slept under mosquito nets and saw a huge mother of a cockroach! Was a lot like camping!). The girl on the left kept calling her sister (not pictured) a "dodo head" in spanish. Miguel couldn't stop laughing! haha! (PS: notice the ashes...it was Ash Wed!)







10. Panama Canal. Have tons more pictures of this if you want to see more. So awesome, and such a great engineering feat!





















11. Una nena (girl) in the traditional dresswear. I could have gobbled her up.

12. Me and Gabi gettin our groove thang on!









That pretty much sums it up!












We are planning on going again next year around the same time. You all should consider it! Paz.

Latest Big News in Spokanistan

I thought that everyone would be interested in what The Spitz is thinking so here his recent letter.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

March 17, 2008



Dear Members of the Gonzaga Community:



After 10 years as president of Gonzaga University , I believe the time has come to initiate a process of transition in the office of president. Therefore, with profound respect for and gratitude to the Board of Trustees, I have informed them of my intention to work with them over the next 16 months to implement a transition by July 2009. The University has made considerable progress during these years and now enjoys a foundation which will catalyze even further progress.



I believe that transitions are best made during times of real advance rather than in times of crisis or neutrality. As I reflected on the past 10 years and took note of the progress that has been made in our academic programs, Jesuit and Catholic mission programs, enrollments, facilities, fundraising, athletic programs, academic reputation, and financial strength, it became apparent to me that this is an ideal time for a new leader with innovative ideas and fresh energy to invigorate the vision in our new Strategic Plan and move Gonzaga to “the next level.” A transition would also allow me some additional time to develop two national institutes and to promote three books which have been accepted for publication. I will be discerning with my Provincial in the upcoming 16 months how to pursue these projects while continuing the relationships that have been so central to my Gonzaga experience.



When I came to Gonzaga in 1998, we were experiencing financial difficulties and were in the midst of a rather arduous budget reallocation process. I, the Board, and the Cabinet responded with a vision entitled “Momentum 2007,” which we believed would respond to those difficulties. It included (1) a significant increase in enrollment, (2) a $150 million Capital Campaign, (3) a significant increase in our merit-based and need-based financial aid, (4) a process to restore our financial stability (including paying down of our internal debt, and increasing our reserves), (5) measures to assure fairness and quality for our personnel (including a plan to fully fund our salary survey adjustments and a plan to increase faculty development funds and sabbaticals), (6) measures to increase the quality and quantity of our academic programs, (7) increased support of our five mission areas of faith, service, justice, ethics, and leadership, (8) an ambitious facilities plan (including new facilities for law, business, science, engineering, theatre arts, basketball, student fitness, student activities, and residence life), (9) increased resources for our athletic and extracurricular programs, and (10) increased resources for our marketing programs. We believed that these 10 steps would produce a cycle which would repeat itself every two years resulting in continuous improvement of our academic and mission quality. Thanks to our tremendous Gonzaga team, all 10 of these steps were successfully initiated and have run their course of significant amplification. In view of this, we needed a new Strategic Plan to bring our unique Gonzaga education to the next level.



The community then created a Vision Statement for the University (with dynamic definitions of “Jesuit,” “Catholic,” and “humanistic”), formulated seven major goals for our new Strategic Plan, “Vision 2012,” and is now in the process of creating an operational plan to carry this vision forward through the next seven years and beyond. The community then engaged in a productive process to create a funding mechanism to animate this new Strategic Plan. This funding mechanism will ensure that our new Strategic Plan will be optimally fulfilled.



This forward-looking vision assures that the next president will be able to work with the Board and our community to make Gonzaga one of the very best universities of its kind in the nation. In light of this, I can honestly say that my personal goals have been met and that the University’s future will not only be secure, but also significantly improved. As I noted above, I cannot think of a better time to make a transition.



The Board of Trustees will appoint a search committee to include trustees, faculty, administrators, and Jesuits. A targeted search, to identify qualified candidates, will begin within the next month. I believe there are many excellent Jesuit candidates for our next president who can bring new creativity and vigor to our educational enterprise. We will be searching for a dynamic individual who is committed to our mission and improving our academic quality. Given our current momentum, Gonzaga should attract the very best candidates.



I would like to personally thank the Board of Trustees who have not only made extraordinary contributions to the University with wisdom, leadership, financial resources, time and sacrifice, but who have also become my dear colleagues and friends. I would like to express in the same breath my sincere gratitude to the members of the Cabinet whose remarkable professionalism and leadership have transformed my entrepreneurial schemes into a dynamic reality. I would like to thank members of the Jesuit Community, our Board of Regents, and our many benefactors and friends, who are so central to our Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic, and academic mission and who have given me such great support. I am deeply grateful to our academic leadership, faculty, administration, and staff who have made huge sacrifices which allowed Gonzaga to move from a place of financial hardship to one of the most unique and dynamic educational communities in the nation. Finally, and by no means least, I want to thank our beloved students who have not only been a tremendous personal support, but also a beacon of service and faith to reflect a heart of love to our community and the world. They have been a tremendous source of delight and fulfillment to me.



It has been a real privilege to work with all of you, and more importantly, to share in the faith, hope, friendship, and love that you aspire to bring to one another and to the world. I think we can together enjoy the accomplishments of the past and look forward to remarkable opportunities in the future. Please be assured of my prayers for all of you as we move into the transition process which anticipates even greater blessings than the ones we have already experienced.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.

Chasing down the Pura Vida

Hey ya'll --

Just got back from a phenomenal vacation with five dent school buddies to Costa Rica. I was there in August, but this trip was unparalleled. We saw spewing volcanoes and mountains, Tortoises and Manta Rays, pellicans, toucans and birds of prey, a family of monkeys and a waddle of wombats(?).

I drove a little Suzuki Sidekick from San Jose to Arenal, and from there around Lake Arenal to the Nicoya Peninsula, where we explored the Pacific beaches from Tamarindo. Here are a few pictures that will speak volumes about Costa Rica's natural beauty.

Desales Baseball 2008

Exactly one month after the last post. awesome. ok, i just wanted to let you all know about how my baseball team (Desales) is doing. We had our first game today at home against Columbia-Burbank as a non-league game since they are 1A. We won 7-6 and our coach (the notorious Kim Cox) was pleased. We didn't go to state last year for the first time in 15 years which is disappointing. I think that this year we will be okay, and probably win the league title, and maybe even go to state if our pitchers stay healthy and arms don't get sore. Tri-Cities Prep may be able to give us a run for our money if they have a good team, but don't get your hopes up...i doubt you will. good luck to all with spring sports!

shane

Anatomy Test...

Hey ya'll --

Was just writing to my dad, and reported a test I just took today. I thought it would be potentially interesting to you. Was brilliant to see you all at the Wedding!

You of my Generation -- Start thinking about the College Wold Series in Omaha this summer! It is supposed to be awesome, and I will have a roof for you.


"...Had a gnarly anatomy test and practical today -- probably the toughest test I will take in dental school. We had the practical over every permutation of the trigeminal nerve, the facial nerve, every landmark on the skull (foramina, protuberances, insertion lines), the innervation from the ventral and dorsal root supplement, etc. every branch of the carotids, muscles of facial expression, and muscles of mastication.Whoah!

Then, the practical included every STRUCTURE from the previous test, over the triangles of the neck (infra and supra hoid muscles, sternocleidomastoid, etc) additionally, all vessels that pass via the superior thoracic aperature.

Now, I am in the library getting set to study some Histo and Dental Materials...must be midterms...


If you need any clarification of those terms, try wikipedia. It has gotten me through six months (!) of dental school.

Blessings in '08!

Moira is seriously, like, famous

Have you guys been to the Diocese of Spokane homepage lately?

Check out our little Smoy, all famous-n-grown-up-n-stuff!!!!!!!

http://www.dioceseofspokane.org/

The Iberian Peninsula

Hello All,

As you all probably know, Fr. Beaver and I made quite the European Trip just prior to J&J's Wedding and I have been meaning to write a bit on the experience and show you all a little taste of Spain, Portugal, France and Andorra. Each of those four countries is beautiful and different in their own ways, ie: languages, foods, people, and they are all much more different that I had thought (well a bigger difference than going from Washington to Idaho anyway). Being my first trip to Europe, I was not sure what to expect. The "main reason" for Fr. Beaver's visit was to see the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela which is the 2nd most visited pilgrimage site after St. Peter's in Rome (supposedly) but when we went there, I think there might have been five other people in the church. I didn't have a "main reason" for going. I just wanted to see Europe since it was going to be new, different and exciting. There were definite highlights, but no lowlights (is that a word?).

Anyway, we flew from Seattle to Paris to Madrid. In Madrid we rented our chariot (a 2007 Citreon C2) and we were there for a night before heading to Toledo and Cordoba. However, before we left I went to the Prado in Madrid to see some Rembrandt and El Greco (Uncle Dan see below:)


After leaving Madrid we headed south to Cordoba where we saw quite the old mosque tht was taken over during the inquisition and turned into a Catholic Church. It was quite incredible inside with all of the "candy cane" arches:

Once leaving Cordoba we headed to Seville to celebrate the last day of my existence as a 22 year old. While there we saw the Cathedral that holds the corpse of Christopher Columbus. Across town we also went to see the Madonna Macarena. While at the church of the Madonna Macarena I saw a lady lighting her cigarrette with one of the prayer candles. I think that this pretty much sums up what my impression was of what many Europeans think of religion, as in "nothing is sacred." Europe is chock full of these churches and yet nobody fills them. We had to pay to get into the majority of these religious sights because there are no devotees giving money for their upkeep. I have digressed.

Anyway, we headed to Portugal on my birthday and it was quite the drive - beautiful, very warm, and many sleepy towns along the way. We wandered through farmland and forests seeing storks on lightposts, pigs in pastures and castles on top of hills. But, once we hit the wide open, brand new European Union funded toll highways, I went 150 kmph on cruise control with Volvos, BMWs & Porsches passing me like I was standing still.

We stayed in Portugal for three days, the last two being in Porto. While there I took the time to visit the wineries and get nice and learned up on the intracacies of Port Wine. I brought back a few bottles for special events and had a great time hiking the narrow streets with the great views of the river and the city:

So I left Porto, Portugal with a heavy heart and headed for Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I would put a picture of the Cathedral here but the three pictures that we had people take of us turned out horribly. So, just check it out on wikipedia. It was here that I experienced my the best Paella that I have ever had in my life, to date (sorry dad) and it is deserving of a picture:


After Santiago de Compostela we went to Finesterra which is the real end of the pilgrimage to Santiago and is the westernmost point of Europe.

The next day marked probably the longest drive that we made in a day and we ended up in Bilbao for the night. This was a very beautiful city full of vibrant nightlife, beautiful buildings and the brand new Guggenheim. I went in for a little tour of the artwork, which was strangely enough '300 years of American Art' which I guess I had to go all the way to Bilbao, Spain to see.

After having seen not even a fraction of Bilbao, we quickly left to get a little taste of France and to see Lourdes:

I washed my feet in the miracle working waters in the grotto. No immediate effects, however, Fr. Beaver said that it is probably the "crock-pot" healing that I am going to experience as opposed to the "microwave" effect. My generation was not blessed with the virtue of patience, however I am not giving up on our Lady and the frigid healing waters of Lourdes. Also, Boin I got you something there, so ask me for it before I lose it.

Having left the Frenchies, we drove over to chat with the Andorrans for a night. This place was amazing and would not exist if not for the natural high mountains and extreme inaccessibility. This picture is an example of what must be done these days in Europe to prove that you have been to a country. They didn't even stamp my passport when I flew into OR out of Europe. I have no proof of even being there except for pictures: So leaving Andorra, we headed over the pass instead of going through the tunnels and ended up in Barcelona. Barcelona is amazing. Everyone should go there. Everyone should visit La Sagrada Familia. Everyone should look at this picture of it:














So, this temple is dedicated to the Holy Family and construction began in 1882 and is slated to be completed in 2025ish. Those three tower cranes are usually at work, it was Saturday when we went though so we didn't have to deal with construction noise. Uncle Tere, this temple is amazing, it kind of reminds me of St. Joe's in Kennewick, WA. I would have liked to walk around with you on this construction site to answer quite a few questions that I had re: construction methods, load bearing columns, materials, beauty vs. functionality and hyperboloids.

If anyone has not heard of this Temple, or its sheer proportion or Gaudi's intentions for its design they have been living in the dark. This is probably the last old, large Gothic-ish style church that will ever be built, so it is worth knowing about. Again, check out wikipedia for a bit more detail.

So Barcelona was the last stop on the trip and I just happened to stumble upon a ticket booth for a Barcelona Soccer game. I bought Fr. a ticket and he reluctantly went/I dragged him to the game where we sat way up high and and took up 2 of 98,000 seats. Barcelona won, which made the game that much better. Here is a pic of us at the Camp Nou Stadium:
The next day I drove from Barcelona to Madrid, we stayed in a hotel for four hours, flew to Paris, flew to Seattle and were back in the States in time for Julie & Joe's Wedding.

Never a dull moment.

Thanks to Fr. Beaver for making this whole thing work out, it was a lot of fun and once you've cycled through all of the other 43 cousins I'm ready to go again.

Eamonn