Week 13: Spring

We received these metal figurines almost 12 years ago for a wedding gift.  They always reminded me of Adam and Eve!  What better way to kick off my week of spring than with Adam and Eve and their garden of Eden!

Week 12: All About Me

My favorite food are pickles, but not just any kind of pickles.  They MUST BE Claussen!  You might even occasionally catch me drinking the juice right out of the jar!  YUMMY!

My love for pickles has even gotten me in trouble at school!  One time in 1st grade I stole pickles off of a friend's lunch tray at school.  Her mom was so mad, she called my mom and I got in trouble!  YIKES!  Just be forewarned, don't come between me and pickles or you might lose an arm!

Week 12: All About Me

I suppose it goes without saying that my favorite nail polish is Fresh Frog of Belair by OPI.  When the newest Muppet movie was released, OPI released a whole Muppet Collection.  My collection is of course complimented by Davine Swine, Gettin' Miss Piggy With It, Gone Gonzo, and Rainbow Connection.

I was shocked to see that my Rainbow Connection is going for up to $34.00 a bottle!  I didn't even pay that much for my whole collection!

Week 12: All About Me

So this is the one and only picture my hubby has ever drawn/colored for me!  It's one of my favorite pieces of art work in this house!  It hangs in my office where I see it everyday along with my other favorite pieces from each our kids!  

It amazes me how our memories become tied to music or art.  If this picture could talk to anyone else but me, it would have quite a few great memories to share!  But for now, those I'm going to keep those memories between me, my picture, and my Frog Prince!

Week 12: All About Me

So anyone that knows anything about me, knows I LOVE and NEED organization in my life!  I love when things are put in their proper place, evenly spaced, and forward facing!  I want to open the fridge and know what I have in there!  We don't have a lot of storage space so we try to keep things minimal.  If we are only going to use it once or twice a year, we really don't need it!

And yes, the closets are organized by season and color.  Long sleeves on the top row, left to right in the following color order:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, brown, and white.  Short sleeves on the bottom row in the same fashion.

I don't like chaos and the problems that chaos brings with it.  Now I'm not a super freak about it, but for me I feel like if my house is in order, it's easier to keep the rest of the things in my life in order too, like relationships, my marriage, being a mom, etc.  It's not easy to get organized, but once I did, it makes keeping it much easier and things run much more smoothly around here.  I'll postpone a little laundry to play outside with the kids, or if I know that it's going to be nice, I'll get it done ahead of time.

It has taught the kids how to take care of their things; our games and puzzles have their pieces, and believe it or not, the only reason why we might be missing a piece here or there is because the dog really did eat it!  Being organized has allowed up to spend more time together as a family and that time is very enjoyable.

*Sidenote:  We find our kids don't ask for a lot of those impulse buys because they don't want the responsibility of constantly having to put things away.  We get a sense for the things they really want and will take care of when they ask more than once.  It makes me feel proud of my kids when their teachers give them added responsibility because they know they can handle it.

Week 12: All About Me

For those of you who may not know, I LOVE frogs and Kermit the Frog.  Now I am not one for knick-knacks and those types of things, but I like them and if there is something I need, I might choose a frog pattern over flowers.

I grew up watching the Muppet Show.  It's still one of my favorites.  I used to have all of the Muppet Movies on VHS, but have not updated to DVD's as they are extremely hard to find!  I even went to the extreme and bought a phone case for a phone I hope to own in a couple of weeks!  YIKES!

I love the wide mouth frog that sets by the kitchen sink!  It's a great holder for rings, watches, and chapstick.  This little guy has been around for quite some time!  I would love to find another for our bathroom, so I suppose a trip to the local thrift store is in order.

My frog slippers are one of my MUSTS!  They are super comfy and warm!    Nothing makes me happier than wearing my slippers, covered up in my frog fleece blanket, reading a great book on the Kindle, and drinking a cup of hot coffee.

My grocery bags of course are not only "Green" but they are green. :)  It's not easy being green but I try!

A few years ago a received the little frog with the long legs from my Uncle and Aunt for my birthday.  He hangs on our ceiling fan cord.  Izzy used to lay and stare at it.  Now when she is on the bed she always  asks if she can "dingle the dinglers".  So she gently dingles his legs to make the wind chime noise.

And lastly is the cool mist humidifier.  Nothing like cool mist from a frog that makes a sinus infection feel better!  The kids even enjoy this little fella from time to time.

Week 12: All About Me

Day 80

I LOVE to read!  I will read anything I can get my hands on!  When I start a book, it's hard for me to put it down for any length of time.  I was very hesitant about a book reader because I LOVE the smell of an old book...musty, dusty, and sour.  Weird, I know.

However, buying the Kindle was one of the best investments ever!  It's so small and light I can take it anywhere.  The best part is... I can even read outside without the glare of a computer screen!  This has to be one of the best inventions ever!

There are few things better in life than curling up with a great book and a hot cup of perfectly brewed coffee!

Week 12: All About Me

So today is my birthday!  I always look forward to my birthday because my kids make the best homemade cards and gifts!  I am always amazed at their creativity!  Jason doesn't normally buy me big gifts on my birthday, but this year he really splurged and bought me a new laptop!  Just when I didn't think it could get much better it does!

March 18th is normally an overcast cloudy rainy or snowy day!  This year it was almost 80 degrees!  When I say best birthday ever, IT REALLY WAS!

Week 11: Spring Break

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Nothing says "We're Not Irish," like a piping hot cup of Irish coffee!  As you can see, the bottle of Jameson is empty and it's not even noon!

Week 11: Spring Break

I think it's crazy that the kids are outside in shorts, blowing bubbles on March 16th!  It's 80 degrees outside today!  Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it scares me!  Our trees are budding out a little bit and if it freezes now, we are going to be in landscaping turmoil.  I think littlest sissy drank more bubbles than she blew!

Week 11: Spring Break

Day 76

It's hard to believe that I'm sitting down to enjoy my first glass of sun tea!  It's the middle of March and we went from running our furnace last night to having to turn the air conditioning on this afternoon! 

It feels like it went from winter to early summer!  Should I be worried?  I think I'll just sit back and enjoy the birds and sip my tea out on the back deck all the while hoping the little garden gnomes will be by to spruce up my lawn and landscaping!

AAHH...Spring!

Week 11: Spring Break

So, Jason talked the kids into trying out the rock climbing wall.  I knew Libby would be all for it, but I was SUPER surprised that Maison was willing to give it a try.  I thought he would be calling it quits after Libby started chuckling about his harness.  I couldn't help but chuckle a little too.

Libby needed a rope attached to her, so once she reached the top, someone would pull her down because she was too light to come down on her own!

They were neck and neck, but Maison was able to reach the buzzer and buzz it, but Libby's arms were a little too short to actually reach the buzzer, but both made it to the top!

Week 11: Spring Break

The kids had a blast at the water park today!  I think Izzy was the bravest and went down all the slides she was allowed to ride with Jason multiply times.  Maison got a little more gutsy towards the end!  He even raced Jason down the speed slides.

I think between the 3 kids, they swallowed enough water to fill their own pool.  My favorite quote of the day...Jason says "After Izzy and I went down the slide, I knew she peed on me because my side got really warm."  Maison laughs his goofy little Spongebob laugh and says "Uh, I might have peed in the pool too when Libby was doing a somersault under water."  Libby of course one ups her brother by saying, "So what Maison, I peed all over you when we were in the lazy river."  Seriously people, was I the only one that didn't pee in the pool?  Nope, I did too, but I went off and peed around some strangers I didn't know cause peeing on my family would have been gross!

Week 11: Spring Break

Kids decided to start our second day off at the indoor theme park.  There they rode the roller coaster, the go carts, the bumper cars, the wacky trolley, and the tea cups.  They also had a great time playing in the Alien Ball Pit.  I made the mistake of walking in to snap a few pictures of the kids, and when they say no adults, they mean it.  I must have gotten blasted in the head with foam balls about 10 times in a row.  I think I took 2 pictures and ran!

Week 11: Spring Break

First Day at Mount Olympus

We arrived at Mount Olympus and the Hotel Rome a little after 4pm today.  It seemed to take FOREVER to check in, but we managed. 

After loading up the  luggage cart, we headed up to our second floor room.  The kiddos were super excited to see our room!  I too was quite amazed at the size!  We had 2 queen beds, a set of bunkbeds, a fridge, a wet bar, and a tiny t.v. (the t.v. was probably normal sized, but placed in such a large room it looked tiny!)

We hardly walked in the door and the kids had claimed the bunkbeds and started "forting" them out!  After unloading and unpacking, we walked around the hotel, the water park, and the amusement park.  The kids were pretty excited and were debating on where to start first!

Looks like it's going to be a great vacation!

Week 10: Rock Star

Rock Star

I really don't think this picture needs much of an explaination.  ROCK ON SISTER!

Week 10: Ballerina Unicorn

Ballerina Unicorn

So tonight's disguise, with the help of her big sister, was a unicorn ballerina.  Izzy was the unicorn and Libby was the cowgirl ballerina.  The unicorn outfit would not be complete without her favorite snow boots, underwear, and tank top.  Giddy-Up!  Those two are nothing but a bunch of laughs!  What one doesn't think up, the other one does!

Week 10: Squizzy the Builder

Squizzy the Builder

Most mornings the minute we get to the gym, Izzy drops everything, and heads straight over to the tools.  Today was no exception!  Complete with upside down goggles, tool belt, drill, saw, screw driver, and wrench!  The picture pretty much says it all!

Week 10: Cheetah Belt in KungFu

Cheetah Belt in KungFu

Izzy came up from the toyroom tonight in her KungFu outfit.  She is a huge fan of the movie, KungFu Panda!

She has achieved her pink cheetah belt!  "HEE YAH, Squizzyson!"

Week 10: Ballerina

Ballerina

Tonight Libby participated in the Solon Spring Dance Show.  Izzy was very persistent in wearing one of Libby's old outfits. 

When we got to the show, Izzy spent an entire half hour dancing on the gym floor in front of a whole gym full of people all by herself!

Right before the show started the Emcee asked everyone to give the solo performer a round of applause, which she absolutely loved!  She's quite the ham!

Week 10: Ballerina Cowgirl

Ballerina Cowgirl

No disguise is complete without a cowgirl hat, stick pony, snow boots, and a ballerina costume.  She comes galloping down the hallway hollering, "HEE HAW".  From the looks of it, that horsey might need a potty break!

Week 10: "I Cycone"

"I Cycone"

Izzy is quite the character and master of disguises!  Today she put on her Cyclone shirt and hat.  She came dashing around the corner, did her shifty eye move back and forth, and says; "I Cycone.  Cycone Power".

Week 10: Master of Disguises

So this weeks theme is going to center around...you guessed it...disguises!  Everyday is something new with the Master of Disguises!

Week 9: Blinged Out Crocs

www.crocs.com

Crocs, Inc. is a shoe manufacturer founded by 3 friends - Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker, Jr. - to produce and distribute a foam clog design acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. The shoe had originally been developed as a spa shoe. The first model produced by Crocs, the Beach, was unveiled in 2002 at the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show in Florida, and sold out the 200 pairs produced at that time.

Born in Boulder, Colorado as a simple, comfortable boat shoe, today Crocs footwear can be found across the globe and in more than 250 styles for men, women, and children.  With distinct collections, Crocs offers colorful, lightweight comfort for any occasion and every season.

All Crocs shoes are uniquely designed and manufactured using the company's proprietary closed-cell resin, Croslite, a technology that gives each pair of shoes the soft, comfortable, lightweight, non-marking and odor-resistant qualities that Crocs wearers know and love.  Crocs footwear is ideal for casual wear, as well as for professional use and recreational activities.

More than 100 million pairs of Crocs footwear have been sold!

Week 9: Columbia



www.columbia.com

Columbia is a family business gone global. Chairman Gert Boyle's parents — German nationals who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 — purchased a small hat company upon their arrival in Portland and named it Columbia Hat Company, after the river that inspired their new home. This humble beginning was of huge significance to the family, marking new found freedom and a fresh start. Her husband later took over, and after he died Gert ran the show, going from housewife to executive overnight. Today, her son Tim Boyle is the longtime president and CEO.

1938

Columbia Hat Company established

1960
Gert Boyle designs first fishing vest
Columbia Hat Company becomes Columbia Sportswear Company

1970
Gert Boyle, a housewife, takes over the company

1975
Columbia first to introduce Gore-Tex® parka
Company goes international

1982
The Columbia Interchange System® is introduced in the Quad™ Parka

1984
The Mother of all ad campaigns begins
Youth line introduced

1985
Sportswear line introduced

1986
First Bugaboo™ Parka revolutionizes how downhill skiers dress

1990
First national television ad, "Car Wash"

1991
Omni-Tech®: Columbia's proprietary waterproof-breathable technology developed

1993
Footwear line introduced

1994
Convert and Titanium lines introduced
Lillehammer Winter Olympics Games: Official supplier to CBS Sports
Rivergate Distribution Center opens

1995
GRT: Gear for Rugged Trekking and Travel line introduced
America's Cup: Official sponsor to America3

1996
Columbia Comfort System introduced
PFG introduced
Flagship store opens

1997
Omni Dry®: High-performance moisture management technology developed
Special Olympics: Official supplier to Team USA

1998
Company goes public
Sydney Summer Olympic Games: Official supplier to NBC Sports

2000
Columbia acquires Sorel

2002
Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games: Official supplier to NBC Sports
Eco-Challenge official provider 1996–2002

2003
Cambrai, France, Distribution Center opens
5+ million visitors to website

2004
4 Star Distribution Center opens
Columbia acquires Mountain Hardwear
Company reaches $1 billion dollars in annual sales

2005
Gert's autobiography, One Tough Mother, is released
X Games official supplier 2002–2005

2006
Columbia acquires Montrail and Pacific Trail Products
Available in 72 countries

2008
Omni-Shade® Columbia's proprietary sun protection technology developed
Columbia celebrates its 70th anniversary
Official Sponsor of Team Columbia, former team High Road

2009
Columbia launches e-commerce

Titanium golf line introduced

2010
Columbia Sportswear Company signed an agreement to acquire OutDry Technologies

Week 9: Osiris

http://www.osirisshoes.com

Osiris Shoes is a skate shoe company that was founded in 1996 by Tony Chen, Tony Magnusson, Brian Reid, Doug Weston and Laura Kim. They created the company when they saw a void in the skateboard industry for pro designed and endorsed footwear.

Osiris Footwear is recognized as a leader in the skate shoe industry with some of the most stylish and comfortable sneakers that money can buy. Osiris shoes come in a diverse range of styles to fit any personality. For 14 years, Osiris sneakers have been at the forefront of the business by consistently producing unique and diverse skateboarding footwear year after year.

Osiris Footwear has somehow managed to implement an amazing combination of style, comfort, durability, and skate shoe technology in every pair of Osiris sneakers they produce. There are not many other sneakers that can compare to original style of Osiris shoes. There are so many Osiris shoes to choose from as well. No matter what your preference in skateboarding sneakers, Osiris Footwear is likely to have the one that fits your taste.

Osiris sneakers are among the most innovative and advanced when it comes to skate shoe technology. This brand of sneakers has set the bar for this technology time and time again since the late 1990s. The D3 was one of the most famous and popular shoes of its time due to its unprecedented skate shoe technology never seen before in a pair of shoes.

Osiris sneakers continue to push the limits in sneaker technology with their own patented designs like their Airbag technology which incorporates an encapsulating heel airbag cushioning in some Osiris skateboard shoes. The Osiris sneakers that don't feature this design still include a gel insert in all cup-sole midsoles. Some of the sneakers also feature their patented Super Grip technology which allows for maximum gripping ability on your skateboard. Osiris Footwear continues to raise the bar year after year with skate shoe technology. Osiris skateboard shoes own the rights to the very first mobile audio unit they named the G-Bag.

Week 9: Brooks

"If your feet aren't happy, you're not happy. If you're not happy, we're not happy. So what do we do? We simply make the most comfortable running shoes imaginable. "

 Company History:

Brooks Sports Inc. is a small yet well-recognized athletic footwear and apparel manufacturer, best known for its running shoes, which ranked as one of the top three brands in the United States during the late 1970s. Success during the late 1970s sent the company reeling during the 1980s, as it failed to sustain its market leadership and floundered. A refocused market strategy during the 1990s, targeted toward serious runners in the 35- to 54-year-old age bracket, reinvigorated Brooks, prompting diversification into apparel in 1997. The company designs and manufactures a full range of running and fitness footwear and apparel, maintaining a global presence in the athletic market.
Origins
Founded in 1914, Brooks began business as a maker of ice skates and cleated sports shoes, but the company did not distinguish itself until more than 60 years later, when it thrived as a manufacturer of running shoes. During the 1970s, the popularity of jogging swept across the United States, carrying with it the popularity of Brooks footwear. Led by its signature Vantage brand, Brooks rose to dizzying heights in the fast-growing athletic footwear industry, securing a large share of the ever increasing revenues and profits that helped transform an upstart rival named Nike into a multibillion-dollar business empire. Like Nike, Brooks emerged as a favorite among the burgeoning ranks of running enthusiasts who embraced the sport from coast to coast. By the late 1970s, Brooks ranked as one of the top three running shoe brands in the country, seemingly bound for the same size of fortune that the much younger Nike would later claim. The comparisons between Nike and Brooks ended shortly after the late 1970s, however; to the chagrin of Brooks's management, Nike was able to sustain the momentum generated during the late 1970s and develop a sprawling business with a domineering presence in the athletic market. Brooks, meanwhile, faltered quickly, tripped up by the confidence instilled during its meteoric rise into the industry's elite during the late 1970s. Industry pundits later theorized that the cause of Brooks's sudden collapse came from the company's errant attempts to ape the strategy used by Nike. Ironically, Nike, albeit indirectly, later intervened as Brooks's savior, but during the intervening period separating Brooks's collapse and its resurrection, the company teetered precariously on the brink of insolvency. Although the company was founded at the start of World War I, the story of its success truly began in the wake of the disaster that followed its late 1970s rise to prominence.
Caught up in the fervor created by the running craze during the late 1970s, Brooks overextended itself and quickly paid the price for its zeal. The company expanded into other athletic footwear markets, using its success in the running shoe market as the basis for diversifying into an array of footwear markets, including basketball, aerobics, and baseball. As Brooks diversified, it also entered the expensive realm of securing celebrity endorsements from well-recognized, professional athletes. Signing big-name athletes was a marketing strategy employed by Nike, and Brooks, eager to keep pace with the rising giant of the industry, followed suit, signing athletes such as football quarterback Dan Marino and basketball star James Worthy to endorse the company's $70 shoes. Problems began to surface when Brooks's business began to slacken, leaving the company overexposed to the business downturn and unable to operate efficiently or effectively. In response to the financial difficulties that subsequently beset Brooks, the company trimmed operating costs by using cheaper materials for its footwear. In a further bid to stanch the mounting financial losses, the company slashed prices and began distributing more and more of its merchandise to deep discount chains such as Kmart, where Brooks footwear retailed for as low as $20. Consequently, the brand lost credibility, its image tarnished by inferior products and a marketing strategy that repelled the company's original customers, joggers.

Behind the scenes, Brooks had a parent company that endured the perennial losses posted by its subsidiary. Rockford, Michigan-based Wolverine World Wide Inc., best known for its brand of Hush Puppies shoes, acquired Brooks in 1982, operating the company as a subsidiary named Brooks Shoe Inc. During the 1980s, Wolverine World Wide felt the sting of Brooks's pervasive problems, guilty itself of perpetuating the problems by supporting Brooks with what critics described as weak marketing. During Wolverine World Wide's decade of ownership, Brooks racked up $60 million in losses, recording eight consecutive years of unprofitability. By the early 1990s, Wolverine World Wide was ready to unload the burdensome drag on its earnings, and in early 1993 the company found a willing buyer. Ownership of Brooks changed hands in February 1993, marking the beginning of a new era for the troubled shoe manufacturer. To Brooks's new parent company fell the difficult task of injecting the 79-year-old concern with the vitality it had lost during the 1980s.

New Ownership for the 1990s
Brooks's new parent company was the Rokke Group (later Aker RGI ), a privately held Norwegian investment group with interests in shipping, real estate, commercial fishing, and sporting goods. Led and founded by Bjorn Gjelsten and Kjell Rokke, the investment firm paid $21 million for Brooks, a deal that included Brooks's U.S. operations and its worldwide licensing and distribution network. Following its acquisition by the Rokke Group, the company was renamed Brooks Sports Inc. and relocated near the Rokke Group's U.S. headquarters in Seattle. Brooks's international headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and its domestic headquarters in Hanover, Pennsylvania, were consolidated in Bothell, Washington, a Seattle suburb, as were the finance and accounting office in Michigan and the company's sourcing office in Taiwan. At the time of the acquisition, Brooks was generating roughly $100 million in annual, worldwide sales, although company officials would later contend that the financial figures reported by Wolverine World Wide were inflated. What was beyond argument, however, was the anemic domestic performance of Brooks. Sales in the United States had plateaued at approximately $25 million annually. Further, the eight years of consecutive financial losses were compounded by the deteriorated strength of the Brooks brand name. The company that had once ranked as one of the top three brands in the United States had plummeted to 25th place by 1993, when Brooks controlled 0.4 percent of the domestic market.

Profound changes were clearly needed, but in the midst of the reorganization and consolidation that occupied the company's attention throughout much of 1993, there were few signs that sweeping reforms were underway. In fact, the company appeared to be regressing rather than pressing forward with a restorative plan, as the launch of a new shoe dubbed 'The Truth' fell victim to numerous delays and the lack of a marketing campaign. The problems stemmed from Brooks's senior management, which was in disarray following the Rokke Group's acquisition of the company, thereby delaying the implementation of any program designed to cure Brooks's ills. The cloud hanging over Brooks's managerial ranks was cleared away substantially in August 1993, when three of the company's senior executives--including the president--departed, each leaving the company, according to various, contradictory accounts, either after being fired or after voluntarily stepping aside. With the departure of what the July 1, 1994 Puget Sound Business Journal described as 'a faltering management team,' stewardship of the company devolved to Rokke Group's chairman and CEO, Bjorn Gjelsten. Gjelsten's leadership of Brooks was a temporary solution to the company's most pressing problem. Gjelsten assumed day-to-day control over the company while he searched for a permanent replacement. By the end of 1993, he had found such a person, a well-regarded executive named Helen Rockey, who at the time was working for Nike.

Raised in Seattle, Rockey graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1978, ending her academic career two years later, after she had earned her master's degree in business administration. Rockey joined a production management training program at a plywood and sawmill in Oregon, spent one year working as vice-president of marketing for a Tacoma, Washington, company called Big Toys Inc., and then found a lasting position at Nike. Nike hired Rockey in 1984 as a special sales manager of the company's then small apparel division. She quickly distinguished herself at Nike, ultimately earning promotion to the position of general manager of the company's sport graphics and accessories divisions, which marketed merchandise such as hats, T-shirts, and water bottles. Rockey spearheaded tremendous growth at the divisions, highlighted by a four-year period in which she increased sales from $8 million to $500 million. Gjelsten was impressed, convinced that Rockey was capable of marshaling Brooks towards profitability and restoring the company's brand image to its former luster. In January 1994, Rockey was named president of Brooks, becoming the first female to head a major athletic shoe company in the United States.
Comeback Beginning in 1994
Upon assuming control over Brooks, Rockey implemented sweeping changes, announcing her intention to increase sales and profits by 25 percent during the ensuing three to five years. Her plan centered on reengineering Brooks's products rather than restructuring the company itself, an approach that focused the company's attention on serious runners--the core of the company's traditional success. Other sports categories were discontinued, eliminating any traces of Brooks's attempts to present itself as a 'mini-Nike.' After sharpening the company's focus on the running shoe market, Rockey turned to redesigning Brooks's footwear, as she desperately sought to distance her regime from the company that sold its cheaply made products in Kmart stores for as little as $20.
By June 1994, Rockey had delivered 'The Truth' to retailers, a back-to-basics running shoe that retailed for $109. Concurrently, Rockey began circuiting the country's retail establishments, concentrating on the specialty running stores that had always served as Brooks's strongest distribution channel. In trying to restore confidence in the Brooks name, Rockey articulated three corporate objectives that assuaged retailers' fears of dealing with the Brooks brand. First, she preached product excellence, promising revamped products with a drastically reduced defect rate. She stressed operational execution, promising on time delivery of the company's merchandise. Lastly, she promised better sell-through support, detailing plans to provide marketing support that incorporated individual retail establishments. Part of the program involving closer ties between Brooks and retailers included the sponsorship of athletes--in the new Rockey era, expensive celebrity endorsement deals were eliminated. Instead, Brooks began building a stable of 200 runners grouped into four sponsorship categories: world class, national, regional, and local. Sponsorship deals in many cases were restricted to free gear, rather than cash payments, and required the athletes to forge a relationship with their local retailer by making promotional appearances and conducting running clinics at particular stores. Because of the company's policy to eschew celebrity endorsement deals, Brooks gave up its chase of the hotly pursued youth markets, in which success was heavily dependent on the fame of the athlete who endorsed a particular shoe. Instead, Brooks concentrated on 35- to 54-year-old customers, the strongest market niche of serious runners.

The changes implemented by Rockey created a more focused, leaner company. Profitability, conspicuously absent during the eight years preceding Rockey's appointment as president, was restored after her first year of stewardship, putting the company on firm footing. Initially, the aim was to strip down the company and narrow its focus, eliminating all expenditures that did not address Rockey's three objectives. Once profitability had been restored and the Brooks brand name began to exude some of its former strength, Rockey could assume a more aggressive posture. Accordingly, the full effect of her influence did not materialize until Brooks's exited the mid-1990s and began building on its distribution base of specialty running stores.
Sales during the late 1990s rose energetically, driven upward by the palmy mood pervading Brooks's Bothell headquarters. Having re-established the brand in specialty running stores, Rockey endeavored to win back the business of regional sporting goods stores and department stores, and registered quick success. In 1996, for instance, Nordstrom Inc. carried Brooks footwear at just one store, but a year later, the department store chain carried the company's shoes at 30 locations. As the number of retail locations stocking the company's footwear increased, sales increased as well, particularly in the United States, where the company had incurred its greatest damage prior to Rockey's arrival. Against the backdrop of a 48 percent increase in domestic sales in 1996, Rockey unveiled her next plan of attack, announcing in mid-1996 that Brooks would enter the apparel business. The company introduced a full-line of technical running and fitness apparel for women and men in the spring of 1997, adding a substantial revenue stream to Brooks's business. After a 29 percent increase in apparel sales in 1998, the company's apparel business accounted for 15 percent of total sales by the end of the decade.

Despite the undeniable resurgence of Brooks, Aker RGI--Brooks's parent company--decided to cut its ties to the footwear and apparel manufacturer. In November 1998, the Norwegian holding company sold controlling interest in Brooks to Stamford, Connecticut, venture capital firm J.H. Whitney & Co. for $40 million. Aker RGI, which had decided to pay more attention to its commercial fishing and real estate holdings, retained a 20 percent stake in Brooks, selling 60 percent to J.H. Whitney. The remaining 20 percent interest in Brooks was purchased by Rockey and 70 other Brooks employees, giving management a substantial stake in what promised to be a promising future. In early 1999, orders from specialty running shops were up 84 percent, punctuating the strident success of the company during the latter half of the 1990s. Between 1995 and 1999, sales increased an average of 30 percent annually, fueling confidence that Rockey, who now had a substantial, vested interest in Brooks's success, would spearhead commensurate growth as the company entered the 21st century. In March 1999, such expectations were shattered when Rockey made a startling announcement.

In March 1999, Rockey announced she was leaving Brooks to join Birmingham, Alabama-based retailer Just For Feet Inc. as president and CEO. Insiders and outsiders were shocked by the news, coming a few short months after Rockey had led an employee buyout of the company. Rockey saw her chance to join a higher profile company, and took it, leaving Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Bruce Pettet, a Brooks executive since 1995, in charge of running the company. Pettet took over the titles of president and CEO from Rockey, promising a continuation of the policies and strategies developed and pursued by his predecessor. In November 1999, Pettet presided over the acquisition of Total Quality Apparel Resource Inc., a National City, California, company that had previously served as an independent apparel contractor for Brooks. The acquisition, organized as a subsidiary of Brooks, strengthened the company's presence in apparel, which company officials projected to be a 25 percent contributor to the company's overall sales. With the change in leadership and consistently strong financial performance behind it, Brooks prepared for the decade ahead, resurrected by the Rockey era and confident that Pettet's tenure of leadership would engender further success in the 21st century.

Week 9: Chuck Taylor's

What is the oldest, most popular, and all time best selling basketball shoe of all time?  It is the Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor"!

It was in 1908 that the Converse Rubber Corporation opened for business. At first the company only made galoshes and other work related rubber shoes on a seasonal basis. But eventually the company decided it was more efficient to keep their work force employed year round, and began making athletic shoes. With the popularity of basketball, the Converse Corporation saw the need to develop a shoe that people could wear while playing basketball. After lots of research and development, the very first version of the All Star basketball shoe was produced in 1917. The All Star shoe originally came in natural brown colors with black trim. In the 1920s, Converse All Stars were made in all black canvas or leather versions. The All Star was to be the first mass produced basketball shoe in North America. It consisted of a very thick rubber sole, and a ankle covering canvas (or sometimes leather) upper. At first sales were slow. They would rapidly increase a few years later, thanks to Charles "Chuck" H. Taylor.

Charles H. Taylor was a basketball player for the Akron Firestones. He liked what he saw in the All Star shoe and saw its potential for the sport of baskteball.  As a matter of fact, he believed in the shoe so much that in 1921 he joined the Converse sales force, and later became the player/coach for the Converse All-Stars, the company's industrial league basketball. team. Throughout his career with Converse, Taylor traveled all across the United States hosting basketball clinics and promoting the All Star shoe. His personal salemanship plus clever marketing devices like the Converse Basketball Yearbooks put his imprint on the sport at all team levels. But the Converse Corporation also bestowed something else on him. Because he was so successful in promoting the All Star sneaker, as well as making important changes in the original All Star shoe, in 1932, his name "Chuck Taylor" was added to the ankle patch. Hence the "Chuck Taylor" All Star basketball shoe was born!

Soon basketball teams as well as American boys were wearing Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Stars. In the 1930s Chuck Taylor designed the optical white high top model for the 1936 Olympics, and the shoe with its patriotic red and blue trim became very popular along with all black canvas and leather models of the All Star. During World War II, Chuck Taylor served as a captain in the Air Force and coached regional basketball teams, considered an important morale booster for the troops. And the All Star "Chuck Taylor" went off to war as GI's did their exercises in the white high top chucks that became the "official" sneaker of the United States Armed Forces.

After World War II, the classic black and white Chuck Taylor All Star High Top was introduced, a much more eye-catching shoe than the monochrome black models that had been produced up to that time. Basketball was now a major professional sport, with the merger of the National Baskeball League and the Basketball Association of America becoming the National Basketball Association (NBA). Chuck Taylor All Stars were the shoe for professional, college and all serious players, and these distinctive black or white high tops were part of the look of each team. In 1957 the low cut All Star was introduced and became poular as a more casual alternative to the high top. By this time Converse had an 80% share of the entire sneaker industry. Because of his tireless efforts, Taylor was called the "Ambassador to Basketball" and in 1968, Chuck Taylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, one year later he passed away.

Along with the passing of Chuck Taylor, went the dominance of the Converse Company as new rival companies stepped in, spearheaded by the NIke Corporation, and began to chip away at the market share and influence of Converse. Lots of changes began to occur in the athletic shoe industry. These rival companies intrroduced new models with new colored looks, all leather uppers, and high tech innovations like pumps and air cells. Although Converse responed by introducing chucks in a variety of colors, and new models like the One Star and Dr. J, teams began abandoning their All Stars and going with other models and brands.

Startinig in the 1970s, athletic shoes became so popular as footwear that adults refused to give up wearing them. Everyone wanted the look and feel of sneakers on their feets. Many new athletic companies emerged and marketed a wide variety of basketball and other sports and leisure shoes.

The Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Star, once the premiere shoe of elite baskteball players now became the shoe of the counter-culture and of baby boomers who refused to stop wearing their favorite pairs of chucks. The shoes became very popular with rock musicians, and younger generations wore them for their distinctive looks, colors, and comfort and as an alternative to the high priced high performance shoes made by Nike and other companies. They were considered a leisure shoe and now were purchased because they were fashionable. Converse repsonded by manufacturing chucks in hundreds of different variations that included prints, patterns, unusual colors, and special models for different age groups.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Converse Company began to experience hard times. The ownership and management of the Converse Company changed several times. These changes and bad business decisions along with their loss of market share took its toll on the company, and in 2001 they filed for bankruptcy. But the brand was too well established to abandon, and new ownership took over, closing all North American manufacturing and moving the manufacture of Converse athletic shoes from the USA to Asia. The brand was reestablished successfully and the company was eventually purchased by its rival, Nike.

Despite all of the innovations and changes in the athletic shoe industry, "Chuck Taylor" athletic shoes continue to live on! Thousands of pairs of high top and low cut chucks are still sold each week worldwide. As of today more than 800,000,000 pairs of chucks have been sold. Unlike other sneakers that lose their popularity, the Converse All Star "Chuck Taylor" still remains fashionable. Converse All Star "Chuck Taylors" are over 75 years old but still going strong! And since 1949, except for the addition of new colors, original "Chuck Taylors" have not changed one bit -- and they never will!

Week 8: Snow in the Air

Snow in the Air

By Raymond A. Foss

Snow in the air

long before the first flakes

started their long fall from the heavens

snow in the feel, the smell,

the texture of the air

feeling the falling barometer

the shift in the weather

Falling lightly at first, while

I stood at the sink,

mesmerized, watching

their dance downward

Go upstairs, roust the girls,

hear the excitement, the joy

at the first real snowfall

Accumulating white, flake by flake

on the ground, the cars,

still quiet snow, light and airy

a film of white, cell by cell

cleaning the world

in white

Week 8: Icicles

Icicles

By Johanne Lambert

Icicles.
I am mesmerized by your frigid beauty, sun-kissed, first light passes through your transparent gaze.

One, two droplets of water hang from your battered form, you hold on for dear life, until like tears, they fall, to melt into the lacy patchwork of snow blanketing the earth.

Icicles.
I press my gloved fingers to your smooth edge, rub off the frosty coating, gelatinous cover pinches woollen threads, dusty blue, to leave their mark on your frigid form.

Icicles.
Daggers overhead splice the spreading shadows,
prisms dance in the spaces left by the setting sun.
jagged crust –
fragment,
fall to pieces,
tiny casings gather on the ground.

Week 8: The Snow Storm

The Snow Storm

By Edna St. Vincent Millay

No hawk hangs over in this air:

The urgent snow is everywhere.

The wing adroiter than a sail

Must lean away from such a gale,

Abandoning its straight intent,

Or else expose tough ligament

And tender flesh to what before

Meant dampened feathers, nothing more.

Forceless upon our backs there fall

Infrequent flakes hexagonal,

Devised in many a curious style

To charm our safety for a while,

Where close to earth like mice we go

Under the horizontal snow.

Week 8: Snow Storm

The Snow-Storm

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.
The steed and traveler stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

Come see the north wind's masonry
Out of an unseen quarry evermore
Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer
Curves his white bastions with projected roof
Round every windward stake, or tree, or door.
Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work
So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he
For number or proportion. Mockingly,
On coop or kennel he hangs Parian wreaths;
A swan-like form invests the hidden thorn;
Fills up the farmer's lane from wall to wall,
Maugre the farmer's sighs; and, at the gate,
A tapering turret overtops the work.
And when his hours are numbered, and the world
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art
To mimic in slow structure, stone by stone,
Built in an age, the mad wind's night-work,
The frolic architecture of the snow

Week 8: A Blanket of Snow

A Blanket of Snow

By Jerry Curtis

God ruffles his hair

With his own special comb

While his white frozen dandruff

Stacks on his home

And we, his own guests

Marvel and shovel

Our own little paths

Here in God's hovel

We build Him our statue

And call it a "man"

Made from God's droppings

It melts as it stands

For the sun is God's eye

Undoing white pelts

God's very own snow storm

Unblinking it melts

But while it is falling

We stare at His show

He lays His white cloaking

A blanket of snow

Week 8: Snowflakes of the Storm

Snowflakes of the Storm

By Cindy Nemitz

Cold and airy we slowly form

One, two, three or more and now a storm

The wind whips through the air

Upward, downward without a care

Whirling, twirling as if confused

The delicate design is now abused

But with the strength of mighty steel

Crystal angles tightly spin in the reel

All around the air is blurred

Now the force be not deterred

Spiraling downward we do go

Into a storm we build and grow

The flakes of snow all around

Slowly flow to the ground

A forceful blizzard we may be

But wondrous too you must agree

Week 8: Wrapped in Silence

Wrapped in Silence

By Annette Bromley

The sky is gray and ominous
and storm clouds hide the sun.
The river’s heart is frozen
and it’s lost its will to run.
The sparrows on the feeder chirp,
wanting to be fed.
The happy songs of chick-a-dees
today seems filled with dread.

The wind seems to be moaning
and groaning all around
as a winter storm moves in
and freezing rain comes down,
then turns a zillion dancing flakes
all swirling, spinning round
as the earth grows silent
and snow falls without a sound.

How quiet the world grows
as winter weather settles in;
the only sound, what sound at all
is the moaning of the wind
as it shivers down the chimney,
taps on the window and the door;
and if you chance answer the knock,
sweeps in across the floor.

With earth wrapped up in silent snow,
how still comes the winter night
without so much a glimmer
of a star on fields of white.
So silent is the winter world
with days so dark and gray
wrapped in the silence of the snow
when stormy winter comes our way.

Week 7: Hands



He says, "I promise to protect you from fire even if the sun should fall, from water even if the sea should rage, and from earth even if it should shake in tumult. And I will honor your name as if it were my own. 

She says, "I promise that no flame or fire shall part us, no lake or sea shall drown us and no earthly mountains shall separate us.  And I too will honor your name as if it were my own.

They say, "I promise to be there when you need me, to fill your days with sunshine, to comfort you and encourage you, to be your best friend everlasting and to love you all my life with all my heart, for so long as we both shall live."

Week 7: Man Hands

I really love hands!  Hands tell such a wonderful story when you look at them closely.

If you were to examine these hands closely, you would see that they belong to a man who is a Son, a Brother, a Nephew, an Uncle, a Son-in-Law, a Brother-in-Law, a Friend, a Dad, a Husband, and hopefully one day a Grandpa or maybe even a Great Grandpa.

These hands belong to a man who has spent many a day helping his Dad and Uncle on the farm; who has helped his Mother through some of her toughest times.  A man who wears his Grandfather's ring proudly; a man that understands the importance of family.

These hands belong to a man who has pretended to be Chuck Norris;  who has arm wrestled against his brother.  Who has tried to parachute off the play house; who built his very first car; who has tight rolled his jeans.  A man who loves his nieces to pieces.

These hands belong to a man that knows what a "hard day's work" means and appreciates the value of a dollar.  Who started at the bottom and continues to work his way up.  A man who isn't affraid to get dirty; who takes pride in his work; a man who makes sacrifices for others that often go unnoticed, but only because he wants it that way.  A man who wears his blister's, calluses, and scars proudly; each one able to tell a story of their own.

These hands belong to a man who has calmed a child down after a nightmare.  Who is the master on how to stop a bloody nose.  Who has given a bath, changed a diaper, fed a baby, and consoled an unconsolable child.  These are the hands of a man who tickles, who throws a child high into the sky, and who helps homework.  A man who has allowed his children to fail, but is quick to help them up.

These hands belong to a man who has comforted me in my darkest hour.  A man who has stroked my hair and whispered words of comfort when I thought I couldn't go on.  A man who has never left my side even when times were difficult.  A man who chooses me not because he has too, but because he wants too; because he sees the good in me that others often overlook.  A man that encourages me to persue my own happiness no matter what it looks like.

These hands belong to a man who is a Son, a Brother, a Nephew, an Uncle, a Son-in-Law, a Brother-in-Law, a Friend, a Dad, a Husband, and hopefully one day a Grandpa or maybe even a Great Grandpa.  These hands belong to Jason.

Week 7: I Love My "B"s

Day 47

A Poem About my "B"

By: Libby Allen

It is morning.

I have two B's.

I like to play with them.

They are pink and have a brown noses

It is night.

When it is night, I like to sleep with my "B"s.

They are so soft and cozy.

They are pink and have a brown noses.

I LOVE my "B"s!

Week 7: Izzy

Day 46

It's not often, but every once-in-awhile, Izzy will let me put her hair in ponies.  I LOVE the way she looks in them, but she HATES to wear them very long!  Luckily I was able to snap a picture before she ripped them out!

She also LOVES her bunny, which is in the bottom of this picture.  She doesn't let Bunny too far out of site!  "Where my bunny?"

Week 7: Valentine's Day



Day 45

Fun Valentine Facts

Did you know that nearly 150 million cards are exchanged each Valentine's Day? Or that more than 40,000 American are employed at chocolate companies?

Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight.
Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research

There are 119 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages.

904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.

Candy

1,241: The number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2004.
43,322: The number of people employed by chocolate and cocoa producers

515 locations produced nonchocolate confectionary products in 2004.
22,234: The number of people employed by confectionary producers

$13.9 Billion: The total value of shipments in 2004 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products.
$5.7 Billion: Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing

3,467 Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2004. Often referred to as candy stores, they are among the best sources of sweets for Valentine's Day.

The per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2005 was 25.7 pounds.

Week 7: Making Valentines

Day 44

The kids worked on their valentines for their school friends tonight.  It was quite the undertaking!  Maison and Libby put together goodie bags that contained:  1 valentine pencil, 2 Twizzlers, 1 Tootsie Pop, and a valentine of their choice.

Maison found valentines that could be folded into paper airplanes which was perfect for him!  Libby found some crafty-create-your-own, which was right up her alley.

All in all, it was a fun and creative night at the Allen house!

Week 7: Kisses

Day 43

Kiss          Kiss        KissKissKiss                  Kiss                        Kiss
Kiss        Kiss          KissKissKiss          Kiss        Kiss          Kiss       Kiss
Kiss      Kiss                   Kiss                Kiss          Kiss        Kiss         Kiss
Kiss    Kiss                     Kiss                 Kiss                         Kiss
Kiss  Kiss                       Kiss                     Kiss                         Kiss
Kiss  Kiss                       Kiss                          Kiss                        Kiss
Kiss    Kiss                     Kiss                                Kiss                        Kiss
Kiss      Kiss                   Kiss                Kiss          Kiss         Kiss         Kiss  
Kiss        Kiss          KissKissKiss          Kiss        Kiss           Kiss      Kiss
Kiss          Kiss        KissKissKiss                  Kiss                         Kiss

Week 6: I am Old Glory

I Am Old Glory

Originally written by Master Sergeant Percy Webb, USMC.

I Am Old Glory: For more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans.
Born amid the first flames of America's fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states.
Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions.

Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage.

They have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity.

They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men.

So long as men love liberty more than life itself; so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.