The Laughlins

I was thinking about compiling a network of one-click links to all of the family websites and blogs that are out there. I could divide them by each side of the family...Koder, Stockton, Laughlin, and Long so that you can locate individuals from your particular side of the family. I already have many websites/blog addresses for family members, but I wanted to ask for their permission before I post them. In addition, you can let me know which website you actually use and update. I will put the list together from there...so start leaving me your URLs! (i.e. www.markandaubrey.com - for Mark and Aubrey Laughlin)

Merry LATE Christmas!! This is the largest number of pictures that I have ever put in one post, so we'll see how it works. These are not ALL of my Christmas pictures, so I apologize if you were not included in this bunch. If you really don't want your picture posted, let me know as well. Kyle, you don't count...yours stays :) We are back safe and sound, and Mark is back at work. I have this week off, so I am doing odd projects and updating my website. We are probably going to see Munich and/or Memoirs of A Geisha soon. I have heard mixed opinions on


Munich, but I would like to see it for myself. Hope you all had a great Christmas, and thank you for all of your comments!! They are working!

There is a great hiking place about 20 minutes from where I live in Southern California called Vasquez Rocks. Recently, my friend, Mat, came to visit for Christmas (with his friend Micah), and Mat, Micah, Angela, and I went hiking there. When we arrived, they wouldn't let us drive all the way in to the closest parking area, and we found out that it was because they were doing a photo shot with live tigers! They told us that we could take the other trails, so we hiked up the back of the main rock and tried to watch them with the tigers down below. They ended up asking everyone to move off of the rock, so we didn't see the actual tigers, only their cage in the back of a red truck (see picture below). We walked around anyways and enjoyed being outdoors in December in tank tops :) Here are some of our pictures. Angela also did a great documentary video clip on the tigers.

Click here for tiger movie! (.MOV)

Our cars seem to have a history of breaking! Mark's VW Golf died about one year ago, so we have been a one-car family since. We are just trying to get my Maxima to last a little longer, but it has had some big fixes in the last two months. A fuel infector went out in the engine compartment, and the oxygen sensor had to be replaced ($700). Two days later, the radiator exxploded as I drove into a parking lot, so we had to get a new radiator, fluid, cap, etc. ($500). About two weeks ago, our front passenger tire was slashed when we were parked at our friends condo ($11...I had coverage). Finally, yesterday on the way down for Christmas, the electrical components of the car started blitzing out. The windshield wipers slowed edown, the CD player started blinking and stopped playing CDs, and various lights were blinking all over the car. It shut down right as we were approaching an exit on the freeway, so we managed to get in half-way up the off-ramp and off to the side. My parents were driving down too, so we called them and about 30 minutes later (oh, yeah...it was pouring down rain), we were all smashed into a 5-passenger car headed about another 20 minutes down the freeway to the Lehman's house. We enjoyed Christmas and figured that we would spend the night with the Lehmans and buy a battery in the morning, drive it back to the Lehman's, and check the alternator. My uncle happened to be a Nissan mechanic for many years at a dealership, so he knows a lot about my car. We replaced the battery and got it back, but it turned out to be the alternator, so Mark, Marc, and Roger headed off to the auto parts store to buy an alternator. Hopefully we will be on the road in a couple of hours (since Mark has work tomorrow). If you read this, a big THANK YOU to the Lehmans for housing us and taking care of my car, and THANKS to my parents as well for packing up all of our belongings at the house and bringing them down to Sacramento for us!

Many people have been asking me about leaving comments. I have changed the settings on my website so that anyone can leave a comment without filling out a huge page of information or signing up with blogger.com. All I need is your name and a comment!! Here are the directions:

1) Go to www.markandaubrey.com
2) Read an entry...and think "hmmmmm, I would like to leave a sarcastic comment about this entry."
3) At the bottom of said entry, click on the blue/brown word on the right-hand side that says, "comment."
4) A new screen will pop up that says, "Leave your comment." Type your comment in the large box at the top (don't worry about the html stuff...just type in standard English).
5) In the "Choose an Identity" section below your comment, click the box that says "Other." It will then ask for your name and webpage. All you really need to enter is your name (unless you have a webpage that you would like me to visit, of course).
6) At the bottom of the page is a word verification section. This really isn't a word at all but just a bunch of weird looking letters that you type in the box. I have installed this device in order to block SPAM (junk mail). Thanks for using up 3 seconds of your time to enter the letters!
7) Finally, click on "Login and Publish." This will send me an email informing me of your comment, so that I can screen out any weirdos before they leave stuff on my site. Once it is OK'ed by me, your comment will appear on the site!

Viola!!! You have successfully left a comment. See how easy that was! I didn't even ask for your address or SSN. Now that you are all informed, there is no reason that you shouldn't leave me lots of comments!

Merry Christmas!! My parent's have really slow Internet at their place, so I probably won't try to post the rest of the pictures and news that I have right now. However, we are having fun In NorCal. I took pictures of I-5 on the way up and was contemplating a photo series of bumper stickers...we'll see. We went to a Christmas party at my brother's house on Friday night and had Christmas Eve with my family last night. Lots of Dance Dance Revolution fun was had by all. This morning we went to Mother Lode Church and saw lots of our friends :) Now we are heading to Sacramento for Christmas celebrations. Mark and I made the FAMOUS potato cheese casserole that everyone loves! YUM!! Have a wonderful time with your friends and family! Enjoy these pictures of morning mist at my parent's house (Friday morning).

We had our fun day at work today; we watched Elf and ate lunch at the Olive Garden. I got to go home early and did laundry until I had to pick Mark up. He borrowed the car to buy me presents this evening, and now we are at Ma and Pa Murrays playing video games (I am playing on the Internet). Here are some cool videos from that last week:

AUBREY PLAYING DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION AT WORK MOVIE (.MOV)

THE YANKEE SWAP VIDEO (.MOV)

MARK BOXING LUKE MOVIE (.MOV)

Here are some pictures of my co-workers and myself hard at work!

We went to Ma and Pa Murray's house last night for a Christmas party and a "Yankee Swap." Today, we went to a surprise party for Cinnamin Murray...she turned 18. We had an Aloha party in December....pretty cool :) I have a lot of recent pictures and funny boxing VIDEOS of Mark that I haven't put up yet, but here are some great boxing shots of Mark. He didn't really win the boxing gloves in the Yankee Swap (Mat did), but he stole them right away and had tons of fun getting himself all sweaty and beating people up. He made a deal with Mat today...he is making him a batch of pizzelles in exchange for the boxing gloves. Nate is buying another pair of gloves for himself too so that he and Mark can beat each other up...boys. I think that Mark and I are going to Narnia tonight (because he hasn't seen it yet). Anyways, enjoy the pictures! We'll be heading up to NorCal on Thursday for Christmas! I may not be able to post up there, but check anyways :) Tomorrow is my last real day of work...yippee!

Here is our latest attempt at Christmas pictures. We actually selected one out of this bunch that we liked...









In other news, Mark is officially the sickest that I have ever seen him (which simply means that he has a very snuffily nose). Today at work, we had Senior Day...we ordered pizza and played Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). In the future, watch for another funny video. If you haven't already checked out the last video link, it is quite funny!! I will be done with work on Monday, we have a "fun day" on Tuesday, and then we will be heading to NorCal for Christmas on Wednesday. Our friend Mat will be driving out from Utah tomorrow morning to visit, so I will probably have more pictures after that :) ALL of my students made the minimum this month! That may not mean anything to you, but let's just say that that rarely happens, and I was very excited :) It may not ever happen again...but who knows! I have almost finished reading "Crime and Punishment" (I've probably said that one million times...but I am getting closer). However, on Sunday, I did read all of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" again. I really enjoyed reading it again, since it has been a good number of years since the last time. I picked up on a lot more this time too. We took some students to see the Narnia movie on Monday, and that was fun. It seemed like they did as good of a job as they could have on a story like that, but I am still convinced that it is a better read than a movie. I suppose that if you know that Aslan is supposed to be divine, then no amount of Hollywood can really muster that. Anyways, feel free to leave a comment. i think that i successfully removed the comment block!!!

I tried to post a new blog two nights ago, but it wouldn't let me for some reason. Now I am at a friend's house on their computer, so I can't post the pictures and stuff. I will try again soon. However, I am at a Christmas party doing a "Yankee Swap" (instead of a White Elephant gift).

Watch this awesome full-length DDR movie that took me forever to make!

Mark and I attempted to take some Christmas pics, but my camera kept dying, and we weren't really happy with these. We will attempt more soon and hopefully make some good prints. I have had quite an eventful week at school: one of my students was arrested at our center (and won't be coming back), another one was detained for driving infractions, I had to drop my first student, and I had a very dramatic conversation with two parents (they were dramatic...I wasn't). All in all though, it was still a good week, and I got a lot of work done. Mark has been working half days on Saturdays as an extra assignment at work. It will only be for a few weekends though.

Hey guys,
We bought a Christmas tree today and listened to Bing Crosby and Amy Grant's Christmas album on record while we decorated. A little more DDR and fun at the Murrays. They made awesome cinnamon rolls! Yummy!
Check out Nate Murray's website...he always has cool stuff

Hey guys,
I have my new website running now, so this is where I will be posting all of my news and pictures!! Mark and I have been having a LOT of fun playing DDR with our friends lately. Nate and Ashley found it and gave it to us. Also, I have obviously purchased my new Kodak Easyshare camera, and I am totally loving it! It is a great camera. Check out these hilarious Dance Dance Revolution pictures and videos! So funny! I have been laughing a lot!






Geoff and Mark's hilarious dance video: Part I (.mov)


Geoff and Mark's hilarious dance video: Part II (.mov)