A Look Back At "How We Lived" in 2007!

As we reflect back on the past year, it’s easy to think of the many challenges that were faced.
It seems there were many. But, when we stop and think about all the good things, we realize there was so much more for which to be grateful.

As we say goodbye to 2007, we will forever cherish the wonderful times and take the challenges as lessons learned. Most of all, we give thanks for our wonderful friends and family. For it is all of you who were there for the good times as well as the bad.

Here’s to all the adventures that await us in 2008. And for 2007, we leave you with a look back at our very blessed year; and some very wise words to live by… “It’s How You Live.”

Happy New Year!

Click the play button to watch.

Christmas 2007 with the Rice Family

We had our annual Christmas Eve open house. I love this time of year because it is the time of year when you see friends and family you might not see throughout the year. On Christmas day, it was just the four of us. I truly treasure having youngs ones at Christmas time. They are what it's all about!! Enjoy this music montage of our joyous Christmas!!

Snow Days Show at Gold Creek Church

Each year, select Applause Studio students perform at this very fun annual event at Gold Creek Community Church in Mill Creek. It is quite the fun event. They actual truck in real snow and families bring their sleds and have a blast sledding and playing in the snow. They also have an awesome selection of craft vendors. This year I bought a very fun knitted purse and a cook book that has the most wonderful recipes. I always get compliments on my purse and the recipes from the book are always asked for... especially the French Quarter cheese. It's to die for!!!

December Fun!!!

It snowed on December 1 this year. What a way to welcome the first month of winter. Amanda performed in three shows, including her first choir concert. We of course got together with friends and family for some festivities and then we said goodbye to 2007.

December Fun (2007)

Thanksgiving and Babies!!

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house. Mom and Bill flew up from Arizona to join us. It was sure great to have my mom here to help me with all the festivities. I came down with a horrible flu the week before and barely recovered in time to pull of the event.
Then, two days later we had another houseful of family to celebrate the two new babies in our family, Lilly and Kaiden. Mom got to meet great grandchild #2 and #3 for the first time. What a wondeful day!!!

Thanksgiving & Babies!!

Sir Austin - Freak on the Court

Here is a cool video of Austin showing off his stuff with the basketball. He's really good at handling the ball as you will see. Enjoy the show!!

Another Birthday Has Come and Gone...

Larry took Alyson (Oct. 25) and me (Nov. 1) to lunch and then a bunch of us had dinner at the Purple Cafe. And now I'm another year closer to 35. ;-)

Fall Happenings

Fall is in full swing and their has been no shortage of entertainment in our family.

Fall Happenings

We made it on the front page of the Enterprise newspaper!!

'This is Thriller ...'
Applause dancers help bust world record

By Alexis Bacharach Mill Creek Enterprise editor

Olivia Pace's jaw dropped at the thought that children, her own age 25 years ago, sat glued to their televisions awaiting the world premier of Michael Jackson's landmark "Thriller" video on MTV... Read Entire Article HERE.

Applause Studio's "Thrill Mill Creek" captured on Q13 News!

Q13 News came to Mill Creek Town Center to capture us (Applause Studio) breaking the world record, along with 106 other events happening around the world, for the most people simultaneously dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thiller."

Applause Studio featured on KING 5 News

Another segment of our behind the scenes preparation as we rehearse for "Thrill Mill Creek"... part of the International "Thrill the World" event. We made history on October 27, at 3pm PT at the Mill Creek Center's "Forum."
How thrilling is that???

Applause Studio featured on NW Cable News

Miss Alison and some of our dancers were intereviewed by NW Cable News as part of our effort to "Thrill Mill Creek," which was part of the "Thrill the World" event... to break the record of the most people dancing at the same time. Go Applause!!!

Baby, Baby!!

We are so blessed to have two new babies in our family, Lilly & Baby G. They are so cute and wonderful in every way!!! (note: some names have been withheld for privacy protection).

Baby Baby!!!

Welcome Baby G!!

Congratulations to Gxxxx & Mxxxx (and big sister Axxxxx too). Baby G arrived on Monday, October 22, at 2:11pm, weighing in at 6lbs, 1oz and 18" long. He is just perfect!!! (note: name's withheld for privacy reasons).

WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY LILLY!!

She's Here! Lilly Delatour - Born on Saturday, Oct. 13 @ 5:55pm. Lilly's Gma Alyson was also born at 5:55pm and her great Gpa Norm Ross was born at 5:55pm. Her Auntie Julie was born at 4:44pm. Her cousin Amanada was born at 3:33am. A string of lucky numbers I'd say!

Ashley & Merri's Li'l Pumpkins Baby Shower

Two little pumpkins are on their way so we celebrated with a special day. In honor of Ashley and Merri and the newest pumpkins in the patch! Amanda & I hosted the event with help from Reba! Enjoy the fun music montage below of the festivities. Baby Boy G will arrive some time between Oct 19 & 29 and Baby Girl Lilly will make her grand appearance some time between Oct 17 and 31. We can't wait to meet these precious bundles of joy!!!



If you would like to view the video in a larger format, click the link below:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8008067888861595873

This is what my kids do for fun...

I don't even know how these kids do this stuff. Kids are so darn smart these days!!
Enjoy the show.

Snowball the incredible dancing & singing cockatoo!

If you are in a slump and are feeling down, watch this video and you will laugh so hard it will hurt. I love this bird!!! You can see the full version here -> http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7IZmRnAo6s

Congratulations Amanda (and Bob too!!)

I have very exciting news. Amanda has received the leading role in this year’s production by the Applause Players called, “The Great Penelope” - another original zany script from Miss Laura West. Amanda is very honored and thrilled to receive such an exciting opportunity.

Penelope is a 12-year girl who thinks her life is dull and unfair. When she finds herself in a situation she doesn’t like, she uses her imagination to create the world she wants. But, when she does this, she makes the situation worse. There is quite the cast of characters in this play, including Penelope’s annoying little sister, Emily, and her average, unexciting, loving, yet annoying parents.

Speaking of Penelope’s parents, that leads me to my next exciting announcement. The role of Penelope’s father will played by Amanda’s real-life father… Bob Rice!!! He will be singing and dancing as well.

So, you can’t miss “The Great Penelope.” You are in for a big treat. This full-blown musical comedy production will be presented May 3rd & 4th at the Everett Historic Theater!

Tickets go on sale starting in March at $8.00 general admission, $5.00 for seniors, and are free for children 5 and under. General admission rates goes up in April to $10 and then $12 if purchased in May. I will send out another email in February as a reminder.

Triple Baby Shower

Cousin Susan hosted a triple baby shower at Alyson's home for Ashley (Due Oct. 25), Merri (Due Nov. 1), and Kylee (Due Nov. 15). We are triple blessed and eager for the arrival of these 3 bundles of joy. The mommies-to-be looked great! They put up with the family popparazi!! Congrats!!

Trip to Arizona at the end of August...

The Kids and I spent a week visiting grandma and grandpa in Arizona. Talk about hot, hot, hot!! We didn't have a single day under 110 degrees. So... we spents lots of time staying cool in the pool!!

August Happenings...

August was quite busy. We kicked off the month with a celebration for Jesse. He turned 18 this year!! Boy do I feel old - they grow up so fast. Then Bob did a fabulous job painting our house. It turned out really great. I managed to sneak in some garden time, although not as much as I'd have liked. We also had fun performing at the Taste of Edmonds and hanging with J.P. Patches.

Trip to the ocean in July

We spent a week at the Ocean this year. Our first stop was camping for 2 nights at Kalaloch. The weekend started off quite soggy, but we made the most of it until the sun finally broke through. After that, we headed to Moclipse for 5 nights. We rented a very nice cabin just off the ocean. It was quite windy a lot of the time but very fun. We are still finding sand in our coat pockets even now.

Lazy Street at the 2007 Bite of Seattle

Larry's Band, Lazy Street, Played at the Bite of Seattle. He, Mark, Anthony, Dave, Dennis, & Michael Rocked the Seattle Center. Their fan club did not disappoint. Many family members and friends came out to support the band. Click HERE to see all the photos!

Pesky Deer eating my roses

One of many sightings of deer in our back yard. They love to eat our flowers and even ate the hot peppers Bob was growing. We are not to pleased with these critters turning our back yard garden into a salad bar! But they sure are cute!!

Jasmine’s Birthday Celebration

We Celebrated Jasmine's birthday on July 10. Is was quite the fun filled party. It was a beautiful July day so we started with lunch on the back porch. Before we moved to the living room to open presents, sing happy birthday, and enjoy cake, we headed out to the basketball court to watch Austin and cousin Alex take on dad and grandpa for some 2:2. To see who won, click on the photo to the left to watch the photo show.

Mill Creek Festival 2007

This year's festival was a complete success. We (Applause Studio) sponsored the Family Stage. Bonus, our booth was set up right next to the stage. Our Performance and Dance Teams performed on Saturday and then our Theatre Group performed the Chocolate Factory (Amanda played many roles and I appeared as various living props). Enjoy the video montage I created below! To view all the photos, click HERE to access the online video show and from there, click on "Album!!"

We were in the Bothell 4th of July Parade

We showed our patriotic spirit this year and joined the Applause Studio gang for the Bothell 4th of July parade. It was quite the hot day and I was so impressed that the kids were able to boogie down the whole way. I was about ready to faint and all I did was hand out flyers and candy. Bob walked along side and captured it all on video. Austin helped hand out candy. I also captured some footage. Click HERE to view the video montage!

Father's Day 2007

We had two Father's Day celebrations this year. Glen and Diane hosted a BIG gathering at their place the weekend before, which was also a birthday celebration for Glen (June 7).

We had another Father's Day celebration at our house the following weekend. Glen and Bob were our guests of honor. Bob's mom was in town from Utah. It was great celebrating with family. You can find more pictures HERE.

I created a photo music montage for each of the dads in my life. Click the links below to view each of these special tributes to 3 of the coolest dads I know!!!
Bob's Montage ** Bill's Montage ** Glen's Montage

Austin's School Play

Austin was in a school play called “Theseus and the Minotaur, The Monster of the Maze.” The play was Performed by the James Monroe Superstars in Ms. Martin & Mrs. Coffman’s Multiage Class (3rd/4th).
Click on the image to see all the photos!

June Production @ Edmonds Center for the Arts

Amanda and I had a great time performing in the Applause Studio production of "Opposites." The show was a huge success and a good time was had by all. I finally got around to uploading a bunch of the photos from the show. Some are photos I took before and after the show and the others were taken by our professional photographer. He captured some great on-stage action shots!!! To view the photos, click on the image.

Blake Lewis Home Town Visit with American Idol

My kids and I played hooky and headed to Bothell to help welcome home our hometown hero, Blake Lewis... one of the final 3 contestant's on American Idol.

Click on the photo to the left to view photos!

View the music montage I put together:
http://www.photoshow.net/julzlife/adventures

Ross Family Fun

The five of us Ross siblings got
together in April for food, fun, and Mojitos!!
A good time was had by all and we posed for our usual
Fab Five Foto. ;-)

On April 29, we gathered once again for another celebration.
Happy birthday to mom,
Gary, and Larry
and congratulations to Merri & Garet
on their wedding.

We were also giddy about our
two expectant couples...
Ashley and Luke (Baby #1)
and Garet & Merri (Baby #2).

How good are these Mojitos?
Yummo!

Click on any of the photos
to see the entire album.

Enjoy the montage video below!

The Chocolate Factory

APPLAUSE PLAYERS PRESENTS...
The Chocolate Factory -- featuring Amanda Rice
On Friday, April 27, Amanda appeared in the play "Chocolate Factory." This was her first large theatre production. She has definitely been bit by the theater bug and has fallen madly in love with acting. In fact, she may focus solely on theater for a while. Our Amanda is a natural born actress and have we no doubt she will go far with this new endeavor.

Before the play, family and friends gathered at Anthony's Home Port Restaurant on the Everett Waterfront for dinner. Amanda was so touched at how many friends and family came to see her debut. I believe there were 20 of us who met up for dinner and several more friends and family met us at the theater.

The play was a huge success. What a wonderful night! Thanks to everyone who came out and showed their support!!!
Click on either photo to see all the fun pictures. :-)

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM!

On Friday, April 20... The Applause Studio Performance Teams had a show at the Everett Imagine Children's Museum.

Before the show, the kids took advantage of the fun things to do at the museum. Click on the photo to see all the photos of our night at the museum.

Easter Sunday - 2007

Another lovely Easter day at the Rice house!
As is tradition, the first order of business is for the kids to find their Easter Baskets.

Austin found his right away in the guest room closet. I think he likes it...

Amanda found hers on the first try as well, in her bathtub. She can't wait to dig in...

Next order of business... the Easter Egg Hunt!!! The weather was perfect.
Click on the photos to see all the festivities!!!

80 Degrees on April 6...

The four of us took advantage of the excellent weather we had on Friday, April 6. Bob and the kids packed up the air mattresses and headed to Silver Lake to go floating. It may have been extra warm outside, but the water was slightly cold!

I decided to take the last half of the day off and join Bob and the kids. I stopped off on the way to the lake and grabbed some lunch. What a wonderful picnic we had. Click on the photos for more....

Take time out to plant some flowers...

Well, I finally made it out to the garden to add some spring color. I literally felt like I was going through gardening withdrawals. It was such a rainy cold winter... it felt like I had not been out in the yard since last Fall. So I managed to sneak in a couple of hours of gardening. I can't wait to get back out there. Click on the photo to see what I've done so far.

Julie & Amanda Perform at Whirligig 2007!

WHIRLIGIG 2007
AT SEATTLE CENTER

Amanda & I performed at the annual Whirligig show. This is Amanda's 3rd year performing in this show and my 2nd. Click on the photo to see all the action!

Happy 25th Birthday to Erika!

We had a nice lunch with the family on
Sunday, April 1, to celebrate
Erika's birthday (which is March 29).

Jesse and Grandpa & Grandma
Rice were there to help celebrate
the festive occasion!

Austin and Amanda were
more than happy to test the cake
to make sure it was okay to eat!

Even the host and hostess,
Bob & Julie, were captured
together in this rare photo. ;-)

Click on any photo to see all the photos!

Amanda's 12th Birthday

For Amanda's birthday, I took her and 3 of her girlfriends to the mall for lunch and a day of shopping. Then, we ended the day with milkshakes at Ruby's Diner.

The next day, we had a family lunch at our house. It was a very nice day, complete with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins!!

Click on either of the photos to see all the fun!

Happy Birthday to Austin & Bob

We celebrated Austin and Bob's birthday with a family gathering on January 7. We had a nice lunch with the family. The boys got tickets to the Sonics vs. Utah Jazz game (which turned out to be one of the best games all year). As you can tell, Austin also got some cool Sonics garb.

The next weekend, Austin had a birthday party with his friends. We rented out a gym at the MLT Rec center. He and his friends played basketball for almost 2 hours. I made Austin a music CD with cool basketball tunes to dunk by.

After basketball, we moved to one of the rec center party rooms for cake, presents,
and some fun party games.
By the way, it snowed that week and the roads were still fairly icy. Luckily, we managed to get most of Austin's buddy to to the party!

Click on any of the photos to see all the fun!

Dancin' Divas (like mother, like daughter)

I started dancing when I was very young and have kept it as a part of my life (when I can). My daughter caught the dancing bug at an early age as well. She has been dancing since the age of 3.

It's great having a daughter who shares my passion for dance. Dance is my therapy and "forces" me to take time out from my busy week to do something for myself (which also helps me keep in shape).

The photos shown here are from our 2006 Recital. Click on any photo to view its complete album. The video below showcases our 2006 season. Enjoy!