Little Money on the Side

Novemeber 5, 2007

Well, my co-worker and splendid friend Dusty got engaged in late October. Although there were many other options for him when it came to finding someone to take his engagement pictures, he decided to ask me. I admit I was a little apprehensive at first. To start with, I am not a big fan of taking pictures of people (I will spare you the reasons why). But, because I work with him I thought it was the least I could do. So this past weekend I met Dusty and Angela in Fayetteville, and we headed to the U of A campus. It was the perfect day for with all of the leaves at their peak in color.

All in all they were happy with the results and I officially had my first paying gig.I got to use my major after all! I even got to climb a tree to get some pictures from a different angle. It helps taking pictures of someone you work with. Below are some of the pictures. I had a little photoshop fun with a couple of them.

The Jens, the Hogs, and Me

November 4, 2007

"Go Hogs Go!" I can't even count the number of times I said those three little words this weekend. If you need to know one thing about Northwest Arkansas, know that it is filled with University of Arkansas Razorback fans and they are loud and proud. This weekend I found myself in the midst of it all.

It all started with a call from my roommate Jenny who had 4 tickets to the Razorback men's basketball game and was having trouble finding people to go. Having been in Arkansas for two years now I thought it was time to step it up and expand my horizons.

By game time Jenny found two other people to come with us, Jen and Jennifer. During the game, Jennifer (one of those fans I mentioned above) began to teach us the many lessons of what it means to be a true Razorback fan which included learning all the cheers. (All the Jens pictured above)

That lesson was only the beginning for me. After seeing the Hogs hammer West Florida with a final score of 117 to 43. Jennifer asked me if I would like to join her the following evening for a Razorback Football game. How could I pass up an invitation like that. Little did I know what I was in for....

I would say that I am pretty familiar with football. I went to all the games in High School. I understand what is happening. I even know some of the signals that the referees give. That is pretty good considering the University I graduated from didn't have a football team.

I have watch countless football games on TV put that really didn't prepare me for this live experience. This was the last home game of the season, so the stadium was packed with over 70,000 people full of Razorback team spirit. With Jennifer, the hard core fan that she is, sitting ( I should say standing) on my left and a pregnant lady with a high pitched yelling voice on my right; the excitement became contagious as the Hogs had a 21 to 3 lead over South Carolina by the end of the first quarter.

By then I was among the many that called the Hogs several times, shouted "Pig Souie" (can't say I ever yelled that before), and was programed to respond "First down" when the announcer said, "and that makes it a Razorback". And of course no cheer education would be complete without doing all the motions.

As the game went on, their were brief moments when the fans got a little ugly. It was a tight game so every mistake had the potential of being costly. In the end the Hogs held for a 48 - 36 win lead by Darren McFadden rushing 323 yards and Felix Jones rushing 174 yards.

Even though my right ear drum felt like it was beaten to a pulp, all in all it was a great, Hog filled experience. I am by no means a sold out fan, but I find that I have a little better view of why some people are.

A Big thanks to Chuck and Jennifer for sharing their season tickets and making this experience possible.

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2007

Halloween is one of those occasions where kids that are already cute get the chance to dress up and somehow become even more adorable. This year was no exception. A few children of some of the people at work came into the office to fill their buckets with candy and pose for all the adults wanting to get a picture of a priceless moment. Among the ones that I saw were a ladybug (I have to say, she was so cute) and Larry Boy. The picture really does say it all!

Where has the Time Gone!

October 13, 2007

Yup, that's right. I have been at the Soderquist Center for 2 years today! That is 104 weeks or 730 days. You can choose whichever sounds more impressive. ;)

The Winner

August 27, 2007

The judges would like to thank all of you that voted in the Lois photo contest. Many votes were submitted. For a while, it was hard to see what photo would come out on top. After much thought and consideration by our readers and our judges, the winning photo is #1. Congratulations Heather Westbrook for submitting the winning photo. Our winning photographer will get to enjoy an all expense paid trip to England during the Christmas holiday. Congratulations Heather!

If you would like to learn more about the Life of Lois Sephton please click here or click on the link to the right that says Little Lois. She now has her own blog so that all of her friends and family from around the world can watch her grow.

Special Editors note:

If you were confused at all by the Lois Photo Contest please let me enlighten you by saying that all photos were submitted by Heather Westbrook ( the creator of Westbrook Times) who is indeed going to England for Christmas. The Trip is being sponsored by the Westbrook Times because Heather is in fact the Westbrook Times so she will be paying for herself to go (unless someone out there would really like to sponsor her trip which she would have no problem with :). All in all, the “contest” was a fun way get readers involved and to see what pictures people liked best. So thank you to all that “voted”.

Position Filled

August 6, 2007















After Laura's departure, I was suddenly in need of a new roommate. Prior to Laura's move, I had someone that was going to live with me during the week in July and the first part of August. Originally, Laura was going to Louisiana for the summer and coming back in the fall for another semester at JBU. So I found myself in need of a new roommate for the fall.

I wasn't too worried at first. The beginning of the semester was months away. JBU has a great Grad program, so I was sure that there would be some grad student that would need housing at the last minute. Days began flying by, and still nothing was working out.

On July 26th, an announcement was made at work that one of the new Soda Fellows would no longer be coming and that they were going back through the applicants to see who could fill the empty spot. I perked up at the news hoping (selfishly) that 1. the new person would be a female 2. that she would not be married and 3. that she would need a prime piece of real estate at short notice.

On July 27th I found out that all three of my hopes were true. July 28th, the roommate position was filled. And on August 4th, Jenny Byham moved in.

I am just a small piece of how everything work out for Jenny to be here. Her story is a great testimony of God's hand at work. I guess for me, since moving here to Siloam, I am making up for having one roommate during college. I have lived here almost 2 years and this is my fourth roommate. It is a good thing I like change.

The Lois Photo Contest

The long awaited moment has arrived and it is time for the voting to begin. The judges have picked the best out of half dozens of entries. Now it is your job to pick which photographer will win the grand prize: A trip to England sponsored by The Westbrook Times! Here is how you can help. All you have to do is pick which picture you like the best and send in your vote through the comments at the bottom of this post or via email. It is that easy. With your help you can send one lucky photographer on a trip to England. Place your vote today!

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The Sephton Family Visit

June 30 - July 11, 2007

Here are a few pictures from my trip to see the new addition to the family. It was a very relaxing trip and I had a little bonding time with my niece. Memories to highlight:

• Dancing in the kitchen with Lois to "All I Ask of You" from the Phantom of the Opera,



• Getting Lois to Smile (more than once!),



• Letting Hilary and Mark convince me to try a Twister (very, very refreshing),



• Helping Hilary and Mark's friends Gordon and Beth move (seems to be a staple in my holidays),



• Hearing Hilary say "Where are you now?" every time she found me reading The Woman in White (a book she recommended),



• Going out to Coombe Abbey one of the two days the sun was out.



• Going to a Lord of the Rings DVD Trivia night hosted by Mark's sister Jeni and actually getting some of the questions right tying for last place with all of the rest of the teams that didn't win.

Hilary's friend Crystal from High school was also over visiting for a few days. I think that is the closest I will ever get to a paparazzi looking shot.
Mark made a lovely daisy chain for his daughter while we were at Coombe Abbey

Mark catching an alligator in their garden that managed to escape from the neighbors pool

Little Lois

As a little update, the Sephton family is doing well. Lois is having no problems gaining weight, Hilary is recovering well, and Mark is showing off his daughter with great pride.

As you can only imagine, having only one niece means that she will be getting a lot of attention. I am afraid that much of that attention will be reflected here at the Westbrook Times. You can’t really blame me though. If you received a picture of a baby as cute as Lois you would want to show others too. There will be more to come. I can guarantee it. Especially since I will be meeting Lois in person the first week of July. I can't wait!

The Laura Shank Tribute

June 10, 2007
Having a roommate like Laura Shank can only keep life interesting. Sometimes it is hard to know why a person comes into your life for such a short period of time. But, I am happy to say that I have enjoyed the past year living with Laura. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to be when we made our living arrangement. I had only been in contact with Laura a few times. But it seemed back then that circumstances were in our favor.

Now Laura is entering another stage of life. She has moved on to San Francisco to be married late this summer. This was a surprise in some ways, but expected in other ways. All in all I am very happy for her and I am excited to see what else the future holds for her.

The Laura Shank I will always remember:

• Hearing whole musicals being sung while she was in the shower
• The hours I would distract her from doing her homework
• Hearing the fake cry
• Hearing the laugh immediately following the fake cry
• The Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Comparison Project
• Sonic runs
• The Charlotte Church impression
• The Easter egg hunt
• Fresh baked cookies
• Noticing how opposite we are and yet seeing the value in that
• Walking through the cemetery at night to go to the Gathering
• The Dog Episodes
• The Bird Episode
• The Spider Episode
• The spontaneous “study” parties
• The diet that will start on Monday
• The late night talks about our emotional adventures
• The fashion dilemmas
• Helping her with her lines for the play "I'm cold"
• Fun times with Jordan and Sandi and Twila
• The Office and Arrested Development

A Watson Wedding

June 9, 2007
Three families: The Watsons, The Adams, and the Westbrooks. All my life the Watsons and the Adams have been an extension of my family; two more moms, two more dads, 5 more sisters and a brother. Over the years I have been highly involved in the wedding productions for almost all of them. I couldn’t let the youngest of the three Watson girls get married and not be involved at some level. So on a very last minute decision, I decided to fly home and surprise the bride to be with my two hands ready to work. Being that her wedding was to be in her backyard there was plenty to do and I think I can confidently say that my help was gladly received.

For those of you readers that have been to a Watson wedding, you know the bar that has been set. Makenzy’s wedding was no different. All throughout the ceremony, the reception, right down to the cake and the decorations you could see the Makenzy flare that we all know and love. With much hard work put in by many, everything fell into place beautifully. Congratulations Jason and Makenzy!

Special News Report:

We interrupt your regularly schedule routine habits to give you the latest breaking news.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007
On November 3rd, The Westbrook Times reported that Mark and Hilary Sephton were at the beginning stages of a new chapter in life. As of 12:26pm (6:26am CT) today, the long awaited and anticipated moment finally arrived. At 6 pounds 3 ounces and 19 1/4 inches long (49cm), Lois Anne Sephton finally made her way into the world. “Lois needed some help coming into the world, Hilary had an assisted forceps delivery which we all went down to theatre[1] for,” Mark wrote in an email to his family.

The process of bringing Lois into the world was a long, hard, and draining experience. Ten days after her due date, on Sunday May 20th, Hilary was taken to the hospital at 8 am to be induced. The process was explained to Hilary and Mark a few days prior and all thought it would be a hard process but Hilary was confident that she would have the baby on Sunday.

“I talked to Hilary on Saturday and she seemed confident that she would be home on Monday. She wanted to schedule a time for me to meet my new little niece via web cam,” Hilary’s younger sister Heather recalls. “I was a bit surprised at first but I knew that we Westbrook women were strong. So I was hoping to meet her on Monday.”

As Sunday came to an end, the Westbrook family in America waited on the edge of their seats for the phone to ring with any news. The next morning, Mark sent a message to his family. “Yesterday was a long and tiring day for both of us and mentally very challenging. Things were progressing well, but at 10:30pm things slowed right down. Hilary is 1cm dilated and she needs to be at least 3cm to have her waters broken.”

That was the last news the Westbrook family heard until today. “Monday was a huge struggle for me mentally,” Heather admits. “Not knowing what was happening was about to push me over the edge. I went back and forth between wondering if she was born yet and wondering if they were having some serious complications. I did not sleep well on Monday night.”

Fortunately, at 11:46am (CT) Heather’s mind was put to rest. “I had been walking around the office since her due date with both my work cell and my personal cell phone on hand, not knowing which would ring. By Monday, everyone in the office new what was going on and was excited to finally hear that my Niece had finally arrived.”

In Mark’s recap to the family he stated, “After 17 hours of labour when they mentioned the possibility of a c section I was close to a breaking point, the whole ordeal pushed me and Hilary to a breaking point. Every minute I was coaching Hilary through each contraction helping her to relax and release small breathes, so we built up a nice partnership one which helped us both even when the urge to sleep was so powerful.”

Even after the long, grueling hours of labor and the mental marathon that left both of them close to a break down; the special moments that are shared between a parent and a child were already beginning. “When Lois was first born she was a little shocked so they gave her some oxygen and she was rasping a little bit with her breathing. As mom was being taken care of, I looked after Lois and started to sing over her. I sang from my heart over this new life and her breathing started to improve and she became a lovely pink colour. It was awesome to have that first moment with our daughter.”



















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[1] Operating room in American English