Mesquite Half

Luke ran a half marathon in Mesquite a few weeks ago. His goal was to beat his Moab time, which was just over two hours. He finished in 1 hour and 50 minutes--a personal best! He took third place in his age division. I am so proud of him! He had me take his photo after the race with this gentleman who is still running at 71 years young...Luke was inspired and hopes he'll be doing the same. We're looking forward to Luke running the Moab Half again in March, and also the Ogden Marathon in May.

Thank Heaven For Friends!

Today I ran out of gas (what a loser, right?), and the first friend I called dropped everything to come help me. I forgot to ask if she was busy doing something else, but it didn't matter, because she just came. And brought me gas. And picked up Izzy from school. What would I do without my friends? Thanks, Am.

Hiking

Luke hiked to the top of Mt. Olympus yesterday. He's been wanting to get to the top for a while now, and he finally got the chance to go up with a couple of good friends. Great job!

A big high five for Izzy, too. She conquered her fear and went to the top of Donut Falls a couple weeks ago. Way to go, Tiny!

Bob Dylan

Unreal. I have no words to explain how awesome the show was last night. Luke and I kept looking at each other, not really letting it sink in that we were less than 40 feet away from Bob. The Bob. The venue was perfect. The lighting was fabulous. He sounded incredible. I heard Dylan's crew brought their own sound system, which was great, because Saltair isn't known for having the best music equipment. Whatever it was, I can tell you that Bob Dylan was at his finest. I've never heard him sound so good. His set list was awesome, his band was awesome, he looked awesome. Black suit, hat with a feather...I mean, you have to be pretty dang cool to pull off a hat with a feather in it. And let me assure you--Bob Dylan is that dang cool.

For Gleeks Only

As if the show isn't funny enough as it is.

Can't Wait...

to see Bob at Saltair on Monday!

Baptism

Isabelle was baptized yesterday, and can you believe I didn't take a single picture? Luke and I bought her a new dress to wear for her confirmation, she wore her great-grandmother's pearl earrings, and her blue eyes were sparkling. I don't know if a photo could have captured the light in her eyes...she had such a bright countenance the entire day. The evening was perfect. So many people who love her came to support her and the choice she has made to become a member of the church. Thank you to everyone who came and helped out. Picture or no picture, it is a day we'll never forget!

Fall Recess

Is anyone else ready for a nice, long weekend?

Quilted Bags

My mom has some of her darling quilted bags for sale! If you are interested, come on over to my house and check them out between 4-8:00pm on the 24th. This photo shows one of my favorites, but there are so many different colors to choose from, as well as two different sizes. Each bag is hand-made, washable, and completely unique. You will love them!

Happy Birthday, Tiny!

Isabelle is honestly one of my very favorite people. Her beautiful blue eyes always seem to be sparkling. She is:

smart
kind
talented
funny
determined
happy...

The list goes on and on. I am so lucky to have her in my life, and I hope she knows how much she is loved--especially on her special day! Happy 8th birthday!

Summer Storms

We took this photo just a few minutes ago...Luke called and told us we had to go outside and look at this beautiful rainbow. I'm so glad he did! The wind was blowing our hair, and little raindrops were kissing our cheeks. It was so perfect that we stayed outside for a while and did cartwheels on the grass. And giggled. Then Dylan grabbed his umbrella and turned into "Mr. Poppins", but he almost blew away, so we decided to come inside :)

Bear Lake

We had a great time this weekend. It went by too fast, but we still managed to fit in a lot of fun.
We went to Hill Air Force Base...

We played at the park...


We had fun in the lake...

Played on the beach...


Went for a hike...

Ate fresh raspberry shakes, made yummy food, visited family, slept in, sat in the sky chairs, played games...too much fun to fit into one post! We can't wait to go back. Thanks to the Robbins for going with us and making it such a great weekend!

Top 3 Reasons I'm Having a Great Day...

1. I'm done teaching for the week.
2. Sarah and I just got home from the Patagonia sale. Score!
3. It's a long weekend, and we're headed to the lake tomorrow.

I'm so happy right now.

Antelope Island

Luke and I thought we would treat the kids to a trip out to Antelope Island. Things started off really great. Right when we got there, we saw a buffalo. He was huge, and Dylan was so excited. We got out the binoculars to check him out close up. Totally cool.

Then we walked over to the visitor's center and stopped to take a photo by this buffalo. The kids wanted us to hurry up and take the picture because it was hot and the sun was in their eyes. Not quite as cool.

Then, as we were walking toward the front door, Luke spotted this spider. When we got inside, we learned that it is an orb weaver, and they are all over the island. Very uncool.

We jumped in the car to drive around and spot some antelope. We wanted a photo of the kids with the buffalo in the background, so we asked them to stop and pose. Izzy was frantically looking around for more spiders, and it was obvious that she was already over it. Five minutes on Antelope Island and she was already done.

We didn't see any antelope while we drove, but we saw tons of buffalo, and a flock of pelicans. We stopped at the Garr Ranch to look at the old houses and equipment, and ended up seeing a great horned owl. Ok, that was pretty cool, but we still decided to call it a day. We headed back to the causeway, but made a quick pit-stop to walk down to the lake since we probably won't go back anytime soon. Dylan borrowed my shoes.

We had to walk through a fog of thousands of brine flies at the edge of the water, but once we got in, it was umm, nice. Izzy just wanted to know why it smelled like cabbage. Ok, point taken. Not. Cool.

Izzy and I walked back together, and I promised her ice cream for being a good sport. Luke took a picture of us right before a brine fly flew right into my eye. Good timing.

We stopped and got soft serve toppers at Artic Circle on the way home. I can't remember what got us giggling, but all four of us were sitting there eating ice cream, smelling like the Great Salt Lake (aka cabbage), laughing. Really hard. It was so funny, and made the day worth it. Spiders and all. Cool.

School Boy

Dylan started school this morning. No more preschool for this big guy--he's all about Kindergarten. He was a little nervous about being at the 'big school', but now that the first day is over, he is just fine. I think he's going to have a great year!

Happy Anniversary

Just nine short years ago today, Luke was signing his life away. (Yikes! Nine years?) It's been an adventure so far, and I'm looking forward to finding out what the future holds for us. Hopefully a fence and a bigger kitchen, but whatever happens, I'm glad we're in it together!

School Girl

Izzy started school today! We are thrilled with her new teacher; she is very organized and seems really excited about the upcoming year. She has a lot of fun and challenging things for the kids to look forward to, so here we go! Can you believe it's already here??

The Lake

The lake always seems to be good therapy. The cool, soft sand between my toes, the sun on my shoulders, looking out into the gorgeous blue water...it's got a calming effect. Isabelle and Dylan would live there if we could. They love the cabin, the beach, and of course, the raspberries! We need to spend more time there so I can watch Bucky throw sand:

And take pictures of Izzy when the sun gets in her pretty blue eyes:

Thanks mom and dad for a nice, relaxing weekend. It was just what we needed!

Thank You

Thursday didn't start out great, as you can clearly see from the photo of my car in the last post. I don't know which was a bigger pain, the window being shattered or my bag being stolen. I know better than to leave my purse in the car, so I have been kicking myself all weekend. I spent Thursday at the DMV, the bank, on the phone with the Social Security Administration, cancelling bank cards, etc. On top of that, Dylan had a fever (just over 103), so he was pretty cranky. Also, Izzy went to the doctor for a follow-up exam and we ended up scheduling tests at Primary Children's Hospital. To say the least, by the time I got home Thursday evening, I was pretty cranky myself. But, when I got the mail, guess what I found?
This:

My blogging friend, Kari, had sent me the most wonderful surprise. Not only did she make me a CD (I was the queen of mix-tapes), she wrote a little note about each song as well as her favorite line from each one. What a treasure! I love music, especially hearing a mix someone else has made. It's like taking a little peek into their soul. And Kari's mix is fabulous. I listened to it on my way to Logan Friday afternoon, and I found myself crying. It was exactly what I needed after a really bad day. The first song, "Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin was beautiful. "Here Comes The Sun" by the Beatles started the waterworks, but "The Rainbow Connection" by Kermit T. Frog was the kicker. I cried and cried because how could Kari know that is my favorite song? In the universe!? That song is so special to me and my kids. It made me more convinced than ever that God works through each of us to make the world tick. He knows when we need a friend, and getting that gift in the mail was priceless to me. Kari, you truly made my day! Thank you so very much. I adore the CD, and more than that, I love the time you took to write about each song. I will treasure it always.

Not my favorite morning...

Camping

On Friday, we packed up our camping gear and headed to the mountains. We usually spend our days hiking and exploring, gathering firewood, and generally having a good time outside. The mosquitos and deer flies were so bad that we had to go sit in the tent to get away from them. It was insane. Honostly, I can't even begin to explain the number of bites we came home with. I've never had to think about it before, but I guess packing a deck of cards might be a good idea, because being stuck in the tent staring at each other was not the highlight of the trip. After using an entire can of repellent, we did manage to escape the tent and have some fun. Izzy found a hill nearby that she used as a slippery slide, which officially made her the dirtiest camper. We made tinfoil dinners with hamburger and fresh potatoes, carrots, and sweet onions from my mom and dad's garden. Pretty much the best meal ever. Even Dylan, the world's pickiest eater, ate everything on his plate.
As we were falling asleep, we listened to thunder, which is one of my favorite things. I love how it echos in the mountains.
The morning brought more mosquitos and deer flies, so we ended up packing up our stuff and heading out to find a spot to kayak. It was perfect timing, because while we were out on the lake, a storm started to roll in. It was so beautiful--this photo doesn't really do it justice. I think it was the way the air changed around us more than the way the sky looked. Kind of eerie and cool. It looks like I changed this photo to black and white, but I didn't. The color of everything just changed right in front of us. Here's a short video of Izzy taking me for a ride. I was impressed at her ability to get the kayak straightened out and move forward at a good pace. She loves it as much as I do, which is written all over her face at the end of the video. All in all, a good weekend. Itchy, but good.

Time Flies...

My cousin Kaysie posted a few pictures showing how her cute little girl has grown over the past three years. It made me start to think back to when my big kids weren't so big. Really! When did my quiet baby boy go from this...

to this?

And my little girl go from chubby and silly...

to all grown up?

Donut Falls

I can't think of anything better than getting up into the cool mountains on a hot summer day. Luke and I love hiking so much, and Izzy and Dylan love it even more than we do. I didn't think that was possible! We headed up to Donut Falls, which is not a hard hike by any means. It's only 3/4 mile from the trailhead to the falls, but such great fun when you get there.

Awww. We had to take a picture once I got to the top to prove I made it! Izzy made it about half way, but got a little nervous about finding good foot holds, so I ended up taking her down. It was slow and scary, but she was so happy to be off the rocks that she didn't even mind wading through the river to get back to the trail. She's such a trooper!

Dylan made it to the top--on Luke's back! There were people standing across the river, shaking their heads while watching Luke scale the rocks with Dylan's little arms around his neck. I think one mom in particular said it best: "I'd be pissed if that were my kid". I knew Luke had everything under control, but I'm not going to lie. My knees were shaking. Dylan was unphased by the whole thing, and just so excited to say he made it to the top. And yes, I realize his teeth are blue. I thought a slurpee on the way up the canyon would be a good idea. I guess not.

If you haven't been to Donut Falls, you really should go. I know I've said it before, but we are so spoiled here in Utah. I look at Mt. Olympus every morning and just can't believe how lucky we are to live minutes from spectacular canyons, world renowned ski resorts--places people travel from all over the world to see. Spoiled. That's all there is to it.

Tagged

Eight things I did yesterday...
pitted cherries
slept in
went to a parade
ate great food at Fred and Kelly's
hung out with the Robbins
lit fireworks
watched Cooper and Camden impersonate Michael Jackson
went for a bikeride

Eight favorite shows...
Intervention
Without a Trace
Cold Case
Big Love
So You Think You Can Dance
The Next Food Network Star
The Amazing Race
Does public radio count?

Eight favorite eats...
Red Mango
Diet Coke
Steak
A little mexican place I don't know the name of
Bacon
Costa Vida
Fruit in general-watermelon the most
Any vegetable picked fresh from the garden

Eight things I am looking forward to...
Going to the kid's Home Depot class in the morning
Grilling steaks for dinner
Fireworks and sparklers
Izzy going to the Jonas Brother's concert--rock on!
Relaxing
Spending time with great friends
Cooking/baking
paychecks?

Eight things on my wish list...
Pay off my car,fix my car,or maybe just get a new car
Be a better friend
Teach my children to be good, confident people
Make a difference in someone's life
A vacation
Lots of money
Get a fence around our yard
My garden to do really well

Eight things I am thankful for...
God
Luke
Isabelle
Dylan
Ozzy,as well as any other pets buried in our backyard :)
My family
Luke's family
Good friends--we have the best around by far!

Eight people I tag...
Anyone who wants to be tagged!

Summer Hair

Izzy donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love today. What a great excuse for a darling summer haircut!

I Scream, You Scream...

We all scream for ice cream!
We just did a really fun project, and it worked so well I thought I'd share the recipe. Everyone gets to make their own ice cream--you could get pretty creative, I'm sure. We just stuck to regular old chocolate and vanilla, but it was really good! We'll make it again for sure.

1/2 C milk
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla (or other flavoring of choice)
Add whatever you'd like: strawberry jam, chocolate or caramel syrup, raspberries, mini chocolate chips, etc.

Place all ingedients into a pint size freezer bag and seal well.

Fill a gallon size freezer bag half way with ice and 6 T of rock salt.

Place the pint size bag into the gallon size bag and seal tight.

Place in a sweatshirt or towel and shake, shake, shake!

It will turn into ice cream in about 3-5 minutes.

Get a spoon and eat it right out of the bag. Too much fun!

Caution: Falling Trees

It's hard to spot him at first, but Luke is up the tree with the chain saw. Mark is at the end of the rope pulling the top down. It worked perfectly! They made short work of the rest of the tree and it was cleaned up in no time. Awesome...one more project down!

Ragnar Relay

I don't have any photos to post from the Wasatch Back--I totally forgot to send the camera with Luke. He and his team did so great, though, and hopefully they will share some pictures! They all did amazing. I am so impressed with all of them, and I know Luke had a blast. Great job, Goonies! You are all rock stars!

I Know...Enough, Already!

Sorry. I couldn't help posting one more photo of the backyard. Luke mowed the lawn for the first time today, and I think it looks awesome!

Ta-dah!

Luke was ready for the sod as soon as it was delivered and got started right away. Dylan thought it was awesome, and Izzy was in charge of taking pictures because I was at work. She did a great job!

We owe our fabulous friends a huge THANK YOU for all the help. It is so nice to look out the window and see green grass! We couldn't have done it without you guys, so thanks for everything!


One project down, fifteen to go...

Green!

Our sod is going to be delivered on Monday. I can't wait to see the end of this project and enjoy our backyard!

A Work In Progress

Luke is working so hard on the backyard. It is such a huge job, and he has been doing all the labor himself. He is amazing! I took a few "before" pictures so we'll be able to see the difference when everything is finished. Here's one of the photos; I was standing by the gate at the northeast side of the yard when I took it. I'll post some more "befores" when we get some "after" shots. If Luke makes it that long, that is. :)

We do have one project that is almost finished. Luke built a shed in the orchard last fall, and we're almost done painting it. Aside from putting in a window, it's pretty much done!
Before...

After...

It's starting to come together. A few more weeks, and we'll be able to enjoy it!

Congratulations, Dylan!

On Thursday, Dylan graduated from preschool. He did a great job during his program and is looking forward to Kindergarten. Way to go, Bucky!

No Training Wheels!

Dylan is officially huge. He hasn't mastered starting or turning, but he can stop and get off by himself. He is so proud!

Have You Seen Me?

Myrtle Spurge is pretty common in our area--I hate to admit it, but Luke and I even have one growing in the backyard (not for long). It has recently been listed as a noxious weed in Salt Lake County. And let's face it. Who wants a noxious weed in their yard? Not me. So, on Saturday, REI is ready to take this spurge off your hands in exchange for some really cool native plants that are enviromentally friendly. It's a win-win for everyone. If you'd like to read more, click here. See you at REI!