SUMMER FUN

Can I just tell you how hard it is to catch up on blogging if you have been a slacker. SO HARD! Life just flies by and when I don't get a chance to blog I get behind. I think there is no possible way to even think about getting caught up so I just STOP writing. Here we go again on a little catch up. BARE with me.

• BIRTHDAY - Carson celebrated his 10th birthday June 10, 2008. He had some friends over to go paint balling. Yup, war in the canyon was what he wanted to do. Brian was like a little kid with a big gun. He was great.....he got the boys all set up with their gear, and took them to get plastered and bruised with paint balls. They had a BLAST! Carson ended up getting a paintball gun for his birthday. This is something his mother would never let him have. Well, never say never.

• BASEBALL - Carson and Kelton started the month of June off with lots and lots of baseball. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Yup, lots and lots of baseball. The games were played in St. Anthony so that meant a lot of time traveling and a lot of GAS. Carson's team ended up in the finals. They played AWESOME! They took second place and got a cool trophy.
• SWIMMING LESSONS - The boys had swimming lessons last week. Jennica brought her kids up from Rexburg and we got to hand out for a couple hours ALL week long. I sure miss hanging with my buddy Jennica. The kids passed with flying colors and have grown gills. Yup, they are full on fish.


• FOOTBALL CAMP - June 23-25th was football camp. This gives the kids from the area a chance to beat up on each other. They all seem to just love the pain. Carson will be playing 5th grade football this year. I tried to talk him out of it, but NO go. He just loves it.


• PHYSICAL - Now, I got to tell you that going to the doctor to get a physical should not be a laughing matter. Well, I got my laugh for the whole stinking month. Carson had to get a physical to play football so we headed into Rexburg for the ordeal. As we were sitting there I explained what a physical was and why it was important that he have one. I did leave out one IMPORTANT detail. The doctor comes in and does his duty, but at the end says "Alright Carson we need you to drop your pants to your knees along with your underwear." He looked at me and just stared for about 2 minutes. Now you have to know Carson to understand that he is SHY. When he was a baby he made me close my eyes while I changed his diaper. So this was something for him. I couldn't contain myself and just burst into laughter. He looked at me, looked at the doctor and said close your eyes mom. As my eyes were closed I hear this cold HUHHH, and a quiet cough. I laughed my way all the way out the doctors office and back home. Now when the boys get in trouble I just say are you ready to go to the doctor to get another physical. They seem to straighten right up.


• BIKE BUILDING - Brian has been busy building some pretty amazing TI frames. I have been working hard with our friend Gheen getting the website in order to go live the middle of July. Life has been busy
• SCOUTS - Carson received his bear at scouts the other day. He sure makes a good little trooper. It has been fun being a den leader. I get to see my kido growing and working hard to achieve his goals. I have enjoyed my calling.


• COOPER - Cooper has been feeling great the past couple of weeks. We have been giving him allergy medication, and it seems to WORK. HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH. He has been sleeping through the night and I am just thrilled about that. He has been running, talking, and playing hard. His favorite thing is playing outside in the dirt. Why are little boys attracted to DIRT?

Things have been going great. We are TRULY enjoying the warm weather and look forward to July. Hope all is well for all of you. I will keep you updated on a more frequent basis. LIFE IS GOOD.......LIVE IT!

STOP WAITING TO BE HAPPY

JUNE 2007

It has been raining, snowy, and COLD for about 8 months. Last June it was just beautiful! Warm, sunny, and NO wind. What in the world is going on around these parts.

Mostly cloudy. In the valleys...scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms early in the evening...then a slight chance of rain showers after midnight. In the mountains... Scattered rain showers...snow showers and isolated thunderstorms early in the evening...then a slight chance of rain showers and snow showers after midnight. Little or no new snow accumulation. Lows 30 to 37.

It is hard to keep your spirits up when the weather is just plain COLD. So, today I am trying to be HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!
Stop waiting.....

• Until your car or home is paid off
• Until you get a new car or home
• Until your kids leave the house
• Until you go back to school
• Until you finish school
• Until you clean the house
• Until you organize the garage
• Until you clean off your desk
• Until you lose 10 lbs.
• Until you gain 10 lbs.
• Until you get married
• Until you get a divorce
• Until you have kids
• Until the kids go to school
• Until you retire
• Until summer
• Until spring
• Until winter
• Until fall
• Until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination. So work like you don't need money. Love like you've never been hurt, and dance like no one's watching.

SEASONED BLOGGER

Alright, I admit that I am what you would call a "seasoned blogger". If it is raining outside or cold, I just don't feel like blogging much. Can I just tell you that it has been raining, and cold for a very long time, and I am feeling the blogger blues! So tonight I am forcing myself to write a little something about the past week.

• We have had some great company come and visit. Our first visitors were Tyler and Nicole. They came up for dinner last Sunday and hung out. We always LOVE to see them. "One eyed Aaron" also stopped by. Brian took him fishing down the river, and refinished old bikes. He stayed the night. It is always good to see old friends.

I got to go to field day on Monday with the boys. They played games, and hung out with friends. It is always fun to see them playing with other kids. So many parents would come up to me and tell me what amazing athletes Carson and Kelton are. I guess they won all the events they played. As I was standing in line watching Carson throw the ball two cute girls in his class came up to me. They stood by my side for a bit and tugged on my pant leg. "Are you Carson's mom? We think he is so cute! We have a crush on him." I thought that was the cutest thing ever. I may not think it is so cute when he turns sixteen, but for right now I just have to smile.


(my little army boys at play)


Cooper is just running around like a little fireball. He is a little show off when company comes around. We LOVE to hear him say little words and laugh at his brothers. What a blessing he has been.

• Brian just finished another AMAZING Kelson frame. It is truly a classic. Steve came up to get fit, and go for a bike ride with the frame builder. Can I just say that Steve LOVES his Kelson bike. It is so fun to see these people get their NEW bikes. Pics don't do it justice.


• Saturday, I stayed home and worked outside ALL day. I built me a couple garden boxes, and roto tilled the garden. I am ready you nasty weeds......LOOK OUT!

  

(Mr. Moose out for a little walk in our front yard)I am off to bed. I need to be up by 5:00am, and let me tell you.......I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP!

MAY MADNESS

I am needing a serious breather right about now. May has been complete MADNESS. So many happenings that I don't even know where to begin.

• SOLD businesses - As many of you know we sold the shops. Brian has been home working hard building many bikes and learning about new manufab products. Going good so far. I told him to at least take ONE month off and do what ever his little heart desires........that lasted ONE day. He can't sit still! He has to be doing, and improving to feel good. I am proud of him!


• STARTED new business - Kelson seems to be going great. New orders coming in and new products ready for design and prototypes to be made up in Philippines. Website coming soon.


• Baseball season begins - Carson and Kelton are playing baseball, and it is SO time consuming. Mon. - Sat. games and practices. These boys are busy, but they LOVE it.


• POOR Coop sick (ears, ears, ears) - My poor little Coop has been so SAD this month. He has been into the Doctor three times with ear, and throat issues. If we can't get this under control by the end of the month he may have to go in for TUBES. Hope not!


• Singing programs - The boys had a couple programs this past week at school. They did a good job singing with their classes. I am PROUD of my hard working, talented BOYS!


• Guitar lessons - Carson has started taking guitar lessons from you know who.....GRANDMA BERTA! He has lessons every Monday and looks forward to it each week. He says he wants to be a ROCK star.


• Work at hospital - Still working at the Hospital one or two days a week. Brian has been Mr. Mom when I go to work and I think the BOYS just LOVE it. They love hanging out with their dad. What a good dad he is!


• Teaching spinning 4 times per week - I am still teaching these Ashtonites spinning 4 times a week and getting a little BORD with it. I want to be outside riding my bike and running. I TRULY enjoy teaching and have full classes every morning, but right now I am CRAVING the fresh air. I think for summer we will cut it down to 2-3 days per week.


• Cooper gets his first hair cut - Cooper got his first haircut! Our little Nic, and Whit were not around to do it, but he looks SUPER CUTE. He turned into a little boy in minutes.

COOPER BEFORE HAIRCUT

COOP AFTER - WOW

• Learned to drive skid steer (favorite hobby now)- Brian was brave enough to ask me if I wanted to learn how to drive the skid steer, and can I just tell you I was THRILLED to learn. It is like driving a spaceship! The other day I got to go to my neighbors and move POOH. It was like a dream! I scooped and grated pooh for hours. I even got to bring some home. How exciting for me! Well, it was horse pooh, pooh for my garden. Man are those carrots going to grow good this year. Carson saw me putting pooh on the garden and he vowed to not eat from it EVER.


• Short visit from Whit, Schuy, and BODIN - Sista Whit stopped by for a short visit with her cute fam. I LOVE seeing them, but wished they could have stayed longer than an hour. Coop got to see his little cousin Bodin and they sure had a good time together. Schuyler got fit for his bike and me and Whit got to go for a very short walk. Hope to see them again soon.
• Trips to Utah - Brian has been doing a few trips back and forth from Utah for business and pleasure. Here is his new blog. Stop by for a visit http:www.kelsonbikes.blogspot.com

We have been keeping busy and LOVING life. We truly are blessed with amazing family and TRUE friends. We love you guys! Remember if you have any Pooh that needs removed from your yard, please call I WOULD LOVE TO REMOVE IT FOR YOU in my new toy.

HAPPY MOMS DAY MOMS

So Mother's Day was last Sunday and I am a little late catching up. To my precious Moms (Roberta and Charlotte) Thank you for all you do! I LOVE you both so much and appreciate your amazing examples in my life. I enjoy watching you with your Grandchildren and hope that one day I will be able to LOVE as you both LOVE. I will forever be greatful. Happy day to you both.

My boys took me out to breakfast at Trails Inn. They spoiled me with cards and beautiful planting flowers. Oh how I love potting flowers, but the thing I love most are their priceless cards with thier little oily finger prints. The LOVE that goes into making them is truly appreciated. The best gift I got all day was a gift from Brian. He gave me a whole day of NO DIAPER CHANGING! Oh how I LOVE my husband. We also got to go to Rexburg and have a barbeque with my family. I enjoyed seeing everyone. Cam and Leah were up visiting so that was fun. Brian and I tried calling his mom today, but found out they were on the desert with the cows. He was thinking of his mother today.......ALL DAY! WE LOVE YOU MOMS!

NEW BLOG

I made a new blog for Kelson Bikes. Drop on by and say HI!

UTAH ADVENTURES

Thursday:
Wow, what a weekend we had. Brian made some amazing progress on Kelson bikes. On our way down to Utah we stopped in Ogden to see our friend Eric who is one of the main guys for Atomic ski. He showed us their new building which is use to be an old 1900 century canary. They have redone the entire place and it ROCKS. I am a little torqued that I didn't take any pictures because this place is unbelievable. Eric gave us a tour and showed us the new 2009-2010 snowboard line. On our way out the door Eric says to Brian what new 2009 snowboard did you like the best. Brian told him his favorite and walked out the door with a new board. How cool is that! Next we were off to Edge composites a place that does carbon fiber. Brian must be a rock star because when he left the building they gave him a $400 dollar carbon bike fork. These people will be helping him learn the art of carbon fiber building. Pretty sweet!

Friday:
Brian was off early to do some business at another composite place. One of his neighbors growing up is a structural engineer for this business. He got a lot of good info and met some good contacts. Next, Brian headed to meet up with Ashleigh Wood. He built her a new custom bike and man is it beautiful. Ash got hit by a car last year and it completely ruined her ride. She was so stoked to see her new bike. After Brian fit her we headed to Alpine to meet up with some of our greatest long time friends, Gheen and Beth Hillman. They have such a fun new home in Alpine. Very unique (cool) from all the other homes. Brian and Gheen were able to talk some business and go for a bike ride. Beth and I hung out and got ready for the barbecue. Cort and Ash and the boys were coming over. We were so excited to see them and spend time with them for a while. Some of our other long time friends showed up which we were so happy to see. It was a fun filled night of good food and great friends.

Saturday:
Bri dedicated his whole Saturday to me and the boys. He was great! We took them swimming early in the morning and he took me shopping in the afternoon. Now, let me just tell you a little something about our shopping trip. First of all I am not a shopper. I HATE buying new clothes because I can't find things that fit my lovely curves. Yup, I had a breakdown in the mall. I started crying after the 5th pair of jeans would not go past my thigh. After the 20th pair I nearly slit my wrists. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as we were walking down the mall. What the HELL? My husband was taking me shopping to buy whatever the heck I wanted and I was crying my eyes out. What kind of woman are you? Well, I think I was a little PMS hormonal. I did buy a push up bra at Victoria Secret!!! Yippee, no more sag.
At night Brian took the boys - Ken, Branson, Landon, Carson, Kelton to a professional soccer game. If I only knew David Beckham was going to be there I would have paid serious cash to get a front row seat.

Sunday:
Home sweet home.
We had a very successful trip. Sold a custom bike, met new people, did some business, and hung out with some good friends and family. But, oh how nice it is to come home.
HOME, SWEET, HOME!

p.s. just a warning about hotwire.com. It SUCKS!

S-O-L-D

For the first time in 15 years we are officially underemployed. We SOLD Sled Shed and Sticks and Stones to our former employee Charles and his brother Joe. It is so hard to know what to think about this decision because it is what we know and LOVE. You ask, what are you going to be doing now? That is the exciting part. Brian will be building his custom titanium frames FULL time. We have a couple other things on the back burner, but for right now this is what he will be doing. I am excited for Brian to be chasing his dreams. You don't hear of many people following their heart, but this is his passion and we are stoked for the opportunity. We are heading to Utah in the morning to deliver one of his bikes he built for a girl living in Salt Lake City. This trip will include visits to bike shops, material supply manufacturers, business meetings, and maybe a little bit of FUN. No more 80 hour weeks for my husband. No more restless nights thinking about what bikes you need to sell. No more HUFFY fixing. No more putting up with BYU-I students complain about everything. No more leaving town just to worry about what is going on with the shops. We can finally go out of town and not have to stress about what problems will be left for us when we get back. NO MORE, NO MORE, NO MORE. Don't get me wrong there are so many amazing things that have happened to us the past 15 years, but for right now we are excited for the new happenings to come.

It is snowing outside right now. The Ashton road is closed! Tomorrow is MAY!

TAGGED

I have been tagged by Whitney and she is going to get it! Do you think I have time to tell you about all of my many many quirks. Alright, there are just 6 that I can think of so here we go.

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules in your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

Quirk #1 I have trouble completing projects. If I paint I will leave a small spot untouched....just because. If I start scrap booking I get flustered and put it all away. If I read a book I get half way through and never look at it again. Why is this? What is wrong with completing a project. I need serious counseling. Please someone....save me!

Quirk #2 I am a punctual person. Ever since I can remember I thrive on being on time. I had a good friend growing up who was complete opposite. Whenever it was time for her to drive we were always 30 minutes late and it drove me CRAZY!

Quirk #3 I have to wear gloves when I do pretty much anything. Working in the yard, cleaning my bathroom or even doing clean laundry I LOVE LATEX! Brian makes fun of my Michael Jaxon one handed yellow latex glove. It's a sanitary thing.

Quirk #4 I spit on my hands. Alright, I just told you how much I LOVE latex and now I am admitting to you that I spit on my hands. Let me explain. When it is hot and my hands are completely dry or have nasty dirt on them I do exfoliate by spitting mucus on them. It sounds a little disgusting, but seems to cure my dry problem for a while. What a lady I am.....NOT!

Quirk #5 I have to be up, dressed, and ready for the day by 8:30am everyday. If I am not ready I feel like I have wasted half the day and have not accomplished anything. Even when I have no where to go. So I am usually up by 5:00am, exercise, get kids ready for school, make breakfast, get showered and dressed all before 8:30am.

Quirk #6 It drives me completely crazy to just be sitting around doing nothing. I don't like watching television, reading books, or doing crafts because I have to be moving. Oh heather, just sit down and relax for a moment. I think I get this crazy quirk from my dad who NEVER stops moving.

Alright so there you have it. Why did I admit to you so many dramatic quirks. Oh well, we all have them and at least I came to terms with them today. I am now tagging the following bloggers.
Magan, Rochelle, Kate, Rach, Holly, Cindy

BOSTON

One of my bestest buddies is running the Boston marathon today. Oh, how I wish I could be there with her. Good luck Jennica! There is a whole slew of women from around Rexburg running it this year. You people are TRULY amazing. I will stick with my 5 milers for now.

p.s. don't forget the GU, and salty peanut bars....YUM!

ALRIGHT ALREADY

Good heavens I can't believe how popular I am. The 4 of you readers think that I need to update my blog every now and then. Alright, already! Here are a few happenings of our world the past week.

• Carson makes the honor roll.

My little boys have been thriving since moving to Ashton. They smile more, laugh more, and are doing great in school. Carson recently made perfect attendance and the honor roll. I am so proud of my boys.

• Kelton lost another tooth #8.

Kelton came home from school the other day and was eating a delicious apple. Out came the tooth. It wasn't even loose. Kelton is in training for some serious event this summer. He has packed his waterpack with rocks weighing about 50 pounds and heads off for a run. What a tough little dude!

• Cooper learns to WALK - (video coming soon)

As many of you are aware Cooper has the most amazing scoot. We call it the "Coop Scoot". This is his own true style of what normal people call the crawl, but not Coop.....he wants to be different. Here is a good pic of him doing the "Coop Scoot" photo by Grandma Berta. Little buddy is taking his first steps. Right now I am treasuring every moment of it. I was thinking the other day how lucky I am to be able to see his first steps and hear his first words. There are so many women who CHOOSE to work, or HAVE to work in order to survive. I wouldn't miss this growing up stage for the world. I owe it all to my hard working husband. Thanks Bri.

• Brian is making some sweet bikes - pics to com

Brian has so many orders for custom bikes. He is finishing a frame right now for a girl living in Utah. We will be taking a trip down to Utah next week to deliver he bike. It is SWEET!

• Heather gains 9 pounds of MUSCLE......just call me "Hulk Heather"

At the beginning of March I brought our spin bikes from the shop up to Ashton. I have been teaching 4 spin classes a week. I enjoy meeting new people and getting paid to exercise. I have also been involved in the wellness program at Dr. Zollingers office. I have been eating good and exercising so I was excited to go in until I found the battery to the scale and weighed myself. Yup, I gained 4 pounds in 3 weeks. THIS SUCKS CRAP! I want to loose weight. Well, come to find out that I dropped my body fat 4% and gained a total of 9 pounds lean muscle. Alright, I will throw my scale battery out the window.

• Last snowboard day of the season.

We were fortunate to head to the mountain at Targhee one last time. It was kind of a last minute decision, but well worth it. It was a beautiful day and the boys were so excited to take make their first full run from the tip top of the mountain. They kicked my trash. I was so impressed with thier snowboarding abilities that I almost started crying. Well, crying because my legs were screaming in pain while going down the cat track. We had a great day. Special thanks to Mom and Dad for meeting us and watching little Coop. We are so greatful!

• Many walks
• Smashing ping pong matches -

Griffin had a ping pong table at his work that he needed to find a place for so Brian and I were happy to get it off his hands. We have been having a few marital bouts due to the smashing matches that we have after dinner each night. It has been so much fun watching my husband torture himself over a game of ping pong. Each couple needs a ping pong table in their living room it is good marriage therapy.......until you smash each other's heads in with the paddle.

CHASING A DREAM

1st GRADE SWIRLY

I went to pick up Kelton from school the other day. I noticed his teacher walking beside him. I thought that was a little different, and was wondering what kind of trouble little Kelton got into. "The situation is being dealt with." Kelton's teacher said. At recess Kelton went into the restroom and apparently was approached by a bully 1st grader. He wanted to give Kelton a toilet swirly and was not leaving until he dunked him. Well, as you can imagine I was a little peeved at the whole incident, but didn't let Kelton think I was. "Oh how fun, I have always wanted a swirly." Did those words actually come out of my mouth? Back to the story.........Kelton was saved by some hero of a 2nd grader. What a good little dude to save my buddy from the nasty urine/poo poo toilet. They all returned to class but not for long. Kelton kept his mouth shut (bad boy), but the 2nd grader did not. He went to tell his teacher what had happened and soon showed up to Kelton's class to tell his teacher. Soon the 1st grade toilet bully was EXPELLED for two days. Why is it that kids don't want others to know when they are hurting or need a helping hand? Why won't they tattle tell? Both Kelton and I learned an important lesson about talking to each other and how important it is for kids to talk to an adult when a problem arises. The swirly issue didn't seem to bother him much.....he was back at school the next day. I did teach him a quick lesson in kung foo! HAAAAYAAA!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

click on pictures to enlarge

Alright, so you could say that I am a little desperate to see some beautiful tulips blossoming in our yard. There is still only about 4 feet of snow and 3 feet of mud. I think it will melt and dry up by October......just in time to snow again! Anyone want to go in on a condo in Mexico or somewhere REALLY WARM?

The boys have invented a new winter sport. It is called SNO FOOTBALL. They have been having a hay day playing out in the yard. I don't think that the tulip issue is bothering any of them.
Cooper has been able to enjoy the snow a little bit. He loves putting his face in it and licking all the hair and nasty dirt off of it. I just cringe my teeth and smile. Yum.

A few hundred feet from our home is a canyon draw. This place is a child wonderland. The boys went out to play with the neighbor boys and had a great time. I was so surprised at the splendor of this specific area during the winter months. It is just AMAZING.Brian is still keeping busy with all of his adventures. He goes into the shops in the morning, comes home to snow plow all the neighborhood in the afternoon, and then builds his custom bikes in the evening. Every now and again he gets a chance to ride his own bike. He works SO hard for our family. We are thankful for his efforts!

APRIL FOOLS COOKIES

I worked today at the hospital and all day long I was trying to think of some fun practical joke I could play on the boys. After work I stopped by to pick up a pizza so I didn't have to worry about making dinner when I got home. Sitting in front of me at the pizza place was some pre-made cookie dough. "That's it......I will botch the cookie recipe." I took it home and secretly dumped half the cookie dough out. I then placed about 1/2 pound of salt (more or less) into the dough, and began putting it onto the cookie sheet. About 10 minutes later there was some yummy smelling cookies that were coming out of the oven. 1/2 of them were yummy, and the other half were completely NASTY. I made sure I got one of the yummy ones, and that Carson, Kelton, and Brian got the NASTY ones. I almost peed my pants watching their faces as they took huge bites of their chocolate chip cookie. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK! was all I could hear from the three of them as their heads were hanging over the sink spitting uncontrollably. I DID IT! April fools! I ended up sharing with them a couple of good cookies over a fun filled night of ping pong.

I WANT TO CRY......or move

I woke up this morning at 5:30am to get ready for work. I was surprised to see that it had snowed a few inches and was blowing about 35 miles per hour. Yup, SCHOOL IS CLOSED again!

The following schools are closed today March 27th....
Fremont District #215
Ririe District #252
Sugar Salem District #322
A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY MORNING AND SPREAD EAST BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SNOWFALL MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT. TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 6 TO 12 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER AMOUNTS IN LOCAL SNOW BANDS. A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL.

What in the world is going on? Isn't it suppose to be spring. Tulips are suppose to be in full bloom, grass is suppose to be green, and children are suppose to be frolicking in the beautiful flowering fields of lilacs. Not today or anytime in the near future. I just would really enjoy saying a bad bad word right now, but I will refrain for future posterity sake.

BIRTHDAY BOY

Happy birthday you old turkey you. You are now 36 years old.......or are you? Brian and I were discussing about age and how fast time flies by. I said that I couldn't believe he was turning 36 years old and I had just turned 35. Well, we kept pondering the age situation for a while and come to find out we are not as old as we once thought. I am not 35 years old......I am 34! Brian is not 36 years old.....he is 35! I can't believe we have gone around for months thinking we are one year older than we actually are. How cool is it to have lost a year instead of gain a year. Wow, I feel younger already!!!!

Brian went into work at the shops today. It was snowing quite a bit before he left for work. Can you believe it is snowing. He was hoping to go for a bike ride on the road this afternoon, but I have a feeling this snow will not be stopping any time soon. We took Brian to dinner at Chiz's. One of our favorite spots to chow. They can actually cook a steak and not have it moving and mooing when they serve it to you on your plate. We had the whole place to ourselves. That only happens once in a lifetime! We then went home to eat some yummy cheesecake and open gifts. I think he had a nice relaxing birthday, and got some fun fishing stuff from the boys.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOY! WE LOVE YOU!

IS THAT SUN?

We had the opportunity to go snowboarding today and MAN was it beautiful. I looked out the window and said "is that sun I see?" The sun was shinning as bright as a light bulb, the sky was clear as clean glass, and not a breeze to be found....anywhere. It was the most enjoyable day EVER on the mountain. My friend Natalie volunteered to watch little Cooper for the afternoon. Thanks Natalie!

We took up some good friends who have never been boarding before and showed them the ropes of falling and crashing all afternoon. When we first arrived we here this big yell "get out of the way, MOVE IT, get out of the way". Someone had just hit a tree and fell into a bed of rocks! They were doing CPR compressions on him in the EMT sled as they were skiing down the hill. This was not what out new boarders wanted to see. Glad to here they go a pulse on the guy before they life flighted him to the nearest hospital.

I had a great time with the boys. They showed me their favorite run with all the rail slides and jumps. What a day to be outside! It was also fun to spend time with Brian. We don't get many opportunities to be together in the outdoors, so when we do something fun like this......it's a TREAT for me. Brian spent most of the day teaching on the kid hill, but I think he still had a great time being outside. Oh, how I LOVE TO BE OUTSIDE! Can't wait to see that beautiful sunshine again sometime soon.

RANDOM FUN

Cooper after bath - "super fro"
Kelton jumping off top stairs to shop - what a good mom I am
Carson showing off his moves
Carson after being burried in snow
Cooper's favorite word now....DAD!

PREParation

Preparation (prĕp'ə-rā'shən) - now what does that word mean to you? I learned this word well last weekend. Here is what the dictionary says it is....

The act or process of preparing.
The state of having been made ready beforehand; readiness

I had the opportunity to go with some AMAZING friends to a beautiful place called Moab, Utah. We drove many hours, ate yummy food, cooped ourselves up in one small hotel room and yup did some running. It was their annual half marathon. The only problem was I guess you are suppose to prepare yourself for running this dang thing. Well, I DID NOT! I signed up months before knowing that I had many months to prepare, but due to the MONSTROPULOUS snow season there was NO running going on. I think I ran three times in three months. So I downgraded to the 5 miler and truly STRUGGLED the whole dang way. I was so proud of my fellow running buddies, and new running buddies who PREPARED themselves for this race. I truly have learned a new life lesson by going on this trip. "BE PREPARED"