Christmas Card Picture...

So... Mom and Dad have been bugging me for a "family" photo to send out in their Christmas cards for about 2 weeks.  I finally had a chance (with all 3 kids at home) last night at 9PM to do a quick photo shoot.  It is a different look for a Christmas card photo, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  Jess... 19.5, Chris 17, Anna 5.5, Abby 6 months...  And, yes, Jess... it is nice to have all 3 of you here at home to be able to take this photo... (((hugs)))  Now... back to the retreat photos...

I'm Back...

Let's see... Halloween... a week in Park City with the family... then 5 days in the mountains above Heber, Utah (yes, just 30 minutes away from our family vacation... how's that for timing!) for the Rusty Pickle retreat... it has been a CRAZY month!!!  I am busy catching up around the house, decorating for Christmas so the Carlson's can come visit Thanksgiving weekend, and loading pictures from the retreat.  In the meantime, here are two layouts that I completed up at the retreat.  "I Love U Daddy" was during a hike to Ensign Peak... to the most BEAUTIFUL view of downtown Salt Lake City!  The "Beautiful" layout was one of our recent trips to Disneyland using both the Island Summer and Panama Jack lines of RP paper.  Hope you enjoy them and next... photos from the retreat!

HALLOWEEN... Yes, I know it is Nov. 9th, but...

... we hosted a Halloween party for around 20 on October 31st, and then got up at 4AM on November 1st to leave for a week in Utah.  I PROMISED my parents (Hi, Mom and Dad) that I would post pics of Anna, the party and the decorations... SOOOOOOO... although it is November 9th... and I am in the middle of posts about our Utah trip... and I am 24 hours away from flying BACK to Utah for the ANNUAL RUSTY PICKLE RETREAT (WOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!)... I am posting pics of Halloween (just because I love you so much, Mom and Dad!)

Anna had friends Kami (the pirate) and Julian (the other pirate) come over to play and trick or treat.  Thanks to Dan Kirksey for the photos of Anna swinging, the kids at twilight, and the black and white photos!  For the house decorations, I cut branches from the trees out back, sprayed them with black spray paint, and used them as accents all over the house.  I also took out some great old black and white photos of the family and put them up around the house.  Add in some silver trays and cups (that I picked up for $11.00 at AmVets), candles, coffee stained fabrics and webs and there are some fun decorations.  I also made window coverings and drapes for the opening between the family/dinning rooms... but somehow didn't get pictures of those things.

Thanks for looking!  We had a Hauntingly Good Time!

Park City - Olympic Center!

WOW, what a day!!!  We spent 4 hours today touring (and hiking) around the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics... the long jump, freestyle, louge, bobsled... what an AMAZING facility... and better yet... the US Team was practicing while we were there! We were standing about 2 feet away from the athletes as they FLEW by at over 80 miles per hour... THAT TOTALLY ROCKED!!!  Again, I don't have photo editing, but I wanted to share these pics I was able to get of Anna and Jeff watching a run at Curve 6... there was some SERIOUS SPEED!

On Vacation...

Ahhhhhh... Jeff, Anna Banana and I are on vacation in Park City this week... enjoying the most wonderful and relaxing vacation... no plans... each day a new adventure... AND LOVING IT!  Our 2,100 square foot condo is INCREDIBLE...the weather is UNBELIEVABLE... and we are enjoying our first vacation with just little Anna.  The teens are back at home... they were busy with work and school and thanks to our FANTASTIC neighbors and friends (Hi, Tom and Sandy), Jess and Chris could stay at home and take care of business.  I am using Jeff's laptop at the moment and he doesn't have photo editing software on this thing, so I will post pics when we get home... here is one that I just had to post... it is so simple, but comfy bathrobes hanging in your vacation closet... ahhhh... heaven!!!

OGHS Varisty Team Dinner!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!  We have been planning for this team dinner for the past several months!  Ladies, you know that we have to set a "deadline" when we start a home construction project, right!? :-)  Months ago we started preparing our backyard for stage 1 of reconstruction... and our "deadline" was to be ready to host about 50 for the Varsity Football Dinner!  35 pounds of homemade chili served in bread bowls, cornbread and homemade butter and honey, chicken caeser salad and the MOST AWESOME DESSERT... apple slices drenched in carmel with whipped cream and crushed walnuts on top!!!  YUM!

Yes, Eric... I noticed that you made it into EVERY PICTURE... :-)

It was a GREAT night and the boys are always wonderful guests!  Hope you enjoy these photos as much as we enjoyed the whole evening!!!  We play Oceanside tonight... GO PATRIOTS!

"This is MY Daddy!"

While we are stuck at home dealing with the Swine Flu... Chris and I have been through it and Anna has it right now... I had some time to create this layout of Anna and Jeff at Disneyland.  I used Tim Holtz Distress PAINT (guess what color... YEP, Vintage Photo PAINT!  LOVE IT!) on the edges of the layout, the flower and the chipboard, then added a bit of sparkle.  (I'm not sure that like the paint on the flower, but I wanted to try it.)  I have also been wanting to try a ribbon border, and I do like the way the border turned out.  Add a punch of color with the teal flowers and, WOOO HOOO!  A simple layout done and in the book! :-)  Make it a GREAT day!!!

This One's For You, Dad!

Alright, Dad!  Since you may not be able to come down for Halloween since we are all sick, I thought I better post updated photos of our construction for you to see! :-)  You will see Jeff (literally) pulling down the arbor... the start of the patio pour... proof that the new drainage works... proof that NOBODY can keep Puppy Abby away from wet concrete...more work by the crew and the final pad.  The concrete is still curing, so there is still some variation in the color.  We also (obviously) have a lot of clean up and planting to do... the storage shed has been put back together, the side fence still needs to come down and be replaced, and the new  12 x 12 raised wooden deck needs to be installed where the palms trees are still standing... but we are getting there!  At least we now have a place to feed the football team, this Thursday!!!  Enjoy the pics!  I love you!  Be sure to share this post with Mom, too!!! :-)

That's My Boy...

Enough said. :-)  OK... just a bit more... he had a fever of around 101 degrees and was dizzy before the game... and played GREAT, including another touchdown!!!  Thanks for the AWESOME picture, Dan!  (Photo by Dan Kirksey, KDKC Productions!)

A Random Thought about my Weight...

... yes, I have random thoughts.. quite often, actually...we have been working on our backyard renovation for the past 2 months or so... and I have been working out and working on my weight since the beginning of the year.  Why, you might ask... did I have a random thought that combined these two things?  For anyone that has been overweight, you know that not only do you feel down on yourself due to your appearance, but you also can't do the things you used to be able to do... I USED to run marathons and play with the kids and Jeff told me (repeatedly) that he had never met a girl that could lift furniture and do heavy yardwork like I could... until I put on all this weight.  I actually started saying that I didn't want to go on a hike or a family bike ride because I knew I couldn't do it... and that is NOT acceptable to me!!!

... which leads me to my thought.  In the past 2 months, I have spent hours digging holes and trenches, helped move trees that weighed several hundreds of pounds and anything else that needed to happen... before January... I wouldn't have been able to do any of this... much less train for and finish my first metric century (65 mile bike ride that I finished in August).  I have been in the backyard using this "digging bar" or as I like to call it "digging torture..." for the past 2 days, helping Jeff dig these trenches before the rebar goes in for our patio in the morning.  As I was out there, DRIPPING sweat and grunting (to the beat of my favorite music... "Look of Love" by ABC, at the moment), my sleeves rolled all the way up (and my arms NOT swinging to the music) I realized that although I have only lost 20 pounds so far, that I have gained SO MUCH MORE in quality of life... I look stronger... I feel stronger... and I am DAMN proud of myself!!!  This digging torture device is 45 pounds ALL BY ITSELF... I would never have been able to lift it, much less drive it into the ground over and over again!!!  Go out and do something that will make you say, "Wooo Hooo, I am PROUD of myself!"  (It feels GREAT!)