2009 was an amazing year

WOW 2009 is almost over!
2009 represents a big stepping stone in the life long path we are walking together.I really have to admit 2009 was one of the most amazing years. It came with many firsts. January 3rd 2009 Greg proposed to me up in Sedona on Devils Bridge and I have to say it all started from there;)We started planning the most amazing destination wedding. I married my best friend in May. We had family and friends visiting us or we were visiting them almost every single month of 09. Ryan moved to Israel and started his new journey in life. We were very blessed this last year and it is emotional to see it pass us by. We wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year!!!!!

First Cardinals Football Game 09

Tony and Heather spoiled us this Christmas. We went tailgating and to our first Cardinals Football game. We had a blast! We had great seats, well a few great seats ate some awesome HOT jalepenos, enjoyed the comments the lady behind us kept shouting out from our our second seats and had a great time hanging out with Tony and Heather's families. We are so thankful to have you all close by! The Cardinals won, but I also have to point out that the Patriots won this day too;)Yes I am a Patriots fan and that makes Greg a Patriots fan, he has no choice. So wearing another teams shirt was hard, but since it was Kurt Warner we made an exception;)

Christmas 2009

We kicked off the Holiday parties at Greg's cousin Tony's New house for a Christmas Eve get together. Tony and his family put together a few different types of soups and sandwiches. We hung out for a few hours with friends and family. Of course I may have had one to many Christmas treats;) I experimented this year and made Andes mint chocolate chip cookies. I'm a big fan;) For Christmas our Neighbourhood just went all out for lights! I felt like every house was a Griswold house!Greg and I were able to spend Christmas morning together. Like every year we felt like kids opening our gifts. I really enjoy the "guessing" game, since a lot of times you will find rocks or something crazy to throw you off track in the box:) Greg really spoiled me this year. I am in love with the beautiful necklace he bought. He has such good taste:) And I was VERY surprised:) We were very thankful for our family and friends and their thoughtfulness. We wish we could of been there to share the day with them but we were happy to at least be able to talk on Skype. We chatted with my brother in Israel.We found out he had received our Christmas package a few days before, we were worried it wouldn't show up in time. He said he was the only guy that had gifts to open. I miss him so much but I know he is doing what he loves:) Later Christmas day we made Ham and all the traditional items. We relaxed on the couch with Abby until we began the Martini Christmas. Chocolate martinis for Mara and I;) We played a few games and really had a relaxing evening. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Spirit in Flagstaff AZ

Last weekend Greg and I drove up to Flagstaff AZ. We were hoping to snowboard but only part of the resort was open and the snow was not the best. So we decided to shop the little stores downtown.
The drive up to Flagstaff was gorgeous as always. We passed the decorated Christmas tree on I17 North. It is just a pine tree that someone decorates each year. I have tried looking up a story behind it but I havent had any success. It really added some charm to the drive. I tormented Greg with non stop Christmas music as well:)
The temperature was perfect. It was in the 50's, still a little chilly for me anymore. So Greg and I found a cute coffee shop and started on our hunt for the perfect First Christmas together ornament.
We found some great decor in the Armadilla Wax Works store as well as PJ Chilcottage. The old town shops downtown Flagstaff remind me of Main st in Cedar Falls.

We met up with Gregs cousin Tony and his Girlfriend Heather. Though Greg and I weren't finding any ornaments we liked we did find a Christmas Wookie as we were getting our picture taken. Actually it was supposed to be someone dressed up as big foot. The wookie was handing out fliers for the restaurant Bigfoot BBQ which is downstairs from the store PJ Chilcottage.
We relaxed,ate some wings, warmed up, watched football and then headed out for a few drinks.
We walked around in the now teen temps and enjoyed the christmas lights. We took pictures under the pine cone at the Historic Weatherford Hotel. They drop the pinecone for New Years. The weatherford was known as one of the finest hotels in the west, and Wyatt Earp even stayed there.It seems to be haunted as well, they say there is a ghost of a bride that roams the halls. The hotel opened New Years day in 1900.

Greg and I had tried to get tickets for the Christmas Story at the Doris Harper-White Theatre. They told us it was all sold out but that we could be put on a waiting list. Well it turns out that Heather's Grandmother is Doris! So with her help we were able to get in to the sold out show!! It was a full house. Everyone did an amazing job.
The Flagstaff trip really made it feel like Christmas time;) Thanks to Tony and Heather for showing us a great time in Flagstaff!
Christmas always gets me in the baking mood!! Greg made his tasty Chex Mix mixture and I made some fun snowman cupcakes. We were like little kids frosting all of our little sugar cookies. Of course we couldn't eat them all ourselves so we have been sharing the pounds, I mean cookies with everyone else too;)
I was a little bummed that I didnt find the perfect ornament and I made a comment to my friend Alicia in Massachusetts. Well Alicia surprised us and sent a small gift. She was on the hunt as well and sent us the most beautiful ornament! I thought it was the most thoughtful gift and actually got emotional when I opened it. It is something we will always cherish. Thank you so much!

We wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!!!!

Fun small projects

Just having fun with the sewing machine;)Knotted blankets are more work than I thought but still pretty snuggly:)

Beautiful December Sunrise

The first photo is from our back balcony, the second is from our Guest Bathroom window. The picture doesn't even capture what I saw this morning. It was just gorgeous.

A week of fun with Dad

The day the Caldwells all flew out my Dad Thom flew in. It was fun to have family here around the Holidays.
I was able to take my last vacation day Friday to spend time with my dad while he was in town. The long weekend was nice.
For those who were not aware I applied for an internal position and found out Thursday afternoon that I received the job;) So Dad and I were able to celebrate the good news Thursday evening with a few cocktails:)
Friday was a long day for us. We spent a lot of time at the design studio getting things in order for my parents home that they are building here in Arizona. It was really a neat experience to be a part of. Ill let them share details.
Plus my dad had rented a car so he could buzz around town while Greg and I were working so he drove all day Friday. I was able to sit back and relax;)
We stopped to visit Greg at the branch while he was working. I gave Dad a branch tour and we headed out for lunch at Oregano's. If you have never been to this restaurant I suggest you find your local one and head there immediately;) The food is great and the atmosphere is energetic. It was a great way to break up our appointments for the day. I really had a great time just hanging out one on one with my dad;)
After we entertained ourselves driving in circles we dropped the rental car off and realized we should probably head home since it was almost 7pm;) Time flies when your having fun!
Saturday we cooked a turkey to prep for Turkey noodle soup so the house smelt like Thanksgiving all over again! We made home made noodles as well. Lil Abby gained the most weight out of all of us I would guess. Grandpa Thom spoiled the heck out of her!
Greg and I had our company Christmas party Saturday night so all three of us headed out for a night of bowling;) It actually was really fun! It was nice to visit with everyone in a relaxing atmosphere. I don't see professional bowling in my future any time soon, though I was happy to break 100 the second game. We had fun that was the main point.After bowling we went to Rustlers Rooste steakhouse for drinks. They had amazing appetizers! Not to mention the view of downtown! Priceless! Greg and I are already planning our next dinner date for this location! You can take a virtual tour on their website http://www.rustlersrooste.com/
Sunday was spent enjoying our new fridge and eating homemade turkey noodle soup with homemade gravy and taters!

Dad experienced a normal AZ winter;) Sunshine, warmth, chilly evenings, rain for one day and then blue skies the next:) He also was a trooper and went to the mall with me to pick up some things for Greg. He did much better than I did haha Of course the Yankee candle store makes everything better. Our house seriously smells like Christmas now:)
Greg and I are truly blessed with some great friends and a wonderful family:) It really was wonderful to have everyone visit;)

Abbys 11th birthday

December 1st our lil Abby turned 11 years old. She is our princess and since shes such a good snuggler she received a snuggie for her birthday. She wears it all the time;) Such a spoiled lil Bizz. We love her!!

2 1/2 weeks of BUSY fun!

The last few weeks have been great!
Gregs sister Jama and father Craig flew in to Phoenix the Sunday before Thanksgiving. His mom Jan flew in the day before Thanksgiving.
They all kept themselves entertained. Craig was nice and mowed our lawn as well as trimmed the hedge. Our yard boy "Rico" aka Greg may have a run for his money;)
This was Greg and I's first time hosting Thanksgiving. I was up around 430-5am to prep and start some casseroles. Greg and I stuffed the bird with red apples, carrots and celery!! It was yummy and moist!! I have to say we make a great team:) We had plenty of food for sure. The only thing I will remember for next year, whoever bakes and cooks does not have to clean up! To cook for almost 7 hours, eat for 20 mins and clean for another hour can really take a lot out of a person!:) Thankfully Gregs Uncle Mike came up with the great idea to have a Cornhole tournament. Not only did this get our energy level up it helped burn off some of the extra poundage we packed on:) This is the first Turkey day ever that I never once took a nap:) Congrats to Mike on winning the Tournament..........just wait until next year:)
Greg and I set up Christmas with Craig and Jan. It made me wish family lived closer so we could have traditions like this in years to come. With family being out of state and out of country we have found comfort in using Skype. So we were able to chat with my brother Ryan in Israel and hear all about his Turkey day experience and man did he have an experience! lets just say he had one of the freshest turkeys ever;)

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we headed to Greg's cousin Tony's new place for a nice dinner party. It allowed the Caldwells to get the tour of Tony's new pad and for me to eat Janet's yummy brownies! Tony was a great host as always. It sounded like he was able to get some amazing black Friday deals!
This year I did venture out with jan and Jama for christmas sales. Normally I order online and avoid the mall like the plague. It may be because I worked at the mall for so many years that I just cant stand the crowds! Everyone should really work retail around the holidays to get an appreciation of what those employees go thru. Remember the next time your checking out, just smile whether they are or not, you NEVER KNOW what they just had to go thru or discovered in the fitting room!!!!!
Jama and I ended the Caldwell visit with a nice hike at the White tank mountains. We took the waterfall trail but there was no water, big surprise;) Of course after last nights nasty rain fall I'm sure it is flooded up there:)
I hope everyone had a safe Holiday!

Being Crafty

I wont lie I am enjoying my new sewing machine:) Tonight Abby received a new pillow, blanket and yes a cute little scarf to go with it all:) Ive learned that sewing is fun but it can be a bit pricey so I will have to keep an eye out for coupon days! I'm thinking my old jeans just may become awesome new jean skirts:)

The Holidays are approaching

Greg and I spent this last weekend getting the house ready for the Holidays. Greg's parents and sister will be staying with us for Thanksgiving and will be flying in this coming weekend.
We spent Saturday driving up to Surprise to do some yard work and minor repairs to Greg's parents home and running little errands. We each finally found a nice pair of running shoes we love. I no longer feel like I have 3 pound weights on my feet:) Of course there was football on the tv Saturday and Sunday, sadly no strong wins but we played hard.
Greg made the most amazing pork chops. It was a new recipe and it did not disappoint!
We spent Sunday hiking the Ford Canyon Trail in the White Tank Mountains. I think Abby was just happy to get out of the house and get dirty, like usual. After almost 3 1/2 years out in AZ you would of thought she would know by now not to attempt to eat a cactus. She didn't yelp and we aren't sure if it really hurt her or not but she had one stuck to her face. She seems to be fine though.
We were hoping for a Patriots win Sunday. We really wanted to take down those Colts, but no cigar.
We hope everyone has a GREAT week. I will be happy when this Nascar Race traffic is gone and things are back to normal.........whatever normal is here with all the tourists now:)

A visit to the Cowboy state

Greg and I were able to take a few days off from work and fly out to Wyoming to celebrate his parents anniversary. Congrats Jan and Craig on 33 years of marriage!
It was an absolute blast!
We flew out of the Mesa/Phoenix airport for the first time. Even with driving the I10 at 4am with no traffic it still took us 45 minutes to get to this airport. This airport reminds me of the Waterloo IA airport. Very simple and small but great customer service. Its just in the middle of no where:)Actually our friend Mandy was on one of the first commercial flights to that Airport. They had all the news channels there and were served champagne.
It was a fast two hour flight. The stewardesses were very friendly. I guess on every allegient flight they do a raffle. We bought one ticket and didn't win. Though a few ladies sitting in front of us bought 100 dollars worth. And they won all their money back:) It was worth a shot anyways.
We were lucky to be on the side of the plane that saw all of the sites! We flew over the Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and you could see Red Lodge ski resort;) Plus lots and lots of snow:)
Greg's Dad, Craig was nice enough to spare one of his many vacations days he has left and pick us up from the airport in Billings Montana. He treated us to an amazing breakfast at Stella's. If you like cinnamon rolls, you need to know about Stella’s!!! One roll looked like it filled a whole plate! Their french toast was amazing!!! We went from starving to over stuffed in less than a half hour!
In Cody we were greeted by Greg's Sister Jama, Greg's brother Pat and his son Ethan. We really just wanted to relax and spend as much time with the family as possible. Ethan has an adorable selection of words right now! Everything is either a doggie or its HOT. He will touch something and say "ouch" pull his hand away and look at you and say "HOT". I wish I would of caught it on tape it was pretty cute.
Later that evening we had dinner at Bubbas BBQ, where I mistakenly ordered what looked like half of a chicken, little wing and all! Oops! My bad! Our friend Kara drove up from Thermopolus and we met up with her and her friend Jessica at Rawhide Coffee shop downtown.
Friday November 6th was Craig and Jan's actual anniversary so Greg and I woke up early, like usual, and made them cinnamon French toast with bacon for breakfast.
Greg spent Friday with his Dad taking the camper to get winterized, helping with electrical projects etc. It was nice father son time for them. I know Greg really enjoyed it. I was able to spend the day with my mother in law Jan. We went shopping in downtown Cody. It was seriously Christmas/antique heaven! I loved every store we walked into! They had such neat little trinkets. A lot of which you could see were hand crafted. I can not wait to display my new candle topper Jan!!
While out shopping Jan had mentioned she would LOVE to make a bundt cake. Just so happens we found a mixture at one of the shops.
As you can see in the pictures, mine didn't turn out as pretty as it looked on the box, but it sure tasted good!!! Ill have to use pam instead of Crisco next time;)
Funny story, the evening before a lady went to the Caldwell's door with a bouquet of flowers and said "Oh Im sorry I have the wrong house". Of all the days that could happen.
Craig did surprise Jan with some beautiful yellow roses and she proudly put them on display. Jan Craig Greg and I went to the Cody High school football game. The weather started out ok, since it had been in the mid 60s-70s the past couple days. But after the first quarter we started to freeze!! I had two blankets a fleece and gloves!!!! It was an exciting game though, Cody won!
We did leave part way thru the game to head to La Comida to meet Jama Ashley Pat and Ethan for dinner. Let me tell you Ethan LOVES blueberry Tootsie pops! We took tons of pictures and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Saturday we slept in a little and headed to the Cody Shooting range about 830am. Greg and Craig had picked up some ammunition from Cableas and were ready to get rid of some stress. Of little ear plugs helped but they didnt do a whole lot to cushin the amazing noise these guns make! Not to mention it was REALLY chilly this day! It had started to rain and was snowing in the mountains. Finally Greg and Craig talked me into shooting and I wont lie it was actually really fun. Especially when I started pinging my targets! Greg says Im a natural haha
We headed home to watch the Iowa football game. Jan had gone all out with veggie and raspberry cheese balls, nachos and chocolate rice krispie treats! It was a sad game but we all had fun supporting our team together and looking very stylish I might add.
After the game Jan Craig Greg and I took a scenic drive to the Yellowstone east gate. We went thru all types of weather imaginable. It was definitely a lot more fun this trip since our last trip to Wyoming I had the flu. I could of taken a million pictures easily. You are just surrounded by peaceful beauty there. Thanks to Jan for all the couples shots and Craigs reminder of our trademark snowman:)
While we were out and about Ashley and Jama were baking like crazy and setting up for the anniversary celebration. They were very creative and tried to recapture their wedding day. They laid out pictures from when they were dating as well as their wedding album. Ruffles seemed to be very popular then, for the men that is:)Awesome job on the cake toppers ladies!
We headed out to The Rib and Chop House downtown. Greg and I both agree we each had one of the best steaks in our lives here! Greg ran into his friend Shane. You rarely run into people in Phoenix than you know, no let me re phrase that, You NEVER run into people you know at restaurants so it was great that he was able to catch up with him.
We headed home to play the game Acquire. Anyone that knows Gregs family knows this is a very "popular" Caldwell game. It is very intense and the joke is it has ruined friendships. After playing a mild game I can see how this "joke" could possibly be true:) You spend so much time creating this strategy and with one swift move another player changes the whole game and pretty much sends you packing! I will admit I did have a lot of fun and now that I understand the game Im sure I will be able to conquer all next time;) HA

Never a dull moment

It seems there is fun around the corner every weekend:)
This last weekend my mom was in town. It was nice spending some time with her and relaxing in this nice weather! We were able to have mother daughter time. Of course we had to hit up the mall at some point;)
Friday we were invited to a friends Halloween costume party. I have to say everyone did an awesome job coming up with costumes! I saw a few Zorro's, ghost rider, Rocky and a ring girl, a witch, cavemen and the best one of all a Ghostbuster!
Greg actually won first place at work for his outfit. I think his attention to detail is what won them over. He downloaded the theme song to his phone and walked around work all day long with Ghostbusters playing. Needless to say it has been stuck in all of our heads since last Friday, you may even be humming it now. Who you gonna call?
Saturday Mike, Mara Rohan and their dogs came over to play some cornhole and have a nice dinner. Greg made his speciality Shrimp wrapped in bacon and chicken wrapped in bacon with a maple syrup mixture. So good;) We were all stuffed and not to mention all the candy we had been "snacking" on.
Rohan was our first trick or treater. I'm sure Linus, Schroeder and Abby were all jealous that he was able to go out and show off his costume.
I attempted to watch Transformers 11 (we saw it in the theatres) but after such a long fun day I just couldn't do it. I'm sure I fell asleep at the half way mark if that.
Sunday ended up being in the mid 80's and we headed over to the world wild life zoo.We saw baby white tigers, a while alligator, some seriously noisy birds and the list goes on. I was a kid in a candy store. I actually think I enjoyed this zoo more than the Phoenix zoo since you are so close to the animals. I have to say a Giraffes tongue feels pretty weird wrapped around your hand but it was a blast!
The Aquarium was fun. Greg was able to feed shrimp to the sting rays, though one of them got a little over excited and actually bit his hand. Id be nervous after that but he continued to feed them. It looked like a feeding frenzy to me!
Later that evening mom and I played around with my settings on my new sewing machine. I wont lie I'm pretty excited to start some new crafts;)
Greg is so getting a three armed sweater for Christmas;)
Yes of course I took a ton of pictures but it was just a ton of fun to be had!
I hope everyone had a safe Halloween weekend.

Weekend of Surprises!!!!

The weekend started around 30degrees and ended at a perfect 60 degrees:)
I flew back for my Dads 50th Birthday Surprise Party. Only the party didn't end up being a surprise but I was. My dad had no idea that I was flying in. With a few flight delays I flew in even later than we originally had planned. Thankfully Mom was still able to pick me up at the airport but Im sure dad had to think something was up with her going out so late!!!
I left one of his Bday presents on the kitchen counter with a sticky note on it, just so I didn't scare him to death when he thought he was home alone!
You could tell it really meant a lot to him. I enjoyed being able to see his reaction as he read thru the scrapbook I put together for him. I really had some help from some great people! Thank you Mom and Grandma Pat for such AWESOME pictures! Grandma I seriously don't know how you did it, man Dad was a big baby! Almost 13 pounds! Thank you Kenny and Scott for some fun River pictures. Greg and Ryan helped come up with some pretty "creative" theme pages. I have to say everyone loved your "Thoms Stach" page Greg:)I had so many pictures it was hard to choose which ones to use but I think it all came together.
It just so happened that my friend Lynnelle was getting ready to celebrate her big 30th bday. I had mentioned I would be in town and would like to meet up with her but she had no idea that I would be at her surprise bday party. Her mom called and invited friends to surprise her at the Casey's in Evansdale. She put together this nice slide show of pictures from Lynnelle's childhood. Lynnelle was the coolest in the 80's for sure! I had a blast with her and friends as you will see in the pictures. We find ways to entertain ourselves. I have to say the caseys in Evansdale is pretty nice! Very spacious, they did a great job updating the place!
We got things in order for Dads party. Mom found the perfect picture of dad to put on his Bday cake. Its actually the picture from his Bday last year at Margaritaville. Since hes into little creepy crawlers and his bday is in October mom made a special spice cake for dad. We had a great turn out and more than enough food!!! Mom you did a fantastic job decorating and planning! You were a wonderful host! Everyone had a great time and it looks like almost everyone signed the guest book (inside joke):)Ryan since your in Israel I signed your name, even though technically you WERE at the party. Man I love Skype!
It was a little chilly in the evening but we started a fire and just moved the party outdoors. That's why we invented beer cozies to keep your fingers warm right Lisa:) There was a HUGE show going on outside when the fire first started. All I could hear was Eric's dramatic laugh and everyone had their faces pressed against the bay window. I finally was able to look out and saw that "the guys" had taken the for sale sign my parents had out front and threw all the fliers my dad had just put out there in to the pit for kindling. They were thinking of just throwing the for sale sign in there too:) HA! The pictures say a lot but man if you could hear some of the conversations you would be laughing so hard you were crying I know I was!!!! Thanks for the story Al!!
Yes I colored my hair and no it was not intended to be this dark. I did acquire a nickname this last trip, Elvira. Apparently there is even an Elvira song that everyone kept serenading me with. I had never heard it before. I may just go as Elvira for Halloween, it would help explain the hair:)
Mom and I were able to spend some time together and took a day hike up at Hartman Reserve. We checked out the little creepy Crawler center (mainly little garter snakes and salamanders). The leaves were changing colors and we set the timer and used the nifty gorilla tripod to capture some fun moments.
We ran into the same scenario as we did when trying to capture ourselves jumping into the pool. Our timing is just totally off So we only got a few pictures of us throwing up leaves. Next time I will just record it and then take a still picture. I'm sure everyone thought we were crazy as we were posing and staring off into the woods since they didn't always know that their was a camera wrapped around a tree taking our picture:)
The pictures turned out beautiful, I think between the two of us we had at least 100 pictures. The colors were breath taking and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather, it was 60!!!
Of course we had to stop and get lunch at Jimmy Johns before hand YUMMY!
We headed home, ordered Chinese and carved a cute pumpkin. Mom did the hard part of cutting the top out, I cleaned it and free handed it. It was fun and turned out cool.
I really don't know how I packed so much fun into the shortest trip ever. I wont lie I am totally exhausted but it was just a great time. I saw so many family members and friends and I'm really thankful for that.

End of Summer Scorcher

It was a fun filled weekend of music:) The KUPD End Of Summer Scorcher lived up to our standards. There were 15 bands, rock climbing, dunk tanks, and a half pipe.
Some of he bands performing were,
Sevendust, Atreyu, Shadows Fall, Otep, Sick Puppies, Five Finger Death Punch, Tantric, Corey Taylor and The Junk Beer Kidnap Band, Digital Summer, CAVO, Since October, The Veer Union, Aranda, GIANTKILLER, Howitzer, Giant Killer.

Sick Puppies have an awesome bassist who really tore it up. Otep and Atreyu I feel stole the show:)
Even though we were tired from standing and jumping around for 8 hours or so, we still got ourselves up early this morning for a nice run;)

The Spazz wants a treat

cleaning out the garage

Its a task I have been putting off. With being in outside sales I seem to accumulate a lot of "free samples" and catalogs from work. I decided this last Saturday that if I haven't talked to that vendor in the last six months all of those supplies are going bye bye. It really opened up a lot of space and I was able to organize the items in the Garage by categories. So the next thing is to put up shelves and since its organized it shouldn't take as much time:)Obviously Abby was tuckered out from being such a good helper:)
Greg has been a studying machine!He managed to find a few minutes to come down and help with dinner Saturday night. So delicious, he made my favorite dish of his. Bacon wrapped chicken with green and red peppers. He covers the chicken with a sweet/spicy mix and then grills them and covers them with his fav BBQ sauce! They were the best kabobs!

We rented the new x-men origins wolverine movie. It wasn't bad. It felt slow in some areas and rushed in others. Gambit is still cool;)I would recommend the movie to others.
We have been preparing for our 1/2 marathon in January. We are going to try out the Nike+IPOD, sensor and receiver sport kit. It enables your Nike+ to talk to your IPod and records your every step. Its definitely something we are excited about and looking forward to. Sunday Greg spent most of the day studying at Barnes and Noble but he came home with a huge surprise;) He surprised me with the new Dan Brown book. I have been really looking forward to it the last year. Couldn't have been better timing, I had just finished my other book that afternoon:)
Such a thoughtful husband!

Busy weekends

We have had some fun the last couple of weekends. It was nice to have Greg home a little early last week to spend some time with him on his Bday.
We headed out to Red Lobster so that we could get our endless shrimp fix:)
We were able to get a lot of little things done around our house. Greg installed the second ceiling fan outside and I painted the master bedroom. It was an interesting paint choice, Ralph Lauren Suede. It really does look like suede but it was not easy! I think it was about 7 coats and a gallon and a half later wha la! We really love the color choice though.
This last weekend we watched the Hawkeyes kick some tail and then headed to a DBacks vs Brewers game. Before heading in for the game we had some chips and salsa at Coopertown (Alice Coopers bar and grill). Listened to some great music and watched college football, again:) We headed into Chase Field and really had some decent seats but I think we only watched about 20 minutes of the game before we headed up to TGIF inside Chase Field and watched college football there:) It was Hispanic Heritage day at Chase Field so we were entertained by dancers outside of the restaurant.
Greg has been really putting in the hours studying and has a test today so wish him luck:)I know he will pass with flying colors though!

Big Bday Weekend

This labor day weekend also known to most other people in the world as Greg's Birthday weekend, has been jam packed with adventure and good times. Starting at 4:30am Friday morning Nico and I were and getting the last of my backing gear ready for 4days of life on the Arizona Highline Trail. I picked up Syring and a short time later, Mike and I were on our journey along the trail. The weather started out great, slightly overcast and about 80 degrees. We stopped for lunch near Christopher Creek after a slight detour through a bow and rifle range. After lunch we ascend up and followed a ridgeline that gave us panoramic views of both the valley below and the edge of the colorado plateau above.

Awesome storm

Wow last night we had an amazing storm go thru! Here in AZ we can actually say "we needed the rain and mean it!" There were strong winds, lightining, thunder! Greg and I sat on the back patio for a long time and just listened to the rain. It was so relaxing.

Running errands can be a full time job

It was another hot weekend but we found things to do inside in the AC. With Greg's classes and working full time, we rarely see each other during the week. So even though he had to work Saturday and studied all evening it was still nice to know he was home.
I have been wanting to put all of our wedding and Mexico photos in an album. The pictures have been sitting out for the last 3 months now and I was determined to make sure it was completed this last weekend. Saturday I went to about 3 Sams Clubs to find the photo albums I like to use weren't in stock. So I went home and decided to just call a few other Sams Clubs in the area. I received a few different responses one being "we only carry photo albums at Christmas time" interesting. This conversation was the best though,
Nico " Do you happen to have the 3pk photo albums in stock?"
Employee " I don't understand what you mean by photo album."
Nico "A book that you put photos in? I don't know how else to explain it"
Employee "I'm sorry I'm not really sure what your asking for but I don't think we have anything like that".
I thought maybe I had just dated myself. Of course I keep my photos on DVDs and the computer but I still feel you need print outs to share:)This weekend alone I sorted thru well over 1000 printed photos.

I ended up just getting online and found that they did have them in stock and just drove to that location. I had to laugh the conversation off though.
The photo album 3pk really is a great deal and is a very nice album.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=362642
Gotta love Sams Club:) They even have coupons at Sams Club for specific items you purchase now. Very nice.
Greg spent Sunday Rock climbing with friends while I finished my projects. Grocery shopping, house work and little projects seem to be a full time job anymore. Not to mention working full time and always taking your work home with you:)


I was also able to hang a lot of our wedding/engagement portraits around the house. I found I need to invest in a laser level! Hanging one frame, no big deal, but when your hanging a collage it can be a headache:)
Sunday was also our 3 month mark as Husband and Wife. I love him more and more everyday.
Greg is planning for his upcoming camping/hiking trip with a friend as well as celebrating his Bday. I may get to see him for five minutes before then:)
I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Project weekend

This last weekend Greg and I decided we had a few things we wanted to get accomplished before our schedules got too busy.
We added to our drip system since we added new flowers.
Then we finished patching up the holes on the patio ceiling and headed to Lowes to purchase our new fan.
Of course a trip to Lowes leads to several new house projects:) We could easily spend a few thousand dollars in one day there:) Eventually we got back to the task at hand and purchased our new patio ceiling fan. We figured it was the perfect time to add an accent color to our back patio as well. We also painted the patio Ceiling to hide our patch work. We originally thought we could match the color but nothing is ever that easy:)
Mike Mara and Rohan stopped over a little later in the day Saturday and Mike helped Greg put up the ceiling fan.
Never thought I would be so excited to paint and put up a fan. I have to say that fan feels great especially while the misters are going!!! After a long hot 100 degree day of painting and patching we needed to cool off!!
Mara grilled some chicken and corn for us and Greg and I fell asleep on the couch watching Mall Cop (not that interesting of a movie).
We hope everyone had a safe weekend!!

Always an Adventure

We've really had a fun and busy summer. The last couple weekends we have been lucky enough to spend with friends and family. A day after returning home from sailing the dark seas with the river rats my parents flew into Phoenix AZ to visit with us.
I have to say they are the best house guests, they keep the chocolate chip cookies and jalapenos Cheetos stocked and they clean clean clean:) They are two very motivated people, when they put their mind to something they stick with it:) Two great role models.
Aside from visiting us they were out checking out local properties. Hmmm maybe we will have some new neighbors:) It would be great to have them close by.
My parents celebrated their 27th anniversary August 14th. Greg and I took them out to Westgate where we had dinner at the Yard House and enjoyed the music. Then we headed over for a cocktail at the Saddle Ranch. I couldn't get dad to get on the mechanical bull, maybe next time ha
Greg and Dad had a lot of bonding time. They found projects around the house to work on. Greg pretty much got schooled in Electricians 101. We now have a new ceiling fan in the computer room and we are all set up for ceiling fans on the back patio!! They will sure come in handy on those 115 degree days:) So awesome:)
We also now have a nice misting system around our back patio. Dad and I went to lowes and bought a couple of the kits and some PVC piping and it was up and ready to go by the time I got home from work the next day!
Sunday we took a short drive up to Lake Pleasant. Since my parents are big boaters we thought it would be nice to give them a tour of the area. You can boat, fish, ski and the list goes on. The lake is a lot deeper and wider than I originally thought. Plus I was impressed with how blue and clear the water was!
With my parents help we planted some new flowers in the backyard. Im so excited for fall to see if my mums come back this year.
My parents had their share of wild critters this trip. Though the scorpion was dead it was still neat to see. Even if a scorpion is dead it still has the ability to sting you! Crazy!
Mom was casually picking up her towel on the patio and I happend to see something that looked like it was slithering over her head! It turns out it was just a lizard but its the largest one Ive seen in our backyard!!! Usually they are tiny! He was really friendly though:)
As usual I took a million pictures. I love to capture the moment. It really was great to have them out to visit and we look forward to the next:)
Enjoy

River Run 2009

Wow can the River Rats party or what!!? We had a blast hanging out with Family and Friends this last weekend on the Mississippi River.
It was Gregs first year on the River Run but we can proudly say he is no longer a River Run virgin:)
All of the River pirates gathered at Teenie and Al's for Teenies famous spicy bloody marys. Id say we had roughly 40-45 pirates traveling the dark seas.
Mad Sam Rackham (AKA Jay McCool) showed off his fine pirate gear as we were going thru the lock and dam. I have to say the tat on the bum was a nice touch. Dirty Thom Flint did a mighty fine job not crashing the boat from being blinded by the silver thong;)
We traditionally stop at a couple sand bars and mingle. We were lucky to have such beautiful weather so the sandbars were a little packed. We managed to find a spot and threw our anchors down. There were some good attempts at sand sliding. Next year we need new slides though;) I think Im still finding sand particles in my mouth. We enjoyed many of the drink concoctions and watched Cassie and Austin walk the plank (Party boat diving board).
We docked a little later than usual but it was only because we were having so much fun. We stayed at the Best Western Midway hotel in Lacrosse. After we freshened up, since Pirates do get a little stinky we headed out for dinner at Buzzard Billys. My best friend/maid of honor Tessa and her husband Aaron came up from Waterloo to enjoy dinner and paint the town red with us. Luckily they fit right in with the crew;)
We relaxed in the lounge above Buzzard Billys before dinner and Pruddy and Dirty Thom (AKA my parents) danced to a sweet love song, so cute.
After Greg violated a statue of a crane we headed out to enjoy the bar scene in Lacrosse. Of course there were soooo many spots to choose from and so little time. Our first stop was Bodega's, with 400 beers on tap you can not go wrong there. Then we headed to a grunge bar called Yesterdays. This bar had an interesting choice for wallpaper. Lets just say no one had any clothes on in the drawings. Tons of fun though, tvs in the ceiling and great music!
The next morning was spent slowly heading out for breakfast and packing our gear to head back to Prarie Du Chein. We fed the ducks, dealt with the killswitch and set sail.
The weather wasnt as favorable this day but we managed. We found some stowaways but figured we would keep them around and put them to work (aka Lana and Al). Captain Dirty Ethel kept the boat a float and we found our way to land.
We stopped at the Tiki Lounge in Lansing. I have to say this is one of my favorite memories. We were all together in one small confined area sharing stories, drinking and laughing so hard we were crying. The entertainment was priceless. It ranged from buttdarts to blowing up condoms with your nostrils. Lana had a great idea to buy a t-shirt and I think within 20 minutes the coozies were sold out and the T-shirts were close to being gonners. Teenie and I choose a color that could be seen for miles;) Very obnoxious and fun, just like us:)
It was awesome visiting with everyone and we look forward to our future adventures together!
There were only a couple items from our vessel that were surrendered to the river gods. Greg and Lana's bandanna. Tessa lost her camera somewhere at buzzard billys. So let those items rest in peace. Greg finally was able to get his rub on tattoo's to come off!
Our drive back to Des Moines to catch our flight was interesting. We missed the hail but we listened to constant sever weather storm/tornado warnings in the area. It really was awesome to witness it though.
I hope you all enjoy the pictures and keep safe!!!

Two second visit

We were in Iowa for less than 24 hours. We flew in to head up to Wisconsin for the 10th annual River Run our friends and family put together each year.
In our two second visit to Iowa we met up with Geiken and had a big beer with him.
We also visited with the Peets. We were excited to finally get to meet Tim and Allison's son Cameron. He is adorable and really is developing quite the personality! He loves to giggle and smile for sure:) He is a fast little bug too! He was crawling all over the place! Thanks All-is-on for the tour of your new home, it was very cozy!I loved your flowers out front!!!
We had a great time and were happy to have visited even if it was the fastest visit ever.

Cheery Rainbows

It was a nice start to our day when Greg and I went out and saw our neighborhood covered by a giant rainbow. It was so peaceful and you could smell it was about to rain. It only rained for maybe five minutes and within that time there were 3 accidents that I saw, but it sure was a beautiful rainbow.
Did you know that rainbows are actually complete circles? I learn something new everyday thanks Greg. I read that the water droplets act like prisms. Sunlight is reflected off the droplets and different colors are sent out at different angles. The center of the circle lines up with you and the sun, so if the big ol earth wasn't in the way you would see the complete circle. But if you were up flying a jet its possible that you would see the whole circle.
Have a wonderful day!

Yellow Yellow Yellow

I love Orange, Yellow, Greens etc but sometimes you can have too much of those colors. This was a situation we ran into this past weekend:)
We have been working on some home projects lately. We only have a few rooms left to paint. So after a relaxing Friday evening watching fast and furious (good movie by the way) we decided to take a trip to Lowes on Saturday to start painting the guest bedroom.
We found the colors we liked and to our surprise when we got home one of the colors we picked is more of a canary yellow. Not cool. On the sample it looks like a slight hint of yellow but on a larger scale its not just a hint:) Greg had other choice words for the color;)
We went back to Lowes to see if there was anything they suggested since we can not return custom colors. We added some white which muted the color slightly but in the end we had to give up and go with a totally different color:)Plus I think the yellow room was making us feel angry or like we were at a fast food joint.
We are happy with the changes, we just wish it didn't take two days to do a small project.

Invasion of the Lizards

Ok, so the Lizards we have around the OUTSIDE of the house are small and cute. But this last week Greg and I have found a couple little guys inside of the house. They are fast and when you see one zip past your feet you cant help but jump a little!
I was taking some things out of a bag we had on the dinning room table this afternoon. Everything was normal until something started moving INSIDE of the package! I could of been a star pitcher, I threw that coozie so fast and far! Thankfully nobody was home to hear me scream like a school girl. Then I went over to actually see what it was I had thrown! You can see in the video Abby just tried to eat the poor thing after it tried running up my leg!!!! I can honestly say no little lizards were harmed.

Good Luck in Israel Ryan!!!

My brother Ryan flew out of New York this evening. It is the start of his journey to Tel Aviv Israel. He will be attending Tel Aviv University and working towards his masters degree.
https://www.telavivuniv.org/Default.aspx
He is studying Middle eastern history and Arabic.
He is very excited and has been looking forward to this life goal for some time now. Our family is extremely proud of him and can not wait to hear all about his new experiences!
We wish you the best of luck Ryan! Big hugs!

50 shots and 1 good one

Greg and I had a nice relaxing weekend. We rented a few movies, watchmen and Wall-e. Wall-e being the favorite of the two:) We also went to the new Harry Pottery movie. It was different from the others but still good.
It was nice to be home for a weekend and just grill out and relax by the pool. The Syrings joined us Sunday afternoon. I am amazed at how much thier son Rohan has changed in just a month!
But as you can see from our pictures, it was about the adults and us adults kept ourselves entertained.

Gregs adventures in Tucson

Mission San Xavier Del Bac
Quoted from the website

"Mission San Xavier del Bac is situated in the Santa Cruz Valley nine miles south of Tucson.
The present church was built from 1783 - 1797 by the Franciscan Fathers Juan Bautista Velderrain and Juan Bautista Llorenz. Why the one tower was never completed is still a mystery, but hopefully one day this question will be answered.

The church is a series of domes and arches that create enclaves for themes of painting on the various walls, domes and rooms. The area behind the high altar is a dazzling gilt of colors. The wall paintings are all original, but over time have needed to be touched up. Time and the harsh desert weather have taken a toll on the the beauty that is within the church and the entire mission complex."

We finally have rain:)

Of course it started to dribble the moment our sprinklers came on:) But none the less it was rain and we were in need of it! It wasn't until this morning that we received a good ol Thunder lightning storm but it was worth the wait:)

Lockett Meadow Campground July 2009

As you've seen in our previous posts, we really enjoy camping. We camped in Flagstaff Az at the Lockett Meadow Campground.
The campground surrounds this beautiful meadow that views the San Francisco Peaks. You will see in the pictures below how mesmerizing it was. It really felt like a mystical place. The Aspen trees were so tall and such a vivid green.
The camp has 17 campsites. We were able to secure a spot right across from the meadow. We just purchased a new 3 man tent (eureka)so we were looking forward to the extra space when sleeping. We were using a 2 man tent. With the two of us and Abbys small dog kennel that just wasn't enough room:)
We set up tent and had plenty of time to spare. We headed off to Lava River Cave. It was more fun than I expected! It was a hole in the ground! It is roughly 700,000 years old. It is a mile long lava tube cave that was formed by a volcano that erupted. I was thankful that I brought my head lamp and jacket. It was about 40 degrees at the coldest point. It is very damp, slippery and not a friendly terrain. There is nothing flat about this cave, everything has a point, hole or slope.
It is so dark in the cave that when we turned our head lamps off we couldn't even see our hands in front of our faces. I think the cave freaked Abby out a little. But thankfully we had a front dog carrier for her so she was strapped to me the whole time.
If you are in Flagstaff we really recommend this outdoor museum!
Greg's cousin Tony and his friend Neeral met up with us later that evening. Now Greg and I were so looking forward to enjoying our 3 man tent, and then Tony shows up with his 5 man tent! It was a beast!!! It took all four of us to set up, pretty much in the dark. We had lamps but still, with never having set up this tent it was a fun challenge:) We joked that we were going to have a dance party in the 5 man tent later that night. Disco ball and all.
The next morning after Greg made us a great breakfast. We headed to the Inner Basin Trail which started in our campground. Abby is getting older, but she made it about a mile before we had to put her in the doggie carrier. That is the best investment of the year so far! HA!
The Inner Basin Trail is an upward 4 mile hike. The scenery is just breath taking. The Aspen trees fill every space so the sun was only able to poke thru in a few spots which left us with cool shade and a nice breeze. Once you reach the top you have the perfect view of Mt Humphrey. We were very close to an elevation of 10,000.
After our hike we headed into town to pick up some more ice and take a tour of Tonys home in Flagstaff with hopes that his new motorcycles had shown up. It hadn't:( But Tony does have a great home in a cozy neighborhood. We headed downtown and ran into some locals in character for Celtic days. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Collins Irish Pub. We sat outside since we had Abby and every single person stopped to pet her. She was loving the attention. It really felt like EVERYONE had their dog out in Flagstaff. We really enjoyed the environment. Honestly we felt like we were right at home!
It wouldn't be a true camping experience without some fun fire building:)Tony kept himself entertained by melting glass bottles together:) Greg and Tony were able to find one sweet log that burned the ENTIRE night! It was amazing and perfect for smores and card games:)
It was definitely hard to leave this story book location and head home. So we are already planning our next visit:) Enjoy!

Realxing weekend minus a few work calls

Saturday started off very relaxing. Greg was up bright and early since he had to work. I found him lounging out by the pool before he had to head in.
We headed over to Greg's Uncle Mikes house in Glendale and visited with his family later that afternoon.
We grilled steaks, chicken with bacon wrapped around it and had some fresh watermelon and strawberries with chocolate (my favorite!)!!! Unfortunately Greg received an emergency call right in the middle of our family gathering and spent 2 1/2 hours putting miles on the car driving around town. At least when he made it back to the grill out the food was already prepared and he could dig right in:) It gave me time to visit with Greg's Aunt Snow who is originally from China and catch up with her son Brady, who just got braces! Oh I remember those years! But it will be worth it just hang in there Brady!!
Mike and Snow have an awesome pool with a waterfall and basketball hoop. Not to mention the coolest pool lounger Ive ever laid in! You just have to make sure when your sleeping in the lounger working on your tan that you don't float right over to the waterfall to get sprayed in the face:)
We stayed there for a few hours, shared stories and watched the movie idiocracy. Wow watching that made my IQ drop but it was hilarious!
Sunday has been pretty simple. Just floating in the pool passing the beach ball back and forth. Just a few chores around the house:)
Nothing wrong with lazy days:)Even with lazy days we find ways to entertain ourselves. We hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Landmark in Cedar Falls IA

Oh Im so sad:(
A landmark in Cedar Falls also took a hit: the four-legged tree near the intersection of Tremont and West 18th streets.

Homeowners Tim and Sarah Olsen were sleeping but woke when the winds picked up at about 3:45 a.m.

"All of a sudden there was a loud crash, and I said, ‘Please tell me it’s not my tree," Tim Olsen said.

The tree is actually four lindens grafted together many years ago and allowed to grow together as one. The group formed an archway over the walkway leading into the home’s porch and front door.

"I grew up in Cedar Falls and thought some day it would be cool to live here," Olsen said.

The Olsens bought the property two years ago. Friday morning, they weren’t sure their famous four-legged tree would survive.