Things I've Been Wanting to Blog About

Miles

2010-05-04T20:20:00.011-06:00

Babysitting Miles is a real treat....he is so cute and funny. OK, I may be biased, but grandparents are allowed to be. These are a few pictures from the last couple of times we babysat.

Miles, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Cutest Miles, originally uploaded by Weber2.

He likes to play in the yard:

IMG_0303, originally uploaded by Weber2.

IMG_0312, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Meal times are sometimes fun and sometimes challenging:

Dinner time - trying a carrot, originally uploaded by Weber2.

spitting out the carrot, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Good thing he has the bib., originally uploaded by Weber2.

Miles, you can call me anytime!!!

The Ridge Yurt

2010-04-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

Easter weekend, Rich and I went on a snowshoe hike to a yurt in the Uintas with a group of friends. I can quite honestly say this was the most physically challenging thing I have ever done. It was 5 miles (6 hours) of snowshoeing to the yurt. I didn't whine once!! It was a very compatible group of people and dogs. We had 3 dogs (2 pit bulls and 1 lab mix) along on the trip. I'll admit I was not sure about having 3 dogs along, but they were great. Rich and I even had one of the pit bulls (Rae) share our double bunk on Saturday night.

An absolutely beautiful day to hike in.

DSCN0890, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Still smiling - only because I thought we must have already hiked 4 miles, when it was probably only 1 mile.

The Hike In, originally uploaded by Weber2.

The Ridge Yurt

DSCN0910, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Cocktail Hour on the Deck: Jocelyn, Paul, Kelli, Lynda, Lisa and Rich

DSCN0936, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Same group, minus Kelli, but including me

DSCN0939, originally uploaded by Weber2.

After our sunset hike, Rich, Jocelyn and Kelli all decided it would be easier to roll down rather than hike.

DSCN0945, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Rae and Taylor with Jocelyn and Lisa

DSCN0917, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Lynda won "The Most Outstanding Yurtling" prize for serving Paul his first ever coffee in bed.

DSCN0959, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Blazing a new trail

DSCN0906, originally uploaded by Weber2.

We had a great weekend. This is a trip I will never forget, including:
Hiking down to the outhouse in the middle of the night in 10 inches of fresh powder
Having 3 days of amazing clear blue skies, and fresh snow every night
Keeping the fire blazing in the stove
3 very very friendly, well-behaved dogs, 7 very friendly, possibly not so well-behaved, people in a 20 ft. yurt
Great meals
Carrying a freakishly heavy backpack for 6 hours in and only 4 1/2 hours out
Stopping in Evanston on the way home for dinner at a restaurant that was closed, only to have the owner fire up his grill and make us amazing dinners.
No longer being a "Yurtling"

Note: Posted by Weber not Rich

A Day At Sundance Resort

2010-02-07T09:05:00.003-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Rich and I spent a day at the Sundance Resort with some friends. Rich and the girls spent the morning skiing. Not being a skier, I spent the morning in the lodge drinking coffee and reading a book.

The Friends: Lisa S., Lisa K, Rich, Jocelyn, Weber

We all hooked for lunch at The Owl. After lunch, Rich and I headed up the the Nordic area for some snowshoeing. It was absolutely beautiful. The trails were well marked and wound through the aspen trees. It was soft powdery snow and amazing scenery. Plus, Rich and I were the only people on the trail.

Later in the afternoon, we all met for pre-dinner drinks. We lucked out and got the table in front of the fireplace at the Owl Bar. The entire resort is very rustic and low-key. After having a few drinks, we headed off to a really good dinner and a Sundance film (Bhutto - not so good)

It was a very memorable day and a great mid-week break from work.

Food for Thought

2010-01-07T10:06:00.003-07:00

I'm always on the lookout for quotes to help inspire my co-workers. While I was browsing today, I came across a quote that I really liked:

"How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young? ~Paul Sweeney

More Miles

2009-12-06T15:48:00.003-07:00

I just found this video on my camera. This was taken about a month ago when we were babysitting. He is too funny.

Playing With Miles

2009-10-27T12:36:00.003-06:00

We love to babysit Miles. We babysat last Friday and I thought you should see how much fun he is to play with:

He was also very creative with his empty toy boxes.

Miles, you can call us anytime to come play.

Facebook

2009-10-15T19:19:00.002-06:00

Has Facebook replaced blogging? Have people stopped posting on their blogs because they're using Facebook? I promised myself I would try to create a new blog post every day this summer. I think I blogged 2 or 3 times all summer. I really did have a lot to say, but just never seemed to have the time. It was a very busy summer, and it definitely is a lot less time consuming to add a brief status update on Facebook. Add a couple of photos and their's your blog post.

Of course, we all know how addicting Facebook can be. Not to mention, totally distracting. A friend suggested I stop looking at FB for 2 weeks and see how much more I can accomplish. I thought to myself "she must be crazy. How could I possibly miss out on 2 weeks of my "friends" happenings and thoughts."

I guess I'll continue to tell myself that I will check FB just a couple of times a day and see what becomes of blogging. Stay tuned.

Things I meant to Blog About #2 = Camp Misconduct

2009-09-04T23:33:00.006-06:00

Back in July, we went on our annual Book Club camping trip. We had the group site at Camp Timpanooke. I personally think it was our best trip yet and our best site yet.

The bittersweet part of the weekend is the fact that 4 days later our friend Edie passed away after battling with cancer. We were all fortunate to have been able to spend that time with her.

As usual, there was outstanding food at every meal, lots of smore's, fun card games, hiking and much laughter. It's fun to see how much the kids have grown from year to year. And let's not forget about the super soakers. I was totally outgunned by 4 year old Tabitha (Thanks Tabs!)

We were joined this year by our newest member Renee and her family. They were a great addition to the group. Oh, and we were also joined by Wes' little Creepy Doll.

Next year is the 10th Anniversary of Camp Book Club. We are planning an extended weekend and hopefully will be traveling to the Tetons.

Theo and his s'more

All the kids, plus Creepy Doll

Creepy Doll being bad.

Miles Goes to the Library

2009-08-29T16:57:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, Brad and Maeve asked if we would take Miles on an adventure. Since it was rainy that morning, we decided to take him to the Main Library.

august 2009 024, originally uploaded by Weber2.

Miles liked the Monsters:

And the stuffed animals:

We're looking forward to the next adventure!

Miles and the Mower

2009-08-04T16:10:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we bought a toy lawn mower for Miles. He seems to really enjoy mowing the sidewalk and driveway. Maeve said he especially enjoys mowing the neighbors driveway. He certainly looks like he takes his mowing very seriously.

Now, I just need to learn how to take photographs without all the background "stuff".
The day we stopped by, Brad was busy painting the exterior of his house and I managed to capture everything he had moved into the driveway.

Rock and Blues Festival

2009-07-31T09:28:00.006-06:00

We spent last weekend at Snowbird enjoying the Rock and Blues Festival. It was a great time. Heard lots of good music, saw an air guitar competition, did some hiking and just generally had a lot of fun. Oh, and Rich and I celebrated our 39th anniversary!

Celebrating our Anniversary

Rich enjoying Coco Montoya

Rich playing with his new guitar buddy

The view of our hotel from the hike

Rich and all the women on the hike up Peruvian Gulch

We had so much fun, we're already planning next year's trip up to the festival.

Sarah, this one's for you....

2009-07-26T22:09:00.001-06:00

Miles - 16 Months

Camp Book Club 2009

2009-07-19T20:27:00.005-06:00

We just returned from our annual Book Club Camping trip. Several years ago we renamed it "Camp Misconduct". No one really remembers the exact trip or why it became Camp Misconduct. This year we stayed in Timpooneke Campground on the Alpine loop. Here are some of the highlights:

- Lots of good food. Each family prepares a meal, and they were all delicious. I don't think anyone ever complained of being hungry.
- Lots of laughter.
- Some people hiked to Timpanogus caves
- Rich and Simon hiked a good way up Mt.Timpanogus
- The rest of us stayed in camp, relaxed and played card games.
- We were constantly entertained by the 6 kids and Creepydoll.
- Had "Bad Taste" night. Some of us wore costumes, which I've decided not to post pictures. They were all in good fun, but after seeing me in Mom Jeans and a short tee short I've decided a diet is definitely in order.
- Weapons of "Wet destruction". We all brought super Soakers. I actually got drenched by the sweetest (huh!) little 4-year old. She totally soaked me and thought it was hysterical.

We are all looking forward to next year - the 10th anniversary. We are hoping for a little longer trip possibly to the Tetons.

Twilight Concert Series

2009-07-11T10:19:00.005-06:00

We went to the first Twilight Concert of the season. Usually the concerts start out somewhat crowded and then get more and more crowded as the season progresses. One report had around 10,000 people at this first concert. It's insanely crowded. Good luck if you need to get to a restroom.

This week it was Jenny Lewis....who we enjoyed and Bon Iver....who we thought was whiny and annoying.

Jenny Lewis - Good

Bon Iver - Bad

I hate to sound like a snob, but thank goodness we have friends that give us sponsor patio passes. I don't believe I could handle the crowds otherwise.

Sponsor Patio - Priceless

We rode our bikes to the Gallivan - downhill....it was all good. Parked in the bike lot - waited in line 30 minutes after the concert to retrieve our bikes....not so good. Riding uphill back home...totally sucked. I really need to get out on "bluedilicous" more often.

2009 Arts Fest

2009-07-02T22:36:00.004-06:00

We finished working at the Arts Festival a couple of days ago. It's very difficult, if not impossible, to catch up on all the sleep we lost. Three days later and I'm still exhausted. Regardless of the sleep deprivation, it was once again a terrific event. Over the 10 days of setup, Summer Solstice concert, and several days of rain we still managed to have a great time catching up with old friends and constantly laughing.

We also got to practice our emergency procedure during that horrific storm on Friday evening.

Red Butte Garden - David Byrne

2009-06-22T08:43:00.003-06:00

The sun finally (sort of) cooperated. It was a little chilly and windy, but it was all worth it. David Byrne and crew did an amazing performance. It was 2 hours of old and new music, perfectly choreographed, followed by 4 encores. I wish I had some better pictures to share.

Summer Solstice Concert

2009-06-21T10:14:00.004-06:00

Last night was the concert. We had to do setup for the conert yesterday afternoon. Guess what? It rained!!!! I'm not talking a little summer shower. I'm talking RAIN. It was cold, wet, rainy but we still managed to have a lot of laughs. The rain finally stopped and the concert went on.

Aimee and Shane did their rendition of "The Sound of Music"

Darin, Anika and I trying to keep warm.

Rich, just being Rich.

Tonight we go to the David Byrne concert at Red Butte....is a little sunshine too much to ask for?

The Lazy (Crazy) Days of Summer

2009-06-20T09:50:00.004-06:00

Today is the official start of summer...The Summer Solstice. We've started helping with Arts Fest setup - the craziness is taking off. Tonight is the Summer Solstice Concert with Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band.

The Art Fest Staff has a new Development Director - Aimee. I think she is going to fit in just fine:

The weather is looking a little unsettled. Of course it is. We've had so much rain this month that it's beginning to feel like Seattle. Everybody needs to send out those positive vibes for good weather tonight.

Happy Summer!!

Moab

2009-05-25T21:30:00.007-06:00

We spent Memorial Weekend camping in Moab. This is the first time camping in Moab that we have had such cool (and rainy) weather. This is also the first time that we didn't go into Arches. Who knew there was so many other great things to do.

Trying to set up camp and beat the rain storm just exhausted Rich...

On Saturday, we hiked to Fisher Towers....very dramatic. It was about a 4 hour hike and we finished about 15 minutes ahead of a major rain storm.

On Sunday (beautiful, sunny day), we hiked to Morning Glory Bridge. It was a great day for hiking...sunny, but only in the 70's...perfect weather (until it rained again in the evening.

On our way out of town, we took this very long, high, winding, narrow dirt road to Gemini Bridge.

Gemini Bridge...really cool natural stone bridge which can only be accessed via a very long dirt road.

Gemini Bridge - Rich always tries to freak me out by getting too close to the edge.

It's been a long time since we've experienced so much rain, thunder and lighting. There was even a flash flood in the creek just behind (and below) our campsite. It was a great weekend....even with all the rain.

Just When You Think You're Finished

2009-05-14T20:05:00.004-06:00

This past weekend I finally finished "The Big Spring Cleanup" of all the beds in our yard. It always feels so good to look around the yard and see all the freshly cleaned out beds.

Now I'm able to see all the spots where I want to add a plant or two, maybe add a little more color, maybe find a good spot for the new tomato and pepper plants.

Then I decided to walk around to the front yard. The front is where I started the spring cleanup a couple of weeks ago. YIKES!!!!! Where did those weeds come from? Oh that's right, once you get all the weeds pulled, they pop right back up again. Hmmm....this is the part I don't like about gardening. Maybe I just need to get the weeds pulled again and get some plants in the ground.

HAPPY GARDENING!!

How Many More!!???

2009-05-10T21:22:00.003-06:00

R: "How many more rooms do we need to skimcoat?

W: "But Honey, look at how smooth and pretty those walls look in our office!"

Priming, skimcoating, sanding, priming, painting.....a lot of work....but well worth the finished product!

How Much Fun Did you have this Weekend?

2009-05-05T12:28:00.005-06:00

We spent the weekend preparing for the installation of new carpeting. It's amazing what you discover when you rip out carpeting in a 100 year old house.

Check out the lovely linoleum.

Yes, they actually used cedar roof shingles to level the floor.

I'm thinking they just painted the floor around the area rug?

And, YES, they actually used a tin can lid to patch the living room floor.

So, ripping out carpeting wasn't enough fun. We decided to skim coat our office walls. The first step in prepping the walls is painting with an oil based primer.

Followed by several hours of applying wall board compound stuff:

Ahh, it was worth it all to be able to walk on this beautiful new plush carpeting.

Now all we need to do is sand and paint the office walls, and we will have a beautiful new office. Oh, I guess that's what we get to do next weekend.

Things I meant to Blog About:

2009-04-25T18:12:00.005-06:00

"Why you should never take a vacation day on March 31st"

Curt took a couple of days off before April Fool's Day. They were a couple of very hectic days. So to pay him back, we used about six pads of post-it notes to decorate his office. The best part was the fact that he liked his newly decorated office so much that he left the post-its up for a week.

What Rich Does in his Spare Time

2009-04-22T22:11:00.004-06:00

Rich llikes to play his guitar and sing to his itunes when he has some spare time. He certainly looks very serious.

Ah, Spring...

2009-04-05T17:33:00.002-06:00

I am so ready for Spring, but I am so not ready to start yard work. I've made a couple attempts, but it just doesn't seem like fun. I decided last fall to not cut back a lot of my perennials. I thought leaving some stalks and plants would add character to my "winter landscape". BIG MISTAKE! Now I have all of these dead black stalky plants that need to be cut back. Yuck.

And, what's with all the weeds this year. I don't think I've ever seen so many weeds this early in the season. It's only the first week in April.

I used to think I enjoyed gardening. Was I just delusional? Or am I just getting older? I can think of so many other things I would rather be doing. Oh well, I'll either get over it and start doing some serious yard work or I'll have a crappy looking yard. Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday, Miles!!!

2009-03-26T21:41:00.003-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday to a very special boy. Miles, we love you dearly. You have brought so much joy to our lives.

Love,
Grandma and Grandpop

We Love to Babysit

2009-03-23T11:04:00.005-06:00

Rich and I babysat Miles on Friday evening for a few hours. He is so much fun. We went on a long walk through the neighborhoods around their house. Miles sang for the entire hour we were walking. Well, except for that one little episode when we stopped to show him Millcreek flowing under the road. When we got back, we played for awhile before his bath. He likes to splash when he takes his bath. Miles thought it was really funny when he could splash Grandma.

He's starting to take steps by himself. He'll be walking any day now. Call us any time, Miles, we love to babysit.

Shh......Super Secret Ninja Friday

2009-03-22T13:26:00.004-06:00

A couple of years ago, a lovely young lady...we’ll call her M... started working in my office. Who knew that when we hired her she was a little crazy (by that I mean fun crazy). Interestingly enough, her “fun craziness” didn’t start manifesting itself until after she had her baby last summer.

M is responsible for updating the staff biweekly calendar (a 3’ by 4’ white board). I think her creative ideas started one week when there was nothing on the board. She commented that the board was “totally boring” and that we needed to come up with fun things to fill the board.

A couple of weeks ago we had “Super Secret Ninja Friday”. We all had “Super Secret Ninja Names”; everyone was supposed to dress in all black and act like a ninja . The outside sales team didn’t dress like a ninja (they had to call on customers), but every time someone paged them over the intercom, we had to use their secret name. They were good sports about it. “K” brought in a chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate Super Secret Ninja Pie for everyone. Just saying “Super Secret Ninja Friday” all day long was half the fun.

I’m sure some of you are thinking “what kind of an office manager are you to allow such nonsense to go on in the office. First of all, if you really know me, you realize that I don’t care to act my age. Secondly, I’ve discovered these events have been amazing team building activities. And finally, we have very few visitors to the office, so what does it matter.

We have the best inside sales team ever. I also think we currently have the best working relationship between the inside and outside sales teams. And I attribute this in large part to M’s crazy ideas.

Some of our other “Office Events” have been:

Halloween coloring contest
Costumes on Halloween
PJ party and Pancake breakfast the day before Thanksgiving
Luau Tuesday
Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
Wearing running clothes to support our co-worker on her attempt to run a half marathon in Phoenix

Stay tuned, I’m sure there will be more upcoming events. Personally, I can’t wait for “Talk Like a Pirate Day”.

Miles Comes to Visit

2009-03-11T21:34:00.003-06:00

Miles came to visit me at work today (he also brought his Mom). He wanted everyone to see what a big boy he is, so we weighed him on the UPS scale. His next amazing trick was to show everyone that he can take a few steps all by himself. He did a great job impressing my co-workers.

After showing off at the office he insisted on being taken to a nice lunch at the new Nordstrom Cafe Bistro. Here he is getting ready to enjoy a nice sandwich and fries.

Thanks, Miles and Maeve, for coming to visit. I had fun.

Baby's First Stitches

2009-02-26T16:34:00.003-07:00

Ok, so maybe I'm not a baby, but these are my first stitches (other than surgical). There was an "incident" at work this morning where I sliced my finger on a very sharp metal magnetic strip "of death". I didn't think I should get stitches, but after bleeding all over the office, my co-workers voted and said I had to go get it checked out.

The doctor at the urgent care said that I had sliced through my fat layer. (I thought that was very rude) He suggested that stitches would definitely be advisable. So, three stitches later, I was on my way back to the office.

Michelle told me to make sure I got a lollipop. The nurse did not offer any candy, but did give me this cute mini-condom to help keep my finger dry.

What will you do when you Retire?

2009-02-22T12:53:00.002-07:00

Rich and I plan to retire in about 5 years. Quite often when I mention that we are looking forward to retirement, I am asked the question: "What will you do when you're retired?". I decided to compile a list of things that we plan to do. This list is just a tiny sampling of what we are looking forward to:

Time to take more walks/hikes.
Read more books.
Spending as much time as we want in the morning reading the paper and drinking coffee.
Spending more time with the grandkid(s).
Traveling as much as possible. Unfortunately there may not be as much of that thanks to 8 years of George Bush.
Visiting friends and family.
Maybe doing a better job of cleaning the house.
Bike rides (without falling down).
Volunteering.
Whatever we feel like doing that day!!!

In-N-Out Burger

2009-02-13T12:11:00.001-07:00

Did you hear the news? In-N-Out is coming to Draper!!

Just Because it's February?

2009-02-11T09:39:00.002-07:00

I keep wracking my brain trying to think of something interesting to blog about, but I got nothin'.

I could talk about painting the guest room and getting ready for new carpeting, but who wants to hear about that.

The economy sucks so we made a pact to not spend "fun" money for the whole month of February.

It's either an inversion or snowing. So if you want to be outside, you are either breathing particulates or shoveling snow.

I should probably start thinking about what I want to do in the yard this spring, but I'm not ready to start thinking about working outside yet.

Maybe I'll just take a nap and hibernate till Spring.

Thank you, Craigslist

2009-02-07T11:47:00.002-07:00

We just sold our entertainment center on Craigslist. Some very nice young people came and picked it up this morning. Ah yes. That's one item of stress removed from my list of "Things causing Me Stress This Week".

How About an Entertainment Center

2009-01-25T16:13:00.002-07:00

We have this lovely solid wood entertainment center that we are not using. It can comfortably hold a 30" TV with plenty of room for components. Let us know if you are interested.

Need A Couch?

2009-01-17T14:19:00.002-07:00

Jess had this couch in an apartment. She moved back home for awhile and it ended up in Brad's room. Now they've both moved out and we still have the couch. We are in the process of painting the rooms downstairs in preparation for new carpeting. So my question now is....Could anyone use this lovely couch?

Music Man

2009-01-13T17:13:00.006-07:00

Rich and I babysat Miles on Saturday. Miles loves music! All he needs to hear is a couple of notes and he starts dancing.

The Perils of Super Glue

2009-01-06T15:05:00.003-07:00

It started out like any normal day - I snoozed one too many times, I took too long getting ready for work and it was snowing. And just like all the "normal" winters past, the end of my thumb dries out and I get serious splits on the end of my thumb. When I say "serious", I mean splits that look like a gaping wound.

I can't tell you how many people have told me "Oh, I just use a little Super Glue" on the split and it closes right up. So today when I kept banging my thumb on everything and constantly yelling "owie" I decided it was time to take some serious measures.

We just happened to receive a shipment of Super Glue with our office supplies last week. I thought "Why Not". Let me tell you why not. When an item is marked "bonds in seconds to plastic, metal, ceramic and more. Bonds skin instantly. Keep out of Reach of Children", it needs to be taken seriously.

I very cautiously proceeded to open the glue and squeeze just a tiny bit out. When nothing came out, I started squeezing the little tube. Still nothing came out. Suddenly I realized that there was still a little foil covering over the opening. I took the cap with the little piercing thingie and poked the foil covering. The glue shot out of the tube like Mount St. Helen's. It shot out all over my hand, my desk, but missed the vital parts of my computer keyboard.

My first reaction (after I stopped swearing) was to grab a handful of tissues. Big mistake. By the time Michelle came running into my office I had a mound of kleenex stuck to both hands. She very graciously helped clean things up (in between gales of laughter). When I finally got up from my desk, I realized that a couple of spots of glue had landed on my slacks. And yes, the glue very quickly seeps through fabric and attaches itself to whatever is underneath. In this case, it was my leg.

So what did I learn from this experience? Stay away from the super glue and continue using the liquid bandaid.

Why Am I Always Late?

2009-01-06T08:23:00.002-07:00

I've developed this new (bad) habit of always being 2 to 5 minutes late for work everyday. I don't like to be late. Therefore, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to be at least 2 to 5 minutes early for work.

Here it is the 6th of January and I've been late both days back at work. This morning on my stressful drive to work (realizing I was going to be late again) I decided to analyze the problem. I came up with the following:

I hit the snooze button one too many times.
I try to do too much before I leave the house.
Every clock in the house tells me it's a different time.

Now I just need to work on these 3 problems and maybe I can eliminate one stressful issue from my life.

The rest of the stressful issues will have to wait for another day. I've got work to do.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-04T08:53:00.002-07:00

2008

The Good:

The Birth of Miles
Jess and Dave
Brad and Maeve's New House
Jess becoming a "Young Entrepenuer"
Both of our companies did very well
We Turned 60

The Bad:

My Shoulder surgery
Rich's Dislocated Shoulder (more later)
We Turned 60

The Ugly:

The Stock Market
The Housing Market
Our Retirement Funds
We Turned 60

Wishing Everyone only "The Good" for 2009!

Things I Loved About Christmas

2008-12-26T18:34:00.001-07:00

Decorating the house
Making a wreath
Buying gifts for my family
Baking cookies
Eating cookies
Planning Meals for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Spending Christmas Eve with Rich, Jess, Dave and Lisa
Eggnog (and maybe a little Brandy)
Spending Christmas Day with Rich, Brad, Maeve, Miles, Jess, Dave and Lisa
Opening gifts with everyone
Watching Miles play with his gifts, playing with the wrapping paper and having Brad pull Miles around the house on his new Baby Toboggan.
Not having to go to work the day after Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for only Good things in the New Year !!

Winter Arrives in Salt Lake City

2008-12-18T11:19:00.003-07:00

Winter was a long time coming this year. It has defintely arrived with a punch. We are having our 3rd storm of the week and it's supposed to storm until next Tuesday. These are views from my office window. I would much rather be home sipping a cup of tea and baking Christmas cookies then looking out at the parking lot and freeway across the street. Oh well, it seems that we will at least have a white Christmas!

PTI CHRISTMAS CARD TO THE BOSS

2008-12-16T20:59:00.002-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

My co-workers and I decided to send Christmas Greetings to Chris

A Great Thanksgiving...

2008-12-05T10:16:00.004-07:00

Brad and Maeve hosted Thanksgiving dinner this year. Maeve put together this beautiful table setting (on Brad's new table). We started with a couple of delicious appetizers while dinner was being put together. Each of us contributed some yummy side dishes and desserts.

The crowning glory of dinner was Brad's amazing turkey.....

Thanks, Brad and Maeve, for a great day!!

Jessica Joins the Club

2008-11-27T13:44:00.006-07:00

At the end of summer, Jessica decided to become a full-time MaryKay consultant. She has been working very hard at becoming successful. On Tuesday evening, Rich and I were invited to attend her "Red Jacket Debut". This is a big step in the MaryKay world. It means that she has recruited 3 active members for her Team and is on the way to getting her car.

Jess is doing an amazing job and is becoming quite the entrepreneur. We were very proud to attend this event to help acknowledge her many accomplishes.

Great job, Jess!!!

Retirement? When?

2008-11-21T08:33:00.002-07:00

Rich and I are starting to think seriously about retirement. We thought a realistic date would be about 5 years down the road. Definitely not too soon to be thinking about how much fun we are going to have.

But, whoa people have you been following the current economic situation? OK, so we ARE going to retire as planned, maybe we'll have to reign in how much fun we can have. Maybe we can sell our house, buy a nice little camper trailer and park it in Brad and Maeve's backyard.

Or maybe we'll just keep thinking positive thoughts and it will all get better.

Sometimes You Just Get Lucky

2008-11-11T21:29:00.004-07:00

........I guess. About a month ago, I blogged about Spills and Thrills. I had my surgery two weeks ago and turns out I had not torn my rotator cuff (that's the lucky part). What I did manage though was an extremely inflamed bursa sac, shredded ligaments and a little calcification on my tendon. After removing the bursa sac, cleaning up the shredded ligaments and scraping off the calcification, the doctor sent me on my way. I had my arm in a sling and stayed home from work for a week. I now have physical therapy twice a week (Thanks, Dave!!) and get to do my stretching exercises twice a day.

There is a lot of tossing and turning at night trying to find a comfortable position that is not painful. Plus fighting Rich for my little huggy pillow that I'm sleeping with....he quite often thinks that pillow is more comfortable to sleep on then his own pillow. Getting back to 100% seems like a slow process, but I guess I was pretty lucky.

Boo......

2008-10-31T12:21:00.002-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Off to the Races

2008-10-20T20:34:00.008-06:00

This weekend Rich and I went to Moab with our friend, Lisa for their 2nd Annual "The Other Half" half marathon. We arrived early enough on Saturday to go into Arches and go hiking for a couple of hours. We hiked to the Tower Arch (after driving for 7 miles on a gravel road). It was a beautiful day. The hike was considered "moderately strenuous", but we felt we were up to the challenge.

After our hike, we checked into the Red Stone Inn, Based on the size of the room, it should have been called the Red Pebble Inn. Our room was very "bijou". Clean, but tiny. It served it's purpose of providing shelter.

Rich and Lisa ran the race on Sunday morning. They had absolutely perfect weather for the race. I drove up the canyon to pick them up and once again act as the sherpa. Someone has to do it. I was able to hang out at a beautiful resort in perfect weather and wait for them to finish. They both did very well. I didn't get a very good picture of Rich crossing the finish line - I'm definitely not a "sports photographer".

Oh, and did I mention one of the sponsors of the race is the Moab Brewery?

On the way home today, we made a quick stop at Ikea. I left Rich and Lisa in the children's section while I ran to the restroom. This is what I found when I came out. What is it with Rich and funny hats?

Boss's Day

2008-10-16T21:44:00.004-06:00

Turns out that today was Boss's Day. I work with a small (but wonderful) group of people in the Inside Sales Department. Michelle and Shanda surprised me with this pretty bouquet of flowers that were inside a cute orange bag along with a candy apple. They are a big part of the reason I enjoy going to work every day.

Thanks for the thoughtful gift!

Spills and Thrills

2008-10-08T12:52:00.010-06:00

A couple of months ago I had a little "incident" on my bike . I decided that I wouldn't let a little spill keep me down. I was back on the bike in less than a week. And yes, we did ride to the Farmer's Market - actually a couple of times. I even went back to the Gallivan Center. A couple of weeks ago, Rich even commented on how much more confident I seemed riding. I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Of course, I still hate riding up those hills in the Avenues.

I also kept it a pretty big secret that my arm and shoulder still hurt like hell. When I mentioned this fact to Dave, he asked me a few questions and then announced that I should see one of the Docs at TOSH. So, off I went. Yes folks, it seems I have torn my rotator cuff. I am now looking forward to surgery, 6 weeks with my arm in a sling, probably 3 months of PT and a probably a year before I am totally 100% (of course I'm not sure I was ever 100%)

It is a disappointing set-back, but I'm thinking I can be back on Blue Dilicious by late spring or as soon as I get the go ahead from my Doc.

What do YOU do to get through the day at the office?

2008-09-30T15:19:00.001-06:00

Those Mainers Know Yard Art!!

2008-09-15T21:38:00.002-06:00

Those Mainers Really Know how to build a Mailbox!

2008-09-14T15:18:00.002-06:00

Adventures in Maine

2008-09-09T15:04:00.002-06:00

This is a picture of some sailboats in Camden Harbor - Probably our favorite town in Maine. It is just a beautiful spot to be. We've been to town several times for meals and just to stroll around.
This is Rich fishing the first hour we arrived. It was overcast, but that has not been stopping him from getting in his fishing time. The deck by the lake gets lots of morning sun - it's our favorite spot for breakfast.

This has been a very relaxing and enjoyable week so far.Some highlights of the week:

Lots of time for relaxing and reading (still working on that 600 page book for Book Club)
Lots of time for Rich to be fishing on Hobbs Pond - he took the kayak out today
Great weather now that Hannah has moved on
Nice drive to Castine, lunch on Dennett's Wharf, Lobster dinner at the Lobster Pound in Lincolnville

The Fun Continues

2008-09-07T10:00:00.002-06:00

The first week of our trip flew by! We had such a great time with Wayne and Eileen. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much.

We went to Fenway Park on Wednesday for a Red Sox game; then to an Italian restaurant in the North End for dinner. We did some touristy things on Thursday and mostly relaxing on Friday. Wayne and Eileen headed home Saturday Morning. We headed north to Hobbs Pond in Maine.

Now the 2nd week of our adventure begins! We are all settled in the cabin, Rich has already been out fishing! We went to Cappy’s for clam chowder and Pumpkin Ale (only to find out they are not serving it yet!) We’ve been having a lot of rain thanks to Hurrican Hannah. Hopefully it will move out by tomorrow.

We don't have internet at our cabin in Maine - so we are having Sunday brunch at Cappy's Chowder house. We look like a couple of geeks, but we can deal with that. I just finished a crab and brie omelet and am having a Patriot Missile for dessert.

It rained all night and is overcast today, but we can deal. It's so pretty hear - hopefully we will have more pictures later.

Cape Cod

2008-09-02T18:14:00.005-06:00

We've been in Falmouth, Cape Cod since Saturday. We found a great house on the water. This is the view from our deck. So far we found a really good restaurant, Liam McGuire's Pub (they have Pumpkinhead Ale), Taken a few really long walks, spent the afternoon at the beach; cooked a delicious grilled salmon dinner and ate on our deck. There has been plenty of relaxing time.

Today we drove to Hyannisport and took the ferry to Nantucket. It's a cute little town, but very pricey. We just ate lunch and wandered around the shops where we could not afford to buy anything.

Just before we were ready to get back on the ferry, we wandered in to a General Store. Rich found a section that had some crazy hats. It was very funny watching him try them all on.

First Stop...Cape Cod

2008-08-29T21:18:00.003-06:00

We are heading out tomorrow for a week on Cape Cod with Wayne and Eileen. We've never been before and I'm hoping it's every bit as glorious as this photo.

Travelin' Music

2008-08-28T21:58:00.003-06:00

These lyrics come from one of my favorite traveling songs - "Kelly Joe's Shoes" by Tim O'Brien (I just wish I were savvy enough to actually play the song on the blog).

We are heading out this weekend for our vacation - stay tuned.

Take these shoes and be on your way It looks like you've got travelin' to do Come back and see me some other day Tell me all about where they took you to

Now I had a lot of fun in those black Chuck Taylors A finer shoe has never been worn I can see where I've been in the color fadin' I can see what I learned where they're frayed and worn I walked off the tread on the concrete pavement Of London, and Dublin, and New York town I shook out the sand from the ocean beaches, I left it on the floor of an airport lounge

These are shoes that like to travel, no tellin' where they'll take me to They're still not done scratchin' gravel They still gotta show me a thing or two

Blue dilicious Throws Me for a Loop

2008-08-04T12:31:00.006-06:00

The "Big" birthday is just around the corner. Rich and I decided we should treat ourselves to bicycles. We just wanted a commuter bike to get around town, yet something with enough gears to get us up the hill to get home again. We settled on a Trek FX with medium width tires and 24 gears. I decided to name my cute new blue bike "Blue dilicious". Last Thursday we took our first trip downtown to the Gallivan Center to listen to a little music. All went well on the ride down. The fun part was the attempted ride home. As usual, there were a lot of people and naturally everyone was leaving at the same time. We rode our bikes out of the Gallivan (first mistake) to the corner of State St. We were sitting on our bikes waiting for the light to change so we could ride out to the street (possibly the 2nd mistake) and head home. For some unknown reason, I looked over my left shoulder. I was balancing on my left foot and when I turned my head, I totally lost my balance. To make matters worse, I have no depth perception. So, of course, the light pole that I thought I could catch myself on was actually about 4 feet away. Which meant I stuck my arm staight out, fell off the bike and landed flat out on my side. Oh yeah, IT HURT LIKE HELL!! Some young guy got off his bike and very nicely came over and helped me up. Not only did I bruise my butt, elbow and knee; I totally bruised my ego. Needless to say, I was not able to ride home. Lisa saved the day by racing home on her bike and coming back to pick me up with her car. I have not been back on Blue dilicious yet (I'm still pretty banged up), but I've decided not to let this incident deter me from getting back on. My goal is to be ready for a trip to the Farmer's Market by Saturday.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

2008-07-24T09:42:00.003-06:00

It's been 38 years since we tied the knot!!! Married Life is still great. Who knew you could spend so much time with one person and still have so much fun. We may not seem like the most romantic couple - but, whatever we're doing...it's working.

Happy Anniversary, Rich - I love you!

Camp Misconduct (not really) 2008

2008-07-20T19:37:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was our annual Book Club Camping trip. We have fondly renamed the trip "Camp Misconduct", but this year it seemed more of a "Camp Mellow". Are we just getting older? Or were we just all very tired this year and just needed some relaxing down time?

Whatever the case it was a fun weekend. The kids are getting bigger (and cuter) and developing some amazing personalities. It's a treat to have Sara and Nate and Tabitha and Theodore along on our campout. They all keep us amused.

The trip this year was to Guinvah Campground in Logan Canyon. Here are some of the highpoints:

Lots of good food
Time well spent with good friends
Plenty of "Refreshing Adult Beverages" to help with the relaxation process
Fun day spent at Bear Lake: More relaxing, more beverages, nice picnic lunch on the beach, some swimming, kids playing in the wet sand, milkshakes at LaBeau's
Huge group site on the Logan river - We had enough picnic tables to seat 150 people (there were only 16 of us)
Great tent sites right on the river

Summer is in Full Swing...

2008-07-13T14:39:00.002-06:00

The Arts Fest is over! We had a great time again this year. I did notice that it took much longer to recover. Are we working harder, playing too hard or just getting old? Maybe it's a combination of all of those things.

The Twilight Concert Series started this Thursday at the Gallivan. We strolled downtown to check it out. The Roots were playing and it was total insanity. I've never seen so many people there - it was definitely a happening scene. Fortunately, we were able to get on the Sponsor patio and avoid some of the crunch.

Yesterday we headed up to Snowbird for the Bluegrass Festival. We ran into a lot of friends and got to watch 2 shows. The weather was delightfully cool. It was a fun little getaway.

Next weekend we are heading to Logan Canyon for our annual Camp Misconduct (I mean Camp Book Club). I'm sure I'll have some fun stories or photos to share.

The Arts Festival

2008-06-23T13:27:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it's that time of year again? Rich and I are busy helping with setup. It starts this Thursday, June 26th through Sunday, June 29th. There will be lots of new artist, music and fun things to do. Plus lots of good food, beer and wine. A new feature this year is a Tapas/Wine Bar. It's back by the Festival stage - come check it out. We hope to see you all there!

Finally.....They're off

2008-06-15T20:18:00.005-06:00

It's been two years since Rich had his accident on his Vespa and 20 month's since he had his braces put on. The braces came off this week and he is thrilled. He is also quite pleased with how things turned out.

BEFORE

AFTER

Pride Day 2008

2008-06-08T19:35:00.006-06:00

We made our annual trek down to South Temple to watch the Pride Day Parade. We had a good group with us today - Jess, Patrick and his nephew Tate; Lisa and her friends - "Ham and Bob", Kim and Laura. It's always a lot of fun. There was everything from Roller Derby Girls, Synchonized Aquatic Swim team to an Alien Space Ship float. We all decided the Alien Space ship was our favorite float.

After the parade, we headed up to Ruth's Diner for a nice relaxing Brunch.

The Blessing of Miles

2008-06-03T21:32:00.003-06:00

Both families and many of Brad and Maeve's friends attended Miles' Blessing on Sunday. It was very nice. Brad and all of Maeve's male relatives took part in the blessing. Brad did a beautiful job and was quite the proud Papa showing off his son to his entire Ward. We were all there to show our support and love for our family.

After the church service, Brad and Maeve hosted a barbeque at their house. It was nice to get to spend a couple of hours visiting with everyone. Of course, there were lots of photos taken with the little guy.

The Master Gardener

2008-05-27T20:48:00.003-06:00

Now that Charleen is retired, she keeps finding more fun things to do. She signed for a "Master Gardener Course". She recently passed the test with flying colors. The next step is to perform 80 volunteer hours and then she will officially become a MASTER GARDENER! Congratulations, Char!

Now we know who to call with all of our gardening questions. A friend made her that great gardening tool bag that's embroidered with name and new title. Mina and Hilly are also very proud!

Greetings from Port Hueneme!

2008-05-25T13:42:00.004-06:00

We are spending Memorial Weekend in Port Hueneme (southern California) with our good friend Charleen. The weather has been somewhat mixed...little rainy mixed with a little sun and somewhat cool. Yesterday we spent the afternoon having lunch and shopping in Santa Barbara. Rich was craving cheese enchiladas, so we found a nice Mexican restaurant with a patio. We had good food and good margaritas...yum! (and only got drizzled on a little bit).

Today, it's been sunny and much warmer. We took a 2 hour walk on the beach - it was wonderful. It is so nice to just get away from it all and spend a little quality time unwinding.

Hope everyone is enjoying a nice long holiday weekend!

Miles Update

2008-05-20T21:43:00.005-06:00

Miles is growing like crazy. He just keeps getting cuter every day. Rich and I went to visit last Friday. He is so much more alert and is interested in every thing around him. Check out his cute cowboy PJ's.and the Cowboy boot socks.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN....PEOPLE DON'T USE ALL OF THEIR VACATION TIME?

2008-05-16T23:08:00.002-06:00

I recently read an article that discussed the fact that a large percentage of American employees only use a portion of their vacation time. What are they thinking? Some statistics indicate that Americans leave 439 million vacation days unused every year!

I love taking vacations. I'd go so far as to say that planning a trip is a passion for me. The planning is almost (almost is the key word here) as much fun as actually taking the trip. Some of my fondest memories are of vacations we have taken. I consider myself very fortunate that Rich and I have reached a point in our lives where we can actually plan a couple of trips each year. I'm just as happy taking a long weekend camping trip as I am planning a two week trip to some distant locale.

I'm also very lucky to have worked for a great company for the past 16 years. Rich and I both now get 5 weeks vacation each year. Trust me, I am not about to leave even one of those days unused.

It must be time to get out the luggage. I'm in a traveling kind of mood.

Lazy Days of Summer

2008-05-12T11:04:00.005-06:00

Just when you think summer is right around the corner, we have another rainy, chilly, snow in the mountains day. Mother's Day was a really nice day...warm, partly cloudy, but definitely nice enough to have our first (of the summer) dinner on the deck. Thanks Family for a really great dinner.

We have several little trips planned for the summer. I can hardly wait!!! I really do love to travel.

Memorial Weekend: Going to Southern California to visit Charleen
Mid July: Camp Book Club (also known as Camp MisConduct)
August: Rich and I are trying to decide where to go to celebrate that really big birthday
September: We are meeting Wayne and Eileen in Boston and spending a week on Cape Cod. Rich and I will be spending the 2nd week in Maine (hopefully in a nice little cabin on a lake).

Then there is that week or so in June when we become Carnies and spend a week or so working at the Arts Fest.

I think it's going to be a great summer - hopefully with lots of fun things to blog about.

Tummy Time

2008-04-14T21:38:00.005-06:00

Ok...so you think I sound like a proud grandma. Well, Miles is only 2 weeks old and he's already holding up his head. He Loves "tummy time".

Who knew it would be so much fun to have a grandchild. Check out the action on this next one.

Rich Meets his Grandson

2008-03-30T21:58:00.002-06:00

Rich was out of town on Thursday when Miles was born. He flew home on Saturday and went directly to the hospital to meet his new grandson. To no one's surprise, Rich got very emotional. He's going to be a super grandfather!

I'm Thinking Miles looks a lot like his Daddy..

2008-03-28T22:09:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of Brad the day he came home from the hospital. It was amazing to see this picture after all these years. It's pretty incredible to see how much Miles looks like his Dad.

The Happy Grandparents

2008-03-27T18:38:00.003-06:00

Rich and I are pleased to announce the arrival of our first grandchild. Miles arrived on the scene around 2:00 pm today. He weighs 8 lbs 3 oz., 21 1/2 inches and a ton of dark hair. It was a very long day, but Mother and baby are doing fine.

Congratulations, Maeve and Brad. You have a beautiful son.

It's Almost Time!

2008-03-26T07:43:00.002-06:00

Maeve is getting very close to having her baby. I'm feeling very emotional today....you'd think I was the one having the baby. My first grandson...amazing! The whole family is looking forward to the arrival of Miles. For various reasons, everyone is hoping Miles can wait until next week. Stay tuned for baby updates.

The Easter Bunny is coming.......

2008-03-22T19:39:00.007-06:00

We hope you all have a very nice Easter. I thought I would share some of our Easter memories with you.

<
Yea!!! The Easter Bunny was here. The is a picture of Jess and Brad running to get their Easter Baskets in 1981!

This is Brad digging into the basket. Unfortunately, all you see of Jessica is her arm digging into her basket. Grammy came to visit for Easter (our last one in New Jersey before moving to California)

Nostalgia

2008-02-24T18:09:00.007-07:00

One of the best gifts I received last Christmas was a gift card to Inkley's. Rich and I have about 30 trays of 35 mm slides that I wanted to upload to our Flickr account. I've started going through our old slides and getting them transferred. So far I've only managed to do 50 slides (this will be a very long process), but those 50 slides brought back so many great memories. I thought I'd share one picture of Jess and one of Brad.

Rich, thanks for such a thoughtful gift!

Linda and Ken come to Visit..

2008-02-22T13:53:00.005-07:00

Our friends from New Jersey, Linda and Kenny, arrived last Sunday for a ski trip to Utah. They spent a couple of nights with us and a few nights in Park City. Everyone had fun "hitting the slopes". Linda and I got to spend 4 fabulous hours at the spa. We've spent lots of hours catching up and having a great time.

Linda and I met when we both worked for the Princeton Unified School District 34 years ago. We hit it off immediately. We ran into each other quite frequently throughout the day and quite often were able "to do lunch" together. I'm not quite sure how this came about, but one day we decided to bring our husbands into our friendship. Who knew these 2 crazy guys would hit it off so well.

The four of us had a great time together and somehow managed to form a lasting friendship that has survived our move first to South Jersey, then to Southern California and then to Utah. The sad thing is how little we've actually gotten together during all of these transitions. The amazing thing is how easily we fall back into that tight knit friendship when we do get together. I personally think that friendships like these are a rare jewel. We all agree that we need to make more effort to find time to get together more often.

Thanks for a truly great visit. It definitely will not be 5 years until the next visit.

She's a Beauty............

2008-02-16T09:29:00.003-07:00

I've been driving my 1996 Subaru Legacy Wagon for 12 years. Don't get me wrong. I loved that car. But after 12 years I was getting the urge for something a little newer. What to get was the daunting question. I looked at sedan's...I didn't want another wagon. But living in Utah, did I really want something that wasn't all wheel drive. And then, what color? Oh my. Well, I decided to go with the reliable, but very stylish 2008 Honda CRV. And I LOVE IT!!!!!!.

Now, the big question....what to name her. And not to worry, we've kept Subi in the family. Brad is happy to have her now that he is busy remodeling his new home (more about that later).

World Cup Skating

2008-02-15T22:44:00.008-07:00

Last weekend, Jessica's boyfriend Dave took us to the Kerns Oval to see the World Cup Short Track Skating event. It was pretty exciting to see all of the champion speed skaters perform on a short track. Thanks, Dave!

It was also very difficult to get clear photo's of the skaters.

How Sad......

2008-01-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is January 26th and we haven't had anything to post about since New Years? Maybe I'll start making up adventures. You can decide which are real.

Our blog does have a new look. I'm still trying to decide about the background color. Thanks for the new header, Maeve!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

We attended our first ever "Diggins' Low Brow-Holy Cow-Loads of Chow-New Year's Eve Slumber Party" It was also loads of fun. There was more pizza than we could ever possibly consume, plenty of beer and loads of other chow.

After lots of eating, we promptly began the Foosball Tournament. Which was immediately followed by a not so rousing game of Cranium.

It was a great party - thanks for including us!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!!

Eve of Eve

2007-12-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Another tradition that developed while living in So. California was celebrating "Eve of Eve" with our dear friends Jeff and Charleen. We got together every year on December 23rd to celebrate Christmas with our surrogate "family". We always exchanged gifts, had a wonderful dinner and of course drank lots of wine. You know the saying "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family". We could not have picked better people to be our friends.

We lost Jeff this year. Even though we now live in different states, we still feel a huge void in our lives. Char, please know that our hearts are with you during this holiday season.

Now, on to a lighter note...Christmas cookies. I love to bake Christmas cookies. (I also love to eat them). I've finally reached a point where I can limit myself to one or two favorites. The cookie of choice by the entire family is the Almond Butter cookie. Over the years, this cookie recipe has evolved into what we affectionately call "The Green Logs". They may look a little strange to some people, but they are heavenly.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

"Oh,Christmas Tree"

2007-12-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

When Rich and I were in our early 30's, we moved from New Jersey to Southern California with 2 small children. Not having any friends or family in our new location, we quickly realized it was time to start our own holiday traditions. One of our favorites that has lasted the test of time is our quaintly ( and I use that term loosely) decorated tree. If I remember correctly, we started collecting ornaments....the Hallmark anniversary for each year, one or two from every vacation or business trip, the monogrammed brass ornaments from Grammy and so on.

Over the years, our selection criteria has evolved into seeking out the most unusual (another term used loosely) ornaments we can find. For example, our family trip to Yellowstone uncovered the biggest, brassiest, shiniest replica of Old Faithful lodge you could possibly imagine. Then there is the little lace covered round basket that someone in Oregon had the creativity to turn into a pirate's head with a gold tooth and eye-patch, and the feathery pink flamingo with the Santa hat. We still have every Christmas ornament my niece made in elementary school that I'm sure my sister-in-law convinced her we would love to have.....don't worry Colleen we still love them and hang them up every year.

My favorite part of this tradition is the fact that we all still get together every year on Thanksgiving weekend to decorate the tree. We always end up laughing at ourselves and our crazy collection of ornaments.

December 13, 1979 - Another Day that Cannot be Forgotten

2007-12-12T21:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Brad!!
We Love You,
Mom and Dad

Seven Random Things

2007-12-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

My friend, Kate, tagged me...twice!! She managed to guilt me into responding, so here goes:

1. I've been married to the same man for 37 years and still love him.
2. We are both planning on retiring in December 2013 and are thrilled at the prospect.
3. I will be a grandmother for the first time in April and am totally excited.
4. I love to travel and am always looking forward to the next trip.
5. I love to read and feel bad that I don't spend enough time doing it.
6. I was born in New Jersey and lived there for 33 years, moved to L.A. spent 10 years there, moved to Salt Lake City and have been here for over 16 years (if you can do the math, you'll be able to figure out how old I am)
7. I don't like to be tagged so I'm not going to tag anyone.

2007-11-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

The Boomerang Kids

2007-11-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

"Boomerang Generation describes the current generation of young adults in contemporary western culture, born approximately between 1977 and 1989

The term 'boomerang' refers to the commonality with which these young adults choose to move back home with their parents after a brief period of living on their own.

Supporters have argued that this is a potential benefit to both parents and their children. The basis of this reasoning is that modern parents often seek to expel children from the home at eighteen. Usually, at this point the children rarely return and the relationship is lost. However, with the boomerang generation, many spend their young-adult years cohabiting with parents and, in some cases, establishing healthy adult relationships with them."

Brad and Maeve have sold their house and decided they wanted to be able to take their time looking for the "perfect" house for their family. They've stored the bulk of their belongings and have established residency with Rich and I in the interim.

Welcome Boomerangers.....we're happy to have you here.

It's A Boy!

2007-11-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

Brad and Maeve found out recently that they are going to have a little boy Knickerbocker! It's very exciting. It's starting to seem very real.

Congratulations from Your Sherpa!

2007-10-23T20:34:00.000-06:00

Great job on your first Half Marathon! I was very proud of all of you. (See Rich's post below). I would be happy to be your Sherpa/Photographer anytime. I just need to practice getting those action shots at the finish line.

NEWS FLASH!!!

2007-10-22T21:57:00.000-06:00

Late this afternoon the Knickerbockers--Rich, Weber and Jessica (Brad and Maeve ducked this one)--along with great friend/trainer/coach Lisa, arrived home from a wonderful weekend in Moab. "Why Moab?" you ask. Because three members of this group ran The Other Half half marathon in Moab on Sunday, 10/21/07.

Not being a huge runner, Weber acted as cheerleader, sherpa, shuttle driver and photographer for the group. The group also included Ali,Cristin and Sara three of Jessica's friends.

Lisa is a very experienced runner. In fact, she has completed several marathons as part of Ironman competitions. These include a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride followed by the 26.2-mile marathon run. For this reason she acted and trainer and coach to the other participants in the weekend's half marathon. Her time in the race beat the goal she had set of finishing this half in under 2 hours.

Jessica and Rich were both running their first 13.1-mile, half marathon distance, having only ever previously run 10 miles. Jessica reached her goal of a sub-3-hour half, while Rich was just a few minutes behind his goal of 2:21 for the race. Both completed the race and were able to enjoy a stroll through downtown Moab Sunday afternoon.

Ali, an experienced marathon runner, completed the race about 10 minutes behind Lisa's time. Sara followed Rich over the finish line after just 4 minutes, and Cristin followed Sara 15 minutes later.

These six competitors completed the race in fine form. For four of them, this was their first race at this distance, and all deserve the pride they felt. Congratulations to all in the group!

October 12, 1976 - A Day we could never forget!

2007-10-09T19:05:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESS
We Love You!
Mom and Dad

Are We Really Old Enough For This?

2007-10-07T19:03:00.000-06:00

Brad and Maeve are going to have a baby!!!! We're going to be Grandparents! Congratulations to Brad and Maeve. And, by the way, congratulations to us and to Auntie Jess.

We're Back!

2007-10-03T13:16:00.000-06:00

We're home. I'm finding it very difficult to get back into the "real" world. It was such a great trip. Our place was beautiful, the scenery was spectacular and the whales were quite cooperative. We had lots of good food.....I ate so much seafood, I've started to grow gills. It was just a totally relaxing and fun trip.

This vacation definitely ranks up there with the more memorable trips. Is it too soon to start planning the next vacation?

We Start Home Tomorrow

2007-09-28T19:02:00.000-06:00

Tonight is our last night in Depoe Bay, OR. I can say I will truly miss this. The place Weber found for us has been wonderful. We're going to finish the week as we started,with dinner at the best we found--Tidal Raves. I only hope something on the menu is smothered in lobster-crab cream sauce.

It is currently 6:00 Friday evening. The weather is great. All week it has been chilly. Today it started with sun, followed by clouds and rain, but the big storm did not hit. In fact, the sun is back out and it is the warmest weather I've experienced this week. I'm sitting on our little patio in the warm sunlight. The storm did roughen up the ocean some, and I'm listening to it crash on the rocks just 50 yards from where I sit. I haven't seen any whales this evening, yet, but all week we've watched them spouting and feeding as close as 50 yards from the rocks I just mentioned. With their size, you can get a pretty darned good view of them even without using the binoculars in the condo, and it is awesome to watch them lift their tales to make their final dive for food.

I think tomorrow morning deserves one last run through town before we hit the road. We're thinking of heading northeast through Portland. That route will take us along the Columbia River. We're planning on making a stop to spend the night tomorrow in Boise, then get home Sunday afternoon.

We'll see you then.

Oregon Coast Update

2007-09-26T23:22:00.001-06:00

Yes, there is still an Oregon Coast. It has not yet been taken by Tsunami, despite Weber's posting of the inevitable. And it remains gorgeous.

It's been three days since I posted, so here is an update.

I did get that 6-mile run in on Monday. At three miles out, I ended up at Rocky Creek State Park, right on the water's edge. There I found a couple sea lions playing in the water. The run was beautiful, but had a negative effect on my achilles tendon. When I woke up on Tuesday, I could hardly walk. It's feeling better now (the magic of beer), and I believe another run is in the cards for tomorrow morning.

While I was running, Weber spotted the first whales from the comfort of our living room. I was jealous, but then spotted them while she was showering. It's pretty amazing to see these huge things swimming by so slowly (they travel at about 5 mph). And then they flip their tales up when they sound. It is very impressive.

Monday included a drive up north through Lincoln City and then to Tillamook. The Cheese factory. Good stuff. For a cheese lover like me, watching tons of blocks of white cheddar move along a conveyor belt is enough to keep the heart pumping. Or, as Weber said, it may be enough to completely block the arteries.

Next we took a little trip to Cape Meares on the coast. Another beautiful setting with a lighthouse for a bonus.

We headed south through a couple small coastal towns. One included a stop by the beach where, at a picnic table overlooking the incoming waves, we had coffee and, oh yeah, the chocolate peanut butter fudge we, for some reason, purchased at Tillamook County Creamery Assn. The second town involved us viewing a couple of vehicles on the beach and deciding, well, if they can, we can. So we drove out on the beach. Not something we do every day.

We got back to the condo just in time to pop open the cover on the hot tub to catch the sunset. Fortunately, the water was already at a toasty 103 degrees (a pleasant surprise). We poured some wine, jumped in and watched as the sun did its evening thing. Beautiful! I could do this every day.

Tuesday involved a nice long hike along a great trail through an extremely small portion of the glorious forest to Drift Creek Falls, which drop 75 feet to the creek below. What's interesting is that you view this waterfall below you from your vantage point on a suspension bridge 100 feet above the creek.

After this adventure, it was back to the condo's hot tub to sit and relax a while. A beer, some reading and spotting a whale or two finished off the late afternoon, before preparing to head out to dinner. Another great day.

Today was similar to yesterday. A different hike was taken. Again, we headed north and hiked about 7-1/2 miles--6 (out and back) along a forest service road up a "mountain" followed by 1-1/2 (again, out and back) on a wonderfully forested trail to Cascade Head, a point of land right at water's edge but well above the ocean with an unbelievable view.

I'm glad we have taken this trip!!!! I suspect I will be sad to leave.

Drift Creek Falls

2007-09-26T23:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went hiking the the Drift Creek Falls Trail. It was a beautiful hike....nicely shaded trail through beautiful tall trees, ferns and streams. The trail ended at a 250 ft. suspension bridge over a stream and looking out over a waterfall.

To get to the trailhead, you had to drive 10 miles up a mountain on a one-lane road. Several sections along the road are being prepared for logging. We saw these amazing piles of tree branches and stuff just piled up along the road. We kept wondering what was going to happen with these piles. The most bizarre thing about these piles was the fact that some of them had a sheet of black plastic on the top. Clearly the sheet of plastic was not large enough to cover the pile...so what is it all about? Does anyone have any ideas?

Tsunami Warning???????????

2007-09-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

Before heading to the Oregon coast I made several jokes about staying at the beach and Tsunamis. Who knew we would see these signs all along Hwy 101. Now, you tell me....who do you think is going to win the race - the wave or the guy heading for higher ground?