Bogus Creek Ranch!

September 27, 2008--

Gary, Melissa, Jeremy and I met at Bogus Creek Ranch for their Fall Brew Fest and a good time was had by all! The property was beautiful (Jeremy and I had never been there before this event), the entertainment was fun (in addition to the music they had "team" events like roping, mechanical bull riding and last, but certainly not least, stick horse racing!), and the food and beverages were fantastic (an authentic "Oktoberfest" dinner was served)! The night began and ended with a covered wagon ride to and from to the old Western town of "Coolwater." Here are a few snapshots of our adventure!~

5K Run!

September 20, 2008--

I participated in the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration 5K, despite standing in the starting line for over an hour in the rain. (I later learned that the event officials considered cancelling the event because of so much rain, thunder and lightning.) The rain continued for the duration of the 5K (3.1 miles) but I wasn't deterred! I was surprised when I learned my "official" time was 36 minutes and 24.5 seconds since I had only trained for about three weeks before the run. Now I am motivated to continue training and running in future 5K events. Here is a not-so-glorious picture of me after I arrived home, still drenched from head to toe, proudly displaying my bib number.~

Another Fun WWF (Weekend With Family)

September 12-14, 2008

I finally got to meet our newest niece, Addyson, this weekend (see picture below with proud Dad, Andy) when we hosted her family (Andy, Sarah, Hailey & Hanna) for the weekend! She’s still such a tiny girl (she was a preemie) but is as healthy as ever and cute as a button.

They were in town for the company picnic (Andy works for the same company that Jeremy works for) and we thoroughly enjoyed their stay.

Our other nieces (Addyson’s older sisters) Hailey and Hanna really had a good time with Holly and Stanley (our dogs). We were happy to have someone else entertain the dogs for a change.~

Company Picnic

September 13, 2008—

Jeremy’s company picnic was held at a park here in town and was well-attended by local employees as well as several employees from branches as far as 2+ hours away. The weather was beautiful, not too hot and not too cold.

Although the preparation for the picnic appeared to be a joint effort by several in the management team (great job everyone!) it is certainly worth mentioning how much energy was put into the game preparation by Kristina & Devry. (Most company picnics I have attended over the years have not only had poor game planning, but the games have had little or no participation.) Kristina & Devry did a great job engaging most of the attendees in the games (kids and grown-ups alike) with classics such as the potato sack race and the egg toss as well as a few new ones (one involved shaving cream and as you can see in the pictures, the adults got a little out of hand—not the kids!)

Check out the slide show for pictures of some of the picnic-goers as well as the games.~

Grandpa's Visit

September 6-8, 2008--

Grandpa came to visit for a couple of days and along with some fabulous corn on the cob (thanks, Big Joe*!), he brought some great stories! And believe me, there are a lot of stories to tell when you're 75! For those of you who know him, you might find it interesting to know that he has a Coast Guard tattoo but never served in the Coast Guard. (Some of you may know that he served in the Army during the Korean War). Even more interesting, he got the tattoo in Alaska. Try to figure THAT one out! You'll have to ask him about it!

*The nickname "Big Joe" started about 10-11 years ago when we used to live next door to Grandpa and Grandma on the family farm and when he would phone our house we would occasionally (obviously jokingly) answer "Joe's Bar and Grill!" So he took to saying "oh, yeah? Well this is Big Joe!" (meaning that the boss was calling) so we started calling him Big Joe. I don't know if the rest of the Ihlers even know that's where it came from but it started to catch on and several of our family members call him that today, too.~

More Optimist Football!

September 6, 2008--

We had a great time watching Tristan's football team play their first regular-season football game. Tristan scored the first touchdown of the game and his team played really well (they won the game by a significant amount). Way to go guys!

(Tristan is number 82 and he has dark green socks on...he's not too hard to spot, he's the small guy in the middle of each of the photos.)~

Let the (NFL) games begin!

September 4, 2008--


What a great night! My friend, Olivia, is in town for a work function tomorrow and as if that isn't cool enough, tonight is the first regular-season NFL game!

Happy Birthday, Gary!

September 3, 2008--

Thanks for letting us celebrate your birthday with you, Gary!

Fun Center!

August 31 & September 1, 2008--

We spent some time at the local fun center this weekend with the kids. We only had time for a few games and mini-golfing on Sunday night so we came back for a little while on Monday. The guys hit a lucky ticket jackpot that day and we ended up with over 3000 tickets! The kids got to pick out several of the (cheesy but fun) prizes and everyone went home happy.~

Discovery Center

August 31, 2008--

We had a great time with Tristan, Ethan & Madison at the Discovery Center! They had exhibits for all ages and there were plenty of opportunities to learn something new!~

Who doesn't love a trip to Cabela's?

August 31, 2008--

We took Tristan, Ethan and Madison on a quick trip to Cabela's on our way to the Discovery Center. Although it was impressive (Madison LOVED the fish!), it pales in comparison to the visit that Ethan got to take with us to the Cabela's in Lehi, Utah, a couple summers ago.~