Facebook!

May 20, 2009-- Hello to all! Now that we've found facebook this blogging thing might become a thing of the past. So look us up on facebook if you want to know what we've been up to!

Goodbye to the 'Burb...

April 11, 2009--

We finally sold our beloved (or rather, MY beloved) 'Burb this weekend, thanks to Craigslist. I don't know why but I get sad and sentimental when we sell certain vehicles and this one is one of those vehicles.

It was a 1993 Chevy Suburban (hence it's nickname "the 'Burb" or also fondly known as the "Hound Hauler") and it had 187,000 miles on it and we only put probably 1,000-1,500 of those miles on it. We bought it about two and a half years ago and (get this...I actually fell for this one...) we bought it for Jeremy to use as a hunting rig so I could use (at that time) our brand-new Chevy pick-up while Jeremy was hunting on the weekends. Well, it turns out Jeremy never once used it for hunting. In fact, I could probably count the times on one hand that Jeremy actually drove it! He hated it! (It DID tend to have some problems but my motto was "I ain't scared!" We eventually did work out all of the kinks but I can't really blame Jeremy for not wanting to drive it because it did occasionally leave us stranded...but that was before we got all the kinks worked out...)

It turned out to be my dog/weekend rig really, which is why it fondly came to be known as the "Hound Hauler." I mostly used it to tote the dogs around whenever I didn't want to load their kennels in our every-day vehicles or when we wanted to go somewhere "dog dirty." The dogs and I explored all kinds of places and we didn't care how muddy or dirty we got because the 'Burb could handle it all!

Our most common trip in the 'Burb was to the dog park downtown where they could fetch tennis balls in the pond and then run through the weeds and the sagebrush without regard to the dirt-factor. We laid the back seats down in the Suburban and they had the run of 3/4 of the vehicle (which included full access to the windows in the back seat) and they would hang their heads out the window like they were the "king of the world!" like in the titanic movie. Here's a picture of Stanley doing his "king of the world" in the 'Burb.

This vehicle is also the one that we crossed many mountain tops in on one hot July day a couple years ago. That day was one where I had intended to take a scenic back route (via old unpaved mountainous logging roads) to a small town nearby. However, I forgot the map I printed at home and after several hours we ended up in some other town (not even close to the one I had set out toward). I kept my fingers crossed that the 'Burb would get us where we needed to go, despite the inability of the operator (me) to do so...and it didn't let us down.

Anyway, when I think about it, I have to admit that I did inherit some of my mother's sentimental connection to material things but when I analyze it in more of a practical way and not in such a sentimental way I realize that just because the 'Burb is gone, it doesn't mean my memories are going anywhere...and for that I'm grateful.~

Spring has sprung!

April 6, 2009--



I love when the daffodils are in bloom because it's a sure sign that "spring has sprung!" Here are a few pics of the daffodils around my neighborhood...enjoy!

Skiing!

March 15, 2009--


Dale, Larry & I went skiing! We hit good ol' Bald Mountain and had a great time. I forgot how big the mountain is! Dale and I couldn't help but comment on the fact that green circles (beginner level runs) and blue squares (intermediate level runs) are so different on Baldy compared to the level of difficulty (much easier) on other mountains. I couldn't make it longer than a half of a day because of the St. Patty's day fun run (the day before) since I'm not in that great of shape!~

Here's a picture of me walking back to the car...exhausted!

St. Patty's Day Fun Run - 3.5 miles

March 14, 2009--

Livvy invited me to join her at this year's St. Patty's Day Fun Run (3.5 miles). I was somewhat apprehensive considering that I suffered a foot injury about a month ago. I've been working with my doctor though, and although it's not perfect, it's in much better shape than it was, so I decided to give it a go. I've really only done one other fun run and it was only a 5K--which is about 3.1 miles--but what's another 4 tenths of a mile? (See archived posting entitled "5K Run" from September 2008 for details on that run.) What I didn't consider was the ridiculous wind in the Magic Valley. Eeek!

The first 2 miles were tolerable but between mile 2 and 3 it was miserable with an awful head wind--and since it's "my story" and I'll tell it how I want--I'm gonna say that it had to be around 15-20 mph. But, I survived, and in the end, I'm glad I participated. Livvy and I finished about 30 seconds apart...she, of course, finished before me--way to go, Liv! My official time was 40 minutes and 49 seconds. I'm no "speed racer" but at least I finished.~

Here are a few pics--

Me & Livvy (right after the run--notice the flushed faces?)

Me & Livvy in line for the trout feed following the run...

Pam, Traci & Donna also in line to eat...

The whole gang! (L to R) Traci, Jenny, Eric, Livvy, Fred, Joe, Donna, Stacey, Kim, Pam

Livvy & I with Aubrey & Mandi (sisters from the reality show "The Biggest Loser")

Fishing Derby!

February 13, 2009-- I joined new and old friends (Melissa, Lorri, Debbie, Lucy & Barbara) for the "Women With Bait" Steelhead Fishing Tournament! Here are a few snapshots.~

Me & Mel

Time to take a break to warm up!

The gang's all here (including our trusty boat driver, Tony)!

Lucy & Mel
Here's the little trout (and sadly, the only fish) I caught...but it could have been a minnow and I would have been happy. I was just happy to yell "fish on!"

Here I am, fishing off the bow of the boat.

Debbie & Lorri

Lucy The fisherwomen (L to R): Melissa, Stacey, Lorri, Lucy, Debbie & BarbaraTwo eagles we spotted early in the day...
Melissa caught the only steelhead that day and it was a native so we had to catch-and-release. Here is Jeff (the guy who handles the the bait and all the fishing tackle so we don't have to!) netting the steelhead after Mel reeled him in. Tony's rolling with the video while it's all taking place.

Jeff & Mel with her steelhead! If I remember right, it was 26.5 inches. Way to go, Mel!

Me & Barb

Deb, Barb & Mel fishing off the back of the boat

Me, Lorri & Mel are taking a break

Deb, Lucy, Me & Mel
It's Deb, Barb & Lorri's turn to take a break

Barbara is consoling Ringo, our boat driver's dog, after he inadvertently took a hook in the mouth. Oh, the hazards of being a fisherman's dog...

The whole crew!

Happy Birthday, Diana!

February 5, 2009-- Here is a picture of the birthday girl (left) with Grandma Shirley (middle) and Aunt Lori (right) from Easter last year.~

Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

January 21, 2009-- Here is a picture of me and the birthday girl when we went to Vegas in 2007.~

More skiing!

January 18, 2008--

Dale and I went skiing again! When we went on the 1st, we skied on the mountain closest to my house and this time we went to a mountain closer to Mom and Dale's. It's one of my favorites places to ski because the mountain isn't that big but it's still challenging. The weather today was much different than when we went skiing on the 1st! We started out with all of our gear on (see above) and within a couple of hours we were unlayering (see picture below). It was about 40 degrees at the top of the mountain during the peak of the day and beautiful blue skies all day long.~

Skiing on the First Day of the New Year!

January 1, 2009--Dale and I went skiing on the first day of the new year and we were in for a windy surprise! It was blizzard-like conditions for much of the day and it was especially challenging trying to get back to the main side of the mountain from the back side because of the wind. We had a great time skiing though, despite the added "work" of moving the snow (there were no groomed runs that day) and here are a few pictures I took while protecting my camera from the wind and snow.

The picture of Dale was taken on the back side of the mountain. Isn't the mountain range beautiful?

The clouds in the distance broke just in time for me to take this picture.~

Is it a bird? Or a dog? Or a bird dog?

January 5, 2009-- I get such a kick out of our dog, Stanley, age 7, when he gets excited and thinks it's time to go outside to play fetch. (Yes, even in the snow.) Click on the video below to see what he sounds like when he knows it's "time." It's like I can't get my coat or shoes or gloves on fast enough. He makes this squeaking noise that seriously does not sound like it comes from a dog, let alone a dog his size (85 lbs)! The video quality is awful because the lighting was so poor but you'll get the idea. If only we could take such joy in our play time! You can kind of see that our female yellow lab, Holly, age 5, is equally excited bouncing up and down but she doesn't quite say it like Stanley!

Happy Birthday, Pops!

December 29, 2008-- Today is Pops' birthday! I have called my father-in-law, Terry, "Pops" since way back when Jeremy and I were still dating. Much like the nickname I gave Grandpa "Big Joe" way back then, it stuck. I even hear several of my in-laws call him that now. Here's a picture of Pops from Christmas with our neice, (Terry's Granddaughter) Addyson.~

Merry Christmas!

December 24-28, 2008-- Hi, everyone! I plan to post some info and photos from our fantastic Christmas adventures (six houses in four days!) here in the next week or two...check back soon!~

Christmas at the Ranch

December 20, 2008-- We were honored to join Gary and Melissa at the "Ranch" (see September posting entitled "Bogus Creek Ranch" for warm weather pictures of the same location) for Gary's office Christmas party. We had a great time and as always the food, entertainment and company were fantastic! Here's a picture of us in the covered wagon that they used to shuttle us back to the huge heated tent for the party.~