The Cole and Laura Christensen Family

Non Weight Loss Update

2012-01-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

So, I figured that maybe you would like to know about what we are doing as family. Well, right now we are getting ready for Hawaii. For the first time we are going on vacation with Cole's family. We do alot with my family so we decided to rent a beach house in Kona. Sadly, Cole's brother Sam will not be joining us. He has to work. But Adam and Corey are coming along with Julie, Cole's mother. I will post pictures. Two weeks of vacation! Here is the house we rented:
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p353175#calendar

50 Pounds!

2012-01-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well I was hoping to hit 50 pounds by Christmas, but it did not happen, But it did happen for New Years, which oddly enough is 100 days from my surgery! Now just 50 + more to go. -Sigh-

10 Weeks Out!

2011-12-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

Boy, I may just start doing monthly updates. Well folks, I am down 44 pounds! I am really hoping to be down 50 by Christmas, but if I am not, that is OK too. I really hate exercising but I find myself waking up to do it. What does that mean?

65 Days Out!

2011-11-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

So here I am at 65 days out from surgery. I feel back to normal, I started exercising last week. I should let you know I HATE working out. I do not feel better when I do it or after. I am hoping this will change at some point. But what everyone really wants to know is, How much have I lost. Well I weighed in this morning at.....207! So that is 43 pounds down. I was hoping to be down 50 by Christmas, and I am still hoping for that, but I am OK if it doesn't get quite there. My scars are still red (I scar badly) but not puffy at all. More like pink scratches. Only me and my husband see them so no big deal.

8 Weeks Out!

2011-11-21T07:07:00.000-08:00

So this morning when I weighed in I was.......210.2 which is just about 40 pounds!

Weigh In week 6

2011-11-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

My new weigh in:
214.8

So that puts me at a little over 35 pounds.

Early Weigh In

2011-10-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

So I weighed in early since we are going to be gone this weekend.

217.8

which is one pound since Monday.

Hopefully next Saturday will be better.

Size 16!

2011-10-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

So I bought a few new clothes (on clearance of course!) but did not think they would fit me (yet). Well this morning I figured, might as well try some on. My new jeans, size 16 fit perfectly. Very surprising! My non fattie shirts don't fit yet though, but that is coming.

One Month Out!

2011-10-24T05:12:00.001-07:00

This morning, I was exactly one month out from my surgery. I was a little nervous when I stepped on the scale this morning.

Month 1: 218.8

That is a little more than 31 pounds. Not bad for 30 days~

Week 3

2011-10-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

OK- Here it is! I am

223.2

Which is just about 27 pounds!

Week 2!

2011-10-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

So I weighed in this morning at 229.2 so that is just a tad over 20 pounds. Not too bad for two weeks!

Tortola

2011-10-03T11:01:00.000-07:00

So Cole and I went to Tortola for a few days before my surgery for our anniversary. Why there? Well, we initally thought to go to St John USVI and rent a house but I found this great deal for the same amount of days in Tortola. I paid for 4 nights in a two bedroom villa at Ft Recovery Resort. No this is not some sort of rehab. It is named after the historic fort on the property( www.fortrecoverytortola.com). It was a smal place, maybe 20 units or so on a small private beach. We paid $800 for the 4 nights and got a $400 food credit and a $250 spa credit. I figured that was a pretty good deal. I used ALL my skymiles for the two airline tickets. We flew into St Thomas and took the ferry to Tortola. They drive on the other side of the road there, so I did not feel comfortable driving. We spent several relaxing days and even did a full day snorkeling trip!

Week One Weigh In:

2011-10-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

I bought a scale. I guess I was trying to avoid my fattie problems. I decided to weigh in every week as opposed to everyday. I hope that I will not be tempted to constantly look.

So week one is:

234.4!

Yes I know that is 15 pounds in a week. But, it is a new scale and each scale is different. I will take it.

A Week Out-

2011-09-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Well it is Friday and I had the surgery last Saturday morning. I am doing just fine. My chest feels a little tight which is sometimes uncomfortable, but not painful. I still have one day of meds to take. Then it is just the nexium, which is nasty. I don't know if I have lost any weight yet, as I don't own a scale. That will be rectified today. I did weigh myself at moms, but since I don't regularly weigh myself on it, I ave no idea if it is accurate for me. I am going to back to work on Tuesday and am looking forward to it. I am not a good homebody.

2011-09-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while-

2011-09-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

So if anyone cares or reads this at all, Cole and I just got back from Mexico. Yes those globe trotting Christensen's went out of the country again. But this time was for a completely different reason. No turquoise beaches or museums for us, this time it's medical.

I had a bariatric surgery, Otherwise known as the surgery for fatties. Yes I am a fattie. No I am not the fattest person ever, I get that. But I have spent the last 20 years overweight, and I was sick of it. I have done diets, drugs, Weight Watchers, some work great and then I would just gain it all back (and then some). I looked into gastric bypass a few years ago, but was turned down twice as I was not fat enough for a healthy person. They will still do for you of course, if you self pay. I had looked at a few medical tourism sites (mainly India) just casually of the last couple of years but did not take a bigger interest until I nearly could not buckle the seat belt on a airplane. That was my breaking point. Now what I would want to ask someone (but would never do, manners and all) is how much they weigh. The day before my surgery I weighed 250. That is a lot. I am not that tall, maybe 5'6". that is a lot of excess weight. On my last Dr. visit my blood pressure was up for the first time in my life and my glucose levels were not going in the right direction.

So I decided on surgery-

But where? What type?

There are actually several different types of fattie surgeries, gastric bypass, lap-band, sleeve gastrectomy etc. For me I wanted the best results with the least amount of recovery time, so I got the gastric sleeve plication. What is this? You wonder, well basically:

The stomach it sutured so that only a small pouch remains (2-4 oz after recovery)

Then the rest of the stomach is kind of rolled into itself and then is sutured. Since all the blood vessels remain intact, the stomach does not atrophy or die. It just hangs out like a trussed turkey, not being used.

Since you are not removing anything (bits of stomach, intestines), and you are not implanting anything (like a band) recovery is much faster. Another upside is that since you are not bypassing your small intestines (as in gastric bypass) you still get nutrition from what you eat.

It seemed like the one for me. It is a relatively new procedure and while being done other places is still being tested in the US. They actually did about 100 patients here in Utah last year. I read the medical journal paper about it.

Now here is what everyone says: You went to Mexico for surgery? Not only Mexico but Tijuana. That's right, TJ! The doctor who is the most experienced with the surgery practices there. He also practices in San Diego. So why not have this done in San Diego? $$$$ The surgery in Mexico cost $7500 with a discount for attending consult webinars of $250. So I am out of pocket $7250. What did I get for that? You will be amazed-

We were picked at the San Diego airport last Friday by a driver. He took us over he border (yes you do need a passport) no hassle. We arrived the Hospital Angeles (google it) around 4. Now whatever you are thinking about hospitals in TJ, forget it. This place is state of the art. It reminded me a lot of UVRMC but bigger rooms and cleaner. My bathroom in my room was bigger than my bath at home. They dressed me in my sexy gown and then left us alone for the most part till early the next morning.

Saturday morning around 6 they came and did my IV and blood work, chest xrays and EKG. The sent me to the operating room about 9:30 am and I was was in recovery awake at noon. I am fine with surgery and anesthesia but I do feel better after I vomit, well vomiting is a no-no with this surgery. It is the worst thing you can do. So instead I walked up and down the hall do get all those meds out of me.

Sunday I did a barium swallow and watched it on a fluoroscope. It was pretty cool if I do say so myself. All was well. I went off the narcotics then and have not been on since.

Monday we moved to a local hotel, and I could have cried when I saw the comfy beds. No matter what hospital it is, the beds suck. We spent the night there.

Tuesday morning the driver picked us up and we came back into the US. And here is a little funny side note. They have a special lane for medical tourism coming back into the US, so you bypass all the traffic. Very cool.

The Hospital Angeles had a great staff, tons of nurses and doctors. The nurses did not hover either which I hate. They came in, did their job and left. Most did not speak tons of English, but I got by on my VERY limited Spanish. Asking for shots of tequila is I guess not regular hospital speak.

So for this week, I am on a clear liquid diet, oh goody. But to be honest I am not hungry at all. I start on other liquids next week and then we will try soft foods, yogurt etc. But I knew all of this coming into this.

Now before I sign off, I just wanted to let you know about two things.

1. I have the best husband in the world. He loves me as a fattie and let me have what I wanted anyway. He helped me everyday and stood by me, even at our darkest hour; When he realized that netflix and hulu aren't available in Mexico. He endured 4 days of Mexican soap operas and the same repeat episodes of CSI.

2. I did lose a friend with this decision. Someone who has been frankly at my side for more than 20 years. You made every morning special at work, diet coke I will miss you.

More G Pics!

2010-08-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Geraden in the Army!

2010-08-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

G is at Basic Training at Fort Knox Kentucky! We graduates on the 20th of August. Cole and I are flying out there and bringing the boy as a surprise! I posted a few pics. None are of just G so you have to search for him!

G's Army Pics!

2010-08-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmmm

2010-07-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

I am not a big "quoter" either here or on Facebook. But I really needed to hear something last night. I had dinner with some old friends and came back feeling like the bastard red-headed stepchild. Things with women (and girls!) are very complicated, and frankly I have never been one to navigate the waters all that well. I have said and done terrible things, hurt peoples feelings unknowingly (and knowingly) but rarely do words, or lack thereof, hurt me. It did yesterday. I tell myself that I am a 36 year old intelligent, successful, happy woman. That I have a great marriage and wonderful (but evil) kids. I should not have let things bother me, but I did and that is my fault.

This is what I thought of:

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Now this is where I have my incredibly girly moment. I wish I could say that I read this in school, or read a biography on the First Lady. I remembered it from the Princess Diaries movie.

WOW what a few weeks!

2010-06-10T15:49:00.001-07:00

So it has been a very tough few weeks. We worked night and day on the house only to miss the deadline of my surgery. I went in on Monday and lordy, it was rough. I guess there were problems with the anesthesia. It took a lot for me to come around and then that night I kept waking up to the alarms going off in my room as I was not breathing or my pulse dropped below 40. It seems like I don't tolerate anesthesia well, even though I have had it before. On the good front, we got word from pathology that it was only the only itty bitty spot, so I am cured. yeah, thrilled, dance a jig. I hurt so bad I can't take it. I am sure this will be so worth it in a few weeks, but today, not a happy camper.

Stuff and Stuff

2010-05-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

I know I have not posted in a bit, but we have been super busy. After we got back from our vacation (wow did that really happen?) things moved into overdrive. We are planning on selling our house. As our house was well...dumpy...there were a lot of things that needed to be done. Cole and I have been moving slowly getting things done, but now you can start to see the change. We installed crown molding in all the rooms (we ran out so we have three rooms to go) had both bathroom tubs and showers refinished., and have gotten rid of TONS of crap. Unfortunately there is tons more crap to go. We have rented an apartment to live in for the summer so we can get Mason's room done and leave the house perfect to be shown. So much work! I really want to move to Saratoga Springs or Eagle Mountain. Cole wants to stay in Orem, so we will cross that bridge when it comes. I will post some before and after pictures later.

On the weight loss front, things are still going well. I really like Weight Watchers. It is easy for me to do, even when I travel. The weight is still coming off pretty well. Today is my 4 month anniversary with it. As of yesterday I have lost ....35 pounds! I am now down 2 sizes to a size 16. I am really happy about it and am just going to keep going. Ashlee and Brat have have dumped me and jumped ship. I don't think either would follow the rules. My girlfriend Vix at work has said she will join. It is easier to do with a friend.

I found out on Wednesday that I have early endrometrial cancer. Just a little-bitty spot. But just to be safe, I am having a hysterectomy in a few weeks. My Doc wanted to do it sooner but I did not want to miss G's graduation. So I will be going under the knife on June 7. I was hoping to have her through a tummy-tuck in there as well, but I guess that is a no-go.

Geraden will be graduation from Mountain View High School on May 28th at 4:00PM at the Marriott Center at BYU. We are having a big party at Springwater Park 950 S 1700 W (Artesian Rd) from 7:00-9:00PM that night. If you are reading this- YOU ARE INVITED!!!

California! Spring Break!

2010-04-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

So Cole and I decided to head to NorCal for spring break this year. I traded in all my FF miles and hotel points, so most of the trip was free. Since we were having the bathrooms redone we spent Saturday night at the Hilton at the airport. We flew out Sunday morning and low and behold, Delta lost Cole's bag. We flew into Medford Oregon and then drove to Crescent City California, only about 2 hours away. We stayed for 3 nights there and it is such a beautiful place. Rocky shores and huge waves and not hot. We loved it so much we will go back, sans kids.
Cole's bag did not show up when they said it would so we had to go and get him some clothes at gasp...WalMart, it was unpleasant. I still have to send it the reimbursement voucher. We went to Trinidad and Arcata, then the Redwood Forest. We also stopped by the Trees of Mystery, which I had vague recollections from childhood.
We stayed in Redding for one night. I was hoping to see my Aunt and Uncle, but it did not work out. I went to my old house and my school. We also went to the Sundial Bridge which was great. I wanted to go see my sister's grave but could not remember how to get there, so we stopped at the Ranger station at Whiskeytown and the cemetery was there on the map. The Whiskeytown cemetery is truly one of a kind. There are no restrictions on monuments so people really go crazy, from markers made of beer bottles to bedazzled headstones.
We rented a "cabin" in Mt Shasta City and it was VERY nice to have two bedrooms and three TVs. I was pretty sick of fast food so it was nice to relax. We headed to Burney Falls on Friday before heading back to Medford on Saturday. We flew back very early on Sunday morning and now it feels like I was never gone!

California

2010-04-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

G & Kane at Burney Falls

One of the headstones that my brother Chip made for his Eagle Scout project. They are in the cemetery where my sister is buried.

My sister's marker

Cole & G at the gardens by the Sundial Bridge in Redding

This is actually a living plant!

The Sundial Bridge

The house I grew up in!

They look so cute don't they.

Clam Beach!

Trinidad

Watch out for the tide!

G at the top of one of the rocks in the cove

Kane at Trinidad

Kane and G at Trinidad

Kane & G under Babe the Blue (anatomically correct) Bull

Ginormous Blue Ox

Kane and Cole on the Skytram

Affection!

The boys at the Trees of Mystery

at a black sand beach

Kane stumbled on this guy, just enjoying the sunshine. He seemed to wave at you when you went by.

Sunburned

Bowling at Tsunami Lanes in Crescent City

The Lighthouse at Battery Point

The Hampton Inn in Crescent City

Grandma McEuen

2010-03-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my Grandma McEuen died a week ago, she was pretty old (87) and had severe Alzheimer's disease. She passed very peacefully in her sleep. I had to miss the funeral due to a business trip but I was able to arrange a dinner at her favorite restaurant, Chuck-A-Rama. I was really worried that we would not have many people, but my family never disappoints! Thanks to everyone who came!

Grandma McEuen Family Dinner

2010-03-27T13:14:00.001-07:00

Kenny & Susan
Cindy & Kulani & the Kids

Mary & Hans

Aaron & Geraden

Aunt Vivi

Krissy, Liz and MarJean

Anthony, Rachel, Dee & Fred

Doug & Sherrie

Mom, Karen and Charlene

Lydia

Mike, Ashlee, TJ and Geraden

Jenni, Joe, Keith & Gabe

Mary & Nate

Danny & MacKenzie

Kyla, Shannon & Lily

Christenson Cousins

Ed & Hannah

Brian & Stacy

Scott & Evan

Weight Watchers Week 11!

2010-03-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

So I just had my weigh in as I completed week 11. I had been gone this week on a business trip (never diet friendly!) so I weighed in today instead of last night at the meeting. Here it is! Drum Roll.....

26.2 pounds!

Yeah Me!

My Grandma-

2010-03-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Niger Kitty

2010-03-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

So I put our cat down yesterday. We have had Niger for almost 12 years as we got him as a kitten from Grandpa Marty. I only cried a little, but Kane is so sad. He was a good kitty.

Annual Tubing Day!

2010-02-26T08:15:00.001-08:00

So my lovely parents take us tubing every year up at Soldier Hollow in Midway. We usually have a big pot luck and hot cocoa. This year everyone was there who is local, so only Chip and Nate's family were absent. Cole and I took Lydia and Kate with us on most our runs, with Cole actually dragging Lydia in the tube most of the way. We had a lot of fun.

Annual Tubing Trip

2010-02-26T08:09:00.001-08:00

Ashlee and Mike

Becky's kids: Joe, Emily, Julia and the Camster

Daddy

Seth, Geraden, Keith

Lilybelle and Kane

Weight Watchers Week 7

2010-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

So I finished the seventh week at WW. This is officially the longest I have been on any diet. So my total is......17.6 pounds! I am very happy at my results. I do enjoy going to the meetings, it keeps me focused and motivated. Don't get me wrong, I wish it was all gone with a wave of a wand, but I do understand the fundamentals of, the longer it takes to come off, the longer it stays off.

Richard Marx Concert

2010-02-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

I love the Wendover Concert Hall, truly a GREAT place to see anyone. It is a small venue with 1000 seats. I bought the cheapest tickets possible ($9 each with service charge). We were the top row and still fabulous seats. So I did not have huge expectations for the show but it was INCREDIBLE. He sounds so good, and is so talented musically. But I have to say the highlight of the show was when he sang us a few bars of a new song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik566g8txE8

Made my day!

Ways To Spend Your Tax Return Volume 1

2010-02-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Two week cruise to Spain!

Two people including airfare on RCCL Voyager of the Seas!

Sun, Apr 18 Galveston, Texas -- 5:00 pm
Mon, Apr 19 At Sea -- --
Tue, Apr 20 At Sea -- --
Wed, Apr 21 Nassau, Bahamas 7:00 am 5:00 pm
Thu, Apr 22 At Sea -- --
Fri, Apr 23 At Sea -- --
Sat, Apr 24 At Sea -- --
Sun, Apr 25 At Sea -- --
Mon, Apr 26 At Sea -- --
Tue, Apr 27 Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal 12:00 pm 7:00 pm
Wed, Apr 28 At Sea -- --
Thu, Apr 29 At Sea -- --
Fri, Apr 30 Malaga, Spain 7:00 am 8:00 pm
Sat, May 1 Cartagena, Spain 7:00 am 2:00 pm
Sun, May 2 Barcelona, Spain 6:00 am --

This LONG cruise plus airfare (through the cruise line) is:
$3099!

REALLY!!!

Weight Watchers Update

2010-02-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

So you may have heard (from me!) that I am doing WeightWatchers. Well It has been 1 month today and I have lost 13.8 pounds. So as a reward I bought two dresses, one that is a goal dress for my birthday, one for my vacation in Oct. I really like the program and so far, so good.

Vacations!

2010-02-03T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I have my eBay Sabbatical coming up. For those of you who don't know, eBay gives employees a gift every five years of a month off paid. I am taking mine in October. Cole and I had initially wanted to go to Australia and New Zealand, but he did not have enough time off saved. Then we decided on a two week Caribbean cruise. Then I figured that I wanted to go back to Europe, Cole vetoed that. So now, SET IN STONE, are my vacation plans-

Brat and I have rented a beach house in my favorite City in Florida, Clearwater Beach. If you have not been to the gulf side of Florida, GO! It is truly beautiful, baby powder white sands, blue waters, no kelp anywhere! The kids can find tons of shells and find little crabs, last time Brian caught a baby octopus! We found a place about 2 blocks from the beach that is a compound of three houses with a common courtyard and pool. Mom and Dad, Kenny and Suze, and maybe Jenni and Gabe are coming. We have the place for the week.

http://beachhousefl.escapia.net/site/Imagery/PropertyID__38986/13053/default.aspx

After that, Cole, Kane and I are getting on a cruise out of Tampa! The Carnival Legend. We splurged on a very large room with a very large balcony. The price difference from the inside cabin to our super room was $500. I willing to do that.

So that takes up two weeks, the other two weeks I may just sleep at home, who knows?

Updates of a kind.....

2010-01-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

So Cole chastises me when I don't update the blog every other week or so (really). So I thought I would just pen a few notes about what we have been doing.

Cole is so glad that the holidays are over. Working at the Post Office over Christmas I am sure is a punishment in some other dementions. Cole is also heavily involved in the NALC (postal union) so he usually has meetings about that once a week. Since football is still on SUndays are spent glued to our bed and watching NFL Sunday Ticket. It will be nice when football is over so we can go to brunch again. For those of you who don't know, Cole bet me bruch at LaCaille that the Boise Broncos would lose to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Well TCU was bent over so I am really looking forward to that.

G broke up with his girlfriend this past week or so. She was a nice girl but I am glad it is over. G leaves for boot camp at Knox on June 7th. I am glad that he will be starting out his own life. He also has gotten a 4.0 both of the last quarters at school. He drives my old neon to school and to work and pretty much never at home unless we require it.

Mason is doing well but I can see how difficult it may become in the next few years. I can't restrain him anymore if I needed to. He is just too big and phsycially strong. I know the time is coming when he will not live here with us.

Kane, what can I say? We were playing cards at friends the other night who has kids close to Kane's age. They asked if Kane played with webikinz (not sure if that is spelled right.) I thought maybe they were a girl thing (sort of) but I had to explain that Kane was really interested in that type of thing, but if you have a small South AMerican country you want taken over, he's your guy. His birthday was this week so he is now 11 (going on 32).

Me? Well I joined weightwatchers and so far so good. Ashlee and Brat are doing it with me. I have lost 7.6 pounds, with many more to go. EBay is still great but I don't think I will be traveling so much this year.

Greer Christmas Party

2009-12-17T06:26:00.000-08:00

We had our family Christmas Party at Brat's house on Sunday. Everyone was there except Chip and Nate's families and Keith who is still in Afghanistan. Mom made stuffed buns and then we had a huge pot luck. We also celebrated December birthdays and then had a huge white elephant gift exchange. We had a great time.

Cole would like to send a shout out to Becky and her super yummy peanut brittle.

Greer Christmas Party

2009-12-17T06:19:00.000-08:00

Attack of the Snuggie-

2009-11-15T15:29:00.001-08:00

Oh Vey! I broke down and bought two snuggies for the boys. G really wanted the purple one.

I've gone Blog Happy!

2009-11-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

So I finally did it, after years and years of people begging me, getting down on their knees, I have started a travel deals blog. It is on my list of friends and called Super Sneaky Deals!

Geraden Swearing In!

2009-11-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Geraden took his oath as an Army enlistee. He will be going to the Army Reserves for 6 years, but he plans to go into the ROTC and become an officer. He got his orders for Basic at Ft. Knox in Kentucky and then AIT at Ft. Lee in Virginia. We are very proud of him.

Mason's 15th Birthday

2009-11-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

Mason had his 15th birthday last week. I can't believe he is getting so old!

Brian, Mason's Helper

Our Oregon Coast Road Trip!

2009-10-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

So a few months back, Brat and I found a GREAT deal on a beach house in Lincoln city. It was buy two days get one free. As our kids were out of school for fall break this past weekend, we packed everyone up and head out, Meri and Ian and all their family, Mom and Dad, me with G and Kane and nephew Gabe. We left after school on Wednesday to meet up at in Nampa at Nate's house. I have this weird thing that I need to stay in hotels and not at people homes, so we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Nampa. Mom and Dad arrived earlier in the day, we got there about 8:30pm. We visited with Nate and Mary for a bit and then headed over to the hotel. Meri and Ian and family got there about 10:30PM and spent the night there.
The next morning we headed out to Lincoln City Oregon, with a stop Multnomah Falls. We met up with Meri and Ian there. It is truly beautiful and right off the freeway. It is a little climb to the trestle bridge, but so worth it.

My GPS broke so we did a little detour on the way to the beach house. We got there about 5:00PM and within minutes Mom and Brat pulled up, great timing! The house was pretty old, like a grandma's cabin. It was not fancy, but it was perfect. Incredible views from every window, beds a plenty, and now worries that they kids would break anything pricey. Meri and Ian took the basement with the twins, Mom and Dad took the master bedroom on the main floor, and I took the bedroom on the second floor between the two bunk rooms that slept 6 each. There was a great outdoor play set, patio, decks etc. And best of all a ten minute walk to the sand. The weather was cool, but not cold. The kids played in the surf each day and G even got all the way in. I think the cold water nearly made him vomit (see pics below). I love the cold ocean, the rocks and spray, tide pools, seals.

We spent part of each day at the beach, or at the tide pools (where you could drive on the beach!). Meri, Ian and I went to dinner one night at Kyllos, a restaurant right on the water. We had the best table at the window and enjoyed the sunset and the waves. The food was pretty good too. Meri thought the drive would be too much for one day so she headed out on Saturday and spent another night at Nate's. Mom and Dad headed out on Saturday as well so they could be in Redding in time for church on Sunday Morning. So I took the boys to the outlet mall and we did a bit of shopping and got some wearable souvenirs. I told the boys that they could each choose one souvenir per person up to $20. G and Gabe chose these hideous sock-shoe things. Kane chose a lava lamp. Weird. There were deer at the house and we had some nighttime visitors who came to the door looking for food. As they were not scared at all of us, I figure they had a good tourist racket going. There were a pack of 4 of them that just sat by the door looking cute. Since I know raccoons carry rabies we did not touch them at all but we did leave out some nibbles.

We headed out early Sunday morning for the long drive home. The kids were pretty good and G even drove a few hours in Idaho. I love the coast, I could so live there if I could afford it. I would love to rent this place again. It was not pretentious at all, just a great place were you relax by the ocean with your family.

Pictures from the Oregon Coast!

2009-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Gabe, Geraden, Lydia, Kane and Lily

I let the boys choose one souvenir for the whole trip and this is what they got. I know they are VERY ugly.

Mom making food

Duncan!

Arik

Brat

G and Duncan, he stole Arik's blanket

Arik taking after his Dad!

Lydia and Lily. They got their pants wet so I just had them take them off.

G and Gabe

Mom and Me with the twins

Kane at the tide pools

G at the tide pools, trying to "catch" a starfish

Ian and Meri, making their way to the tide pools

G and his starfish

A little sneaky furry paw

The creature the paw belonged to

Daddy

Super cute Lydia

Mom making scones

Duncan ringing the ship's bell

G chasing after the boy, somethings never change

Yes G the water is very cold

Me doing my best Jackie O impression

A Time Out Please!

2009-08-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

Let me say that most of you who care to read this know the super secret that yes, I am a Democrat, a big one. I pay attention to politics and yes, vote. I am one of those scary liberals that don't want prayers in school, want universal health care for all and am (gasp!) pro-choice. While my liberal leanings started early on being the parent of a handicapped child pushed me to be an advocate. Everything bit of help that I get for Mason I have fought for, and now I hear on the news telling me that we on the verge of socialism. So?

Let me tell you the truth about being the parent of a handicapped kid in Utah. When Mason was initially diagnosed with Autism in 1996 our insurance did not want to cover him. They even sent us a bill for the visit with the doctor for that initial diagnosis as autism was a "mental disorder" and that was not covered. Then we received a very nice letter saying that as long as Mason was not being seen for anything "autistic" we were fine. That meant, no speech therapy or occupational therapy. We changed insurances when Cole went to work at PO. Since it is a government entity it's insurance, while not great, did not consider Mason's autism as a "mental disorder".
We were able to get therapy through the school district. Utah has a very large number of autistic children, so there was even an autism preschool (Giant Steps), which do to funding, had a waiting list. We got on the list and year later, Mason was in Giant Steps. Those great teachers held Autism preschool in building on the campus of the American Fork Training School. I believe this building may have been in the process of being condemned, as it is torn down now. To say it was terrible is an understatement.
Mason has attended I think 9 schools over the years. As class sizes swell, rooms become scare and finding space is always difficult. He has had some great teachers and well, not so hot ones as well. Anyone who does this sort of work (for the crap they get paid) should be on the road to sainthood. People often say to me, "well doesn't the state help out?" or "doesn't he get special government stuff?". Here is the truth- sort of.
When Mason was 10 Cole and I were at the end. His behavior was so out of control we did not know what to do. He was jumping out of cars on the freeway, breaking his legs, 2nd degree burns on 50% of body, breaking his hand, stitches, poison, you name it. The state has a volunteer program called Friday's Kids that lets parents drop off their handicapped child on a Friday evening for up to 4 hours so the parents can get out. After Mason had run away from there for the 5th or 6th time (they found him a couple of miles away) one of the volunteers put us together with some people at the State. We had signed up for services but knew we would probably never get them as at the time there were 10,000 handicapped CHILDREN waiting for services (there are now over 12,000). Our new friend with the state put Mason's case up to the legislature as an example of what happens when we don't intervene early. Who knows what Mason could have accomplished if he had the help he needed when he was younger.
We finally got services after that. What are "services" you ask? That is an amount of money that the state gives mason each year (the feds match it 300%) that I can allocate for additional speech therapy, respite care etc. No I do not get any cash. It does not work that way. I direct all Mason's services to pay for Brian, Mason's advisor (we call him the nanny). Brian is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to us. I can not thank him enough for all he does for Mason.
So why am I telling you all this? I am so sick of all these people all over the news whining! Cole and I make a decent living so we pay more taxes then most everyone we know (we don't have tons of kids or have religious stuff to deduct) and guess what- I DON'T CARE! I know what I get for my taxes, and frankly it is a damn good deal. Even if I were not in our situation, I would not care. The other day people at work were whining that they had to pay more property taxes because of an increase from the school district. Then in the next breath said that they would not mind paying more taxes if the schools were better. Exactly how do schools that get more and more kids each year get any better with no more money? New teachers make what 28K a year? Boy I know I want to go to school for four years, have school loans, dedicate my life to kids and make crap.
Then there is the health care. I find it very interesting that a lot of people that I know who are sending out emails about the evils of universal health care have been in fact, been on Medicaid (Baby your Baby anyone?) . The screaming populace chanting "no socialist medicine", "we're not Canada" has taken open debates to mob levels. Have none of these people had hard times in their life? I would wager they have. They just have people whispering in their ear about that man in white house who wants late term abortions, socialist medicine, and gay marriage.
Not everyone agrees with everyone else, what fun would that be? My opinion is just that, mine. But I would ask the 8 or so people who actually read this to think, At some point in our lives things have been bad and may be bad in the future. What help would you need if you were suddenly jobless, with no health insurance. What if your child is born with a disability? Are you going to have to move to another state so you can get help for your child? I hope that you are never pressed with these difficult decisions. But as someone who has, I can tell you that I am very thankful of what I have, but still angry knowing that it was not enough and now there is nothing I can do about it.

Family Reunion 2009, The Lake event

2009-08-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

So rather include this in the family reunion post I decided to do a separate one. Well, the camp had a very nice little lake. We all were paddle boats or canoes. The teen boys Aaron, Gabe and Geraden were in their own canoe. Only bad things could happen from this, sure enough they started taking on some water, Gabe decided to jump out and the whole canoe flipped over. The water was cold and icky. I am sorry that some of the pictures are fuzzy but we were pretty far away when the incident happened. The boys were rescued (the canoe too!) and although wet and cold, made it back to shore with the help of the rescue boat. As G's mother I reserve the right to bring up this story and/or pictures at anytime to embarrass him publicly in front of friends or prospective girlfriends or just for my own amusement.

The boys before the dunk

After the dunk

The rescue boat

Ian and Meri checking out the damage

Seth and Nicole

Daddy and Mom

Nate and Asher

Joe and Emily with Cami and Julia in back

Kenny, Susan, Olivia and Micah

Kane and Lilybelle

Family Reunion 2009!

2009-08-09T10:48:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at our Family Reunion. It was Becky's turn to host and she chose the Heber Valley Camp, which is a girls camp during the week run by the LDS church. They had yurts for us to sleep in, a great campfire spot and most importantly, flush potties. There were challenge courses with ziplines, a great little lake, and sand volleyball courts. We were very lucky this year to almost have everyone there, the only ones who were absent were Keith, Mason, Kelly, TJ and Josiah. Josiah was going to be there, but on the way he crashed his motorcycle. He is OK but got some serious road rash.

Geraden and Kane

Ashlee cutting Shannon's hair

Lydia, Olivia and Sam

Micah

Shannon on the zipline

Asher and Mary, no pictures please

Geraden, Aaron and Gabe

Mom, Jenni and Gabe

Mary and Asher

Anna, Kyla, Maddie and Duncan

Chip and Stephanie

Daddy

Mom and Becky

Meri and Ian with Arik and Duncan

Cami and Joe

Mason!

2009-07-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Florida!

2009-07-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well in the last month I have been to Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville. It was SO HUMID. I don't think I ever want to go to Florida ever again in the summer. But there was one very big upside. Frank and Gina Fuzy who own a great dealership in Pompano Beach took us out of their yacht. It was so incredible. The are the most generous people I have met in a long time.

Frank and Gina
Jacksonville

Frank and Gina's "boat"

Geraden's First Accident!

2009-07-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

So G had his first accident. I was hoping he would make it a year, but oh well. He was at the parking lot at the movies and rear ended someone. Luckily, no one was hurt and I found a new headlight on eBay for $35 including shipping. I love my work. So now we wait with baited breath to see how high our insurance can possibly get.

Mason at the Hospital!

2009-07-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

So because of Mason's autism he can't be seen at the dentist's office. We go once a year to Orem Community Hospital and they do all his dental services at once. It is done while he under general anesthesia. Since he can not be x-rayed (not without grave peril to the tech that is), it is always a surprise what they will need to do. Last time he had 13 cavities. This time he had NONE! It was great! I am so glad he inherited Cole's teeth and not mine.

Babysitting the Twins and Lydia

2009-06-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lydia & Duncan with Jett
Arik, he looks drunk in all the pics I take.

Duncan

Lydia, the female form of Kane.

I watched the kids the other day for Brat while she and Ian went to dinner.

New York and Philadelphia

2009-06-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Silver Wraith

Jill and I

So I had a work trip to New Jersey and Philadelphia. I was very excited since I had never been to either place before, and we planned to go into NYC for dinner before we flew out the last morning. Well we were delayed an hour going out of SLC on our way to Philly, then delayed over an hour on the tarmac at the Philly airport. Our meeting went well and after it was over we went and toured Independence Hall and saw the Liberty Bell. Downtown Philly is pretty but the rest of it...not so much. I had a cheesesteak at Jim's. Good, but I think the Italian Place is better. I really don't need to go there ever again.

We drove from Philly to Newark NJ that night. Wes (coworker) wanted to stop at a gentleman named Gene Epstein on the way. Wes had met him through eBay and he had said that if we ever were in the neighborhood to stop by. I initially did not want to but hey, I wasn't driving. Gene's house was really just a few miles out of the way so it was no great chore to get there. Well as we arrived, let me say it is good to be rich, VERY good. Gene's estate was over 30 acres with several outbuildings, guest houses, garages, horse barns etc. He showed us his private collection of cars. He had cars from Elvis, Roy Orbison, Tony Curtis and more. His pride is a one of a kind Silver Wraith Rolls Royce that is worth over $2,000,000. He is currently restoring a rare chocolate colored Bently worth over $1,000,000. It will be on the cover of Car Collector Magazine in August.

Gene was very nice and down to earth. He was gracious and funny and I was glad to meet him.

We made it to Newark NJ late that night. It was weird to me that the exits in NJ and NY even though they are numbered do not correlate to the mile markers, so exit 14 and 15 may be 10 miles apart. Very screwy. We had our meeting the next day and after that took the train into the city. I had never been to New York before. There are so many people you would not believe it. Everyone walks everywhere. It is pretty dirty. We walked around Time Square and well there is not a lot to do there but shop. We had dinner in a little French Bistro on Restaurant Row. It was very good and not too expensive. We took the train back to Newark and I can say without any issues that I never need to go back there again. It is way too crowded and busy. I am happy that Cole and I want the same sort of life.

The next morning we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Now that was great! It was so worth the $12 you pay for the ticket. They are letting people back in the crown in two weeks so that really sucks that we missed that. If you ever go to the statue and have a car park on the Jersey side. Lots of parking and our ferries were not overloaded with people.

We headed to the Newark Airport only to be delayed again, really delayed. I did not get home until 1:00AM. I am very glad to be home and the kids seemed to miss me but Cole may have missed me more.

G can now drive! Stay off the road!

2009-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well G finally got his license last Monday. He was very happy and very excited. I was not very thrilled about the jump in our insurance (holy monkees!) but with the good student discount it was not as bad as it could have been. We went over the rules and laws, no other kids in the car till your 17, always wear seatbelt, etc. On his first day of driving...he broke the law. He took some friends home from school. THE FIRST DAY!!! So he got his car taken away until school is out.

G getting his ears pierced!

2009-05-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Bar Pilot

2009-05-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

We needed to have a special guy steer the boat over the mouth of the Columbia River where it meets the ocean. He came by boat, but the picked him up off the ship by helicopter. It went right over our balcony and and the dropped a cable to pick him up. Very cool.

Going under the Golden Gate Bridge and Lazy Days!

2009-05-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

Our Cruise the Pacific Northwest

2009-05-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great time, we went to Alcatraz (SF), Astoria Oregon and Vancouver.

Geraden's Prom 2009

2009-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Geraden and Kelsey. They have since broken up.

Cole's Dinner in Vegas

2009-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Cole had dinner in Vegas with his Mom and younger brothers Sam and Adam. Cole had not seen either of them for several years, Sam looked about the same but he did not recognize Adam.

I think he looks like a guitarist for a Motley Crue cover band!

Trust and Vegas

2009-04-24T18:48:00.001-07:00

So Cole is off to Vegas for work and 3 people said to me "How can you trust your husband in Vegas?". I thought about that for a minute, and wondered, how could I NOT trust my husband in Vegas? Why would I trust him less there? If someone is going to be naughty, they will be naughty. I know I am a tolerant wife in many aspects (the whole football season comes to mind....) and give Cole as much freedom as he wants but is it too much? No-You either trust someone or you don't. Whether they are at work or in another state.

South Dakota!

2009-04-20T18:46:00.001-07:00

We went to the Black Hills for a few days over the kids spring break. Everyone had a good time. There is so much to see and do there that we are planning another trip. We went to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, Evans Plunge and the Mammoth exhibit. It was the off season so I got a great deal on a condo ($75 per night) that was in Hill City. A great homebase for visiting all the attractions. The weather was not great but in some ways that was nice as there was NO ONE around. We saw tons of wildlife, deer, antelope, bison, goats, prairie dogs and even wild bunnies. I actually took some pictures!

Mt. Rushmore and Suitcase Issues.

2009-04-15T07:23:00.001-07:00

So today we are off to Rapid City SD to see Mt. Rushmore. The kids are off for spring break and Cole and I are taking off a couple of days so we can have a nice mini vacation. Cole got me a new carry-on suitcase for my birthday, one that has a slip in compartment for my laptop. I had been watching it for several months to go on sale. I really love it but it is really only big enough for about 3-4 days so the 5 days we are going on this trip it is pretty full. Cole ALWAYS packs too much and I always grumble about it, but I let him bring the BIG suitcase for his things if I could put my makeup in it. So here is the surprise, G brought out his duffel and apparently he thinks we are going to Siberia for at least a month. Did he even have any clothes left in his room? I doubt it. This is one of the extra large duffels, like about 4' long. Kane could probably get in side it and zip it up all the way. Bother.

I will post our pics up as soon as we are back.

Dearly Departed

2009-04-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

One of my clients passed away. It is really not so suprising since most of my clients are older men who smoke like chimneys and drink like fish. But this was a very young girl (24) who I spoke too every week for over two years. We never met in person but I could tell you her favorite color (purple), her favorite book (twilight...yuck), and that she was so excited about her pregnancy. She reminded me so much of myself when I was younger just getting into the auto biz, Trying to make and prove yourself in a VERY dominated male business. She and her husband were killed by an older drunk man in his brand new Corvette. I was so angry when I heard the news. It all seems so senseless and wasteful. A smart wonderful woman is gone because some person is complete wanker. I have always been vocal about my feelings about drunk driving since Becky's accident but this makes me want to stand up and take on the world.

Our Son the Rock Star!

2009-04-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

G had his first PAYING gig yesterday! He played the opening act at a club in Provo. Could this be his ticket to stardom? I have no idea, but we are very proud of him. I keep trying to upload one his songs for the background music of the blog, but so far no luck. I will keep trying.

HOTLANTA!

2009-03-24T16:47:00.001-07:00

I travel a bit for work about once a month. I go all over and this is my third or fourth time to Atlanta. I really enjoy this city. The people are so friendly and weather is warm, although humid in the summer. I looked up houses in the area where I am staying (Marietta although my bro-in-law Wes says it is MAY-Retta) and they are about half as much as where I live. How can this be? I know they have a higher unemployment rate and all that but why would a house, much nicer than mine and larger, cost 100K?
I don't know what determines what things cost, granted I do not want my house value to drop, but why the big discrepancy? Cole and I looked at a house in Coos Bay OR a few years ago for about 80K. We seriously thought about it. we say it again for sale in 2007 for 300K. The land we bought in WA for 30K a couple of years ago is worth.....30K. We did not buy it to make money and are glad we have not lost any but what makes land worth $$??

Updates!

2009-03-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well Cole says that I do not update this enough, so here I am-

Monday the 16th (Happy Birthday Kenny!) was a strange day. We had a conference with Mason's teacher to make sure he is eligible for special ed. That is so weird! Obviously he needs special ed, but we have to have determination to make sure he is eligible. What a crock- Luckily it was not too long, so Cole and I went to breakfast at IHOP afterward. We love to go out to breakfast or brunch, but there are not many places to go that are not Denny's-esque. Our favorite is La Caille for Sunday brunch, but it is not like we can afford that every Sunday.

So after breakfast we had a little time to kill before our meeting at G's school so I dragged Cole to DI. Let's just say I have a tolerant husband, but even he can only take so much. I picked up a couple of books and we were out of there. We met with G and his guidance counselor and went over what he was going to do for his Senior year. He had enough credits that he could have graduated early, but he decided to take a bunch of electives. I nearly fell off my chair when he said he was going to take Seminary. Seminary? What? Have I landed in an alternate universe? He said he had been thinking about it since the teacher (who lives in our neighborhood) dropped by. We told him that he could take whatever he wished but I am not sure how I feel about it.

After G's appointment we headed home to relax for a bit before the Demon Spawn got home. I hate early out day! I think it is a conspiracy! The kids get home, G tells us that he has a job interview at Iceberg Drive Inn. He really needs to find a job since his phone will be turned off in a few weeks and I am not paying for it. I keep telling that his scary hair is stopping him from getting a job, but he says ALL the kids look like him. Well, not really, but what do I know.

I had my last post-op visit with the ENT and all looks well. I am really glad I had the surgery. I can breathe a lot better and my nose still looks the same. He did recommend sleeping with a humidifier since it is so dry around here.

I don't take a lot of pictures, but Cole and are trying to do better so hopefully I will get some up.

Celebrate the moments of your life?

2009-03-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

So I was thinking the other day about those old 80's coffee commercials where the couple cuddle and talk over a hot cup of flavored coffee. Although these were some of the dumbest commercials EVER, it has happened. Cole and I are now that couple. We love to be sans children, whether at dinner, getting away for the weekend or just watching something tivo'd at home. G is getting ready to be a senior and Mason will be a freshman. Are these the moments we celebrate? That the years are short till all signs of children will be gone? In a word YES!

All those people who thought I was nuts to have kids and get married so young, well the joke is on you! I will be 42 when Kane graduates high school. I can live with that. My Mom was 59 when Kenny moved out. I can handle an extra 17 years alone with Cole.

Big Brother and Big Sisters!

2009-02-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hey! I am doing a charity bowling tournament for BBBS! It is a great cause and if you could give a few $$ that would be greatly appreciated!
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3577271

2009-02-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

So this is the Pearl! Cole and I are SO excited to go. I keep hoping the price will drop a bit (not likely) so we could get a better cabin. I always guarantee an inside so I know if that is all I get I will be happy.

Cruising with the IRS?

2009-02-20T12:51:00.001-08:00

So Cole and I discussed it and decided that we could do this trip for just the two of us for very little money. I had just gotten home from work and walked in the door when Cole said there was bad news. He had a letter from the IRS saying we owed back taxes in 2007. NOOOOOOOOO! My vacation plans up smoke! Cole took it remarkably well I was so impressed. There were no broken chairs or holes in the wall. Now Cole and I live fairly simply. We don't have any Swiss bank accounts or off shore depositories in the Caymans. So I was completely thrown back that we would owe anything....Well it turns out that we don't! THEY made a mistake. I called and spend FOREVER on the phone but it was fairly simple procedure and now all is fine. So it is off to the beautiful Pacific Northwest! I am so excited!

If anyone wishes to join us, come on down! It is really a good deal!

Need a Vacation!

2009-02-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

So anyone who has heard me jabber on has heard how sad I am that we do not have any big vacations planned for this year. I have my work travel of course, and Me and Cole's getaway weekends but no time just for us. Well I think that is going to change. Cole and I are taking G and Kane to the Black Hills over spring break fun but lots of work. Well I think I found a great deal on a cruise going up the Pacific Coast in May for 6 days $220 pp plus all the weirdo taxes and fees. I have two free airline tickets so that would take care of that expense plus I have some free hotel nights as well if I wanted to use them. I think this would work. It stops in San Francisco (ewwww) and Astoria Oregon (goonies land!). It ends up it my second favorite North American City Vancouver! (Anyone who cares Anderson Island is my favorite since it will be my home...someday). Yes this could work. I have never been on Norwegian Cruise Line but I know Mom and Dad really like it because of the freestyle thing. So we will see.....

Is this my kid?

2009-02-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

After G did his hair for his choir concert, I told him he looked like Robert Smith. He then asked me who that was. I am old.

I am a GREAT AUNT! (Hey I am only 34!)

2009-02-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Seth and Nicole welcomed their first little girl Prudence Elizabeth Greer. She was born yesterday February 10th in Orem. Keith and Jenni are now grandparents!

TJ's Visit

2009-02-09T17:44:00.000-08:00

So TJ came down this weekend and spent Saturday and Sunday with us. We celebrated his birthday at Chuck E Cheese's. He turned 17! And most importantly, he cut his hair! I think he looks great!

Geraden's Preference Dance

2009-02-03T07:18:00.001-08:00

Geraden was asked to Preference by Nicole. He went with a group of friends and had a great time. I am really glad I bought that tux. It was new on ebay ($60) and he has already worn it three times. Bargain!

Babysitting

2009-02-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

So Brat went to Disneyland (get in free on your birthday!) and I watched her kids last night. This was the first time that she and Ian have been away from all the kids since their honeymoon. Well the kids are cute but they can be such a pain. I had forgotten all the things little kids get in to and how they don't listen. You know how some women say they "forget" the pain of childbirth so that they can do it again, well I must have totally blocked out todlerhood. Diapers, bottles, they all are so foreign to me now. I can say quite happily that I do not miss it.

Mindless Chatter

2009-01-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

So Chip is getting home today (I think). I guess his girlfriend, Dr. Stephanie is coming up from Texas and then they are going to drive back together. I really hope this works out for him. Stephanie is a lovely intelligent woman, he better not blow it.

The Greer Girls (women?) are planning a new cruise to top the wonderful Baha Cruise of 2007. I think I have found a good deal for a 6 day 5 night cruise ($268 pp). I think that it should be an annual event. Every year as a child the boys would go off for several days hunting (ewwww the mess) and the girls were left at home. This tradition continued with several male trips to Alaska if i recall...So anytime we can get together without men or kids I am SO there. I think we should invite our extended family and cousins.

2009-01-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

Geraden, Gabe, Aaron and Kane at La Bufadora in Mexico. I can't believe it has almost been a year since we were there.

2009-01-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Kane at Santa Maria in Mexico

2009-01-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

The first picture is of Mason and our nanny Brian. We just love him. Mason has made so much progress and most of it is entirely due to Brian. The other picture is what our nanny agency gave us for Christmas. We loved it so much we asked the photographer if he would do one of Kane and Geraden so we can have a set.

2009-01-29T12:28:00.000-08:00

Geraden's Prom with his date the lovely Lacey

New to all this bloggy stuff!

2009-01-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

So here I am starting to blog. As soon as I am not such an idiot I will make it more fancy.