100th Blog Post

I have blogging for less than a year, and I have 100 posts, YEAH! When I set out to do this, my goal was one post per week. As you can see I have far exceeded this goal. When I first heard about blogging, it was about 6 years ago, someone was talking about a blog they were reading, and I had no idea what they were talking about. My friend Stephanie, jumped on board at the beginning of 2008. By this time I had started reading some other blogs too, but I still was not ready to start my own. When I got pregnant in early 2008, I seriously considered starting a blog so I could journal my pregnancy. However, just being pregnant was too much for me to handle, so blogging didn't make the cut. Finally in August 2008 I made the leap, the day Brian started Pre-Kindergarten.

I LOVE to blog. I love that I am following the counsel of our prophets to keep a journal. I love that I now have an excuse to get my pictures out of my camera and onto my computer, and cropped, and put on my blog. I feel guilty for not having been better about keeping baby books, and documenting milestones in my children's lives. I now have an easy way to do it. I plan to have my blog printed out into a book each year, using a website like this. I encourgage everyone to have a blog, even if they keep it private.

How This Whole Crazy Thing Got Started!

Today is our seven year anniversary. The past seven years have brought a move to Arkansas, a new business, a new house, three new cars, three children and many adventures. Here is how this tale started.

I had been attending the LDS Cherry Hills Young Single Adults Ward in Denver for a few years. It was a fun time, with FHE, activities, break the fast, institute, Relief Society, and occasionally some big events, like white water rafting or horseback riding.

The day we met was one of those days. It was in September of 2001, shortly before my 31st birthday, when they kick you out of the young single adult wards. We were going to go horseback riding. We met at the church to car pool up to the ranch. My friend Melissa decided that we were going to ride with him, in the black Ford F-150. He followed us around as we rode horses, and I decided that he was kinda annoying. Later that weekend at a fireside, he continued to pursue, as I continued to avoid. I found out he was a chiropractor and called him a "quack".

Suddenly I was seeing him everywhere, church, public affair events, FHE, institute. We had our first official date on my birthday. It was on a Sunday, and so he brought over a home-cooked meal, we made pear smoothies for dessert and looked through old pictures. Then we attended his friend Laura's baptism.

He was planning to move to Las Vegas for work at the end of the month, so I was not getting too involved. However, he decided he needed a navigator for his trip to Las Vegas, since I was an expert, I agreed to go. I arranged my work schedule at the last minute, and we journeyed to Las Vegas together. This is when we knew that this would be more than just a dating relationship.

We started making plans. We got engaged in February when I went out to visit, and set a wedding date for June. Plans went a little haywire, when his business opportunity in Las Vegas went sour, but we forged ahead. Eddie moved in with my parents, my cats moved in with my parents, I sold my condo and moved in with my parents. On a wing and a prayer we continued with our plans, and knew that something would work out.

Eddie found out about a chiropractic clinic that was for sale in Little Rock through his parents. He went to Little Rock to check it out. The doctor was willing to finance it, and it was reasonable price. He could get his AR license in July. Things were starting to fall into place, although Little Rock was definitely not on my list, I didn't even know exactly where it was. I went with him to Little Rock in May so we could apartment hunt.


We had already made wedding plans for Las Vegas, and when things didn't work out there, we still went ahead with the plans. We had family coming from California, Utah, Canada, Colorado, and Arkansas so Las Vegas was as good as any place. We were sealed in the LDS Las Vegas Temple on June 28, 2002. After a short honeymoon in Las Vegas, we packed up Eddie's remaining stuff that was in a storage unit there, and traveled to Denver. There we packed up my stuff that was in a storage unit. We drove on to Little Rock, where we unloaded all that stuff into our new 2 bedroom apartment. (Nope it didn't all fit) It was July 4th weekend, and hot and humid, and the apartment was on the 3rd floor. I still can't believe that people from church actually volunteered to help us unload the moving van.



Next stop, back to Denver for our first open house. We loaded up the gifts, and the cats, and traveled to Little Rock to start our life together. One more open house in Little Rock two weeks later, and we would officially have performed all of the required duties for a newly married couple.



Seven years later, we still haven't stopped to catch our breath! Check back with us in another seven years, maybe life will have settled down. On second thought, we will have teenagers, so probably not.

Sunset Over Ouachita

This weekend we made an impromptu visit to Lake Ouachita. Pronounced "Wash i taw", it is Arkansas largest lake spanning more than 40,000 acres of water. It is known for its scenic beauty, clear waters, and many little islands.

Our friend Russ, let us borrow one of his boats that no one was going to be using for the weekend. We got the boat Friday at lunch, and loaded up the camping stuff Friday evening. Saturday morning we headed to the lake. I picked a campsite, Brady Mountain on the internet, it was only 1 hour 15 minutes away, and we hoped they would have an electric spot available.

Getting ice and gas proved to be a somewhat difficult task, since we are not used to towing a really long boat. We also put a wrong address (thanks to the internet) into the GPS so we ended up in a different part of the lake. Finally we arrived at the campground. They did have a campsite available, YEAH! It was perfect too, we could park the boat right by the campsite. We set up a tent to stake our claim, put the things we would need for the day on the boat, and headed to the boat ramp to launch. We got onto the water before lunchtime. We just hit a few snags along the way. Choices: Did I want to drive the boat, or go park the truck/trailer? Think I'll take my chances with the trailer. (I only ran over a pylon and a curb, pretty good, don't ya think?)

We had an awesome day. The kids warmed up to the boat, we swam in the water, had lunch, and explored the lake. We came back to the campsite and ate hot dogs and smores, and then hit the water for a evening stroll. It was so nice, the sun was not so hot, we had a cool breeze on the boat, and the water was perfect.

Swimming in the lake


Captain Brian

Captain Emily

Sleeping Danielle

Skipping rocks

Sticking your toes in the water

Pull it in just a little farther dad

Emily was the first brave one to sit in the front of the boat

The next morning we made breakfast, I forgot butter, so I made Eddie go over to the neighbors to borrow some. Then we wanted to get out on the lake before it got too hot. We spent the morning on the boat swimming and exploring. We went back to camp for lunch, broke camp, and then headed out for one more spin since we had to take full advantage of all possible boating time.

The geese were checking out the boat

About 4:00pm it was time to go before our boat turned back into a pumpkin, or our kids turned into monsters. The biggest glitch of the weekend came as Eddie tried to load the boat back onto the trailer, by himself as I was dealing with kids, the boat missed the guides and hit the truck. It now has a boo boo on the tailgate.

Despite the mishap, we had a great time. It was an awesome weekend spending time with the kids, it was so peaceful out on the lake away from everything. We were tired and sore when we finally arrived home, and returned the boat, but it was definitely worth it.

Look Who's Pulling Up!

Sorry...I just couldn't resist these cute little bums!

Danielle has gone from learning to crawl, less than a month ago, to pulling up, to standing up, stepping while holding hands, and soon will be walking around the furniture, and then walking on her own, look out we are in serious trouble.

Happy Father's Day

This is the father of my children

I dressed them up and took pictures for his desk

I took the kids to the Clinton Presidential Library, while you were at your concealed carry class. There is a temporary exhibit Space: From the Moon to Mars. I thought the kids would enjoy it. They are probably a little young, but we did take this cool picture.

I am grateful that my children have a great father like you that they can call their dad. Sorry that you didn't get breakfast in bed or really breakfast at all. We were out of eggs, since I didn't get to the store, it is too hard to go with 3 kids by myself. I did make a pound cake :) The kids got you a cool weather radio, sorry I didn't pick out the right one, we can exchange it. Sorry you didn't get the day off from the kids jumping all over you, they love you. You know a father's duties never really end. The grass still grows, not as fast as the weeds, the trash still piles up, the plants need water, the never ending project and honey do list keeps growing. I am thankful that you help with dishes and the laundry that never stops, and the dirty diapers. These are the things that separate a father from a dad. I love you.

They did give you cookies at church, and the kids made you an M&M tie card, you were sweet to share you cookies with me and the M&M's with you kids. I am sorry that the primary didn't sing you a song in sacrament meeting :(

Father's day is also a day for me to remember my own dad. It was very important to him to receive a Father's Day card, I always sent him funny ones. After he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2003, I traveled to Denver each year in June so I could be with him for Father's Day. I would get very emotional on Sunday during sacrament meeting as the little kids sang songs about their dads, I still do today. Happy Father's Day daddy, I love you, I miss you.

Hodgepodge

Brian introducing Danielle to his "Rocket Ship"


Proof that this child is mine, she sleeps just like me


"What do you mean my lips are blue?"


Emily spends hours "reading"


Playing on the trampoline with dad


My girls in their matching skirts

Waking up, smiling with crazy hair

"Look mom, daddy let me drive"

"Why are we still taking pictures?"

"I am smiling"

My little purple Columbine

Climbing around at the play tubes

Feeding the lorikeets nectar


The gang posing for a picture with a hawk after the bird show


"Look, I see a bear, yeah right there, behind you!"

"Danielle, he can't get out of his cage."


Snuggling with daddy

Brian loves his baby sister