Jacob's 15 Birthday!

My baby, Jacob, turned 15 years old yesterday! I was going to post a little tribute to him all day long yesterday, but had to do some marathon Christmas shopping while they were still in school! Having a child born the week before Christmas is crazy ... it was that year and every year after! However, I wouldn't trade him for the world. I love all 6'2" of my little baby boy and am so grateful to have such a wonderful, sensitive, loving son!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Brrrrrr ... It's Freezing!!

Here's a picture of me getting reading to go do some shopping this morning! Looks like I'm going to have to take the sled!

They delayed school an hour later because of the cold!

Current: Outside Temperature: -9.0°F at 6:35am

Last Night's Low: -14.8°F at 3:30am

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ...

I'm checking off my list and getting things done! I can't believe that Christmas is almost here ... we had a fun Church Party over the weekend and a beautiful program -- did some more shopping and got things decorated. It snowed a few inches while we were in church yesterday and now it is just plain feezing!!! Winter is here!!!

I am Thankful Today!

I am grateful every day for this wonderful life that I am living and all the special people that are a part of it. However, today on this day set aside to "remember", as I count my many blessings, I am TRULY thankful!

I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am thankful for my husband and children.
I am thankful for my husband's good job that provides for us.
I am thankful for my extended family (whom I love dearly).
I am thankful for my great friends who add the spice to my life.
I am thankful for this country where I can live freely.
I am thankful for the warm house I live in.
I am thankful for clean water and fresh food.
I am thankful for my good health and that of my family.

I am thankful for everything that my Heavenly Father has given to me and am grateful for this day set aside to reflect on all those things!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree?

Saw this guy sitting in my tree out back - hunting for mice and rabbits! Awesome!

My Fabulous Christmas Cactus

A month of so ago, Jessica reminded me that it was time to put our Christmas Cactuses (she has one at her house too) in a darker, cooler, place so that they would bloom for Christmas! My little cactus (that I saved from the trash heep at the store) has really grown this past year and was so happy ... that it bloomed it's little heart out! Each one of those little buds will be a beautiful flower. I don't know how there is going to be room enough for all of them to open up! I decided to bring it up from the basement a little early because it has so many buds on it. I think it will be in full bloom, long before Christmas! It is so exciting!!

I'm for Team Jacob!

A bunch of us went to the midnight showing, Friday night of New Moon! Didn't get home until 2:45am but it was fun to be a part of all the craziness. We all read the books and had really been anticipating the "New Moon" movie because we knew it would have to be better than the first one -- more money put into it. It WAS a lot better but still a bit cheesy in my opinion. After seeing Jacob's transformation in this movie -- I switched to Team Jacob!! Much better looking than a pastie-white depressed looking Edward with to much lipstick on!

Snippets from Jacob's Concert

Here are some little parts of Jacob's Percussion Tech Class concert. They are taken with just the video on my regular camera so the quality isn't that great but it's fun to see him. Sure wish they would have had a cool class like that when I was in school!!

9 Months & Counting (NO -- NOT A BABY!!)

This post may seem a little "vain" but I wanted to show Jessica just how long my hair is getting! When I started this ordeal, I thought by 9 months it would surely be pony-tail length ... WRONG! However, it is finally getting to where I like it. Just still trying to get the top-most layers to come down to match the others! I'm not quite so tempted, these days, to get out the scissors; however, if you saw me after the gym you would probably laugh your tail off!

Fun Dishes for Our "Culinary Club"

I love the "Culinary Club" I belong to. We pick a theme every month and bring dishes we concoct based on that theme. This month was "foods we are thankful for". I knew there would be plenty of bread and chocolate brought (which are my top two favorites) so I thought of how thankful I am for all the fresh vegetables that we have available all the time.

Jessica actually hooked me up with both of these recipes. The first two pictures are of the most colorful, delicious stuffed yams with kale, chopped yam, fresh garlic, fresh rosemary and goat cheese. It was really yummy!

The second dish was a salad made of radish, English cucumber, feta cheese and fresh dill. Equally as good!

Forgot to take pictures that night --
I was too caught up in the EATING!!

Curious about My "Counter"

Don't know if any of you ever look at the "counters" on blogs or have ever noticed my "counter" (the little thing I have towards the end of my blog after the Traffic Feed). It's a little gadget that tracks the number of people that look at your blog. It looks like this, only the numbers are in a little box and change regularly.

Counter

12306

Anyway, I didn't add a counter to my blog until long after I had started it and I started the counter at 200 so that I didn't look like a total loser! However, after I posted that blog about Jacob's Backpacking trip to Chicago Basin at the end of August, that little counter went from about 300 to 12,000!!! Curious isn't it?

I'm thinking when people are "searching" for that awesome area in Colorado ... my blog and that post must come up? Anyone else have anything happen like that?

I only have like 10 followers so pretty impressive, huh!!!!! Just thought I would share that curious little bit of information!

Part II of Our Vacation to Kona, Hawaii

Here are some pictures around the fabulous pools they had at our hotel. There were waterfalls, water slides, and a great sand-bottomed pool. It was hard with all the swimming to keep Jacob "the human eating machine" filled up. He nearly ate an entire pizza himself, one day.

Part of the beautiful saltwater lagoon that

surrounds the hotel. Complete with reefs,

fish and turtles.

There were cute little boats to take you

from one end to the other.

PARADISE OR WHAT!!!

I have to tell you the funny story about the signs. The first two about the Donkey Crossings are just funny in themselves. We are so used to Deer Crossings that who would have thought you could have Donkey Crossings? Are they wild? Jacob saw some grazing by the side of the road and thought that they were deer.

Then there is the next sign! Everywhere we went close to the ocean we saw that we were in the Tsunami Evacuation Zone and it was designated by a sign with a wave on it. We came to a little outlet mall and I saw this red sign and thought it was where we were all supposed to meet. Looks like a wave and a volcano to me! Well, my kids (not so kindly) informed their stupid mother that it was the sign for Quicksilver Clothing. Duhhhhhhh!

One day we woke up early and drove up north of Kona to a place we heard about to snorkel. It's called 2-Steps locally, but I forgot the Hawaiian name. You stepped down these two lava ledges into the most beautiful crystal clear water, lined with beds of coral stacked high up from the ocean floor, tons of fish of all different colors, and great big sea turtles. We didn't see any dolphins, I think we weren't quite early enough. What an incredible underwater world! We had a great morning!!





After the whole morning of snorkeling, we were all hungry and so we drove into Kona for a shrimp feast at Bubba Gump Shrimp.

This is the oldest church on the island of Hawaii,
with its oldest portion being built way back in 1820.
It also happens to be where my Dad and his wife Susan
were married 28 years ago!

One afternoon Jacob and I walked down the trail from our hotel along the beach to look at the tide pools. It was so pretty. He made a great find of a completely intact sea shell. Quite a treasure to find one not battered and broken against the lava.

We hoped that was our yacht in the distance waiting for us!









What a beautiful place to visit! It was so peaceful and relaxing! It never rained even one day while we were there. How blessed we were to have that special time together in such a special place. We hated to see out 9 glorious days come to an end!

This Much Winter Already???

We got hit by a huge storm just the day after we got home from our vacation in Hawaii. What a freezing shock to the system! Plus we are the tannest we have been all summer and have to put on 5 layers of clothes to keep warm!

The kids were off 3 days from school, which is really unusual for this early in the fall. However, yesterday was a beautiful day and we were able to get everything shoveled and cleared. Jacob had a blast sledding and playing in the snow with friends. Now it's supposed to be clear and nice all next week.

An Unbelievable Book You Must Read!!

While on vacation, in the midst of American opulence, I just finished an incredible book titled, Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I cannot keep thinking about it, talking about it and wondering ... now that I've read it ... what I'm going to do about it! I am so blessed to be a woman where I am today, but today after finishing this book, my heart goes out to the courageous young girls and women who live and struggle in other places of the world. Read this book ... it will change your viewpoint on a whole lot of things!

First Few Days in Paradise

We are staying in the most beautiful hotel -- The Hilton Waikoloa Village in Kona, Hawaii. It is almost obscene ... it is so extravagant ... but we were able to use Kraig's reward points and we are truly blessed to be here. Don't think we could have ever paid for something this GRAND!

The view from our room!

The bay by our hotel -- it feeds the "lagoon" that is built in and around the whole 62-acre place. Jacob and I went snorkeling in there last yesterday afternoon but the visibility wasn't good and we got scared. Darn him for making me watch "Shark Week" with him!

We even have our own tram to take us around the hotel!!

A special message for Jessica and Nate -- bleached out coral on the lava rock -- a great contrast wouldn't you say?

Dad and Kelsey living the good life!

Did I tell you about our own Dolphins? They are so fun to watch but secretly at night I want to help them escape their pool!

This is the lagoon that goes around the hotel -- there are even boats in the canals that take you to various parts of the hotel.

Renting our snorkel equipment at "Snorkel Bob's"

The only way to go!!

He's ready to go!!! Jacob is part fish -- we think! He was first to spot all 4 green sea turtles we saw that day!

Beautiful Anaeho'omalu Bay Beach, just a few minutes walk from the hotel.

A Dragon Fruit -- strange looking thing -- we're going to buy one and try it!