It's "V", as in Victor

OMG What Was I Thinking?

2011-11-03T14:03:00.000-06:00

It's official, I'm crazy. Ogden City Marathon 26.2 Miles

Halloween Costumes Cuties!

2011-10-31T14:43:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T22:30:00.000-06:00

We took the kids to this cute little pumpkin patch down the road. We probably spent way to much on them, but it was fun to "donate" to a local grower rather than a grocery chain. Here are the creations!

PS-Justin's "31 Heroes" WOD pumpkin won me this awesome shirt! Thanks babe!

Caramel Apples!

2011-10-30T15:07:00.002-06:00

Bunko Baby!

2011-10-28T15:27:00.000-06:00

I am honored to be part of a team of fun, outrageous women called the "Bunko Bit&%*#". We have so much insane crazy fun together, it's indescribable! October was my turn to host. I decorated to the max and the gals dressed up. Love these ladies!

Vegas Rangar 2011

2011-10-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

This race marked our one year anniversary of competing in Ragnar Relay Races. We celebrated our anniversary in the place it all started, Las Vegas, with almost all of the original team members. Team I~b~Pro~Fun (me, Justin, Jason Belcher, Cher Palmer, Teresa Cockayne, John & Shelly Taylor - running nine months pregnant with "Little stowaway Lilly", Christy Bartholomew, Trevor Bevan, Stephanie Tagg and Jill Larsen) ran the relay in 33:41 hours. Once again it was an amazing time that will forever leave a huge memory in our lives.

We left early in the morning and made the drive from Salt Lake to Vegas stopping once at a gas station /petting zoo (so bizarre). We arrived in Vegas early so we were able to hang out on the strip and have lunch at Cabo Wabo and do some shopping before our big race. I even had time to say hello to my aunt Diane who just happened to be there the same time we were. We stayed on a houseboat at Calville Bay Marina on Lake Mead the night before the race.

After a fun afternoon in Vegas and some sleep on the boat, we headed out for our 8:00AM start time. Then the fun really began. We each had legs that were easy, and ones that were hard. My hardest obstacles were the hills. It was also unseasonably hot and we were running through the desert in 90 degree weather. I ran 16.5 miles and Justin ran 17.2. Long distances, but still lots of fun. It helps when you have such a great supportive team to do it with. We were able to enjoy some of the exchanges and relax while waiting to switch with the 2nd half of our team. We crossed the finish line together as a team and spent a little time together celebrating before splitting up for the night.

We spent the morning in Vegas the morning after the race. I got to finish my tattoo and we all had lunch and drove back to Salt Lake. We had a great time and made some new friends. For the first time since we started, we don't have another race on the horizon.
What's next? Who knows! But I'm sure we will do another one next year. ;)

Doughnut Date!

2011-10-09T11:12:00.000-06:00

I am one lucky auntie! Briley and Brielle took me on a doughnut date Friday. I just love to see them interact and tell me all sorts of things. And I must admit, I'm pretty smitten when they give me hugs. I adore their little giggles. LOVE those kiddies!

Gooooo Utes!

2011-10-01T17:00:00.000-06:00

This year Justin and some of his friends bought themselves season tickets to the Utah Utes football games. A couple of his friends couldn't make this game, so he was nice enough to drag his wife along (thanks hun!). Even though the Utes lost BIG time, I had a great time pre-game tailgating and watching the game.

Oktoberfest!

2011-09-25T16:48:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things about the end of summer, just before fall officially hits, is heading up to Snowbird Ski Resort to spend a day at Oktoberfest. This year we were invited to go with some of our fun friends from CrossFit. The weather couldn't have been better and we enjoyed the fall leaves and beer supply while the kids rode the mechanical bull, practiced aerials on the trampoline and got their faces painted. Good times with great friends!

Dirty Dash Part Deux

2011-09-24T16:36:00.000-06:00

Lucky for us, Shelly's team "Dirty and Flirty" lost two of their runners so after being home for one week, Justin and I ran the Dirty Dash - again. This was a 10K, but our team was a little bit sore from Napa and Shelly is eight months pregnant, so we took the "5K shortcut". What a dirty ball we had! The kids participated as well and we had a super fun time. The pictures speak for themselves!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

After adding a couple muddy kids:

Rag-NAPA!

2011-09-19T16:20:00.000-06:00

Yet another Ragnar on the books! This time our fun team of twelve (me, Justin, Teresa Cockayne, Shelly and Jonathan Taylor, Christy Bartholomew, Trevor Bevan, Jason Belcher, Taylor Wood, Stephanie Tagg, Jill Perini and Brittney Dahlman) ran 186 miles from San Francisco to Callistoga (Napa). A-MAZ-ING! We drove down to San Francisco and had dinner there the first night before heading to the hotel in Petaluma. I am so glad we go to visit San Fran, even if it was only for a couple hours.

We headed out to the Golden Gate Bridge where the start line was, bright and early Friday morning. We were all pretty pumped to get started and the chill and fog didn't seem to bother anyone. I was runner one and was almost sick with excitement! There were four awesome girls in our van. Me, Jill, Stephanie and Teresa and then the guys, Justin and Trevor.

7:00 am and the gun went off! My first run was to run half (stupid construction) of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so cool- like seriously so cool. My adrenaline was pumping and I killed my previous personal records for speed. I have never experienced anything like it and even stopped (don't tell my team) a couple times to take pictures of my view. What an awesome experience.

We ran, and ran, and ran until our team Napa~Roxin completed the 186 miles. We did it in 33 hours and 15 minutes with a few minor problems along the way.

Will I do it again? Heck yes! I love these people and can't wait to meet them all again next month in Vegas - where my love affair with Ragnar began. See ya'll in Vegas!

Play Time

2011-09-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

While Jeremy and Amber spent the afternoon in Park City for their anniversary, we got to play with my cute niece and nephew! I love that the cousins get along so well.

Maverick Young

2011-09-07T17:26:00.000-06:00

Maverick Glenn Robert Young

September 7, 2011

8 pounds 7 oz. 21 inches

I was extremely blessed with something so special. I was invited to watch the birth of my newest nephew, Maverick. My sister-in-law Jen did an amazing job going completely natural and delivering this sweet little boy. I was so impressed! Never having contractions and only having c-sections, I can not even imagine the pain she endured so calmly! When he came into the world, it was one of the best moments I've experienced. I'll remember it for always! Welcome to the world baby Mav. I loved you instantly. Congrats to my brother Jason too! I guess he did have SOMETHING to do with this little guy.

Kiss Me Dirty!

2011-08-28T21:34:00.008-06:00

My friend Steph introduced me to a race that sounded super fun, the Kiss Me Dirty 5K fun mud run. So I grabbed some beautiful women, mostly from CrossFit and the Momadonnas, and became team leader for a group of 17 awesome ladies. What a great time we had! The race benefited gynecological cancer and it was a mud run. YES, another mud run. We had some down and dirty fun running in the mud while our supportive spouses and kids ran along the sidelines. Together as a team we helped each other over obstacles like hay barrels, walls, tires, etc. The best part was doing it all together with such a great group of special women. Can't wait to do it again next year!

CrossFit - My New Addiction

2011-08-28T21:10:00.005-06:00

What is CrossFit? "CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.  Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs."

This isn't actually "new" to me because I've been doing CrossFit since February of this year, but I am so in love with it at this moment in my life I felt I must mention it.

I HEART CrossFit! It challenges me mentally and physically and I have met the most amazing group of people. They really are my 2ND family. I look to them for support and friendship and it helps so much know that they are going through the same emotions and feelings I am. We all help each other get through our WOD's (workout of the day), and I have never before been in an environment that was so immensely supportive and caring. The best part, is that my husband does it with me. It is so awesome to share this with him.

If you need to find me, try the gym.

Boating with Friends

2011-08-22T12:09:00.000-06:00

Marlo and Tyler invited us up to Jordanelle Reseviour for a day of BBQ and boating. We had a ball playing in the waves. The kids tried out the tube and Alex even got up on the wake board! Good times for sure!

Frist Day of School 2011

2011-08-22T10:35:00.000-06:00

These beautiful kids are getting WAY to big! Sieauna starts 6th grade, Alex is in 4th. Oh boy. Here goes another year!

Eight is SO Great!

2011-08-03T14:55:00.004-06:00

This is so totally blog worthy to me!! I needed some new jeans (wore a whole in the old ones) and guess what? The 10's were TOO BIG! I held my breath as I tried on the size 8's, and when I button them up I let go of my breath and THEY FIT! Comfortably might I add, not tight at all! I made it into a size 8 pants!!!! I haven't been in single digit pants since I was 17 years old. I am on cloud nine. Obviously the CrossFit and Paleo are paying off - remind me of this when I start to veer off track. ;)

Photo Shoot

2011-08-01T11:37:00.004-06:00

While we were at the cabin, my sweet daughter decided to indulge me and do some posing. I sure adore my big girl. She's growing up so fast!

A Day At The Cabin

2011-08-01T11:18:00.002-06:00

I took the kids up to the cabin for the day to get away from "home" and spend some time with Grams and Gramps. Gramps had fun teaching Alex to shoot the BB gun, bait the fishing pole, cast the rod, and the virtue of patience (yeah, he didn't learn that lesson that so well). We went 4-wheeling, fixed the pond, sat in the hot tub and had yummy BBQ and spent the night. I made the kids, Gramps and I a big breakfast in the morning. Good times!

Boise or Bust

2011-08-01T10:44:00.007-06:00

We were lucky enough to be able to head out to Boise, Idaho for a quick romantic get away! Justin has been working soooooo much lately and has been out of town so I was especially excited to get to spend three whole days with him!

We drove down to Boise on Friday and met up with our wine tasting group at THE MOST AMAZING restaurant EVER! The Barbacoa. I can't even tell you what a feast for the eyes this place was. Best way to explain it: vintage Vegas burlesque meets rustic cabon steak house. It was so cool and the food was just as pleasing.After dinner, the group headed to one of our favorite martini bars, The Red Feather Lounge where the host gave us the entire basement wine cellar area to mingle. It was cool to have the group together to wine (or martini rather) and dine in such an awesome location. The stairs to get to the basement were lined with wine bottles behind blue lighted glass. Really cool.
Saturday morning the guys headed out golfing and my mom and mother-in-law and I drove into town for the Farmer's Market. It is such a fun place. Much more lively and diverse than the one here in Utah. In addition to local meats, cheeses, veggies and such, the Farmer's Market hosts many of the local wineries! Guess what that means? Free wine tastings while you cruise the market! Us ladies loaded up on breads, cheeses, tapinade, seriously divine lavender almond white chocolate, WINE, and fruits. Then we headed back to the hotel and the three of us set up a picnic and enjoyed each others company until it was time to get ready for the wine taste that evening. Stan and Inge Young hosted their farewell wine tasting. They featured local Idaho wines and a huge dinner spread. They will be sorely missed and we all agreed we will miss them, and the Idaho experience, and begged to allow us to continue to come visit them ;).
On Sunday Justin and I had some quality alone time. We had brunch on the patio at a wonderful city spot, The BarDeNay. Then we started the drive home and stopped at the Carmella Winery for some tasting and shopping.I had a relaxing wonderful time with my hunny. Hope to do it again soon!

RAGNAR Wasatch Back

2011-07-29T09:31:00.007-06:00

The one, the only, the original. The race that started it all. Think of it as a 192-mile party with 12 best friends. Teams of 12 will rock out to live bands, enjoy the wacky participant costumes, and make life-long friends with teammates and competitors. Teams will party (aka run their butts off) along the backside of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains from Logan (85 miles north of Salt Lake City) to Park City, Utah (15 miles east of Salt Lake City). For some reason I was a bit nervous to do this race. First off, I had the longest runs of the team: 21 miles - the longest I've ever ran before. I had been training a ton at CrossFit, but hadn't been really "running". Justin had the 2ND longest runs with 19 miles. We both had long downhill runs and they killed our knees! I felt espeically bad for Justin because he had a really steep uphill run and you could tell it was brutal, but he's amazing and pulled it off - such a rockstar!

My first run was easy. I was so excited, adrenaline pumped, and ready to go at 5:00 AM. Yes, you heard me right. Let me give a little background. We arrived at the hotel in Logan around midnight and had to wake at 3:30 to be to the start line by 4:00 for our 5:00 start. I was so exhausted but as soon as I turned on my music got into my zone and got to the start line, the excitement took over and I made really good time on my first 7 mile run. My 2ND run was a little more challenging, but fun. I ran 8.3 miles down the canyon. I really liked the downhill running, but it was horrible on my knees and unfortunately, I didn't recover in time for my 3rd run, I really was looking forward to my last one. An easy breezy flat 5 miles. I was hoping to kill that one, but I ended up walking most of it because I was in a lot of pain from my 2ND run. I feel like I let the team down on that one, but I did my best and know what I need to train on for the next race. Got to stretch out that IT band! Overall, we had a great time. There were a few difficulties I noticed in this race that I didn't experience in my first two. One: I was doing Paleo. In the past races I'd carb load and during this race, I did not have any carbs and relied on protein. This may explain why I felt more depleted and exhausted after my runs. 2ND: I had a little tummy bug :(. But that is nothing and I am not complaining. My amazing friend, and teammate ran this race 6 months pregnant! I was happy to once again run with some seriously cool people. We sure do get a long well. You really build a relationship being with a person in a car for 24 hours together. They support you and you support them. It was a lot of fun and we were so happy to cross the finish line with an amazing team. Our team, the "Plundering Pavement Pounders", were noticed right away by the media and the local newspaper did an article on us and put our pictures in the paper! HOW COOL IS THAT!? We felt like celebrities. You can read all about our awesomeness here. Justin and I love doing these races and our medal collection is piling up! Next up? Napa! Can't wait to run over the Golden Gate Bridge!

Getting Dirrrrrty

2011-06-07T16:03:00.008-06:00

The whole Vigh clan joined up with a fun team named "Down With The Brown" and participated in the "Dirty Dash" 5K obstacle course. Oh my goodness how fun and DIRTY! Talk about being caked in mud EVERYWHERE! The kids had a ball going through the bog and down the water slide, er, um I mean mudslide in the "Piglet Plunge". Mom and dad had fun jumping hay barrels, clearing 5 foot walls, trekking through tires, crawling through water pipes, etc. It was held at beautiful Soldier Hollow and the weather was perfect. The ice cold "showers", not so perfect, but still a great time! Can't wait to do it next year!!

Ciao Cello

2011-06-03T08:39:00.007-06:00

Sieauna finished up her 2ND year of cello. She thinks she is done playing it. She still wants to be in orchestra, but wants to downsize to maybe a viola or a violin. She has done so great throughout these last two years and I am so impressed with her dedication and devotion to it, even in some rough times. She's a talented kid and she makes her family proud! Way to go Sieauna!

S&*#!

2011-05-28T21:59:00.001-06:00

Shingles again. That's all I really have to say about that.

Moab in May

2011-05-17T20:49:00.026-06:00

Let the camping season commence! We started out the 2011 camping season with a bang and took the trailer to Moab with Justin's family. Oh what a beautiful place! I've been to Moab once, in 1993 and I don't remember hardly any of it so this was like the first time for me.

Day 1: We left Friday morning and made the four-and-a-half-would-have-been-shorter-if-we-hadn't-of-run-out-of-gas drive. Yep. You read that right. Sadly, towing the trailer cost us a little more freeway mileage than anticipated. Luckily Justin's dad was already in Moab - a mere 20 miles from where we ran out - and he came to our rescue. When Justin got tired, Lilly drove so he and Stella could nap. ;) Alex found out about five minutes into getting to the campground how abundant the lizards were. He had so much fun catching the blue bellies.Day 2: After a yummy breakfast we ventured to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park. I can't believe there is something this amazing on our planet! The views were unbelievably spectacular. The day was filled with lots of walking and gawking and even a little 4-wheeling. This was NOT what I signed up for, but I'll admit, once I actually let go of the grip on the seat belt and began regular breathing, it was a tad bit enjoyable. Seeing Kathy, Justin and Sieauna's excitement made it fun too. Alex, well, the poor boy takes after his mom and we both agreed it was our least favorite part. We did end up at the bottom of Dead Horse Point on the Colorado River where there happen to be some pretty awesome petroglyphs so that made it all worthwhile. Day 3: Arches National Park. So amazingly beautiful. I don't remember it looking like that. Just driving around seeing the structures would have been enough for me, but the hikes to the arches were wonderful and took my breath away! We began at Balanced Rock then drove to Double Arches, Delicate Arch and finally, Sand Arch. While everything there was really pretty, my favorite was Sand Arch. I am NOT a heights person and Delicate Arch scared the heck out of me. I don't regret that I couldn't actually walk down and touch the arch with the kids. I was just fine wedged in between two boulders making sure I wasn't going to fall. I am glad the kids got to experience that with their dare-devil daddy. Arches was an all day excursion so we were all exhausted when we went back to camp for some yummy stew in the dutch oven.
We all had a wonderful time. I think this will be on our list of destinations to return to. We were there three full days and didn't see even a blink of what there is to see. Can't wait to go back!

On Your Mark...Get Set...GO!

2011-05-08T15:33:00.007-06:00

Kathy and Ken hosted their first annual Kentucky Derby party at their home and it was a smashing success! We dressed up in the funnest hats and attire, sipped mint juleps and enjoyed each others company while watching the fastest two minutes in sports. The party was perfect in every detail including authentic Kentucky burgoo, bourbon balls and bourbon cheesecake. We even did a little "betting" and Paul ended up taking home the pot with his winning horse, "Animal Kingdom". Thanks guys for hosting a super fun event! Can't wait until next year.

Constant Motivation

2011-05-01T13:24:00.002-06:00

I had been trying to figure out what to do with the medals Justin and I have been acquiring from our races. To date they've been collecting dust in a basket. Then I found this! I love it! It makes me feel like running every time I look at it and since I hung it right in the living room, talk about some constant motivation!

Bits N' Pieces

2011-05-01T10:46:00.003-06:00

Due to many, many, many, many, MANY years of struggling with certain issues, I finally had a few of my bits and pieces removed. Ahh, there. Now life will be a little easier. Nuff' said.

Our New Hobby - Medical Bills to Follow Shortly

2011-04-23T20:09:00.004-06:00

Easter Egg Deco

2011-04-23T19:06:00.007-06:00

Amber and the kids came over while Kitty was in town for a visit and we put the kids to work - decorating eggs that is! They had such a fun time and we adults loved watching them and all their creativity.

Inspration - Vintage Style

2011-04-23T19:03:00.003-06:00

Kitty bought me this FABULOUS vintage cake carrier at an antique shop. I am IN LOVE! Seriously. I need to go make a cake NOW! Thank you Kitty!

RETIREMENT! About Time Dad. Congrats!

2011-04-23T18:27:00.006-06:00

After many, many years of allowing my brothers and I to feel like we had everything in the world, my dad took his well deserved retirement. We celebrated "Young" style with a surprise party at the Spaghetti Factory. Then another surprise party with friends at our wine tasting. I am so thankful my dad (and mom) worked their tails off to give us kids everything. I was totally spoiled (I know...you're thinking: Kelly, spoiled? No way!) but really, my parents worked their butts off for us. I love you dad. Congratulations!

Do Two Halves Make A Whole? - Pfft, I Wish!

2011-04-23T18:10:00.006-06:00

Official results:
Justin: 2:16:45
Kelly: 2:33:04

Justin and I ran another 1/2 marathon does that mean we've ran a full marathon? HAHA I wish!!! Justin, awesome guy that he is, KILLED it beating his old time by 28 minutes! I on the other hand really, really need to get my IT band/hip situation under control. I came in three minutes later than my previous time. Hey - at least I'm consistent right?! Professional pics to come later.

AIRBORNE!

2011-04-23T18:04:00.003-06:00

These are some crazy kids. Wish I was that brave. ;

Stuck In Paradise? Let's Do It Again!

2011-02-20T13:10:00.039-07:00

Justin and I decided to go on vacation to Florida to compete in the Ragnar Florida Keys race, a 190 mile relay race that started in Miami and finished at the Southernmost point of the United States, Key West. One of the reasons we decided to take on this adventure was because Justin's birthday happened to be on the date of the race. Not only that, but Justin was our team's 12Th runner, meaning he would be crossing the finish line ON his actual birthday. How cool is that? We flew down with four of our wonderful friends (Jonathan and Shelly Taylor, Taylor Wood and Jason Belcher) that were on our Ragnar Vegas team. We arrived and spent our first night in Miami preparing for the race the following day. The morning of the race, we meet the other half of our team, CrossFit Fort Myers: Josh and Lindsay Wright, Jason Brod, Diane Sobel, Adrian Secrest and Sarina Woodworth. What a fun group of people! The "Utah Peeps" we so grateful that these six people allowed us to jump in on their team with them.The Florida part of our team were runners 1-6, so they started the race. We saw them off and made our way to the start line to bide our time until it was our turn. We were all sporting some serious adrenaline and the excitement was almost unbearable! Team Utah was ready to go when Team Florida made their way to our first exchange. And.....off we went! Our team, runners 7-12, took turns relay running from one exchange to the next until we all completed our first "legs" and exchanged with the Florida team for their second runs. We all continued this way for the entire 190 miles. Running all day and through the night and the entire next day. It's no joke that Ragnar's slogan is "Run, Drive, Sleep?? Repeat". It's true, there is not much sleeping for the 32 hours or so you are running. But it's so much fun. You develop such a bond with the six people you share VERY close quarters with (a mini-van) for a day and a half. Each person ends up running three "legs" varying in mileage from 21 to 9 or so. We crossed the finish line in about 32 hours. It was so beautiful. Justin came running down the road, picked up the team, and we all crossed the finish where medals and beach and ocean were waiting. It was magical! I can't even describe it! The sun was just going down as we gathered on the beach. After a celebratory toast (Thanks Josh and Lindsay!) we made our way down Duval street and spent the evening with the Florida team at "Margaritaville" for Justin's birthday dinner. Then the Florida team said goodbye as they made their way home. It was great to meet them and make some new friends for life. The Utah peeps booked a couple extra days in paradise so we started our vacation the next morning. We rented scooters and ventured up and down Duval Street several times. We ate at the best restaurants with the freshest seafood. We enjoyed an abundance of tropical drinks, awed at the ocean, and just soaked up all that true paradise had to offer. We took our breakfasts at the Southermost Beach Cafe on the beach and Banana Cafe, lunch on the Gulf of Mexico at Turtle Kraals , dinners...oh the dinners...La Trattoria, Sloppy Joe's, the original Margaritaville, and Sunset Pier where we witnessed the most intense, beautiful, breath taking sunset that I have ever seen in my life! We had dessert at Better Than Sex -voted the #2 most romantic restaurant in the United States! We all got tattoos at Paradise Tattoo. We really had no plans with the exception of our Commotion on the Ocean dinner cruise. We just took our time seeing the sights and asking the locals where to get the best foods. We were due back January 11, in time for my daughter's 11Th birthday, but our flights were cancelled.While being stranded in paradise seems like a wonderful idea, I was very upset at the fact that I was going to miss Sieauna's birthday. Her grandparents assured me all would be fine and they threw her a party. THANK YOU for taking care of her! My mother-in-law eased my mind and somehow I managed to enjoy the next few days ;) (wink wink). By Thursday, we were ready to come home. It had been a full week at this point and while Key West is truly beautiful, there isn't that much to do. As we packed up and checked out of the hotel, we were notified that our flight was cancelled. AGAIN! We were beyond angry at this point and headed to the airport anyway. After arguing with the reservations person, we were booked on a flight out of Miami (3.5 hours away by car) to Detroit and then home to Salt Lake. We had to rent a car to get to Miami and luckily there was ONE car in all of Key West (however, the rental place was totally aware of this and totally ripped us off). Anyway....Justin and I said goodbye to our friends (they had different flights) and we drove the Keys up to Miami.

While this would normally have been a frustrating and crappy turn of events, Justin and I decided to make lemonade out of our lemons and we enjoyed our drive. About an hour into the drive, Justin realized our rental Jeep could be a convertible! Hello sunshine! Driving through the Keys in the daytime, leisurely, and not while running through them in a race, was very pleasurable. We found this quaint little thatched roof restaurant, Islamorada Fish Company right on the shore on Islamorada Keys and had a very romantic lunch with fresh fish they just pulled out of the ocean, alligator, conch and...hello...best key lime pie ever! It really eased our stress levels about getting home once we decided to just quit worrying and take in the surroundings around us and take advantage of our last few hours in paradise. Oh, and the ginger rum beer probably helped with that as well. It was truly an awesome vacation, even with some of it's little down moments (kids needing stitches-sorry Shelly Belly, scooter accidents, fogged out cruise, cancelled flights, etc). I am extremely grateful to my parents and Justin's parents who helped out and took the kids. Especially Kathy who had to keep them an extra few days and nurse them as they BOTH got sick on her. :( Thanks ma, immensely. It was a vacation we will never forget.

Exciting Eleven!

2011-01-16T12:35:00.010-07:00

Sieauna, my princess, turned 11. This year was really special because she turned 11 on 1/11/11. How cool is that? Mom and dad were stranded in Key West, so we didn't get to share her actual special day, but Nana went way above and beyond and threw her an all out Rock and Roll party! Looking at the pictures, it looks like she had a wonderful time and we are sad we missed it.
Justin and I got into town late (or rather early) Friday morning so we let the kids stay home from school to rest up for Sieauna's big birthday sleepover that night. Around 7:00 the girls arrived and Sieauna and her friends spent the evening munching pizza, cake, ice cream and LOTS of treats while watching movies. I think there was even a little "gossiping" because "they are 11 now!" The girls were all very well behaved and when I checked in at 12:30, most of them were asleep. In fact, it was MY daughter and her "bff" Maddie that were the only ones still up giggling!

The girls started rising around 8:00 and Justin and I promptly got into breakfast mode making up two big batches of German pancakes with syrup, powdered sugar and whip cream, bacon, sausage, cinnamon strudel muffins, OJ and milk. They loved it!The party wrapped up around 11:30. Now mom and dad are exhausted and ready for a nap. I do believe Sieauna and Alex are ready for one too. ;)

Family Traditions and Christmas Festivities

2010-12-28T10:56:00.006-07:00

Pierogi making at Grandma and Grandpa Young's

Christmas Eve at Jason's and Jen's

Christmas Morning

Just Can't Get Enough!

2010-11-28T19:59:00.003-07:00

I am so freaking excited I can't wait!

As if Vegas didn't kick our butts enough, we are doing it again! Yep, only this time it's not Vegas. We are running Ragnar Key West! We start running in Miami and continue all the way down the Keys where we will stay for a couple days to celebrate Justin's birthday.Did I mention Justin is going to be the final runner and cross the finish line bringing the team home the medals ON HIS ACTUAL BIRTHDAY?!? How cool is that?!?

I love my life.

A special shout out to my AMAZING parents and in-laws who made this all possible by watching the kids for us! THANK YOU!

Nine is Devine!

2010-11-14T16:32:00.007-07:00

Our "baby" turned nine. I am not sure how this happened, well I am, but it clearly happened with out my approval let me just tell you!

Alex is all about the lizards, snakes and creepy crawlies this year so mom and dad surprised him with a Scales and Tails party! Austin, our amazing party host, came to our house along with a few of his best friends - a large selection of creepy things! He brought snakes, lizards, scorpions, spiders and turtles, just to name a few. Alex and 12 of his buddies got to learn all about these guys and then have some close and personal touch time! It's even possible that maybe mom MIGHT have wrapped a 160 pound python around her neck!

For the finale, Alex got to pick out his very own lizard from mom and dad. We, er um I mean, he, chose a blue tongued skink who he named "Zelda". I nicknamed it "Devil" because she/he hasn't warmed up to us yet and is a little feisty! Hissssssssssssss!

There were a TON of pictures taken (thanks Holli!), so I will only post a couple of the best ones. When I asked Alex how his birthday was he replied "Mom, it was AMAZING!" Hmmm, wonder where he got that word from? Happy birthday son. We love you so much! Thank you for being such an "amazing" boy.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T16:43:00.008-06:00

Happy Halloween! We started the season with a pumpkin carving, monster cookie making day with Amber and cute cousins Briley and Brielle. Amber and I made NINE DOZEN batches of her magical, coveted Monster cookies that we all love so much. Then the cousins got busy cleaning out and carving pumpkins. The weather was beautiful! The kids got to play in the hot tub and Amber and I got to have some actual, honest to goodness adult girl time while we shared some mimosas!Poor Sieauna was sick this Halloween. I KNOW, Right? What poor kid gets sick on Halloween? Mine did, and boy was she bummed about it. She made it through school and the parade and class parties on Thursday (parties that mom attempted to help out in, but ended up causing major chaos. That's a whole nother' story! Click here to read about that one!) and by Friday Sieauna was miserable. Saturday was worse and we were suppose to get together with Holli and Tracy and their kids, but with sick kids, we cancelled. :(
We were however, VERY FORTUNATE to get to go over to Nana & Bepa's house to have a very relaxing Halloween. Nan & Beep decorated the house for trick-or-treater's, got costumed up themselves, and put on quite the spread! The kids were excited (mom too!) and Sieauna was especially happy because she didn't have to sit in the house all night.After a yummy dinner of homemade chicken noodle soup (Nana's soup ROCKS), the big boys watched the Utes game and the girls chatted while the kids tried their best to patiently relax and watch a movie. Soon it was dark and we couldn't hold Alex back any longer. Sieauna, at this point decided the soup made her feel better so we let her go to. Daddy and I took them to a few houses. The hardest part was making Alex "walk" to the next house, as to keep his sister from running causing a cough attack or spiking her fever again. They both had fun and got a few candies. It was a good night. Thank you Nana & Bepa, for turning our Halloween into a super fun one.

So Cute-So Big-Can't Stand It!

2010-10-31T19:39:00.002-06:00

Can't believe they are growing so big. Makes me kinda sad. But I do so love the little people they are becoming.

Sieauna is 10, Alex is eight.

Ragnar Las Vegas - Life Changing and Another Check Off The Bucket List

2010-10-27T19:10:00.016-06:00

We did it! A wonderful team of 13 determined, fun, hilarious people (one being my husband) gave me the honor of being included in running a 195 mile relay race through Las Vegas last weekend. It was probably the most amazing thing I've ever done - except for those two little kids I helped create. I am still feeling the high and find myself missing my 12 new best friends.

We drove to Vegas Thursday and went to the pre-race dinner where we picked up our "rag-swag" and then drove to Callville Bay Marina where we had a house boat waiting for us. We all pumped each other up about the next days race. We took group pictures and expressed all our concerns and such. Then hit the sack.

Friday we all got up bright and early at 5:30. We loaded up Van 1 (runners 1-6 and a driver and cheerleader) and wished them luck as they took off for the start line. Meanwhile, the other 6 of us (van 2) cleaned up the boat and waited as patiently as we could for the call that it was time for us to go.Finally we made it to the start line where Trevor (runner 6) passed off the slap-stick to Jonathon, our 7Th runner (1st runner in van 2). We were off. We followed our runner and stopped every few miles to give him support. Once he completed his run, he slapped the slap-stick onto our next runner and we would follow in the same way. Eventually it was my turn - I was the 12Th and LAST runner. I LOVED this run! I took off fast and stayed pretty strong. This run (and I was soon to find out that ALL three of my runs) were in the dark so I was required to wear a headlamp and reflective vest.I set a new PR for myself. I ran 5.55 miles in exactly one hour, averaging a 10.49 pace (fast for my snail running). It was an amazing run, but I was nervous about my second run.

When I finished, I slapped off the slap-stick to Kim, our number 1 runner and the whole procedure started again. Our van drove to the exchange and tried to catch some winks. Not happening. We managed maybe 10 minutes in the car. Ugh, fatigue was starting to set in. We had officially been up almost 24 hours at this point. Nothing like being in close car quarters with six awesome people smelling as sweaty as you to get to know a person well! Thank goodness for baby wipes (our shower), bagels and Gatorade!My second run was coming up. I was scared because the run was listed as "very hard" and was 7.1 miles. I had NO idea what I was in for. Let me give you a description of "Leg 24" as described by other "survivors of Leg 24":

"It was more like a dry creek bed with some washed out sections. Rocks, and I mean substantial rocks, littered every part of the trail. If I tried to run in the tire ruts, I risked stepping into a hole or sand that fell away when I stepped on it."

"Leg 24. Ridiculous. I wouldn't run on that in the daylight...having people run at night was insane.

"That was my most intense run ever. Hated every second of it, but it's worth the bragging rights!!"

"I would like to apologize to anyone I encountered on leg 24 to whom I exclaimed, "This is Effing B*llsh*t" I was a little out of my mind at that point!" Monica from Wild Wino Women

"Ran legs 12, 24, 36 - I have done three marathons and nothing compares to leg 24 through the desert. What a beast!"

"You are not alone! My marathon was a cake-walk compared to leg 24...it was by far the most challenging run I have ever done!"

"That leg was tough! I fell 3 times in the wash along with the almost falling stumbles of about 300 times! I have good bruises to show for it and I am with you on the reward for surviving! I usually average a pace of close to 10 min/mile, but that was a 15+ pace."

Anyway, you get the idea. It was all of the above and WORSE. All I can say is how thankful I am for my supportive team. The run itself was unsupported, meaning I was alone in the pitch black darkness, in a dry riverbed with carcasses everywhere. There were trail markers (aka: glow sticks) about every mile. The only light was from my head lamp and the full moon. I felt like the weak link! I know the carnivore always goes for the slow, weak one who falls back away from the pack. That was me. I was sure I was going to get eaten by a coyote. In fact, I almost wish I would have been eaten because then the race would have been over for me!

But I pushed on. I cried on Angie's shoulder. I cursed (a LOT of cursing). I told Justin "I can't do this." But I pushed on and you know what? The sun came up. Yes, it did about 5:45 am while I was STILL running. But guess what happens when you push on? It finally ends! It did! All though it was actually 8.10 miles, not the 7.7 they said it would be. It took me exactly two hours. I "ran" a 14.54 pace. But I completed it. I do have one thing good to say about leg 24: The desert has the most serene and beautiful sunrises EVER. It was like my little personal conversation with God and he was saying "You're almost done, you can make it through."The race continued on. Soon it was my turn again. My third, and final leg of the race. I was the last runner. The one to cross the finish line and bring the team home. I can't explain the adrenaline rush. I was so pumped. I took off and prepared for the best run of my life. I ran 5.47 miles in 54.14 minutes. It was sooooooo unbelievable. I can't explain it. I came up to the finish in the dark and saw outlines of my team members and flashing lights. I screamed "I NEED SOME I-B-PRO-FUN" and they joined me. The last thing I remember (I think I actually blanked out a bit) was someone (not sure if it was male of female) placing a medal around my neck and then being swirled up in a whirlpool of hugs, flashing cameras, screaming, high fives and (THANK GOODNESS FOR CHERYL) water!We all had our own personal struggles to overcome. One of our runners blew out his knee on his 1st run and ran his second leg (6.1 miles-mostly uphill) BACKWARD! You heard me right, he ran it backward. One of our runners was less than 24 hours into an antibiotic for strep! One runner took on an extra leg to help cover our injured runner - and he hadn't ran before! One runner took on our injured runners last 10.1 mile run and another runner switched her leg to a longer, harder run to cover. We all pitched in and did our best and guess what? We completed it!

Justin was amazing. The guy didn't train because he has plantar fasciitis but he still managed to kill his previous PR's on all three of his legs! I was so proud of him. Not only that, but he drove to Vegas, drove the van on all the runs, didn't sleep but an hour in the whole 40 hours and gave support to every single runner in our van! Man, I married the best guy EVER and I am so proud of him. I can't believe how lucky I was to experience all this with him. It has definitely brought us closer as a couple. In fact, the day after the race he and I were walking (as best as we could seeing as we were SORE!) the Vegas Strip and he looked at me and said "Let's get tattoos!" So we did. Together, on the strip we branded ourselves with what proved to be one of the most life changing experiences in our lives. Justin's tattoo has the Ragnar symbol with the year 2010. He plans to run more and add the years as we do. Mine has the Ragnar symbol with a moon and stars symbolizing my night runs and reminding me that if I can get through leg 24, I can get through ANYTHING! In the end, team I~B~Pro~Fun turned out to be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I felt a connection with each and everyone of these people. Special thanks to our amazingly wonderful team captain, Shelly, for all her hard work in organizing this race and to the others, Jonathan, Christy, Stephanie, Jill, Kim, Tracy, Cheryl, Trevor, Angie, Taylor, Jason and Justin for showing me how easy it is to love you guys!

By the way, our team rocked and we took BEST OVERALL and BEST COSTUME! Check us out here: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/public/race_documents/1287971668-lv.10results.pdf

Autumn

2010-10-05T10:14:00.005-06:00

Autumn inspires me. It is my favorite time of year! There is something about the smells, colors, crisp air and last bits of lingering summer that create a peaceful environment in our home. Mmmmmm, can't you just smell the pumpkin spice candle I have going right now?

Last week Justin needed to do some work up near our cabin so the kids and I tagged along. What a glorious day! The sun was shining, the colors were beaming, the kids and I got in a nature walk, a long 4-wheel ride and some pond time fishing for the "ghost koi". I wish we could spend a year in fall. Wouldn't that be awesome?

September Sushi Spectacular

2010-09-19T20:19:00.005-06:00

September is an busy month. So much to do. Kids back in school, sport games starting up, cello, etc. But most importantly, September 15Th marks the shared birthdays of my wonderful daddy dearest and fabulous mother-in-law.

This year we celebrated their birthdays at Kathy's house making homemade sushi. WHAT A NIGHT! I can see why sushi chefs get paid so much and why sushi is so expensive. We all had such a wonderful time. Sieauna even jumped in and made her own crab and shrimp rolls! Great time. Amazing food and the Saki wasn't to bad too! Thank you Kathy, for opening your home to us and showing us how to make some mean sushi rolls.

Why I Love Running.

2010-09-17T10:36:00.005-06:00

Here is my run from yesterday. It was long but breathtaking and relaxing (and hey, who can say that while you're burning 1200 calories?) I enjoyed it so much. I am very lucky to be able to run in such a beautiful city.

Just Call Me Domestic Diva

2010-09-12T08:25:00.007-06:00

When I visited Kitty in Washington, she gave me some fun How-To books with quilting projects as well as some random fabrics she didn't think she was going to use. Well, yesterday I was bored. Yep. Justin was off at the U of U game, the kids were playing with friends, the house was clean and chores were done so I decided to try my hand at a cute table runner pattern I found in one of those to-do books.

This is how it went.

Here are some of the squares after I cut the fabric but before I sewed the squares together:And after the squares were all sewn together:After adding three different borders:Then came the batting and binding. Now I didn't think I'd get this far so I was very sad when I was "in the sew-zone" and found I had no batting. :(. SOOOOO, thanks to the amazing sweetness of my friend Holli (who just happened to be on the phone with me when I discovered this and was expressing to her my sadness) took it upon herself to run to the store and get me some. I was able to finish! - Love you Holli!!!

After the entire runner was put together and binded, I decided to try my hand at stippling-closely spaced, random quilting stitches that tend to flatten the quilted area. I'd seen the work of my talented sister-in-law and wanted to try it out. Now, please don't look to closely, but I am pretty proud of the results.And here we have the finished project. Let's just call it my "Domestic Diva Day". It probably wont happen again for awhile. ;)

Quick Trip for Labor Day

2010-09-07T18:04:00.008-06:00

We decided to take a road trip with the kids and drove to Cle Elum, Washington over Labor Day to spend some time with Kitty and Steve. We left Thursday after picking up the kids from school and drove to Boise. We arrived around 9:30 and had some late night hot wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Did I mention the hot "Blazin" wings come with a warning? Yes, they ARE that hot! That place is awesome and it just so happened that beers are two-for-one Thursday nights after 8PM so, hello!?! Perfect timing! We stayed the night at a hotel in Boise and woke up bright and early for the long haul to Cle Elum.

We stopped in Prosser, WA and had lunch at a fabulous brewery, the Whitstran Brewing Company, where I had the most amazing blue cheese burger with onions sauteed in the brewery's own stout. So good. SO SO good. Then we just had to do a little wine tasting as Prosser is considered Wine Country! They had 49 wineries in town! Their roads were named such names as "Cabernet", "Merlot", "Chardonnay" etc. It was a wonderful town and someday I'd like to go back and spend a weekend just there trying to hit as many wineries as I can. They even have a RV park called Wine Country RV Park!

Back on the road and the next stop was Thorpe where we purchased some onions, whipped honey, doughnut peaches and other local fresh fruits and vegetables. Then onto our destination point, Cle Elum.
While there we did some shopping and walking around the local Farmer's Market (where I picked up the most beautiful rosemary tree) and ventured over to the fish hatchery where we learned all about how these guys keep up the salmon population! But the most fun was just hanging out with Kitty and Steve. We had a ton of yummy food and Steve surprised us by sharing his bottle of 1992 Dom Perignon with us! We felt so privileged. None of us wanted to leave. We all slept so well in the mountain air and had such a relaxing time. We all ready miss them!

Monday we drove home. All the way home. Let me just tell you that 14 hours in a car with two kids gets a little crazy towards the end! But we are home safe now and get to cherish the memories we made.

A New Year!

2010-08-24T11:52:00.004-06:00

5Th and 3rd.

Yes, you read that right. It is not a typo. My BABIES are in 5Th and 3rd grade this year! Where has the time gone? How did they grow so fast? Why is Alex so BIG? How did this happen? Okay, enough obvious questions, let's talk about them!

They were both super excited to go back to school (ME too). Sieauna is especially excited because 1) she got the only male teacher in the school; 2) he's allergic to tree nuts too!; 3) they are the only class that gets to use laptops; 4) her teacher plays the guitar for them in the morning. Alex, well, (seeing as he will probably never read this) totally has a crush on Miss Crocker. I'm referring to the kind of crush where his eyes kinda glaze over and he answers her questions with "Uh huh." It's soooo cute. I picked them up from school yesterday and Alex said "I love Miss Crocker! She is so funny, and she giggles, and she loves recess and she has four sisters and MOM SHE WENT TO BRIGHTON TOO!" But I think Sieauna's response wraps it up best: "Mom, it was the best day EVER!"

Saved The Best For Last?

2010-08-22T21:58:00.003-06:00

We spent the weekend at Jordanelle for a short last camping trip of the season. It was nice to get away, but not my favorite of the camping trips and we probably wont be going back. The beach was very rocky and the water was really cold. The wind was horrendous and we all got sunburned. Alex even got a little case of sunstroke. However, it was relaxing and the scenery was beautiful.

But are we really done? Was that the last hurrah of the summer?

Nope.

We couldn't bear to winterize the trailer just yet and decided we have a couple more quick trips in our future. Who knows when and where, but it WILL happen! Mark my words.

"Melts" My Heart

2010-08-22T21:51:00.004-06:00

I LOVE my nieces and nephews. One of the best things about being an Aunt is getting to spend time with those cuties. On this particular evening, the two youngest of the clan were especially loving and adorable and I couldn't resist taking some pics.

The whole family got together at grandma and grandpa's on the eve before Nanny & Poppa's departure. Grandma gave each of the eight grandchildren an ice cream cone. Jack, oh Jack, LOVED this treat. As he literally sucked the ice cream out, he made the cutest little moaning sounds, a sure sign of his complete contentment. Brielle decided I was her favorite that night and she wanted to go home with me. I took her to the car but it was locked. She marched her little body back to Justin, held out her hands and said "Keys? Car?" She is SUCH a doll. I scooped her up and we made it all the way back to the car before she decided she wanted mommy to come with her. Oh these two melt my heart.

Summertime Fun

2010-08-22T21:42:00.004-06:00

Here are a few of the things we did this summer. Most of them involve water, because my kids are water babies and LIVE for the water! These were just some fun random summer things we did in addition to the copious amounts of camping. This summer both the kids learned to jump off the diving boards at the pool. Alex kicked it up a notch and decided he has no fear of heights! He proceeded to jump off the high dive, the first platform and finally the second platform at Cottonwood Heights all in the same afternoon! The kid is CRAZY!
We are sad to see summer go, but are happy we had one of the best ones yet!

It Pays to Wait!

2010-08-16T10:05:00.002-06:00

So I've been hoarding all my Famous Footwear coupons patiently waiting for their back to school clearance. So excited about my savings I had to share!

For Sieauna:
Tall brown boots.
Were: $99.99
ON SALE for $30.00
Savings of $69.99

For Alex:
Black dress shoes.
Were: $34.99
ON SALE for $24.99
1/2 off BOGO SALE made them $12.49
Savings of $22.50

Additional 20% coupon I had: -$8.50
My $5 off Rewards Certificate: - $5.00
Brings the total to: $35.82

That's right! I got both the kids very nice (Sieauna's were $100 normally!) school shoes for a total of 35.82. TOTAL SAVINGS OF $105.99. YES!

Feels good to save money.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

60 SURPRISE!

2010-08-08T12:57:00.016-06:00

Mom turned 60 this weekend and what a week/weekend it has been! We started off the "surprises" with a visit from Nanny and Poppa. They flew in all the way from New York to be here for their daughter's big day. I picked them up from the airport with a little surprise for them....all their great-grand kids there to welcome them to Utah (including the two babies they hadn't met yet!) We took them home to mom's house for lunch. Sieauna played a couple of tunes on the cello and it was wonderful to just sit and chat and catch up before mom got home from work. Mom was totally surprised to come home and find her parents waiting there for her. She was a little confused and emotional and it was wonderful to see her so happy! Later that night, we all gathered together again at mom's to talk and have dinner with the surprise guests whom we've missed so much!Up to the cabin they went for surprise number two: Dad had a hot tub installed at the cabin! Mom was so excited! Saturday was the big party and 34 of her friends and family came up to the cabin to celebrate with her. Her long-time friends, Day and Rich flew in from Phoenix and her "other sister" Judy came in from Colorado. Along with all the family and other great friends, it was a party to remember. Her talented and adorable grand daughters preformed a dance for her (sooooo cute!) and she even got a rendition of the Phineas and Ferb "I Love you Mom" from me (haha-not impressive trust me!)A fun week and weekend for sure. We love you mom. Hope your birthday was all you imagined. You are beautiful and definitely DO NOT look 60!!!!!

What Relaxation Should Be

2010-07-26T10:17:00.008-06:00

We love Pineview Reservoir. Really REALLY love it so much. This year was perfect in every way. From the super soft sandy beaches and "just right" cool water, to the nights by the campfire, to celebrating my awesome sis-in-law's birthday (she is the Thelma to my Louise), Pineview is always one of our favorite camp spots EVER. We had such a fun time and we all complained when it was time to pack up. We were there for four days and spent two full glorious days right on the beach. We brought our food for the day down with us and stayed until dusk. One of those days we had a jet ski and even though the water was a little rough, it was still a total blast. My kids could not get enough of the water! They were like fish all day everyday, especially Sieauna. They are looking like little golden sun kissed beach babies! They good part about this is that they slept like rocks after playing so hardcore all day long. Alex met a little friend, Dakota, who is the same age as him. The were inseparable and played together all day long for three days. Their family even took Alex boating with them for a bit! They were so cute together. When it was time to say goodbye, we exchanged phone numbers and Dakota said "I wish I had a brother and I wish it was you". It was so sweet. One night Justin and Ken took the kids fishing and Sieauna caught her first fish! It was soooooo cool. She caught a very small large mouth bass. She was consumed in pure joy and was so proud. We were so thrilled for her. It really sparked a desire to "do it again!" Justin toted the Big Green Egg and cooked up "do it yourself" pizzas. Total hit (even if it was a little time consuming). He rocks the Egg and we really should just build a cart on the trailer to tow it permanently :). I miss the sound of the waves. I miss the sound of the boats and miss the warm sand between my toes. I wish we could go back NOW but alas, there is that thing called "reality" that we must return to. Ahhhh well, it was magnificent while it lasted.

Bear Lake Beach Blast!

2010-07-06T11:46:00.011-06:00

We went camping to Bear Lake for the 4Th of July weekend. LOVED IT! I don't care if it's not some tropical island, there is just something about sandy beaches and beautiful waters to bring out the relaxation in a person AND the waves bring out the Thelma in me...which was perfect since my jet ski companion Stacey, errr I mean, Louise, was totally in the mood for some serious bruise leaving wave crashing. We stayed at the Bear Lake KOA which had many activities for the kids. They rode banana bikes, tooted around the train around the camp, jumped on the "jump pillow", took Lilly to the dog training park, met a great friend, Dylan, who showed them how to race our remote control trucks and so much more! One day we even rented a 6-person sulley and rode into town for raspberry shakes! Justin, in total Justin fashion, brought the green egg and cooked up some delish ribs that Kathy made. I slow cooked a 8.5 pound pork shoulder and made some stellar pork carnitas. Loved the super hot bacon wrapped jalapenos too! And of course, what camping trip isn't complete with hot dogs and hamburgers from Stacey! On the 4Th, Kathy made "red, white and blue biscuits" (think Carl's Jr.'s strawberry biscuits) and Sieauna helped out a little in creating those masterpieces. OH MY YUMMY!
My mom and dad came up for the day on the 4Th and slept in the trailer with us then mom covered breakfast with her famous strata's! None of us wanted to leave. We had a wonderful time as usual and I am so grateful to my family for the wonderful memories we are making for our children.

Soooo Excited! Get Ready Vegas, Here We Come!

2010-06-27T20:23:00.003-06:00

I was fortunate enough to get in on a team of 12 girls to compete in Ragnar-Vegas in October! Our team name is I-B-Pro-Fun (these girls are from a pharmacy, hence the cute name).

Imagine this: Red rock, then views of the strip at night, then more red rock. You and 11 of your closest friends running relay-style day and night. Starting in the red rock oasis of Valley of Fire State Park, your team of 12 maniacs will be embarking on a 195 mile adventure-fest sure to fill all of your desires. The party in your van will only get better as you leap frog your way past the breathtaking views of Lake Mead, stunning views of the strip at night and then catch glimpses of Mt Charleston as you run through Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, then it's onto the majestic cliffs of Red Rock Canyon. The race (and your stamina) will wrap up at Red Rock Resort and Casino in the one and only city of sin, Las Vegas, NV.

Training starts tomorrow! Wish me luck!

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/lasvegas/index.php

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd Another Fun Camping Weekend.

2010-06-27T20:13:00.003-06:00

My FAVORITE view. We woke up to this every morning.
Hmmmm, how many Vigh's does it take to raise a tent? No wonder I wasn't sleeping well. The dog is under there too!

For our anniversary we went up to Coalville again. The camp spot changed quite a bit from last week. It dried up (from being flooded three weeks ago) and the weather was really warm and beautiful. Stacey and the kids came up this time too! We even snuck in a wine taste on Saturday night near my parents cabin, which is near Coalville, so it worked out great!

15 Years?!? NO WAY!

2010-06-24T16:30:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow, June 25th, will be the 15 year anniversary of our marriage. 15 years! I keep saying it over and over because I don't believe it's true. I am still just as in love, if not more so, with this man as I was 15 years ago! I'd marry him all over again. I wouldn't change one day...well, okay, maybe one or two ;)...of our 15 years together.

Justin, you are my dream come true. You have given me companionship, laughter, love, BEAUTIFUL kids, all my wants and desires. You are my love and my life. I adore you and promise to not take one single day for granted that we are together. You complete me. (I know, tacky, but I LOVE THIS MAN!)

The Great Outdoors.

2010-06-21T11:12:00.008-06:00

We bought this:
and took it to the Spruces for it's maiden voyage. It was VERY cold, wet and rainy but hey, what better way to spend time together in the new trailer? We saw a TON of wildlife. Moose came right through our spot several times and a few deer made their appearance. Pot guts, or "beer guts" as Sieauna called them were everywhere and ate right out of our hands! Squirrels and even a few sneaky mice (who chewed through the garbage bags causing a 3:00 AM ruckus) were abundant. There was even this CRAZY hummingbird that feasted on the hummingbird feeder we brought up and when we took it down...the darn thing tried to attack my head! SERIOUS!
Justin called me from work the following Friday (Father's Day weekend) and said "How soon can you have the trailer packed?" So we went on a last minute trip to Coalville. I told the in laws where we were headed and they also made the spur of the moment decision to come with us. I'm so glad they did! What a fun way to spend Father's Day! This trip was way different from Spruces. First of all, we went from 30 degree weather to 70 degrees. Secondly, call me a diva if you must, but I am in love with the term "full hook-ups". I loved being able to use as much water as I needed and it totally helped with the kids late night potty breaks! The kids had a ball playing in the stream on our site. This was definitely a trip of relaxation with nice long walks past the "witches pond" and late night chats. I did miss the fire pit that we were allowed in Spruces (even if everything did smell like smoke afterward). I found it funny how you don't get bored when you're doing "nothing". Justin and Ken loved their Father's Day trip and we are completely loving this "camping" thing. We are way excited that we have many more trips planned for this summer.

She's a Master!

2010-06-09T17:24:00.006-06:00

Sieauna's school was one of the few who hosted the University of Learning program. It's a really neat program that allows the 4Th graders to be awarded Degrees as they complete 15 hours of outside-the-school activity. They had to research their activities, read certain books, present their activity to the class, keep records of the hours spent, etc. To obtain the higher degrees (Master and Doctorate) the kids had to complete 30 hours and present a PowerPoint presentation to the class. She also played a solo on the cello during the graduation program.

I am so pleased to announce that our munchkin achieved her Masters Degree. She worked really hard on her degrees and we couldn't be more proud.

Technical: Soccer
Associates: Cello
Bachelor: Making grape juice with the grapes from our vine and scrapbooking the process.
Master: Gathered recipes from friends and family and prepared a nut-free cookbook.

Sieauna and her teacher, Mrs. Passey Sieauna and her cello instructor, Mrs. Burkehardt

Making Music

2010-06-09T17:17:00.003-06:00

Sieauna took Cello this year. She really enjoyed it (even if lugging around that big ol' cello was hard). Her teacher and her really got along and she wants to take private lessons from her this summer. Next year she plans on continuing at the school as well. She's getting pretty good at it. Love that she's happy to be making music.

Final Score of the Season

2010-06-09T16:52:00.004-06:00

Alex finished his final baseball game playing pitcher. Not sure if he liked it or not. He still says Basketball is his favorite. Poor kid isn't having fun unless he's in action! Sieauna scored a goal in her final game of soccer. She was really sad the season was over and cant wait to join her team in the fall.

Here We Go Again

2010-06-09T16:28:00.004-06:00

Sieauna wanted her hair cut short...again. So we did. Here are the pictures. She wanted to donate to help clean up the oil spill at http://www.matteroftrust.org/ but it was to "global" of a donation so instead she donated here http://www.pantene.com/en-US/beautiful-lengths-cause/Pages/default.aspx. She's such a cutie with the short haircut. Love it!

Bathroom Beautification

2010-04-26T16:36:00.004-06:00

We've been busy! Doing this:

Before

During After

Wah Lah!

That's a Whole Lotta Balls

2010-04-25T15:22:00.003-06:00

Soccer balls, basket balls, baseballs...we've been busy! This is what keeps us on a six day a week schedule. I think it's time I get that "Soccer Mom" license plate, or should I have it say "Ball Buster?" Hmmmm....we shall have to think on that one.

Hey-I Didn't Need That Anyway Right?

2010-04-23T08:48:00.003-06:00

I finally had my shoulder fixed. I had a bursectomy. I will let you read about it if you choose but basically this has been an ongoing problem with me for about eight years. I have been getting cortisone shots for the last five years and my ortho said enough was enough. The shots were starting to deteriorate my muscle and they needed to just fix the problem instead of covering it up. So...there you go!

My family has been wonderfully supportive and I am very blessed that I have the most amazing support system. Especially my little princess. She has filled in as the role of mommy quite well and is taking wonderful care of her brother and I. And special thanks to Justin who has taken on ALL the roles of caretaker. Love you babe.

Spring Break/Easter 2010

2010-04-05T11:17:00.007-06:00

We were SUPPOSE to be camping in sunny Saint George over Easter break, but lil' miss Mother Nature had other plans. So instead we stayed home and started a remodel (that's a whole 'nother post). The kids and I caught a movie with our good friends and saw "How To Train a Dragon" in 3D. AMAZING! Wow, an awesome show. Then Sieauna came down with a little cold and she took it easy Saturday and Sunday while Justin and I worked on our remodel.

Saturday night Kathy invited us over for dinner. She put on a huge Easter feast! She cooked up a most delish brisket with her famous guava barbecue sauce, potato salad, yummy rolls, salad and cupcakes. After dinner, the grandparents surprised the kidlets with an Easter Egg hunt in the basement! They hid 40 eggs!! My kids loved it. They are awesome and we had such a good time.Sunday I made a huge ginormous breakfast and the kids surveyed what the Easter Bunny left them. (I think he/she was trying to overcompensate from the failed camping trip by giving the kids a RV and log cabin playset???) They stayed in jammies all day while Justin and I worked on the remodel. It was a nice weekend and I'm glad the kids are off today so we can take one more day to relax. Despite not being able to go camping, our Spring Break was a good time.

GIRLS DAY OUT!!!

2010-04-05T11:10:00.003-06:00

I got to spend some quality time with my mom for my birthday. She took the day off work and we shopped the day away in Park City. We had a great lunch and split a naughty luscious desert. It was so much fun. We really need to do this more often. I love spending time with my mommy.

UTAH! This Is The Place.

2010-04-05T10:50:00.003-06:00

Sieauna and her fourth grade class put on a wonderful preformance they worked very hard for. The play was all about the history of Utah and why it is such a great place to live. Sieauna got to do a square dance and she was an Indian in the play. The whole fourth grade did an awesome job. So proud honey!

Feeling Crabby? NOT ME!

2010-04-05T10:41:00.003-06:00

On the actual day of my birthday, Justin and I took the kids to see Alice in Wonderland. Great show! I loved it and we don't take the kids out to the movies often enough so it was very special to have them with me. Then we went across the street to Joe's Crab Shack where I met up with my family to celebrate. LOVE that place for atmosphere and kid appeal. I really enjoyed all my sweet nieces and adorable nephews. I felt very loved and special. ESPECIALLY when I got my birthday cake! Jennifer made me my favorite honey beehive cake with fresh strawberries and it was sooooooooooooo good! Thank you so much Jen! And thanks family, for loving me unconditionally. LOVE YOU MORE!
Side note-I took lots of pictures of my brother and sister-in-law and the kids, but all the pictures I took facing that way came out bad because of the lights in the restaurant. Sad :(

THE March Birthdays

2010-04-05T10:26:00.006-06:00

Summer, Holli and I all share birthdays within a couple weeks of each other. Mine is the 14Th, Summer is on the 17Th (along with my friend Teresa) and Holli is on the 21st. The last few years we have celebrated our birthdays together. This year was no different with the exception that WE WERE SURPRISED!

So I thought Justin and I were going to dinner with Trent and Teresa to celebrate our birthdays. It was snowing horribly that night and five minutes before we were suppose to leave, my babysitter called and said she broke her leg. WHAT? SERIOUS? "Yes, I'm so sorry Kelly, I broke it jumping around in a bounce house". I freaked and called Tracy to see if she could cover (which was EXACTLY what Justin and Tracy knew I would do!) We picked up T&T and headed to drop off the kids to Tracy. I should have known something was going on when Justin insisted T&T come in with us. We walked in to a huge surprise! Tracy had decorated the house, all our friends were there and Justin put on his apron and became head chef cooking us up steaks, asparagus and an amazing port reduction mushroom sauce. Tracy made all the snacks and salad. Shon helped by making up LIES to get the other girls over to Tracy's. Those three had been planning this for awhile! We proceeded to party the night away with apple martini's, wonderful wines, cupcakes and cheesecake with a warm port blackberry butter sauce. It was so much fun!
Thanks you guys, for pulling one over on me and we all know THAT NEVER HAPPENS! Well, that's the story and I'm sticking to it.

Book Signing

2010-04-05T10:10:00.005-06:00

Wow-I've been so behind on blogging lately! Let's play catch up shall we?
Holli wrote a book about us! She's been working on it for awhile and presented it to us for our birthdays. "The Group Formally Known as the Momtourage" was a HUGE hit with us girls right away. We got our books signed by the author, opened the champagne and sat down in front of the fire to read it. WE LOVED IT! I laughed, cried and read it again. She did such an awesome job catching the "essence" of us girls. In fact, she even started a blog with the first chapter.
Go here: http://thegroupformerlyknownas.blogspot.com/ to check it out!

Thanks Holli. Not only are you super sweet, but wonderfully talented as well. Love you!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2010-03-17T11:01:00.004-06:00

I sent sis to school with a wee little bit o' luck today. Hope she enjoyed her four leaf clover! I'm not sure how much longer she will let me do these. Today she complained quite a bit. Oh well, I'm going to take advantage as long as I can. That's just what moms do right?

Giddy Up Lil' Buckaroo!

2010-03-09T08:05:00.002-07:00

Western day at school today. Love these kiddos. I'm biased I know, but aren't they just so rootin' tootin' cute? Love them!!

2010-03-04T12:12:00.003-07:00

An hour of this,plus an hour of this, equals the need for this!
I'm just sayin.

The fact that I'm working out again means the family is better! YAY!

JINX! Got Us Again!

2010-02-25T12:43:00.003-07:00

A jinx, in popular superstition and folklore, is:

A type of curse placed on a person that makes them prey to many minor misfortunes and other forms of bad luck;
A person afflicted with a similar curse, who, while not directly subject to a series of misfortunes, seems to attract them to anyone in his vicinity.
An object that brings bad luck.
A common slang term used when two people say the same thing at the same time, said as a game among the young.
The superstition can also be referenced when talking about a future event with too much confidence. A statement such as "We're sure to win the contest!" can be seen as a jinx because it tempts fate, thereby bringing bad luck. The event itself is referred to as "jinxed". The most dramatic historical example of this type of jinxing is the R.M.S. Titanic which was said to be unsinkable, then sunk on its maiden voyage.
In a similar way, calling attention to good fortune – e.g. noting that a certain athlete is having a streak of particularly good fortune – is thought to "jinx" it. If the good fortune ends immediately afterward, the jinx is then blamed for the turn of events, if only jokingly.

I think our "jinx" is the 2nd and last one. I am wondering if someone placed the first one on me! I told everyone we were all better and on the mend. NO SUCH LUCK! Alex went into the doctor today which resulted in chest x-rays and a diagnoses of pneumonia. Not just any pneumonia mind you. When my little man gets sick, he does it full bat. He has both viral and bacterial pneumonia in both lungs. He's also dehydrated. He now has lots of medicines to help him get better. Justin is also sick. Thought he was feeling better but he's going to the doctor today too. So I am not going to say "we're on the mend", I'm just going to say "hope we get better soon."

I am a firm believer that prayers heal and that there is more power with more people praying. So if you wouldn't mind, please add us to your nightly prayer list. I will let you know when we are all better, well, maybe. Don't want to Jinx it again!

On The Road To Good...

2010-02-21T20:32:00.002-07:00

So tired of being sick. Started in November with horrible colds. Seems like it's been one thing after another with rounds of head colds, sinus infections, influenza, bronchitis and even two cases of chicken pox! Just when that went away, Alex got sick, then Sieauna and me and now Justin is sick. I am DONE with being sick. SOOOO done. I declare that once Justin gets through this, we are on the road to better health. So if I ask you to use hand sanitizer or yell at you to cover your mouth, or don't want to play with you if you're sick, please don't take offense, just know that I have had my fair share and am on a mission to do everything I can to keep us from getting sick AGAIN!

When You Have The Chicken Pox You Get To....

2010-02-09T11:51:00.003-07:00

...go on amazing adventures with Indiana and Mutt in the rain forest.

Play in a world where animals have huge heads;

Eat LOTS of mac-n-cheese!

Drink LOTS of this;

And oh look! This came in the mail for me yesterday. Things are sure to get better now ;)

Chickey Pox

2010-02-05T09:59:00.002-07:00

Chicken pox suck! They are no fun.

I've even got one on my bum!

They itch, I scratch, they are so red,

and now I've got one on my head!

I've Found Happiness!

2010-01-21T12:05:00.002-07:00

You know when you find something that makes you truly happy, you become addicted to it? Well, I found it! Zumba! I love love love this class. I don't know, maybe it's Julie, the teacher, or the jingly skirt, or the music, or the calories, who knows? But I LOVE IT! I've found my "Kelly time". Tuesday and Thursday mornings you will find me at the gym, shakin' my booty.

Sieauna Turns Ten!

2010-01-15T14:17:00.003-07:00

The big "1-0". She keeps telling me she's "double digits" now. Too funny. She's growing up way too fast. She wanted a quiet party at home with a couple of her closest friends. Her party theme was "zoo animals" and she helped make her own cake. I can't believe she was so small when she was born (premature at 34 weeks) and now she is this little pre-tween! Crazy how time flies when you're having fun. We love you so much princess. Happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Sexy!

2010-01-15T14:08:00.005-07:00

My handsome, hunky, totally awesome cook, best friend, lover, confidant, shrink, everything-I-could-ever-want in a man, man turned 36 this year. I love him so much. Happy birthday my love. We stayed at home for a quiet night and I cooked him up a huge German dinner with rouladden, red cabbage, butternut squash, warm German potato salad, homemade apple pie, vanilla ice cream and a nice bottle of wine. I hope your day is everything you hope for.

Ice Ice Everywhere!

2010-01-15T09:38:00.015-07:00

Met up with my bro and sis-in-law to take the cousins ice skating. Oh what fun they have. Really, we should do this more often as they love it so. Sieauna and Rachel love to go off together while Alex and Bekah go on their own. Ruthie is happy to have Daddy help her around the rink, then it's off to warm up with some hot cocoa. Jack, ahhhhhh my little Jack, I LOVE that little man. He's so happy and funny. He laughs and flirts and oh mamma I want to nibble him! Here are some pics of our fun afternoon. I especially love the ones with my handsome bro in them!

Batali, Lagasse, Flay, Comerford and Vigh, Thank You For A Wonderful Ending To My New Beginning.

2010-01-03T20:58:00.008-07:00

We spent the last official night of holiday break doing some pretty extravagant feasting. My most wonderful mom-in-law hosted my family (my mom, dad and brother included) at a "Super Iron-Chef party". While we watched the great chef's in action, she acted the part well by cooking up some clam linguini, bruschetta and tiramisu to name a few...all homemade of course! We ate till our hearts, and bellies were full. Thanks Ma!!!

NOW comes the fun part. 2010. That's pronounced "twenty-ten" to me. It has meaning too. Twenty pounds in ten weeks. Just in time to run another half marathon. I don't have to ask if I think I can do it, because I can. I know I can. I just need to! Starting tomorrow I am back on Weight Watchers and a good exercise/training program. I've got both my ma's to weigh into every week too! So...whose with me? Who wants to do 20-10? LET'S DO THIS!

Sweet Mia, Rest In Peace Old Girl.

2009-12-31T18:35:00.005-07:00

Our sweet Mia passed away today after some neurological problems and a tumor on her spleen. Justin and I got Mia when she was eight weeks old, almost 13 years ago. SUCH a cute puppy. She's been a dear part of our family ever since. Our first baby. Our best friend. The house will be so lonely without her. Rest in peace old girl. We loved you so.

Christmas!

2009-12-31T11:11:00.005-07:00

I was naughty and forgot to take pictures of the kids opening Santa's gracious bounty this year. Video, yes, but no pics from home :(. However, I did manage to snap the above mentioned bounty before crazy kid madness and these other jewels at Nana and BePa's house Christmas day! Santa spoiled our little family with so many fun things but perhaps the funnest thing to play with was cousin James' new addition, Cleopatra (Cleo for short). She is adorable! And she loves to sleep on shoes, just so you know.

Good Friends, Great Times

2009-12-31T10:58:00.003-07:00

On the 23rd Justin and I hosted our annual friends Christmas party. The whole clan came over with snacks and the kids did a gift exchange. I am so grateful for these people in my life. They mean the world to me and I am blessed to share my everyday drama with them.

Pierogi, Presents and A Princess

2009-12-31T10:40:00.006-07:00

December 13Th marked our annual Pierogi making day, a polish family tradition that started long before I was born. It also was the special 5Th birthday of my sweet little niece, Ruthie. In addition, since our family had mixed plans for Christmas this year, we also did a cousin gift exchange. Needless to say, mom's house was full of love, family, excitement and just a little noise! Mom and dad made these cute aprons for all their grand kids. This year they are up to eight and counting! Little Jack was a little to young for the pierogi making festivities, but 2ND to the youngest, sweet baby Brielle showed her grandma and grandpa how it's done! She was SO DANG CUTE! We had a wonderful time with family. We are sure lucky.

Seriously So Sick.

2009-12-07T10:47:00.003-07:00

Since the day after Thanksgiving we've been sick. Alex started Thanksgiving night, then Sieauna, then me, now Justin. We are all so sick with the most wicked head colds EVER..I'm sure of it! The kids have been out of school officially for one week now. Every single garbage can is full of Kleenex. This has been the worst cold I've had in...well since I can remember. I've been to the doctor. Going back again today. Ugh, I am SO done with this. We have things to do people! I don't have time for this! I need a vacation. :(

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like....

2009-11-30T15:52:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we got out the Christmas decorations and went crazy. The kids had a great time as usual, despite Alex's little cold. Justin got the lights on outside. It's all festive over on this side of the neighborhood!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T15:37:00.005-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving at the Young family cabin. It was so peaceful and nice. The weather was perfect. Both my brothers and their families were there. It was a full house with all 16 of us there! We played in the snow, ate some seriously delicious foods (I even made nanny & poppy's squash pie!), got in some major snuggle time with baby Jack, playtime with my nieces and nephews and just hung around enjoying each others company. Jen and mom even got me to get my butt out of bed at 4:00 am to hit the stores for a little Black Friday shopping! Justin went all Iron-Chef on us and made this out-of-this world breakfast with eggs Benedict with his own homemade sauce, crab, asparagus and mimosas. Um....can we say YUM-O? We had a wonderful time and I'm so thankful for my family. Mom did an amazing job pulling it all together.

More Great Eight!

2009-11-19T08:44:00.002-07:00

Alex had three parties. One with his friends from school at Classic Skating. This party was so cool! We went on a Wednesday and the 10 kids had a blast doing everything Classic had to offer! Bounce house, laser tag, jungle gym, roller skating, ball blast zone, pizza, scooters, and a big ol' Indiana Jones cake. They all loved it! Next he had a doughnut party at school with his class and finally a big family party at our house complete with hot dogs and hamburgers grilled up by daddy. Thank you EVERYONE for the super awesome presents Alex got. He is soooooo very happy.

Eight Is Grrrrrrrrrrreat!

2009-11-13T10:49:00.004-07:00

My baby turned eight today. I am sad he's growing up. He is excited that he "officially" can sit in the car without a booster (all though he reached the height requirement when he was five ;). He is so smart and loves to cuddle (still, everynight). He loves Indiana Jones, Lego's and Wii. Loves candy, sweat pants and his hiking boots. I love my little man so much. He makes me laugh every day. Congrats on being eight buddy!

Growing Up

2009-10-27T13:26:00.003-06:00

Here are the new school pictures of my babies, only, they are not babies anymore :(. This year they have both officially lost that last look of the toddler phase. They are growing so fast. Alex is as tall as Sieauna! This is the year they look like twins. I get asked frequently. Oh I miss my babies, but I love what they are growing up to be.

Sieauna - 2009

Nine years oldAlex - 2009

Seven years old

Ahhhh, Fall. My Favorite Season.

2009-10-01T15:08:00.005-06:00

I absolutely love Utah in the fall. Where can you see a more magnificent display of God's beauty? These are just a couple pictures I took over the weekend when Shannon and I went up to the cabin and to Park City. Hope you enjoy as much as I am!

Snowbird Oktober Fest 2009

2009-09-29T15:31:00.014-06:00

What a great time of year. We love going up to Snowbird and feasting our eyes on the magnificent colors. Not to mention THE BEER! This year was especially wonderful because we had Shannon in our presence and the kids got really involved!
Sieauna and Alex competed in a huge round of musical chairs with about 20 other kids. Okay, let's paint the picture: down to five girls and Alex, half the crowd is cheering for him, the music starts and stops until it's down to Alex and one other girl. Music stops and, oh bummer, he came in a close second. BUT the winner, this cute little girl, came over and gave the 1st place price to Alex! It was really sweet, she was probably 12 and said "You did a really good job! I would love for you to have my tram ticket." Alex was really excited. We told him if he won we'd all go on the tram. So, we did! Alex was SO hungry, he ate his bratwurst before we even got out of the line!Instead of tramming it back down, we hiked down to the next chair lift and took that down. It was soooo much nicer than taking the tram. It was slower, all outdoor and the scenery was fantabulous! The kids and daddy also got in a slide ride! It was a perfect day and hey...did I mention the beer?

Soul Sisters

2009-09-27T20:41:00.007-06:00

My best friend Shannon came in to town for a visit and we were lucky enough to get to host her for a few days. I love spending time with her. Even when we don't see each other for years, we pick up right where we left off. This visit consisted of lots of catching up gossip, a beautiful relaxing lunch at Diva's, old school rap music, food, a barbecue held in her honor to meet my friends, 4-wheeling at my parents cabin, a Wallace family reunion, a visit into Park City, Oktober Fest in Snowbird, and lots and lots of fabulous FOOD!
Justin was super husband and watched the kids so we could spend the entire day together. Then he cooked breakfast for us in the mornings! Today he made us this incredible eggs benedict with crab meat and served it with mimosas. (Love you hunny!)I love this girl. There is no secret she doesn't know. It's so nice to have a soul-sister who you can share EVERYTHING with. Love you Shan!

We've Been Blessed - Tomato Style!

2009-09-22T21:31:00.003-06:00

We've been blessed. I am not exaggerating, it's a true statement. Our friend Robert was kind enough to share some of his bounty with us and we are SOOOOO happy and grateful! These tomatoes are simply marvelous. I mean incredible. You can eat them like an apple. They are THAT good. Thanks Robert and Debbie, for sharing the love. We enjoy reaping the benefits of your hard labor!

Cuteness From The Past

2009-09-22T09:05:00.006-06:00

My mom emailed me these. I had forgotten about them and was so happy she sent them. Alex went through the cutest "camo" phase. Everything he wore had to be camo. Mom bought him hiking boots, which became his favorite shoe of all time. I still have to buy him the same shoes every year in a bigger size (in fact, he wore them to school today!). So cute! I want to pinch him and eat him up!
Alex loves chapstick. He has always loved chapstick from when he was very little and he would ask for it. I remember one morning I walked into the kitchen to find that apparently it can be mom's lip gloss too!