Downstage Center

We're Moving.... sort of.

2009-12-04T23:15:00.002-07:00

The wonderful thing about owning a Mac, is the ability to create your own web page one of their amazing programs. It is way user friendly, and I don't need to be on the internet to create new blog entries. After much frustration with Blogger lately, we have decided to make the switch. Please follow us at
The New Downstage Center

This also allows us to be a bit more pritave. I enjoy writing many of my posts as journal entries, unedited and personal and this allows me to. I can even password protect my site if I want. So please add us to your blog roll. I am pretty sure you can subscribe to it in reader. If not, then add us to your "private" links. The new site will eventually have a link to this blog, once I get that page finished.

Ry Guy Time

2009-11-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Walking with Faith and Courage

2009-11-19T00:45:00.008-07:00

We are living in trying times. The past few months especially, Matt and I have been bombarded with trial after trial. We walk two steps forward, then get pushed 3 steps back. One thing after another. We have opened our home to many a friend in need, given of ourselves beyond our means, only to be for lack of a better word, betrayed, as well as hurt by some of those we have cared for. In addition, we have had to watch as friends have lost their parents unexpectedly, gotten divorced, lost jobs, or forced to take pay cuts and lose insurance benefits, ourselves included. Many people are angry with the government, politics, and at God. The way we cope with these feelings is what defines us. My husband is more inclined to vocalize his feelings than I am in situations such as these. I have learned the hard way, that when I open my mouth when I am angry, I often find myself apologizing later. My family consists of two types of people, outspoken and tough, and quiet and meek. While I am usually fall in the first category, I am teaching myself to live somewhere in the middle, to walk with faith and courage and meekness.

"Some people mistakenly think responses such as silence, meekness, forgiveness, and bearing humble testimony are passive or weak. But to 'love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them which despitefully use [us], and persecute [us]' (Matthew 5:44) takes faith, strength, and, most of all, Christian courage. . . .

"When we do not retaliate—when we turn the other cheek and resist feelings of anger—we too stand with the Savior. We show forth His love, which is the only power that can subdue the adversary and answer our accusers without accusing them in return. That is not weakness. That is Christian courage."

Robert D. Hales

When it comes to feelings of betrayal and hurt, I internalize my feelings. I feel sorry for myself, pick myself up, dust myself off, and reach for the one thing that will NEVER leave me. That is my faith. My faith is what defines me. I am lucky. I know who I am, and I know where I come from. I may not know exactly where I am going here on earth, but I know my final destination. I have an incredible heritage. In a world where some people don't know the names of their grandparents, I have pictures, and records, documents, stories and journals going back seven and eight generations.

One of those journals is of a woman named Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt. She is my 6th great grandmother. She was the epitome of a strong woman. She knew the church was true, and started the journey west before being baptised. Along the way they encountered sickness, the death of a prophet and many other members, she lost her husband, three of her children, and most of her money and personal things. And still, she forged ahead. Her daughters went on to marry Jacob Hamblin and his brother William. Here is a small portion of her journals during the time the prophet Joseph Smith was killed.

"Oh, the sorrow and trouble that was just at our doors! We knew they had Joseph in prison and threatened to take his life, but that was nothing new nor strange, for his enemies always did that, but we did not believe they could have power to murder him; and he lived above the law. The law could have no power over him, but powder and balls could, so they shot him in Carthage jail. When the news came the whole city of Nauvoo was thunderstruck; such mourning and lamentation was seldom ever heard on the earth. There was many, myself among them, that would gladly have died if his life could have been spared by doing so. I never had spoken to the man in my life, but I had seen him and heard him preach and know that he was a prophet of God, sent here by the Almighty to set up His kingdom, no more to be thrown down, and now how was that great and important work to be accomplished? Brigham Young was the man clothed with all the power and authority of Joseph. My husband said that he had the same spirit, the same voice, and if he had not known Joseph was dead he would actually have thought it was Joseph. Brigham was gone to the east when Joseph was killed. Rigdon tried hard to lead the church and get established in that place before Brother Brigham got to Nauvoo, but his deceit and lies were proved as the twelve returned about this time. We went to the city and was there when the bodies of the martyred prophets were brought into the city. It was after dark that they passed the house - it was Brother Snow's, a Doctor Clinton and his wife Melissa were there and they expected the mob would come into the city that night to kill the rest of the saints. There was orders for every man to arm himself and prepare to defend the city. The moon shone uncommonly bright, as we could see quite a distance.

They had guards out in every direction; they had a drum that could be heard a number of miles and when there was any danger they would beat that drum, and every one that was able would take what ever weapon they could get and run to the city and guard it. We lived three miles from the city and I don't know how many nights we left the place when the alarm drum was beaten. All of our men would run to the place appointed, but we had to move to the Mound, seven miles from there. We did so, but the guard had to be kept up at the Mound, for we had enemies on every side, all threatening to exterminate the Mormons. But I for one did not fear them, for I knew that we were in the hands of God and He would make the wrath of man praise Him and turn all their threats for the good of His saints, and it was so, for the Lord wanted His people to get up onto these mountains and raise an ensign that the scriptures might be fulfilled. But he saw that they would no go willingly, so He suffered their enemies to drive them.The enemy would ravage, steal and plunder and murder and no power in the United States to stop them! The Mormons could get no help because they believed the Gospel was restored to earth by an angel. The priests knew that if that doctrine prevailed there was no chance for them, and as the ax struck at the root of every denomination, they all joined together to help destroy the work of God. There were many ministers of different denominations that took the lead of mobs and were determined to put a stop to Mormonism. But it has increased the more they have opposed it and will continue to increase until the knowledge of God covers the earth, for all their burning buildings and killing the brethren. But there was no fear in my heart, for I knew we were in the hands of God, and He would do all things right."
-Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt

When I think that I have it rough, this is who I think about. My trials are very small in comparison to hers. She walked with faith in her every step. Here are a few more small excerpts from her journal that are now on plaques around a statue of her in St. George.

Dear Santa

2009-11-16T11:18:00.004-07:00

These are the ONLY two things we want.
Promise.

P.S. The mixer needs to be 6 qt.
and color doesn't matter.
Thanks :0)

Pumpkin Carving Time!

2009-10-30T16:38:00.002-06:00

Every year about this time, we get together with Rick and Tony and carve pumpkins!
Rick is out of town, and his girlfriend Fayanna is here in his place.
It had tried to snow all day, so we ate yummy soup and cornbread,
popped in the Nightmare Before Christmas, and set forth carving.

Tony's Baltimore Ravens pumpkin

Matts Pirate Skull

My blackbird.

Halloween Party 2009

2009-10-29T13:22:00.004-06:00

Fall is in full swing...

2009-10-19T22:14:00.004-06:00

It has been a crazy busy few weeks for us. We have been fighting nasty flu bugs, one of my sisters tested positive for H1N1 but fortunately, we didn't catch it. Being very busy at work for 8 days straight didn't help matters either, but we survived!

This week we are recouping, and enjoying our godson Tony and his dog Chaz for a few days while his dad is out of town, as well as savoring the few beautiful fall days that have occured. Our weather has been all over the place! We have had everything from snow to rain to nearly 80 degree weather. And that was all in 1 week!

Fall also means Halloween. Matt and I are really trying hard to put together costumes better than last year! Its kind of a daunting task! I'm not going to say what our plans are, you will just have to wait and see.

A Couple Random Photos

2009-10-06T12:30:00.002-06:00

Ella thinks she is a lap dog :)

A few cute pictures of Ry-guy. I watch him during the days, when I can, while Codie and Danielle are at work.

Words from a Prophets Voice

2009-10-06T01:36:00.002-06:00

I have never been more grateful to have a living, breathing, Prophet of God on this earth to help guide and direct me, than I am now. I hope his words touch you the way they have touched me.

This is a talk given November 2008, by President Thomas S. Monson

My dear brothers and sisters, I am humbled as I stand before you this morning. I ask for your faith and prayers in my behalf as I speak about those things which have been on my mind and which I have felt impressed to share with you.

I begin by mentioning one of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth, and that is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.”

Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

This conference marks 45 years since I was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. As the junior member of the Twelve then, I looked up to 14 exceptional men, who were senior to me in the Twelve and the First Presidency. One by one, each of these men has returned home. When President Hinckley passed away eight months ago, I realized that I had become the senior Apostle. The changes over a period of 45 years that were incremental now seem monumental.

This coming week Sister Monson and I will celebrate our 60th wedding anniversary. As I look back to our beginnings, I realize just how much our lives have changed since then. Our beloved parents, who stood beside us as we commenced our journey together, have passed on. Our three children, who filled our lives so completely for many years, are grown and have families of their own. Most of our grandchildren are grown, and we now have four great-grandchildren.

Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now. The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

I am what my wife, Frances, calls a “show-a-holic.” I thoroughly enjoy many musicals, and one of my favorites was written by the American composer Meredith Willson and is entitled The Music Man. Professor Harold Hill, one of the principal characters in the show, voices a caution that I share with you. Says he, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”1

My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.

I’ve shared with you previously an example of this philosophy. I believe it bears repeating. Many years ago, Arthur Gordon wrote in a national magazine, and I quote:

“When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’

“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]

“‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’”2

If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”4

In the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, Church member Jay Hess, an airman, was shot down over North Vietnam. For two years his family had no idea whether he was dead or alive. His captors in Hanoi eventually allowed him to write home but limited his message to less than 25 words. What would you and I say to our families if we were in the same situation—not having seen them for over two years and not knowing if we would ever see them again? Wanting to provide something his family could recognize as having come from him and also wanting to give them valuable counsel, Brother Hess wrote—and I quote: “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.”5

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.

In the book of John in the New Testament, chapter 13, verse 34, the Savior admonishes us, “As I have loved you, … love one another.”

Some of you may be familiar with Thornton Wilder’s classic drama Our Town. If you are, you will remember the town of Grover’s Corners, where the story takes place. In the play Emily Webb dies in childbirth, and we read of the lonely grief of her young husband, George, left with their four-year-old son. Emily does not wish to rest in peace; she wants to experience again the joys of her life. She is granted the privilege of returning to earth and reliving her 12th birthday. At first it is exciting to be young again, but the excitement wears off quickly. The day holds no joy now that Emily knows what is in store for the future. It is unbearably painful to realize how unaware she had been of the meaning and wonder of life while she was alive. Before returning to her resting place, Emily laments, “Do … human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?”

Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings.

Said one well-known author: “Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend … when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”6

In the Doctrine and Covenants, section 88, verse 33, we are told: “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.”

The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

Many years ago I was touched by the story of Borghild Dahl. She was born in Minnesota in 1890 of Norwegian parents and from her early years suffered severely impaired vision. She had a tremendous desire to participate in everyday life despite her handicap and, through sheer determination, succeeded in nearly everything she undertook. Against the advice of educators, who felt her handicap was too great, she attended college, receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. She later studied at Columbia University and the University of Oslo. She eventually became the principal of eight schools in western Minnesota and North Dakota.

She wrote the following in one of the 17 books she authored: “I had only one eye, and it was so covered with dense scars that I had to do all my seeing through one small opening in the left of the eye. I could see a book only by holding it up close to my face and by straining my one eye as hard as I could to the left.”7

Miraculously, in 1943—when she was over 50 years old—a revolutionary procedure was developed which finally restored to her much of the sight she had been without for so long. A new and exciting world opened up before her. She took great pleasure in the small things most of us take for granted, such as watching a bird in flight, noticing the light reflected in the bubbles of her dishwater, or observing the phases of the moon each night. She closed one of her books with these words: “Dear … Father in heaven, I thank Thee. I thank Thee.”8

Borghild Dahl, both before and after her sight was restored, was filled with gratitude for her blessings.

In 1982, two years before she died, at the age of 92 her last book was published. Its title: Happy All My Life. Her attitude of thankfulness enabled her to appreciate her blessings and to live a full and rich life despite her challenges.

In 1 Thessalonians in the New Testament, chapter 5, verse 18, we are told by the Apostle Paul, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God.”

Recall with me the account of the 10 lepers:

“And as [Jesus] entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

“And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

“And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

“And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

“And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.”9

Said the Lord in a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, “In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things.”10 May we be found among those who give our thanks to our Heavenly Father. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.

Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed.

In closing, I pray that all of us will reflect gratitude for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His glorious gospel provides answers to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where does my spirit go when I die?

He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to serve. He taught us how to live. His life is a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved.

The time came when He stood alone. Some Apostles doubted; one betrayed Him. The Roman soldiers pierced His side. The angry mob took His life. There yet rings from Golgotha’s hill His compassionate words, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”11

Earlier, perhaps perceiving the culmination of His earthly mission, He spoke the lament, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”12 “No room in the inn”13 was not a singular expression of rejection—just the first. Yet He invites you and me to receive Him. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”14

Who was this Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief? Who is the King of glory, this Lord of hosts? He is our Master. He is our Savior. He is the Son of God. He is the Author of our Salvation. He beckons, “Follow me.”15 He instructs, “Go, and do thou likewise.”16 He pleads, “Keep my commandments.”17

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His word. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude.

Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

A Remarkable Story

2009-10-06T01:27:00.002-06:00

A man describes his journey from the tragedy and trauma of
9/11

To hope, and healing.

(click on the underlined link for the video)

The Infinite Power of Hope

2009-10-06T01:16:00.002-06:00

I was watching some videos today and this one struck me.
It seems to me that many of us are in dire need of a little
HOPE

(click on the word hope to be taken to the video)

Piper Video 2

2009-09-24T12:33:00.001-06:00

Piper Video

2009-09-24T11:30:00.002-06:00

Just when you think they are too smart for their own good...

2009-09-23T12:29:00.005-06:00

Ella chewed the corners off of one of my throw pillows while she was teething... Sad day, I know. Piper decided that it was the perfect place to burrow. Matt came home, Piper rushed to get out of the pillow and got stuck. Love it, its hilarious.
I'm trying to upload video, but my internet is not cooperating.
Don't pay any attention to the yard... it is physically impossible to grow grass back there.

I think it is safe to say Piper has been dethroned as "the smart one",
at least for now.

Amazing Friends

2009-09-22T13:24:00.003-06:00

Jared and I have been friends for what seems like forever. We were in school together from 6th grade until we graduated. We have been room mates, coworkers, business partners, travel buddies, shoulders to cry on and know each other better than just about anybody.He moved to New Jersey a few years ago, and though we don't really talk on a regular basis, every time we do, we pick up exactly where we left off.

Jared and his girlfriend Monica were in town for a few days for his brothers wedding. Although we didn't get much time with them, we were able to meet for breakfast and catch up for a few hours before they flew out. We did the best we could at talking Monica into thinking that Idaho or Utah is the place to be... hint, hint. Seeing them makes me miss them SOOO much!

Love you guys!!!

Pressing Forward

2009-09-20T15:36:00.004-06:00

Aside from a few pictures of a recent outing, I am moving forward... we are going to forget about the last two weeks, nothing spectacular nor memorable happened.
So without further ado... pictures!

For my aunt Lauries birthday, we took a drive to Stanley and back. It was so nice just to be away from Boise, even if it was only for a few hours.

Also, I have been messing around with a few photo editing sites and here are a few I kind of like.

M.I.A.

2009-09-18T21:05:00.003-06:00

I promise I have a few posts coming up. Its been quite a strange few weeks in the Curtis household. I will post in the next day or two. Loves!

Boo-freakin Yah!!!

2009-09-08T00:01:00.003-06:00

What an amazing weekend for college football.
If you haven't read about either BSU or BYU's awesome
VICTORIES
Then you must live under a rock.... go... NOW... and look it up.
Especially BYU kicking the Sooners trash
Sort of like the Broncos did in the Fiesta Bowl.
Not that I am trying to rub it in or anything...
but I am

Boise Curb Cup

2009-09-06T20:42:00.002-06:00

One thing I love about Boise is, there is almost always something going one. There's First Thursdays, Alive After Five, Art in the Park, and the countless beer and food festivals to numerous to name, all of which, are free.
The Boise Curb Cup is the newest addition. It is a street performer fair so to speak. Performers lined up to perform their talent in the Boise heat for two hours. Patrons were given a certain amount of tokens to stash in their pockets and as they walked and enjoyed the wide range of performances and if they liked one they could deposit a token or two in the groups basket. At the end of the two hours, tokens were counted up and the one with the most wins. Sounds easy, right?
When this event was planned, they made room for a total of 50 performers stretching down 8th street from Bodo to Bannock as well as about 1000 patrons within the 2 hours.Heres the another thing about Boise I love.... they support the arts, and they love to be outside... and given the opportunity to do both, its a sure winner. The event drew 120 performance entries ranging from musicians to dancers to artists to jumpropers. In addition to the 120 groups performing, there was a massive 15,000 people down town to check it out, Matt and I included. I LOVE the idea. Because there were so many people crammed within 3 city blocks, not everyone got tokens to vote, which was fine with me simply because we couldn't navigate our way through the crowds well enough to enjoy each group. Another issue, with so many people performing, they had bands, on top of bands, on top of bands... no one could hear themselves, we couldn't hear one group above another and well, when the bag pipers were going, nobody could hear anything. Police ended up having to call in back up and closed 3 streets down town to accomodate the crowd.

Like I said before, we both LOVED the idea, and watching people from all walks of life doing what they love was inspiring. It was for the teachers who secretly love to dance. The high school kids with huge aspirations of making it big, the secretary who enjoys playing in the gypsy band on the weekends, the 70 something guy who has been playing the banjo since he was a kid, the 60 year old who recently found a love of dancing... I can't say enough how cool it was. This year was a learning experience. They have already started the planning process for next year, and I,for one, cannot wait!!

The fifteen year old song writers... I loved their stage, very inventive.

There arent enough words for these guys... I wasn't really paying attention to their music.

Funny guys, pretty good "magicians"

Phenominal... middle eastern band. They had a belly dancer in front of them too.

Our friend John's band, he is the guy in the white shirt and cowboy hat.

These guys were playing old Jazz standards... L-O-V-E-D them...

Graffiti artists

Western Idaho Fair

2009-08-31T11:32:00.002-06:00

After working all week, we took some time out to try and enjoy the fair.

Wizard of Oz in the Park

2009-08-30T02:43:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we were all feeling pretty cooped up so we headed down to Julia Davis park with a few blankets and a picnic basket.
The Boise School District has been showing about a movie a month in the band shell, completely free. The last movie of the summer was Wizard of Oz. I was actually pretty excited having not seen it on anything bigger than my tv. The event is really neat, there are games and arts and crafts for kids prior to the movie starting, as well as a live band and drawings. The movie started at sundown.
Danielle, Codie and Rylan came with us. The weather was perfect! It was a lot of fun and we cant wait until next year!

Because we cant be there physically

2009-08-29T15:04:00.002-06:00

We are there in spirit!!!
We would do anything to be able to be out in the heat, losing our voices,
spending time with our niece and nephews
and Sally,
to cheer you and your team on.

We are very proud of you Adam!

If anyone who reads this is in Denver, please support this group of people who have ALL raised money for breast cancer research, AND are walking 20 miles a day for three days.
Give these AMAZING people some love.

And, shame on you if they have been walking close to you, and you haven't given 10 minutes of your day to show boost these guys spirits by cheering at one of the cheer stations. The experience alone is worth it. They deserve the out most respect!!

The Breast Cancer 3 day is a life changing event. Many of these men and women are walking for spouses, mothers, sisters, friends who have fought this awful disease in one way or another.

We love you Adam, Sally, Mark, Kate and Robb!!

Camping... again!

2009-08-18T15:54:00.003-06:00

We went camping for what is probably going to be the last time this year... sad.
We had a blast as usual though. We went with Rick and Tony and our other friend, Bob.
We left town thursday, and came home sunday. It never really got super warm, and friday night got down to 23. We were able to go to the fish hatchery, and another hike (woot!!!)
and of course lots of yummy cooking.

The fish hatchery had such high numbers of salmon return last year that they are ready to release 1.5 million babies next spring!! Amazing!!! These guys are just a few of the ones that have come back this year.

South Side of Galena Summit looking towards Sun Valley.

Pathetic attempt at a family picture.

Titus Lake... beautiful! Very worth starting a hike at 9,000 feet. Were you aware that there is no oxygen up there? I now am VERY aware. Next time I will bring my O2 tank.

Monkey boy Tony!

We are going to try to find another weekend, but it looks bleak. I am sad to admit that summer is officially coming to an end for us. Boo!!

A few cute pictures

2009-08-18T15:47:00.002-06:00

Rylan and his way cute, way too big jacket.

When I was peicing together a quilt for Rylan, I had a bunch of fabric out. Piper burrowed and found herself a place to sleep. It was pretty cute!

Fun With Photobooth

2009-08-08T18:22:00.003-06:00

Never ceases to provide endless entertainment. Mixture of Tanya, Danielle, Rylan, Codie, Matt and I.

Rylans Announcements

2009-08-08T17:44:00.000-06:00

I need opinions... Which one do you like???

Playing at the Park

2009-08-08T17:39:00.002-06:00

We took Piper and Ella to the park today to play fetch and just enjoy being somewhere other than the back yard.

The funny thing about this picture is that there is one almost exactly like this one of Ellas momma going down the slide. Such funny pups!

Why do we buy tennis balls when she gets much more excited about the stick?

Not much here!!

2009-08-08T17:25:00.002-06:00

Not a lot going on here. Just enjoying the new addition to the family.
Danielle is a very good mom. We are all so incredibly proud of her.
Rylan is getting more cute by the day!

Codie is a good kid. He loves his son and is VERY good with both Rylan and Danielle.
Now, if he could just get a job...

We have had a lot of family visit including aunts and uncles and cousins from the area and Oregon. Codies parents are in town until tomorrow. We will be so glad when things slow down!!

Rylan is home!

2009-08-03T17:20:00.001-06:00

Cuddling with my Uncle Matt

My cute tye dye little hat!

Visiting great grandma for the first time!

Rylan Dee Bowsky

2009-07-31T23:44:00.002-06:00

Born July 31st at 3:15
8lbs 14oz
21 3/4 inches long
Mama and baby doing well

Finally!!

2009-07-31T05:47:00.000-06:00

Danielle was due on the 26th. She was set to be induced this morning at 6am. As luck would have it her water broke at about 1am. Mom and I have been in the waiting room patiently awaiting Rylans arrival. After a very dramatic few hours she finally got an epidural and is resting. Last I heard she was dilated to a 5. Wish her luck!!!

We are alive....

2009-07-31T00:49:00.002-06:00

We have been CAMPING since July 12th... we're crazy, I know. We did actually work a little bit up in Sun Valley if that makes you feel any better. We had a blast. We came home on the 29th and honestly, I am ready to go again.

I have started a new blog for all of our hikes, camping, dutch oven and camp cooking and geo caching with our good friends Rick and Tony. If you are interested go to
http://www.backstagepirates.blogspot.com

I will still post on here about some of our trips but details will be there.

I will post camping pictures on here in a few days.

Independence Day

2009-07-05T20:43:00.002-06:00

As usual, we hosted the big 4th of July party. It was a blast, we had tons of people, tons of food, fireworks and lots of fun.

The Masters of Ceremonies so to speak...
Nick (Ricks son) Rick, Josh, Matt and Tony (Ricks other Son)

We had 2 and a half hours of fireworks... and you can see most of the fireworks from downtown from our roof. All of our neighbors are crazy insane when it comes to celebrating, in addition to ours, we were surrounded by AWESOME arials.

This morning, our puppies were exhausted from 4 days of camping and a full day of fireworks.

The Trailer Project

2009-07-05T20:34:00.002-06:00

This was Matt and Ricks baby. Their design, their ideas and their hard work.
I am totally proud of them!
It isn't 100 percent finished, but its nearly there. We have it almost all outfitted.
It ROCKS!!

At the rear is the chuck box or pantry... it is on wheels on a track, it rolls all the way to the front of the trailer, coolers etc... all go in front of it, after we are unloaded, it rolls to the back and opens. The other side of the trailer has the same compartments as the kitchen side, but is filled with tents, sleeping bags, tarps, etc...

Camping July 2009

2009-07-05T20:12:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-06-28T13:10:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Matt turned 29. Because of our work schedule, we are celebrating today with my family.
In honor of his birthday, here are 29 facts about Matt.

1. He is such a hard worker. He will work circles around people without thinking about it.
2. Matt is one of the most giving people I know.
3. His eyes look brown from further away, but they are really green like mine. :0)
4. He loves animals!

5. I taught him to fish, and was with him when he caught his first.
6. My family adores him. My grandad called him son.
7. He adores my family. He jumped right in and took care of all my grandmas finances, and still does. He pays all her bills for her. He would do anything for her.
8. He is very creative. He has quite the artistic eye.
9. He likes to make his friends happy. We host holiday get togethers ALL the time.
10. He considers many of his close friends family.
11. He has the biggest heart in the world.
12. His favorite character is Snoopy and he has collected memorabilia for quite some time.
13. He is very outgoing and will talk to just about anyone.
14. He has an awesome sense of humor.
15. For only having brothers, he is dealing with my plethora of sisters quite well.
16. He LOVES to cook, bake and try out new recipes.
17. At bbq's he is always the one manning the grill.
18. He loves to be outdoors camping or fishing.
19. He has a positive attitude about nearly everything, especially when he was sick a few years back.
20. He is going to make an outstanding father.

21. He can't wait to be a father.
22. He is content to stay home and make dinner and watch movies for date night, but is always willing to go and do whatever I drag him out to do.
23. He shares my passion for the Sawtooth Mountains.
24. He is very good with his hands and has built and remodeled many a set and rooms etc..
25. He loves just about every genre of music except for rap/screamo crap.
26. He stands up for what he believes in.
27. does SO much at work, I think the building would fall down if he were to ever leave.
28. He has a very loud and addicting laugh.
29. He loves me more than anything in the world, and is my very best friend.

We have been through Hell and high water the past couple years. It has done nothing but brought us closer together. We share the same passions, and make each other laugh. I don't know what I would do without him. Happy Birthday my love!!!

Is anyone else excited?

2009-06-20T12:48:00.000-06:00

Camping can't come soon enough.

2009-06-20T12:46:00.003-06:00

We are very excited for camping around here. However, every time we plan a trip we either end up having to work, or it rains... all... weekend...
In the mean time, we have been refurbishing my grandads old trailer. this was after we stripped all of the old rotting wood off of it. We grinded the old paint and rust off and then repainted it with a rust preventing paint.

Also, we bought a new sleeping bag. This picture doesn't do it justice.
it is HUGE
We can fit both of us and the dogs... it we have too...
It goes to 0-degrees and has drawstrings to tighten the top, kind of like an mummy bag.
Have you ever tried to sleep comfortably in a mummy bag with a dog either in the crook of your knees or between your legs? Not so bueno!
We also got a king size air mattress.
We are going to be so spoiled that going home and returning to our full size bed is going to seem like a joke.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2009-06-20T12:35:00.005-06:00

But if you must stay...
Thank You
for watering me topsy turvy tomatoes

(a gardner in my home ward... Sister Rich for the 16th ward peeps... swears by them, she is amazing so I am going to trust her opinion, hopefully they rock)

and my raspberries
(Which by the way, its fruit got eaten by squirrels the next day... grrrr)

and my corn plants

My clematis and tomatoes

and my rhubarb, clematis, pumpkins, squash, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers.....

And providing lots, and lots of moisture, then heat, then moisture for my new composter.

Miss Idaho

2009-06-19T16:20:00.004-06:00

I love this show. It holds a special place in my heart and we meet the niceset people and create friendships! This year was no different. I won't have pictures if the set for a few weeks, which I am kind of upset about because I was way proud of it! Oh well... Here we go.

The week started off with this.... unsafe platform and I was the one that bit it. Better me than the girls in their heels. It got fixed, and my ankle is healing. Matt really enjoyed documenting the color and size changes throughout the week. This was probably Friday or Saturday as I was icing before the show.

This week we also had to crown another crew favorite, better known as "Miss Morrison"
The first Miss Morrison was Briana Carr, who we all still love. We were sad to not have her back this year.

This is Tristan Long. What a cutie!

She hung out with us way more than she did with the other girls, and man, she is TALENTED!!!

This was after the crowning right before we started load out. De started a new tradition ending the week with champagne and orange juice, or for those that don't drink... orange juice!

Sadly, we have to say good bye to these fine ladies. Elise Davis and Danielle Beckstrom were Miss Idaho and Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen 2009.
Amazing job girls! You will be missed!!

None of the girls I was betting on won :( We did get a very beautiful and talented girl though. Her name is Kara Jackson and she was Miss Nampa! Congrats Kara!
As soon as I get pictures from the photographer, I will post them!!

Photos from Brigadoon

2009-06-19T15:34:00.003-06:00

I hadn't posted anypictures from Music week, so here they are.
As always, these are courtesy of Dave Jensen

Final Bows

The "Bridge of Doom" It was ridiculously steep!

Matt was the special effects guy (smoke, have and fog) while I ran the lights

Funniest for last, the gal up front in the teal skirt in the front row cannot dance to save her life. This was a group dance and really quite easy. As you can see, she is the only one leaning to her right, while everyone else leans to their left. From where I sat, a cant really make out specific faces so I thought it was a little girl... nope. It was a middle aged woman. Bless her heart!

Our fur babies

2009-06-15T18:35:00.002-06:00

Our dogs are silly, but we love them!

The Aftermath, So to Speak

2009-06-15T18:26:00.002-06:00

So, here it is a few days later. It doesn't really hurt aside from getting stiff and the bruising. I promise you, these pictures don't do the coloring justice. Its really quite cool looking.

As you can see its still swollen, and bruised 2 or three inches up past my ankle bone. The bottome of my heel as well as the other side of my foot is all purdy lookin too. Before I get in trouble, I did have several medical professionals look at it. The fact that I have been able to walk on it with very little pain and have good range of motion is a VERY good sign. I didn't feel like wasting my time and the universitys money to go have it x-rayed only for them to tell me it stretched the tendons and ligaments and there is nothing they can do. Its not my first sprain, wont be my last!

I know you were dying to see a picture of my foot...

2009-06-10T21:13:00.003-06:00

... So I have rather unhappily obliged...

Anyone guess what is wrong with that picture?

I will spare you the embarrassing details

i48 Reel Pirates Group Picture

2009-06-05T23:34:00.001-06:00

A Hefty Goal

2009-06-05T14:27:00.002-06:00

The best book ever. Matt and I have wanted it for a while, so last night we finally broke down and bought it. We have made a goal to do every hike on the book during our lifetime, starting this summer. There are some that I have already done, but we haven't done together. They range from quick 2 or 3 mile easy hikes to 4 or 5 day backpacking trips. You have no idea how excited we are to cross them off our list. Maybe I will put a scrapbook together with all the pictures from each hike... or maybe it will have its own blog. Hmmm... what do you think?

From Hawaii, With Love

2009-06-05T13:29:00.000-06:00

Busy, Busy, Busy, Busy week.

2009-06-05T12:24:00.005-06:00

Last week was insane. It is now Friday of the following week and I barely feel recovered. Just in time for another crazy week!

Last week myself and a few others from the Morrison Center worked at the SPEC (Special Events Center) over in the student union building. Its a pretend theater. Its actually quite ridiculous if you want my honest opinion. When it was built I am positive it was amazing, I would know, because my grandfather was on the project. But in the years following it has gotten NO LOVE and has fallen into disrepair. The fly rail (what makes things go up and down on stage and what you hang the lights on above stage) it SCARY, and incredibly unsafe. All of the lights were dirty and some just didn't work at all. The problem isn't that its a bad space, its that it doesn't have a staff aside from glorified janitors and audio visual guys who don't do more than plug mics in for events in the student union. Its both sad and frustrating to see something not utilized to its full (or even partial) potential.

That being said, we built a show there for The Trey McIntyre Project. I love these guys. They are a modern dance company who has made their home in Boise. Look them up, they are nothing short of amazing. This is my third show with these guys, and I love them more every time. Check out their tour schedule, if they come anywhere near you, GO!!

This guy is huge, he is well over 6ft... outstanding dancer

These 3 are my favs. The are so synchronized. Their timing and spacing together is impeccable.

Monday and Tuesday were spent building these guys, Wednesday was spent with my second show of the week The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Another AWESOME show. Hey, if I have to work all week, at least I am enjoying what I am doing!! I was able to work a position that night after load in where I was able to watch it while working. It has been a long time since I have truly laughed that hard during a musical. It pushed the envelope in so many different ways, and made us laugh about things we have needed to laugh about for a LONG time.

Thursday morning brought me back to the SPEC for tech rehearsals. A friend and I were running follow spot through these windows, and mine was lucky enough to have a frame right smack dab in the middle of it. In order to be able to shoot my light through the bottom window, I had to raise myself up enough to look out of the top window. I was on a bar stool, on a box that was hardly wide enough for the stool, running the light from behind. Needless to say it wasn't the most ideal situation, but I made it work. After a long day of tech rehearsals I headed over to the Morrison to fill in for someone who called in sick. Its a good thing I like her because that was 5 hours of sleepy time I was looking forward to.

Friday was opening night for Trey. Awesome, awesome show. As usual. After show my 3 fellow MC buddies ran over to the MC to start load out for Spelling Bee while I ran the spot for a Q and A with Trey. The longest they had ever gone in the past was 20 minutes. 35 minutes later I got out of there and ran myself over to MC to help with load out. I think we got out of there around 1am.

Saturday we were up at 5am, grabbed breakfast and met with a whole gaggle of people from Silverdraft (the movie studio) to participate in the i48 film competition. Our team name was Reel Pirates and we had a blast together!! It started at 6pm the night before with our info packet. In our packet we received a genre (silent film) a prop (dice as well as a line in the film and a name or something. They started writing the script that night, we film the next day, and edit the following day and turn it in by 6pm, exactly 48 hours later. They decided to film at the Morrison Center. Ugghhh... I felt like I was at work... lol. We got there, and the first shoot of the day was on the fourth floor. The only way to get up there was up a skinny metal spiral staircase. So we lugged all the film equipment up 78 stairs. We worked on the film for a few hours before I had to book it over to the SPEC to do a matinee with Trey. Another successful show. Went back to MC and worked on the film for a few hours and ran back to the SPEC for the final show and load out. The day was finally done at 1am.

It was a crazy week, but everything I was involved in was so much fun! Now We need to get rested up for Miss Idaho next week! Go Meg Rowe!!!

Memorial Weekend Camping

2009-05-29T17:38:00.002-06:00

We decided rather last minute to go camping this past weekend. We left Saturday in hopes of finding somewhere to camp due to the busy weekend. Needless to say, we found a spot. Ella really enjoyed being outside even if she didn't enjoy the drive up. She got Dramamine...
NO PUKING!!!

We got set up, ate some food, drove down the road further to Atlanta. Not much there, but it was gorgeous. I would totally move there. The river up that far was all run off and almost completely clear. It was gorgeous and I am sad I didn't get more pictures. It rained once we got back to camp, and as you can see the river was moving pretty fast so fishing wasn't very good but that didn't really dampen our spirits. The sound of the rain hitting my tent is comforting. One of my favorite sounds in the world. There is nothing better than being in the wilderness, no cell service, just Matt and I and our dogs. I am so grateful I am able to do that less than an hour away from my home!!

Piper knows the drill, she is an awesome little camper. She is always off leash, and stays close to camp. When she is tired she goes in the tent and cuddles up in someones sleeping bag. Ella was off leash part of the time. We only had to chase her down once, so I was pretty happy for this being her first trip. It will be a whole different story when we take her brother with us next time. The might split half a brain when they are together.

quick update

2009-05-26T23:07:00.000-06:00

Our Internet has been down the last week or so so everything has to be accessed from our phones. I had the two previous posts saved but not published. I have a lot more show pictures and photos of Ellas first camping trip. Soon, hopefully.

Ella Bella

2009-05-26T23:03:00.001-06:00

She's getting so big!

Zoo Boise

2009-05-26T23:03:00.000-06:00

While Matts parents were in town we made it to the Boise Zoo. Neither of us had been there in more than 5 years and were pleasantly surprised at several improvements that have been made. It's a very nice start!

A Wonderful Find

2009-05-02T18:27:00.003-06:00

I was digging through some bags of old pictures that was given to me to scan when to my surprise I found some wedding pictures I hadn't seen before including this one that just happened to bring a tremendous amount of tears to my eyes.

My grandfather and I dancing on my wedding day

I thought I didn't have one... and the ones I did were blurry and from quite a distance.
This was the one picture I kicked myself over and over and over for not getting. For as long as I can remember Grandad danced with all of his granddaughters at every wedding reception we ever attended. Although it isn't fair to my sisters, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been the only one to dance with him on my wedding day, and I am happy beyond words to now have a picture to remember it by.

Water Dog!!

2009-04-25T00:03:00.003-06:00

We took Ella down to the river to see how she would do with the water and...
SHE LOVED IT!!!
She splashed, and chased sticks, and splashed and tried to sniff under the water.
It was hilarious!

Also, we have recently found Ella to be quite the POSER.
Piper will not take a picture to save her life... she HATES it.
Ella on the other hand, must enjoy it.
At least its cute!

The Travel Bug

2009-04-20T00:55:00.003-06:00

I think this is the longest I have gone without going on a fairly large trip. Therefore, I have the travel bug... BAD!!

I want to sunbathe here....

And explore here...

And visit friends here...

And kiss some chubby cheeks here...

And take gorgeous pictures while hiking here.

*sigh*

Random Photos

2009-04-19T20:14:00.004-06:00

Danielle and I playing with photobooth.

Eddy getting cuter by the second

Danielle didn't want me to take these, but I did anyway. They are for posterity!!

Garden Plants

2009-04-19T19:36:00.003-06:00

Our plants are growing! We have started several new plants since I last took pictures.
we have made a greenhouse type thing in this front bed thing that is completely useless for anything else.

SPENCERS!!!

2009-04-19T18:55:00.002-06:00

We hosted Spencers Theatre of Illusion this past weekend. I really do love these guys. They are super awesome to work for. BSU catering has recently become more stupid than they were before, so Matt and I decided to make their dinner for them. It was easy, we grilled chicken and asparagus, made pasta with tomato basil sauce, we made to loaves of the easiest bread recipe EVER, made a simple salad, and whipped up a batch of cookies and brownies. Nothing complicated and we did it for WAY cheaper than catering. They would have charged about 20 dollars a plate for 5 people. We made all that food and fed them and our show crew.

They wanted to take us with them. :-)
We had a blast sitting at dinner and listening to their stories about their stalkers back east. There are some weirdos in this world!!! It was a really good weekend overall. Good food, good show, and good people. Its experiences like this that fuel our love of this profession.

The show crew and Kevin Spencer (bottom right)

Make a Wish Movie

2009-04-19T18:20:00.002-06:00

I work in such an awesome industry. We had the opportunity to go watch part of the filming of a movie that our friend Ben Shedd (he has an oscar ladies and gentlemen!!) was making for a young boy for Make a Wish Foundation. The whole premise behind the movie is an adaptation of Star Wars. They got permission from George Lucas and were offered the rights to some awesome songs. They closed down a few blocks down town for a big dancing scene, taught choreography for a while, and filmed with several handhelds and a crane.

The star of the show was Mitch, who was playing Luke Piewalker. He has spinal muscular atrophy, and did most of his scenes on a Segway. His dad played Darth Waiter, his mom played the Imperial Health Minister, Chewbacca became Stewbacka and storm troopers became Corn Troopers. It was very creative.

In this second picture you can see him in the middle in white on his Segway in front of the crane.

Lil miss Ella Rae update

2009-04-19T18:02:00.003-06:00

Little Miss Ella Rae is getting
SOOOOO
BIG!

She is SUCH a good dog. We show her a lot of love, so she is a very loving dog.
She has grown so fast she still doesn't know her own strength yet.
She fetches like a pro... we just started working on the frisbee.
that might take some time though. She is always happy and that tail is
ALWAYS
wagging. Even when she is in trouble. It makes discipline really hard sometimes.

She is getting very protective of us in the sense that if someone is walking to close to the house for her liking... she lets them know. Piper is a good watch dog, but squirrels and neighbor cats didn't always catch her attention. Nothing gets by Ella. Even if shes in the middle of going after a ball, if a squirrel lands in the yard, Ella knows about it and is off like a bolt. She could be outside all day everyday if we let her. Ella and her brother Chaz get together every week or two and literally BEAT the CRAP out of each other for hours. Its quite the site to see. He isn't outside as much so its funny to watch her look at him like hes crazy when he whines at the back door or window. Ella just cant understand why he wants to be inside! She isn't a huge digger. She has a few spots in the flower bed that she messes with but has been relatively good. She brings everything to the doorstep when she is out by herself. We have found sticks of all shapes and sizes, bark, toys, ground cloth she has dug up ( only from the flower bed we are digging up anyway, which is why we let her do it.) I am anxiously awaiting the day she brings a dead squirrel.

Along with motion sickness, she also has gas. She sits with me on the carpet in the office while I am checking emails and what not. She had been sleeping and created some pretty heinous smells. I looked down and found her like this. I thought it was pretty funny!!

Come What May... and LOVE it

2009-04-13T16:33:00.002-06:00

I don't know how many times in the past year this message has gotten me through. I just found the video... so watch it!

Brought me to tears!

2009-04-13T16:29:00.001-06:00

I meant to post this yesterday but with all that went on, I didn't ever find the time. I encourage all of you to watch this if you haven't, and to ALWAYS remember to true meaning of Easter.

Another neat opportunity

2009-04-13T16:02:00.002-06:00

Okay, only one more, I promise. We have a behind the curtain series that is REALLY neat. I know I have blogged about it before. The audience sits onstage and there are drinks, snacks and what not. It is a incredibly laid back, really cool, intimate experience. Our last one this season is Rachael Sage who is a multi award winning singer/song writer from New York. The show is May 2nd and tickets are 25 or 30 bucks. Not bad for a date night. more info on the links below.

http://eventful.com/boise/events/multi-awardwinning-new-york-songwriter-rachael-sage-/E0-001-019151305-8

rachaelsage.com

I little advertising doesn't hurt

2009-04-13T15:56:00.002-06:00

Okay, I am doing a little plugging for the place that pays my bills. For all you moms with kids that are fascinated with magic... or anyone interested, we have a group coming called the Spencers Theatre of Illusion. It is a family who tours and puts on these amazing shows. We had them a few years back and we LOVE them! Hopefully this video works, its a small trailer of just a taste of what their show is like. Also, the tickets are really really reasonable. 15 for students, 25 for adults. I am not sure about kids but I would assume its the 15 dollar price.

The show is Friday the 17th, I think 8pm.

Go to mc.boisestate.edu for more info and to buy tickets.

It's going to be a BIG boy!

2009-04-10T13:22:00.003-06:00

As you can see she was THRILLED about getting her picture taken.
This was a week or so ago and she is not quite 6 months.
Baby Rylan is going to be a big boy!

Be Jealous

2009-04-07T22:51:00.004-06:00

We had a very quick chance to get away to Stanley with Rick and his girlfriend Fayanna.
It was heaven
while it lasted anyway.

It was PERFECT weather the entire time.
Sunny
and hardly a cloud in the sky.
Not even jacket weather!

Really the biggest thing it accomplished was increasing our
HUGE NEED
to go
CAMPING

Although,
It was nice to escape just long enough to breathe a breath of fresh air and
clear our minds

This is how our day ended

at
SUNSET

In the
HOT SPRINGS

Time Capsule Pictures

2009-03-29T13:27:00.003-06:00

With 2009 being our 25th anniversary the Morrison Center made a really nice time capsule to be buried for another 25 years. The crew decided to buy a big pirate flag, have everyone sign it and then take pictures by the rail and all of our own pirate flags. The first is a few members of the core crew, a few who have been around since the building was built, a few only a few years. The second is as many students and part time temps as we could wrangle up on short notice. Its no where near who should be in the picture but it works. Those not in the picture are at the very least signing the flag.

Fun With the Mac

2009-03-26T16:02:00.003-06:00

Matt, M.A. and I were all messing around with the photobooth on the computer a few days ago. For your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures.

What an amazing show...

2009-03-26T15:51:00.002-06:00

If anyone really knows me, they know I LOVE jazz. Especially the old jazz from the 30-50's. It holds a special place in my heart. This week has been nothing short of amazing. We have Ain't Misbehavin right now with Rubin Studdard who is such a big teddy bear, and Frenchie Davis who is not only an amazing performer, but a very, very cool gal! It is a cast of five who are all equally talented. It isn't often that we are blessed with good experiences working with both the cast and crew but we hit the jackpot on this show. I wish they were here longer than a few days!!

Photo courtesy of Aint Misbehavin Website

Garden time!

2009-03-26T15:33:00.005-06:00

Yesterday while Boise was under constant rain showers we planted the beginnings of our
GARDEN
We planted 3 different types of tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers, corn, eggplant, pumpkin and strawberries. Its a good start I think. I wish I had a greenhouse... does anyone have one of those little portable ones??

We took the pups with us to Zamzows and bought new seeds and yummy nutrient rich soil for our little seeds to sprout and grow in. While we were there we bought grass seed and fertilizer and food. Lets take this moment to bow our heads in prayer for the Curtis back yard. We have had SUCH a hard time getting grass to grow. Renters were here for years and years before we bought the place and the back yard was full of every weed known to man. Not just little weeds either. I'm talking FOREST like conditions. We have gotten rid of most of them, but its still a battle to get grass to grow without being overcome by weeds. It has been a never ending battle for 4 years... AACCCKKK!!! Any advice would be welcomed graciously.

I am anxiously looking forward to watching these little guys grow, but I am even more anxious for Spring to stick around longer than a few days!

2009-03-23T10:47:00.002-06:00

We celebrated out anniversary on St. Patricks day.
Its hard to believe its ONLY been three years!
We both had to work but we spent the evening at The Melting Pot
with another couple whos anniversary falls two days before ours.
With our crazy schedules we haven't been able to spend as much time together
aside from sleeping, so it was nice to get dressed up and spend a couple hours at dinner
catching up with each other and our friends.

Isnt she the cutest???

2009-03-23T10:37:00.000-06:00

3 years!

2009-03-18T20:09:00.000-06:00

Three down, forever to go!

Random pictures

2009-03-12T22:50:00.005-06:00

Yes, we got snow in March, the Hawaiians were freezing

I love Eddy's expression in this one..

Uncle Matt has the magic touch

We sure miss her and her momma and auntie!

Update

2009-03-08T18:52:00.000-06:00

For all of those wondering, Grams is doing well. She has been a bit down but otherwise progressing. Within the next few days she will be moved from St. Lukes to Capital Care Center where she will build her strength back to where it needs to be in order to go home. Prayers have been answered! I was not sure I was ready to lose both of my granparents within a year. I think the scariest was knowing that she may be not willing to fight... She has missed him so much she may have wanted to go.

At any rate, we have been ridiculously busy at work, and my sisters have been here which I have LOVED every minute of. Getting to know my sweet little niece has been such a blessing!

Our computer is down, therefor there won't be any pictures for a while. I am able to update this relatively easily from my phone so I will continue to do that.

What a Week!

2009-03-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend marked the beginning of an extremely stressful weekend. We were in the midst of teching Ballet Idahos production of A Midsummer Nights Dream when my grandma took a nasty fall. She's tough and didn't want to go to the hospital even though she nearly knocked herself out and had a nasty gash across her forehead, as well as a shiner that left her eye closed shut for three days. Needless to say, she ended up going to the er. Once there her body went into shock, septic shock, and started shutting down. We were given a 10% chance of her making it through... Long story short we nearly lost her, it got that bad. It's been a LONG weekend and a rough start to the week. As of today, I think she's gonna stick around for a while. We were incredibly blessed that she didn't break any bones.

This experience has once again brought our family together. Shiara and Chante along with sweet little Eddy flew home just in case we were going to have another funeral to plan. They are my silver lining in this dark cloud of a week. As you all know, I have missed my sisters terribly! We are complete, even if it only lasts a week!

I Ipod Game

2009-03-01T00:32:00.003-07:00

The iPod Game

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

The Freedom Theme from Braveheart

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (a Man after Midnight) Mamma Mia

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

Go All the Way-Twilight Soundtrack

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Aint No Sunshine When She's Gone-Al Green

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

Africa-Toto

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Hard to Say Goodbye-Dreamgirls

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

Defying Gravity-Wicked

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

A Boy Named Sue-Johnny Cash

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Bubbly-Colbie Caillat

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Pork and Beans-Weezer

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

Keep on Loving You-REO Speedwagon

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?

Smile Like You Mean It-Killers

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

Viva La Vida-Coldplay

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Lost Highway-Bon Jovi

HOW WILL YOU DIE?

The Devil Went Down To Georgia-Charlie Daniels

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

I'll Be Seeing You-Tony Bennet

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Peel Me A Grape-Diana Krall

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

The Brilliant Dance-Dashboard Confessional

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

Lose Yourself-Eminem

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Never Letting Go-Nothing Ever Stays

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

Stronger-Britney Spears

YOUR ULTIMATE FANTASTY?

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds-The Beatles

Warning... if talk of vomit makes you retch, turn away now.

2009-02-23T22:49:00.005-07:00

We have both worked quite a bit the past few weeks so last weekend we decided to go for a nice drive in the mountains. We loaded the dogs up, stopped and got sandwiches for lunch and headed up through Idaho City to Lowman.
Here is the important part:
Morres Creek Summit makes Ella
HURL
you read that right...
she
chucked chuncks
in our back seat
right past the summit
I really do feel for the poor girl because unless I am driving or take my precious
Dramamine
I puke too
The only other person to
Throw up
in our car was Matt, on our way home from Zions National Park
literally 20 yards past a rest stop.

As you can see, Matt is just thrilled with the prospect of cleaning Ellas puke and then getting his picture taken.

We stopped for lunch between Lowman and Garden Valley.
The view was breathtaking with all the snow.

We got Ella right around Christmas when there was a lot of snow to run and play in so it didn't faze her a bit. Piper on the other hand... not so much. For reasons unknown, she is becoming quite the little
princess

Proof that at the end of the day, they do indeed love each other.

A few pictures from a few shows

2009-02-12T12:41:00.003-07:00

As always, photos are courtesy of Dave Jensen

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

THE NUTCRACKER

Not my favorite version. Above is Drosylmonkey...

The Snow King

The Sugar Plum Fairy

Ella Update

2009-02-10T13:30:00.003-07:00

I still cant believe how big she has gotten in the last couple of weeks.
She plays fetch and tug of war
Is learning to sit, although if a treat is involved she cant focus and loses her mind.
She sleeps at the foot of our bed
She is completly housetrained
...unless she is mad at us, or we aren't giving her the sufficient amount of attention...
negative attention is better than no attention apparently
She drinks like a cow, water sopping from her mouth and ears dribbling all over the place when she is done
She is learning to walk on her leash without pulling
except when she is walking with Piper
then its play time.
She is a cuddle bug, but only when she wants to be.
She doesn't know her own strength yet
I SWEAR she has some form of doggie ADD... maybe even ADHD
She deperately wants to play with the cats and cant understand why they just growl at her.
All in all she is such a good dog
and we
LOVE HER!!

Superbowl Sunday

2009-02-10T13:25:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if you can tell or not, but this is what we watched the Superbowl on.
It is a 10ftx14ft projection screen.
We pulled all the comfy (and uncomfy) couches from their respective homes and had a nice party onstage. We have way too much yummy food.

Yes... I know its not a picture of the Superbowl.
I think my favorite part was watching the
GHOSTHUNTERS
marathon for a few hours prior to the game.
Yes... I missed all that pre-pre-pre-game crap.
Who wants to watch the athletes leave their hotels... get on their busses,
follow the bus to the stadium, get out of the bus....
blah, blah, blah...
I enjoyed watching Grant (he's my fav) and Jason
instead

Currently accepting donations for a ticket to go see my sisters...

2009-02-10T12:49:00.005-07:00

Okay, I am throwing in a few updates. Dont get your hopes up for regular posts though. I am still on hiatus...

I got a bunch of pictures from Shiara and Chante and Eddy right around Christmas. All it did was make me ridiculously upset for the period of an hour because I can't be there with them... now I miss them.
A LOT
At any rate, for those of you that know them, here are a few pictures.

Chante and Eddy at some gorgeous beach

Chante and Eddy in front of Eddys first Chhristmas tree

Mrs. Bowsky is Beautiful

2009-02-01T00:12:00.004-07:00

Photo Courtesy of Becca Robins Photography

Taking a bit of a break...

2009-01-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

I decided quite a bit a go to take a small blogging break. I need to clear my head a bit and get reinspired. Love you all!!

Moment #1

2009-01-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Holiday Season 2008
I deem this the #1 moment for many reasons, or lessons learned

-This was the first Christmas season without a few members of our family... and it was a hard one.
-We became a stronger family unit.
-We also realized how much we love and appreciate and sometimes even take for granted those who are so close.
-Money doesn't buy happiness... you can't put a dollar figure on it.
-True friends are just as good as family sometimes, and this year our family grew seven fold.

(I am not including any pictures with this because they are probably just further down the page a bit.)

Moment #2

2009-01-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

The 3 Day Walk For the Cure

60 Miles or Bust

Its such an awesome experience. I mean, there are literally thousands of people here walking, along with thousands of supporters. The level of devotion and commitment literally blows me away. You get a little teary standing among the supporters cheering on someone you will probably never meet... yet you are all unified by a single common bond, hope for a cure! We will definetly be here next year.

Ever heard of a sausage fest? Well this is the complete opposite... its a total boob fest. There are bras everywhere.... and LOTS of pink!!!

Decorating the bushes at the first cheer station of the day.

The crazy ladies down the way. I think they had a bit too much caffiene, they were seriously weirding me out a bit.

Real men wear pink.... with rhinestones

The Boob Mobile

One of the many bra themed tents

Adams Tail (insert cat call here)

Team Freshly Squeezed and the reason they are walking.

The Double D ranch.

The Husband Tag

2009-01-15T23:31:00.003-07:00

My friend Becca tagged me so I figured I would do it. I may have already done it but I can't remember, so here you go...

1) Where did you meet your husband?

At the Shakespeare Festival. A mutual friend of ours worked for him.

2) How long did you date before getting married?
We started dating in May, got engaged in November and got married in March.... and June :)

3) How long have you been married?

2 years, 9moths, 4 weeks and 1 day... thanks to my handy dandy ticker

4) What does he do that suprises you?

How much he loves me, how often he gets up in the middle of the night to let the dogs out even when he has to be up early and he puts up with a lot... mostly at work. He never ceases to amaze me.

5) What is your favorite feature of his?

Which one isn't.... hmmm.... He has a cute butt!!! Hey, I am only being honest :)

6) What is his best quality?
He loves to cook, he is such a hard worker, he doesn't settle for less than he should, and le lets me be me. He is without a doubt my very best friend... and he lets me stick my cold toes by his warm ones

7) Does he have a nickname for you?

We call each other "My Smile".... other than the usual, honey etc.... I can't think of a specific nickname

8) What is his favorite food?
This is kind of a hard one. He loves a bit of everything. Indian, Thai, Italian, Mexican... I guess I would say his favorite is anything that is homemade... with lots of love.

9) What is his favorite sport?
Probably football, even then he really doesn't get into it.

10) When did you first kiss?
On our first real date... by my car, in front of O.C. by the mall... we used to have all these dates in the calendar until we had to wipe the hard drive clean.... sad...

11) What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We love to travel, camp, eat at new exotic places, watch movies, play games.

12) Do you have any children?

If you count animals, we have 2 together and he has 3 from a previous relationship, LOL :)

13) Does he have any hidden talents?

I think he is a better baker than I am. :) And he is a home improvement genious, and is really, really good with kids

14) How old is he?
28

15) What is his favorite music?

Thats kind of hard.... he likes a bit of a lot of different genres... if I had to narrow it down I would sat country and older rock are pretty high on the list.

16) What do you admire about him?

His drive, his hard work, his unconditional love for my family

17) What is his favorite color?
Green and Blue

18) Will he read this?

Probably

19) Who said "I love you" first?
He did, in a letter. I still have that letter somewhere

20) Who do you tag?
Brenda Davis, Emily Judd, Jana Russell, Christine Taylor and anyone else that has the time to do it.

Moment #3

2009-01-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

Goodbye green bathtub!!!!
Matt and I like to think we make a
DANG GOOD TEAM

Sub floor replaced with Hardibacker, new vanity in place, new jetted bath tub installed.... WOOT!!

What my counter and sink look like. They are going to look awesome when they are done!

Really horrible picture of me but proof that I did the tiling all by myself!!

Kind of shows my tiling job in the shower area.

This is a decent pic of the tiling on the tub and floor.

Aside from a few very miniscule details, our bathroom is done. Here are a few pictures.

The sinks.

The shower and tub.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the color of the counter top. The picture doesn't do it justice. The little cubby is PERFECT for the laundry hamper.

I really like the color of my rugs a lot. We went and bought a few new towels too. You can't tell but we put the shower curtain on lightweight curtain track so we could pull in all the way over against the wall keeping the bathroom open. Love it! Makes the small room feel so much bigger.

Moment #4

2009-01-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

I had such a blast this summer. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to camp.
I am sure if we could live in a tent all summer
WE WOULD
This year we caught a ton more fish, and forged many new friendships,
while strengthening those we already had.
I am counting down the days until we can go again!!!

This is how we spent a good deal of our time. We perfected lake fishing and basically lived on the docks at Alturus Lake for 3 days before we attacked the Salmon River. In total, we caught 34 fish and ate about 28 of them.

Mmm.... One of the recipes we tried for Dutch oven trout.

Then our camp got raided and somebody stole our Pirate flag..... there were so many people in our party not one of us heard anything unusual. If we heard anything we probably thought it was one of us getting up to go to the bathroom. Why just the pirate flag.

Our fearless leader chopping wood. I bet you don't know how many inebriated stage hands it takes to get this stump chopped. Answer? Two, and about ten others surrounding them laughing and taking pictures at their expense. HAHAHA

Matt, Jenn and I at the top of Galena Summit.

AAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!!

The sunset on the White Cloud Mnts, our view from where our camp was

Piper was bound and determined to catch something... even if it means digging to China!!

Tony being a fish :)

Tony and Matt trying to catch dinner!!!

The weird people in our spot. And they were SOO weird. They had a teenage son that walked around the campground with a revolver and a huge knife under his belt.... creepy!!

Dagger Falls. They were built to aid the returning salmons journey upstream to spawn. Very cool and very pretty!
The Salmon River

Moment #5

2009-01-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

This summer we spent a couple weeks in Sun Valley working on the ampitheatre. It was quite the adventure to say the least. Here are some pictures.

Here are some pictures of us on our last day before we drove home.

From the back.

From the front entrance.

Hanging 25 feet above the ground on top of one of the ceiling panels.

Putting the canopy on.... it took them 3 days... :)

View into the house from the stage.

The front truss with the cheapest moving lights ever made.

Moment #6

2009-01-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

In June we had a couple shows that I am really proud of. First was the Miss Idaho Scholarship program. We took them from a high school auditorium joke to a real show, with a real stage and crew and dressing rooms. Something they can hopefully make a lot more money with in the future. Every single one of these girls were amazing women. As of right now, 2 of them are married and one is engaged that I know of. They don't waste time! Go girls!!

The second show was Joseph Smith the Prophet. It was a very challenging day but completely worth it. This to came as an idea and became a reality. If you want to read more it happened in June 2008

Taking a break...

2009-01-08T00:38:00.003-07:00

I needed a short break from walking down memory lane!
Just a few new pictures of the pup. She is stinking cute as always and in to EVERYTHING. She is very smart!!

Playing high five with Matt

Although she is on Matts lap in this picture, she has lived on or around my lap since I have done a lot of laying around the past few days.

I can't believe how much she has grown in the few weeks we have had her. Its crazy!!

I have a lot more pictures of me, and of Piper but they are still on my phone. I will try to import them tomorrow. Depends on how I feel!

Moment #7

2009-01-05T11:10:00.004-07:00

In Memory

Jose Retureta

Danny Peterson

This year was rough on us as far as deaths were concerned. In addition to my grandfather, we also lost a friend of ours who was barely 30. A dear friend of the family, Brother R.W. Christiansen, who I don't have a picture of unfortunatley, and probably the most surprising was the death of our very well known friend Mr. Danny Peterson.

Moment #8

2009-01-05T11:04:00.002-07:00

Obviously, the devastating loss of the patriarch of our family is a very defining moment of 2008

I copied this from a previous post and when I pasted it... the pictures are kind of all over the place, but they are there... sorry

Robert Whiting, 84 years young, left this world to be with his Father in Heaven on March 27th, 2008 after a very short courageous battle with cancer. Robert was born on the 4th of November, 1923, in Crystal, Power County, Idaho. He was the 7th child of Forres and Margery Butterfield Whiting. Most of his childhood years were spent in Salmon Idaho where he attended school. At the age of 9 he lost his mother due to complications from child birth and at the age of 14 he lost his father to heart complications and had to become very independent from that age on. He started working on several ranches in the area to help support his siblings.

Robert joined the Army in February of 1943. He was very proud that he was able to serve his country during WWII. He was on Utah beach during D-Day, he helped fight during the Battle of the Bulge and he liberated the Bergin-Belsen concentration camp. During this time was when he met his lifelong friend Al Vensak while building bridges to allow the Armed Forces further access into France and Belgium. Robert was honorably discharged in October of 1945.

Edwin coming home from the war Robert met “the prettiest girl he had ever seen” in Nutrioso Arizona and made Marian Louise Slade his wife on 19 of December 1951. They were married in the Mesa AZ Temple for Time in All Eternity. She followed him to New Mexico, Hawaii, Colorado and Utah until they finally settled in Boise Idaho in 1958 where their oldest daughter, who was born handicapped, could receive the schooling she needed. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in 2007.

Robert lived for his ladies. He had four daughters and four granddaughters all of whom had him wrapped around their little fingers. When two son in laws came around he thought the sun rose and set in those two boys. He instilled in all them a love of the mountains, all of nature and taught them to fish, shoot, and camp with the best of them. Many a wonderful time for our family was spent at Smiley Creek in the Sawtooth Mountains.

On his days away from working for John Ewing, whom he considered a son; he could be found in his large garden, or building something around the house. He was a very avid reader as well his favorites being the scriptures, and good ol’ Louis L’Amour. He stayed incredibly close with all of his 15 siblings and their prospective families and loved each and every one of his brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews very dearly.

was a very devout and faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He filled many positions and held many callings including a Scout Master, Sunday School Teacher and High Priest Group Leader and was an amazing genealogist. Later in life genealogy became his passion, finding thousands of names and doing the temple work of many of them with his family. He loved that he was able to share temple work with his wife, daughters and granddaughters.

He is survived by his sweet wife Louise, his four daughters, Laurie Robinel Whiting, Stefanie Ann Bitton (Micheal), Tanya Louise Whiting, Shiara Louise Whiting, his four granddaughters, Laura Monae Curtis (Matthew), Chante Nicole Forgett, Danielle Naomi Bitton and Makayla Ann Bitton. Of his 15 siblings he is survived by Ruth Andrews and family, Alta Allsworth and family, Roy and LaVerda Whiting and family, Iris Saxton and family, and JuneWhiting, as well as numerous other nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed by his companions Bandit, Kimo, Piper, Lucy and Redder Boy.

Moment #9

2009-01-05T11:03:00.003-07:00

We did quite a bit of traveling in March.

Matt and I were able to sneak away to Stanley for our anniversary
Just the Two of Us
(and piper)
It was gorgeous!

Matt and I also flew to Houston with a few coworkers for a work related convention. It was grueling getting there... it took roughly 30 hours between flying, waiting and driving from New Orleans to get there. Once there we really enjoyed our time there. We were able to attend a ton of workshops, participate in the floor expo with tons of free stuff, meet new friends, reacquainted ourselves with old friends, and enjoy a dinner with family that lives in the area.

Moment #10

2009-01-05T10:42:00.003-07:00

Since I have nothing else to do, and can't get up off the couch I am going to do what I did this time last year and do our top ten moments of 2008. Also, since we had to reformat our hard drive, I don't have very many pictures on the computer right now so I may write everything out and then add pictures.

*for those that don't know, I had my appendix removed early Saturday morning after being in the emergency room for several hours. All is well. I am just VERY, VERY sore.*

Moment #10

Our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley passed away on January 28th, 2008.

President Hinkleys Testimony:

Now, in conclusion, I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God's holy work. The vision given the Prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy. He saw Them standing in the air above him. He heard Their voices. He gave heed to Their instruction.

It was the resurrected Lord who was introduced by His Father, the great God of the universe. For the first time in recorded history, both the Father and the Son appeared together to part the curtains and open this, the last and final dispensation, the dispensation of the fulness of times.

The Book of Mormon is all that it purports to be—a work recorded by prophets who lived anciently and whose words have come forth "to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations"

The priesthood has been restored under the hands of John the Baptist and Peter, James, and John. All the keys and authority pertaining to eternal life are exercised in this Church.

Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.

I leave you my testimony, my witness, and my love for each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Here's to 2009...

2009-01-01T22:11:00.008-07:00

Dear 2008,

You have been a challenging year to say the least.

It seems just yesterday we were ringing you in.

We gained family and lost family

We watched loved ones achieve wonderful things

and we watched those we love fight many battles out of which

came those who won, and those who lost.

We have loved, and cried, and laughed,

and learned...

and

grown together

Thank you 2008

We ushered in the new year with a few of our friends, good food, games, and fire works.

Here are a few pictures

WELCOME 2009!!!

SNOW!

2008-12-27T17:57:00.005-07:00

We have taken full advantage of the crazy amount of snow we have gotten

Piper is not a big fan of the snow... if you couldn't tell.

Like I said... not a big fan. She doesn't even reach the bottom. She is only about halfway through the snow.

Warming up in the nice warm house. And more importantly... proof they don't hate each other!!

Christmas Day and More

2008-12-27T17:44:00.003-07:00

We had Christmas Dinner at our house. Matt did a fabulous job as usual on the meat. We had the ham pictured below, and an awesome roast beast. Of course they were accompanied by amazing twice baked potatoes, and salads and rolls galore topped of with left over cookies and candy.

Piper says Merry Christmas. This is the best picture of her I could get because she ALWAYS looks away right as I snap the picture.

Ella on Christmas morning. I think it is safe to say she got into EVERYTHING that day. Wrapping paper, tape, presents, shoes, rugs... you name it she got to it. I think she got into something she was allergic too or ate something weird off of the floor because her little eye lids puffed up later that night. A bit of baby benadryl and she was all better!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T17:21:00.003-07:00

I am dumb and forgot to take my camera to Christmas Eve... but we had a blast. Matt and I, along with M.A. Taylor and Rick and his son Tony all went to my grandmas house. Since we do our big dinner on Christmas Day, we do munchies and desserts and just enjoy each others company. We had little smokies, awesome cheese fondue and of course lots of cheese and crackers and meat and homemade yummy rolls and of course all the homemade yummy cookies and candies we could fit in our bellies. We watched Pirates of the Carribean and National Treasure and then ended the evening with M.A. reading "T'was the Night Before Christmas." I love that we are such good friends with such an amazing actor. It makes story telling time AWESOME

Once we got home I took a few pictures
Above is my new favorite decoration. If you look close its actually the night of Christs birth. The wise men, the star, shepards, the city of Bethlehem and Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child.

Our tree

Snow literally ten minutes after we came home.

Ella tuckered out after playing ALL night with moms dogs.
I love the little white tip of her tail.

The ONLY picture we have of ourselves on Christmas or Christmas Eve.
OOPS