Good news and bad news

We got some good news the other day.  My sister-in-law, Tammy, doesn't have brain cancer like we thought she did.  The bad news is that she has MS.  But at least we know that MS is treatable.  Tammy's doctor seems like he will serve her well, and he has an MS specialist joining his practice next week.  We all hope she gets some relief from her symptoms soon.

Mike and Harley are in SD visiting some of Mike's old AMMO buddies and their wives.  I am sure they are having a great time.

Chelsea had her last day at Old Navy on Thursday.  She has worked there for over a year so it was a little hard for her to leave.  She has put in a transfer request to work in the Old Navy in Logan when she goes to college.  It's not a bad job and she actually likes folding t-shirts. I actually liked doing that also when I worked there several years ago.

She is getting ready to head back to Montana to volunteer as a jr. counselor at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp.  Then next week we all head up to Montana for a week at Glacier National Park.

I am so looking forward to getting up there and doing some hiking.  Not sure anyone else in the family is as excited about that!

Jake put off completing his financial aid and housing applications so long that he most likely won't be living in the dorms this fall.  And he may only end up with a Pell Grant and student loans for college.  I've only been bugging him for about 8 months!  So now he is going to need to look for a place to live in Salt Lake.  And he's putting that off as well.  School starts for him on August 23rd so he needs to get busy.  And, no, living here with us is not an option.  At this point he is really using our house as a place to sleep and eat breakfast.  Other than that we don't see him and he has chosen not to go on vacation with us.  He doesn't do the very few chores he should be doing either.  So it is time for him to move on and really live on his own.  I've done all I can to help him become independent so he should be okay.  Besides, he does have a mother, father and grandparents to help out as well.

I am going to bake some banana bread today for Chelsea to take with her on her bus ride tomorrow. We always seem to have leftover bananas so I've just been throwing them in the freezer if they get too ripe.  Time to use them up!

Bryce Canyon

We went to Bryce Canyon with some friends and had a great time.  We got there Friday and just set up camp and relaxed.  On Saturday our friends, Bob, Carol and Jessica ran the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. Bob won first place in his age group.  While they were running we went for a short walk at the south end of the park.  It was an easy 30 minute walk that gave us some nice views.

Here we are standing a little close to the edge~  Chelsea, Mike, me, Harley, Micah and Marcia.

Harley and Chelsea enjoying the view.

Later we went for ice cream and decided the girls needed a little discipline so we locked them up.  It's not too tough being in jail when you have good ice cream to eat!

Later Chelsea and I went for a hike into the canyon with Bob, Carol and Jessica.  Yes, the same people who ran 13.1 miles in the morning were up for a hike in the late afternoon.  Mike and Harley were exhausted from the 1 mile walk so they stayed in the camp.  They really missed out on some amazing scenery.  It was about a 3 mile hike and was relatively easy.

Here we are, taking a short break.  Carol, Bob, Chelsea, me and Jessica.

The girls spent the evening enjoying the giant marshmallows and making smores.

And this is Mike's idea of a good time, sitting by the fire,drinking Crown Royal, and spending time with friends.  Sadly I didn't have any red wine so I had to resort to drinking beer.  I was tired so went to bed early. According to the girls I missed out on a good party!  But I sure felt better than some of the other adults the next morning!

We went on the park bus tour on Sunday morning and then broke camp and headed home.  About half way home I noticed Marcia's trailer brake lights weren't working anymore.  Her wire bundle which hooks up the lights and brakes to her truck wasn't secured and so it dragged on the ground, which resulted in the wires becoming severed.  In the end we made it home with no incidents, although we were some very tired and in Mike and Chelsea's case, smelly people.  Harley and I took a shower in Marcia's trailer but Mike and Chelsea waited until we got home.

Now I am working on making plans for our trip to Glacier the first week of August.  I have been there before but no one else has.  We are staying at a really nice cabin at a KOA so won't be camping.  I am hoping we will do a lot of hiking but Harley doesn't like to hike so we'll see.  I am definitely going to Iceburg Lake which is a 4.1 mile hike (each way) but did pick out several easy, much shorter hikes to do as well.  And our KOA has a pool and hot tub so there will be plenty of relaxing also.

My sister, Karin, and niece, Samantha, will be joining us and so will Bob and Carol.  Karin and Sam will stay in our cabin with us and Bob and Carol will be staying in the park in their trailer.  It should be a fun trip.

Visit from the in-laws

We had a really nice visit with the in-laws this past week.  This photo includes Mike, his cousin Mini, Harley, Uncle Bob and Aunt Laura.  They traveled from PA and have been all over. They are headed home now.   They are such good people and we all really enjoyed our visit.

Yesterday Scruffy was having a hard time walking on his left rear leg.  Mike took him to the vet and they think he might have arthritis. He got a prescription for puppy ibuprofen and is doing really well today.  I have to go in to get a crown this afternoon and then we are planning to head out tomorrow to go to Bryce Canyon for some camping and hiking.  We are going with friends, Bob and Carol, Marcia,Micah and Jessica. It should be a blast!  It will be about 10 degrees cooler there than it will be here.  Temps are supposed to get up to 99 degrees over the weekend. That I could live without!

This morning I am going to take the dog for a walk then head to Kohls to use a gift card Mike got me a while back.  My new job is a little more casual than my internships so I need some khaki pants and new tops to wear.  I am not much for clothes shopping so it's not that exciting for me!

I am back

My dad asked me to start blogging again and since I am finally done with Grad school I guess I should be able to find the time.  Mike's aunt, uncle and cousin are here visiting and we are having a great time.  Harley is also here for the summer.  This weekend we are going camping with Marcia, Jessica, Bob and Carol.  We are heading to Bryce Canyon for a long weekend.  Can't wait to do some hiking.  I have started a new job at the Ogden Homeless Veteran's Fellowship.  It's not what I initially thought I would be doing but it is a very flexible position and the pay is competitive.  There are a lot of health issues going on with family and friends and so I want something that will give me an opportunity to work, get my LCSW license and still spend as much time with my family as possible.  This job will allow all of that.


I am not making any promises but will try to update this blog at least once a week!  See you soon!

Stitches out!

So, just as a reminder, it all started February 11, 2009 when I went running and managed to hit the only piece of black ice on the road and broke my ankle.  This is a photo that Mike took in the emergency room: 

I ended up getting plates and screws in my ankle:

But that didn't stop me! I started running in May, ran a 5K in July and then a 10K in September:

 

Last week I finally got the hardware removed.  I think the plate would make a great bracelet!

And yesterday I got my stitches out!

It really hurt much more than I thought to get the stitches out.  And the bad news is the doctor was adamant that I not run for a month.   I can start using a stationary bike or elliptical trainer next week.  I'm not thrilled about that but I will live with it because this saga has gone on long enough and I don't want to risk another injury.  I am going to run the Ogden 1/2 marathon in May so I need to take care of my little ankle!

Shopping done!

I do believe I finished up all my shopping.  I think the kids and Mike will be very happy with their loot!  I even had time to make some gifts for my family.  I can't even remember the last time I had the whole weekend to do what I wanted!  Mike is off with a friend watching football and the kids are still in Colorado.  Chelsea called and neither one of them made the cut but they both learned a lot.  Chelsea says she is definitely going to try out again next year. I don't know about Jake yet.

I am so tired so I think I will take a short nap and then try to finish wrapping everything.  Good thing we are taking the truck up to Idaho or we'd never get all the gifts and suitcases loaded!  So far it looks like the weather is going to cooperate.  In any case, it doesn't look like it will be anything like last year, with record snowfalls.

Well, off for my nap and then back to Christmas chores!

Okay, this is getting ridiculous!

I decided it was time to update my blog.  Imagine my shock when I found out it's been almost 2 months since I last updated!  I don't really suppose anyone is still checking it!  But I'll update it anyway! So, lets get started!  Jake finally got his drivers license and after weeks of searching we finally found this Mustang, which he fell in love with.  It was reasonably priced and runs, and doesn't look too bad either!

Mike, Chelsea, Jake and I went to see Trans Siberian Orchestra.  The music and light show were amazing.  Here are the kids on the train ride home:

Here are a few pictures from the concert.  Jake say's he is going to marry the violinist!

Mike and I got the chance to go down to St. George to watch the kids compete in the state marching band competition.  We were all thrilled when the Roy High band won 2nd place in their division.

 

After their performance the band parents hosted dinner and some activities.  Jake won the pie eating contest and Chelsea competed, but didn't win, the soda drinking contest.

Mike traveled to Vegas for work and then came home for a couple of days before heading to South Dakota to visit with some of his best friends, Matt and Woodie and Larry and Shelia.  The guys went out in the gators to check out the Black Hills.

Mike turned 50 on November 22nd.  

We had a party for him with some of our dearest friends and it was so fun to see him open his presents.  His favorite was the new laptop.  Since he travels so much he will get a lot of use out of it.  And I might even be able to get on mine once in a while!  :)

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the Fullers, Campbells, Kierpiecs and our family.  We had a great time.  I gave Chelsea some cooking tips and she did very well.  She made the ham and the sweet potato casserole.  Both were wonderful! After dinner the women and kids played Apples to Apples while the guys watched sports on TV.

 

 

 My friend, Jessica, and I ran in the Santa Fun Run after Thanksgiving.  It was fun, with over 200 Santas!  And we got the chance to work off some of that food!

 

 

Chelsea and I convinced Mike and Jake to help get the tree set up.  Chelsea and I really love this annual ritual but the guys were just not that into it!  

The first weekend in December Mike and I went to Las Vegas with our friends, Steve and Dave.  We went to see Cher.  We decided we needed to do that while she was still performing.  She looked amazing for being in her 60's.  Heck, I didn't look that good in my 20's!

Here are Mike and Steve enjoying a boot full of beer.

 

 

That is Mike and me in front of the Paris hotel.

Steve and Dave at the concert.

 

The Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon was going on while we were there.  They had some serious runners and some not so serious runners.  We saw lots of brides and grooms and an untold number of Elvises:

Chelsea and Jake both got awards for the 2nd place Marching band competition and Jake was on the high honor roll for the first quarter.  Here they are showing off their certificates after the awards ceremony.

I had surgery the other day to remove the hardware in my ankle which was put in in February when I broke my ankle.  Here's a picture of the plate, pins and screws.

Cool souvenir isn't it?

The kids had their Christmas band concert the other night and they sounded amazing, as usual!

You can see Chelsea in the center playing the bass clarinet and right behind her is Jake playing percussion.

I had my little Godson's over the other night to decorate gingerbread houses.  They are so fun.  They call me "grandma" and they call Mike "uncle" because he thinks that he's too young to be a grandpa even though he's 50.  Anyway, it is so cute to see the little one calling "Uncle, uncle!"  And Mike really loves playing with them too.  Here he is playing light sabers with them,

In the background you can see the fort we built which is perfect for flashlights and picture books!

Here they are decorating their houses:

 

I think the little one ate more candy than he actually put on his house!

And don't tell their parents but we also made a surprise Christmas present for them.  It probably won't be much of a surprise since they get the same thing every year (and they might even read the blog).

Last week Mike and I hosted our second annual open house and fundraiser. We had about 75 people and collected over $400 for the Salvation Army and collected 19 sets of sheets, 12 pillows and 9 blankets for the Ogden Homeless Veteran's Fellowship. I am on break from school although I still go in to my internship location on Monday's to see my clients. I think I have most of my Christmas cards out and most of the presents bought and wrapped.  Chelsea and Jake are in Colorado at a camp for the Blue Knights drum corps and Mike and I are enjoying some time alone with each other.  Harley will be coming late Tuesday night and we all will be heading to Idaho to spend Christmas with my parents.  And once again, I will do my best to update my blog more often!