Jeff and Traci Jacobs

Second Half of 2011 Recap

2012-01-02T19:04:00.031-07:00

Jeff and I are way behind in our blog, and so we decided to do a blog that gives an overview of the highlights of the second half of 2011.

In July, Jeff and I went on our annual trip to Yellowstone National Park. This year we had a longer trip than normal, so we decided to drive to Yellowstone a different way and visited Teton National Park, which neither of us had ever been to before. The mountains were spectacular, and one of the highlights was seeing a moose and its baby from a distance while on a hike!

This year Jeff's dad and his wife Julie joined us for part of the Yellowstone trip. Neither of them had been to the park before, so it was fun to show them around. We took them on some of our favorite hikes, as well as a couple new ones, and of course showed them all the main highlights of the park.

After Jeff's dad and Julie left, Jeff and I had a few more days in the park to explore on our own.

The biggest and most exciting development in 2011 for Jeff and I was our change in vacation properties. Back before the economy took a hit and before we purchased the lot in Sumpter, Oregon, Jeff and I fantasized about purchasing vacation property in Cascade, Idaho. However, by the time we were out of college and could seriously look at vacation property, Tamarack Resort had been built near Cascade and the land prices had greatly increased. That is why we looked elsewhere and ended up buying the Sumpter lot. But now, land prices in Cascade have gone down enough to where it can be affordable again. Jeff and I were fortunate to find a buyer for our lot in Sumpter, and purchased a little lot in Cascade!! We are SO excited - it still seems surreal. We have already gone to Cascade for several day trips (since we don't have a cabin yet) and look forward to making many more memories there in the future.

In August, Jeff hiked Mount Borah with his friend Kevin. Mount Borah is the highest peak in the state of Idaho, and is quite a brutal hike. Jeff had already done this hike a couple years ago, but since Kevin had never done it Jeff agreed to go again. It gives you quite a feeling of accomplishment to do the hike, but it's not very much fun, so Jeff says he will probably never do it again.

Also in August, Jeff and I each had a weekend hanging out with our parents. I went to Cascade for the weekend with mine, and Jeff went to Washington to go on a fishing trip with his dad and brother. They went out on a fishing boat in the ocean and caught some salmon.

September 1st was our ten year anniversary. 10 years, I can't believe it! Jeff planned a fun surprise date night for us. He loves to plan surprises - I think planning is as enjoyable for him as the actual doing. After work we went to dinner at Asiago's, a really nice Italian restaurant. He reserved us a room at the Hampton Inn in downtown Boise. It was really nice - our room even had a little hot tub in it!! The next morning we walked to Ann Morrison Park and enjoyed a hot air balloon launch during a ballooning festival. I love watching the balloons inflate and then fill up the morning sky.

In December Jeff and I held our annual Christmas party, this year with friends. A friend of ours wanted to have a themed party, so we had a prize for the ugliest holiday sweater. Not everybody wore one, but it was still pretty entertaining. We had lots of delicious food, played Pictionary and Guesstures, and got to spend time with some wonderful friends. We heard later from attendees that they had a really good time, so I think the party was a success!

Jeff and I had a really fun Christmas season this year. Some of the highlights were: going to a Mannheim Steamroller concert with my mom and sitting in the 3rd row, enjoying multiple Christmas light drives, and volunteering through Jeff's work at the Garden-A-Glow at the Botanical Gardens. We also spoiled each other way too much with gifts, and my mom went to a lot of work making homemade gifts and also buying a few very thoughtful ones. Jeff of course went all out on decorating the house!

Looking forward to making more memories in 2012!!

Little Lady Holland Turns Two

2011-06-20T14:10:00.011-06:00

Last Friday, my niece Holland turned two. My sister hosted a really nice BBQ to celebrate. All the food was vegan, but it was delicious! She did such a great job and I was very impressed with her hostessing abilities. I was also very impressed with the cake she made. Holland couldn't stay away from the cake. She kept trying to pick at it so Ashley had to put it away until after dinner.

Finally, cake time! Holland was so excited to have a ladybug all to herself.

Holland is the only grandchild of both my parents' and her dad's parents, so as you can imagine she is just a little spoiled. That girl got so many presents for her birthday! A lot of them were fun summery things that she can do outside, so she should really enjoy that.

Here Holland is unwrapping the present from me and Jeff, a play lawn mower that will blow bubbles when she pushes it. Ashley told me that later in the weekend they set it up and Holland loves it!

Holland got a baby doll from her great-grandparents. As soon as she unwrapped it, all she wanted to do was hold her baby. As soon as Ashley gave it to her, Holland cradled it - it was so adorable! Ashley says she doesn't know where Holland got it, since Holland has never seen Ashley hold another baby.

My parents gave Holland a sandbox - should make for some fun times and some great messes this summer.

Ashley and Rick gave Holland a really cute mini-Camelbak, as well as a little basketball hoop for her to play with.

And do we have a case of the "terrible twos" upon us? Here is Holland shrieking at her dad, "I NEED it!! I NEED it!!" very impatiently as he works to get her new Barbie out of the box.

Happy birthday sweet Holland! We all love you!

Another day trip

2011-06-10T10:50:00.008-06:00

Jeff and I have really enjoyed exploring some of our beautiful state lately. Last Sunday, we took another day trip and headed over to Shoshone Falls ("the Niagara of the West"), where the water levels were really high. It was beautiful! You can see from the pictures that it was kind of rainy, but we still had a good time.

After Shoshone Falls we went out to lunch in Twin Falls and then drove down the Thousand Springs Highway to Thousand Springs Resort, a commercial hot springs that we had never been to. When you got near Hagerman, the scenery got really pretty as there were lots of waterfalls running down the cliffs. The white spots you can see in the picture are waterfalls.

Thousand Springs Resort was really fun! I don't know why we have never gone there before, but we will definitely be back. It had a big pool with diving boards, a slide, a basketball hoop, and beach balls. Jeff and I had lots of fun volleying a beach ball around. They also had private rooms with jacuzzis that you could rent by the hour, so of course we did.

It was a fun little day trip. With all the hot springs Jeff and I have been to lately, it's got me thinking that maybe we should make it a goal to go to all the commercial hot springs in the state. I wonder how many there are? I'll have to find out. :)

Fun-filled weekend

2011-05-24T15:37:00.008-06:00

Jeff and I had a fun time last weekend. It was busy, but in a good way!

On Friday night we went to the Reef for dinner with our friends Chuck and Yon. We hadn't seen them in a while and it was nice to catch up.

Saturday morning I had a brunch for Junior League. It was at a country club so I got a little bit dressed up. Meanwhile, Jeff went on a fun bike ride from our house to downtown Boise to go to the market.

That day we ran some errands and did some cleaning, but also got some hiking in to enjoy the beautiful weather. That night we had some friends over for a potluck dinner.

Sunday we decided to take a day-trip to Givens Hot Springs, which is about an hour from Boise. It was a really pretty drive! Jeff and I had never been to that hot springs before, so it was a new experience. And a funny coincidence was that my friend Jesselyn happened to be there that day with her family.

On the way home we stopped by an outdoor museum that Jesselyn had recommended to us. It was a nature trail full of lawn decorations, small statues, birdhouses, flowers, and religious symbols. Jeff and I had expected it to be kind of silly, but actually it was really pretty and enjoyable to walk around. We were surprised.

There were several peacocks wandering around the nature trail. I had never seen white peacocks before! One of them decided to show off, so I had to take a picture.

It was a fun weekend! Hopefully our summer will be full of more small adventures.

Other Happenings

2011-05-10T12:40:00.007-06:00

Here's some more catch-up on other things that have been going on with me and Jeff.

I am staying active in Junior League, and have been enjoying it. In fact, for the next League year (which starts in June), I am going to be the chair of a committee. It will be interesting to see how I like it and how I do! The picture below shows me holding a poster I made for a "Placement Faire" where League members try to decide what committee they want to be in for the next year.

Jeff's birthday was April 29. He turned the big 3-1!! We went to Wahooz Fun Zone for his birthday and played mini-golf, laser tag, video games, and did the go-karts. It was a fun night. I know it wasn't nearly as elaborate as my birthday, but just remember - for his 30th he was in Cancun, Mexico. So don't feel too bad for him. :)

Last week I got to do something I've wanted to do for years. I went to the Broadway show Wicked!! I've wanted to see it ever since it first started having shows, and it came to Boise. I was worried that I had raised expectations too high for this show, but I didn't. The show exceeded any expectations I could have had. It was SPECTACULAR. The talent, the sets and props, the storyline... I could go on and on. In fact, when the show ended I teared up because it was so wonderful.

The weather in Boise is getting very nice, so I'm excited to do lots of hiking and biking! Jeff and I are also hoping to get out and do quite a few fun things this summer. So here's to making more memories!

The last weekend of my 20s

2011-05-10T12:24:00.007-06:00

The weekend before Jeff and I went on my fun birthday trip, I decided I wanted to have a party with my friends to do something memorable on the last weekend of my 20s. I wanted to do something unique, but was struggling to think of what. And then Jeff thought of a great idea - going to a golf course and using the driving range!

Only a few of us had ever used a driving range before, and none of us were regular golfers. So it was very low-key and relaxed, and a fun way to be outside and doing something where we could all still chat and enjoy each other's company.

After the driving range, we went back to my house and squished into the tiny living room for pizza and our favorite activity - chatting. :)

My friend Cameron was really sweet and made a birthday cake for me! Jeff of course always sings happy birthday to me, but I hadn't had a group of people sing happy birthday to me in a REALLY long time. I felt so special and really enjoyed the moment.

After talking until close to 11 PM, five of us went to China Blue in downtown Boise and went dancing for a couple hours. The music was ridiculously loud, but we still had a good time.

I had such a great night and enjoyed myself very much! I feel so fortunate to have a fun group of friends here in Boise that were able to come celebrate with me.

To help Traci remember: Attendees were Cameron and her boyfriend Stephen, Jesselyn, Ann, Gretchen, Robyn, Joanne, Chesna, Brandon, Melissa W.

Bon Jovi Concert!

2011-05-10T11:50:00.015-06:00

I was on my way down to the Las Vegas Bowl last year when something on the radio caught my attention…Bon Jovi has scheduled a 2011 tour… Excited about finally getting the opportunity to see my favorite band I quickly sprung into action and started researching! There were three locations to choose from: Salt Lake, Las Vegas, or Vancouver. Without knowing anyone as excited to see them as me I opted for Vancouver because I knew I could get someone in Washington to go with me. After purchasing two tickets and a flight to Seattle I called my friend Jeff Stiles to see if he was interested in going. A few days later he got back to me and told me everything was a go for March 26, 2011.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with my mom and grandma before we left for Vancouver.

When we got to Vancouver I couldn’t believe how big and beautiful it was….there were big buildings and a ton of people everywhere but the city was very pretty and clean.

Jeff Stiles got us a room at the Hyatt in downtown Vancouver and I don’t think he could have picked a better hotel….. the Olympic torch , Convention Center, harbor, and greenbelt were only about 5 minutes way by foot and Rodgers Arena (location of the concert) was only about 10 minutes away!

About 1 ½ hrs before the show we were eating dinner and during a conversation with another guy who was also going to the show and he asked us where we were sitting… in classic fashion I realized I left the tickets in our room! I couldn’t say "check please" fast enough!!!!

After the mad dash back to the hotel we got to Rodgers Arena with about 30 minutes to spare and plenty of time to souvenir shop, but when they wanted $50.00 for a stamped Hanes t-shirt I just couldn’t bring myself to do it!

The sold-out venue had a great atmosphere (we sat in section 113 row 22 seat 104 & 105), the band put on a great show and I couldn’t believe how much energy Jon Bon Jovi had. He went hard for 3 hours nonstop and it made Jeff and I tired just watching him!!!

Jon Bon Jovi rising up out of the ground (about 50 feet from our seats ) to the opening song “Last Man Standing”.

The next morning before we headed back to Seattle I got up early while Jeff was still sleeping and went on a 5 mile walk (roundtrip) to Stanley Park.

Overall it was a great trip and I am really glad that I got to see them live!!! I have wanted to see them for a really long time and they did not disappoint!!!

March 26, 2011 Song List

LAST MAN STANDING
BAD NAME
BORN TO BE MY BABY
WE WEREN’T BORN TO FOLLOW
LOST HIGHWAY
WHOLE LOT OF LEAVIN’
IT’S MY LIFE (My favorite song live)
RUNAWAY
WE GOT IT GOING ON
BAD MEDICINE W/HOT LEGS (ROD STEWART COVER)
LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME
MAKE A MEMORY
LIVING IN SIN
SQUEEZEBOX
SATURDAY NIGHT
WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T GO HOME
CAPTAIN CRASH
WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN
HAVE A NICE DAY
KEEP THE FAITH
SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN
WANTED
THESE DAYS
PRAYER

My Birthday Surprise

2011-04-26T17:37:00.036-06:00

Last Thursday the inevitable happened. I turned the big 3-0. I was not too excited to be leaving my 20's behind. Jeff decided that I couldn't be bummed about turning 30 if I was on vacation, and he planned a trip. Not only did he plan it, he kept where we were going a secret from me. I didn't find out until we were at the airport! He captured my reaction as I finally saw our itinerary.

Jeff was SO sweet and planned an awesome vacation that was full of things I like to do. When I was about 10 years old, my older brother got to go to Disneyland with my parents and some of our relatives. My sister and I had to stay home. We were really sad about it, but my parents told us that when we became teenagers we would get to go too. Well, it unfortunately never happened. So for my 30th birthday, Jeff took me to Disneyland. I was so excited when I found out where we were going!

The first day of our trip we got to Anaheim at around noon. As soon as we checked into our hotel, we headed to the park. We only had to walk about a block and a half to get to the main entrance.

The two Disney parks in Anaheim are so close together, that we accidentally went to Disneyland when our plan was to go to California Adventure first.

Once we figured out our mistake, we rushed to the other park. (Fortunately we had a 3-day hopper pass.) Of course we had to take some pictures of the decor in the park - Disney does such an amazing job!

The one downside of the trip was that kids in California were on Spring Break, so the parks were ridiculously crowded. So in the middle of the day we couldn't get to many rides in. But we had fun anyway. This picture is out of order, but on Thursday while we were at Disneyland Jeff took a picture a line at the corn dog stand to show how long the lines were.

Back to Wednesday - of course Jeff and I had to hit up one of our favorite rides, Tower of Terror. We of course went on other rides too, including a water ride.

At one point we decided to bite the bullet and waited for almost an hour to go on Toy Story.

Finally made it to the ride!

That night we went to the "World of Color" show at California Adventure. It was pretty amazing. It was used water fountains, lights and holograms put to music to show scenes from Disney movies.

Thursday was my birthday. We got to Disneyland right when it opened.

It was a fun day, but the lines got so long that we decided to take a break from the park in the middle of the day. We went out to lunch and went to the hot tub. And the birthday surprise didn't end with the trip. I of course thought the trip was my birthday present, but Jeff went overboard with spoiling me this year. He did the cutest thing in the hotel room - he had prepared clues and brought two combination locks. I had to figure out the clue to open the first combination lock, which had another clue to open the second combination lock. (Jeff had to help me because I couldn't figure it out.)

After I opened the second lock, a note told me to go to the pool area. When I got there, Jeff was waiting with my birthday present - a gift card toward an Ipad!!! I've been wanting an Ipad ever since they came out, but kept feeling like we couldn't afford it. So Jeff paid for a big chunk of it because he knew if he didn't I would keep putting off getting one. Now I should be able to get an Ipad by July! I'm so excited!

That night we skipped the fireworks show at Disneyland so that we could get a bunch of rides in while the line was short. That was a brilliant idea - we went on a bunch of rides that we hadn't been able to go on earlier. The first picture below is Jeff being really goofy during the Tower of Terror ride (this is the picture that the ride takes while you're dropping).

Since I had never been to the Los Angeles area before, I wanted to go on a tour. So on Friday we went on a bus tour. We hit up the highlights, including the Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and Venice Beach. I was glad we went because I wanted to see the area - although I admit, I was surprised at how grungy the area was. Jeff hated the tour, but kept a good attitude anyway. I don't think we will ever go to the city of LA again, but at least I saw it.

That night Jeff had planned another fun activity for me - we went to an NHL hockey game. I had never been to a professional sporting event before, and I think hockey games are a lot of fun. We went to a game at the Honda Center - the Anaheim Ducks vs. the Nashville Predators. It was a great time! I was really surprised at how many hardcore fans there were. Almost everyone had jerseys and hats for the team, even up in our cheap seats. Another interesting thing is that the national anthem was sung by David Archuleta. I could tell I was in a different world - I'm used to the national anthem being sung by high school choirs or local singers, not American Idol finalists with recording contracts.

The game ended up going into overtime, and unfortunately Anaheim lost. But it was a very exciting game.

On Saturday Jeff and I went to Knott's Berry Farm. When we first got there, we were able to get some fun rides in. But once again, it got very crowded. We still had a good time though. We went on a few rides, went to a couple shows, and went to Claim Jumpers for lunch. That night we decided to stand in line for a roller coaster so we could get one more ride in. 65 minutes later, we finally got on the ride. Oh well.

Jeff was excited to go on a ride he remembered being one of his favorites when he came as a kid.

And the Xcelerator was my favorite ride at Knott's Berry - what an adrenaline rush!

Sunday morning was GREAT! We got to Disneyland at about 7:45 and the lines were TINY! The park didn't start to get crowded until about 10:30, so we were able to go on a bunch of rides on Sunday morning. It was a blast!

We decided to try some new junk food. I had a fudge-dipped marshmallow, and Jeff had Fire Hot Tamales for the first time.

We finally had to head home at about 3 PM.

Words cannot describe how much I appreciate what Jeff did. He went to a ton of work for me, and made sure that the whole trip was about me. He even went the extra mile by doing things like making it so I never had to carry anything in the park. I really felt special and loved.

Year in Review

2011-02-20T13:54:00.023-07:00

2010 had a lot of fun moments, here is a chronological list of some of the key things we did last year!

January - Boise State played TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Boise State won 17-10.

Febuary - Traci and I went on a overnight snowshoeing trip to Stanley with Roxy and Dwayne.

April & May - Traci had her 29th Birthday, she went on a trip to San Diego with her longtime friend Karen Tsai , and got accepted to Junior League.

I went to Cancun to celebrate by 30th birthday with my Mom and Grandma. While we were there I went on Selvatica’s zip line and buggy tour, we enjoyed an evening on Captain Hook’s Dinner Cruise, we explored the ruins of Chichen Itza, took a ferry and traveled around Island Mejures, and of course swam in the Caribbean Ocean.

June - I received a promotion at work.

Dustin Gregg and Jeff Stiles came to Boise to go whitewater rafting and golfing.
At the end of June we bought a 2006 Subaru Impreza Outback Wagon Sport to replace the Kia Rio .

July - Started off with our 3rd Annual Sumpter Camping Trip with Traci’s Family (Ashley, Rick, and Holland also made it out). We were all pretty happy that Dwayne and Roxy’s new trailer fit on the property this year!

Later that month Traci and I took our yearly vacation to Yellowstone. This trip was quite a bit different then previous years as the park had a lot more accessibility compared to when we usually go around Memorial Day. We Hiked the following trails for the first time: Boiling River, Uncle Tom’s Trail, Hellroaring Creek, Mount Washburn, Cascade Lake, Lone Star Geyser, Pelican Creek Nature Trail, and Natural Bridge…logging more then 40 miles in total.

Lastly , Traci and I went to the first Annual Boise River Festival…artists included Macy Gray, Backstreet Boys , and Bret Michaels.

August - My dad and brother came out, and for the 3rd year in a row we went on a rafting trip on the Payette River. While they were here Traci and I also took them on a zip line tour (Zipline Idaho) and we ate dinner at Tucanos.

September - A football frenzy began as the Broncos started the season ranked in the top 5 Nationally. Traci and I went to Washington DC to watch Boise State take on Virginia Tech …a Battle of two top 10 teams! Boise State won a thriller 33-30.

Later that month Boise State got the opportunity to host ESPN’s College Gameday with the match up against Oregon State to be aired nationally on ABC (both firsts for the program).
October - In early October I fount out I am allergic to gluten, eggs, dairy, and soy….bummer no more normal pizza for me!

At the end of October Traci and I took our annual week-long vacation , this year we decided to go to Kauai, HI. While we were there we stayed In Kapa’a at the beautiful Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort. During our time in Kauai some of the activities we did include: hiking, swimming ( Jeff’s favorite beach - Hanalei Bay….lost wedding ring here while boogie boarding) , luau, Fern Grotto tour, zip-lining tour, tubing tour (through an old sugar cane irrigation canal with caves), and I went on a helicopter tour. During our trip Traci stumbled into an old favorite….Cold Stone Creamery’s Cookie Batter ice cream and our candy of choice on this trip was Brach’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins.

November - After we got back from Kauai we determined we weren’t quite ready for vacation to end so we decided to head to Cascade for an evening of rest and relaxation. We stayed at The Ashley Inn and decided to try out Gold Fork Hot Springs….it was a perfect way to spend an evening. The next morning we did some more relaxing and then took a walk along Lake Cascade before heading home.

The Sumpter pole project took form after months of planning…we went in with a bunch of our neighbors in Sumpter to have power poles installed on the lots at a reduced rate…we are now one step closer to having power!

Near months end we purchased another Subaru after realizing that the only thing better than one Subaru during the winter in Boise was two! While we were looking to replace Traci’s Toyota we found a great deal on a 2006 Subaru Forester with all the features that I had been originally looking for.

Over Thanksgiving Weekend I went to Washington to visit family and to take part in Black Friday shopping madness with my Aunt Kelley (While I was there I saw my Aunt Judy, Uncle David, Cousin Josiah, and Uncle Lenny for the first time since 2001). And of course lets not forget the nightmare that I will relive for years to come…. # 3 Boise State lost to Nevada that weekend ending the nations longest winning streak (started in 2008) and most likely missing out on a trip to the Rose Bowl.

December - Traci and I did a lot of our annual Christmas traditions like decorating the house, watching a ton of movies, getting hot chocolate, taking Christmas light drives, frosting sugar cookies , and visiting the Botanical Gardens.

On December 20th my friend Kevin and I took a trip to Las Vegas to watch Boise State take on Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. This trip was kind of crazy as we had to drive through a blizzard in Utah going 5 miles an hour at times but we finally arrived after nearly a 14 hour drive (usually takes 9)…..I think we will fly next time!!! The game was interesting…we had great seats (1st row on the 40yard line) and I was really glad Boise State won 26-3 but being late to the game due to major traffic congestion (12 miles in 1/12 hrs), sitting in the Utah section (purchased tickets before we knew BSU was invited to the game), and dealing with a drunken buddy left something to be desired.

Christmas day was GREAT…we did all of our normal activities except I couldn’t have our traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast…oh well I decided to be healthy and eat the gluten free Christmas cookies Traci and Roxy made for me instead!

We are thankful for all the fun times we had with friends and family in 2010 and only hope that 2011 brings with it a bunch of exciting new adventures.

Valentine's Weekend

2011-02-14T18:33:00.004-07:00

Since this year Valentine's Day is on a Monday during tax season, Jeff and I decided to do "Valentine's Weekend" instead. We didn't buy each other presents, since we don't really care about silly V-Day gifts. Our way to celebrate was by spending the weekend doing fun things together.

I had to work on Saturday until about 1 PM. After that Jeff and I went on a long walk outside in the foothills because it was such beautiful weather. 60 and sunny in February!! It was wonderful for the valley but very sad for my local ski resort, who is very low on snow. After almost 3 hours of walking around enjoying nature, we went to our favorite candy shop and treated ourselves to some of our favorite items. Then we went out to dinner and watched a basketball game on TV - but I was so relaxed and comfy that I fell asleep halfway through.

Yesterday we went to the tubing hill up at Bogus Basin. Jeff had never been before, and it was a lot of fun.

After that we did some chores and then went to my parents' house for dinner. My mom had gone all out and made a very delicious meal for us. She took the time to make everything from scratch, including homemade guacamole, and made sure everything was OK for Jeff and his food allergies. She is so awesome!

Love you Jeff! Happy Valentines Day!

Just Because

2011-01-31T12:28:00.006-07:00

I know I'm behind on blogging. I haven't done my Christmas post or anything else since the middle of December. My annual excuse of tax season is back. Hopefully I'll still fit some blogging in anyway.

However, I did want to do a quick blog to remember the sweet thing Jeff did this weekend. I went skiing yesterday and it was great - beautiful weather up on the mountain and fun snow. When I walked in the house at around 5 PM, this is the first thing I saw:

The note says "Welcome home! Love you, Jeff".

Jeff knows I love yellow flowers, and Starburst jellybeans are one of my favorite candies. And guess what, we weren't fighting, it wasn't a holiday or birthday or anniversary - he did it just because. How fun is that! Thanks Jeff!

December festivities!

2010-12-20T11:00:00.006-07:00

Jeff and I have continued to enjoy our Christmas season. We've been watching lots of holiday movies, and last weekend we hosted our bi-annual family Christmas party. It was lots of work to get ready for it, but it was worth it - I had a great time and I hope everyone else did too. In fact, I was so busy merry-making that I forgot to take any pictures. :(

Thanks to my parents, my sister, and my brother and his girlfriend Rae for coming to the party! We had an ornament exchange and lots of yummy snack foods. And best of all, there was lots of chatting and laughter. We played our favorite group game, Electronic Catch Phrase, which is always a lot of fun. Time flew by and I couldn't believe it when my mom said it was 10 PM!

On Sunday, Jeff and I headed up to Bogus Basin to do our first snow-shoeing trip of the year. It made me realize how out of shape I am, but it was still fun.

My grandparents were in town for a couple hours so I stopped by my parents' house to visit. Ashley and my niece Holland were also there, and Holland made for some GREAT entertainment for us all. She is so cute, and I just love playing with her!

Last night Jeff and I had a movie marathon and watched two Christmas movies - "Christmas Do-Over" and the classic "It's a Wonderful Life". It was a great holiday weekend!

By the way, as I said in my last blog, Jeff went all out with our outdoor Christmas decorations this year. I don't know if this picture does the display justice, but here it is:

More Christmas fun

2010-12-13T11:59:00.006-07:00

Jeff and I love Christmas! We don't have any kids, but you'd think we did with how much we get into the traditions, decorations, and activities of the season. Our house is all decorated - Jeff went all out with the outdoor decorations. I'll have to take a picture and post it soon.

We went on our annual trip to the Winter Garden-A-Glow at the Botanical Gardens. It wasn't very cold this year, which made it easier to enjoy the beautiful light display. This year they had a big model train set on display with 4 trains running on it. It was very cute - all 4 trains were decorated for the holidays.

Last Saturday night we went on a holiday light tour on a trolley with some friends. The trolley was decorated inside and out and had Christmas music playing, so it was very festive. And we saw some great Christmas light displays.

Yes, I know about the bunny ears - Jeff thinks he's just so funny. :)

Other Christmas activities we have been doing are Christmas shopping (of course), and watching some of our 12 holiday movies that we own - yes, that's right, 12. We also bought a Christmas puzzle and started it last night.

On a different subject, a couple weeks ago Boise had a lot of snow on the ground - way more than I remember ever seeing before. Fortunately it's melted now, but here's a picture of Jeff shoveling and a little snowman he made. Can you believe all that snow?

It's Christmas Time...

2010-11-30T16:51:00.016-07:00

I can't believe it. It's already Christmas season again. I remember last Christmas season like it was yesterday. Christmas season 2010 has begun well, starting with Thanksgiving weekend.

I had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. (Jeff was in Washington visiting his family.) My niece Holland was there too, so of course she stole the show.

I had to take a picture of my mom's table - she always sets it up so cute.

Thanksgiving evening, my mom and I decorated a gingerbread house with a kit she had bought. Not too bad if I say so myself!

I tried to do lots of fun, Christmassy things during the holiday weekend. Here's a sample of what I did:

On Black Friday, I joined the mobs and went shopping. I'm not too crazy though, I got up at 6:15 AM instead of 2 or 3 AM like some people do. For me it's a tradition and a festive way to get into the spirit of the season. Wait, am I saying that the spirit of the season is commercialism? Oh well, as long as I have fun right? :)

I went to the Holiday Parade. There were 5 of us there, but only 2 of us in the picture. What's up with that? Anyway, the parade was pretty disappointing. I'm not expecting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade or anything, but couldn't we at least have music? That's right - for the most part, the parade was silent. No bands, no music playing from the floats or cars ... just quiet. Not a way to set a festive mood.

Me and my mom went to the Festival of Trees together, one of my favorite Christmas events. It is always so festive to see all the decked-out trees, and I always take part in the public vote and pick my favorites.

After Festival of Trees, my mom and I ventured out into the cold to watch the downtown Christmas tree lighting at the Grove. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my mom that day - she is so awesome!

I also made and decorated gingerbread cookies. They didn't turn out too well, but that's OK - I mostly just did it so that I could do something holiday-ish.

Bogus Basin is already open, so my dad and I went skiing for a couple hours on Sunday. I called it my "warm-up day". It was great to already be out on the slopes! I'm hoping for a great ski season this year.

I also worked on decorating my house for Christmas, writing Christmas cards, and even wrapped a couple presents. I'm trying to take full advantage of the holiday season this year!

Kauai 2010

2010-11-30T16:09:00.015-07:00

In October, Jeff and I went on a vacation to Kauai, Hawaii. (I know, I'm way behind in my blogging - I've been busy at work and haven't had time.) We loved our 2008 trip to Maui so much that we decided to try another island. So, we headed off to the "Garden Isle". And the scenery in Kauai really lived up to the nickname! It was so lush and green, definitely what comes to mind when I picture a tropical island.

Kauai was a lot different than Maui, but still very fun. It was not as developed, but the scenery was more beautiful. It had a ton of beaches, and they were great. Unfortunately, the ocean water was choppy the whole time we were there due to the wind, so I didn't swim in it too much. OK, not the whole time. On our last day, all of a sudden the weather was beautiful and the water was absolutely calm. Boo.

But the weather didn't affect our trip too much. We still had a great time. We did some hiking, of course. What would a Jeff and Traci vacation be without hikes?

Look at this trail I went on. We walked on wet slickrock, so it was very slippery. Jeff did fine on it, but I was really slow and freaked out. But I still did it, and somehow kept a good attitude (until the very end).

Of course we had some beach time. Jeff really got into boogie boarding on this trip. I was amazed at how warm the water was in Kauai.

We also visited the beautiful Waimea Canyon, "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Look at those beautiful colors!

Our hotel was really fun. It had a great pool area, with 3 hot tubs, 2 waterslides, and a "lazy river". Jeff and I had a lot of fun playing in the water and taking silly pictures. We especially enjoyed one of the hot tubs, because it had the warmest water. We spent several hours relaxing in it.

One day we visited the Fern Grotto. We took a ferry along a river to this beautiful area that was once only open to royalty. And on the boat, we had some live entertainment.

On Friday night, we went to a luau. The food wasn't great but the show was excellent. Our favorite part was the fire dancer.

We saw several of the rare monk seals while we were on Kauai. There was also a sea turtle laying on one of the beaches we were at one day. The green monk seal is a baby - apparently that is normal when they are young.

I don't have pictures of this, but another memorable thing we did was a tubing tour. We went on intertubes through an irrigation canal in a plantation. The coolest part was that we went through 6 tunnels that were about half a mile long each. They were really dark and we wore lights on helmets. It was a really unique and fun experience, although the water was pretty cold.

Kauai was a fun trip with some good memories. We are thinking of going to the Big Island the next time we go on a tropical vacation, because We Love Hawaii!!

Enjoying autumn, Idaho style

2010-10-21T19:30:00.008-06:00

You can't have fall in Idaho without going to a corn maze - or in my case, two corn mazes! I love going to the festive corn mazes - it's definitely a fall tradition. There are two mazes in the Treasure Valley and both of them go all out, with hay rides, train rides for the kids, a petting zoo, and a large pumpkin patch. This year Linder Farms has even added a bunch of small attractions for kids, like a bungee jump and a rock climbing wall, for example.

I went to my first corn maze on a beautiful Saturday with Ashley, Rick and Holland (Jeff was busy watching football). We went to the Farmstead Festival, which had two phases to the corn maze. We completed them both. Even though Holland slept through the maze, she enjoyed the animals and pumpkins. And Ashley, Rick and I enjoyed a chance to catch up with each other.

On a side note, it's so much fun being an aunt! Holland is so cute and she just brightens my day. She's getting to know me also. She always gets happy when she sees me, she likes me to hold her and play with her. Yesterday Ashley asked her, "Who's that?" and pointed to me, and Holland said "Trae". I couldn't believe it!

Anyway, back to the corn mazes. About a week after the Farmstead Festival Jeff and I went to Linder Farms. It was the evening this time, and we made the mistake of not bringing a flashlight. Oops. Fortunately, it didn't get too dark and neither of us twisted an ankle, so it worked out okay. Most importantly, we each had a good time. We also each picked out a pumpkin.

I know, the picture of me and the train is silly. Jeff and I just can't help it, we're cheesy that way. :)

Fun-filled weekend

2010-09-27T13:11:00.017-06:00

Jeff and I had a busy but fun weekend. I had earned some extra vacation time at work, so I took a half-day on Friday to enjoy some of the PHENOMENAL weather we've been having lately. I did some hiking as well as walking on the greenbelt, and it was a wonderful way to start my weekend. On Friday night I went with some friends to a club I've been wanting to try called Montego Bay. I'd been wanting to try it because I thought the music would be a ton of fun to dance to - and it was! Unfortunately, two of the people I was with didn't dance too much - but fortunately Gretchen was there. The two of us danced for almost 3 hours, and worked up a sweat. It was a great night.

The guy in the picture is not one of my friends. I asked the waitress to take our picture, and she called him over to get in it. He is the host of the morning show on a local radio channel. I would have preferred him to not be in the picture, but oh well.

While I was dancing the night away, Jeff was busy making signs. Saturday was a huge day for the Boise State football program. We were playing Oregon State at home that night, and ESPN GameDay brought their program to the blue field to record the show. As you can imagine, Jeff was beyond excited. He got in line in the middle of the night to ensure that he would be part of the crowd standing on the field while the show was recorded.

Before they got in line, Jeff and the group he was with spent hours making signs - and then ESPN wouldn't let them bring any of them into the stadium. Bummer.

Here they are on the field (holding someone else's sign)!

I watched the entire broadcast from home. Since I had such a late night and would have been going by myself, I didn't feel that it was worth it to scramble to try to make the show. However, I really enjoyed watching it and thought it was so cool that GameDay was broadcasting from Boise. They showed Jeff once on TV, but just for a second - but at least I saw him.

Between GameDay and the football game at 6 PM, I spent some more time outside enjoying the beautiful weather. I spent some time in the Rose Gardens and at Albertsons Park. Look at the cute baby wood ducks.

I also went to "Museum Comes to Life" put on by the Idaho Historical Museum at Julia Davis Park. The second picture below is from a milkman's truck from 1925. I thought the phone number was really interesting - apparently you used to call the operator, and he/she would ask who you wanted be to connected to, and you would give a number like the one in the picture.

And of course, Saturday evening was the game. For the first time, Boise State's game was being televised nationally on primetime on ABC. So of course BSU set up a color scheme for the fans to follow. We actually did a pretty good job!

Boise State ended up winning 37-24. They should have won by more, but had some mistakes and penalties that kept Oregon State in the game.

Sunday morning I went on a hike in the foothills with Chesna, an old friend that I have recently reconnected with. We had a good time and already have planned another hike next weekend!

Sunday afternoon Jeff and I ran some errands. Then that evening, I did more hiking. Jeff and I met up with our friends Chuck & Yon to go on a hike in the foothills. We hadn't seen them in a couple of months, so it was good to catch up. It was a beautiful evening and we had a good time chatting while getting some exercise.

I realize this post is probably boring for everyone except me and Jeff, but I wanted us to have the memories.

Celebrating History and Boise State Football

2010-09-20T12:11:00.019-06:00

Over Labor Day weekend, Jeff and I took a trip to Washington DC. The Boise State football team was playing Virginia Tech on Monday night. For Jeff, the trip was all about this game. For me, the game was an excuse to get to go on this trip.

I went to DC about 5 years ago, but Jeff had never been. So of course, we had to see all the major sights - the monuments, the Capitol building tour, the Smithsonian museums. These were all things that I had done before, and other than the monuments, they weren't all that exciting the second time around. But I was glad Jeff got to see them. And, everywhere we went, we saw Bronco nation proudly wearing their BSU gear.

One of my favorite monuments is the WWII memorial - so pretty. In the first photo below we were able show some home-state pride. The next photo is the view from inside the WWII memorial.

We also did some things I hadn't done before. We went to Madame Tussaud's wax museum, which was really fun. It's pretty amazing how lifelike a lot of these sculptures look.

We also explored Arlington National Cemetery. It's pretty awe-inspiring to see all those graves, and to know that they are all people who served in the military or their families. The thing I was most interested to see was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guard.

And of course, on Monday night was the football game. Jeff convinced me to paint my face and wear a wig, but I was very reluctant to do so - especially since we were going to be traveling to and from the game on public transportation.

The game was GREAT. It was really neat to be inside a stadium with over 86,000 fans. It was estimated that about 12,000 of the fans were cheering for Boise State and the rest were VT fans (Virginia Tech is only a 5-hour drive from Washington DC). As you can imagine, it got loud inside the stadium.

Everyone in my section stood for the entire game, so my feet were killing me - but it was worth it! The Broncos pulled off an exciting win.

The only negative part of the trip was the Virginia Tech fans after the game. Most of the VT fans were fine, but the few who weren't really messed it up for everyone. They were really upset that they lost the game and there were several VT fans who kept taunting Boise State fans, including me and Jeff, and trying to get in fights. Bronco fans were called names, were told to "just say one sentence" so that a guy could beat them up, etc. Fortunately, Jeff and I were fine, but I couldn't wait to get back to our hotel room.

Other than the part after the game, the trip was exhausting but very fun.

Anniversary #9

2010-09-02T08:48:00.007-06:00

Yesterday Jeff and I celebrated our anniversary. Believe it or not, we've been married 9 years! It doesn't seem possible.

This year we spoiled ourselves way too much and celebrated for two days. On Tuesday after work, we went to a Dave Matthews Band concert. Jeff had purchased these tickets and surprised me with them. It was a fun concert. The opening act was pretty boring, but DMB made up for it. Jeff and I didn't know that many of the songs they performed - I am ashamed to say I only knew 3 - but I still really enjoyed their performance. Apparently they chose not to do many songs from the two CDs I own, which were their earliest two (for those that are my age, remember how HUGE those CDs were when we were in high school?), but even though I didn't know the other songs, I still enjoyed them. The band has some really talented musicians that had some amazing solos, especially the violinist and the flutist.

Yesterday evening we pampered ourselves. We started with going to a spa and getting a couples' massage. It was SO relaxing, and we both really enjoyed it. The masseuses said that we should come more often, since I had so many knots in my shoulders and Jeff had so many knots, well, everywhere.

After that we went to dinner at Berryhill & Company. It was my first time eating dinner at a fine dining restaurant, and I was really excited. I had been wanting to go eat somewhere where you had to dress up, as well as where I could get a dish that you couldn't get at a typical casual dining restaurant. Berryhill definitely delivered. The atmosphere was great, and the food was delicious. I had lamb and Jeff had Kobe London Broil. We also shared an appetizer and a dessert. It was a great dinner! The food was delicious and the portions were just right.

It was a fun anniversary, although we probably went overboard. However, we don't make this kind of splurging a regular event. So, happy anniversary to us!

Yellowstone 2010

2010-08-06T12:46:00.022-06:00

Jeff and I did our annual trip to Yellowstone in mid-July. We usually go over Memorial Day weekend, so it was fun to go at a different time of year. The weather was warmer and more predictable, more hikes were open, and the town of West Yellowstone was buzzing. However, the downsides were less animal sightings and more crowds of people. However, Jeff and I had a great time and would like to come at this time of year again.

We of course hit all the main highlights of the park - Tower, Mammoth, Canyon, and Old Faithful.

We did a lot of hiking this year! We figured that in 5 days we hiked 35 miles, and walked another 5 on boardwalks. It was great to do be able to do so many hikes that are normally closed when we go at the end of May. By the end my feet were killing me...

...but some of the hikes had great rewards!

One of the hikes we did was called "Natural Bridge". It took you to a beautiful rock formation that made me remember the time I spent in Arches National Park.

Another neat hike was called "Hellroaring Creek". The coolest part about this hike was the sturdy suspension bridge you got to cross over the Yellowstone River. Jeff was ecstatic - he loves bridges.

We didn't see as many animals as we normally do when we go at the end of May, but we still got some great viewing in. On our first day we saw a grizzly bear with two cubs...

and a blonde-haired black bear that crossed the road in front of us.

We didn't see any other bears during the trip, but we did see buffalo (although not as many as we're used to), elk, deer, a bald eagle, and marmots.

And of course we checked out lots of geysers. We try to hit every geyser basin each time we go to Yellowstone if we can. Unfortunately, this year we had to skip Artist Paintpots because of road construction, but we made it to all the others.

Jeff is very proud of the fact that we saw Old Faithful erupt 5 times during our trip!

Jeff was also excited to finally go for a swim in Firehole River. He'd been wanting to do it for years.

I can never get over the beautiful colors and scenery in Yellowstone. Yellowstone has to be one of the greatest places on earth.

I'm already looking forward to next year's trip!

Experiencing new things

2010-06-25T08:12:00.003-06:00

Last night, my friend Ramona and I went to a Boise Hawks game. I had never been to a baseball game before - I actually had never even watched a baseball game before. I was worried that it was going to rain, but the weather was nice to us. We had a cloud cover that kept the temperature comfortable but no rain except for a couple minutes near the beginning of the game.

The game was pretty fun. It was an inexpensive and relaxing thing to do on a summer evening. The score was crazy though - in the first inning, the Hawks scored 5 times! The final score was 10 - 7 (Hawks won).

Another new experience that I've had lately is ziplining! Jeff and I discovered a zipline tour near Horseshoe Bend (which is about 30 minutes from Boise). Jeff did a zipline course in Mexico, but I had never done it before. I was wondering if I would be scared, but I wasn't at all! It was just a lot of fun.

The course had 6 ziplines. On the first 3, you went from a platform on a tree to another platform on a tree. On the fourth, you went from a tree platform to the ground. And the last two were really fun - one was 1700 feet long and one was 1800 feet long, so you really got to enjoy the scenery. It was so beautiful up there - very green with tons of wildflowers. I had a great time!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because I thought it would be pain to try to carry around a camera. But here's a link to the zipline company's website: http://www.zipidaho.com/. I would highly recommend this zipline tour - they were very professional and made the experience easy and fun.

Holland's First Birthday

2010-06-21T09:38:00.026-06:00

On June 17, my niece Holland turned a year old. I can't believe it's already been a year!

On Saturday there was a family celebration at Julia Davis Park. We had Blimpie sandwiches, fruit, and chips. Ashley had the table decorated cute.

My brother's girlfriend Rae made the birthday cake. I was blown away at how cute it was! And you wouldn't think something that looked so wonderful could taste so great - but it was probably the best cake I had ever eaten. I was so impressed.

Holland had the cupcake at the top all to herself. I took lots of pictures, waiting for her to dig in and get really messy. But she never did - she's such a polite eater! The biggest mess was at the end when she tipped the cupcake over.

A cute father-daughter moment:

Of course Holland got some presents.

My sister got her a cute swimsuit, and Holland looks really surprised at the blocks she got from her dad. :)

What's in the bag?

And now it looks like she's really enjoying "reading" the card from her grandparents.

Jeff and I got her a couple of wooden puzzles from Toys 'R Us. She already started playing with them at the park, so that made me happy!

After the park, we went to the zoo. It was Holland's first time, and she seemed to enjoy looking at the animals. It was so cute when she made a roaring noise when she saw the bear, and said "aah aah aah" when she saw the monkeys.

We all love Holland - she is just so cute and so much fun! And thanks to Ashley for planning this family get-together.

San Diego trip

2010-05-07T16:36:00.012-06:00

Last Thursday, I went on a trip to San Diego. My old high school best friend who is currently living in San Francisco met me there. (Jeff was on a separate vacation; he'll probably do a post about his trip.)

It didn't start out very smoothly - I got to the airport on Thursday morning to find out my flight had been cancelled. Lovely. As I was standing in line listening to people getting rerouted to all kinds of crazy places, I was thinking that I wasn't going to get to San Diego until the next day, which is in itself really bad but made even worse by the fact that Karen was there waiting for me. However, I got relatively lucky and arrived in San Diego only 3 hours after my original time (but was extremely burned out from all the time spent in airports and planes).

As soon as I got to beautiful San Diego, I started feeling better. We stayed at Catamaran Resort in Mission Bay - the resort was on the beach for the bay and right across the street from the ocean (Mission Beach). Here's some pics of our hotel and tropical birds on the hotel grounds, as well as some pics of the surrounding area.

Some of the things we did:

We went to the Wild Animal Park.

The Wild Animal Park was one of my favorite things we did on the trip, especially the "Journey into Africa". The park had a big area that they tried to make like a natural habitat for the animals, and they took you on a half-hour ride around it. It was really neat to see the animals displaying the same behaviors that they do in the wild.

Below is a funny picture - while in line for the Africa line, we were standing near the lion exhibit. We looked over and this is what we saw:

We went to several different beaches. One of my favorites was at the town of Coronado - the beach was very well-kept and nice.

We stopped by La Jolla to see the seals - there were so many of them!

We also went hiking at Torrey Pines State Park, which had some of the best scenery I've had on a hike. If Jeff and I ever go to San Diego together I'm definitely taking him here!

And of course I had to get some sunset pictures.

I have to throw in a funny story - Karen and I ended up renting a car, because we heard the public transportation in San Diego wasn't very good. Karen had a GPS on her phone so we were relying on it to get us everywhere we wanted to go. One day, I was driving and Karen was directing me according to the GPS. We approached what looked like a toll, but it said "ID Check" on the signs. Karen and I were talking about how strange that was, but figured we better have my drivers license ready to show. So we got up to the gates and a man looked at my ID weird and then asked me if I was a dependent of someone. Karen and I didn't really know what to say, so I said "Um, no...". Then the guy asked why we were coming to a military base. Apparently we were so distracted by the GPS and reading the street signs that we didn't even notice the big old sign for the military base. Yeah, we felt pretty silly. But we laughed about it.

It was a lot of fun to spend time with Karen and to get away from everyday life for a while. We got lucky with the weather, and although it wasn't very hot, it was sunny every day and never rained on us. It was overall a great vacation and I was sad to have it end!

I'm back!

2010-05-07T16:31:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't posted in a long time, but I never could seem to find the time during the crazy tax season. Jeff and I don't have the internet at home, and I never took a long enough break at work to sit down and write a blog. Plus, my life wasn't all that interesting while I was working so much anyway.

But tax season wasn't all bad:

1. I started downhill skiing again! I hadn't gone skiing in years, for multiple reasons. However, this year I got the itch to try again, and I loved it so much that after I tried, it, I went every remaining weekend until the resort closed. It was so fun!

2. I got out and did more things with family and friends during this tax season. It definitely made the season a lot more bearable.

3. Jeff and I have been really enjoying watching "Lost". I'm watching Season 4 right now and it's really addicting!

Although my tax season wasn't bad, I'm definitely glad to be done with it and to have more free time again, at least until next January!

Fiesta Bowl

2010-01-13T12:40:00.015-07:00

It had only been three years since Boise State’s thrilling upset over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and Bronco Nation was excited to get back to the valley of the sun for another magical run. This year’s opponent was TCU, the third ranked team in the country and the only team to have beaten BSU over the past two seasons. Although both teams were undefeated, TCU was considered the non BCS team for the ages and BSU was once again relegated to the roll of underdog. This however didn’t detour thousands of faithful bronco fans from making their way to Arizona, could perhaps another upset be brewing in the desert?

On New Year’s Day around 2:15am Kevin, Vanessa, and I were on our way and eager to find out.......

On the way down to Las Vegas road conditions were hazardous as we battled snow, icy roads, and the occasional stalled car on the interstate but it did little to curb our excitement. Below is a picture of the interstate just outside of Ely, NV.

Once we arrived in Las Vegas we headed to the pool area of the Golden Nugget to take in some warm weather and relax by the pool. Later that night we made our way to the Las Vegas Strip to check out a few of the free shows and to see some of the new hotels…here are a few pictures of our first day in Las Vegas…Vanessa was so tired by the end of the day that she was shuffling her feet to make it back to the hotel room.

The next morning we got up early and broke out the star of the show for a photo op….Buster Bronco enjoyed the waterslide, spa, and pool area of our hotel!

Later that day we made our way to a few different stores in the area, ate dinner at the ESPN Zone, watched a little bit of football, and relaxed in the spa at our hotel.

Some of the key quotes to remember from Saturday were:
1. “Uhhh…we’ve got a problem!”
2. “Yeah…I would like to exchange this?”

Sunday morning we got up around 6am so that we could make it to Phoenix with enough time to fit in a hike before the BSU pep rally. When we got to the turnoff for the Echo Canyon trailhead, we were stopped by rescuers in the area who were attempting a helicopter rescue of an injured hiker. Seeing the concern on Vanessa’s face I quickly told here that the helicopter was nothing more then a sightseeing tour in the area and that we would be fine. Once the hiker was in the helicopter and on their way to the hospital Kevin and I started our accent of Camelback Mountain. On the left there is a picture of Kevin and me from atop the mountain.

After the hike we quickly made our way over to the pep rally to meet up with Dwayne, Roxy, and Cody and take in some of the Fiesta Bowl activities. Although the pep rally was really short it was a lot of fun and seemed to really energize the crowd!

Tired and hungry we headed for Fox Sports Grill, home of Bronco Nation but after 30 minutes of waiting around to order something they had already ran out of we decided to head over to The Cheesecake Factory for service we could count on.

After dinner we headed back to our hotel to relax in their indoor pool area before going to bed. Under normal circumstances this would be very relaxing but as Kevin and I sat in the spa we were blessed to be in the presence of true royalty! TCU fans as they are know to us common folk filed in one by one eager to gloat about how good their team was and to let everyone know of the disgust they had for the BCS system and their inability to play for a National Championship.

The turning point of the evening however for Kevin and me was when TCU fan started delusionally talking about how our offensive line better watch out because TCU star defensive end Jerry Hughes was going to have 7 or 8 sacks alone by the end of the game??? How many sacks did he or his entire team have by the end of the game??? Oh, yeah I believe that number was ZERO!!!

The next morning we got up early and prepared for a great day of college football... it started with College Football’s Biggest Party

and concluded with the Fiesta Bowl! Below are pictures taken while we were inside the University of Phoenix Stadium.

Congratulations to the Boise State Broncos on becoming the 2010 Fiesta Bowl Champions and the second team in division one footbal to go 14-0!!!

I would like to thank Kevin and Vanessa for putting up with me for five days...they were a lot of fun to travel with and I am already looking forward to our trip next year to Washington D.C.

I also would like to thank Dwayne and Roxy for the signed BSU football and Fiesta Bowl ticket...these are truly gifts that will keep on giving and provide memories to last a lifetime...GO BRONCOS!!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T11:24:00.027-07:00

Jeff and I had a good Christmas this year. We kept to all of our traditions, even though it meant we had to really pack things in near the end. One of our traditions is baking and decorating sugar cookies.

Speaking of sugar cookies, I had a mishap this year. Jeff and I had only eaten about half of them, and had been saving the cutest ones for last. On Christmas Eve morning I stuck the remaining cookies in the oven so that my cats couldn't get to them. Later that day, it came time to bake the rolls for dinner, so I preheated the oven - with the cookies still in there. Oops. The pathetic part is, I did the SAME thing two years ago! Apparently I never learn.

We also had our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange julius. This year we also added in a really yummy egg casserole my mom made.

Jeff and I were really slow with unwrapping presents, because we didn't want Christmas to end. By the time we had been up for 3 hours, we had still only opened our stockings!

We went on our Christmas day walk. It was beautiful outside and nice to get some movement included in our day.

Jeff and I spoiled each other this Christmas - probably too much. (In case you're wondering, Jeff is wearing a "BSU Bronco" on his head on the first picture below. He bought it to wear at the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix.)

That evening we went over to my parents' house for dinner and presents with the family. Jeff and I couldn't resist each getting Holland a present. That girl is going to be so spoiled.

Speaking of "spoiled", my parents were way too good to Jeff and I this year. They got me a bike rack for my car, which I had really been wanting, and a couple other little things. And they gave Jeff his Fiesta Bowl tickets, along with a really neat football signed by coaches and players. Jeff was SOO excited!

Overall, it was a fun Christmas season with family and friends. I am so grateful for the memories.

2009 Christmas Party

2009-12-22T12:31:00.019-07:00

Last weekend Jeff and I had a small Christmas party at our house with some friends. I had a blast, and hope everyone else did too! It is a busy time of year, so a lot of people I invited couldn't come, but the group we had was great. The picture below is missing two people that came later.

A couple of my friends got hold of Jeff's camera and became the party photographers.

We had a white elephant ornament exchange.

We also played some really fun group games, Electronic Catch Phrase and Rock Band.

Overall, it was a great night and definitely one of the highlights of my Christmas season so far!

2009 Winter Garden-A-Glow

2009-12-08T12:31:00.003-07:00

I decided to post this year's pictures of the Garden-A-Glow because it is so fun to see Holland in them! Last year, Jeff and I went to the light show at the Botanical Gardens with my sister Ashley and her husband Rick. Holland was there too, but she couldn't see the lights because she was still in Ashley's belly. :)

This year, Ashley and Rick wanted Holland (almost 6 months old already!) to see the lights, and so we went together again. Unfortunately, Jeff had a cold and decided to stay home. Holland was actually very quiet while we were there - maybe she liked all the colors!

Florida trip

2009-11-07T14:54:00.022-07:00

The last week of October, Jeff and I went on a very fun trip to Florida. Neither of us had either been there before, and we loved it! The weather was great too - upper 80s the whole time we were there and we got lucky with it never raining on us.

Our first stop was Daytona Beach.

The next day, we went to Florida's oldest state park, Myakka River State Park. It was beautiful, and we saw tons of wildlife, including alligators and lots of different birds.

Later that day we went to the absolutely gorgeous Siesta Beach in Siesta Key. This beach has been ranked as one of the best in the United States, and it was easy to see why. The sand was the consistency of brown sugar, and the water was warm and wonderful to swim in. What a relaxing place!

The next day we went to Busch Gardens in Tampa, which was a lot of fun. There were some great roller coasters and a large wildlife area where you got to see lots of animals.

The next morning we went to Hollywood Studios at Disney World. I loved it so much! I had never been to Disneyland or Disney World, and was absolutely blown away by the details and the special effects on the rides. Disney World really is a magical place.

Hollywood Studios had some GREAT rides - including Rock'N Roller Coaster, a roller coaster in the dark with lit-up signs to make it look like you were driving in CA and music playing by Aerosmith, Tower of Terror with some astounding special effects, and Toy Story which was a really cute ride that included 3-D games for the riders to play. We also went to the Indiana Jones show.

Jeff and I went to Epcot that same afternoon. We got lucky while we were there and were able to catch a free concert from Boyz II Men. We also watched Illuminations that night, which is Epcot's fireworks/laser show. We were very impressed with the World Showcase at Epcot, which had villages set up to look like different countries. While we were there they were having the International Food Festival, so we were able to try some samples of foods from other countries, and it was delicious!

The next day was Sea World, which was also a blast. Sea World had some great roller coasters, including Jeff's favorite "Manta", which put your body horizontal so it felt like you were flying. I loved the "Believe" show featuring the killer whales so much that it brought tears to my eyes, so Jeff bought the DVD for us to take home so we can relive the show whenever we want.

Here are some pictures from the Whale & Dolphin Show:

And "Believe":

At Sea World we decided to pay a little extra and take part in feeding the dolphins, which was really neat. After you fed them the fish you put your hand in the water and they would come up to you let you pet them.

That night we were able to attend "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party". This was held at Magic Kingdom, and the park was open to party-goers from 7 PM to midnight. We had a great time at this also, and loved Magic Kingdom - including some of the rides that were meant for kids, like Peter Pan! Pirates of the Caribbean and It's A Small World were also great rides - so much detail that it was just amazing.

The next day we were going home. Our flight didn't leave until 5:00 though, so for the first part of the day we went to a great waterpark in Orlando called Wet 'N Wild. Can you believe we were at a waterpark on October 30?

Getting Involved

2009-10-21T09:17:00.002-06:00

I recently joined a group called Junior League. It is a national women's organization with a branch here in Boise. Its mission is to promote voluntarism, develop women, and improve the community. I am not an official member yet - they have a nine-month "provisional" program that I am currently part of. Fortunately, I can still participate in volunteer projects. A couple weekends ago I went and helped clean The Learning Lab building. The Learning Lab is a non-profit organization that helps illiterate and non-English speaking adults learn to read and write, and can even help them get their GED! The Learning Lab was actually started by the Junior League years ago, and now has grown and separated into its own non-profit corporation. Anyway, it had been TOO long since I'd participated in a volunteer activity, and it felt great!

I think Junior League will be a great fit for me, and I'm excited to learn more about it. A lot of its members work, so everything is on evenings and weekends, and there are a lot of people around my age. Also, I'll be getting involved in the community and have the opportunity to increase my leadership and organization skills. I just hope I stick with it because I think it could be a great experience for me.

Notre Dame Trip

2009-10-14T11:37:00.019-06:00

A few weeks ago I flew out to Chicago with my friend Jeff Stiles to watch a football game between the Washington Huskies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. Although we were primarily going to watch the game, we were sure to also see and experience some of the sights in the area. We arrived in Chicago on Friday morning around 12:30am and quickly made our way towards the hotel room to get a few hours of sleep so we could be energized for our 6:50am tee time.

Below are some of the pictures that were taken during our golf outing at Cog Hill Golf Club. This course was a lot of fun but Jeff Stiles dominated me again as usual...

Next we were on our way to watch the Arizona Diamondbacks take on the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The game itself was pretty lopsided as the Diamondback batters continually teed off on Cubs pitchers but it was really neat to see a game in such an intimate setting……things like manual scoreboards, ivy laced fences, and the proximity of seats to the field all made this experience worthwhile.

Below are a few pictures that were taken during the baseball game, I am really glad that are seats were undercover...people scattered pretty quickly when it started to rain.

After watching the game we went down to Lincoln Park so I could get a look at Lake Michigan...it is a lot bigger than I expected, basically looks like an ocean.

On the right there is a picture of me coming up the ladder after touching Lake Michigan.

After the park, we worked up our appetite to the point where we thought we were ready to take on some old fashioned Chicago style pizza. All I have to say is WOW...this pizza was really good but EXTREMELY dense..we could only two pieces...I can’t remember the last time two pieces of pizza shut me down...pretty sad!!! Now humbled by the pizza, we waddled to the car and headed back to our hotel.

The next morning we got up early and started our two hour drive to South Bend, Indiana. Our first stop was the College Football Hall of Fame, this stop was a lot of fun for me and I really wish we could have spent more time here. This museum had all kinds of interesting memorabilia, facts, and interactive centers all designed around one thing and one thing only...COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!

Below are some more pictures that we took while inside/outside of the museum. I really enjoyed seeing Boise State’s banner up at number 5 in the associated presses top 25. There is also a picture of me posing on a field goal post after Jeff Stiles told me I couldn’t get up there...maybe someday I will get the opportunity to bring one of these down when Boise State wins a National Championship!!!

After the museum, we quickly made our way over to Notre Dame’s campus and stadium a couple hours before kickoff. The campus grounds, buildings, and stadium were amazing……everything was older but really well kept up, you could tell that Notre Dame has a lot of money and is all about their tradition.

Below are more pictures taken in and around the stadium area.

As you enter the stadium you are greeted by their seven Heisman Trophy winners followed by approximately 100 of their consensus All Americans...it's really quiet an impressive sight to see!!!

Although Washington lost the game, 37 to 30 in overtime…..the atmosphere was a lot of fun to be apart of...hopefully Boise State can schedule a home game against an opponent with the history of a Notre Dame...I can’t wait to do something like this again!!!!

Trip to Moab!!

2009-09-14T12:11:00.022-06:00

Earlier this month Jeff and I went on a trip to Moab, UT to see Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. I was very excited about it because I've been wanting to go to Arches for years. I was definitely not disappointed - what a beautiful place! I felt like I could have taken a picture every 2 minutes, it was so scenic.

We did a lot of hiking, of course. I did learn that I'm not a very good hiker in the heat. It was over 90 while we were hiking with no shade, and even though I tried to drink a lot of water, I still lost energy quickly.

The arches and other rock formations were amazing! I learned that not only does Arches National Park have the highest concentration of natural arches in the world, but there are over 2,000 in the park. Wow!

The arch below is named "Washer Woman Arch" - can you see why?

I decided to be creative on a couple pictures.

The one (small) downside of the trip was a guided raft trip down the Colorado River. When we signed up for it, the description online indicated that there would be class 2 and 3 rapids. However, they didn't tell you that late in the summer, the water gets so low that the rapids all but disappear. This made for a very mellow rafting trip - the Boise River is more exciting. Oh well - we couldn't complain about the scenery.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip! Jeff and I were sad when it was over - just like all vacations, the time went by way too fast.

Mout Borah, Idaho

2009-09-04T11:49:00.012-06:00

Mt. Borah, Idaho
Elevation: 12,662 feet
Mileage: 7.0 miles
Vertical Gain: 5,262 feet
Route: Chicken-out Ridge
Average Round Trip: 10-12 hours

I have been preparing to hike Mount Borah this year but weather and other factors have prevented me from going. After three failed attempts, I finally was in a position to hike Mount Borah last weekend and the weather finally looked like it was going to cooperate. My friend Kevin was making the final arrangements with his family or so I thought, Thursday morning Kevin informed me that he couldn’t find anyone to watch his kids so if I was going to hike Mount Borah, I would have to go at it alone. Still determined to summit the mountain this year, I booked a cheap hotel in Arco, Idaho on Friday morning, threw my hiking gear in the car after work, and was on the road by 6pm Friday night.

The next morning I got up at 4:50am to start my hour long drive to the trailhead and the entire way there I was freaking myself out about hiking solo. I am not sure why it was bothering me so much but I guess hearing about people getting lost on top of the mountain and having to navigate over class three rock scrambles did the trick. Once I got to the trailhead all my worries subsided as I saw vehicles parked everywhere. It was so crowded that all of the normal parking spots were gone and cars were lined up down the roadway with people everywhere.

*The pictures above were taking while hiking up the trail.

After seeing all the people getting ready to hike, I decided that I would try piggy backing off another group and follow them up the mountain to be safe. I was just beginning the hike when I started talking to an attorney from Boise named Judd; he had done the hike before but was doing it again with a large group. At first the large group of 16 was trying to stay together but before you knew it people were falling further and further behind. Jud asked me if I would take a small group to the top and he would meet us at the top with the rest of his group. I happily agreed, now the smaller group consisted of Judd’s wife, Molly Clark from Seattle, WA and Lance Doby from Bellevue, ID.

Our group was really motivated to get to the top as quickly as possible but the terrain was so steep that many of them had to stop and catch their breath.

*Here are a few pictures that were taken about half way up the trail.

Just before we got to Chicken out Ridge (a class three rock scramble) some of the group members started to get a little nervous so we opted to go through a snow field instead.

*Above are a few pictures taken just over the ridge from the snow field, it was a great place to stop and catch your breath. After we crossed the snow field, the top of Mount Borah was in sight and would involve navigating over loose dirt and rock the rest of the way.

The last stretch of trail went by relatively quickly and after three hours and fifty-five minutes we were standing on the highest point in Idaho!

*Here are some pictures taken while on the top of Mount Borah.

After about an hour of relaxing, socializing, eating, taking photos, and waiting for the rest of Judd’s group we were on our way back down the trail. While we were hiking down, Lance and I decided to split off from the rest of the group and climb Chicken out Ridge.

*Here is a picture taken while climbing Chicken out Ridge.

Overall, this was a great trip and a wonderful way to be introduced into the world of a high pointer, one down…….forty-nine more to go!

Time Event
6:42 am Start
10:37 am Summit
11:42 am Start down
3:15 pm Done

Rafting Trip 2009

2009-08-28T13:01:00.024-06:00

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The rafting trip weekend had finally arrived and we were hours away from maneuvering through class four rapids on the Payette River. My family arrived in Boise around noon and we had planned to meet at Roaring Springs Water Park for a day of waterslides and wave pools.

Below are a few pictures from the water park, we had a lot of fun trying to flip the raft on one of the family slides!!!

After the Water park we went home and got ready for dinner at Tucano’s Brazilian Grill, the food there was great but it just kept coming and coming and was probably not the best choice the night before a rafting trip. Many of us woke up the next morning filling the ill effects of overdosing on meat but we were able to tough it out. Traci on the other hand felt so bad that she decided to stay home and miss out on the rafting trip all together.

Now with one person down, we fearlessly made our way to Cascade Raft and Kayak to take on the South Fork of the Payette River in what was called “The Plunge”.

Below is a picture of my dad, brother, and me minutes before we set paddle on our maiden voyage.

The rafting trip was spectacular; we were surrounded by beautiful scenery with hot springs, river jumping rocks, as well as top notch whitewater to navigate through.

Below is a picture taken of us at the waterfall hot springs along the river…I must admit it was a great place to stop and warm up early in the morning!

After heading down the river a little ways we came to a point in the river where it was safe to navigate upstream and attempt to launch our boat in the air by pinning the front of the raft under some strong rapids. Kendra our guide told us that this location was called “Toilet Bowl” because it flips a lot of people out of their boat and sends them down stream. Anxious and excited about the upcoming aerial assault, our guide told us that the harder we paddle the higher the boat will go so we really dug in and gave it all we had!

We did a total of two attempts and were told by several of the guides that it was the best launch of the year and that our group will be featured in a binder of carnage photos for years to come….we are all so proud of our new accomplishment. Below are some of the pictures taken while at Toilet Bowl, enjoy!

About half way through the trip, we stopped at a beach for lunch before continuing down river. Below are some more pictures taken at various rapids along the river.

Just before our rafting trip came to an end, we stopped off to do a little cliff jumping!!!

After we got done with the rafting trip we headed over to the Main Fork of the Payette River to continue playing in the water. Below are some pictures of us posing on a sand bar in the river.

In addition to all of the water activities we got in last weekend, we also went to a movie, pounded some candy from Powells Sweet Shoppe, played a couple rounds of miniature golf, and did a few laps on the go-carts.

Overall, it was a great weekend and I had a lot of fun spending time with my family…..hopefully we will get to do it all over again next year!

Rexburg/Lava Hot Springs

2009-08-03T12:27:00.027-06:00

This past weekend Jeff and I went on a small trip. We went to Rexburg to go on a hike with Ruth and Aaron (and their babies even came!!) on Saturday. The hike is called "Table Mountain" and is in the Tetons. It was a fairly long hike - 12 miles round-trip, and we had a lot of fun! It was so beautiful - one of the most scenic hikes I've ever gone on.

Of course, Jeff had to get a jumping picture.

This is me and Ruth on one of the 4 river crossings. I am not confident at all about my sense of balance, but with a little help I made it across them all!

The wildflowers were amazing! So colorful - yellow, red, pink, purple, blue, white...it was absolutely gorgeous!

Ruth and I didn't make it all the way up since we had Ruth and Aaron's boys. So, we found a nice shady spot and hung out with the twins for a while while Jeff and Aaron went to the top. After a couple hours Ruth and I started back down. Now that I was carrying a baby, I was so impressed by Ruth carrying the backpack with one of the babies as long as she did on the way up - that backpack was heavy and awkward!

This is Jeff on the way to the summit - the small table-ish looking rock above the snow is the destination.

After a very steep couple of miles, Jeff and Aaron made it to the top - at an elevation of an impressive 11,106 feet! Look at those views of the Tetons! And Aaron took a great picture of Jeff "straddling" the mountains.

Eventually, Jeff and Aaron caught back up to Ruth and I after we had stopped before the last river crossing to wait, and we all headed back down.

On Sunday Jeff and I went to Lava Hot Springs as a detour on our way home. Neither of us had ever been there, and we loved it! The town is so cute. It is like a summer version of a ski town, with people in swimsuits and carrying tubes everywhere. First we went to the Olympic Pool, which was like a small waterpark - and the water of course was pretty warm! Look at Jeff being so brave and jumping off the top platform of the "Tower" - it was 33 feet high! (I wouldn't jump off anything beyond the high diving board. :) )

After a few fun hours at the Olympic Pool we had a picnic lunch at a park in Lava. Then we headed to the "Hot Pools" - and boy were they hot!! But Lava Hot Springs did a great job of making the hot pools area inviting and relaxing - it was so much fun. The hot pools area had two pools and two hot tubs with jets - so nice. They also had it beautifully landscaped.

Overall, it was an action-packed and wonderful weekend!

Stanley it is....

2009-07-28T08:24:00.023-06:00

After planning to hike Mount Borah for the past six months, my friend Kevin and I found out snow and ice were still present on top of the mountain so we decided to reschedule for August 8th and cancel our trip to Kings Peak in Utah. Now what was I supposed to do? I had been preparing to hike all weekend and now found myself with nothing to do. Feeling pretty bummed out, I quickly weighted my option and decided to drive to Stanley and hike in the Sawtooth Mountains.

This alternative plan actually worked out quite well because Dwayne was going to be in Stanley salmon fishing with his trailer, so I would be in good company and have a great place to stay. The picture on the right was taken of our campsite in Sunny Gulch Campground. (Thank you Dwayne and Roxy for letting me enjoy this trailer one last time before the new one arrives!)

On Saturday morning I decided to get up around 6:30am and hike from Iron Creek trailhead to Sawtooth Lake (a hike that I wanted to do last July but Traci just wasn’t feeling up for). When I first started hiking, I felt a little nervous about being up there by myself but after a while I slowly let my guard down and started to get into all the beautiful scenery around me.The Picture on the left was taken about .5 miles into the hike at Iron Creek crossing, this trailhead junction allowed you to decide between traveling towards Alpine and Sawtooth Lake or Marshal Lake and an unnamed waterfall.

I didn’t know how many miles Marshal Lake or the waterfall were from this junction point so I decided to continue hiking in the direction of Sawtooth Lake and on the way back take a detour to check out Marshal Lake and the waterfall

About 2.5 miles into the hike the tree line started to open up on both sides of the trail and it allowed for some picturesque views of the Sawtooth Mountains. This picture was taken just before you start a series of switchbacks en route to Alpine Lake.

Alpine Lake is a visually pleasing high altitude lake with surprisingly warm crystal clear water. The pictures above are of Alpine Lake and the one one rightshows you how clear the water was……I wish I could have jumped in but I still hadn’t reached my destination lake.

Before getting to Sawtooth Lake you have to make one final push up another series of steep switchbacks with loose rock and intermittent snow pack(seasonal) on the trail. Once you have reached the top of the ridgeline you come to another unnamed mountain lake and from there it is only about a 10 minute hike to Sawtooth Lake.

Sawtooth Lake was very pretty but extremely cold due to all of the snow runoff going into the lake. Of course as many of you know, I like to find things out the hard way and decided to jump in to cool off. Well cool off I did, as I jumped into the brisk water, it took my breath away and left me disoriented for a moment before I scrambled to shore. I guess at least I wouldn’t be hot for the rest of the day!

Below is a picture of me soaring in the Sawtooth Mountains!

Although I was sad to leave on Sunday, I did have a great time hiking in the Sawtooth Mountains (approximately 14 miles), fishing with Dwayne on the Salmon River, and kayaking at Red Fish Lake. It truly was a outstanding weekend and one I will remember for a long time to come, thank you Stanley!

My week stay-cation

2009-07-23T11:57:00.014-06:00

Last week I used 5 vacation days from work. I was worried that I would feel like they were wasted because I wasn't going anywhere but was having a "stay-cation". Jeff didn't have the days off so I was on my own. Well, I didn't need to worry because I had a GREAT time! The week flew by and I was so sad to have it end.

During the first weekend of my vacation, I went to my 10-year high school reunion. I can't believe it's already been that long! Before the reunion, I was fairly nervous about it because I didn't know how fun it would be. None of my close friends that I've kept in contact with over the years were able to make it to Boise for the reunion, so Jeff and I were just going on our own. But I ended up having a lot of fun. In some ways, it was a good thing to not have my close friends there because I hung out with other old friends and reconnected with them.

Jeff took lots of fun pictures, but I only put a couple on here.

I went on the school tours of Boise High and Timberline. Boise High sure has changed a lot, but it still brought back memories. One cool thing about Timberline was the board with all the senior pictures from my graduating class. At first I thought the school did it because of the reunion but then I found out it will always be there because we were the first graduating class. Sweet!

Another nice thing about the reunion is I did a lot of things that weekend with friends. Friday and Saturday night I went out dancing (and even rode a mechanical bull), and on Sunday morning had a brunch at Red Feather. Below are the pictures from the brunch.

On Monday, I actually did go out of town for a couple days - to Stanley, where my mom, dad, Rick, Ashley, and even little Holland were camping and my dad was salmon fishing. I fished for a while but had no luck. I even went to the "war zone" for a while and tried my hand at combat fishing. Thank goodness my dad was there to tend to broken lines, etc. Salmon are hard to catch, but he did get a pretty nice one while I was there.

Holland looks so cute in my parents' trailer!

We also went to a fun little ghost town called Custer, a town that used to be a mining town in the early 1900s.

When I was in Boise, it was really hot, which I was actually very excited about! I filled my days with water activities - the waterpark, swimming at Lucky Peak and Sandy Point, and floating the river twice with my brother. Then on Sunday I went to an outdoor concert 4 acts, with the final act being the rapper Snoop Dogg! I thought I would enjoy Snoop's show, but I was surprised just how much I enjoyed it. He sounded great and was very entertaining, with lots of great songs. I loved it!! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera so no pictures.

Overall, it was a wonderful week. I got to relax and do whatever I felt like doing, and also spent some good time with family and friends. What a great way to spend vacation days!

Trip to Washington

2009-07-07T10:45:00.024-06:00

For the 4th of July weekend Jeff and I went to Washington to visit his family. We got lucky and had great weather the whole time we were there. Also, instead of just sitting around at people's houses we got out and did things which was great. I got to see a lot more of the state than I had seen in the past.

Jeff and I went to Alkii and Discovery Park with his mom. Alkii is a cute little town right on the Puget Sound.

Discovery Park was a huge area with lots of trails for hiking. It also had a great overlook of the Puget Sound.

The next day, we went to Whidbey Island and went to Deception Pass State Park, which I loved. It was gorgeous! We went there with Jeff's dad and his fiancee, and Jeff's grandma. Jeff's grandma is 80 years old yet was hiking around and climbing on rocks - pretty amazing!

We also went to Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, where you could walk around and explore the old buildings.

We also went to Pike's Place market in Seattle with Jeff's mom. Jeff's mom was telling us that PETA is going to go after those people who throw the fish that customers have bought. How ridiculous! That is a Seattle tradition, and I am pretty sure the dead fish don't feel anything.

I also got to see my friend Feeleece, which was a lot of fun. I also finally met her husband Shaun. We didn't do anything extravagant, but I enjoyed just getting to talk to Feeleece in person again. We always have great conversations - she's like my personal therapist! :)

While I was hanging out with Feeleece and Shaun, Jeff went on a hike up Mountain Si with his friends Jeff Stiles and Dustin.

These last two pictures are on our last day at Jeff's grandma's house. The first picture is with Jeff's dad's dog Riley - that dog really liked me.

Meet Holland Thatcher

2009-06-22T08:59:00.007-06:00

My niece, Holland Thatcher, arrived last Wednesday evening. I finally got to see her on Friday, and she is really cute! She was sleeping the whole time, so I don't have any pictures with her eyes open. When I saw her on Saturday she was awake but Jeff had the camera. Bummer.

Introducing Holland Thatcher!

Day trip to Sumpter

2009-06-10T10:37:00.013-06:00

A few weeks ago I went over to Sumpter to check out our vacation property and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Below is a picture of the Sumpter Valley, approximately 8 miles from our property!
I got to our property about 3pm and much to my suprise I noticed that someone had smoothed and widened the main road to our property. This should make it a lot easier to get Dwayne and Roxy's trailer in and out of the area!!! After inspecting the property and making sure that our water source still worked, I decided to head down to Phillips Reservior to do some hiking.

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Here is a picture of a wild purple iris found near Phillips Reservior.

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Later on Shoreline Trail at Phillips Reservior, I found a down tree and decided to set the camara on a nearby bush to take our picture.....I think it turned out pretty good.

After hiking Shoreline Trail for about an hour I noticed that the water level was so high that it covered the trail and I had no where to go so I turned around. On my way back to Baker City, I stopped off at the boat launch area and noticed a new trail head! .

I am not sure what the name of this trail was but it offered some great views of the dam and reservior area.

Overall, the day was a lot of fun. I got to see the reservior near full capacity as well as a lot of birds and deer in the area.

Yellowstone trip!

2009-06-01T10:35:00.019-06:00

Last week Jeff and I were on vacation at Yellowstone National Park, which is easily one of our favorite places. It was a great trip, and although we were there for 5 nights, it seemed way too short.

On our way there we stopped and visited Ruth, Aaron, and the twins in Rexburg. Thanks for the yummy breakfast you guys!

Here's a very brief recap of our trip, mostly through photos.

We saw lots of animals. Below are pictures of a black bear, a buffalo (don't worry, we were in the car for this one), an osprey, and some kind of sheep on cliffs near Gardiner. We also saw a bald eagle, coyotes, deer, and of course elk. We saw a total of 8 bears this trip, not bad!

Jeff and I kept getting stuck in traffic jams due to buffalo in the road. That part was a bummer. And it always seemed like they were always in our lane, never going in the opposite direction.

No big surprise, we did a bit of hiking. You get to see some neat parts of the park this way.

Purple Mountain hike:

We went to Fairy Falls again, one of our favorites! This time we followed it further than we did last year and saw Imperial Geyser, which was in a very pretty area.

Miscellaneous other hikes (Harlequin, Beaver Ponds, others)

If it looks like I'm in pain in the next picture, it's because I am. On the Beaver Ponds hike I got this strange pain in my leg and was having a hard time with it. I was worried because I got the pain on only our second day in the park, but fortunately it didn't end up being too bothersome.

Between all that we still saw the major tourist traps of Yellowstone. Every year we take a gorgeous picture of the canyon, so here's this year's edition.

Jeff had to hike up a hill to get this picture of Grand Prismatic Geyser, but it was definitely worth it!

We checked out lots of geyser basins, which is one of my favorite things to do in the park.

When we were hiking around the geyser basin that has Old Faithful, we saw a several people sitting around a geyser called "Grand Geyser". We found out that this geyser only went off 47 times in all of 2008, and that it was predicted to go off that afternoon between 12:30 and 4:30. It was about 3:30 and the geyser had not gone off yet. Jeff and I decided to give it a shot and sat next to a couple that had already been there for 2 1/2 hours. Then we waited...and waited... (this is Jeff looking at his watch and wondering when the geyser is going to go off)The prediction was a little off, but not too bad. After 1 1/2 hours of waiting, we got to see Grand Geyser go off! It was an impressive show that lasted for about 10 minutes, which is long for a geyser eruption.
We took lots more pictures, but this blog is already long enough.

Overall, it was a great trip. We were sad to come home but feel lucky that the park is not that far from Boise. Who knows, maybe we'll make it there again this year!

Adult Prom

2009-05-18T12:14:00.009-06:00

Last Saturday night Jeff and I went to "Adult Prom". I thought that since Jeff and I hadn't done anything together where you get all fancied up since our wedding, it might be kind of fun. I suggested it to Jeff and thought that he would resist, but surprisingly he quickly agreed!

The prom was held at a club downtown and was only $10 per couple, so I wasn't expecting it to be too fancy. Unfortunately, it ended up being pretty lame. People were just sitting around drinking most of the time. The dance floor was close to empty except for on slow songs, which were few and far between. Jeff and I stayed for two and a half hours and then left. Oh well.

It was still kind of fun to get dressed up. We bought our outfits at Savers. We actually found some nice stuff there, and it was really cheap! I also got my hair done on Saturday morning, which really needed to be done anyway.

My sister Ashley came over for a little bit before Jeff and I left and took some "prom pictures" for us.

Ashley is a little less than a month away from her due date! We are all so excited to meet Holland.

Here are close-ups of me and Jeff in our outfits.

Jeff was extremely sweet and got me roses and even a corsage! We may not have had the greatest time at prom, but I appreciate so much what he did for me. What a great husband!

Weekend Adventures

2009-05-12T12:08:00.011-06:00

Jeff and I had a fun weekend and took several pictures, so I decided to post some on here for memories.

Saturday Jeff and I went on another hike - Lower Hulls Gulch in the Boise foothills (about 2.2 miles each way). It was a beautiful day and just perfect for an outdoor activity.

I tried to be artsy with the next picture, one that I took during our hike.

Later that day, Jeff and I went to Julia Davis Park for a concert. Everclear and Reel Big Fish were playing for free! It was really fun. Jeff and I really like Everclear but didn't know anything about Reel Big Fish, but we stayed for both acts anyway. Reel Big Fish is considered "ska punk" and wow, were they ever full of energy - jumping and dancing around the whole time.

Sunday was another beautiful day so Jeff and I took advantage by spending more time in parks. I love all the beautiful parks in Boise! We went to Ann Morrison Park and also walked over to Kathryn Albertsons Park.

We saw some pretty big turtles in a pond at Albertsons Park. Also, there were baby geese everywhere!

I'm pretty proud of the picture below that I took of a blue heron in a pond by Albertsons Park. The heron didn't stick around too long though because a red-winged blackbird kept diving at it. That little bird sure wasn't intimidated by the much, much larger heron!

Sunday evening we went to dinner for Mother's Day at my parents' house. My brother and sister came along with my brother's girlfriend. It was really nice to spend time with my family.

Overall, it was a great weekend!

To Jeff On His Birthday

2009-04-29T12:11:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Jeff!!

Here we are, celebrating yet another birthday. Can you believe we've been married over 7 years??

I remember back when we went on our first date and I couldn't believe how comfortable I immediately felt with you. I had never felt like that on a date before. We had just met and I felt like we could talk for hours and never get bored of each other.

Thanks for always being a great husband. You are very considerate and do so much for me all the time. And I am so impressed with your determination. When you decide to do something you put your all into it and never give up - prime example, Robie.

I love you very much and look forward to many more years with you.

Robie Continued.......

2009-04-28T10:14:00.010-06:00

It’s been a few weeks since the race and I have been waiting on some pictures from Kevin’s camera but I'm not sure when they are going to surface so without further delay here is the conclusion. Training finished up the week prior to the race (April 11th) and I was able to get my race day weight down to 158lbs. Everything was going well and I felt well prepared for this race until I woke up on Thursday morning at 5:30am (2 days before the race) with severe lower stomach pain. I can’t describe how angry I felt and AGAIN Traci took me back to the doctor. I apparently had trapped air in my intestines due to constipation, which resulted in the doctor putting me on a liquid diet. I am no expert, but I am pretty sure liquid diets are not a very good idea for half marathon runners and I think my race day performance speaks for itself.

Above is a picture of me in misery near the end of the race, enjoy!

I finished the race with a disappointing time of 2:25:02 and although it’s not a horrible time (I finished in 1177th place out of 2259 finishers), I think I could have done a lot better. I was running with Kevin (he finished with a time of 2:13:19 and in 802nd place) until mile eight where my stomach decided it didn’t want me running anymore and I started to dry heave until I threw up. At that point I had to walk for about half a mile before I felt well enough to continue running. Although I wish I could have done better, I am glad that I never gave up and finished the race. Above is a picture of Kevin passing people as he crossed the finish line! Below is a picture of me crossing the finish line.........who knows maybe this experience will motivate me to do it again next year!

Hard Guy Trail

2009-04-27T12:20:00.008-06:00

Jeff and I had a nice weekend. We kept fairly busy and did quite a bit.

On Friday night we went out to eat at Famous Dave's, a restaurant I've been wanting to try. The atmosphere was fun but unfortunately the food was only so-so (other than the delicious cornbread muffins - yum!).

On Saturday it was sunny and only about 60 degrees so Jeff and I went on a hike. It's called "Hard Guy Trail". You start off at a parking lot near the base of Bogus Basin road and hike up to the tree line. It was a fun but probably a little too much for me since I hadn't been able to exercise in the last couple weeks and was getting over a cold. I started to get a little grouchy on the way up, feeling like "When on earth are we ever going to get there?". But we made it. We think it ended up being about an 11-mile hike in all since you have to hike for awhile to even get to the Hard Guy trailhead, and then it's 4.55 miles each way from there.

On the way up:

Finally made it to the top!

On the way back down:

Side note: We ran into a guy from my high school on Saturday. He was one of those people that I knew his name but had never talked to. He recognized me and said, "Didn't you used to like to read in high school?" Jeff and I got a good laugh out of that one. Apparently, since I was fairly quiet in high school, I gave off that semi-nerdy impression to people I didn't know, or at least to him. Pretty funny!

My After-Tax-Season Excursion

2009-04-24T12:38:00.011-06:00

Every year I go to Utah to visit relatives the weekend after tax season ends. It's a nice way to enjoy the freedom I can have once more - not working weekends, no more overtime, and the opportunity to take time off work!

This year the trip had some nice added benefits. It was beautiful weather. Also, my friend Caroline (who currently lives in Chicago) has a sister living in Salt Lake so she planned a trip to visit her sister the same weekend I was going to be in Ogden. We hung out for most of the day Saturday and it was really fun.

Her sister recommended a park with hiking trails that we went to. It happened to be near the state capitol so we checked that out as well.

The park was fun and it was great to be outside in the beautiful weather. However, I packed tons of sunscreen and then forgot to put any on, so I got fried.

We also visited Temple Square since Caroline had never been there. She was impressed by the beauty of it all.

I also had the opportunity to go to Rexburg to visit Ruth, Aaron and my two "nephews". It is always great to see them! We stayed up until almost midnight talking. The next morning we went to a nature park in Rexburg for a walk before I had to go home. There were six turtles sunning themselves on a log - they were fun to see!

And don't worry, I did get plenty of time in with my family as well.

Overall, it was a nice relaxing trip and I am so glad I got to see all the people I did.

Like a Kid Again

2009-04-13T12:46:00.012-06:00

Last week I decided that it would be fun to celebrate Easter by decorating Easter eggs, even though I don't have any kids. I convinced my mom to do it with me, and my dad even joined in! It was lots of fun, and definitely reminded me of my childhood.

Here's my dad getting into it:

Here's my mom drawing on an egg, and then showing off her two favorites that she made. (The blue one says R heart D)

We decided to do a "speckled" egg in each color (my mom's idea).

Here's a close-up of some of my eggs.

Overall, we had a lot of fun!

Sunday we had beautiful weather. I loved it! Jeff and I went down to Municipal Park to enjoy the day.

All in all, it was a good weekend. Now I'm looking forward to Wednesday and getting tax season over with.

Robie, not for the faint of heart...

2009-04-06T14:56:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year in Boise when running enthusiasts from across the country jump on computers and crash web sites in hopes of getting their opportunity to be a part of the “toughest half marathon in the Northwest”, The Race to Robie Creek. Why would someone put themselves through that kind of torture? Well to answer that question, we briefly need to look back at how the beginning of this year started for me. In January, Traci rushed me to the ER due to chest pain and as many of you know everything checked out alright but it was later determined that I had a hiatial hernia. Upon receiving this information, I did some research and became very angry and depressed when I found out that there wasn't a lot that could be done to treat this condition. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself; I opted for a change, I started working out in hopes of getting in better shape both physically and mentally. About three weeks into my new routine my friend Kevin asked me if I had any interest in running Robie this year and after canceling on him last year due to injury, I agreed.

The first thing I had to do was readjust my training and fitness levels, I now needed to get around 7 hours of cardio a week, two hours of weights, and have my race day weight below 165lbs but I had only one hurtle, my decade long battle with knee pain. I did cardio every other day which gave me time to ice and reduce the swelling in my knees between workouts . This schedule worked out well but it meant that I would have to do over two hours of cardio three times a week. The time commitment at the gym was difficult to stick to at first but after a 10.4 mile training run up Robie with Kevin I realized what kind of trouble I was getting myself into and the thought of getting carried off the mountain by life flight was not something I was looking to turn into a reality. The post run pain was crippling and I must admit more intense than any of the competitive power lifting training I did in high school.. If waddling like a penguin was in, I am sure I looked pretty cool but this was done out of necessity and survival.

While training for this race has been trying and painful at times , it has given me the freedom to break away from the everyday worries and stressors that we all face. I am no longer consumed by my health issues, in fact they have inspired me to be more active. I can’t wait to participate in this years Race to Robie and am hoping for a time around 2 hours and 20 minutes, post race blog to follow!!!!!

Thank you Mother Nature!!

2009-04-06T12:16:00.002-06:00

My wish came true! We had an absolutely beautiful weekend in Boise, and I took FULL advantage. It was wonderful! Saturday I had to work until two, but right after work I headed to the foothills and hiked around for 3 hours. It was so peaceful and fun. After that Jeff and I met my parents for dinner, which was also really nice.

Sunday I was probably outside for 8 hours, all in all. I went jogging on the greenbelt, went to the Boise Zoo, and went on a bike ride. I hadn't been to the zoo since they added the African exhibit, and I was very impressed. It was very well-done. I enjoyed also seeing the giraffes and lions, and look forward to the time when they can add more animals. Overall, my day was great - I got to do whatever I wanted outside all day. :)

So, once again, thank you Mother Nature!!

Artist for a Day

2009-03-30T12:53:00.009-06:00

I can finally post pictures of the items that Jeff and I made when we went to Artist for a Day a while back! It took a long time to get to this point. Apparently mine was giving them problems and I had to go back to the store 4 times before I could finally pick it up. But, we did eventually get it!

Jeff thinks it will be very obvious whose is whose, but see if you can guess who made what:

I have the answer posted as a comment.

Work with me, Mother Nature!

2009-03-30T12:17:00.006-06:00

Mother Nature has been frustrating to me lately. During the weekdays, when I am stuck inside a building working long tax season hours, I've been noticing a lot of weather like this:

image: www.freeimages.co.uk

And then on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, the little bit of time I have to be outside, it tends to look like this:

http://freefoto.com/

And so I ask Mother Nature - Why do you do this to us, the office-bound workers?? Are you enjoying your mind-games that you are playing with us? Do you like me to wistfully dream of outdoor adventures while I am stuck in a building, only to crush them when I actually have time to enjoy your beauty?

Well, I guess I can forgive you. After all, if it weren't for you I wouldn't have anything to miss when I'm stuck inside.

The wonderful thing about true friends...

2009-03-25T08:08:00.004-06:00

is how you can go a really long time without seeing each other (like 6 years!!) and when you finally do you can talk for hours without missing a beat, as if you were just hanging out yesterday.

I was lucky enough to have that experience on Monday. Glory, who was one of my really good friends in high school and now lives in Virginia, was in town visiting her sister in Meridian. Although I only got to see her for a couple hours, which was definitely not nearly enough time, it was great to chat in person. Although our lives are very different now - she lives across the country and has two cute little boys - it was amazing how much we still had in common and how much fun I had talking with her.

True, long-term friends may be few and far between, but I am so grateful for the ones I have in my life. Even though I don't get to see them nearly often enough and they are spread out all over the country, I feel lucky to have them.

Boo to BSU!!

2009-03-20T12:39:00.003-06:00

I know the title of this blog seems like a strange thing for a dedicated BSU fan to say. However, you just may agree with me after reading this blog!

Jeff and I have had season tickets for 4 years to Boise State football in the same seats. Prior to that, we got student tickets. However, I have been a fan much longer than this - my dad is a professor at BSU so I have been rooting for them as long as I can remember. Anyway, our seats are OK but not the greatest. They are in section 126, which is the last section before the curve (so they are on the endzone), and our seats are about 7 rows down from the top. Last year our season tickets cost about $560, and Jeff and I were debating about whether we should pay that much, but we ended up doing it anyway.

Well, the time for season ticket renewal is upon us. A few weeks ago Jeff and I received a letter saying how our seats are BAA seats now (meaning you have to be a member of the athletic association to buy them). What? Our seats? It's not like we have wonderful seats here!! So then the letter goes on to say that the first year we would get 1/2 off our membership dues bringing this year's invoice to $70, and each year after that it would be $150. That by itself is a huge jump in ticket prices.

Then we get the invoice for our season tickets, and they went from $560 to $780. BEFORE the BAA membership. So in order to go to 6 or 7 home games this year, we would have to pay $850!!

Does this seem ridiculous to anyone else? Especially when you take into consideration the economy right now.

So BSU has succeeded in pushing two loyal BSU fans out of their seats. We have not decided whether or not to try to move seats. There will be a waiting list and I have no idea how long it is. Probably longer now that BSU pulled this stunt!

Although I will still be watching BSU games this year, I will probably not be in the stands like normal. But I may still go to my family's tailgates on Saturdays - they are just too much fun to miss.

So, once again, Boo to BSU.

The Penitentiary

2009-03-17T12:22:00.008-06:00

I know I haven't been doing a lot on this blog lately. But with it being tax season and not having the Internet at home I'm having difficulty finding the time. (Excuses, excuses.) And yes, I know my background is WAY out of date. At some point I'll update it! Maybe I'll get a spring background just in time for next fall. :)

Anyway, last weekend Jeff and I did the self-guided tour at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. Jeff had never been there and I hadn't been there since I was a kid. It was really interesting! Some of the most memorable parts for me were "the Hole" and solitary (otherwise known as Siberia). It was also amazing to see all the weapons the inmates made while in prison. Pretty scary.

The Hole was a punishment for inmates. An inmate got thrown into a hole in the ground that was covered with a locked metal door. Absolutely no light got in. I'm not sure how big the holes were, but I'm sure they were pretty small!

Solitary was interesting too. Little tiny rooms with a hole in the ground and two little slits for light- one in the door and one in the ceiling. Inmates in solitary could be there from a few days to up to a year (Yikes!). They never got to leave their cell except for once a week to take a shower. There was an interesting quote from a warden saying how he would love to get rid of Siberia, but how else do you control someone who has no fear?

Here's a couple of pictures of me and Jeff at the Penitentiary. I'm wearing sweats because we had gone for a walk in the foothills right before.

Here's Jeff in a cell:

Here's me in the yard:

Afterwards Jeff and I enjoyed our freedom by going to Barber Park and enjoying more of beautiful nature.

Last weekend we also went to Artist for a Day. It was actually pretty fun! Neither Jeff or I had done anything like that since junior high. We have to wait a week to get our creations back, but when we do I'll post pictures!

Spring is Coming!!

2009-02-24T08:29:00.003-07:00

Spring is on its way and I am SO excited. It has been lighter and warmer in the mornings, and the trails at the foothills are becoming less and less muddy. I am looking forward to the better weather and more opportunities outside. The one downfall is having to work so many hours during tax season and the many wistful looks out my window at the blue sky (since all I can see is the wall of a building with some sky above it - but hey, it's better than nothing).

I am looking forward to having more of this in my life:

Quick update on Jeff - we have FINALLY figured out what he has. It's called a hiatal hernia, which explains the symptoms he's been having. And fortunately, it's nothing too serious! Jeff is very happy and is acting like he's gotten a new lease on life. So get ready life, here we come - we're going to get out and do more from now on!!

25 Random Things

2009-02-13T10:09:00.006-07:00

Since I don't have much to blog about right now, I thought I'd repost this silly thing that's going around Facebook. This is the 25 random things I came up with to say about myself.

Ignore #1 - on Facebook you tag people that you want to do a similar note but I'm not doing that here.

1. I'm not tagging many people because I don't want to annoy them :) But if I did tag you, it's cause I would like see what you say and I think you might have a chance of doing it.

2. My one hidden talent is that I can spell words backwards.

3. If I think of 25 things to say about myself it will be a small miracle.

4. I absolutely adore cats and have a hard time not stopping to pet each and every one I see. However, I don't really like dogs that much and mostly want them to not bother me.

5. I used to LOVE to go dancing. Now I rarely if ever get to go anymore, and I miss it.

6. I miss my friends that don't live here in Boise so much, and get jealous when I see pictures of people that have a bunch of their friends living in the same town.

7. When I was a teenager I barely had acne. Now that I'm 27 I have been getting pimples one at a time - one goes away, the next one pops up. Isn't that the opposite of how it's supposed to work?

8. Lately I have been really enjoying the TV show Ghost Hunters.

9. Jeff had to go to the ER last month for chest pain. It was scary and stressful, but fortunately his heart is fine.

10. I have been getting into snowshoeing this winter. It's been a lot of fun!

11. My sister is going to have a baby girl this June!

12. Sometimes I have very vivid dreams that I remember the next morning. I think sometimes Jeff wonders if I'm a little bit crazy because of the weird dreams I have.

13. My favorite season is summer. I love it! Life just seems a little better when you can float the river, go swimming, go to free concerts, eat sno cones, etc.

14. I am terrified of spiders and Jeff always has to kill them for me. If I know one is in the room, my toes automatically curl and I waddle around like a penguin.

15. I hate thunderstorms. When I was a kid I was home alone when the electricity went out. I couldn't find a flashlight and kept hearing booms outside. Ever since then, I get a bad feeling when it's storming out.

16. I have never been outside the United States. But, I would love to go to Europe someday.

17. I think hockey games are a lot of fun. However, I'm different than most people. I hate the fighting and like the game, versus most people who come hoping for some punches to be thrown.

18. I'm a huge Boise State football fan!

19. When I was a kid I took piano lessons for 8 years. Now I doubt I could play songs that I played in junior high.

20. When I was going to school at Ricks (in icey, cold, snowy, hilly Rexburg), I fell on ice/snow 11 times in 2 years. That's right, I kept count.

21. I didn't date at all in high school, and only went to a couple dances. My first kiss was during my freshman year in college. I was kind of shy in high school.

22. When I was in high school I used to always order water at places with soda fountains and then put lemonade or something in the cup instead. And don't forget about all the free frozen yogurt I got when I worked at TCBY...yeah, I was a crazy rebel.

23. I am extremely unflexible. It's ridiculous actually. I am more unflexible than most males.

24. I made myself sick once in high school. I brought a fever and sore throat on with pure mental power. Yes, it sounds strange, but it's true and too long a story to tell right now.

25. My favorite type of music is hip-hop. People that don't know me very well never can believe it based on the way I look, but it's true.

We're boring right now

2009-02-12T12:27:00.004-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've done a blog. There's a couple reasons - absolutely nothing to blog about and it's tax season, so I just don't have the time since I don't have the internet at home. I don't have any pictures to put up either, because Jeff and I haven't taken any.

Here's what we've been up to - I've been working a lot. I'm back to working 8 - 6:30 Monday through Friday and then working 7 AM - noon on Saturdays. Between that and trying to squeeze in some time at the gym, most of my time is gone. Whenever I do have free time I'm usually reading a book or something else to try to relax.

On the weekends I spend every second that I possibly can outside since I get cabin fever so bad during the week. I've done some snowshoeing and have really enjoyed walking around on the Ridges to Rivers trails in the Boise foothills. I can do that for hours and not get sick of it.

Jeff and I did go to the Special Olympics festival at the Grove downtown one night. There was a fun band playing, some vendors, and a bunch of information about the the history of the Special Olympics, etc. But the coolest part was seeing the athletes from all across the world. They were wearing their jackets that said what country they were from. We saw USA (of course), Russia, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Argentina, Honduras, Japan, Canada, and Sweden. (I may not have remembered them all.) Jeff also got to go see some figure skating one day on his lunch break. He said it was really neat and one of the highlights of his year so far.

Healthwise, Jeff has been doing a little better but still not great. Some days are better than others, but his chest still hurts and he doesn't feel that good a lot of the time. He's on a different medication that we hope will work, but who knows. I just want this to get figured out!!

Saturday Jeff and I are going to Hagerman for the night. We're going to Miracle Hot Springs for Valentine's Day which should be fun.

Well, that's about all that's been going on. Overall pretty boring I know, but that's tax season for you.

Update

2009-01-26T08:11:00.004-07:00

Here's on update on how Jeff has been doing since last Tuesday's trip to the ER.

He took a couple days off work and tried to relax all weekend to hopefully get feeling better. Unfortunately, the doctor's diagnosis at the ER does not appear to be right. Although his chest may have gotten feeling a tiny bit better, it still is bothering him a lot and was keeping him up at night, etc. (We did ask the doctor at the ER what we should do if after 3 or 4 days Jeff wasn't feeling better. The doctor just said "You will".)

We weren't sure what to do or who to see. On Friday we called a bunch of doctors but none of them could see him for at least a week. So yesterday we went to an urgent care facility that was open until 8 PM 7 days a week. The doctor there thinks it is anxiety-related. So now we have an anxiety medication and we are supposed to let him know if after 5 days Jeff's not feeling any better.

Last night Jeff was able to sleep some which is great but we don't know yet if the new medication is going to help any or not. So, back to the waiting game and hoping Jeff isn't in too much pain in the meantime.

Our trip to the ER

2009-01-21T12:05:00.002-07:00

Jeff and I had a stressful and scary experience yesterday. We had to go to the emergency room at St. Lukes. Fortunately, it looks like everything is going to be okay. Here's the story:

Saturday Jeff started complaining that the left side of his chest was hurting. However, it wasn't bothering him too bad and he still went snowshoeing with me and my parents that day and overall felt OK. Sunday and Monday it was hurting worse. As you can imagine, the chest pain was really worrying both of us and Monday morning I called a cardiologist and was able to get an appointment for Jeff that day. (I have had several people comment on how surprised they were that I was able to call a cardiologist directly without a referral and get an appointment that same day. I guess when you are freaked out enough, people sometimes work with you.) They did an EKG and stress test and said his heart looked fine, which was a relief.

However, Jeff's chest pain only got worse on Tuesday. I talked to a nurse and she told me to take him to the ER. So, I left work and picked up Jeff and we went to the hospital. Of course, at this point we are both even more freaked out. I knew that it could be a multitude of things, but I am imagining all kinds of terrible scenarios in my head. I can only imagine how Jeff must have been feeling.

Fortunately the ER wasn't too busy and we got in fairly quickly. They did a few tests including a chest X-ray and said that his heart and lungs look normal (hallelujah). They were able to rule out a heart attack and other serious heart and lung conditions. The doctor believes it is inflammation in his chest wall and gave him medication. Hopefully, the pain and inflammation will be gone in 3 - 5 days.

I am so glad that Jeff is OK. When something like that happens, it really helps put life back in perspective. Little problems just don't seem like such a big deal anymore, and you wonder why you waste any time fighting with your spouse. I hope that the doctor's diagnosis was correct and that Jeff starts feeling better soon.

I love you Jeff!

It's a Girl!!

2009-01-09T15:31:00.003-07:00

My sister found out today that her baby is going to be a girl! Yea! I am so excited! (Of course, I would have been just as excited if it were a boy, but that's beside the point.) Most importantly, the baby is healthy and normal so far.

I still can't quite believe that I'm going to be an aunt. But I think it will be great. :)

Congratulations Ashley and Rick!

What We Did Over the Holidays

2009-01-05T10:21:00.021-07:00

Jeff and I had a nice and relaxing holiday season. We didn't do anything overly exciting, but it was good nevertheless. Here's a little recap of our time from Christmas to New Years.

We had a really good Christmas. Jeff and I are really big into Christmas traditions so our Christmas mornings are always the same. We get up, take a picture of the tree and open our stockings. Jeff and I had to take pictures to show off our stuffed stockings this year.

Next we have our traditional breakfast - Rhodes cinnamon and orange rolls and orange julius! Yummy and sure to give you a nice sugar high (followed by sleepiness later).

Then we always open our presents very slowly, with lots of picture taking. We didn't finish until almost 5 pm because we went so slow!

Jeff is already laughing from the hilarity that is sure to ensue with the viewing of his new Seinfeld season. He was also very excited about his new BSU jersey. Santa sure must like Jeff!

My Weezer CD collection is now complete!

We also went on a winter walk at about noon or so on Christmas. It was really good to get out of the house for a little bit and get moving. I think this may become a new tradition! (Jeff is holding one of his Christmas presents from Santa, a carabiner.)

That night we went to my parents' house for presents, dinner, and football. My sister was there and it was great for all of us to spend time together. For the first time, Cody wasn't there on Christmas because he was spending it with his girlfriend's parents in Idaho Falls. We missed his company.

I know the picture below isn't the greatest of my dad, but what can you do.

Look at the AWESOME gift my parents got me and Jeff! We were SO excited.

Other things that happened during the week of holidays:

Jeff and I went snowshoeing up by Idaho City. Jeff doesn't ski, so this is a good way for us to have a winter activity to do together.

We also went on a short hike in the foothills. As you can see, all the snow had melted down in the valley and it was great! Unfortunately, the snow started up again last night and I hope it doesn't last long.

New Year's Eve wasn't too exciting, but still fun. I went over to my sister's house and hung out with her and her husband. It was mellow but nice, and much better than being at my house depressed about another year ending.

My friend Eunyoung came to town for the holidays. Although I didn't get to see her nearly as much as I wanted, I still got to hang out with her some, and I finally met her boyfriend of about 8 years!

All in all, it was a good end to 2008. I hope that Jeff and I have a great 2009, and I wish the same to everyone!

Get your game face on

2009-01-05T10:07:00.010-07:00

Here are some pics from Jeff's trip to San Diego for the BSU/TCU football game. Although BSU lost, he still had a good time and fortunately was able to travel safely despite the winter conditions.

As you can see from the pictures, Jeff got VERY dressed up for the game. They also had a couple signs to try to get on TV. Jeff got on the jumbo-tron at the game a few times, but I watched the telecast closely and unfortunately he never got on TV. However, at the very beginning I did see his hat (because it was standing straight up!) and the top of his sign.

The picture below is my favorite. The person in the Statue of Liberty outfit is a guy that was sitting near them. He's from Texas but apparently is a huge BSU fan!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T07:56:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas to anyone who may read this! I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

I am feeling a little strange that Christmas Eve is already here. But, I am looking forward to the 4-day weekend and all of me and Jeff's traditions. Tonight we have our family dinner party with my parents and are watching Polar Express. And tomorrow morning we have our traditional cinnamon rolls and homemade orange julius.

As soon as I know everyone gets home safe, I will be able to start enjoying this wonderful time. (My parents are flying home from San Diego this morning, and Jeff has been driving all night to get back from there. I'll feel better once I hear from him this morning.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

San Diego vs. Boise

2008-12-22T10:16:00.006-07:00

It's definitely winter here in Boise (as it is all across the nation, from what I can see on the news). Unfortunately, it's been snowing which I despise!! Actually, I wouldn't mind the snow at all if the roads were heated. Imagine how many lives, not to mention vehicles, would be saved! But, considering that project would probably cost billions of dollars, I don't think it will happen any time soon. Instead, I'll be dealing with the miserable roads and the 45 minute to an hour commute any time it snows. :(

As for Jeff, he is in San Diego right now. He left Friday night at midnight (to avoid a storm) with his friend Kevin and a couple of people Kevin knows to go to the Boise State football game (the game is tomorrow night - GO BRONCOS!!). You may think I'm jealous and a little bitter. After all, here's what Jeff is doing right now:

And I'm here in Boise, driving on icy roads and working.

But actually, I'm OK with it. I wasn't able to get off work, so I couldn't go, but I've had fun trips I've been able to go on that Jeff has missed out on. Also, if I was in San Diego I'd be missing fun Christmas activities! Although this weekend was a little lonely, I still got into the Christmas spirit. And my sister Ashley came over last night and we decorated sugar cookies - it was a lot of fun.

And although Jeff will be watching the Poinsettia Bowl in person and I'll be watching it on TV, we'll both be yelling and cheering for our team. GO BSU!! :)

Christmas Extravaganza

2008-12-16T11:52:00.018-07:00

Last Saturday night Jeff and I hosted our second bi-annual Christmas party. It was family only, because our house is too small to hold too many people. It was SO fun!! Almost my entire Saturday was spent in preparation, but it was definitely worth it. It was a blast! (At least I thought so :) )

Thanks so much to my mom for helping plan and and for bringing some yummy food. And thanks to Jeff for being the "official" photographer.

We played a few games. One was a present exchange game where you sit in a circle with all the wrapped presents in the middle. You take turns rolling dice, and if you get doubles you try to unwrap a present while wearing ski gloves as fast as you can, because the next person who gets doubles takes over the unwrapping. It was pretty amusing. And the presents were fun too, because you had to be creative with a $5 limit!

We also played Electronic Catch Phrase and Rock Band. These games are great for groups. Of course, you also might get made fun of a little, like when I was trying to get my team to guess "Neptune" and as a clue said that it was a planet by Venus. Oops.

I'm so glad my family all came out! Love you guys and we made some great memories.

Finally, below is a picture of our house all decked out for Christmas. Jeff put a lot of work into decorating outside this year (I helped a little, but it was mostly him).

Winter Garden-A-Glow

2008-12-08T12:07:00.007-07:00

Last Saturday night, Jeff and I went to the Winter Garden-A-Glow at the Idaho Botanical Gardens with my sister Ashley and her husband Rick. Jeff and I go to the gardens every Christmas season - it is one of our many holiday traditions (we absolutely LOVE Christmas). I am always so amazed at all the lights and details - those volunteers really do a great job!

One thing that made it even nicer this year is that it wasn't very cold. The past couple years it has been pretty chilly while Jeff and I were there, which makes it so that you want to enjoy the lights but part of you wants to hurry up and leave so you can warm up in the car. This year, we didn't have that problem!

Below is a pic of Ashley and her husband Rick - aren't they such a cute couple? And hopefully Ashley doesn't mind that I'm announcing this on my blog, but they are going to be parents next summer! Yes, Ashley and Rick are going to have my parents' first grandchild. That child is going to be so spoiled with attention from my family! :)

Let's be real

2008-12-03T12:50:00.002-07:00

I was thinking today how most people tend to be up-beat in their blogs. Not that this isn't a good thing - we should be happy and grateful for what we have. However, if you read the blogs that I have posted thus far you might think that my life is only full of fun and smells constantly of roses. Well, although there's a lot of good things in my life, to be honest, this year has had some rough times for Jeff and I as well! And since this blog is becoming like a journal for me, I might as well let myself remember how life really was in 2008.

(This blog is not meant to encourage people to feel sorry for me - I'm just trying to create something for myself to remember 2008!)

1. The economy went downhill. Gas at one point cost over $4 a gallon, and people all over Boise were losing their jobs. And of course, instead of cutting back and saving like you should at a time like this, Jeff and I had to pay some medical bills and install a new HVAC system that put us in more debt.

2. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in January. With the aide of medication my stomach has been doing much better since my diagnosis, which has been great. However, I have had all kinds of other strange things happen with my health which almost makes me wonder which is worse - stomach problems or this. Lately I have constant paranoia and stress about my health and am just trying to ignore it the best I can.

3. Jeff's knees have been hurting him a lot all year, and we are thinking that next year he will have to get knee surgery (for the 3rd time!!).

However, I definitely have things to be grateful for regarding 2008:

1. My family. I love them so much and appreciate everything they do for me. They have helped Jeff and I out this year so much and I am so glad that we live in the same town.

2. My vacation to Maui. Jeff and I had a wonderful trip and I will always remember it. Before the trip I was stressed about going because I was worried about my health issues, but I felt fine the whole trip and was able to have a great time.

3. My job. I work for a great company and am not worried about job stability.

4. Boise. I love this town and am so glad to live here. It's just the right size and has tons of recreation opportunities. And I love being a Boise State football fan - me and my family have made some great memories associated with it.