The best part of Christmas!

Getting a new puppy for Christmas can't be beat.  It really is great!  But there's one thing that even trumps that.  That is lifting the load of another.

This year we had the wonderful opportunity of meeting a lady named Josephine and her son, Oliver.  They are African refugees who are here in Utah now.  They are truly delightsome people!  I tell you, little Oliver can light up the room with his precious, smiling face.

They were most grateful for any help we could offer.  Our awesome Bonco group got involved and, together, we were able to provide some much needed items for this little family

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Little Oliver really took a liking to Tanner.  They had a great time!

Oliver had some little friends show up to join in the fun!  They were darling as well!

Then we were able to deliver a truck and trailer load of supplies and gifts to them.  Misty and Katherine's families (from the Bonco group) came as well.

Josephine was so very gracious and her smile, along with that darling smile of Oliver, made my whole Christmas season this year!

I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to meet them and hope to continue on with this new friendship.  She works so hard to make ends meet.  I wish them all the very best and thank those involved so very much!

The Christmas Surprise!

So, it's amazing that the cat was not let out of the bag, so to speak.  I could not stop thinking about our fun Christmas surprise for the kids.  Then I kept talking about it...it was just too darn exciting for me!  I felt like a little kid at Christmas--the wait about killed me!

On Christmas morning, after most of the presents were unwrapped (and I really couldn't stand it anymore) Bob went out and brought in the grand finale--a new Yellow Lab puppy we named Roxy.  I wish everyone could have seen Tan, Liz and Zack as they discovered their new little friend that morning!  They shot up and ran to Bob like he had water in a desert!  It was Great!!

Roxy is the cutest little pup you've ever laid eyes on and possibly the most loved puppy around.

Now I'd better run....it seems she is trying to tell me that she wants to give me a little "present" of my own outside right now....

The gift that keeps on giving....

Blackout Game

What a night! Yep, it was a bit of a stressful game and Yep...the Utes pulled through for the win against TCU! This was a huge win since TCU beat BYU this year.

We rushed the field and had a ball, taking pictures with the players, forming a Congo line dancing through the crowds, chanting "BCS" over and over with everyone and doing the huge group high fives.

GO UTES!! 10-0 baby!!!!!

Catching up!!

It has been way too long since my last post! So here you have about four new posts showing things that have happened over the past couple of months. More to come...I really should learn to pace myself...

Pancakes anyone??

This is apparently the kind of thing that goes on Sunday mornings when Mom is still in bed. Oh well, I got to sleep in and the pancake king got to have some fun!!

Snowbird Tram Ride

We went up to Snowbird to take a fun tram ride for our family night. We were surprised to find so much snow already up there (this was over a month ago). It was really pretty and we had a good time checking out the amazing scenery!

Hola Mexico!

We found a killer deal on a cruise over UEA and jumped on board, so to speak. We went on the seven day Mexican Riviera cruise. The ports included Cabo san Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
In Cabo, we had a blast parasailing! We all did it and I must admit, I was a bit scared....when my KIDS were up there!! Tan and Liz went up together and absolutely loved it! When I was up in the air, I was contemplating how many sharks were down below and wondering if I could spot any. As I was scoping it out, I saw a huge sting ray gliding by. It was amazing!
We were in Mazatlan for Liz's 11th birthday. We gave her a fun certificate telling her that the next day she would be SWIMMING WITH THE DOLPHINS! She was so excited!
So, in Puerto Vallarta she and I went in with the dolphins and it was awesome!! We got to touch them (including her tongue), hold them, give some commands, and ride around the pool on her belly! That was great.
It was a really fun family trip and we had a great time just being together. The kids loved sharing their own room right next to ours, swimming in the pool and going down the slides, the fun excursions and hanging out together. Good times!!

Happy Halloween!

Oh my...I'm not ready for Liz to wear make up!

The Halloween season started with the annual party at the Evensen's home. We had a yummy dinner, played fun games and made crafts and enjoyed being with grandparents and cousins! This is a really fun tradition.
Then I had the opportunity of planning and executing Liz's Halloween party for her class at school. We had some fun games and everyone seemed to have a great time. I decided that morning to dress up to make it more fun, so I turned myself into a pirate. :)
That evening, we had our annual chili fest with the Orgills. We were glad to have G-ma and G-pa Evensen join us! After dinner, the kids went their separate ways and I went home to hand out candy.
A short time after Bob and Zack came home, Mindy's daughter, Jess, called me asking me to come over and goof off with them. We had so much fun!! We were singing and dancing to Mama Mia songs, making the kids dance for candy, jumping off the porch and laughing at Jess's dance with the jumbo umbrella. It's a good thing we don't drink (although some neighbors may be questioning that at this point). :)
It was a happy Halloween this year.

Open Up!

OK...We'll try the "public" blog thing...
Just realize that I am not aspiring to be a published author (if you want to read someone who really should be published, check out "Hogan's Herald" on my list of blog buddies. Lisa is hilarious!!).
I am also not aspiring for any bragging rights...this is just my way of journaling a bit in life and keeping track of where time goes (somewhat). That's a good thing for me, seeing how my actual journal has only two entries since 2003. I'm hoping that scrapbooking counts, although I'm not all that great on that front either. Maybe a compilation of memories, scrapbooks, "journals" and blogs will all work together to form something.
So, please forgive any faults you may see and thank you for being a part of our lives! We are so very blessed to have so many wonderful people that we care about!!

Our Big Deal!

We did it!!!!

Yep, we successfully finished our first triathlon ever! And...it was a great experience (for the most part)!
It seriously was one of the best things I've ever done--signing up, training for it, and finishing the race (with a pretty decent time).
I've put off writing about it because I don't know how to capture what it really was all about to me. My friend, Heidi, may say it best when she describes it as "it's almost like having a baby". It's kind of what it feels like...like you've done something great. So, I know there are triathletes all over the place and this may seem common, but to us it's a huge deal! And it's NOT a one time, check-it-off-the-list sort of thing. I want to do more! I LOVE being outside swimming, riding my bike or running (if you can get past the actual running part) :)
Now I think I'm having some post-race let down. I need something new to look forward to.
So, here's a bit about the race...
the SWIM--Yikes! My "wave" had 150 women all start at the same time! That was craziness! I kept bumping into people and they kept bumping into me. The thing is, every time I would hit into someone, I'd pull up and say sorry (as if we could help it), so I felt like I was never in a good groove. It felt like forever in the water though my swim actually clocked in at only 18 minutes. We swam 1000 meters which is .6 of a mile. Doesn't sound very long huh? Next time you're in your car, just map it out and think to yourself, "I'd still be swimming....STILL swimming...STILL swimming. Are you kidding me??" Then add 150 extra bodies to that equation that are all kicking and gasping for life. Ha ha.
So, Bob had quite a time in the water. He separated his shoulder in June and swam only TWICE in preparation for this event. Let the record show that he did NOT take his wife's advice of getting a cortasone shot a week prior so he could train every day. He did NOT take his wife's advice of trying out the wetsuit prior to the event. That wetsuit was too small and he felt like he couldn't breathe so he unzipped a bit, only to haul part of the lake along on his swim with him. Therefore, he spent twice as long as I did in the water and did NOT enjoy that part of the tri.
So, I have to say it...I beat him. Yep. The swim, his dislocated shoulder, plus his head cold he was dealing with all conspired against him and I came in about 13 minutes ahead. So I can take this moment of glory because I can predict that it will NEVER happen again.
The whole race course was beautiful this time of year with the fall colors starting. It was the perfect day for the race.
We had our friends racing too. Jon and Stacie Bready came up and stayed overnight at our cabin with us. We had a great time together. The next morning, our friend, Rebecca Abbott, joined us as well. Everyone did great and it was awesome!!
My awesome cousin, Kristin, and her family, Jordan and Charlie, came up to be our cheerleaders and hang out with our kids during the race. How awesome of them to help us out like that!! We also had a fun surprise of bright, posters to cheer us on! Bob's mom helped the kids make those. That was so thoughtful! THANKS to all who helped us along the way in so many ways!
It all combined to make up a great experience--a big deal indeed!

Go Utes!!

Fall is in the air. That means...college football! We started a fun new tradition of season tickets to the Utes games. We love it! It is so much fun to get dressed up in our red and go watch the games.
We have tickets for our little family and they are just a few rows up from Kevin and Mindy Orgill's family tickets. Just a few rows up from us are the Christensens, another family in our neighborhood. We're all in the end zone, down by the action and we love it! Bob's family (Mom, Dad, John and Anna) also have season tickets up near the 50 yard line, I believe.
This year, the plan is to tailgate every game. We started out the first game (Utes vs. UNLV) by tailgating with the Orgills. They bought a little grill and we broke out the hot dogs, chips, drinks, etc. We did realize that we need ample time to do this thing properly. I also think we'll get creative--go for the taco salads, chicken kabobs, etc.

The Orgills tickets are on row 2 and the people in front of them only come on occasion, so we migrate over to them quite often (at least the kids). Therefore, the kids are almost always on the jumbotron every game. They have a blast with that! We also get to see Swoop as he walks by. Zack got his picture with him. I'm just glad we got him to stop saying "Go Cougars" before he met up with Swoop. Zack just got caught up in all the excitement and kept yelling about BYU and the Cougars when we first got out of the car. (thank you Russ Tolley, who brainwashes Zack during nursery each week--until Bob threatened to yank him out of there and have our 3 year old go inactive unless it stopped!) :)

We have a ton of fun and hopefully our kids are enjoying making memories like these!
(and I say go Utes AND go Cougars!)

First Day of School!

Liz and Tanner's first day of school was on August 18th this year. It seemed so early to start back up! I think they were ready to get back into the routine of things again, but I really miss them when they're gone all day!
They both seem to like their teachers, schedule, friends, etc. I'm glad to have them in such a great school district. But I do wonder what happened to the "good 'ol days" when everyone in the neighborhood went to the same school. Nowadays, there are charter schools, private schools, home schools, another school in the district, etc. It is crazy! There really are kids in like six different schools around here. I have to admit, I don't like that. For me, school is a real social experience and I think it's too bad that all the kids in the neighborhood aren't doing that together (especially when we live in such a great school district!). Oh well, things change...that's always a constant!

Skyline Drive with Grandpa

My dad invited the kids to go on a fun overnight fishing trip with him. They got all packed up and jumped in Grandpa's big truck and went down to the Ranch to stay overnight. Then they got up and went along the Skyline Drive to test out the new fishing rods Grandpa bought them. They are telescoping rods so they're really easy to pack and transport around. They worked great! Most of all, the kids just had fun with Grandpa. Look at that scenery! How could you NOT enjoy a day like that?? Next time the Mom should be invited--or not--maybe it's fun for the kids to just be with Grandpa.

Demolition Derby!

At times, some things can make me wonder...
One such time was this summer when we went to the Demolition Derby with the whole Christensen clan plus a few. Ok. Here's the thing...I really loved it! We had so much fun yelling at these cars that were completely trying to obliterate the others in the ring. We would start betting on which ones would win--calling which car was "ours" when they paraded across before the chaos ensued. Then, when the buzzer rang and the smashing began...forget it...alter egos came out!
This was apparent when I looked down at a family friend whom we had invited, along with her five year old son. She had a look of horror on her face as she desperately tried to shield her son from being permanently scarred from the real life violence unfolding before her. She would interject questions about if people could die, or how much they could benefit from a good chiropractor, and what not. She ended up leaving early...probably to reevaluate her friendship with such a primitive group.
Good thing she left early, because the BEST was when the gals got into the cars! One even rolled over the top of another car, completely flipping it on it's top! She was just fine, but we were a bit disappointed when the ambulance blocked our view of the rescue--they even got out the jaws of life.
Now what's not to like about that kind of entertainment?
So, is it nature or nurture? And do I have some mysterious redneck bloodline??

Bountiful Celebration

Bountiful City has a great tradition of having an amazing firework show on the 23rd of July. The Evensens have a fun tradition of getting together to enjoy the celebration. The fireworks are shot off just past their front yard, so we have a perfect view (and parking as well!)
Friends and family congregate on the lawn and enjoy visiting, homemade ice cream and Texas sheet cake, and some killer fireworks.
Then, my kids' favorite...Grandma Evensen yelling out after it's over "thank you Bountiful City...you did it again!" :)

This year, our good friends, the Tolleys, joined us. We had a great time and were able to see and visit with Bob's brother, Chris, who was in town from Las Vegas for a while.

Cottonwood Lake

This summer we went up to Cottonwood Lake with the Evensen family...at least part of the clan was there. We had G-ma and G-Pa Evensen, Lindsay, Ben and Abby, John and Ellie, and our little family.

This time we brought up our motorcycles. The kids absolutely loved that!!

It truly is a beautiful place on this Earth!