Good-bye 2013!

2013 has been quite the whirlwind for us overall. I thought I would take some time and make a video montage of our year. I am happy to report that I accomplished TWO of my New Year's resolutions from January.....I did take a photo a day (sometimes capturing the mundane things like dirty dishes but I did it) AND I managed to blog more than I have in almost four years. I will admit to shedding a few tears while I created, edited, rearranged, and added pics to this year in review. Tears of joy shed that remind me how blessed we are with great friends and family whether near or far. Tears of happiness for fond memories traveling many, many miles (and blocking out the random meltdowns after many, many hours of road-tripping).
Our Year in Review (via One True Media)

Looking forward to more travel and memory making in 2014.....hoping to add Mardi Gras and Virginia to our lists along with visiting family in Georgia and an extended CA visit (maybe) in the summer. My new camera is ready for lots of use; I hope to share more our craziness with you in 2014.

Monday musings #3

Another Monday is quickly upon us and I feel the need to blog. Things are rolling along at a swift pace and before I know it the kids will be out for summer and asking the dreaded "what are we doing today?" So on this May 6th, here's a little brain dump...

• Spring is here in full bloom and we've got the Zyrtec to prove it.
• Ian had his football evals last Saturday morning; they had about 750 kids total on the day for the program. And they have more registration this Sat. THAT is a big football program.  (and it only goes up to 6th grade)
• Maggie turns 15 on Sunday. We are debating over who gets to rule the day since it's Mother's Day.....I say 'I get the day b/c I brought you in to this world!'/ she says 'but I'll only turn 15 once!'
• She starts with orthodontia on May16th....happy belated birthday to her, muhahaha.
• We took a road trip this weekend down to Seabrook to attend a crawfish boil held annually by one of Collin's college buddies. Crawfish, cocktails, lots of laughter, and fresh seafood to take home from Galveston Bay. Simple goodness; thank you for the hospitality Adams Family :)
• The family dipped their feet in the warm waters of Galveston Bay. I think the first comment was 'this is sooooo much warmer than the Pacific.' Fritz was running around like a crazy fool so he loved the water too.
• I filled my car up for $41.75 today. I paid $2.76 per gallon with my Kroger discount. Sweet.
• I exercised today. Yes, you should mark it on your calendar right along with me.
• I am doing a 5K in two weeks. Let's hope I don't embarrass myself.
• Dinner tonight is broccoli beef and fried rice (scratch) with orange chicken (frozen Costco) and fresh pineapple. Tomorrow is gumbo (shrimp, chicken, saus.) with rice. Help - I haven't meal planned for May completely. I did buy fresh basil and parsley plants today, though.
• still doing Flylady; I love having my house clean. Yes - I know we haven't been here a month and I'm not totally unpacked, but my family can make a huge mess in a short amount of time. It was very refreshing to be able to hit the road quickly and come home to a relatively clean house. And the laundry is a lot less annoying since I'm doing small manageable tasks. (and the kids are actually keeping their dishes out of the sink and putting them in the dishwasher, woot.) Small victories.
• I did get a quick fix on my camera lens at a local camera shop (they literally called the guy the lens chiropractor and the lens cracked when he 'fixed' the tweek; it works so I'll call it good for now)
• Things to do....DMV remains on the list; add schedule a doctor's appt for a physical for me; find the hardware for the boys' bunk beds; get the old fridge and gas dryer put on Craigslist.

And to end on a sappy note, go hug your loved ones. Last week I lost a high school friend to a random freak accident (that happened while her loved ones watched in horror and could do nothing). In the blink of an eye she lost her life. RIP dear Paula.  It has been a serious reminder to me that even with all the busy stuff going on (as noted in my brain dump above) I always have time to stop and tell my kids and my husband 'I love you' before they walk out the door.

New blog address/ relocation ramblings, episode 5

I figured it only appropriate to adjust my blog address to reflect our location. So, now it is www.hall6intx.blogspot.com I hope the handful of people who read here can still find me.

SO how is Texas?
I would answer with so far/so good.
Here's a picture of the house from when we first arrived.

and here is a view from the backyard

this was from the first time Ian and Fritz were out there running around.

We really love the view. Tons of birds, squirrels, rabbits, turtles, ducks, an occasional crane, and geese sometimes.

 

Overall, it is really nice. Our neighborhood is located in a nice community and Amanda and Ian are able to walk to and from school. Sean and Maggie take the bus from a stop three houses down. (Can I say the mornings are quite pleasant with different wake times and out-the-door times. Maggie has about 35min on her own with no one to argue with about the bathroom. Small victories.) There is tons of shopping close by so I feel like I'm still in Irvine yet don't know where I'm going most of the time. The kids seem to be adjusting and making friends. Ah, friends. I miss them so much. (especially this little chicklet, Miss Gracie - this is how she said 'good-bye' to each of us/ with nose kisses and forehead rubs)

 I am pretty much the lone ranger. Fritz keeps me company as I unpack and ramble about cleaning. I am pretty sure the friendly folks here think I'm crazy because I'll talk to anyone.....gotta have some adult conversation. The weather changes enough that it always makes for nice conversation, ya know.
I keep telling myself to 'give it time' but I'm not known for my patience.

One of the reasons we moved was to be closer to family. And we already took advantage of that opportunity. Our roadtrip to NOLA this weekend was swift but fun. The kids got to hang out (literally) with my Mom and the cousins for a few. Add in some great food, SNOBALLS, and some time with the Caluda family and I would call it a success.

Collin and I made it to the Theta Xi 50th Anniver. Formal. We got to dress up like grown-ups and hang with some old friends. We even went to The Bulldog (same location/new name), a bar we used to go to in college. So, it was even more fun for me because I had friends :)

So as Ian would say 'life is good!'

(except for the barf that Fritz just blessed me with, thanks pal)

Relocation ramblings, episode 1

A quick post, just as a sort of journal, of our journey:

• the last 15% of your move is the biggest pain in the butt AND seems to take forever. It will be those boxes that annoy me.....you know, the ones that contain the most random things and are completely irritating to unload. Everyone has one or two or three - alarm clock, leftover random towel, ziploc size bag of travel lotions, ponytail holders, bathroom cup, pair of flip-flops, and the entire drawer that you just found and forgot to pack!
• we have 14,000 pounds of house packed in three large containers not to mention the assorted random things overflowing the two vehicles
• cleaning a house that isn't your own REALLY sucks
• anything that goes through Ian's brain comes out of his mouth no matter if it is a word, a sound, or a song
• he knows the words to a lot of songs!
• spending a relaxing evening with great friends is an awesome way to end a long day
• 375 miles isn't that far but it IS a nice start to a long trek
• having your engine light come on 345 miles into that trek isn't a great feeling especially when you just paid close to $2K in repairs AND tomorrow is a holiday

Happy Easter ......may you be blessed with a beautiful day and lots of chocolate. Onward toward Las Cruces or El Paso - at least lets hope so.

Good stuff

It's the good stuff that makes the stress more bearable.....our final weekends here are upon us.......this weekend was amazing.
Yesterday Maggie was able to spend the day at Disneyland with her bff because of my co-workers generosity. After dropping her off, I snagged some beignets and surprised the other kids with one of their most favorite treats in the world. Then I decided that we should trot off to watch Ian's best buddy, Ben, play in his baseball game because we need to soak in some Irvine Pony baseball before we leave. (who has packing to do?) What a great decision. I got to see Ben play great and hug a few friends that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten to say farewell to - Kristy, Erin, Deborah - you are such great women. I am proud to call you friend(s). Then, I shuffled to pick up some furniture donations that a great friend (Janet Miller!) had offered our family. What a blessing.....our home in Texas just got a bit more cozy because of their generosity. I did manage to get it in the garage even with the mustang still there, ugh! After that, I shuffled Amanda off to a SURPRISE farewell party that her friends put together on their own.

What an amazing group of young ladies. Thank you for making Amanda feel so special. Times like these are treasured memories forever.

And Saturday wasn't finished yet......I headed off to MTV for Nunsense. OH MY GOODNESS! So amazing. So jealous I missed being in the cast. Lots of laughs and tears were shed and boy did it bring back memories of Catholic school. Here's a glimpse of me and my 'sister' friends

A bittersweet ending to our six years at MTV. Such talent - all cultivated with love by Denise Fenton. Thank for the memories.

 

Sunday was even better :)

Maggie performed her final time on the MTV stage to a packed house in the closing show of Aladdin. She has loved all of her performances over the years but today was extra special. She held it together and sang beautifully. But the best was yet to come after the curtain call. We were able share in Kenneth's proposal to our talented and beautiful director, Aurora. Dressed as her Prince, he shocked us all (except for those sneaky secret keepers) and she said YES!

 

Saying good-bye is difficult but as the song from Little Women says "some things are meant to be". And Aurora and Kenneth certainly are an example of that.

 

Just one of those days

Have you ever had a day where MOST everything just goes well? I don't have them very often; well, I can't even remember the last time MOST everything went so smoothly. Ya know, minimal bickering; transitions go smoothly; dinner is pre-planned; everyone seems happy in the moment. I'm happy to say today was one of those days.

With plans to hit the beach, I got up before the kids (see, I said not very often!). I prepped the roast for the crockpot, got some coffee and breakfast, and made beach food. We made it to the beach, found a good parking spot immediately, and managed to hit the sand without incident. Woot! We met up with friends and the kids scattered like cockroaches while I rummaged for sunscreen, my hat and my beachchair.

Ian is the sand-crab digger. He will spend hours hoping to find the biggest one on the planet.

And then keep digging for yet an even bigger one. He did eventually venture out into the crazy waves but went right back to being the professional sand-crab finder (and creeping me out with them).

The waves were insane. They were the biggest I can ever remember seeing. Sean was even wary for a short while saying "too big, too powerful." However, having a great friend by your side makes everything easier.

That's Jake and Sean on the bottom right, cracking up. They are 17 days apart in age; they met just before their 2nd birthday. Even though we don't see Jake and his fantastic family much the kids get along splendidly. They just 'get' each other. (can you see the wave crashing in the background!)

It was even cooler to watch bunches of the kids in our group venture out together. They would find a comfort zone in the rolling waves and all jump in together.

Left to right.....Ben (9), Amanda (10), Jake(12), Sean (12), Marin (almost 11)
And, believe it or not, I even got in the water......to take pictures. Here is my favorite of Amanda.

I really need to get my zoom lense fixed b/c the Pacific Ocean is COLD!

I don't think Jake came out for more than five minutes the entire time we were there. Since I was 'used' to the water at this point, I decided to venture in myself. I RARELY go near the toe-cramping salt water and the kids were shocked when I grabbed a board and joined in. Thanks to Nicole, there is proof of my insanity.

And, sweet Grace filled her day with sand play and lot of wave jumping.

That makes any day PERFECT in her eyes :)

Everyone made it safely through the day without a scratch except for the random bee sting that Ben ended up with. As if that wasn't a good enough day......add in ice cream on the way home and the knowledge that my crockpot was cooking, it was all good. To top off the day, Amanda had her first

tae-kwon-do belt testing. She held her head high (she doesn't do that often), displayed good posture, and did really well.

Through her rosey sunburnt cheeks (yes, she wore sunscreen and we re-applied), she was still able to flash me a proud smile. She should be proud! Such a fighter.

But wait, there's more.........we hit the pool for a while while our potatoes roasted because one can never have enough sunshine and water play. We had a yummy dinner and then it was time to do the kid switch and bring Jake to his family where I would also retrieve Maggie.  We met half-way in a Denny's parking lot (cue a country song, oh, nevermind) and like friends do the adults began to chat while the kids rocked out to blaring music/ car doors open/ windows down. All. the. while. my. batttttteeeerrryyyyy drained. Gah!

And that's the kicker. That is why it is a MOSTLY smooth day. Even better with the fact that Chad had jumper cables and I didn't have to wait for AAA in a random parking lot with four kids at 10pm. See, smooth :)

With summer days dwindling away, I will gladly take a few more of these MOSTLY smooth ones. (minus the bee sting and sunburn of course).

I've mentioned before what an amazing person my friend Nicole is. Well, I wanted to give her a little shout-out again because she just celebrated a VERY SPECIAL birthday. (We'll just leave it at that; I'll be nice and not mention any specific numbers because I'm still older than she is.)

She likes to do these little list things on HER blog when birthdays come up in her family and she even stated a few things that she loves about her life in celebration of her own day. I thought I would make a little list of my own to wish her a happy birthday and tell the world what makes her awesome:

1) She was literally my right hand when I lived at the hospital with Amanda.
2) She can bake and she shares all the goodies with me & my family.
3) She remembers the little things that make people unique and special.
4) She is insanely talented with both dancing and singing.
5) She is an amazing mother -- gentle, patient, creative, and loving!
6) She is a master of movie quotes.
7) She loves to laugh. (with me and at me!)
8) last, BUT NOT LEAST, she is a zany sports fan too!

Happy Birthday to Nicole --- Me and all-o'-ya'll-Halls love you very much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!! 2011; damn, time flies. I'm gettin' old and all that..........
I hate being an absent blogger. I don't mean to be; I have tons of random posts running through my brain but I never get around to putting channeling my thoughts to the computer.

The kids and I had a nice time in Phoenix, AZ for a few days. We visited my friend Sandee and her kids; went on a hike (and got snowed on; haha, my SoCal kids thought it was ash at first!); and just chilled out (literally; it was freezing!). School is back in session and I'm still on my bandwagon of cooking and healthy eating (for the most part). I have shared some yummy tidbits on my Facebook and folks have asked for recipes so I'll try to occasionally create a post for it to share with you all.

First up, Jambalaya -- I must apologize because my quantities aren't exact and it's sorta an eye-ball/consistency thing too; apparently my mother-in-law has taught me well.

Ingredients: one pound of cooked chicken breast (I boiled one bnls/skls. and kept the broth)
                  one pound of smoked sausage (1/4" slices, browned in skillet)
                  one pound of shrimp (I used frozen, pre-cooked [I hope this doesn't make my Louisiana friends   and family dis-own me!])
                  1/4 of an onion (diced)
                  two stalks of celery (diced)
                  some fresh parsley (chopped)
                  two cloves of garlic (minced)
                  bit of olive oil (or better yet, bacon drippings!)
                  14-15oz. can of petite diced tomatoes (all, do not drain)
                  six cups of liquid (water, chicken broth, etc.)
                  1-1/2 cups of uncooked rice
                  seasonings: dash of tabasco, couple of shakes of Tony Chac. cajun seasoning, bit of fresh ground  pepper, sprinkle of salt, shake of cayenne pepper (ya get what I'm sayin')

Procedure:  In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion/celery/parsley/garlic in the olive oil. While that is going, cut and brown the sausage; boil the chicken; etc. Once the saute of onion is done, add the can of tomatoes, and four cups of liquid. Remove chicken once cooked and cut up into small pieces; pour pieces & broth into Dutch oven; remove sausage once browned and dab off the excess grease, pour sausage slices into Ductch oven. Add shrimp and seasonings. Simmer for 15 minutes or so. After the flavors blend, add the uncooked rice and two cups of water. Simmer 30-40 minutes until rice is cooked. (Stir regularly; keep an eye on the water content b/c the rice will absorb it during cooking; recipe should be be too dry nor too soupy). Voila!! Serve with french bread. So delish :)

I hope that made sense. It really is super easy and SO GOOD. Comfort food. Let me know what you think. Tonight I'm making potato/corn chowder with salad (and rolls; no roll for me though: I'd rather fill up on soup!) I'll let you know how it goes.

Day Five & Six--
A quiet morning (if you want to call it that with eight kids in the house) at my brother's house. We attended a b-day party with them and the kids had fun. After enjoying another afternoon thunderstorm we made our way across the Causeway to the Northshore......Mandeville to be exact. And then it was adventures in BOY-LAND. Boys everywhere -- Kathlynn's four, my two, and lots of assorted neighbors. How does the old saying go? "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt"......well, that someone would be Ian. He took a baseball bat to the head; scared the bejeeebers out of us, but he was just fine. With a nasty mark on his forehead. My homesick meter went up a few notches when I got to see the AMAZING homes in the area and the neighborhoods with tons of kids, no fences, and pick-up games galore. Just how it should be. Add in some sweat and a few bugs. Popeyes for dinner was the icing on the cake.

Sunday was more of the same but even better. Woke up to the kids sharing some Beatles RockBand. Add in some home cookin'--BLTs for lunch and Joe's awesome grilled burgers for dinner. Loads of soccer for the boys; Sean was even so busy he skipped dinner. Yes, skipped dinner. Maggie savored every moment at the piano that she could; we REALLY need to get her lessons; she is such a natural. After dinner we took the kids for a quick dip in the pool and then shared watermelon by moonlight.

Can you say perfect summer days! (except for Ian's sore head)

(side note: Sean has asked to move to New Orleans; he said he didn't even mind the humidity!)

Where was I? Oh, yeah -- Day FOUR, Part One

Cajun country continued -- we headed to Vermillionville near Lafayette, LA. It is a cultural center celebrating southern Louisiana history. It has quiant little buildings showing us what life was like many years ago from the kitchen to the schoolhouse to the church and more. (For all you CA folk, it's like doing a field trip about the gold rush.) We meandered the grounds and mid-way through a spectacular thunderstrom blew in. It was fantastic; complete with pouring rain ("it's raining side-ways") and loud, booming thunder. The kids didn't care. The water was warm and perfect to run in; jump in puddles; and try to catch a raindrop or two. My kids sampled fresh figs right off the tree and we were treated to an old-fashioned Cajun Jam on the way out. Lots of toe tappin' and hand clappin'; we absolutely loved it. Completely soaked, we headed to lunch at Prejean's (pronounced Pray-zhon) for the BEST LUNCH EVER. Sean tasted fried frog's legs and fried alligator; loved it! I had crawfish etoufee and a crawfish pie; holy cow, SO GOOD!

On the road again, Saturday afternoon we bid a fond farewell to the Poynot family and headed back to Metairie to visit my brother and his family. More cousin time. Day Four, part two to come soon.

(sorry Blogger isn't letting me add, yet again, GRRRR!) Check the Facebook album for pics ;)

Day THREE -- Bayou Babes!
We arrived in Broussard Thursday evening so on Friday we had tons of time to just visit and FINALLY (as Mia says) be there at the Poynots' home. And what a fun time. Amanda and Mia are attached at the hip; we think they have the same brain b/c if Mia says 'hot cocoa' then Amanda must have 'hot cocoa'. etc., etc. It's really fantastic to see their bond --- they are pen pals and just adore each other.
Then there is TEAM TROUBLE aka Sean and Matthew. Both 10 yrs. old, goof balls, and sports fantatics. Sean was beyond thrilled to be introduced to air soft guns. They are basically so funny together b/c they are what you imagine to be 'typical little boys'....laughing, playing, and wrestling every minute. (and they eat a lot too!)

Here is my AMAZING, beautiful, talented and loving friend Kelda. She gave Maggie another quick lesson in knitting; now Maggie is really rolling on a scarf (or something) and she can even make basic corrections. Kelda's home-schooling store is incredible; she cooks & bakes from scratch; and she has the patience of a saint. I want to be her when I grow up.

Our fish fry was the PERFECT dinner before our evening swamp tour. Right in Breaux Bridge (pronounced bro-bridge for all you non-Cajun folk) we took off for an evening on the water --- tupelo and cypress trees, spanish moss, egrets, ibis, frogs and even a few gators. The sights and sounds of sunset in the swamp was breathtaking. I was so happy that my kids got to experience something that is so different from the SoCal way of life.

Sean had quite the keen eye and spied this 2yr. old gator that had just caught a fish next to our boat. Our guide did a little fake bait thing to get him moving; boy was it fast!

Then our guide scrambled over and grabbed this little thing out of nowhere. He said he 'saw the weeds moving' ......huh? OK, thanks ---the kids got to touch this one year old. And then we released it to the safety of its home.

We dodged a thunderstorm, but the thunder and lighting was quite spectacular. And we didn't melt, but it sure felt like we were going to.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!
We're back from a camping adventure to Bass Lake (near Yosemite). Really dirty. Tired. but life goes on......
The boys are off and running to the first day of football (who needs a shower anyway?)and the rest of us are off to the theatre for their first night of Seussical. I'm working on coffee and adrenaline at this point, but I will pride myself on starting laundry and taking a shower before we head off for the evening.
We had a really great weekend despite the fact that we had a few mishaps; I believe that is to be expected with eight kids and four adults (and I was the lone female/Mom figure). I took pictures until my camera battery died, so I will share those soon. There are no pictures to prove it but I will shout it from the rooftops --- I GOT UP ON WATER SKIS. Yes, Yes, I did!!!!!!!!! Not for longer than 10 seconds, but that is an improvement over last year.
Now, for the dirty, rotten pigs who stole one of our ice chests from the camp last night (the ranger said they were probably looking for beer), I hope you choke on the stupid hamburger buns, graham crackers and Doritoes that you found. Wait -- that wasn't nice; I hope enjoyed every bite and needed the food. Maybe you were hungry and/or your Momma didn't teach you right from wrong. Karma is all I can say. Beware of the critters out there because you are a filthy critter yourself!
There, I'm done. I'm looking forward to my shower and my bed later on.

LOST
Did you think I was lost?
Well, I kind of have been.
Lost in life.
Lost in the mundane tasks of errands, laundry, and dishes.
Lost in the driver seat of my Suburban running all over town.
Lost in the mania of basketball and baseball.
Lost in volunteer stuff like planning the school talent show.
Lost in FINALLY finishing the Twilight series.
Lost in trying to create a realistic budget and still do 'fun stuff' (as the kids call it)
Lost in completely paperwork and realizing that my BABY is going to Kindergarten in the fall.
Lost in being a grown-up I guess.

I haven't been lost in Facebook land. I'm happy to say. I enjoy catching up with everyone but I just don't have time to sit and click around much. Now it's a couple of times a week vs. a couple of times a day; so if you send me message chances are it could be a while before I respond.

I haven't even been lost in good television. American Idol just isn't really holding my attention so I find myself fast-forwarding through all the nonsense hoping for a good performance. Thanks goodness for the DVR.

And last, but not least, lost in prayer of thanksgiving for Gwenyth & Tricia and prayers of hope & healing for Stellan
.

Please pray for baby Stellan.

March has definitely come in like a LION. Well, it's never quiet around here so I guess I can't even use that excuse. I promised a few pictures from our Mountain Adventure; so here goes.
This is the kids happy as clams as we are unloading and moving everything from my broken down Suburban. Always a party......

Lots of snow and icicles around
Maggie didn't even mind walking Fritz
Amanda really is 'Punky Brewster' (did I just make myself look old?)
Amanda and Ann (cousin-extraordinare/hot-chocolate maker/perfect smore toaster)
our friend, Dale, chillin' withe Fritz
Ian is the essence of a 4yo
STEAK!
Sean turned NINE (and yes, he is eating cake for breakfast!)
it's the little things that get you through crazy weekends sometimes.

This is the post that I will entitle
I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING

It all started last Thursday; a 'low coolant' warning came on in my Suburban. 'No problem, I'll just pop by the mechanic's place and have them fill it on my way to pick up the kids on Friday AM (on our way to the mountains).' Everything was just dandy until 11:30am when the mechanic told me my water pump was done. "WHAT(%* Say that again!" They could fix it quickly but it was going to take a while. I scooped up the kids and dropped off the car. We walked to McDonalds and had lunch and they played while we waited, waited, waited. Waited so long they were done and asking to leave, lol!

After a couple of hours, we got the fixed car, picked up the dog and raced to retrieve my MIL who was waiting at a hotel to be picked up. We were three hrs. behind my original schedule but the silver lining is that I was able to drive up to Big Bear with a new water pump.

Fast forward two hours, we are 12 miles from the cabin. And I hit a boulder. It looked like a ball of snow (even my MIL said she would have gone over it.) Immediately I lose all oil pressure and kill the engine so I don't burn up my motor. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. So I have a Suburban FULL of groceries, luggage, 4 kids, a dog, and two adults. "Hello, AAA; um, we need a tow truck." The lady took a deep breath and wasn't sure how they were going to transport us (lol!) but Collin came to the rescue and picked us up. It was going to be a two hour wait. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. 35 degrees outside and no engine for warmth. Silver lining = no one was hurt; I was near a large turn-out to pull over; I was only a few miles away from town and the repair shop.

Saturday Collin had to drive down the mountain to retrieve parts for the mountain mechanic, so I took all four kids skiing alone. I hung with Ian while the three bigger ones practiced on the bunny slopes. The one random time I was riding with Amanda JUST as we got on the lift her nose starts to bleed. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. Being a Mom, OF COURSE I have tissues, but one short lift ride and three tissues full of blood. They called ski patrol/first aid for me but it stopped after a short bit. Silver lining = I was with her at the right time and it was just a random altitude thing. No biggie. Collin met us after lunch and Ian was skiing green slopes from top to bottom after his lesson. YEAH!

Had a great king crab fest dinner on Saturday night. On Sunday, Collin drove down the mountain yet again for Sean's basketball playoff game. They won! Our friend Dale walked to retrieve my fixed car before the mechanic closed. I skied with the others and they met up with us later in the afternoon. Family skiing; really, really fun. Had a great steak dinner and watched some of the Oscars. Sean turned NINE but was way too exhausted and grumpy to enjoy cake. It was a nice evening visiting with the Messinas and my MIL and niece. The fireplace had an issue with filling the room with smoke no matter what we did so that was a bummer, but it was a really nice rental. Then, Amanda starts puking around midnight. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. I guess she puked from 12-5am. Silver lining = I was downstairs sleeping with Maggie and Collin handled the Amanda illness. She was better by 10am and was fine for the drive home. My drive shaft had a ding in it from the boulder so my car vibrated the whole way home if I went more than 55mph. Not a shimmy but a vibration that made everything fuzzy and my brain hurt after two hours.

So our weekend was pretty much an adventure. Or a comedy of errors. Silver lining = we spent time with friends and family and we still all love each other.

Gone are the days when Collin and I would decide the night before that we wanted to go to Big Bear for the day to ski. No reservations necessary; no bags to pack. We would just toss our ski stuff in the car and off we'd go at 5:30am. We'd ski; grab lunch; ski; relax and then head home. A long, fun day.

Now, we have plans/reservations/lists:

It involves checking the ski-stuff box to see who has outgrown what. It involves borrowing precious items (helmets & goggles, THANKS Heather!).
It involves counting down how many more 'SLEEPS' you have until we leave.
After a trip to Ralph's

and Costco and the fire wood place and Chicks sporting goods, we can go.

Nope, first you have to pack suitcases and then figure out how you are possibly going to fit this puzzle together ---- dog crate; two coolers; firewood; ski clothes; four suitcases (for us); groceries!; wine; snow chains and have room to ADD three more adults & two kids WITH suitcases into a F-150 crew cab and a Suburban. (I know what you are thinking -- usually we shop after arrival, but all the weekenders arrive on Friday afternoon and shop. It takes at least two hours if we wait until we are up there).

Check the local mountain website for road conditions.
Don't forget the Dramamine.
The mountains are calling our name

Happy Mardi Gras!

TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
Sunny

Sunny
35 14 Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy
40 21 Snow Showers

Snow Showers
37 16 Snow Showers

Snow Showers
39 18 Snow Showers

Snow Showers
33 18 Snow Showers

Snow Showers
38 19

WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this rain is making the local mountains just awesome! We are counting the days until we head up there for a weekend of skiing and snow play. My MIL and my niece Ann along with our friends the Messinas are coming out to join us. We can't wait! It's basically a few days of relaxation, skiing, great food, SMORES, games, and time together. Bonus: Sean turns nine and will get to have extended family here to share his cake.

I love Christmas decorations. Some of my fondest memories were of driving around during the Christmas season looking around at the decorated houses. Then came Christmas in the Oaks in City Park. It was a winding journey through the monstrous oak trees decorated with lights galore. One of the funnest dates that Collin and I had was spent shivering our way through the walking portion.
So, I couldn't have been happier than when I got to share Christmas in the Oaks with Maggie during our whirlwind trip to New Orleans last weekend. Complete with Mr. Bingle that used to hang on the Maison Blanche store many moons ago.

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We rode the Christmas train but sadly the monstrous oak trees are barely decorated post-Katrina. It was mostly a cold, dark ride but my butt was warm squeezed in-between two cute girlies. I realize I look like a polar bear, but it was COLD out there. Remember, it snowed there this past week. Yes, snow in New Orleans - only the 3rd time in my lifetime.

There's something about Nicole!
Today just seems right to tell the world about how fabulous my friend Nicole is and how blessed I am to have her in my life.

Nicole just has a way about her. She is friendly, funny, smart, beautiful, talented and so much more. She is an amazing mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and support system to many. She has a flair for drama and dancing too, so it is ALL good.

I feel like I've known her all my life. She's the closest thing to a sister that I have in my life right now. Sure, I have great friends (waving to Patricia, Kathylnn, Sandee, Jenin29, Heather, etc.) but Nicole is involved in my life daily. Our kids are friends, but we would be friends anyway I'm sure of it.

The saying 'it's the little things' applies to how thoughtful Nicole is. She has been there with random flowers for a quick pick-me-up; she has shuffled my kids when I don't have last minute babysitting; she is just THERE. Yesterday for my b-day, she arranged a small luncheon. It couldn't have been more perfect. Just 5 adults, but it was filled with wonderful conversation, laughs, and delicious food. All of my gifts were so ME and I love them all, but the CD Nicole made for my car is just priceless. Assorted tunes that she picked b/c they are inside jokes, representative of our friendship, or just plain fun. It can be a serious song that I will just laugh to b/c of what it means to us. (Kelly Clarkson's Because of You isn't supposed to be funny.............hmmmmmm, wonder why she didn't put RedNeck Woman on my CD?)

And to top it all off, she is my tap-dance teacher on Tues. mornings.

Thank you for being my friend.