Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Activity Days Recognition Night
Each year, the Activity Day leaders set aside a night for the girls to showcase their talents and accomplishments over the previous year. On this particular night, each girl was given the opportunity to tell about what they did. Kristen brought her American Red Cross Babysitting Certificate and talked about the preparation she is making to be a great babysitter and shared an experience about babysitting for the first time. Kristen makes a great public speaker (and she usually has her eyes open!)
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Dahlia's
One of the things that I have loved Pinterest for is determining what plants, shrubs, flowers, trees, and bushes to plant in my yard. I have researched a lot to determine which flowers are perennials vs. annuals and sun-loving vs shade-loving. I love these dahlia's that I planted earlier this summer. It always makes me happy to see things flourish as I plant them.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
A Weekend Away
It was a much-needed weekend away. Now that our girls are older, it is easier to leave them for a night or two. They are responsible and take care of each other.
I had Amy and Misha drive to the middle school on Friday afternoon to sign Kristen out early so that they could all say goodbye to us before we left for Breckenridge. That was mostly for Kristen's benefit. She has a tender heart over goodbyes and would have been sad if we had left without saying goodbye to her.
Shortly after the girls arrived home, we loaded the trunk with our cases and headed out. Traffic was mostly good but slow and go in some places.
We stopped first in Silverthorne at the Outlet Mall. Chris found a number of new shirts at Calvin Klein and then Nike. "Happy Birthday to you...." Using the Yelp app (a restaurant finder), we stopped at a quaint little place called Adrianno's for dinner. Chris ordered a pizza and I had pasta with meat sauce. Each entree came with an appetizer, a small bowl of soup, and a small salad. Since my plate was so big, we decided to share and save Chris' pizza for lunch on Saturday afternoon when we hiked.
We continued on our way to Breckenridge and checked in at the DoubleTree Inn. One of the few Hilton hotels in the area. Our room was spacious, and we quickly spread out finding places for suitcases to sit off the floor, plugging in devices, and unpacking a few toiletries. The restroom was such a tight squeeze that the door missed hitting the toilet by a half an inch. Hotel bathrooms seem to have shrunk in size.
Chris had researched hikes in the area and found one called McCullough Gulch Trail. It was supposed to be "medium hard" but challenging. We decided to give it a go and packed up hiking stuff Saturday morning after breakfast. The mountains were somewhat colorful. I imagine the fall colors will be in full force in one or two more weeks. We got just an inkling of what was to come. Pretty nonetheless.
We found the road in to the McCullough Gulch Trail head was closed. We decided to hike the two miles in to the trail head and just count it as part of the experience.
We started around 11,000 elevation and the hike took us up to almost 12,000. Talk about how to make you feel like you are in the worst shape ever. We were totally not acclimated to the beginning elevation and had to stop for frequent breaks as we climbed up and up and up. We scrambled over large boulders, rocky trails, lots of roots across the path and finally made it to the Upper Blue Reservoir. The "lake" was unimpressive and rather anticlimactic, but the waterfall along the way was beautiful.
I loved that we sat close to the reservoir and had a picnic lunch, eating Chris' pizza from the night before--yum! We talked about our girls, about our plans and goals, about finances, the future, college. It was just so nice to be with Chris.
We only saw two other people on our way up the mountain, but many more on our way down. As you might imagine, the descent took much less time. All in all, it was 7.4 miles round trip. Four hours with stops, moments to try and breathe, and lunch.
We drove back to the hotel, changed and decided to tour downtown Breckenridge. It was Oktoberfest. Lots of beer-drinking, stein-chugging, lederhosen-wearing, accordian-listening people. Not really our thing. We did sit and people watch. We took frequent breaks since our muscles were so sore from the hike. Chris watched workers unload pretzels at a booth and was quick to get in line for one. The sign said it was from Styria Bakery. I know there was one in Frederick and asked if that was where the pretzels were from or if there was a location closer. The pretzels came all the way from Frederick and were selling as quickly as could be.
Instead of heading back to the hotel, we took the gondola to another part of Breckenridge where we walked around. The offered activities for families--alpine slide, bungee jump, mini golf, a roller coaster. Spendy as you might imagine.
We had planned to get takeout later at a restaurant closer to our hotel. BYU was playing UofU and Chris wanted to watch it. We found, however, that most restaurants were full of Oktoberfest celebrants and were not doing take out. Boo. We ended up ordering a burger and panini from the cafe at the hotel. Chris got to watch his game. I watched tv.
We chose to attend Sacrament Meeting at a church in Frisco. It met at 10 am.
We decided to pack up for the day and check out since coming back to Breckenridge was quite out of our way. We were going to hike the Lilypad Lake Trail. We hiked this very same trail almost exactly six years ago with the girls. I remember the first part of it being a bear--straight up--and then leveling off. I remembered correctly.
We face-timed with the girls and were impressed that they were just getting home from church. They are great kids. The hike was fairly easy, and we were finished in a couple of hours and heading home. Traffic on the way home was smooth sailing in some areas and totally stop and go in some others, for no obvious reason either.
Such a great weekend with my sweetheart.
I had Amy and Misha drive to the middle school on Friday afternoon to sign Kristen out early so that they could all say goodbye to us before we left for Breckenridge. That was mostly for Kristen's benefit. She has a tender heart over goodbyes and would have been sad if we had left without saying goodbye to her.
Shortly after the girls arrived home, we loaded the trunk with our cases and headed out. Traffic was mostly good but slow and go in some places.
We stopped first in Silverthorne at the Outlet Mall. Chris found a number of new shirts at Calvin Klein and then Nike. "Happy Birthday to you...." Using the Yelp app (a restaurant finder), we stopped at a quaint little place called Adrianno's for dinner. Chris ordered a pizza and I had pasta with meat sauce. Each entree came with an appetizer, a small bowl of soup, and a small salad. Since my plate was so big, we decided to share and save Chris' pizza for lunch on Saturday afternoon when we hiked.
We continued on our way to Breckenridge and checked in at the DoubleTree Inn. One of the few Hilton hotels in the area. Our room was spacious, and we quickly spread out finding places for suitcases to sit off the floor, plugging in devices, and unpacking a few toiletries. The restroom was such a tight squeeze that the door missed hitting the toilet by a half an inch. Hotel bathrooms seem to have shrunk in size.
Chris had researched hikes in the area and found one called McCullough Gulch Trail. It was supposed to be "medium hard" but challenging. We decided to give it a go and packed up hiking stuff Saturday morning after breakfast. The mountains were somewhat colorful. I imagine the fall colors will be in full force in one or two more weeks. We got just an inkling of what was to come. Pretty nonetheless.
We found the road in to the McCullough Gulch Trail head was closed. We decided to hike the two miles in to the trail head and just count it as part of the experience.
We started around 11,000 elevation and the hike took us up to almost 12,000. Talk about how to make you feel like you are in the worst shape ever. We were totally not acclimated to the beginning elevation and had to stop for frequent breaks as we climbed up and up and up. We scrambled over large boulders, rocky trails, lots of roots across the path and finally made it to the Upper Blue Reservoir. The "lake" was unimpressive and rather anticlimactic, but the waterfall along the way was beautiful.
I loved that we sat close to the reservoir and had a picnic lunch, eating Chris' pizza from the night before--yum! We talked about our girls, about our plans and goals, about finances, the future, college. It was just so nice to be with Chris.
We only saw two other people on our way up the mountain, but many more on our way down. As you might imagine, the descent took much less time. All in all, it was 7.4 miles round trip. Four hours with stops, moments to try and breathe, and lunch.
We drove back to the hotel, changed and decided to tour downtown Breckenridge. It was Oktoberfest. Lots of beer-drinking, stein-chugging, lederhosen-wearing, accordian-listening people. Not really our thing. We did sit and people watch. We took frequent breaks since our muscles were so sore from the hike. Chris watched workers unload pretzels at a booth and was quick to get in line for one. The sign said it was from Styria Bakery. I know there was one in Frederick and asked if that was where the pretzels were from or if there was a location closer. The pretzels came all the way from Frederick and were selling as quickly as could be.
Instead of heading back to the hotel, we took the gondola to another part of Breckenridge where we walked around. The offered activities for families--alpine slide, bungee jump, mini golf, a roller coaster. Spendy as you might imagine.
We had planned to get takeout later at a restaurant closer to our hotel. BYU was playing UofU and Chris wanted to watch it. We found, however, that most restaurants were full of Oktoberfest celebrants and were not doing take out. Boo. We ended up ordering a burger and panini from the cafe at the hotel. Chris got to watch his game. I watched tv.
We chose to attend Sacrament Meeting at a church in Frisco. It met at 10 am.
We decided to pack up for the day and check out since coming back to Breckenridge was quite out of our way. We were going to hike the Lilypad Lake Trail. We hiked this very same trail almost exactly six years ago with the girls. I remember the first part of it being a bear--straight up--and then leveling off. I remembered correctly.
We face-timed with the girls and were impressed that they were just getting home from church. They are great kids. The hike was fairly easy, and we were finished in a couple of hours and heading home. Traffic on the way home was smooth sailing in some areas and totally stop and go in some others, for no obvious reason either.
Such a great weekend with my sweetheart.
Friday, September 9, 2016
A New Table
It took a couple months of research on my part and having a card table in the breakfast nook before finding this table on Craigslist. I wanted a square or rectangular table less than 50" in width and length with a center pedestal. Not so easy to find as you might think. This table is 44" square with two 8" leaves that could be added if wanted.
I came across this table one afternoon while browsing through craigslist. It was only $100 which made the find even sweeter. I did have to drive down to Parker to pick it up, but was happy to do so. And...Chris liked it.
I stopped at the Restoration Hardware outlet at the Castle Rock Outlet Mall after picking up the table and saw tables similar in style "on sale" for $1500.
After finding the table, I needed to replace the round rug as well and found a great rectangular, geometric rug on Wayfair.com for another $100. This was actually the second rug that I bought. The first one from Kohls never fully flattened after being bound and rolled tightly. I had to return it. This rug rolled out flat from the moment I removed the packaging--much better quality.
Chris had originally given me a budget of $500 for a new table, so I came in way under. We use two dining room chairs since we don't need them all at the dining room table and it works perfectly.
I came across this table one afternoon while browsing through craigslist. It was only $100 which made the find even sweeter. I did have to drive down to Parker to pick it up, but was happy to do so. And...Chris liked it.
I stopped at the Restoration Hardware outlet at the Castle Rock Outlet Mall after picking up the table and saw tables similar in style "on sale" for $1500.
After finding the table, I needed to replace the round rug as well and found a great rectangular, geometric rug on Wayfair.com for another $100. This was actually the second rug that I bought. The first one from Kohls never fully flattened after being bound and rolled tightly. I had to return it. This rug rolled out flat from the moment I removed the packaging--much better quality.
Chris had originally given me a budget of $500 for a new table, so I came in way under. We use two dining room chairs since we don't need them all at the dining room table and it works perfectly.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Sixth-grade Kristen
Ahhhh, my little schmoopie poo was not feeling happy that mom wanted to take pictures. She doesn't think she is beautiful. Balderdash! Regardless, I will post a picture another day when she is happier.
Amy and Allie
Amy said goodbye to her best friend this morning. Allie was headed to BYU-Idaho. There were no tears because "I've already done my make up", but it was a day neither of them were looking forward to. We know that Allie will have a fabulous time at college.
A Grandparent Visit
Grandma and Grandpa Ball came for a visit over Labor Day weekend. They flew in to the airport a little earlier than Chris' flight arrived and proceeded to wait for him. Unfortunately, Chris' flight from Dallas had mechanical issues and was delayed about an hour. The trio arrived home after 9 pm.
I had to be up in Ft. Collins by 8 am the next morning to help at the temple open house, so after saying goodnight, I didn't see them again until 4 pm on Friday afternoon when they and Chris came for a tour of the temple. I was surprised to see Chris pushing Grandpa Ball in a wheelchair; Grandpa had a huge tear in his pants. Apparently Grandpa fell outside the temple just as they were getting ready to go in. He was a bit bruised.
Chris and Grandma stayed for the evening volunteer shift at the temple while Grandpa and I drove home. I hadn't eaten all day, so was glad to finally get some food.
Amy and Misha were headed to the high school football game, so it was just Grandpa, Kristen, and I home for the evening.
The rest of the weekend was spent working and playing at the beach, enjoying a BBQ with friends, and planting flowers (just me). Chris and I started working on putting our dock together. The instructions were vague. The pictures not always informative. We had to take things apart and rework them a time or two. By late Saturday afternoon, the frame of the dock was in place and we left it until Monday.
We drove in to Texas Roadhouse. Apparently, Hacienda Jalisco wasn't good enough for Amy and Kristen. Sadly, we had to wait and wait and wait at Roadhouse even though we had called ahead. We came in just after a group of 25!
Sunday was a quiet day. Church, naps, dinner. But we did enjoy a campfire down at the beach with s'mores and some of our neighbors. It was fun to listen to the younger kids playing together.
Monday we got going on projects. I had flowers that I wanted to plant and some existing plants to move (which also meant drip lines to install), and Chris had lots of projects down at the beach. He worked on electrical stuff (though it still needs some tweaking), the gazebo was painted (thanks to Grandma, Chris, and Misha), and we finished putting the dock together.
We were pretty pooped by the evening. Amy ordered pizza and we enjoyed an impromptu meal. Chris had Misha start a fire since he and Grandma had been in the lake and were quite chilled.
Tuesday. Back to school. As well, it was an early day for Chris and his parents. They left the house at 6:15 am for all of their flights. Chris was headed to Chicago.
Much to my children's lament, this was more of a "LABOR" day than they wanted.
I had to be up in Ft. Collins by 8 am the next morning to help at the temple open house, so after saying goodnight, I didn't see them again until 4 pm on Friday afternoon when they and Chris came for a tour of the temple. I was surprised to see Chris pushing Grandpa Ball in a wheelchair; Grandpa had a huge tear in his pants. Apparently Grandpa fell outside the temple just as they were getting ready to go in. He was a bit bruised.
Chris and Grandma stayed for the evening volunteer shift at the temple while Grandpa and I drove home. I hadn't eaten all day, so was glad to finally get some food.
Amy and Misha were headed to the high school football game, so it was just Grandpa, Kristen, and I home for the evening.
The rest of the weekend was spent working and playing at the beach, enjoying a BBQ with friends, and planting flowers (just me). Chris and I started working on putting our dock together. The instructions were vague. The pictures not always informative. We had to take things apart and rework them a time or two. By late Saturday afternoon, the frame of the dock was in place and we left it until Monday.
We drove in to Texas Roadhouse. Apparently, Hacienda Jalisco wasn't good enough for Amy and Kristen. Sadly, we had to wait and wait and wait at Roadhouse even though we had called ahead. We came in just after a group of 25!
Sunday was a quiet day. Church, naps, dinner. But we did enjoy a campfire down at the beach with s'mores and some of our neighbors. It was fun to listen to the younger kids playing together.
Monday we got going on projects. I had flowers that I wanted to plant and some existing plants to move (which also meant drip lines to install), and Chris had lots of projects down at the beach. He worked on electrical stuff (though it still needs some tweaking), the gazebo was painted (thanks to Grandma, Chris, and Misha), and we finished putting the dock together.
We were pretty pooped by the evening. Amy ordered pizza and we enjoyed an impromptu meal. Chris had Misha start a fire since he and Grandma had been in the lake and were quite chilled.
Tuesday. Back to school. As well, it was an early day for Chris and his parents. They left the house at 6:15 am for all of their flights. Chris was headed to Chicago.
Much to my children's lament, this was more of a "LABOR" day than they wanted.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Building a Dock
It was a two-day endeavor and an "all hands on deck" (hah!) effort to get it situated into the lake, but we now have a dock.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Let There Be Light
My husband is amazing. There isn't much that he can't do. And if he doesn't know how to do something, he researches until he has it figured out. Take for instance our storage container down at the beach. Chris wanted to have light in the container, means for charging electronic devices, and wifi access.
He researched solar panels and what supplies he might need and came up with this panel. Which, I might add, was awe-inducing to other male visitors one night when we had a fire at the beach. Chris is pretty impressive, innovative, and intelligent. And the reason why the board is easy to see? The lights are on!
He researched solar panels and what supplies he might need and came up with this panel. Which, I might add, was awe-inducing to other male visitors one night when we had a fire at the beach. Chris is pretty impressive, innovative, and intelligent. And the reason why the board is easy to see? The lights are on!
Friday, September 2, 2016
Student Council
Kristen was excited to submit her request to participate in Student Council this year. She called me on Friday afternoon to tell me that she was selected. I don't know what the selection process included, but all students selected for Student Council had a letter attached to their lockers along with a balloon.
She will attend meetings on Mondays after school.
She will attend meetings on Mondays after school.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Misha's Eye Appt
Misha has been complaining for awhile that her eyes must have changed because she can no longer see with her glasses. I finally made her an appointment to get them checked at Costco. It was good to find out that Misha's eyes have not changed, but her glasses are meant for distance not reading. The solution? Take off the glasses to read.
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