Lava II

Here we are again at lava hot springs in Idaho. Just a quick overnighter to enjoy the autumn weather.

My Nephews

Jack-Jack








Ewan









Here is my nephew Ewan with his mom Jennifer.


























Ewan Taylor and Jack Blackwelder, what cute cousins.

I can fly

I finally did it. I went sky diving. Yes, it was indoors but it totally counts. I tried several times to do the whole "jump out of a plane thing" but I always had interference. So I tucked away my dreams of flying and being daring. On Sept 15 I went with my mom to visit Gwen and Eli for the first time since their wedding. The whole time they kept telling my mom they had a suprise for her but never let me in on the secret. I think I was more curious as she was. When it turned out to be the indoor skydiving I was stoked. There was never a moments hesistation. I didn't care what it cost or what I had to wear. It was totally awesome. You only fly for 3 min and yet the next day I had sore muscles. Now that's my kind of work out. I plan on going again to hone my skills and show off my nice moves.

Bear Lake Aug 2008

Brandon and I went with the Pierce family to Bear lake this August. We swam, biked, hiked, rode 4-wheelers and ate raspberry shakes. It was great to spend time with Brandon's family and get to know them better. You really feel like family when you have 2 bathrooms for 20 people. The nieces and nephews are all cuties and had a blast playing with Rocco. His siblings are all great and super easy to have fun with. I was really suprised at how much that area has grown. I last visited bear lake when I was in high school. It still gives me the same feeling and brought back some great memories.

Fresh doggie

Here is a perfect example of a rat dog, drown rat that is. Rocco does not like his baths and runs away from the blow dryer. But it's all worth it when he is soft and fluffy and smells good. He has more than doubled in size since I got him and will probably be 10 lbs when he is full grown. Rocco has started chewing on flip-flops and humping his blanket. He is lots of fun and a great puppy.

This is Rocco, our new puppy. I finally broke down and got a dog after 25 years of dreaming. He is a good puppy with a lot of energy. Even Brandon loves him dispite the fact that he refers to Rocco as a "rat dog". (he is way to fluffy to be a rat)

Euro Trip

Our aventures started in Germany where we picked up our new car and headed straight for the Nurburgring to make one of Brandon's dreams come true. I felt like the make a wish foundation. He loved racing around the ring and even finshed in under 10 min, on his last lap, which is totally respectable. Next stop was Switzerland where we meet up with the Blackwelders. Here we indulged in chocolate and cheese with the occassional shopping and trip to some hot springs while it rained. Our last destintion, Italy. We enjoyed a bit of history and culture and most importantly the coast. The sun blessed us with it presence while we hiked and relaxed by the pool and ocean on the italian riviera. Divine.

Europe is fabulous in so many ways, but God Bless America. Free water, free parking, free wi-fi give a whole new meaning to the word freedom.

Moab

So for easter weekend we went to Moab for the Jeep Safari and had a great time. Our convoy consisted of the Clam Digger, a Humvee, a Unimog, an old school Willy's that is split in half and pivots, and a Rubicon that included baby seats.
We chillaxed in the clam digger. This is the ultimate. It doesn't look like much but it will go up just about anything, which earned us much respect from the onlookers. Down side is there's no windshield so you need goggles. But where else can you own obstacles like the escalator while lounging on a wrap-around couch eating chips. Oh and the clam digger is especially good at tearing through riverbeds at high speed.
Unfortunately we did get a flat tire on our car just before leaving to head home. A fellow jeeper was kind enough to give us his plug kit which held surprisingly well. We never got to really thank him but are deeply grateful.

Checkered Flag

If you did not know by now, I'm am married to the "number 1 racer". Here he is on March 25th at Miller Motorsports Park. Typically Brandon drives his Silvia, but this day he chose to drive his 335i. Brandon goes out to the track once or twice a month when the weather is good. It isn't always a race for a trophy. Sometimes all you want to do is dial in your suspension and beat your old lap times. March 25th was a real race and yes, he brought home a trophy (3rd place). Maybe one day he'll make money to play instead of pay to play.

The BIG Screen

As if 4 t.v.s wasn't enough. We have stepped it up. Up to 110 inches of HD that is. We "needed" a home theater. Who wouldn't want to play Forza or Halo in life size. We can now press pause to use the restroom, shake the upstairs with ridiculous base, and we don't have to drive home when it's all done. Talk about gratuitous. P.S. we are happy to share so come down and joins us.