Decorationg...Finally done!!

I finally finished putting the Christmas decorations up...so much work goes in to decorating and after a month, I get to take it all down! This year I ditched all the old tree ornaments and bought new, I am really pleased with the outcome. Yesterday, we had our plantation shutters installed, you can sort of see them in some of the pictures! I love how they look!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM JOHNSON!

Last week Kim got married, and today Kim turned 24 years old! Last night we celebrated (because tonight we are going to see Transiberian Orchestra)! Any way the whole gang was here, (well almost). We had cake and ice-cream, and overall just had a good time. Happy Birthday Kim, and congrats on becoming a "Mrs."...I love you!!

KIM & MARQUES


MY HANDSOME MAN


K.J. & ABBEY


THE GIRLS & ME


AND OF COURSE...OUR LITTLE GUY

Patio...almost done

We have (almost) finished our new patio, It will be complete after we select a fridge, new chairs, tables etc. oh and after Larry, my beloved cleans up the mess!! We put pavers and a portico where grass use to be, and had a bar/island put in. We are excited to use it, I think we will try it out on Thanksgiving day.

View with the pool


The portico


Walkway from the garage (nice orange trees)!


Looking left from the patio door

My new Hero!!

This past weekend I went to Nevada to cheer Larry(my step-son)on while he competed in the SILVERMAN, his first Ironman distance race. The race began at 6:30 a.m. at Lake Mead and consisted of a 2.1 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.3 mile run. The day was so cold, I think the temperature was around 40 degrees, with rain, and wind, I myself was freezing, I couldn't imagine how the athletes must have felt. It took him 13 hours and 57 minutes to complete the race. He finished 58 overall and 6th in his age division. The race was grueling. I just want him to know how proud I am of him...I have gained so much respect for him. Larry you did an awesome job and we love you!

LARRY ON THE LEFT

BIKING

RUNNING

AFTER THE FINISH

Remember to VOTE!

Remember to get out and vote tomorrow! I believe this is a very important election year. Let's make our vote count...in a nutshell....don't let Barack Obama get elected!!

Halloween Party!

On Friday night we went to Abbey's and KJ's house for a party, Mostly everyone there dressed up, of course there were some party poopers who didn't have costumes.(me included) We had some yummy food and played some fun games like Assassin, Apple Bob, and "how's your's". Check out Abbey's blog for some pictures!

Tag....you're it!!

Thanks Abbey....I think this is a cute idea!
RULES: You have to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder in your pictures folder. Then give a brief description before you tag a few others.


This pictues was taken at ASU, right outside the Wells Fargo Arena. Kelsi had just graduated from Desert Ridge Highschool, It looks like she wasn't really ready to have her picture snapped, although she is sporting a big "Kelsi style" smile. You can see Kim's right shoulder to Kelsi's left We love you Kelsi.

I tag Brandy, Did, Brigitte and Heather!

Nienie

I read an article today in the Arizona Republic, about a woman named Stephanie Nielson. She and her husband were in a plane crash in St. John's in mid August. 83 percent of her body was burned, and her husband's body was 35 percent burned. I was touched when I read the article. My prayers are with her and her family. I have attached a link for anyone who may be interested in donating to the Stephanie Nielson Fund.

Look at these two attractive people!!!

Too much time on my hands!!!!!!

I found the girl's yearbooks and thought it would be fun to post some of their pictures....

Abbey

Kelsi

Katie

Kimee

It's a boy....

Kim had an ultra sound yesterday, and found out she is having a boy. She hasn't picked out a name yet, but we are all trying to brainstorm for a really cute name.
Your ideas are welcomes too!!!

Meet Abbey!

I decided a little while ago that I would highlight one of my daughters, every couple of weeks or so. I am blogging about Abbey today. As most of you know Abbey is the manager of Victoria's Secret, here at the Superstition Springs Mall. But I will let you in on some things you don't know about her. She is PASSIONATE about her job, whenever the family gets together, the subject always turns to Victoria's Secret. Abbey is very creative, she has made her house look beautiful, and she loves doing crafty things...and like her mom, she loves to shop at Poppy's and Orange Patch Too. She is full of energy, she is silly, she is sweet,and very willing to help me out before being asked. I feel blessed to have her in my life. I love you Abbey!






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Yay!! My tubes are gone!!

After two long months, today I went to the doctor and finally had the tubes that were placed in my eyes taken out. The left eye was first, it was a weird feeling, but the second eye was somewhat painful....let's just say that the tube was residing in the top of my nasal cavity and didn't exactly come out spic and span...you do the math. Anyway, it feels so good to have them out. Above is a picture of tube that was in my left eye. The tube measures a little over 2 inches

Tagged by Cara!!!!

Thanks to Cara for tagging me! Just copy and paste, and obviously change the answers!!

4 random things I love about my husband: ( I can only name 4?)
1) He spoils me
2) His strong work ethic
3) That he is an awesome dad to my girls
4) He loves me just the way I am

4 jobs I've had:
1) Cake decorator
2) Receptionist
3) Sales at Victoria's Secret
4) Teller at Wells fargo

4 movies I have watched more than once:
1) Captain Ron
2) Working Girl
3) Pretty Woman
4) Last of the Mohicans

4 TV shows I watch:
1) Lost
2) Survivor
3) House
4) Dexter

4 places I have been and loved:
1) Chicago
2) Puerto Rico
3) Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
4) San Deigo, California

4 of my favorite foods:
1) Pizza, BJ's
2) Pollo Rosa Maria, Carrabbas
3) Oreos
4) Salad, Costa Vita

4 places I would like to visit:
1) Australia
2) New York
3) Seattle Washington, to see Heather
4) Maine

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1) Going to Hawaii with my family
2) My 10th anniversary
3) The birth of Kim's baby
4) Kelsi's college graduation

4 people I tag:
1) Katie
2) Heather Smith
3) Abbey
4) Kathy(my sister)

Nathan's Annual Triathalon!!

MY MAN!!!

ERICA, LARRY, AND LITTLE LARRY

THE SPECTATORS


Today Larry did his Triathalon, and finished 12th in his age category, he was joined by his son, Larry, who placed second in his age group and 9th overall, And Erica, our daughter-in-law, who placed 26th in her age group, and 112 overall. They all did us very proud....It was quite an accomplishment to all who participated.

San Antonio

Last weekend I went to San Antonio with my bank buddies. We had a good time, although it was hotter than you know what. Actually I can handle the heat but the humidity is what killed me. We walked the River Walk, saw the Alamo and did some shopping! Good Times!!!

Good things come in 3's

What a fun, fast, and easy little quiz to fill out. Thanks Holly for the tag (I'll get even later:))Here are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 surprising facts, and then tag 5 other people. Leave a comment for the people you tag so they know they have been tagged. Here we go…………

3 joys

1-Larry, my awesome husband.

2-My four beautiful daughters!

3-Spending time with family.

3 Fears

1-I am afraid of dying

2-I am very afraid of cockroaches, I never saw one until we moved to Arizona.

3-I am afraid of sleeping alone when Larry goes out of town.

Current obsessions

1- I'm obsessed with buying things for my house when I know I have no place to put it.
2- Diet Coke!! I can't live without it!!

3- I'm obsessed with shoes, no matter how heavy or how thin you are you can always find a cute shoe!!


suprising facts

1-I am a huge Survivor fan....yes, even now I can hardly wait until the new one starts on September 25th!

2- I love self tanning products...I have come to the age where laying out is not so cool...And who wants melenoma anyway!!

3-I have had 6 non-elective surgery's since moving to Arizona.

I tag Abbey, Katie, Ashley McBride, and Brigitte

Meet Katie!

I have been bugged about not doing enough posting, so I thought about what I could possibly post about, being that my life is pretty uneventful!! I decided that I would do a little blurb on each of my daughters. This week I am featuring Katie. She is my oldest so I decided to begin with her. First of all I just want to say that I am blessed to have a daughter like Katie. She loves life, and has such a strong faith and belief in God. She is an example to all of us, and is always willing to help out when needed. She is bright, creative, and keeps us all laughing. She recieved her bachelor degree at ASU where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Katie is in her third year of teaching, and loves her little Kindergarteners so much that we don't get to see her as much as we would like to. When school is out she spends alot of time at the school, planning lessons and preparing projects, but she makes time to teach classes at Fitness Works. We all love Katie!
ASU GRADUATION

KATIE&BRIAN URLACHER #54 CHICAGO BEARS

HER BEST PHOTO

PIE THROWING??

SPRING FLING (Katie is on the right)

My new Cruiser!!!!

As some of you may know...my husband has joined his son,who has been training for a Triathalon, which will take place in about three weeks. A triathalon consisits of swimming, biking and running. Larry has been riding 50+ miles every Saturday morning, and swims between 850 and 1500 meters at Canyon Lake. Obviosly he cannot run, due to his bionic knees, so he is going to walk instead of run. To make a long story short, I decided that it would be fun to ride with him, although not on a competitive level.....therefore, I bought a cruiser, so that I can just go along for the ride. I love my new bike, although it is nothing like that of my husband's bike, I am looking forward to just cruising around!!!! Who knows....maybe someday I will do a Triathalon..ha ha ha! By the way did I mention how proud I was of Larry??? I'm Very proud!!

Crosby

I am blogging today about our little boy....Crosby. A few weeks a go, Kelsi and her friend were getting rteady to lay out when her friend noticed Crosby stepping out of the pool. We were quite concerned, as Crosby hates the water, and really doesn't know how to swim, or so we thought. We put a netting around the pool so he wouldn't fall in..Wells last night we did our Fantasy football draft and so there were quite a few people over. While Kelsi and I were in the Kitchen, Crosby came tearing through the doggy door like a maniac, when Kelsi reached down to pet him, he was soaking wet! Yes, it seems he went for another swim, and had no trouble getting through the netting. So puzzled as we were we put him in the pool to try and get some answers...yes he can swim, yes, he still hates the water, and apparently he had trouble getting out of the netted area. It's a mystery. Now we need to figure out another way to keep him from falling in.

Eye Surgery

Yesterday I had surgery to fix my blocked tearducts. The surgery is called a dacryocystorhinostomy Basically two incisions are made on each side of the nose, a new hole is made to drain the tears, and something called a Jones tube is inserted for a couple of months. I have to admit that I really underestimated the surgery, The pain was pretty signifigant, but I made it past yesterday, and today the pain is much easier to manage....and tomorrow should be even better!