Wild West... Sorta

The Baby Boy's Appearance

2011-01-24T12:09:00.001-07:00

Obviously, the baby boy has made an appearance. He came in with a bang and has been keeping us on our toes ever since. Someday, I will write the story of his birth, but I just don't want to go down memory lane today.

Sawyer Gram Irby is a ball of fire. He's the most social kid I've known. But, hell has no fury like a Sawyer full of gas. He is a vocal kid and lets us know, without a doubt, when something is wrong. But, the smiles he gives with his big, blue eyes make up for the screams. He has the best smile. And that is what gets us through the sleepless nights. Those awesome, gummy, drooly, open mouthed smiles! I love this kid so much and I'm so glad we decided to keep the little monster. I almost gave him away last week when he wouldn't sleep. Luckily, no one was knocking on our door at 2am asking for a baby, or they may have gotten one! Just kidding, Sawyer, we love you and would never give you away. We'd have to be compensated. No, seriously, you are ours forever and we are so glad to have such a perfect baby boy.

labor pains...or not

2010-08-26T10:22:00.011-06:00

I go to bed every night certain that I am having contractions. I check the time on the alarm clock and then wait for the next one, checking the time again. I don't mention anything to Kyle, I don't want to freak him out. I start mentally packing my bag, making sure to get the camera every time. And then I drift off to sleep... I wake up several hours later, with only the urge to pee. No contractions, no labor, no baby! Every night this has happened, since Monday. Today is Thursday and today I even woke up with a contraction. Well, more of a cramp, but I was sure that today was the day. I even got out my makeup bag this morning, I was so sure. Now, here I sit at work, with a baby boy that is happy to stay inside his momma. I am officially 38 weeks today. I am ready. Well, almost. We have an open house this afternoon at Scout's potential new daycare and I need to go into the bank to sign paperwork so we can refinance our mortgage. So, sweet baby, let's wait until this evening to make an appearance. And, then, it's time. Come on out to play, your big brother is waiting for you!!

C'mon baby boy...

2010-08-18T10:09:00.002-06:00

I am so ready to have this baby. Not because of any major discomfort or the fact that my belly is big enough to be carrying a whole family, but I am just so ready to meet this baby! The reality of this baby is really starting to sink in. I know: it's about time! But, for most of this pregnancy I was so consumed by other things and by Scout, that I was only thinking of the pregnancy, not the actual baby. But, now I am obsessed with the baby: What will he look like? What kind of personality will he have? Will he sleep well? Will he have a perfect little nose? Will his toenails do the weird curvy thing that Scout's do or will he be stuck with my too-small pinkie toenail? I'm just ready to see him and hold him and talk to him! So, get out here, already! Your momma wants to see you!

Things that make me laugh...

2010-08-13T09:40:00.002-06:00

Getting this text from Scout's summer babysitter, Melissa: Oh my holy cow! Ur son is nibbling his waffle pieces into shapes like fire trucks and trains. Hes a flippin genius!

Second Child Syndrome

2010-07-19T09:46:00.004-06:00

Is second child syndrome real? I don't know, but it already exists at our house. I was just telling my sister this morning that when I was 32 weeks pregnant with Scout, I'm fairly certain the car seat was installed and had already been checked by the EMS base. We had also completed our prenatal classes and the nursery was completed - clothes washed, bedding ready (though it wouldn't be used-we were using a basinette), supplies purchased and arranged by expiration date. Yes, I was that crazy. We were READY. His name had been picked out since BEFORE we were even thinking about having kids. Fast forward to baby #2. He has the crib set up in his room. The crib we had to move out of Scout's bedroom to make space for the big boy bed. There is a dresser in the baby room, but it is still filled with my running clothes (who knows what else is in there, it hasn't been touched in a long time!). The closet has my wedding dress in it, along with winter coats, and possibly a guitar. We have not decided on a name for this baby. I have no idea where the 0-3 month baby clothes are and I haven't even looked for the car seat. And, aside from one major freak out, I'm not all that stressed out about not being ready. Mostly, I know that all I REALLY need are some diapers. It seems like we were fairly low-key with Scout, so I can't even imagine what this second baby is going to be like. Luckily, there are lots of hand-me-downs for him: Scout and Cruise are both sending clothes his way. So, once I find the clothes, he will be a very well-dressed nameless baby!

Happy Earth Day! (Belated)

2008-04-23T19:52:00.005-06:00

We celebrated Earth Day the best way - enjoying the great outdoors! Well, kinda. We participated in the Earth Day 5k Walk/Run. We just did the Walk part. And didn't even walk the whole thing. Kyle & I walked with our friend Tyler and his son, Brayden. Tyler's wife, Krista, did the 5k run. We were going to walk the whole thing, but got a late start and wanted to see Krista finish, so we only walked about 1/2 of it. Less than that, actually. But, it was a nice evening and we had a good time celebrating Earth Day. The chili & cookies afterwards helped too!

The best part - we got our picture in the paper! Yes, local celebrities yet again! (It still counts if we're just in the background, right?)

Back... with no guarantees!

2008-04-05T17:25:00.002-06:00

Finally, I've decided it's time to blog again. Sorry for the abrupt quit, I was just getting sick of the pressure to blog! :) So, today, while I'm sitting at home, sick, I'm reading all the old blogs I used to and catching up on peoples' lives. Fun. We've had a hectic, but fun year and have lots of big changes coming up in the next few months...and beyond. First off - we're trying to sell the townhouse! Biggest stress ever. The house has to be spotless at all times. ALL times. A realtor could call at any time to bring someone over. That means no waiting to do dishes, put away laundry or even leaving the mail out. Kyle and I have very different ideas about what is acceptable. He sees no problem in leaving a stray dish or a full coffee press on the counter. I'm practically putting the iron away while it is still hot. He's supposed to be the anal one, not me!

Quick Catch Up

2007-07-15T21:48:00.000-06:00

1. Went back to Mitchell for my cousin Trevis's wedding reception. While I don't have any pictures of him, I have a couple other cute ones:

Tera, Dylan, and Me

Tyson, Macy, and Maddy

2. We also went to Tera's house to hang out. I found Macy some cute pink cowboy boots at a garage sale:

Seriously, I need this girl to live with me, if only to clean.

She loves her Uncle Kyle.

Poser.

Is there anything cuter than this?

3. Dylan got a new bike:

Dork.

4. I wore the same shirt as a girl I work with:

How embarrassing! Ok, so we were the only ones that noticed...

5. I took Dylan mountain biking:

Hot. And by hot, I mean the sweaty kind, not the cute kind.

Hot. The cute kind.

Safety first.

6. The postal service finally comes through (or not):

Strange.

I called Tera to make sure she got the b-day card I sent Mike. She had, and asked if we had gotten ours. Strangely, we hadn't. (Tera is not known for sending cards.) Her reply: "The Postal Service just hasn't been the same since 9/11." and "Well, I was baking you guys some goodies for your birthday and spilled some powdered sugar on them. That probably didn't help... you know, with all the anthrax scares." So, while at her house, I noticed two envelopes in the garage, covered in powdered sugar. The photo explains the rest. I was laughing so hard I was crying. What a dork. It's a good thing our postal service just returns mail that has been identified as having anthrax, and doesn't arrest the sender. Or that for whatever reason, Tera doesn't need postage OR a complete address OR a correct zip code to send mail. Hilarious.

7. 4th of July:

Team America.
Firecracker 5-Mile. I got 2nd in my age division.

Kyle chillin' at the Winter's 4th of July Party & Badminton Tourney.
The funnest party we've been too all summer.

Watching the fireworks.

Another Run...

2007-06-08T20:22:00.000-06:00

Gillette has this thing called the Feet Don't Fail Me Now Road Race Series. There are 5 road races this summer and if you complete all 5, you get a prize. On Thursday, I finished #3. Two more to go. This one was the White Davis Chevy 4 Mile. I finished it in 35:36. It was fun. I like to run.

Stephanie, Terra, Me, Betty, & Barb.

YIKES!

2007-06-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

Big storm in Gillette Wednesday night. Huge. Multiple tornados, lots of hail, craziness all around. Don't worry - no one was hurt. I'll let the pics do the talking:

It's Beginning...

Holy Crap!

I think this is the 1st tornado I've ever seen! SCARY!
(p.s. This picture was taken from the parking lot at work.)

Our driveway. Not snow. Hail.

More of the same.

Robbin surprised at how much hail we had.
Or maybe that it's cold.
Or maybe I just told her to "act surprised."
You decide.

It's kind of hard to see, but I made a hailman.

Running.... and running... and running...

2007-06-04T17:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the Deadwood Mickelson Trail Marathon. I ran the 1/2 Marathon. 13.1 miles. And I finished! My goal was to do it in under 2 hours. I ran it in 1:58:41, which put me at 397 of 1139 racers. I'm pretty happy about it. It was in Deadwood, so we hung out and threw away some money the night before the race:

Kyle & I with Deadwood Main Street in the background.

Then it was race day. I had to get up at about 5am to make the trolley that took us to the buses, which took us to the race start. I was nervous, but excited and my mind was taken off the race because I kept running into people I know. I started the race near Andi, a friend from grade school and then ran the first part of the race with Kari, a friend from college that now lives in North Dakota. It was pretty exciting! I hurt my knee at about mile 10, but my running partner Jenni would not let me slow down. She was a good motivator and kept me going at the pace we needed to finish in under 2 hours. It was a really fun, really pretty race. If you're looking for a 1/2 marathon, this is a good one. And, it's mostly downhill and on a nice trail. But, it makes for really sore legs after the race. I only have one picture and it's not very good, but here it is:

I'm pretty much in the middle of the picture.
This is at mile 12, so we're almost done!

I'm so glad that it's over and I can just relax and do fun runs for the rest of the summer. I've heard that running a 1/2 sometimes makes you want to run a full marathon. That is not the case with me. I'm happy with just having run a 1/2.

Link to Race Results: http://www.allsportcentral.com/results/results.cfm?EventID=15314

ROOTIN' FOR THE ROCKIES

2007-06-04T17:38:00.000-06:00

After the BolderBoulder, we all went to a Colorado Rockies game. We love Coors Field. And the Rockies won! It was super fun, we had club seats, which is always nice!! Oh, and even better - it was free hat day, so be sure to check out our matching Rockies hats in the pics:

Duane, Me, & Mom

Mom, Duane, Kyle & Me

BolderBOULDER!!

2007-06-01T16:48:00.000-06:00

I ran my first 10k last weekend, the much-anticipated BolderBoulder. My mom & Duane joined Kyle & I on this trip. We had such a fun time! We stopped on the way down at the Promenade Shops @ Centerra and some dinner & the Borderita. We also "explored" Bolder a little, driving around and checking out the sites. It was super fun. We had dinner on the roof at the Lazy Dog. It was really fun!

Kyle & I (please notice the beautiful mountains in the background)

The we woke up to race day. It was literally the most fun run of my life. There is so much going on along the course that you don't even realize you are running a race. Around 50,000 people ran (or walked) the race. You finish the race in the University of Colorado stadium. It's pretty cool. I finished the 6.2 mile course in 57:29. I was happy with that. Here are some pics:

Duane, Me, Jenni, and Emily

The Finish at the Stadium

Terra & I rounding the last corner.

Me (with crazy hair) & Duane after the race

Enjoying our FREE post-race beer. Beer at 8:30 am isn't as good as it sounds.

Happy Birthday, Duane!

2007-05-29T18:39:00.000-06:00

My step-dad turned 42 on Saturday. He doesn't really like sweets, so we improvised with something he does like:

Happy Birthday!

Please note that the mountains on the can are cold-activated. Mom & Duane came over to join us on our trip to the BolderBoulder 10k in Colorado. More on that later.

Single Track Superstars

2007-05-29T18:30:00.001-06:00

Kyle & I got the chance to introduce Terra to our favorite mountain biking trail - Tinton Trail, just outside of Spearfish. While I only got pictures of Kyle & Terra, you can imagine how awesomely hardcore I looked. It was a really fun trail, I had one little crash, just got a few bruises.

My Mountain Man Husband

Terra kicking butt.

Spring Zinger!

2007-05-29T18:21:00.000-06:00

I ran my 2nd road race of the year. The McDonald's Spring Zinger 5k. I had my best time yet - 26:17.4

Pretty exciting for me, we had a good time. I ran with Terra, my usual road race buddy. She always beats me at the end. She's the one wearing #35. Also in the photo are Jenny (#36) and Jenni (#44), my usual running buddies. We have put in a lot of miles training for a 1/2 marathon.

Yep, we kick butt.

twelve miles

2007-05-01T16:53:00.000-06:00

Officially, I'm training for a 1/2 marathon. It's June 3rd. Deadwood.

Sunday, I ran 12 miles. Yes, 12. And I didn't die. YES!

SNOWED IN!

2007-03-30T18:06:00.000-06:00

We got snowed in today! Started Wednesday night and continued through last night. I got stuck in the garage, Kyle got stuck in the driveway. I love snow days!

Kyle Stuck in the Driveway

Aerial View

One of the big drifts.

running.... or not....

2007-03-24T16:06:00.000-06:00

So far this year, I've ran 164 miles. 95% of the miles were ran with someone, sometimes talking, sometimes just trying to breathe, and a few times pushing a stroller. This morning, the plan was to run with Jenni (my usual running partner) at 10. I woke up late and frantically called her to tell her I was on my way. No need to worry, though, Jenni had thrown her back out the previous night and wouldn't be running today. So, I did what any good runner would do: charged my iPod and checked the weather. 60 degrees, nice. So I sat down to think about what to wear.... and never actually went for a run. Instead, I did some work, did some laundry, caught up on EVERYONE's blogs, and watched a little tv. I even showered and did my hair. Why do I feel guilty? I think it's because I'm so close to my goal weight, I feel like I need to use every chance I have to work out. Weird. So, I'm sitting here telling myself it's ok to take a day off, I'll run tomorrow. But, I know that if anyone called me to run today, I'd go. I'm a social runner. I'd rather run 7 or 8 miles with someone than 3 or 4 alone. So, if anyone wants to run today, give me a call...

p.s. Sorry for taking so long to post. I'll try to be better!

Blast From The Past

2007-01-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I'm way behind in posting. I've still got a ton of Christmas pics to post. So, I better get to it. Over Christmas break, we got the chance to hang out with some of my old friends from camp:

Me, Amber, & Jodi

Amber with Aiden, Andi's baby boy

Macy, Tera, Me, Jodi, Andi, Aiden, & Amber

Me & Amber hanging out with Aiden

Have you ever seen such a cute baby boy?

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

2007 New Year's Resolutions:
1. Cook more often.
2. Run 500 miles.

Wish Me Luck!

Last year's completed resolutions:
1. Lose 30 lbs.
2. Read the entire Bible.

Christmas with the Irby's

2006-12-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

We only got a couple of pictures of Ruby - none of anyone else. So, here she is in all of her cuteness:

Opening Presents

Ruby & Kyle

another picture update to get you caught up...

2006-12-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

1. Did the Turkey Trot 5k with my work-out buddies and my step-dad and my brother:

Me

Tanner

Duane (my step-dad)

2. We went to the chamber singers dinner with Jenni (and friends):

Jenni & Me

Kyle & Me

3. We had the company Christmas party (same dress, different night):

Kyle, Me, Kyle's Sister, Rhea, and Rhea's Husband, Harley

Robbin (one of my favorite co-workers and friends) and Me

Me & Kyle

Just three this time. I'll do more Christmas updates today sometime.

10 Things

2006-11-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

1. Halloween 5k. I ran with the Winters as the Ghostbusters:

2. We cheered for Tanner (my little brother) as his team made it to the state championship:

The proudest big sisters ever.

Kyle & I sporting our STM gear.

The big man, Tanner.

3. We cheered even harder as they lost in the state championship:

Mom, Tera, Macy, Katie, & Kyle

Mom & Macy

Tanner's Biggest Fan

4. My mom and I realize that we have the same picture pose:

5. We saw Dylan's dorm room at DWU:

6. We watched as Macy discovered the mystery of the Kleenex box:

7. Relived the 80's at Brittni's 80's Party:

I have no idea why Kyle didn't like this look.

Jo & I looking Rad

The Whole Crew

9. Got New Haircuts with the Girls:

10. I got a bad cold. No pictures.

Scary Dream

2006-10-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in NM this week for work. I'm blaming weird dreams on that fact. Last night I had a dream that Kyle & I had a little baby girl. SIDE NOTE: Tera & Mike also had a little girl, which I named Mia. Anyway, so Kyle & I have this cute little blonde-headed baby girl and take her home and I put her in her crib to sleep. We immediately forget that she exists and go out of town overnight, leaving her in the house alone. The next afternoon, we realize that we had forgotten about our baby and rush home, to find that everything is ok. She's hungry and has a full diaper, but she's still alive. I tell my mom, who then comes over to help me raise the baby. In the meantime, I find out that I can no longer breast feed, since I waited too long between feedings. My baby also pukes up a weird, thick puke that I still remember vividly. I woke up totally stressed out and it took me half the day to relax and convince myself that when I do have a baby, I won't forget about it. Has anyone else ever had a dream like this? It's still freaking me out.

Visitors....Finally!

2006-10-28T21:37:00.000-06:00

We RARELY get visitors in Wyoming. In fact, other than family members, I'm not sure we've had any. So, we were totally psyched when we found out that Andi & Jesse were going to bring Aiden to Wyoming for the weekend. We had such a good time catching up with them, relaxing, watching movies, eating, and planning a vacation. It was so good. I love having friends like them. The friends that you know you don't have to entertain or impress, that will love you no matter what and that you can just lay around watching football all day with. It was great. One of the best weekends I've had in a while. Aiden is so adorable and was so fun to have in the house. He was such a good little baby. I think we're starting to get baby fever in this house... but, maybe not too. Anyway, on to the pictures:

The Freiwald's

Proud Papa

Andi & The yummy Thai food she made for us

Bath Time

Kyle hanging out with Aiden

Lounging. All weekend long...

BUSY BUSY BUSY

2006-10-15T20:47:00.000-06:00

So, we've been in full-fledged home remodel/update mode this week. Last weekend, my mom came to help me put up paintable wallpaper in kyle's bathroom, while he worked on changing out the lights/faucets/etc. His bathroom is almost done, just waiting for some things we ordered online. Then, on Monday we started on my bathroom, regrouting/caulking the shower (which is a horrible, time consuming process that we will never do again), changing out the lights, the old medicine cabinet, and the faucets. Kyle is currently up there fixing my toilet. Why are we doing all of this work? We have no idea. It all started once we realized that if we put in lots of work, we could have both bathrooms done by this Friday, which is when my best friend, Andi, and her hubby, Jesse, and baby Aiden are coming for a visit. We are so close. I finished painting the walls in my bathroom today and I have to paint the trim/vanity tomorrow night. I can't wait for it to be done. I need a break from this stuff. And, I'm sick of Home Depot! My mom lives near a Lowe's and is always finding better/cheaper stuff there. I'm jealous. I'll post pics when we're all done... probably Thursday just in time for Grey's Anatomy.

prayer needed!

2006-09-29T18:01:00.000-06:00

My cousin Cory was recently in a motorcycle accident and is currently in a coma. Please visit this site to learn more and to get updates: www.caringbridge.org/visit/corydenne

He needs your prayers!

Holy Fun Weekend, Batman!

2006-09-18T21:19:00.000-06:00

Kyle and I headed down to Denver to meet up with my old college roomie, Heidi (& Tim, her husband). We did some shopping and then met up with them later in the afternoon. Tim took us up to Lookout Mountain to check out some beautiful views of Denver and the mountains. I forgot my camera, but Heidi & Tim will be posting pics soon. We ended up with dinner in Golden, Colorado at a nice grille. After we split up for the night, Kyle & I stopped for some cheesecake to go at the Cheesecake Factory. I had already killed my diet that day, so I decided I might as well go nuts. And, it was worth it. So yummy! The next morning, I was feeling a little guilty, so I got up early to work out at the hotel finess center. After the workout, I was leaving my room and ran into MY COUSIN Megan! Holy crap! She lives in Mitchell. What the heck?! Seriously, what are the chances a) we'd be in Denver the same weekend, b) staying at the SAME hotel, and c) in the lobby at the EXACT same time. Crazy, right? It was so fun to see her. We got ready quick and met them for the free breakfast downstairs. She was there with her hubby, Blake and their super cute son Tyson. Totally bizarre. So, to celebrate, I went shopping. :)

Aiden Jesse Freiwald is FINALLY born!

2006-09-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

Aiden was born at a little after 6pm. 8 lbs, 3.4 ounces. 21 inches long. Can't wait to see him! Everyone's doing great!

Happy LABOR Day, Andi!

2006-09-04T14:13:00.000-06:00

My best friend Andrea is having the best labor day ever - she's actually in labor right now! Here's to the new baby boy.... who should be arriving any minute! Way to take the holiday literally.

Sports Spectacular!

2006-08-31T18:47:00.000-06:00

Last week we got a cryptic message from Jessica: "Do you guys like football?" So, I immediately called her back to let her know that "YES, We LOVE it!" and was super excited to have her invite us down to Denver for the Broncos pre-season game Sunday night. Kyle & I decided to make a weekend of it and were offered Rockies tickets by my boss (he has connections, apparently). So, we got treated to a weekend of free tickets! Super fun. We headed down to Denver early Saturday morning and got a bike ride in before getting ready and heading to the Rockies game:

Outside Coors Field

We had great seats. However, we were totally confused. Our tickets said section 2 hundred and something and we totally couldn't figure out how to get there. After traipsing to the upper deck and getting nowhere, we finally asked someone and found out we had club level seats! Club level! Ok, we had no idea what that meant either. And all it really meant is that you enter your level through a fancy elevator and you have a few more expensive food options. But, the seats were great and we sat by fun people. Oh, and the weather was good, which is a first for a rockies game.

Inside Coors Field

Sunday we got up early and went biking again. I totally crashed on my bike. Ok, I didn't crash so much as tip over. Yes, I tipped over on my bike. I banged up my knee and my elbow and got a bruise on my hip. Totally embarrassing. Luckily, only Kyle saw. But, he's been telling people about it ever since. So, how do you tip over on your bike? Well, I was clipped in on one side and starting tilting to that side and couldn't get clipped out or regain my balance. Kyle totally ignored my cried for "HELP! HELP!" :) I'm such a dork. But, after all that hard work, we met up with Bryan and Jessica at the Cheesecake Factory (YES!) and then headed to the game:

Bronco Fans

Jessica & Bryan (also Bronco Fans)

It was super fun. I had never been to a Broncos game, so I was into all of it. The Broncos won, which I'm sure was only because I was there cheering them on. Seriously. Afterwards, Bryan insisted that we get dessert. So we went to the Macaroni Grill (YES!) and had appetizers AND dessert. Not great for the diet. Oh well. Super weekend, just super.

Birthday Weekend...

2006-08-19T11:29:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was Macy's first birthday party. She's one. Crazy. I headed down to Wagner with my Mom, Duane, and Maggie. We stopped in Mitchell to drop Dylan off at college. Yes, Dylan is a freshman in college. Crazy. He's playing football and basketball this year for DWU.
Anyway, back to the party. I have pictures:

A terrible picture of the sisters. I'm still missing one (Maggie, my mom's daughter was down by the lake and missed out.) Me, Katie, Tera, and Serina (the new step-sister).

With Grandma & Grandpa Ellefson. They just keep getting cuter. You can tell Grandpa is in the middle of cracking a joke in this one.

Macy got her own cake to tear into. She did a pretty good job, even left some of her frosting for me.

While it pains me to say this, Macy liked her first John Deere best (not my present!) and played with it during the rest of the party. She liked pushing it around better and would just giggle as she was walking. Adorable.

FUN WEEKEND!

2006-08-07T20:21:00.000-06:00

Once again, we had a really fun weekend. My sister, Tera, and her family came for a quick visit. They arrived around noon on Friday and left at about 7 Saturday night. We made the most of it, though. I got off early Friday and Tera, Mike, Macy, and I headed to the city pool. Our city pool is free, so I was expecting tons of kids, but it really wasn't that busy. Macy just walked all over, she loved the pool. Tera kept telling her to "get her face wet" and she would just stop what she was doing and dip her face in the water. It was so funny. She knows when she is funny, which made it even funnier. She has such a goofy smile! We then packed up the car to head over to the Bighorns for a quick camping trip. We were hoping to have Kyle with us, but he got off work late, so he had to drive over later. We're lucky we went when we did, we got a great camping spot and kept hearing the rest of the night that there were no camping spots available. Whew! Macy was a good sport on the trip, getting frustrated as she had to sit in her stroller while we unpacked and set up camp. She loved walking around and touching everything, especially the trees. We got a kick out of that and had her hugging the trees by the end of the night. It was so fun to have her there. Saturday we got up and made breakfast, then the boys went fishing, while Tera & Macy napped. We had lunch, packed up camp, and headed off for a hike to the lake for more fishing. It was Macy's first shoulder ride and first hike. We had a great time. Macy and I really hit it off and she was my buddy all day. We were so sad to see them go and can't wait for their next visit!!! Come back soon!!

Fun Weekends

2006-07-31T16:27:00.000-06:00

Two weekends ago, my mom, step-dad, and little sister came to visit. We had a great time of hanging out at the pool, grilling, and watching movies. We had a great time just relaxing with each other and catching up. The week went fast... and we hung out with more family on Sunday. After mountain biking, we had the Irby family over for pool time and a bbq. Kyle & I went mountain biking with his dad and brother-in-law Sunday morning. We went to a single track trail outside of Spearfish that Kyle had found on the internet. It was a really fun trail, 4 miles of uphill and then 4 miles back down. We had a great time, and i was excited to find out that it was probably an "advanced" trail. That made me pretty proud that I kicked butt like i did. (You'll have to trust me on that.) We didn't get any pictures, but we plan on going again, so I'll take some the next time. In the meantime, if you're looking for good mountain biking, Tinton Trail is where you need to be. :)

Custer Camping Trip

2006-07-21T19:27:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, we got to go to one of our favorite camping places - Custer State Park. It was so freaking hot - over 100 degrees all weekend. Way too hot. We woke up early to go for a hike before it got too hot. We went on the Sunday Gulch Trail... only 3 miles, but marked as "strenuous" - ha. Here's the begininng:

Ok, I'm not really climbing the wall.... I'm only about a foot off the ground.

We saw some really cool scenery on the trail.

My future as a National Geographic photographer.

Ok, so it started easy... we were definitely wiped out by the end of the trail. It was fun, though. Can't imagine doing it in over 100 degrees, though. It was about 95 when we got done at 10:30. So, we headed to the lake. I'd post a pic, but I'm not confident enough to post a swimsuit picture. Maybe next year (yeah right). Saturday night, we went to the Black Hills Playhouse and saw Fiddler on the Roof. It was really good, as usual. We love the Playhouse. If you're in the area, you should definitely go. Go at night, though, there's no air conditioning, and the matinees get really warm....

Before going to the play.

You can see Mt. Rushmore through one of the several tunnels on Iron Mountain Road (my favorite road). The trip was a blast, we spent Sunday at the lake too. We're going back next weekend with Tyler & Krista. More pics then. Right now I'm trying to clean my house before my mom, step-dad and sister come tomorrow afternoon. Yep, it's THAT dirty :)

Get Well Soon, Maggie!

2006-07-18T19:18:00.000-06:00

My 9 year old little sister, the family princess, had a little scare last night. After a day of fever and vomiting and a "pain in her side", my mom consulted the trusty medical book. Thinking it sounded like some appendix problem, they took her into the hospital late last night. This morning at around 4:30 or 5, the poor little girl was wheeled into surgery. She assured the nurse that "My parents said I would be alright." And she is. But, in need of well-wishes, so give her a call. She's at the Rapid City Regional Hospital over night tonight. Get well, kiddo!

denver!

2006-07-17T17:17:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, Kyle and I bought tickets to a Rockies game. We wanted to make sure that we got to a game this summer. Last year, we went to early in the year and froze our butts off the whole game. We wanted a hot game where we could enjoy a cold drink and a foot long hot dog. However, it rained ALL weekend in Denver... so we stopped at Target and got some ponchos and headed to the game. There is nothing like the excitement around a stadium. I love it. I just love walking in and seeing the field and all the people, and the foot long hot dogs. I love hot dogs. The rain stopped long enough for the game, with a few sprinkles in one inning. Nothing we couldn't handle. We didn't even have to pull out our ponchos (so, we took them back and got our $$ back!). It was a great game. The Rockies didn't win, but they came close.....

SAN DIEGO!!!!!

2006-07-13T19:00:00.000-06:00

So, we took our trip to San Diego! It was awesome! We had such a great time. Here are some pics:

The funniest thing about this picture is not the GIANT piece of pizza.
It's the fact that Tera is posing with the pizza, and she didn't even have a bite.

We hung out the first night at the beach. We went to this fun bar/grill that had a surfing wave in it. We got some good seats to watch the surfers only to find out that we were there for the premier of some surfing movie. So, we got a karate-like demo, a fashion show, and a demo on the surf wave by the famous surfer. We left before the movie started. We're not surfers.

Saturday night we headed downtown to try out a place called Dick's. While we never made it there (Katie was a few years too young), we got tickets to the sold-out baseball game and watched the Padres lose to the Giants. We were die-hard fans that night, even heckling the Giants fans sitting below us.

Our seats weren't too bad.

We had such a good time hanging out. We found this Italian place and requested a seat outside. However, after seeing a few too many cockroaches and one too many mice, we asked to be moved inside. Made for a fun evening, though!

On the top of Mount Soledad there is a little war memorial with a giant cross. There is a lot of controversy right now about the cross on the memorial (separation of church and state crap), so we had to drive up and see it before it is gone forever. We ran into some North Dakotans currently living in Seattle up there. They're the ones that took this picture.

We got a little bored waiting for our plane.

Maybe more than a little bored.

A lot bored.

A heck of a lot bored.

You know you're laughing right now.

Invisible Children

2006-06-26T21:31:00.000-06:00

When we were at the FusionConference, one of the breakout sessions was entitled "Invisible Children" and it was touted as something every American must see. Intrigued, we went to the session and sat down to watch a video. I had no idea how much my heart would be changed. The documentary is about the children of Northern Uganda, and their everyday plight. These children are kidnapped at night and forced to be in the rebel army. They watch as their friends and siblings are brutally killed for disobedience or trying to escape, and are scared into killing for the army. As a result, the kids are herded into buildings at night in an attempt to protect them. You really NEED to see this video. There are trailers and other videos on the website. The best trailer is on their myspace. I think we really need to be educated about what is going on and then do all we can to educate others, write our representatives, etc. Just do what you can. The most amazing thing about these kids is that despite all the murder and fear around them, they have a joy that I have rarely seen before. We got to experience this recently, as our church hosted the African Childrens Choir. Our tour group, oddly, was from Uganda. Kyle and I immediately signed up to have some of the kids stay with us during their trip. We had three little girls: Esther, Victoria, and Arabella-

These girls didn't stop singing and dancing all night. They danced their way into bed. The next morning, they woke up and started dancing again. Once these kids are in the Choir, their education is paid for through post-secondary. These kids have basically won the African lottery. We really loved having these girls in our house, and it really made us even more passionate about the Invisible Children movement. If you have any questions or want to know more, PLEASE ask. Much of the world doesn't know or doesn't care that this is going on, so we need to do our part to educate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!

2006-06-16T19:38:00.000-06:00

Today's is Kyle's 23rd birthday. He's getting so old. Still hasn't caught up to me, though!! :)

Poor Kyle....

2006-06-15T20:56:00.000-06:00

Kyle had sinus surgery yesterday. He's not doing too bad today, but is definitely feeling like he's been punched in the nose. He had to sleep in the recliner last night, so we've been camped in the basement. It's kind of fun, I don't make it down here too often. I took yesterday off to take him to surgery (in Rapid City) and I took today off to take care of him. He's doing surprisingly good, so I went and got breakfast this morning at Java Jae's (Jae's last day owning it :( Hopefully the new girl will be just as good). Tasha brought us some really yummy soup for lunch and birthday cake for Kyle - tomorrow is his birthday. We've been hanging out at home, watching movies and watching soccer. Kyle's been playing his xbox all afternoon, so this is what I've been looking at the last couple of hours:
I got him to take a picture also:

Doesn't he look sad? His nose is a little swollen and keeps getting stuffy/bloody. But, he's being a trooper and doing really good. I'm trying to get him to go get some ice cream - just to get him out of the house. Ok, not really - I want some. Most of you probably saw through that last comment before you were done reading it. Oh, on a fun note - my birthday present from Kyle came today. He had somehow hacked into my wish list at Alloy.com and ordered me EVERYTHING on it. I got like... 10 new shirts and a necklace. AWESOME! I'll let you know if any of the shirts end up in any pictures. it was so fun! How'd I end up with such a great guy?!!! It was the BEST surprise EVER! EVER! Thanks, babe!

Wedding Weekend

2006-06-15T20:38:00.000-06:00

My Dad got married a couple of weeks ago (June 4th). We had a great weekend "camping" in Custer, SD. I really love being around my family and really enjoy spending time with my sisters. Kyle and I got in late Friday night, and woke up and had breakfast with my older brother, Chet. We needed nourishment for our adventure. We were going mountain biking. We headed up the Mickelson Trail at about 11:30 or 12:00. The trail was awesome. Small gravel, nicely maintained, benches for resting. It was overcast and I was sure we were going to ride into a storm, but Kyle assured me that we wouldn't. After 5 miles of uphill (at a small grade, it used to be a railroad track), we made it to Crazy Horse.

It's pretty cool to ride your bike past this. We didn't actually take the camera (I forgot it) biking, but we drove by Crazy Horse again, so you get this pic instead. After 10 miles of downhill and reaching speeds of 26 mph, we made it to Hill City, one of the cutest towns in SD. We stopped and had ice cream and then headed back. It was sunny now. 10 miles of uphill, which was hard, but felt good. I've been taking spinning classes for a few months, so it was really good to see that it was paying off. We then got our 5 miles of downhill and we were back. Total ride time was about 3 hours - 34 miles. But our trip actually took more like 4 hours. It was a fun ride. We headed back to the camp, hung out by the pool for a little bit and then got ready for a BBQ. We were actually crashing Sandy's family's reunion, but I don't think they cared too much. The kids (Tera, Mike, Macy, Katie, & Ryan) showed up a few hours later and we started having fun! Sunday, Tera, Katie & I got up early and went running. My little brother gave me the best b-day present - he remembered it was my birthday first (even before I did). Tera had gotten me a "It's My Birthday" crown from Toys R Us. Of course, I wore that down to breakfast. Later in the day, Dad got married:

The Bride & Groom

It was a perfect ceremony, even visited by a cute little butterfly fluttering through the ceremony. I have a few more pics:

Me & Grandma

My sisters
Me & My Boy

Kyle was the official photographer, but used Dad's camera, so we don't have any other pics. It was a great weekend, made me want to move closer to the fam!

Happy Birthday Girls!

2006-06-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday TODAY to Am & Dharma!!!! Love you guys!

Fusion Conference

2006-06-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

If you get the chance, go to a Fusion Conference. It is a conference put on by RightNow.org, a group committed to getting 20 and 30-somethings more active in the church. It was really a kick in the butt to both Kyle and I and a result we are looking at ways to get more involved in our church and community. We went with a two other couples and our youth pastor and had a great time. Eric (the youth pastor) had just bought some new air soft guns "for the youth group", so the guys had to try them out. Here are some pics:

Tough Guy

Kyle & Me

Our favorite Macy pic....

2006-05-26T12:56:00.000-06:00

Classic

The Irby Fam visits the CP

2006-05-26T12:55:00.001-06:00

Haven't been to see the Corn Palace? You're missing out. A trip home isn't complete without a visit to the Palace. We even took pics:

In All Its Glory

Self-Portrait

Kyle saluting the rodeo....

Kyle chillin with Uncle Zeke

Kyle & I chillin with Zach

Karaoke Night in Artesian

2006-05-26T12:51:00.000-06:00

My cousin Megan got married a few weeks ago. As a pre-party, the Yusten clan headed up to the small, small, small town of Artesian, SD to do a little karaoke. It was a great time as you can see from the pics below:

The girls - me, Jeanna, Heidi, and Tera.

Tera, me, and Mom

My brother-in-law Mike and my sister Tera. Hot.

My cousin Tayla, me, and my cousin Tambi.

The picture I promised I wouldn't post.

My cousin Andy and his future fiance, Heidi.

My momma and Aunt Nancy totally rockin out.

I may have even rocked out a little....

Congrats Katie!

2006-05-24T22:24:00.000-06:00

My little sister Katie graduated from High School. Way to go, sis!
(Prom Picture, Not Grad Picture)

Why we love Wyoming....

2006-05-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Ryan & Kyle in the bighorns.
(Click on the picture - it's better when it's bigger.)

My dad, his fiance (Sandy), her daughter (Serena), my sister (Katie), and brother (Ryan) came to visit for Easter. We took them up the Bighorn Mountains on Saturday to go for a hike. We had initially planned on taking them to Rifle lake, but that trail was closed. So, we headed down to Tie Hack Reservoir (& Dam). Insert a thousand dam jokes... we did. The best part of the hike was near the above pic. We were hanging out (taking bathroom breaks) and enjoying the view... All of a sudden Ryan started down the hill and found a tupperware container. At first, we thought it was a first aid kit. However, we were wrong. It was a GeoCache. Basically, there are people who travel the world (or state) looking for these things. Ryan just stumbled upon it. We were so proud. So, you open it up and you get to take something out, but you have to put something in to. We took kleenex (we had used ours up during the bathroom break), kyle took a belt buckle, and we took something else, but I can't remember what. We left my dad's business card (just in case anyone needs a tractor), some chapstick, and a granola bar. If you get the chance and have a GPS, you should play this game.

Twins... or ... I Dress Too Young

2006-05-24T21:06:00.000-06:00

Ruby and I on Mother's Day. Please note that we are wearing the same outfit.

road race season begins....

2006-05-04T20:07:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the first road race of the season.... the 7th Street Challenge... It's only 1.8 miles, but 1/2 of it is uphill and not just uphill, up the steepest hill in town: 7th Street. It wasn't as bad as I expected, and I didn't finish last. A friend that I work out with ran with me, I think Kyle has retired from the road race circuit. No medals this run, and I finished at around 18 minutes. I'm happy with that. I'm not sure when the next race I can make it to is, probably June....

vacation help

2006-04-23T19:02:00.000-06:00

My sisters (Tera & Katie) and I are thinking of taking a vacation this summer before Katers heads off to college. We're thinking a cruise, but looking for any fun and CHEAP destination. Anyone have any ideas? Our requirements: sun and beaches.

wyoming weather... sucks.

2006-04-23T18:55:00.000-06:00

We just had a beautiful weekend. 70's-80's. Today - 32. Suckage. Why the huge weather swings. I'm dreaming of San Diego today... and I've never even been there.

Introducing Ruby Tuesday....

2006-03-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

I realized that I haven't posted any pics of Ruby yet, so here they are. Ruby is our niece, Kyle's sister's daughter. She's a cutie, as you will soon see:

The day after her birthday.

Ruby Faith Martin being pestered by her Aunt.

Ruby laughing at her uncle kyle....well, that's what it looks like anyway.

Ruby and Kyle hanging out.

Me & Ruby chillin before bed.

Ruby with her parents, Rhea & Harley

STATE CHAMPS!

2006-03-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

St. Thomas More - South Dakota State A Champions! Woo Hoo! Dylan saved the game with a final second steal. Way to go, boys!!!! WE ARE SO PROUD!!!

More pics from Grandma's Party

2006-03-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Elsie Ellefson Day Proclamation

My Dad Max & Macy
My Sister Katie, Sister Tera, and Me
Me & Macy

GOOD LUCK ST. THOMAS MORE CAVALIERS!

2006-03-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

My little brothers play in the SD State A Basketball Championship tonight. My little brother Dylan is also nominated for the Spirit of Su award, which is the biggest basketball award presented in SD... for you out-of-staters. Good Luck Dylan & Tanner! Love you guys!

UPDATE: If you want to listen, log on to www.myeaglecountry.com at 6:30 MST. The names you're listening for: Dylan & Tanner Wince.

new year's resolutions update

2006-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are still reading the Bible.... (our resolution was to read throught it this year) and we are right on track. Hooray! Also, I've been working out like crazy since January (spinning and a cardio/weight circuit) and have lost 12 lbs, 8 inches and my body fat is down by 3.6%. Woo Hoo! This week I was able to wear a pair of pants that I had ordered this fall, but wasn't able to get into. I also am going to wear some pants my step mom picked up for me last summer that were a little too snug. They fit now! Just tried them on this morning. I needed some motivation, as I have been really tired lately, just kinda wanting to take a break from the working out. But, now, I am movtivated to continue!

More to come later

2006-03-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Blogger won't let me post pics, so you'll have to wait....

Home Again or Happy 100th Grandma Toots

2006-03-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm really behind. So, I'm starting to catch up. The first weekend of this month, we headed home for My Great Grandma Ellefson's 100th Birthday. She is affectionately known as Grandma Toots. I'm not sure why, it's just what she's known as. I'm sure it has nothing to do with flatulence. The governor declared the day "Elsie Ellefson Day" in the state of South Dakota. So, for you South Dakotans, sorry I'm late. You could've been celebrating with us. Luckily, I have some family pics to make up for the late, late post. Ready? Ok:

My sister, Tera, and her hubby, Mike
Me & Kyle

Cousin Kaylee, Brother Ryan, Sister Katie, Sister Tera, Bro-in-law Mike, Niece Macy, Cousin Tyson

i love my husband

2006-02-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Kyle worked all night last night. He played basketball (and won!) and then we went to sleep arond 11. At 12:30, he was called out and worked until 5:15 tonight. He went right to bed, woke up to eat and is sleeping again.... He's supposed to get up in 15 minutes to go play basketball again, but I don't want to wake him up. Poor guy. If you've never met Kyle, you're missing out. I've never met a better guy. And I'm not just saying that because he's the love of my life. Ask anyone that knows him, and they'll tell you the same thing.

tulsa... with the girls

2006-02-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, The Pooh and Amber came over to Tulsa to hang out. We went to a restaurant called On The Border and ate WAY, WAY too much food. Chips and Queso, Dinner, and Dessert. We had to..... Then, The Pooh introduced us to Accessory City, the LARGEST accessory store you have ever seen. 100's of purses, jewelry, hats, sunglasses, etc. I would've LOVED this store in high school - getting ready for formals. It was awesome. I got a couple of things. Then, we headed back to the hotel to chat. It was fun, we looked up some friends blogs and showed each other pics of all our nieces. It was so much fun, I love seeing those girls. I miss them. Wish I was closer. We were joking that I have seen them more in the past 4 months than in the past 5 years combined. It made me think about old friends and how hard it is to keep in touch. You really have to put some effort into keeping some friendships. It's not easy! Makes me think of an old girl scout song: "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Don't know which is which, but I love all of my friends and I love seeing them again.

Me, Amber, and The Pooh

2006-02-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

I just downloaded a widget for my Mac that allows me to post messages on blogger from my desktop. Awesome.

um....

2006-02-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

I don't know why it takes me so long to put up a new post. I'm lame. I have so much to talk about. Oh wait, no I don't. :)

I'm in Tulsa this week for ABB's Global Technical Conference. It's been a pretty good conference, but I'm not sure how much info I'll be taking back to the office to use. However, we're staying at the Marriott and the beds are awesome! They also have a decent fitness center and pool. So every night I've been working out and then soaking in the hot tub - alone. Awesome.

Tonight, I'm meeting up with The Pooh and Amber for some fun. I think we're just doing dinner, but maybe a little shopping and hot tubbing. Who knows. All I know is that I'm really excited to hang out with them! It's been a while. And I'm hoping for some good food - I'm hungry. My trainer has me on a 1400 calories/day diet, and I'm so hungry. And I like complaining about it, so be prepared.

What else... I'm going to try to post some baby Ruby pics soon. I don't have very many and she's already over a month old, so I need to take some more. She's such a cute baby.

I don't have much else to say... more later... perhaps...

lots of catching up to do....

2006-02-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

1. I'm in Houston this week. Well, the week's almost over, I guess. I was here for training and had a really good time. The class was good (though I'm not actually using the software, just the backup for the software), and we just got to do lots of fun stuff. Tonight, we got to go out on a boat to dinner (we drove the boat to the restaurant, docked it, and then ate and drove the boat back). So fun! We also have a great Fitness Center here - 70,000 sq ft. Did a spinning class Tuesday, my 2nd one and I love it.

2. I'm an aunt again! Ruby Faith Martin was born Jan 19th. She's adorable! I'm planning on posting some pics soon, so you'll just have to wait. Kyle is such a proud uncle, he loves spending time with the baby. I haven't gotten to see her nearly as much as he has, but I'm looking forward to it!

3. Reading through the Bible is still going good - both of us are still on track! Yipee!

4. Jurassic Park is on tv right now. Great movie.

5. I started a new job - Wyoming recruiter for Mitchell Tech (where I used to work when I lived in Mitchell, SD). I'm really excited about this job and looking forward to learning more about the schools in WY. (This is just a part time job, I still have all the rest.... for now.)

I think that's it for now. Oh, and Happy Birthday, Dad!

sunday school class teachers

2006-01-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

We taught the K - 1st grade sunday school class today. It was really fun. We were both a little nervous. Kyle had never taught before and I had only been a "helper" before. After getting off to a rocky start (we had one kid that didn't want to do anything and ended up going back to sit with his mom.... what?!), we ended up having a good time with the kids. We were teaching them about the magi that came to worship Jesus and the fact that you can worship anywhere. I think the message kind of got lost on them, but it was fun creating bright, glittery stars so the Magi could find the baby, playing a trivia game for snacks, and playing the "where did they worship" game. The time passed much faster than we thought it would, which was good. Afterwards, Kyle kept telling me what a good job I did, and how good I was with kids. He was like "I had no idea what to do or say and you always did." He kept praising my abilities with kids, which came after living in a daycare my whole life (my mom had a home daycare). Well, needless to say, I chalked up a couple points in the "I'm ready for kids" category. Woo Hoo!

proud big sister moment....

2006-01-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Dylan Wince is Kota Territory News
Subway Athlete of the Week:

Click the clip to be linked to the video of his news appearance!

UPDATE: Dylan also featured on the front page... in their "throwback" game.
Click here to read the story and see the picture.

Random Things...

2006-01-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Since Duck is sending his millions of readers to my blog, it's time for me to post something. It seems like life has been boring lately, not much has happened that is post-worthy. I think we've just been really busy. So, I'm just going to post some random things:

1. Basketball. Got to watch Dylan and Tanner (my little brothers) play basketball on Tuesday night. We didn't know about the game until about an hour before it started. We had about an hour and half to drive, so made it for the end of Tanner's game (JV) and all of Dylan's (he's a senior). We lucked out, though, the game was a huge blow out, so we got to see Dylan score a few three's (he ended up with 14 pts, I think) and Tanner even got in long enough to score a couple three's and a few more baskets. I was really proud, feeling like my brothers were superstars!!! And they are!

2. New Years Resolutions. Last year, I made the ambitious resolution to run a 5k. I ran 3 of them and medaled in two. This year was a little harder.... I had no ideas. So, I stole Kyle's resoution. I'm going to try to read the Bible in a year. I have never read the whole Bible. Sad, I know....

3. Baby Countdown. Rhea (Kyle's sis) is ready to blow! Her baby (initially thought to be due at the end of this month) is due ANY DAY NOW! We are anxiously waiting for THE call, and everytime the phone rings, say "Oh, Rhea had her baby!" only to be disappointed by something far less exciting.

4. More basketball. Tonight Kyle had a city league basketball game. The opposing team had a girl, which was really funny for me to watch. No one would guard her aggresively at all, except one guy on Kyle's team - he blocked her shots, fouled her... so funny. Why was everyone scared of the girl?

5. The big payoff. We paid off my computer today. Getting rid of bills is always exciting for me. I have to celebrate!

6. Blessings. Tonight, I'm feeling especially blessed. I love it when I get emails from my friends. Am emailed me today asking for snowboarding tips, which I have NONE. I'm not very good. But, it's fun to know that my friends still think of me often. I'm always thinking about them!

7. More Bible Stuff. I'm terrible about having daily time with God. Terrible. But the last few days, I've been reading the Bible each day. Coincidence that I'm feeling really blessed and happy with my life? I think not.

christmas break!

2005-12-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

i miss having a Christmas break. This year, the company I work for gave us Friday and Monday off. Friday was the bake-a-thon with Rhea. We made TONS of holiday treats. It was really fun. Then Friday night, we got together with the Irby family and opened our Christmas presents. It was really fun, and by the end of the evening, I was falling asleep on the couch... then the floor...

Today, I've been working all morning on websites. I decided to take a break to update my blog. I may head over to Java Jae's this afternoon to do some work there and grab some lunch. Nothing too exciting, but I'm not at work!!!

I haven't said anything about our trip to Minneapolis, which was GREAT. We had so much fun and got to see so many of friends. We hope that ALL of you can make it out to Wyoming and see us sometime. It was a really good weekend and we even got to make some new friends. We spent all day Saturday with some friends of Andi & Jesse's and really enjoyed hanging out with them and their adorable kids. It was a great trip, but went too fast!

Ok, I better get back to work. I'll try to post some pics soon.

5 interesting things about me....

2005-12-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

I got tagged by Angela, so here are 5 interesting things about me:

1. I have lots of jobs - I have my full-time job as a SCADA administrator, and I am the web design coordinator for Visionary, I do part time web design work for my own company too.
2. I LOVE cereal, and I usually eat cereal for lunch. My current favorite - Honeycomb.
3. I have a very large family, 4 brothers, 3 sisters and one soon-to-be step-sister. My dad recently got engaged.
4. I LOVE reading and once I pick up a book, I pretty much don't do anything else until I'm done.
5. I don't like to cook, but I love to bake. As a result, Kyle doesn't get home-cooked suppers very often, but there is never a shortage of cookies, cakes, and brownies :)

I tag:
Duck
Michelle
Tera
Heidi & Tim

stress!

2005-12-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, we upgraded our SCADA servers at work. As the SCADA Administrator, this was my responsiblity to oversee and make sure everything was working. We had someone from the company that built our software there to do the actual upgrade, but I had to make sure all of our data made it into the system correctly and that everything was working. So much stress. I ended up staying late every day last week and worked some this weekend and then put in a 12 hour day today. I love my job, but I'm ready for everything to be perfect again. Tomorrow we're driving over to Rapid City to catch a flight to Minneapolis on Wednesday. VACATION! I'm SO ready to get away for a while and just relax and shop and sit in the hot tub and relax and relax and shop. I think Kyle is starting to get excited too. I've gotten to the point this past week (and even as early as this morning) that I was so stressed out that anything said with the wrong tone brought me to the brink of tears. I hate being that emotional. But, I staying late (and going in early) today helped and I think I'll be ready to take off tomorrow..... let's hope. Here's how I'm relaxing tonight:

Staring at the Christmas Tree.

christmas tree success!

2005-12-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

How do you spell success? G-R-E-E-N-H-O-U-S-E! We went to the local greenhouse and got our Christmas tree tonight!!!! Yay! It's up in our living room and the furniture has been rearranged. We're letting it fall and get used to our house before we decorate it. But, I did decorate the mantle and I think it looks pretty cute. I'll post some pics once we get the tree done - hopefully tomorrow night!

Christmas Tree Hunting

2005-11-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Kyle and I ventured out to hunt for a Christmas tree. We drove over to Buffalo, bought a tree permit, and headed up into the mountains. We were so excited, having visions of finding the perfect tree in the middle of a field with the sun shining down on out and hearing an angelic chorus in the background. Instead, we left three hours later, covered in snow, with no tree. It was harder that you'd think. There are all these crazy rules that take all of the perfect trees out of consideration. We basically drove throught all these trails and then we'd get out and walk when we saw some that might work. The tricky trees, though, have learned to grow in twos, so there is only one side of the tree that actually has branches. It was much harder than you'd think. There were several times when we were actually walking through the forest asking each other "where are all the freaking trees?!!" Then it started snowing and I was thinking "Oh, a light snow, how perfect." Then, lots and lots of snow. We could barely see out the window to find a tree. We were a little nervous about coming down the mountain in crappy weather, so we decided to head down. But, it was still lots of fun and we had a good time on our unsucessfull hunting trip. Of course, I took some pics:

Kyle being optimistic.

Thinking we have time to find a tree... notice the ominous clouds coming over the mountains in the background.

Kyle trying to look sad that we didn't find a tree. I think he was secretly happy that he didn't have to chop one down.

I look more pissed than sad, and that's pretty much how I felt.

I guess the Boy Scouts are going to get our money after all.....

TONS of cute baby pics.

2005-11-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

More Macy goodness. Click here.

weekend update...

2005-11-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend was really chill. kyle and i just stayed home and relaxed - for the most part. friday night we went out to eat with Rhea & Harley and had the worst waiter EVER. Harley asked how much the special was and the waiter said "I'm not sure, probably around $12.99". Then waited for Harley to make a decision. No "Let me check" or anything like that. The item in the menu was $11.99 and after he left, we went and checked the special board and it was $7.99. That's just one example, I could go on all night. We had to ask for straws and silverware. We had to get our own ketchup. He just couldn't care less. It was horrible, but in a funny way.

After that, we all went back to our house and watched "Christmas with the Kranks". It's pretty cute. I love Christmas movies. Love them.

Saturday, we slept in then went to Java Jae's - our favorite. Then we ran some errands and started stripping, sanding, and re-staining our handrails. They look really nice, but we haven't put them up yet.

Saturday night, we had a chuch Thanksgiving. It was really fun. We had a really good time talking with some of our friends that we haven't spent much time with lately.

Sunday, church and football and Rhea & Harleys. It was a really good weekend. So relaxing. Looking forward to more of it this (long!!!!!) weekend!

two more pics...

2005-11-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Same night. More pics.

Nash Potatoes. In matching outfits.

Amber & I. So totally cute.

oklahoma!

2005-11-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

More pics from my super fun week in Oklahoma. I got to see lots of old friends - The Pooh, Amber, Nathan, Mark & Kylie, Emily, Jessica, all kinds of people. It was a riot. These pics are from the night at the Olive Garden:

Amber & I

Amos, Andrew, Nathan, and Jesse

hho1/2k

2005-11-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

i'm sorta tired, but i told amber & nathan that i'd do a post for them tonight. so, this one is dedicated to them. i had the funnest night in a really long time hanging out at the olive garden for nathan's birthday (happy birthday, nathan!). here's a pic:

If it looks like i've been crying, it's because I was. All night. I laughed so hard that night, I was beyond crying. It was the laughing equivalent to sobbing. So much fun!

i'm in oklahoma!

2005-11-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Posting from my hotel room... I love having a laptop. So, I just left my room to go to the vending machines, but was stopped by a killer kitty. There was a cat (what?!) at the end of the hall and the closer I got, the more it's back arched. It's gave me a hiss and I turned around and went back to my room. Killer Kitty or Diet Help? I'm not sure, but I was scared. Training starts tomorrow - 8:30am.

Funny because it's true....

2005-11-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

You Are Italian Food

Comforting yet overwhelming.
People love you, but sometimes you're just too much.

What Kind of Food Are You?

kelly's in iraq...and blogging

2005-11-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone - you gotta check out Kelly's blog from Iraq....he's a soldier that's over there fighting the war. Send him a message of support and read what he's been up to.

happy halloween

2005-10-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty fun night tonight. Rhea (Kyle's sister) invited us over to hand out candy and have supper with her and her husband. Kyle's mom & dad came too. Kyle got off work a little late, so most of the trick or treaters had come and gone by the time we got there. But, there were two teenage boys that had a pretty good KISS costume. (Am, remember? - My roomies Kris, Am, and Am's brother and I all dressed up as KISS for Halloween one year in college. It was an awesome costume). I used to love dressing up. This year, I didn't really care if I did or if I didn't. Hopefully next year, I'll have a little more excitement.

We watched "Fever Pitch" tonight. It's a cute movie. You should definitely rent it.

Ok, I'm tired. Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

whoa, where have i been?

2005-10-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

I really didn't realize it had been this long since I posted. Lots of fun new stuff has been happening, so sorry for that. Oct 19-20, I got to fly in the corporate plane to our headquarters in New Mexico for a little training and to meet some of the people I speak with daily on the phone. It was really fun. In fact, I even go to co-pilot the plane. Well, they wouldn't let me touch anything but an inconsequential altimeter setting. But, it was better for everyone that way. I did get to wear the headphones at least. I even have a picture:

More posts to come...

Hunting

2005-10-18T08:56:00.000-06:00

Last night, I went with Kyle and his co-worker, Jeff, to go hunting. We went out on Kyle's grandparents' land. It was actually more fun that I expected, although nothing was shot. We went out and found a place to sit, where we could see the deer down in the field below us (there were two small bucks in that group). We also were on the deer trail, so we could easily see if any deer came down from either side. Three deer appeared on the spot that Jeff was sure none would, so they were directly behind us. So, we had to be really still so they would walk down. At this point, my feet are falling asleep and being still is getting impossible. Finally, the deer must've seen or smelled us, and they turned around. So, we went walking up the hill to see if there were any deer in the canyon. There were SO MANY back there. They just kept coming, too, it was really funny. There were at least 15 deer back there. But, we couldn't find a buck from where we were. And by the time we moved to a good shooting position, it was getting dark, and you can't hunt after dark. So, they're going back Wed. while I'm in New Mexico. It was an anti-climatic hunting trip, but it was a great hike! :)

girl fest - last chapter

2005-10-18T08:55:00.000-06:00

Sunday I went to church, went shopping, and then cleaned the house :(

Not really a girl fest....

girl fest...continued

2005-10-15T16:02:00.000-06:00

Last night was fun. I started with Princess Diaries 2, which was only worth a few tears... Is it bad that I wanted her to end up with the nice prince, not the playboy? Then, I headed to a coffee shop to try to tackle a few more chapters of Anna Karenina. It's taking me way to long to get through this book. Even the library thinks so. Then, a little shopping... at K-mart... for make up. Then back for round 2 of movie mania. I started Prozac nation and hated it, so didn't finish. Fell asleep on the couch instead. Woke up this morning at 8 with a phone call. Tasha needed a babysitter. So I babysat this morning for her 3 boys, then went to a movie with Rhea. We saw In Her Shoes. It was really good, I cried a lot. That's basically how I rate movies. I actually needed napkins for this movie. Sometimes, my hand will suffice, I can just wipe away a few tears. Other times, I leave with a wet sleeve. When I have to use the popcorn-butter stained napkins, you know it was a good movie. Anyway, I've been doing some website work, and now I need to go dig up my wrecked garden (remember the snow storm?) and then I'm going out to eat with Rhea & Harley. Looking forward to round 3 of movie mania after that. So far, a very good day!

a very girly weekend....

2005-10-14T07:48:00.000-06:00

Kyle is leaving me this weekend for hunting. He's leaving this morning and won't be home until sometime Sunday. So, I'm anticipating a very girly weekend. I'm going to rent all the girly movies he doesn't want to see, get a pedicure, bake goodies, go to a girly movie with the in-laws and NOT cook. I'm very excited to sleep in and just have a good, relaxing weekend.

shoot. where'd I put my keys?

2005-10-07T07:49:00.000-06:00

I've noticed a stupid quirk that I have lately. Every time I leave my car, I throw my keys into my purse. Except when I get home, then I leave them in the car. But all, other times, I throw them in purse. And then before I get out of the car, I have to double check to make sure they're in my purse. I haven't locked my keys in my car for a really long time. Why do I do this?

2005-10-05T12:14:00.000-06:00

Snow sucks.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!

2005-10-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Snow already. Lots of it. Totally sucky.

weekend adventure

2005-10-04T14:59:00.000-06:00

This weekend, we headed over to Sundance to try out a mountain biking trail we had heard about. Kyle was really excited and I was sort of excited. We found the trail and it looked promising. So, we started up the trail and continued uphill. I didn't realize we were going uphill, just thought that it was really hard. I was really hating it. It was really rocky and I kept getting stopped going up a hill by a rock and ended up having to walk my bike more than I would have liked. I was complaining like crazy and sweating like a pig. I'm sure Kyle was ready to kill me and leave me out there. Then, we turned around. It was so much fun going down the mountain. I went from totally hating it to totally loving it in basically 4 seconds. I pretty much didn't have to pedal at all the whole way back to the car. At one point, we stopped and I said to Kyle "I didn't realize we were riding uphill that whole way. " Which, of course, he knew and couldn't believe that I couldn't tell. Anyway, after the ride, went drove around and "explored" the area (we haven't spent any time there previous to this) and found lots of cool things and beautiful scenery. The pics are posted below.

2005-10-04T12:40:00.000-06:00

A pretty lake we found.

2005-10-04T12:31:00.000-06:00

The view from the fire watch tower.

2005-10-04T12:30:00.002-06:00

Me on the bridge we found.

2005-10-04T12:30:00.001-06:00

Kyle on a bridge we found.

2005-10-04T12:30:00.000-06:00

Some deer that we kept seeing all day.

2005-10-04T12:29:00.000-06:00

In the Hills near Sundance

woo hoo!

2005-10-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

Last night, I was finally able to order a new laptop. Kyle and I had been waiting to order one (well, he kept postponing the order) until we had paid off a few more bills. Well, he finally decided that we were ready to order one. This is what I am getting. A 15" Power Book. I'm entering the world of Mac's. Yikes! I'm super excited to get a new laptop. It won't ship for 2-3 weeks, though. That sucks, I'm too impatient. Why can't they just deliver it to me in an hour? Anyway, I'm really looking forward to spending the weekends on the couch instead of stuck in the office. And getting work done while we're travelling. Watching movies ANYWHERE. There's so much fun to be had/work to be done/etc. Yay!

movin' on up...

2005-09-30T14:23:00.000-06:00

So, I was waiting to post this until I had all the details, but I couldn't wait any longer. I'm getting a promotion!!!! And a raise, but those are the sketchy details (dang it!). I am moving from Office Tech to SCADA Administrator. Woo Hoo! Basically this means that I will have control over the SCADA System and will get a new office and not a cubby. I'm way excited. I was hoping to know some $$ details before the weekend, but no word yet. My boss said "When you work here, you learn patience." Great. So, we'll see what happens, but any raise is a good raise! I've known that the possibility was there since Monday, but things are being confirmed now. And we might be hiring someone to take over some of my current duties, which would be great, then I could take a vacation without worrying about things getting done. I'm really, really, really, really excited.