Miscellaneous stuff

Today is a beautiful fall day and I am excited for tonight. Some friends of ours from Michael's barbershop chorus are having a "Fall kickoff party" and we are heading over to there house later to hang out and sit around a bonfire. I am sure there will also be plenty of singing going on :)



I have actually been fairly productive yesterday and today and got the house all clean, laundry all done, and grocery shopping done. . .among other things. One of those other things it scrapbooking. Last night I finished one page and completed another. These are both from Christmas 2008. . .one from our Cookie Baking day and one from Christmas Eve which were both in Fordland.

I am actually using the same paper on all of my Christmas 2008 pages. It is from a Ki Memories paper pack that Beth bought last year (or maybe the year before already???) and we split up. It was a holiday pack with Valentines day, Halloween, Christmas, and then just some winter themed paper. I have used most of the Halloween stuff already and a bit of the Valentines Day but after I am done with all of the 2008 Christmas pages I don't think there will be much left :)

I just fell in the bathtub while opening the window above the bath and cracked the tub surround. That's just great. . . like we really need one more thing to do. After church tomorrow we are spending the afternoon/evening working on our rental property out in Pleasant Hope. It needs mucho work after our last tenants!

We found out this last week that the offer we put on a house back the end of July is now being considered!! It is a short sale and OMG they take forever. Our realtor told us that their realtor told her that we were the best offer they have had so far. Basically now our offer goes to negotiations with the lender and they have decide if they are willing to sell it for what we are offering or say no and wait for a better offer to come along and they have 2 weeks to decide. If it is yes then the wait was definitely worth it, and we will have 30 days to close. If it is no, we waited over 10 weeks for bad news. :( I will be so happy if it is yes. . .30 days will take us to within a month of Michael leaving so I will probably be unpacking and actually getting settled mostly on my own.

Well, I guess that's all for now. I need to go frost the cupcakes I made for tonight and I kind of want to start another scrapbook page.

Later, Lisa

Here we go again. . .

So we found out that Michael is getting deployed again. . .this time to Kuwait. He will be leaving approximately around December 3rd to go and do some warrior training here in the US. The plan is to aim for a 4 day pass over Christmas before heading to another base here in the states to do some more training and then they will deploy from there. I figure he will be back end of November 2010 or beginning of December. We spent this last Sunday in pre-deployment briefings with his unit. He also got promoted so that is a definite plus!

I'm not happy that he is leaving but I am not really upset either. Its something that we knew would happen again and it is better that it happens now than say in another 18 months or something. I am happy that he is going to Kuwait this time and not back to Iraq or Afghanistan!

That's it for now. . . .I need to get back to work. Shhhh!!

Lisa H.

six months lapse is over. . .

I think these are the first scrapbook pages I have done since like March 09 and oh my goodness I am so far behind. These 2 pages have been sitting on my desk partially finished for the last couple weeks and I stayed up way too late last night finishing them up. I was actually getting ready to go to bed last night. . .had even turned my computer off already. . .when I picked up one of them and inspiration struck. If you are a scrapbooker you know what I mean, sometimes there is just a mental block and all the sudden last night it cleared so of course I had to work on them. I even turned my computer back on so I could print up my journaling. I am really sleepy now, but that will pass. So anyways this one is from Thanksgiving last year. . . . . .and this one if from Micki's baby shower last December. She ended up having the baby on the day of the shower so she didn't make it to her own shower. The pictures of the layouts aren't the best but oh well. ..

That's all for now. I am currently working on another layout and I need to leave for Becky and Hugh's in abt 1.5 hours for Taylor's bday party. Gotta get get.

Lisa

State parks are fun!

This was the first camping trip I had been on in several years and it was a lot of fun! My whole family went (except for Beth) and it was a fun, loud, crazy few days! Michael was there in the evenings but actually had to drive back to work on Saturday so he isn't in any of the pics. We stayed at Bennett Springs SP and drove up to Ha Ha Tonka SP ( aka Honka Tonka to my family) on Saturday to wander around on their trails. We would have preferred to just stay at Ha Ha Tonka, but alas it is only a day park. I rode down with Laura, Shawn and their 3 kids with the Expedition packed full of stuff.

We were actually quite displeased with the campsites we had at Bennett Spring but what can you do. We were the first ones there and we started getting everything set up but it took quite awhile because we were trying to figure out which campsite (since we had to get 2) to congregate around and it was the one under my parents name. Therefore we had to wait until they got there because the park people wouldn't go ahead and give us both sites. It was dark on Friday night by the time we got everything up and everyone fed.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast and took off to Ha Ha Tonka where we had a picnic lunch and wanded around on the trails til we were all hot and sweaty. I think the kids all had fun, but by Saturday evening the lack of naps started to catch up to them. We did get to see a brave little raccoon that just came right up to our campsite while we were relaxing around the campfire. My dad finally chased him off after the kids that were up got to see him, but he was not to be discouraged and came back multiple times before we retired for the evening.

My parents tent and Michael and I's tent were both set up at the other campsite and we got awoken each night by the loud people in the tent next to us. I am assuming it was a group of college students and the first night was just loud with a whole bunch of cussing, the second night we got to listen to one guy puke and then dry heave while all the others fussed over him. One girl ended up calling some medical line and was relaying all these questions to the guy because she wanted to take him in to the ER but he refused. So we got the whole scoop on his medical history and current situation based on their conversation and turns out he was on some anti-depressant that you are not supposed to have alchohol with and he had enjoyed way too much Hot Damn. Some people are brilliant. . .luckily he finally caved about the ER so they all loaded up and took off. Ahh. . .peaceful sleep once again. . .at least until 3:30 am when they got home from the ER!

Sunday we got all 4 tents and everything else packed up and drove to a picnic area by the spring in Bennett Springs SP and then headed home. Overall it was a fun trip and I had fun hanging out with my family and the kiddos! They are all so much fun and seem to have an endless supply of energy.

So enough talking here are the pics. . . .all of which were taken at Ha Ha Tonka except for the first one. the back of Laura and Shawn's Expedition. . .he is a packing genius

our caravan of vehicles stopped at the visitor's center. Hmmm. . .its a good thing I didn't drive. . .my Chevy equinox would have thrown off the whole Ford thing that's going on here. My parents Focus, Bellue's Edge, and Cook's Expedition. That's actually kinda funny.

Trey, Taylor, Shane, and Cole at the start of the trail that leads to the old water tower. We are along the ridge and it dropped off pretty steep

Me on the trail that leads to the water tower showing off all the trees behind me. . .I think I might have to come back to this park when all the leaves change. I imagine it will be quite beautiful.

Picture I took from the water tower trail looking back the other direction. Isn't it pretty?

The brother-in-laws and their boys. . . Shawn, Hugh, Cole, Shane, and Trey. . .standing on a little rock outcropping that you could see a glimpse of the castle up on the ridge.

then a view of the castle from that same little rock ledge. If you are not familiar with the ruins at Ha Ha Tonka, there is an old castle that some wealthy businessman started building in 1905 after he purchased 5000 acres and envisioned a private retreat with a European-style castle. He is quoted as saying "Here I will spend my leisure, secure from the worries of business and the excitement of city life. I will fish and loaf and explore the caves of these hills, with no fear of intrusion".

He actually died in 1906 in one of the state's 1st automobile accidents and his sons finished building the castle for him many years later. It was actually used as a hotel until 1942 when the entire interior was gutted by fire. It is massive and I would love to have seen it in all its glory.

Picture of the castle ruins. You can't actually go in the ruins, just wander around the perimeter but you can still get a feel for how grand it was.

Another shot of the ruins

This is a view of the water tower that was built for the castle. They stand at opposite ends of the same curved rigde and it the middle are the ruins of the huge carriage house that was built for the castle. It burned at the same time as the castle when the wind carried the fire down the ridge from the castle. It was built to house 100 horses, 30 cars, and the caretakers family.

Cole, Trey, and Shane playing in the remains of what I am sure was a very impressive fountain on the front side of the castle that overlooks the bluff.

My sisters and I (you should have come Beth) with Cole, Taylor, and Shane underfoot standing in front of the castle ruins

The back side of the castle and under the arches are the stairs that you would have climbed after being dropped off in a carriage/car. There is also a carriage step? (I can't remember what Laura called it) for the higher carriages so the ladies could have stepped right out onto the landing without stepping down onto the ground first. It's kinda cool envisioning what it must have looked like back then.

I absolutely love, love, love this picture with the pretty sky in the backround and just the silhouette of the castle ruins.

Sasha got the easy hike. . .just relaxing on Laura's back. . . but I bet she got crazy hot strapped up in that thing

shot from the base of the water tower. the water tower was actually intact until 1976 when it was burned by vandals. It's too bad some people have no respect.

Our picnic lunch at the park. . .I think we were all starving

Taylor apparently loves the swings

the last trail we went on took us under this natural bridge which is one of the many remarkable geological features in Ha Ha Tonka.

Natural bridge from the other side

Well that's all. . .but thats definitely enough. I need to get back to battling my monsters. . .the laundry monster and the dish monster! Michael says they are attacking along both fronts so I guess I better go battle them back down some more. That's one of the bad things about the 4 10hour shifts I work. I don't feel like doing anything after work so I spend most of Friday cleaning and getting laundry done.

We are going to look at a few houses this evening. We actually put an offer on one about 50 days ago but it is a short sale. . .and those are never short! We are still waiting to hear something back on that but decided to check out some other options in the meantime. Then tomorrow, he has drill and I work in the morning but in the evening we are heading out the Bellue's for Taylor's 2nd bday party.

I gotta get going. . . .later

Lisa

Adventures on the lake.

I said last night I would post pics from our brief trip up to the lake so here dey are! This trip was lots of fun but Oh My Gosh I am still so sore today. My ab muscles and arm muscles hurt so bad, which I figure must be from tensing to try and stay in the tube. Plus, I am quite tender and a bit more burnt than originally thought. ;(

This is Jake and Laura's dog, Bert. Isn't he a cutie? He was a sweetheart and made me want a dog. There was another dog there named Otis who was quite cute also. They were funny playing because they each wanted this duck that was actually Otis' toy, but as soon as one dropped it the other picked it up. This is Jake and Laura's nephew, Darby, who had no qualms at all about getting out onto the surfbikes. It's not fair. . . its so much easier for kids to ride these things. I guess because of their low center of gravity. . .or whatever! I just know he had to try to tip it over versus me who can't hardly stay upright on the darn things.

Darby did get it tipped over though and the first time wasn't sure how to get it flipped back over so he just climbed on and rode it back to the dock.

I loved their tube because it was so easy to stay in. You could actually enjoy a crazy ride without constantly getting thrown and having to climb back in. I just know when I was out tubing I had a fantastic time (even though I am suffering now). My biggest problem was actually that I was laughing so hard I was having a hard time breathing at times. . .which is not necessarily what you want when you are flying along the water, holding on for dear life, and trying not too get too much spray in your eyes. This picture below is of Jake and Darby out on the tube 1st.

I did manage to get a picture of Michael and I while we were zipping along in the boat. The first one didn't work so well due to the large wake we hit when I tried to take it, but this one is okay. I do look horrible without makeup on though. . .

Laura and their niece, Josie were next one the tube. She was scared of going on the boat at first and then in the tube, but she gradually eased up and I think she had a lot of fun. After Josie, I got in with Laura, and then Josie got back in with both of us and sat on the divided in the middle with both of us, especially Laura, trying to hold her down. She really started to like it and kept giving the sign to go faster. Laura and I held her and got her to put her arms up in the air, which took some coaxing but then we could hardly get her to keep them down. We were just cracking up because she was going wild and kept giving the sign for them to give us a crazy ride!!

I love everything about being out in the boat. . .the ride through the waves, the water spray, turning left or right and riding high or low along the water, and the clouds. This is a pretty picture I took of the sky while we were zooming around on the lake. It is very peaceful and makes we want to just go back out on the water. Unfortunately, I don't think Michael is anywhere near as big of a fan. He likes being by the water but not necessarily on it or in it.

Okay, so Michael had this crazy cut going on with his facial there when we got there that he kept joking was his tribute to X-men. . .don't ask. . .I'm not really sure why. Well, when we got up on Monday morning it turns out that Jake decided to shave like that also and have a laugh with Michael. Silly boys. It does make for a funny picture though!

Laura and her sister, Mattie, out playing on the surfbikes. Mattie kept trying all sorts of positions on the front and back while Laura was trying to pedal around. . .they flipped themselves quite a bit.

Jake showing off his mad surfbike skills. Now he just needs to take off the Cruz wing (the training wheels for the surfbikes). Actually, he is very good on them and was just on the one with the trainging wheels because the girls were playing on the other one. I think he took it off soon after this because it really slows you down and makes it a hell of a lot harder to turn.

I lot of these pics were taken mid-morning and it was still foggy and gray outside. The sun eventually burned through, but that's the reason some of these pics are blurry. . . at least the ones Michael took anyway. :) I love you babe.

Here is a clip of the surfbikes in action. . .or not. . . it takes to freakin long so forget it! It's kind of funny because the surfbikes are actually something of a novelty and not a lot of people have seen or heard of them. We got some funny looks by people going by on boats. We could even hear one little girl yell, "Look at that!" and then we watched as everyone on the boat turned their heads back to look our way.

Anyway, that's all for now. I know I still owe you people some honeymoon pics so hopefully that is coming soon. I am going to go work on my scrapbook page that is in process so I will be back later.

Lisa

So soon. . .

I can't believe tomorrow is already Tuesday and its time to head back to work. This weekend was great! Friday I got my house all cleaned up, laundry done, and actually planned out some scrapbook pages! I haven't scrapbooked since like March so I was so excited to be working on it again. Feeling a little behind. . . but that's okay. . .it is a hobby I enjoy afterall so it will be fun getting caught back up. So anyway, I planned pages and got pictures ordered which I went and picked up on Saturday morning. I only got a little scrapbooking actually done on Saturday and haven't had time to touch it since. My page is all set out with paper, and pictures, and in the layout I want. . .I just haven't adhered anything yet. soon. . .

Saturday evening we went and hung out with our great friends in Pleasant Hope, Waylon, Jess, Mark, and Brandy. We even had a bonus. . .our friend from Columbia was down with her husband so we had a lot of fun. I love sitting around a bonfire!

Sunday we drove to the lake and stayed with some friends and their family, Jake and Laura. It was so much fun and I am so sore and so burnt! We took the surf bikes which I am terrible on. . .but everyone else got a kick out of them. We also took out their boat which was *wonderful*. I absolutely love being out on the water just cruising around in the boat or tubing which was a blast! Their families are great and hopefully we will be invited back a couple times next summer! We just got home a bit ago though and I am getting ready to crash. I do have pictures that I took. . .but that will have to wait til tomorrow!

Adios!