Last night was a GOOD night at our house
June 13, 2011
June 12, 2011
Demolition Derby!
I've had the past week off work as sort of a mini "summer break". I go back on Monday for summer school and to start preparing for the next school year, but it was great to have time to do some fun things with Dave. Last night we went to the demolition derby in Bluffdale. It was the first time either of us had been to a derby and we had a great time!!
Cars entering the arena - We would each choose two cars to cheer for before the heat would start. There were three regular heats of 10 cars each. The top three cars in each heat advance to the money round; All the losers are invited back to the grudge match. In the grudge match, anyone still functional can go at it for one more shot at the money round. I ended up choosing the car that won it all!
By the end of each match there were tires everywhere, fluids leaking, steam hissing, broken down barriers, and lots of cars that had to be towed out of the arena. Exciting!
My checker car (I chose mostly by paint job). Checkers was a beast in the arena until he took a head on hit from one of Dave's cars and every thing under the hood blew up. It was one of the best crashes of the night.
If you're looking for something fun to do, they also do a rodeo here on July 29th and 30th. We had a great time at this show and will probably come back for the next event!
Cars entering the arena - We would each choose two cars to cheer for before the heat would start. There were three regular heats of 10 cars each. The top three cars in each heat advance to the money round; All the losers are invited back to the grudge match. In the grudge match, anyone still functional can go at it for one more shot at the money round. I ended up choosing the car that won it all!
By the end of each match there were tires everywhere, fluids leaking, steam hissing, broken down barriers, and lots of cars that had to be towed out of the arena. Exciting!
My checker car (I chose mostly by paint job). Checkers was a beast in the arena until he took a head on hit from one of Dave's cars and every thing under the hood blew up. It was one of the best crashes of the night.
If you're looking for something fun to do, they also do a rodeo here on July 29th and 30th. We had a great time at this show and will probably come back for the next event!
June 10, 2011
Timpanogos Caves
To hike to Stewart Falls we had to buy a recreation pass to American Fork Canyon. The pass is good for 3 days, so we figured we'd take advantage of this and get back for another hike before the pass expired. It was a gorgeous day and we left early before the day got too hot.
Up to Timpanogos Caves! And the trail is literally straight up the whole way, no flat spots anywhere, but we made great time and got to the top 45 minutes before our scheduled tour time.
Up to Timpanogos Caves! And the trail is literally straight up the whole way, no flat spots anywhere, but we made great time and got to the top 45 minutes before our scheduled tour time.
Some of the cave's beautiful features - it was a great tour!
Dave squeezing through a tight spot - you had to wear backpacks on your front so you wouldn't accidently brush up against the cave.
My stylish arm warmers (that are actually leg warmers). The caves stay around 45 degrees year round so you need to bring a coat. I wanted to keep my pack light, however, so I just took a thin jacket and used these beauties for supplemental warmth.
Good hike, good tour, good times!
June 8, 2011
Hike to Stewart Falls
For the past 6 weeks my sister Amy and her family have been in Des Moines for a law externship. We really missed having them around for dinners, games, and other fun stuff. But now they're back, and we celebrated their return with a hike to Stewart Falls.
It was supposed to be an easy trail... but I guess the guys with chainsaws haven't made it up here yet to clear away the winter debris. There were a few tough log crossings and still snow on some parts of the trail that made things difficult.
We made it in the end - at least to a place where you could see the falls. To get to the bottom you had to cross a big snow field that was on a slope and no one felt comfortable doing that with a baby. So we took a picture...
After lunch, Anne decided that she wasn't ready to get back in the backpack and tackled a good portion of the trail on her own. I was actually impressed by how far she got, and that she never tripped and fell. Way to go baby!
It was supposed to be an easy trail... but I guess the guys with chainsaws haven't made it up here yet to clear away the winter debris. There were a few tough log crossings and still snow on some parts of the trail that made things difficult.
We made it in the end - at least to a place where you could see the falls. To get to the bottom you had to cross a big snow field that was on a slope and no one felt comfortable doing that with a baby. So we took a picture...
... and then left to find a good place to eat lunch! I had a little friend at lunch that was more interested in putting food in my mouth than in her own. Luckily her hands had only a light dirt coating at this point.
June 6, 2011
Looking back on a fun, but short season
This year we bought a kickball roster and gathered together some friends (Scott & Christina George), family (Nat), and friends of family (Nat's crew) to play with us. Go Germaine's Seeds!
I asked Dave what he would say about our kickball team, and his reply was a laugh... which I guess is a pretty accurate description of how our season went.
In the first inning of every game we could never get anyone out - it was like a curse. We'd give up 8 runs, and then come up to bat and score 0. Later we'd do awesome and run down fly balls, kick a grand slams, but it was always too little, too late.
Our team was plagued by injuries. We had two sprained ankles, a dislocated shoulder, and a pulled groin so some people could run, but not throw, and others could throw, but not run.
We got in trouble with the refs when our players started "planking" on home plate during the game.
One of our teammates came to a game wearing a dress and sandals, but was told she needed closed toe shoes to play. Rather than sideline herself, she wore another teammate's topsiders that were 4 sizes too big over her sandals - it was awesome to watch her run the bases!
In summary: We lost every game, but we had fun, and that is all that matters.
Dave "pitching" to me. This photo is from my friend Christina - she takes WAY better pictures than I do, so I'm using hers and not even putting mine up :) Thanks Christina!
I asked Dave what he would say about our kickball team, and his reply was a laugh... which I guess is a pretty accurate description of how our season went.
In the first inning of every game we could never get anyone out - it was like a curse. We'd give up 8 runs, and then come up to bat and score 0. Later we'd do awesome and run down fly balls, kick a grand slams, but it was always too little, too late.
Our team was plagued by injuries. We had two sprained ankles, a dislocated shoulder, and a pulled groin so some people could run, but not throw, and others could throw, but not run.
We got in trouble with the refs when our players started "planking" on home plate during the game.
One of our teammates came to a game wearing a dress and sandals, but was told she needed closed toe shoes to play. Rather than sideline herself, she wore another teammate's topsiders that were 4 sizes too big over her sandals - it was awesome to watch her run the bases!
In summary: We lost every game, but we had fun, and that is all that matters.
June 4, 2011
Bad luck
The other day I broke a mirror and earned myself seven years of bad luck. But it was a small mirror, and I tried really, really hard to catch it before it hit the floor so I am hoping for a reduced sentence...
June 2, 2011
Something to Celebrate!
Exciting news! Today Dave was awarded a $3,000 scholarship for fall semester! We weren't expecting this at all and were very happy when he was notified of his achievement today. Dave worked very hard this year and finished in the top 10% of his MBA class. I am so proud!!
Also exciting - today was the last day of school!! I didn't just survive my first year, I loved it! I'm looking forward to getting the office organized over the summer, but it sure will seem quiet without 550 little bodies of energy to watch over.
Today was also parties-all-around day and when you work at the front desk all leftover treats eventually make their way back to you. And because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I accepted all offerings that came my way, which is why my lunch today was: a slice of 6th graduation cake, a birthday cupcake, a Krispy Kreme from 1st grade, popcorn from 4th grade, grapes from 2nd grade, cotton candy from 3rd grade, nothing from 5th grade because their party was at a park, and some white chocolate pretzels that mysteriously appeared on my desk. Feeling sick yet? I didn't until later that night. Oh oh oh oh....
After my delicious and nothing nutritious (except the grapes) lunch, I still had room for dinner so we went out to eat. Texas Roadhouse has a great early bird special, and we LOVE their rolls. Then to top off the day we decided to do something we never, ever do - order a drink :)
And, per Dave's request, I will add this last picture because it is a family blog and he does have input and I love him. I don't like it, but it's his favorite. He thinks I look very happy with my drink (which I am), but I think I look like I've had a few too many (which I haven't - this was 100% alcohol free).
Also exciting - today was the last day of school!! I didn't just survive my first year, I loved it! I'm looking forward to getting the office organized over the summer, but it sure will seem quiet without 550 little bodies of energy to watch over.
4th graders heading home for the last time this year
Today was also parties-all-around day and when you work at the front desk all leftover treats eventually make their way back to you. And because I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, I accepted all offerings that came my way, which is why my lunch today was: a slice of 6th graduation cake, a birthday cupcake, a Krispy Kreme from 1st grade, popcorn from 4th grade, grapes from 2nd grade, cotton candy from 3rd grade, nothing from 5th grade because their party was at a park, and some white chocolate pretzels that mysteriously appeared on my desk. Feeling sick yet? I didn't until later that night. Oh oh oh oh....
After my delicious and nothing nutritious (except the grapes) lunch, I still had room for dinner so we went out to eat. Texas Roadhouse has a great early bird special, and we LOVE their rolls. Then to top off the day we decided to do something we never, ever do - order a drink :)
Adding some extra lime to my cherry limeade. Mmmm. It was a good day
And, per Dave's request, I will add this last picture because it is a family blog and he does have input and I love him. I don't like it, but it's his favorite. He thinks I look very happy with my drink (which I am), but I think I look like I've had a few too many (which I haven't - this was 100% alcohol free).
May 21, 2011
Hooray for Saturday!!
Hooray for Saturday and hooray for sun! After 7 straight days of rain we took advantage of this break in the weather to get outside and take a nice long walk.
First stop was the library to check out a bunch of DVDs to watch over the next few days (our version of netflix). Next we wandered over to McDonald's to try their new frozen strawberry lemonade, which actually turned out to be very yummy. Then we crossed to street to Carl's Jr. for the rest of our lunch because we like their food better than McDonald's.
Then back to home where Rosalina killed Birdo in Mario Kart. I was Birdo (poor me).
First stop was the library to check out a bunch of DVDs to watch over the next few days (our version of netflix). Next we wandered over to McDonald's to try their new frozen strawberry lemonade, which actually turned out to be very yummy. Then we crossed to street to Carl's Jr. for the rest of our lunch because we like their food better than McDonald's.
Then back to home where Rosalina killed Birdo in Mario Kart. I was Birdo (poor me).
May 13, 2011
Mini Golf, Mucho Fun
Friday was gorgeous so we decided that part of our date that night had to be outdoors. After going to dinner on the $13 Chili's gift cart we dug out of one of our desk drawers, we thought it would be fun to play mini golf.
We decided that it would probably be better to play at Cascade's course rather than Trafalga to avoid weekend crowds. It was definitely the right choice. We practically had the place to ourselves, which was great because it's never fun to wait behind a big group of teenagers trying to hit their ball over every barrier. After playing through the first 18 holes on Course 1, we got our money's worth and played through Course 2 as well.
We decided that it would probably be better to play at Cascade's course rather than Trafalga to avoid weekend crowds. It was definitely the right choice. We practically had the place to ourselves, which was great because it's never fun to wait behind a big group of teenagers trying to hit their ball over every barrier. After playing through the first 18 holes on Course 1, we got our money's worth and played through Course 2 as well.
Dave had a little trouble with one of the water hazards
Which turned into a lot of trouble... He actually got it out on his first try, but then Friday the 13th bad luck hit and it bounced off the wall right back into the water. After 4 more unsuccessful puddle shots, he took the max score for the hole and we moved on.
I actually didn't do that awesome either, but thanks to a couple lucky hole-in-ones I was able to beat Dave both games - go me!
May 8, 2011
Oh wait... Mother's Day is TODAY!
Somehow (and I really don't know how) I did not realize that Mother's Day was this weekend. I guess I win the bad daughter/daughter-in-law award this year. So while you wait for your gifts to arrive, know that I love you mom!
The signs were there - millions of commercials on TV, gift ideas all over my browser's home page, flowers and cards in the stores, and not to mention the 540 kids carrying home plants in yogurt cups, tissue paper flowers, poems, and homemade picture frames for their mommies. I guess I've had other things on my mind...
The big news for us is we have started our adventure with fertility treatment, and so far it's been a lot of drugs, a lot of doctor appointments, and a lot of $$$. But it will all be worth it if next year there's a little Howe with us here on Mother's Day. Wish us luck!
This year we had a quite evening at home and Dave grilled us some delicious steaks out in the rain. What a guy!
The signs were there - millions of commercials on TV, gift ideas all over my browser's home page, flowers and cards in the stores, and not to mention the 540 kids carrying home plants in yogurt cups, tissue paper flowers, poems, and homemade picture frames for their mommies. I guess I've had other things on my mind...
The big news for us is we have started our adventure with fertility treatment, and so far it's been a lot of drugs, a lot of doctor appointments, and a lot of $$$. But it will all be worth it if next year there's a little Howe with us here on Mother's Day. Wish us luck!
This year we had a quite evening at home and Dave grilled us some delicious steaks out in the rain. What a guy!
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