Brittner Adventures

Is it June already??????

2009-06-03T21:45:00.002-06:00

HOLY COW! I cannot believe that half the year has gone by. It seems like a big blur. I am hanging my head in shame and embarrassment over the time that has elapsed since my last posting. I do think I have a few good reasons that justify why so much time has gone by. I have been struggling with what things to write on my blog this year. As most of you know, we have had an onslaught of crazy things happen that are not necessarily things you put on your family blog. The year started out with me struggling through a rough surgery and and even rougher recovery. (Sorry folks, no photos of that event!!!!) That pretty much wiped me out for 3 months. During that crazy time, Lonny lost his job. (Madison asked him where he left it and she offered to help Lonny find his job! So sweet.) Not fun, we have been through this before, but that was when we just had Josh and it was easier to change course at that time. Now we have 4 growing kids, we had just moved into our house and we were just feeling like we were making friends and fitting in. So, now we are in limbo...the question is still looming "will we have to move again? will we be able to stay here?" I think we have felt a spectrum of emotions...fear, frustration, sadness, relief, gratitude, stress, hopefulness, exhaustion, despair, anger and love. (Sorry folks, no pictures of that either). A few days after Lonny was laid off, I started an online course to be a medical transcriptionist. That was tricky trying to do a course and still be in recovery and still be a mom of 4 kids. The first part went quickly and I did very well and now I have 5 chapters and a final away from completing the course and becoming certified! Woo hoo! A good friend of mine called in March and said their group had an opening and would I like to start working. I took the job and now I am working as a transcriptionist for an oncology doctor and it has been great. Super busy, but great. My paycheck helps some, but we are still needing Lonny to find something. Jobs are few and pretty much impossible to find and so Lonny is starting his own company. It is close to being up and running, we are still waiting on some legal stuff and permits, but hopefully by the end of June, it will be official. Josh is next on the surgery table. He has a stubborn infection that needs to be taken care of and he is scheduled for June 17. Sorry dude! (Sorry folks, we will not be taking photos!!!)

Aside from all this, some good things have happened. We were able to go up to Denver and ski for a few days. That was a great break for us and the kids had a terrific time...and so did the adults!!! Josh finished losing all his teeth...he now is all permanent! He also challenged himself to get all A's all year and he DID! Even with his toughest class (Language Arts) he worked hard to get an A in that class. Good for you Josh. He also has a fun couple of weeks. He is going on a campout with Grandpa to the Black Canyon in Colorado. He took his first solo flight and was looking forward to a great adventure. Then he has less than a 24 hour recovery and he is off to our stake scout campout for a week. Good times for him. Kelsey had a great year in soccer. She was the second top scorer on her team and in one game she drilled in 3 goals. She is so skilled at that sport. Kelsey also made it to the State Track and Field meet and had a great time participating in the long jump. She made the top 10 in Arizona! She also finished the year with all A's. Natalie read over a MILLION words this year at school with the accelerated reading program at her school. Holy book worm Nat! She did not have one grade less than 97%...you rock girl. And sweet Madison has learned to snow ski, count money, swim, read, play 'othello' and say her 'f' sound. Fish is not 'gish' and Four is not 'gore' anymore. I'm going to miss that beloved 'g' at the beginning of everything. She is an expert at 'memory' and she beats me every time.

I am hoping the second half of the year is not quite so brutal. We are looking forward to our vacation to the lake (Yes folks, I will bring my camera and use it). We are hopeful that Lonny's business will start generating some money. I expect to be certified by the end of summer and then have a bit more free time to do the extra things I like to do. I really hope that the next six months are not so much of a blur and that I can find a way to feel more connected to the fun part of life and remove some the of heavy burden that has been weighing down our family this year. Things have to get better don't they?

Big Boo-Boo

2009-01-04T20:10:00.002-07:00

Since moving to AZ, all of my kids have stopped wearing shoes and run around barefoot all the time. Madison had been playing with her good friend Jax over at his house. Madison was outside running up and down a trailer and was shoeless and sliced open her foot. She did not cry or even know she had done this. Jax's siblings had seen the pool of blood and the trail of evidence led to Madison's foot. So, Jax's house turned into an Urgent Care Center. His mom called her husband who happens to be a doctor and he brought home his stitching stuff and glue to fix her up. Jax was so sweet and kept on checking up on her "Is Madison okay?" "Is she fixed up yet?". They laid her on the table and decided that glue would hold the almost 2 inch gash closed. So without a peep...Madison got flushed out and glued up and has been hopping on one foot all week. I think she will be more inclined to put some shoes on from this day forward!

EAGLE in the HOUSE

2008-12-24T09:42:00.003-07:00

On Dec. 11, 2008 Josh officially became an Eagle Scout. He passed his board of review and we all are so proud of him and his hard work in the scouting program. Josh worked hard to complete all the required merit badges and then was able to work in a community playground for his big eagle project. Then after a month or two of crazy paperwork to fill out and get signed, he was able to have his board of review. He was interviewed for 45 minutes (way longer than normal) and the people doing the interview were very impressed with him and were very surprised that he was just 13 years old. It is nice to have him achieve this rank and now he can just enjoy earning fun merit badges. It is great that Josh knows that he has what it takes to be an eagle scout! Congratulations buddy!!!

The Reason So Much Time Passes Between My New Blogs

2008-12-02T22:18:00.003-07:00

So, I had another moment and the computer and I was just browsing through some family and friends blogs. I got to thinking...boy, I really have a hard time putting up new posts. I was pondering why this was the case and I have an answer. First of all, I have an impossibly crazy calling in our ward...gospel doctrine teacher. Yes, for all those who don't know yet...it is true...I teach GD and I just came up on my one year anniversary! Scary to think they haven't kicked me out yet!!! SO...that being said, I teach every-other-week. I spend a week preparing my lesson and then I teach and then I recover for the next week and then I start preparing my next lesson. Between the preparation and the recovery...I have NO TIME TO BLOG!!!

The other reason is that my computer happens to be in the hands of my kids more often than it is with me. That is a problem that leads to not being able to blog often.

I am off to bed now and if I don't have time to blog again soon, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Let's Talk about Summer!!!

2008-10-19T19:51:00.017-06:00

So, I have a moment and the computer at the same time, that does not occur too often around here. I thought I would post some stuff about our great summer vacation. I took the kidlets for a 4000 mile (yes, that is 4000 miles!) round-trip tour of the Wild West States. We started heading north from Phoenix and took a leisurely drive to Durango Colorado. We stopped in Holbrook, AZ for some lunch at DQ and then for some gas and drinks at Gallup, NM before heading across the Indian Reservation. There are not too many places to fill up along that stretch of road, so a full tank and full tummies are a must. We got to Durango around dinner time and went to the Mexican Family Restaurant for dinner. Madison was pooped and did not eat anything and Josh was thrilled that they made grilled cheese sandwiches at a Mexican diner! We played at the park by the river and then headed to the hotel for a quick swim and then bedtime.

The next day we journeyed to Silverton, CO. What a terrific and beautiful drive that is! The mountain pass is high and the sites are fantastic! We had come prepared with the 'barf bucket', but surprisingly we did not have to put it to use. Phew! We had a great lunch at "Natalia's Cafe" and saw the Durango/Silverton train and then peeked in a few souvenir shops. The town sits at about 9000 ft and it was quite cold at that elevation. I was glad we put our jackets in an easy spot to get at. We continued on through Ouray (once again a terrific drive) and then on to Gunnison. This is where we met Grandma and Grandpa and boy the kids were excited. We drove up to Crested Butte the next day and took the rented Jeep up to the trail head. Grandpa was having a GREAT time driving through the river, barrelling over snow banks and bumping along the washed out trail. The kids thought it was great when he drove through the river and the water washed up and over the windshield and into their laps! We hiked back along a trail that was full of mud, water, snow and fallen trees. At first Natalie was taking great care not to get wet or muddy but that only lasted for about the first hour, then she would just trailblaze through anything. Madison was a trooper. She hiked the whole way and only need to be carried across a couple of streams and tricky spots. Kelsey was taking pictures of everything. She loved finding the little flowers that were just popping their heads up. We had a great hike. It is good to be able to enjoy the outdoors and see the beauty of the mountains.

Next we headed to Denver. On the way we stopped at the Royal Gorge. The bridge that crosses the gorge is over 1000 ft up. At first I thought...okay we will walk across a bridge, no big deal. WELL, boy was I wrong! We got to the edge of the canyon and looked at the bridge. It was swaying in the wind, bouncing up and down and side to side. The wind was howling through the canyon, the bridge just has wooden slats that make up the deck...with spaces in between I might add, and to top it off...CARS are allowed to cross the bridge! I was just about to stay on firm ground, but peer pressure from my kids and parents (they had already done this before) I started across. Panic Attack Begins. What an experience. I could just stare straight ahead and cling to Madison's and my mom's hand! My kids were jumping up and down with the sway of the bridge and Josh was taking all the photos over the edge of the bridge...crazy things! So, we made it across and I could breathe again, but then I realized that our cars were parked back on the other side of the bridge...we had to cross the gorge AGAIN! AHHHH! Panic Attack Continues! Well to bring an end to this story, we did make it across both times and it was quite the experience!

We were able to spend a couple days in Denver just hanging out. This was the first summer we had been to at my parents. Usually we visit during ski season. We hiked the hills around my parents house and had a nice time just chillin for a bit. Now we were all headed to Whitefish Montana. On the way there we went to the Black Hills in South Dakota. We stayed in Hill City and WOW, what a great few days. We toured the wind cave, hiked around Sylvan Lake (the one in National Treasure 2), saw Mammoths being excavated, did some other hiking, saw buffalo, and watched the 4th of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore!!! What a terrific experience. The kids were fantastic and were so excited to be there. Madison still talks about the faces in the mountain and where we saw the fireworks. After a few days there, we headed out and stopped by Deadwood to see the Bullock Hotel and the Presidents Park. The hotel was uneventful, but the Presidents Park was cool. They had a carving of each President with some information by them. Impressive. We drove through Wyoming (BORING) and stopped in Billings for the night. The kids took turns riding with Grandma and Grandpa and that was a good experience for them. The next day we made it to Whitefish and WOW were we ready to be at the lake for 2 weeks.

Each year at Whitefish is great. It is so fun to see so many cousins, aunts, uncles and of course, Grandma and Grandpa. Lonny was able to fly in for a week and then drive home with us. The kids were so happy when Dad showed up and they played hard with him there. There were a few birthdays that were celebrated. Josh turned 13 at the lake and Madison, Emily and Melissa had summer birthdays as well. Madison tried waterskiing for the first time this year (she was three at the time). Josh and Natalie learned to wakeboard and Kelsey just improved on her skills from last year. They all are great skiers and they all love to tube! Uncle Blake had brought a knee board and that was a highlight as well. Josh gets going and pulls off some 360's and jumps off the wake (show off!!!!) He loved it. We did a fun hike in Glacier and Grandpa took Josh, Melissa and Brooke mountain biking on Big Mountain. We did marshmallow target practice and some fun family games and of course a couple of trips to DQ for ice cream treats! We absolutely love being at the lake!

After two weeks of lake time, we piled in the van and headed south back to Phoenix. We stopped in Provo and stayed with Evan and Grace for the night and then zipped on down the rest of the way to the desert. Instead of going through Page, we cut down towards the north rim of the Grand Canyon and took a more scenic route. Very pretty and not much traffic and we would definitely do that drive again. I can say that when we pulled into our driveway at the end of a long drive, we were so glad to be home. We were gone for a month and did not miss the 115 degree temps here in the valley at all!

"LISTEN...can you hear that?"

2008-08-02T20:07:00.002-06:00

I had a funny conversation with Madison a couple months ago. We were alone in the house since the three older kids were off at school and just kind of chatting together. She said to me "Listen, can you hear that?" and I said "Hear what?". She then said..."Listen, can you hear that?". So I listened carefully and I really couldn't hear anything. So I said, "No, I can't hear anything." She then said "Listen, can you hear the words in my head?" It took me a second to figure out what she was getting at and then I clued into the fact that she was talking in her head and had just discovered she could say words and "hear" them in her head. I love the simplicity of children!

Metamorphysis

2008-06-24T04:13:00.002-06:00

I woke up one morning and discovered that my 3-yr-old had changed from little girl to big fish! She has been taking swim lessons and has now mastered the art of swimming without a life jacket. It took all of 2 weeks! She is a maniac in the pool. Jumping in from the rocks, diving to the bottom of the DEEP END (7 1/2 feet), big arms, little arms, underwater swim, back stroke...you name it and she will do it. She LOVES being out in the pool!

FINISHED

2008-06-24T04:10:00.001-06:00

After 6 months of struggling with landscapers...Lonny and I ditched them and finished our yard ourselves. One Saturday we spent all day planting 70 plants. The kids as well as Chantelle and Devon were great helpers. We did sub out the concrete work and the pool fence and we hired some hard working dudes to shovel 37 tons (74,000 pounds) of gravel around our yard. Our little plants are working hard to grow in the 115 degree heat, but they are surviving so far. The favorite amoung visitors is the purple bushy thing in our courtyard. It is nice to have the dirt covered up and not blowing into our pool. Thanks for all the hard work Lonny!

2008-06-24T04:02:00.001-06:00

Big Day for Natalie

2008-04-20T14:25:00.004-06:00

Natalie had a special day this weekend...she was baptized! The day was super special with Grandma and Grandpa visiting and Kristin, Brent, Ben and Kandyce, Melissa, Brooke, Channy and Devon were all able to come. Our ward has the 10am time slot and so we zipped over to Kristin's for a quick french braid...THANKS OLA!...and then on over to the church for our start time. She shared her baptism with our cutie-pie neighbor, Malcolm. He had a lot of family in town to celebrate his baptism too. Grandma was able to play the piano, Kandyce led the music, Kristin said the opening prayer, Channy and Kelsey sang, and Josh did a great talk on Baptism. He had three stuffed bears and talked about the 3 bears of baptism. One is to bear your testimony, one is to bear the name of Christ and the last is to bear one another's burdens. Very cute...I think all the small people in the room liked looking at the bears (we used the cute ones Grandma made for Christmas). Lonny baptized Natalie and Grandpa and Brent were witnesses. What a great way to have everyone play a part in her special day.

After the baptism, we met at Kristin's...since our yard is still dirt...and had a great BBQ and swim party. Sorry for those who live in Alberta and are digging out of a foot of snow and suffering with below zero temps! It was a cloudy day in Phoenix...and so the temps were only in the high 80's!!!!! HA HA HA. The pool water was chilly (68 degrees), but the cousins were all in a few times during the afternoon. It was a great day and thanks to all those who could come and share with Natalie on her special day. We also missed those in the family who live far away and couldn't make it.

What we did over spring break

2008-04-13T07:39:00.003-06:00

We had a terrific vacation during spring break this year. We found our winter/ski stuff, packed up the van and drove to Durango, CO. We met grandma and grandpa there and skied for a couple of days. The kids had a great time. Madison learned to keep her balance and do a bit of turning. My legs were KILLING ME by the end of a full day of snowplowing!!! We love the leash that she used...makes teaching little ones easy. Josh and Kelsey were off with Grandpa skiing...we never saw them the whole day!!!
Then on the way home we drove to Mesa Verde. It was pretty chilly up top of the Mesa (it is about 7000 ft above sea level). Since there was still quite a bit of snow, only one cliff dwelling was accessible. It is hard to imagine people living in these caves...they are not easy to get in and out of. Very cool though...a 'must-see' national park. Then we stopped at the 4 corners. It was soooooooo windy! If we were in Florida, it would be classified as a Category 1 hurricane! (I threw that fact in for you Lisa!!!) We spent a few minutes indoors watching a lady make sand art...pretty neat.
Next stop was Canyon de Chelley. The little town on the Navajo Indian Reservation had a hotel, a gas station and an A&W restaurant. So...we stayed overnight there and went to the park in the morning. It was FREEZING! Keep in mind, when we drove through 5 days before it was 70 degrees. It was only 35 degrees that morning! The wind was howling and we were COLD. So we peeked at the canyon and chose not to hike down in since the kids were so chilly.
Then we stopped at the Petrified Forest. I think by the time we arrived there it was 39 degrees and windy. I didnt think Arizona in March could be so cold. We walked on a couple of paths to see some old dwellings and the petrified trees, but it was pretty cold. Good thing we had our ski jackets. The trees were pretty cool and I think we will stop there again on our way to Denver this summer. There is a DQ nearby and that is always a good place to stop.
So we had a great time. It was nice to get a chance to take a break from work and school and spend time outdoors skiing and visiting national parks.

Spring Vacation

2008-04-13T07:38:00.000-06:00

Things we've been up to

2008-01-21T19:47:00.001-07:00

Okay...I have really been slow at our family updates. Sorry about that. So let me do a quick summary. Christmas was great. We spent our first holiday here in Gilbert and the kids were thrilled to put up the tree and decorate the house. Santa was able to find us after we moved a couple of times the past year. He left a Wii game for Josh, a sewing machine for Kelsey, a new bike for Natalie and some princess dress-ups for Madison. They were thrilled. We had a fantastic time with Grandma and Grandpa here. We went hiking, to the zoo, eating out, a movie or two, game night on New Years, a play at the theatre...very fun...lots to do with cousins and family.

Shortly after recovering from all the festivities we had two birthday's to celebrate. Kelsey turned double digits '10' and Lonny is lamenting his last year in the 30's. We had a fondue birthday dinner...always a favorite...and yummy chocolate cake. Then Kelsey had a friend party. The friends she wanted to invite all happened to live in Michigan and so she had to come up with an alternative list. She invited her cousin and some girls from her church class. They did some crafts, played some games, painted nails (I think Lonny had his toes done) and ate and ate and ate. Lots of noise, giggles and laughs.

Lonny's celebration was a little quieter. He got a few clothes and some much needed new socks and best of all some tickets to the hockey game! The Phoenix Coyotes are playing the Calgary Flames in march...GO FLAMES! We will certainly bring our Canadian Flag for that one!!! It has been awhile since we have seen a hockey game. The last one was in Detroit and our van got busted into while we were at the game. We so don't miss downtown Detroit.

Now we are focusing our time/energy/money on our landscaping. We have a four month time line that our HOA gives us to get it done. Since we have view fencing in the back...that has to be done as well. We have the sprinkler system in and now we are waiting for dirt, then concrete, then a pool fence, then rocks, then plants, then grass. We have until the end of Feb to do it all. UGH.

The kids have all adjusted to their new schools. Kelsey, Josh and Natalie all got straight A's. Josh also placed 3rd in the science fair out of 160 entries. Not bad for the first time ever doing one. He was pretty proud of that. Madison is learning more words each day and getting better and her pronunciation. It is amazing to hear her talk and learn so much. She can write her name and mom and dad, count to 20, loves to sing her abc's, and is a puzzle maniac. You should see her put our 50 piece map of the U.S. together.

So such is life in Gilbert. I will post some pictures later when I get them downloaded off the camera!!!

Halloween Fun

2007-11-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Pool Construction

2007-11-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

Halloween and Pool

2007-11-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long time between postings. I was trapped beneath a hundred boxes for a while and then my children have been taking the laptop hostage. I could never get my hands on the computer! So...now that I have snatched it from their sticky hands...I have a moment to post a couple of pictures.

Halloween was great fun. We went trick-or-treating with the cousins (Brooke, Channy and Devon). Since we came home with at least 50 pounds of candy, I think that means it was a huge success. Josh dressed up as a fried egg, Kelsey and Natalie were witches and Madison was a ballet person. Madison had her choice of so many costumes (Tinker Bell, Belle, Dora, Bunny etc). But she picked up her ballet outfit and said that she wanted to wear that. Silly girl. She LOVED getting candy and going out. Also, when it is 90 degrees out on Halloween...what's not to like??? Sorry for those living in the snow belt region of the country!

After we moved into the house, our pool was able to be started. We found the process fascinating since we had never seen a pool be built before. There were many guys showing up to do their part of the pool. We had a little set back when the rock dudes did not put in rocks that were big enough...Lonny had them come back and put in bigger ones. It is now finished and filled and we have even been swimming...a tad chilly, but that won't stop any of my kids! Happy Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to a great Christmas!

2007-08-28T00:08:00.000-06:00

2007-08-27T22:50:00.000-06:00

Summer Vacation

2007-08-27T22:41:00.000-06:00

Wow...we have been back from Montana for a month now and I still have not posted pictures. Sorry for the delay. We had a terrific time seeing family and friends in Utah on the way up to Whitefish and then we had a fun detour to see the Millers in Idaho. With them living in Jakarta and us living in Arizona...who can think of a better place than a campground in Idaho to meet???? Too funny. Definitely a good stop. The drive was not too bad from Phoenix to Whitefish. One day less than from Michigan and it was nice to drive through the mountains. Some highlights of the trip were Zions National Park, good food at grandma's, 7 peaks waterpark, 4th of July, swimming, waterskiing, a couple of great hikes with Grandpa, lots of games, good food at the lake (but that is a given), more swimming, just a small run-in with the croup (Madison decided to catch that virus), spending time on the boat, wakeboarding, tubing, snail paradise, and smores. A great vacation!

2007-07-31T12:49:00.000-06:00

2007-07-30T15:14:00.001-06:00

2007-07-30T15:12:00.000-06:00

2007-07-30T15:10:00.000-06:00

2007-07-30T15:07:00.000-06:00

House update

2007-07-30T15:03:00.000-06:00

After being on vacation for 3 glorious weeks, we were surprised to see how much got done on the house while we were gone. When we tried to go out to take pictures and see the progress, we found 4 out of 5 main roads closed and most of our subdivision roads were blocked off...apparently in July/August it likes to rain here and being a desert, the water does not soak in and so the roads get flooded. I have was shocked at how the "green space" behind our house turned into a muddy lake! People in Arizona like to call it the "monsoon season", but in reality it is just a good thunderstorm...a typical day for those who live in Michigan!

Our new house

2007-06-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

So, the big news of the month is that we purchased a new home. After almost a year of looking we found a great house that will fit our family. It will be done in October and we are excited to have our own place. Some highlights of our house are 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, a great backyard, 3-car garage, and my personal favorite...a central vacuum!!!

Hanging out in Arizona

2007-05-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

TRUE CONFESSIONS

2007-04-21T09:56:00.000-06:00

I must confess that I PERHAPS embellished a little story about a corvette lately. Yes it is true that Lonny was rear-ended by a semi on his way to work. What may have been exaggerated a wee bit was the extent of the damage done to his car. Truthfully, there are a few scratches on the bumper but nothing of big concern. Lonny had been stopped at a red light and the driver of the semi behind him forgot that Lonny was in front of him. The semi had started to inch forward anticipating the light changing green and pushed Lonny ahead. Lonny let go of his brakes and let the semi push him...better than resisting the force of the truck. He got the driver's attention by opening his door and waving his arm. The truck stopped driving and the damage was quite minimal considering the size difference. SO...me being a little mischievous decided to make a little joke about the car. I found a picture of a similar corvette (for those car enthusiasts...the wrecked car is a C4 and Lonny's is a C5). Also, for those who delight in seeing smashed up cars...the website I pulled the picture from is wreckedexotics.com. Have fun! Oh and also for those who noticed the posting date...April Fool's Day!!!

Corvette vs. Semi

2007-04-01T15:39:00.000-06:00

Lonny had a little run-in with a semi the other day. Unfortunately, the C5 was not the winner. Will this buff out Brian???

2007-04-01T14:54:00.000-06:00

Natalie turns 7

2007-04-01T14:14:00.000-06:00

Natalie celebrated her seventh birthday on March 23rd. It was the day after my eye surgery and so we had a quiet party at home. Kelsey had made a fun birthday banner and let her wear her "birthday girl" shirt. We had pizza and pop and opened presents. Then on Sunday, we invited her cousins, aunts and uncles over for cake and ice cream and games. That was a fun couple of hours. Lots of chocolate, frosting and silly cousins...who could ask for anything more??? Happy Birthday Natalie!!!

Madison's First Haircut

2007-03-19T19:37:00.000-06:00

Spring Break

2007-03-19T19:24:00.000-06:00

Spring Break

2007-03-19T18:44:00.000-06:00

The kids have had 2 1/2 weeks off school for spring break. We have been busy doing many things. It has been "unseasonably hot" here or so the natives say. Our hottest days were 95 degrees up to 102 degrees F. Crazy hot. But we have managed to survive!!! Ha ha ha. Josh, Kelsey and Natalie all went to Tennis camp and they all enjoyed it. Kelsey and Natalie also did a fun sports camp on a few afternoons. We also have been swimming everyday, did a visit to the zoo, went to the railroad park and played with our cousins. We still have a few days of break remaining and we will go to the aquatic center and the library. I will also have my eye surgery on Thursday. Woo hoo!

At the zoo we saw a lot of animals. Our favorite were the common squirrel monkeys. They were so very cute and active. We went on a scenic train ride which Madison loved and they also enjoyed the bag of cotton candy! One new adventure they all did was to feed the stingrays. We were at the pool touching them and the zoo keepers came up with a bucket of food. Well...I don't think I was prepared to see my kids holding fish cut in half and shrimp! Smelly! They all had fun having the stingrays slurp the fish from their hands. Soap anyone???

The McCormick train park was fun as well. There are old trains all over the park and of course a little one that you could ride. Madison was beyond thrilled to have a ride on the "toot toot". We also played at the park and had a carousel ride. We spent the afternoon there with our cousins, aunts, grandma and an uncle! Very fun.

EYE DATE

2007-03-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have a date for my Lasik surgery....MARCH 22 at 4pm. I am very excited to have new eyes!

Little Pink House

2007-03-08T14:45:00.001-07:00

Me? a Landlord???

2007-03-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

When we knew we were moving to Arizona, I thought of myself walking among the palm trees, swimming in the pool, perhaps a trip to the lake for a ski, and me enjoying sunny, hot days. Well, now that we are actually here, I walk among the dead palm trees, no swimming yet since there are still measurable icebergs in the pool, no skiing at the lake due to soccer games on Saturdays and yet I do enjoy sunny, but not-so-hot days. One thing I did not expect was to purchase some rental property and become a landlord!

So it all started as "how do me make some extra money to put towards a down-payment on a house?". Lonny thought that if we could get our hands on some real estate that was distressed or in foreclosure and hold on to it for a bit and then sell, we could make some money. So the hunt was on and we found this fantastic pink beauty! HA HA HA. It certainly lacks in curb appeal, but the deal was right, we have three well-paying tenants and with a little paint and some TLC, it will be a good investment for us.

A New Way to See the World

2007-02-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Since moving to Arizona, I have been taking steps to having Lasik Surgery done on my eyes. So far so good, the doctor I am using is very nice and was the one who did Kristin's cornea transplant. I have one more test to do, it is to see if my cornea's are thick enough. I do that on Friday. If I pass that exam, then I can book my actual date for the surgery. It will be terrific to be able to see without using glasses or contacts. I am ready to say goodbye to contacts and hello to clear vision without help! Stay tuned....

2007-02-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

First Time User

2007-02-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

After being pressured by my sisters I have now attempted to start a family blog. So far I have NO IDEA what I am doing, but hopefully I can fake my way through it! I think I will try to post a picture and see how that goes. Check back soon and I may have discovered new things to post. Wish me luck!