Does Anybody Still Watch ER?

I do. I have been a viewer for years and years. All I have to say is thank goodness it is the last season because it has to be the most depressing show on television.

So last Thursday was the season premiere. Thanks to the magic of Tivo I just watched it this afternoon. It has to be the saddest yet.

My question…Why don’t those doctors and nurses just go work somewhere else. Can’t they see there is a black cloud hanging over that hospital.

That place has been through calamity after calamity yet these people are still coming to work. I mean really…would you seriously keep going back after hostage situations, shoot-outs, killer viruses, explosions, and other violence of every kind???

Anyway…I want to stop watching, but at this point I can’t. I have already put too many years into this thing to quit now and this is the last season, so my plan is to stick it out. But I have to tell you. If they end this thing badly I am going to boycott the network.

That’s right I said boycott. No The Office. No Today Show. No Chuck. No The Apprentice. No nothing on NBC. I’ll turn to the other networks for entertainment, don’t think I won’t. It will be nothing but Dancing with the Stars and Desperate Housewives over here.

My boycott will also mean no more light bulbs, no dishwasher and refrigerator because they are made by General Electric, the parent company to NBC. Seriously, I’ll do it, you know I will.

I want a happy ending to ER. These are my demands I want Abby and Luka to be happy together forever. I want Sam and Gates to get married and have beautiful babies and for her to quit working and take care of her family including her troubled son. I also want for her troubled son to see the light and shape up and go to college and be a doctor and make his mother proud. No more killing off characters just as they are about to get it right and get married to their long time sick girlfriends.

No more making me sob as I watch TV in my basement. Seriously ER. Stop It! Lets be happy. I want to see nothing but rainbows and balloons when I watch ER from now on.

For my fans

Many of you have asked me to provide a link so you can read the articles I write for the South Valley Journal. I don't really know why anyone would want to read them unless they lived in South Jordan, but whatever.

Just so you know...I am a government reporter and write mostly about boring government related South Jordan specific topics. They are generally not satirical or entertaining the way my blog posts are.

After that explanation, if you are still interested, knock yourselves out. I usually have about five different articles in each issue. Some are more boring than others. The link is in the top right corner.

Bigger and Better

Well, she’s just shy of five months old now. What a difference five months can make. She started rolling over at three and a half months. Now just before four months she’s got teeth! She got one 10 days before five months and another 8 days before her five month.

At her four month old appointment her doctor said she was big enough that I didn’t need to feed her during the night and that if I could stand it to let her cry it out and sleep through the night. He also said to put her to sleep awake and let her figure out how to be alone and go to sleep without assistance.

I being sleep deprived took that advice to the letter. I put Sunny to bed in her pack-and-play in the basement so no one could her crying (except me who was listening on the baby monitor). Steve and Alyssa slept peacefully through her nite time sleep training. It only took three nights before she started doing it.

Now she is back upstairs sleeping in her room as are the rest of us (in our respective rooms). She is such a sweet baby now. Not that she wasn’t before , but she is so much funner now. She talks and coo’s and squeals and smiles every time you look at her. She also takes regular lengthy naps.

So in short. I am a fan. I really have to respect a baby who eats good, sleeps good and is pleasant to be around. I guess we are keeping her.

...and here we are having fun!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from our trip to Southern California. Hope you enjoy them.

Here we are at Dodger Stadium. We were up in the tippy top of the stadium. Have you ever been to Dodger Stadium? It's built into a mountain side which means we hauled four kids including one in an infact carrier up the mountain side and into our very steep seat. We're amazing parents dedicated to making good memories and having fun at any and all cost. It was worth hauling the car seat though because Sunny did sleep in it for half the time.Here is a picture of us at the Dodgers game, the day we arrived.





























We and the Davies rented a bike car together while we were at the beach. It was one of the funnest things we did on the whole trip. Talk about a family fun machine...this is it. We had a great time exploring the beach and all the little beach house neighborhoods. We sang songs and ate snacks and just had a great time.
















Alyssa loves the beach. She has been asking to go the beach everyday for a year. She finally made it there again and loved every second of it even though for most of it she was shivering. She didn't let that slow her down.



















Here is Sunny enjoying her day at the beach in her Bumbo chair. She really hated the beach actually. Maybe when she gets a little older she'll aquire a taste for it.



















Here we are at Huntington beach. We had a great time.



















Here are Angela and I outside the MTV video music awards. We were there watching the people who were watching the red carpet. It was fun to see all the mayhem surrounding that event and we did get a pic of Paris Hilton.



















We loved our visit with Skyler and Elise. Skyler is a favorite Elder I served with on the mish. We have kept in touch over the years and always look forward to seeing our favorite urban couple. They came and hung with us a the DL and at dinner then took us back to thier super cool cali green Leed certified town home complete with solar panels and uber cool decor. We loved being with them and seeing how they live. Thanks for making time for us guys, we loved it! You're house is as cool as you are.
















Here is a sweet pic of Steve and sweet Sunny. She was a very good sport about this whole thing eating her bottles on the fly and sleeping in her stroller. We were proud of her. Isn't she cute.


















Here we are in front of Cinderella's castle. No I was not crying. Seriously though, it was really special to see it through Alyssa's eyes. It was all very real for her. I have been to Disneyland once like 10 years ago, but it was very different and special being there with my little family. Okay I was crying. I cried half the day.














Here is Alyssa being harrassed by Captain Jack Sparrow (is that his name?) He took a real interest in her. She was quite nervous about him though. He poked and prodded her and asked her about her shirt and tugged on her hair a little. I have to say, she was a real sport about it and never ran away or cried. I think most kids would have.














Here we are with Mickey Mouse. I know he is a national treasure and what not, but I have to say...I don't really care too much about Mickey. I'll tell you who does though...Asians. Every Asian person there had on a pair of mouse ears and mouse t-shirt. I think Cinderella is the new face of Disney and the new Mickey. (sorry Penny)














Here we are meeting the real Cinderella. Yeah it was awesome, even for me. Alyssa has never been more excited for anything.















This is Steve and I outside the Getty Museum, one of LA's premiere mueseums, after viewing some Art.














And finally, this is what a two year old looks like on the the plane ride home after eight strait days of fun. The end.

We're Back!

Stay tuned for exciting details about the Sokol Summer Vacation. Featuring: Alyssa meets Cindarella, Steve mingles with Bernini sculptures and Kristin mans a four month old baby with out the comforts and convieniences of home and has a great time doing it.

Seriously...how are you living without TIVO?

Being real….I don’t know how we lived without TIVO in the past. We bought a TIVO shortly after Alyssa was born and I was up in the middle of the night trying to nurse (a long tedious and unsuccessful time for us…TMI?)

Anyway, since we didn’t have cable, there was never anything besides infomercials for the Magic Bullet or Proactive zit cream magic. Rather than endure that, we hopped on-line giving ourselves a tutorial on TIVO and found it would work with any TV, even if you didn’t have cable or satellite or anything. In fact, all we had was rabbit ears.

So we went down to the Best Buys and got ourselves one for fifty bucks. We also bought a lifetime subscription to go with it. They had an option to pay twelve bucks a month or $300 for life. We didn’t really have any money at the time since we were new homeowners and it took pretty much all we had to move in and pay the mortgage. But crazy us…we did it anyway.

Best decision we’ve ever made. We never watch any commercials. We never miss an episode of our favorite shows. We watch television at our leisure, when were good and ready to watch.

The very best part however, is always having plenty of children’s television programming on hand. What do people do when they have to get something done and need to occupy kids for half an hour to do it. Not saying I use TIVO as a baby sitter (I use TIVO as a baby sitter), but it’s nice that it’s there when I need it.

Plus lame shows that are barely interesting enough to watch like America’s Got Talent and Nashville Star. You can watch the whole thing or at least the interesting parts in fifteen minutes instead of the full hour or two hours.

And then…there is the TODAY show. I must watch it. It’s how I keep up with the world. Steve reads the Wall Street Journal cover to cover every day as well as Newsweek magazine. But I always know what he is talking about since I subscribe to TODAY. Without TIVO, this could never be. I am not usually conscious (if I am I don’t want to be) that early in the morning. Through the magic of TIVO, I never miss a word Matt Lauer says. I love you Matt.

So, in conclusion, we do not endorse spending money that one doesn’t have, unless one is spending it on a TIVO, then it’s okay, and you’ll be glad you did.

SIDE BAR: If you would like to purchase a TIVO with a lifetime subscription, they are available on the Black Market aka EBAY or KSL.com. The lifetime subscription goes with the box, not the owner. We have recently purchased an identical model for our newly finished basement. Life is great and so is TIVO.

Things I think are great that don't get enough press

You know how there are things you just love and can’t get enough of and other people just don’t always catch the vision? Well here’s my list of those things.

Ross. As in the store. Bargain priced stuff. I can’t get enough of that place. I find so many deals there it is ridiculous. I am thinking about open up a direct deposit there.

Chick-Fil-A. Delicious healthy food (for fast food). Polite employees and a real dedication to customer satisfaction. What’s not to love.

Ogden. I think a lot of people have an unfavorable impression. Don’t knock it til you try it. Ogden is awesome. Beauty, history, mountains and what I call Utah’s best kept secret. Weber State University. GO WILDCATS! BEAT MONTANA!

Dr. Laura. Some people say they can’t stand her. I say you can, and if you do, your life would improve. She has to be really direct to get to the root of the callers issue. She has less than three minutes to cure the problem. She can be heard weekdays from 1-4 on AM 570 Have you ever wondered why I am so dang awesome???? Here’s your answer. Dr. Laura.

Clogs. The perfect shoe. Oh, not if you want to look good. But if what you want is coverage and comfort and ease. Clogs are your shoe.

Steve. Keep in mind that this list is in no particular order. He’s so great. I know I have said it before but still, it’s true. Many of you have noticed that I have become more awesome in the last five years or so. Here’s your answer. Steve. He’s the wind beneath my wings. Oh, and the money behind my debit card.

Baby Binkies. We call them passies. It’s so great to be able to soothe a crying baby. I am sorry to all you parents out there who claim their kids won’t take them. Have you tried all the different shapes and sizes? Not all passies were created equally.

My blanket. I stole a blanket when I left home years ago. I still sleep with it on my bed, it’s so soft and comfy and soothing for me. For those of you who know me well…No, I no longer have to sleep with my blay-boo. I gave it up about four months after we got married. I now cuddle with Steve instead. Just as good…No wait…Better. I do get it out for a snuggle every once in a while usually when I am sad. I don’t know why there is so much comfort in special blankies, but there is.

Ryan Seacrest. You know you like him. I admire that as famous as he is, you never see him involved in tabloid scandal.

Weight Watchers. You really can lose weight. And you can still eat food that tastes good. Not as much as you want whenever you want, but a good amount at regular intervals.

Lava lamps and other specialty light displays. I hate to be a sucker for anything sparkly or shiny or pink, but I am what I am.

Our pediatrician, Dr. Johnson. He is so great. I’m glad he’s on our team. He is so tiny, I’d like to keep him in my pocket as a reference.

My new couches. actually, my whole basement. It’s so great, we love it. How did we ever live without it?

Jack Johnson. When you listen to Jack Johnson, you just know everything is going to be cool.

Blogs. Love it. Love mine, love yours.

And finally…Little Ceasars Pizza. Thank you hot and ready delicious cheap pizza. We are so glad you are finally in town.

Anyway, these are just a few of my favorite things. Some people like girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. But you know what I like…St. Ives apricot facial scrub. To each their own.

Kristin Tri's

So I have been itching to do a Triathlon, and when I say Triathlon I don’t mean an Iron Man. I just mean a simple swim, bike, run. You might think, well she has five brothers, I bet any and all of them would do one with her anytime. You’d be wrong though (It’s Hambone).

Rick, just not into it. Ryan, also not into it. Scott, afraid of drowning fighting other swimmers. Jason, sinks. Can’t swim a stroke (he claims). Randy, always too busy.

I have also asked friends and neighbors and Weight Watchers buddies. No one with an enthusiastic yes. I also have a myriad of excuses, including being only four months post partum, torn meniscus in my right knee that awaits a surgical repair, no access to a swimming pool, etc. But still a strong desire that won’t go away.

So my brother Scott called me a few weeks ago and said his ward was hosting a triathlon. I was so excited. Could I really do it? Can fat girls compete in triathlons? Answer, they can’t really compete, but they surely can participate. That’s all I am really looking for anyway.

The details included a third of a mile swim, 13 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. Totally doable.

So I (and when I say “I” I mean Scott and I) did it.

The day before I started thinking about all the reasons why I shouldn’t do it, and started to back off. I was telling Steve I didn’t think I should do it and he said… “Sure you can.” And I thought… “Sure I can.” I am so glad I am married to Steve. He always helps me to do things and accomplish things that I if left to my own devices wouldn’t pursue or if I did pursue, wouldn’t finish. So special thanks to my supportive sweetie.


Anyway when my phone rang at 6am at it was Scott saying I’ll pick you up in five minutes, I was ready. So he picked me up and we met the group at someone’s house who I don’t know in his ward. Turns out that out of 30 or so people, I was the only female participating . Come on women everywhere, where is your athleticism? You don’t have to be a champion with a chiseled physique to participate…I prove that. Anyway so we met up and I forced all the men and boys to gather together for a picture. It wasn’t easy, and I look terrible in the picture, but here it is, I hope you appreciate it.


We headed to our Stake Presidents house (rich) to use his swimming pool for the water portion. It was very refreshing first thing in the morning. Not nearly as difficult as I had seen in my mind.

Then it was a quick transition. And when I say quick, I mean we took our time. And when I say we took our time I mean Scott thought my bike tires were too low and pumped them up for me with his hand held mini-pump. Very quick, all the professionals are carrying them.


Then we were off on the bikes. We rode all over the edge of town. We past a really great Yard Sale where I saw a nice double stroller I wanted to stop and take a look at. We are in the market for a double stroller these days. But, alas Scott said this was not the time for Yard Sales since we were in the middle of a Triathlon.

It was really cool to be up that early and see how the other side lives. I can’t believe all the people up and out at 7am. The sun was beautiful and the air was crisp. It felt especially crisp to us since we were still dripping wet from the pool. The bike ride was my favorite part because we moved so fast and so easily all over town. It was a very freeing feeling.

The last part of the ride was up hill for a mile or so. By the time we got to the second staging area. My leg muscles felt nice and tight and a little burn-ie (speaking of burn-ie, did you hear that Bernie Mac died? Another post for another time. I loved the Mac man).


So we ditched the bikes had a swallow of water and we were off. And when I say we were off I mean we started slow, then tapered off. Go team tortoise! And when I say we, I mean I. Scott actually did very well. I just couldn’t get over the sensation in my legs. They felt just like rubber with a bucket of concrete on each foot. It made me giggle a lot at first. Kinda like the feeling you get after you walk on your leg when it is totally asleep. The giggle soon turned into disbelief than I was still running and then total fatigue, but I kept running.

I made it a mile the last quarter mile I was inhaling and exhaling the phrase… “Yes you can.” That gave me the positive mind set I needed to keep going as long as I did. Then I got to the point where I could have kept going but I would have had to stop to throw-up. I thought… “heck if I’m going to stop I may as well not start back up.”

And that was it.

I walked back to the finish line. It took me and hour and 18 minutes to do all that. Would I do it again…of course. It really was a blast.


Nice Tri huh? Pretty good I say for a four-month post partum gimpy kneed fat girl don’t-cha think? Who is in for next time?

Watch out Iron Man, here comes Kristin.

SIDE BAR: I am aware that it is not a good idea to run on a damaged knee. But the way I see it, I may as well thrash it if I have to have surgery anyway…. right? I want to get my monies worth from the surgeon.

The leaves are still green

The leaves are still green and I like them that way. I feel like we just got them back and I know that losing them is just around the corner. I love summer, but I also love the change of the season.

I especially love when the season changes into fall. I love pumpkins and sweatshirts and football, but the cost of the season change is expensive when it means looking at dead trees for greater than six months. What a conundrum.

Maybe I will get a dye-cut of leaf and make hundreds of them, thousands even. I will go out to my trees in front and clothes-pin them up as the others fall off. Then I would have leaves year-round. Problem solved.

The other changes I can take…but loosing the leaves is tearful for me every year.

Alyssa and I go outside and pick leaves off the tree everyday and make leaf tacos. They are delicious. If you’ve never tried it, you should. (note: don’t really eat them, they’re not really edible, it’s just a pretend game. ) Our favorite is lime-chicken leaf tacos.

Well there is nothing I can do to stop it so I guess we’ll just have to make the most of it while we can.

Leaf tacos, the park, picnics, evening walks, ice cream cones, talking with neighbors in the yard, etc. Enjoy it while it lasts.

PS. Yes, the pic is from last year. Alyssa and her friend Isabel.

The Dramatic Conclusion

So…No one can ever accuse me of not having the hard conversations. Did I do it…yes I did it. I called the Mayor out to his face. Why? Because it needed to be done. Not that he is not a nice man, he is. Not that he has done a terrible job, he hasn’t. However some of the things that have happened are very questionable. So I questioned him.

Was I nervous? No. Well, not until I got up to the podium and realized that I was no longer in my basement conjuring up all this stuff to say. Truthfully, it was a whole lot easier to say in the comfort of my basement. Alas, here I was in front of the Mayor and Council and City Recorder and City Attorney. Good thing I was prepared with a written statement, or I may have just said…”Never mind,” and sat down.

I read it. I tried to read slowly so the City Recorder was sure to get it all down. I asked them to include “changing our form of government” as an agenda item at the next or a future city council meeting. I cited a few reasons for requesting the change, one being the attention KSL’s investigative reporter has given to the city recently. Another reason I gave was the Mayors behavior in trying to control the media.

At the end of my statement I said something like…"Your commentary is welcome, but not expected.” The mayor responded by saying something like…”Public Comment time is not a time for dialogue, but we’ll be glad to address your concerns at a future date.” So, we’ll see what happens.

We had to leave the meeting a little early because our babies needed us. After we left the building, a man came out after us. He chased us down and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m James Crane…I’m actually the Mayor’s son. I really didn’t agree with what you said, but I want you to know that I am really glad to see people coming out to participate in government. There are not enough people who come to these meetings.”

(Me and Steve)—“Thanks, we agree. Just so you know we like the mayor. He is a friend of my fathers. We just feel like the city has grown and we need some more guidance.”

(Crane) "It’s really hard to listen to someone speak negatively about someone you care about. But putting that aside, I am really glad to see people come and participate in these meetings."

(Me and Steve) "Thanks, Nice to meet you."

So anyway, that was interesting. Not really sure what to make of it. According to My Dad. The Mayors son James, is the Dean of some college at BYU, and a concert pianist.

One more interesting thing… After the meeting, one of the council members came to Jeff Morten and asked him to ask me to call him, which I did and left a message, last Friday, no response yet.

And that’s how it went.

Special thanks to the Daw’s, Jorgensens, Jeffery Morten and Jan Davis and my sweetie Steve who were all there to support me and this cause as I gave our statement. Also thanks to the many of you who encouraged me and who would have been there if they could have. It really meant a lot to me personally and to the cause.

As for the cause…We are not done yet. Step two, the petition. Who wants to sign?

INTERESTING SIDEBAR

When the KSL story broke, the comment boards went crazy. People were so upset. There were many, many people who said they would be at the next city meeting to voice their concerns. You would have expected a full house and the Mayor and council to be shaking in their boots. Interestingly enough, ours was the only group there. I guess time does heal all wounds.

If anyone is still reading this...I promise my next post will be more fun.

Power to the people!

I am cashing in my favors, friends. Not that any of you owe me any, but still, cashing them in. I need your help. America needs your help. Actually just Herriman needs your help.

As many of you may have heard Herriman has been in the news a lot recently. Not the good kind of being in the news either. The Eagle Mountain kind of being in the news (Two KSL investigations: violations of state laws and nepotism)

I believe it is because Herriman’s form of government (Mayor and City Manager is the same person) has out lived its usefulness. Our Mayor is both the Mayor and the City Manager. He collects a handsome salary for both jobs, (well into the mid 100 thousands) He is a nice, older man. Probably a good Mayor—but not really qualified to be the City Manager.

Instead of just being critical, we want to offer a solution to our city leaders. We think that a change in form of government to an elected Mayor and separate, qualified, appointed City Manager with a background in public administration will solve the embarrassing growing pains that Herriman is experiencing.

I talked with the city attorney from a nearby city, and they’ve advised me to bring my complaint and proposed solution to the next city council meeting. They said that showing up with a large group will bring more attention from city leadership. They also advised me to involve the media, so I have informed them of my plan and anticipate they will be in attendance at the meeting.

So this is where you come in. Please come with me, if you support my cause for change, that is. If I show up with just Steve, they will laugh me out of there. If I can get a group of 10 or more, they will have to at least consider my request.

The meeting is Thursday night at 7pm at Herriman City Hall. If you have any questions or would like a more detailed explanation about my beef with the city feel free to give me a call.

Also tell your friends. Anyone who lives in Herriman is affected by this. We are currently paying some of the highest property taxes around. I believe this is directly related to inexperience at the top in Herriman.

All you have to do is sit there. No one will ask you anything, you don’t have to “know” anything. Your presence is enough. I anticipate the meeting to be less than one hour. The segment of meeting we would be involved with should be over by 7:30. If you can’t get a sitter, bring the kids. The more the merrier.

It’s time for a change. This is America, and you are an American. Come get involved.

The View From The Cheap Seats

Part of the Sokol Summer Concert Series included seeing Martina McBride at the USANA Amphitheater. Well, we didn’t ACTUALLY have tickets to this show and we didn’t ACTUALLY see her, but we didn’t let that stop us from having a great time. I mean who doesn’t love Martina McBride? I tried to win tickets all week by listening and participating in radio contests but with no luck.


So we just parked our blanket right outside the fence and next to a storage shed at USANA and enjoyed the show from there with the girls in tow. Both girls really seemed to enjoy the music.
We could hear perfectly. We could see all the lights from the stage. In fact we could even see the top part of the stage. No, we couldn’t actually see Martina or the band because for some reason they have built up the hill so you can’t see the stage from the outside. Weird. Seems like a lot of wasted effort to me.


Anyway, we had the whole concert experience. We used the port-a-john’s, saw all the radio stations, we even brought our own popcorn.
We sang along with all the songs and just really enjoyed ourselves, all with a big smirk on our faces because we knew we were the only one’s there getting it for free. SUCKERS!

We are planning to go see (or not see) Jack Johnson here pretty soon. We’ll let you know how that goes. Next time I’ll wear mosquito repellent though. Somehow they singled me out pretty good and had a feast-O-Kristin.

Much-a-Blog About Nothing

I have been wanting to post for a few days now, but nothing pressing has come to my mind. So here are some random things I have been thinking about and or doing.

Yo-yo-ing on on Weight Watchers. Down two pounds up two pounds. This has been me for the last several weeks. I can pull it together and loose, but then I feel so great about myself that I feel like I can relax.

Solution you ask? Here it is. I have given my scale to Jenny next door to baby-sit for the month. I also plan to ask the WW peeps to keep my # number a secret from me. By doing this I expect to not celebrate any loss thus keeping my guard up. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Steve and I have decided to participate in a bike race since we both have legs and bikes that need to be used. Problem is…all the bike races are early in the year. So….we are just riding around for now. Our plan is to do the Bear Lake race next May, which is sixty miles around the lake. Not so far on a bike when you have almost a year to prepare. Anyone else interested? Or know of another bike race happening this year?

I have found that I am a better exerciser if I have a goal in mind rather than just doing it to lose weight. It works even better if I have paid money to participate (because I am a cheap-skate and feel compelled to get my monies worth if I spend some).

What I’d really like to do is a triathlon. Not like and Iron Man or X-Terra challenge, just a simple race with three fazes, run-bike-swim or swim-bike-run how ever they do’em. Anyway. I don’t really have access to a pool. So until the county builds me a pool, that dream is on hold.

I want a Barbie Corvette. My friend Tarmey yes Tar-mey(that’s really how you say it), Had one. She had tons or Barbie stuff, and it’s a good thing she did cause all I had was nothing but transformers and micro-machines and other lame brother toys. So I am buying one for “Alyssa” (me). They don’t make them any more so I have been actively looking on KSL.com for someone to sell theirs to me. I have found a few, but too far to go get. I currently have a bid standing on E-bay. It’s really cool too. It has a remote control and it really drives. How awesome is that. Alyssa (me) is going to have so much fun with it.

Having two kids is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I had really low expectations. It just cuts out most of the time I used to have for myself. Now I have a few minutes here and there instead of a couple hours here and there. I’m adjusting to it. It’s all temporary anyway. Before I know it, they’ll be all grown up and I’ll be begging them to spend time with me and they’ll think I am lame even though I clearly am not lame.

Steve is the best man around. Do you know he has installed all the door knobs in our new basement? Accountant by day, moonlighting as a handy-man by night. What a guy, and he’s all mine!

Sunny just woke up. Free time over. That was a lovely twenty minutes just then.

The Wardle's Caribbean Vacation

Every other year or so the Wardle Fam pulls it together and does a big family trip. This is no small undertaking; there are a lot of us now. Everyone keeps reproducing, so finding accommodations where we can all fit together and have enough space is a large undertaking. This year we visited the Caribbean of the Rockies otherwise known as Bear Lake.

We stayed in some lovely condos on the West side of the lake. Each family rented their own unit and we all dwelt there together for a few days while we had some fun in the sun. The units were privately owned and some were nicer than others, but all in all I’d say they were about average. They did the job. There a nice big pool, but it was really too cold to enjoy swimming in, most of us (excluding me, I don’t like being cold) took advantage of it anyway.


Antie Hay and Uncle Jeff and Cousin Anna joined us for the first night. Alyssa and Anna had a ball playing together. Sunny also seemed to have a great time spectating both girls at play. The girls were surprisingly good at sharing the few toys we had with us. They each took to one of our pool floaties, using them in several unusual ways…very cute.



The weather was very nice providing an excellent opportunity for kids to make the most of the beach and playing in the sand and water. They built castles and mud piles. Alyssa said it best. “We did a lot of fun.”
Randy brought his raft which the kids and parents took turns riding in.

We also had a bad mitten net up and took turns playing and supervising children playing in the water. Luckily no no one drowned and no severe sunburns occurred during our fun in the sun.
Props go out to all the diligent parents who kept re-applying to the children and themselves.

Special thanks to Scott and Tammy who reminded us before hand of what can happen if you don’t diligently re-apply.


My personal favorite moment was when Steve rented us a Quadricycle, a fun car-bike. It had pedals for two and a basket in the front for the kiddies to sit. We gave all the little cousins rides and had a ball doing it. Now we want one for our own. With gas prices the way they are, maybe we’ll just do it. Anyone else interested? The more you order the cheaper they are.



Special thanks to Rick and Laura who found the accommodations for us and Penny who organized our family meal. We had a great time…Let’s do it again next year, or maybe the year after.

We bought a painting from this Israeli guy

A guy in his early twenties came to the door the other night selling original oil paintings. We invited him in to show us his work. He and three other guys were canvassing the neighborhood selling paintings and making money to keep up their travels.

They are art students from Israel on their way to UC Berkley. They are touring all the states on their way to school selling their work to fund their trip. Anyway, we really liked this painting and bought it. Thought you might like to see it.