Christmas was wonderful! Erin and Rylan and Foster joined us at our house. We went to Church service on Christmas eve then had our friends Heidi and Leif over for my famouse shrimp creole soup. Erin brought dipping bread. And Heidi made corn bread. Thanks to my sister in WI, we had lots of great cheeses to share.

On Christmas day, the present marathon began. Santa thought Rylan was a very good boy this year. Erin had prepared her egg casserole the night before which made breakfast a snap. Along our food we had mamosas. We tried to get to the Marley and Me movie early but it was sold out. So we went back later to see it. There was so much to play with Erin and Rylan stayed another night to build the marble run and make a space shuttle.

Pumpkin carving with Bumpa for Halloween.

Our first snow before Thanksgiving. And the neighbors were out.

The float we pulled for Catch the Glow Parade the day after Thanksgiving.

Rylan making Christmas Cookies with Grandma.

Preparing for Christmas Cookies.

Hanging out with family for Thanksgiving.

Well, we're done with Thanksgiving and moving on to Christmas.

Hope your Holiday is full of Love and Joy.

Yeah, the Presidential campaigning has come to an end!! Voting is taking place now and we will have a President taking over soon. I have to say that although we have quite a political arena, there has to be some way to keep the political camps and surveyors off our cell phones and stop waisting our minutes! Just like telemarketers, they should not be aloud to campaign or solicit on our phones. I have stopped watching TV because of the media and the excessive barraging of advertising by the republican and democratic committees. It's a pity that all that money spent, was waisted on mud slinging when it could have been used for helping our economy. I can't believe that intelligent people who are vying for the top position in this country would waist such money, time, minutes, and sling mud rather than campaigne honestly, fairly, with forthright. I hope in the future that America doesn't allow this kind of politics.

This year, Matt and I did alittle Halloween ourselves. We attended the Shining Party at the Stanley Hotel as consulting doctors. It was very enlightening to see how many people really like this holiday. In fact Estes Park closes their main street for local family fun. Retailers have candy for everyone and local bars serve shots to the adults. The tv station films the costumes for viewing. The Good Samaritan assisted living buses their residence to town to participate in the fun too. It is one of the best parties for the locals during the year.And of course, the police and fire dept. are out on the streets to make sure it's safe for everyone.

September 2008

We're back in beautiful Colorado. I'm getting Rylan from pre-school 4 days a week. And we have fun baking cookies, muffins, and pies. We visit the library weekly to get books and dvd's.

August in Wisconsin

Where do I start!

Well, we left Colorado Aug.31st. The envoy carried a car top carrier and Aspen, Kiana, and the two of us packed for the month. Destinations; 1) Madison and Neenah, 2) Wisconsin Rapids and Denver, 3) Appleton and Sturgeon Bay, and 4) Gordon Lodge - Baileys Harbor are among the few places we were going to visit.

August 1st, Matt and I split directions. I attended my Aunt and Uncles 60th anniversary/90th birthday party in Madison. Matt attended Randy's 50th birthday party and also the Johnson family reunion. Immediately following, his return to Denver International Airport, Aug.3rd to work another week. (dedication!) I however, continued on to Wisconsin Rapids to spend a week with my sister, Mary. (I miss her very much) We had many trips to Starbucks to see the Heidi and Frances too. Saturday, Aug.9th, the big day finally arrived, and I was off to meet Erin and Rylan in Stevens Point. We continued on together to Sturgeon Bay. Our destination was Robertsons Cottages on Cnty. M. And we loaded up the pontoon boat with the 3 dogs and our belongings and we were off to the island to Sunrise Cottage. (Our home for 3 weeks)In the meantime, Matt was on his way back to Appleton, Friday, Aug. 8th for the Truck Jamboree in Waupun and party with his sister Kris and Mark.

After unpacking and getting the cottage settled, I went back to mainland and drove to Winchester for church, Sunday, and meet Matt, Kris and Mark so that we could attend the Mathison family reunion. Matt and I headed back to the island, arriving at the same time our first island guest arrived. Erin and Rylan met us with the pontoon boat, we loaded it up with more baggage and 7 of us crossed Sawyer Bay. It was great to have Lisa and Dax and Quinna for a few days. Our cottage was very rustic but charming. You might say we were camping with four walls and a roof but we got use to it really quickly. NO mosquitoes, No leaches for the dogs, No clothes for one resident, and NO rain to mention (well maybe a few sprinkle but only 3 times the entire month). Wednesday, we said hello to Trevor and Amanda. Again, more campfires and roasted marshmallows. But Friday morning was a highlight when we all piled in the cars and drove to Sister Bay for breakfast at AL Johnson's restaurant. (Hmm Swedish pancakes and Goats on the roof) Somethings just don't change! The kids split after that for Bailey's Harbor and meet up with the wedding planners. And Matt and I went back to the island to wait for our dog sitters. Thanks to Kris and Mark and Carley, they looked after the dogs for the weekend and we left for Gordon Lodge.

Aug. 15-17th was the event of the year. Heidi and Ben got married. And they did it nicely, making sure no guest was left out of the fun. The weekend started with a bonfire and "get acquainted time". (Another family reunion, this time it was my side of the family) The oldest family members were 90 and the youngest was 4. But I'm pretty sure there were younger children on Ben's side. Anyway, Sat. morn we watch the sunrise and went kayaking, swimming, eating and more visiting and playing games too. The wedding started at 3:30pm and we followed cairns to the wedding site by Lake Michigan. It was beautiful! And so was the Bride!! The couple said their vows and it was short and sweet. It was time to party and eat some more and dance. The rain never dampened any one's spirits either. Sunday morning, came much to fast, we had breakfast and gave everyone hugs and kisses and addresses.... We were off to the island again.

After, our island guests headed home, Matt and I took Amanda and Trevor to the airport in Green Bay to head back to Portland, OR. Erin, Rylan and Foster took of for Colorado in the car. And then Matt took off for his motorcycle trip. (over 1700 miles in 4 days) Now, I'm back to the island, alone with Aspen and Kiana. I read a book and watched the Olympics and a few movies. The tranquility of the water and sun was wonderful and healing. The girls loved roaming the island and watching the seagulls and geese. They even occasionally snacked on fish carcass. Aspen liked walking through he water but Kiana preferred the kitchen. The time passed quickly and Thursday afternoon I was on the road again to pick up Matt from Appleton Harley. I hardly recognized him with the road grime and 4 day beard growth. He had a great time and he even got to see his brother, Eric, in Pennsylvania for lunch. When we got back to the island, Matt found his space and book too. But it wasn't long and we were off the island to visit more friends and shop. Sunday, we enjoyed another cookout with our Freedom friends, Bonnie and Dennis, their kids and the Mielke family. I think there were twelve of us. Monday, Diana came to the island before her school year started on Tuesday. Bill and Kathy joined us on the island Tues. And Wed., Matt went para sailing in Ephraim. ( I think that was the his highlight for the day) Thursday, Phil, Alyssa, Ethan and Tristan came over to check out the island on their way camping. And Friday, Matt and I discovered we were homesick. So we packed up, and found ourselves in Madison, having dinner with Kris and Mark. Finally, our 2 day venture home had started, packed to the brim with dirty clothes, dogs, and souvenirs.

The Fourth of July

We thought we'd go out on Lake Estes and learn how to drive a pontoon boat. It was a great day and the temperatures were in the high 80's.

Aspen and Kiana's 11th Birthday

Make a Smilebox postcard

Getting Ready for the Summer

This is a regular occurrence now that the weather has warmed up for us . There will be more pictures to share as the summer progresses.

Our Weekend in Las Vegas

Hi Everyone,
Matt and I just got back from a trip to Las Vegas. And I must say that it was very nice with the exception of visual and audio overstimulation in the Casinos. So we stayed clear of the Casinos!
The Monte Carlo Hotel was very nice and the pool area was a hit. Our view from the room was the City Center construction, which I must say was fasinating. We spent alot of time admiring the hard work and time spend on the new project. It was much more interesting then people watching. The highlight of the trip, I think, was our evening at the Venetian Hotel, where we had a wonderful Italian dinner and a gondola ride before seeing the Phantom of the Opera. The performance was superbly done with special effects and beautiful voices. Truly a piece of Art!
We were also entertained by Lance Burton, a magician, whom managed to make a corvette disappear.
The weekend flew by as quickly as it came. Matt and I would like to express our thanks to Transwest for such a generous gift to Matt.

Today is April 1st. What a good day to start our blog, April Fools day. Stay in touch, I'm sure I will be adding some funny adventures this month.