Colorado Slide Show

One of these things is not like the other....

This is my back yard the day before Thanksgiving it's still as beautiful and I am having a really hard time coming to grips that it's Winter. It was 64 degrees and gorgeous today. (I must be getting desperate if I am in the mood to write about the weather)But who says talking about the weather is boring? Obviously not me.





There is a huge contrast between my back yard and Colorado. I didn't have the kids for Thanksgiving so I decided instead of staying home and moping I would go to Colorado. I brought my favorite sidekick super MO aka Michele. We had a blast visiting Becca and Christine. They are known to bring out a whole new side of people and they did. Wild and crazy! Actually we just sat around and relaxed which was awesome! No dancing or crazy making allowed at their house. Here are some pictures of the ride home. It was one of the best times I have had in a long time.

Halloween with the cutest cowgirl and cowboy EVER

California

Me and Michele drove to California this weekend for a early birthday present for me and a late one for her. We also had beach fever. We went to the Ellen show because it was free and I think she is funny. Her show is done on the Warner Brothers lot. She seemed kind of sad that day, and I was wondering if she is always that sad. Warner Brothers is very media oriented of course and I had no idea what the hype was about certain shows that were aired on the lot probably because I don't have TV. All I can say is I am so happy I am not famous. There are so many things you would have to give up and sometimes that could mean values that you thought were a priority. It would be so easy to sell your values for money and not even realize that is what you are doing. I think famous people have a hard job and wonder if the reason some of them are famous is because they are trying to fulfill something within themselves that they will never find being in the spotlight. Just food for thought. I am even more grateful for my little part of the world trying to be kind and choosing to love, and contributing what I can. So the trip was AWESOME! We drove down sunset blvd. and through Beverley Hills. The architecture was great and we got some great ideas for the house here. We drove down Pacific Coast Highway and ended up at a really cool beach spot called El Matador. I am ready to go back. Here's a slide show of the beach.

Adam is 11

As I was typing the title to this entry I accidentally typed Adam is 22. It took my breath away and I stared at it for a long time. I was completely taken aback. But if Adam's first eleven years of life is any indication of how the next ten years will go. He will be 22 tomorrow. This has gone way to fast for me and I don't like it. But I am going to focus on what I do like. I like that we can talk about anything and he understands what I am saying.(except for that time I brought up school and tried to discuss Psychosocial Causal Factors In Unipolar Disorders. He quietly and mannerly walked out of the room.) I love that with every year his reasoning capability and critical thinking improves. I love that when he is thinking of something I can tell by his facial expressions; they are so loud you could almost read his mind. He wears his heart on his sleeve and loves to talk to strangers and is genuinely concerned with people in need. Adam is an awesome boy turning into a awesome man. Happy Birthday Adam! Ashalee's birthday is next, I hope I don't accidentally type Ashalee is 55! Oh, and a quick thank-you to everyone who came to Adam's party. I have the best siblings ever! I love you ALL!

Ranch cleaning party

Me and the kids went out to the ranch on one very important task. It was to clean the ranch house. We split up the work and got it done faster than I thought. We played first of course. It was great enjoying my children while cleaning, listening to music, trying out our new dance moves while cleaning. Next weekend I will go out to finish the windows and base boards. Have I told you lately how much I love Ashalee, Andrew, and Adam?

My Best Friend

Michele and her flip flops

I am extremely lucky to have such an awesome best friend. Michele is one of the kindest people I know. I have learned from her that kindness is more than a behavior, it's a way of being. She loves my children, therefore, I love her. I have known her for four years but it's felt like longer. We have so many inside jokes that at times it's hard to make eye contact with her for fear of bursting out laughing. When I see her she usually knows what kind of day I have had. We have so much in common but are so different at the same time. I love being with her even if we are doing manual labor that is kicking my butt, because we enjoy each others company and it usually turns out hilarious. For example, on Wednesday we decided to take the boat out to Quail lake while the kids were in school. When we got there the boat wouldn't start. So Michele said, "We can just turn the boat around, back the truck up into the water and jump the battery to the boat. The visual for me was that BOTH vehicles would be in the water, and electricity and water don't mix. I reluctantly agreed to help her with this insane endeavour praying the entire time that no one would get electrocuted. Miraculously we stayed safe, got the boat started and headed off onto the lake. When it was time to go the boat didn't start. We were almost as far away from the dock as we could be. No boats on the lake, just us. I freaked, Michele jumped in the water tied a rope onto a hook on the front of the boat. She looped the rope around so that it made two ropes coming of the knot. One for me, one for her. At that moment I understood what she was doing. We were going to pull/swim the boat to the dock! I reluctantly jumped in and we started swimming like crazy pulling the boat a inch a minute. This is not a small boat either. It's a 18 foot pontoon boat with a bathroom on the back. In the middle of the swim, I look over at her and she is just smiling. We were actually having fun. Except for the part I thought I was going to drown. The point is that we made it. We did it together. forty five minutes of swimming pulling a boat together laughing at the predicament we got to share together. I call it a Michele moment, and I have many, many more. I wouldn't change any of those crazy stranded somewhere pretend your Mcgyver moments for anything, because they were with her. She is impulsive and that drives me crazy because I am not, but I have never laughed so hard with another person. Come to think of it I have never cried so hard with another person. She'll say things like "let's build a house today" or "Do you want to tile today" with so much excitement in her voice. She truly believes there is nothing she can't do. I have learned by watching and working with her that I can do anything. I know how to drywall, tile, frame, paint my toenails, and love deeper because of her. I care about her so much that I will forgive her for wearing flip flops while riding a horse. There are things I teach her too. Looks like she's getting a pair of cowboy boots for Christmas. Anyone up for a lake drive/swim?