The Christensen Travels

Miscellaneous Pics

2011-06-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

Goofing around in Hermiston!

Spring As We Know It

2011-06-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

We have already been in Oregon almost a month! I can hardly believe how fast the time flies when we are on the road. We have had some busy weekends, which really help the time fly. I think we have stood still on the weekdays.

It really is going pretty well for us in the trailer. The worst are nights, as Paige has fussy times with teething and it then goes from blazing hot when we go to bed to pretty cold at about 3 in the morning. When she wakes up her hands are pretty cold and I think that's why she is waking.

We have met some good folks here. That really helps a lot for me, as I can spend my days with others. Tyler gets home around 5 and has Fridays off. That has been super helpful for my sanity! It's nice that it's almost an even amount of time that he's at work and with us.

I know that most of you reading this think Tyler and I are crazy. Just to confirm: we probably are! It's had to explain the draw to this lifestyle that we have. Though there are times I hate it, there are more times that I enjoy it. It's fun to see how others live and check out the land. Someday we will be stationary, and I hope it is somewhere we enjoy as much as Pocatello!

Gibson Jack

2011-05-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

A nice afternoon out with the girls!

Poky sites

2011-05-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hike behind ISU

Odds and ends.

2011-03-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

When Carmen came to visit! Very special to have her here.

SISTERS
special friendship that will outlast all others

This and That

2011-03-24T15:05:00.001-07:00

All the girls.

Visiting Granny's house

2011-03-24T14:49:00.001-07:00

In February, we were able to go to Craig. We were so glad to introduce Paige to my grandparents while she is still small.
A rare sight: Gramps holding a baby!
Grandma could hardly put her down!

Paige Pictures

2011-02-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Paige is a great new addition - even with short nights and spit up. It is really enjoyable to watch her become more active and happy. Avery loves to help out as best she can and Paige seems to really love the attention!

Avery The Big Sis

2011-02-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures of our Big Girl who is SO proud to be "Big Sister"

2011-01-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

More to come when time allows!

The New Year

2011-01-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

So it has been WAY too long since I posted--- so sorry about that. Life here has been a tad crazy! But welcome Paige Nicole to our lives!!

10 Years!

2010-08-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

This weekend was our 10 year anniversary. We celebrated by going up to the Sun Valley area and staying at a bed and breakfast in Hailey for Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday we took the gondola to the top of the ski resort on Mount Baldy overlooking the valley. It was a really nice relaxing time! The breakfasts are superb at B and B's - we really recommend the experience you get at B and B's, the hosts are always so friendly and eager to please! Saturday morning, they had a map highlighted showing where all the yard sales were at, just in case we wanted to go! We did hit a few as we have heard how great they are up there - but I think we got to them a little too late!
After we had lunch on the top of the mountain and came back down, we went into Ketchum and walked around the swanky village. We felt a little out of place in such a fancy place! After that, we went up the Galena Summit for a drive over to a lake to check out the scenery and then moseyed back to Hailey. It was a wonderful day!
Sunday was hard to get out of there in time for meeting in Twin Falls, but we did it after enjoying an awesome menu of: home-made granola mixed with fresh fruit and granola, french toast Monte-cristos, and creme-brulee french toast (yum-yum) we couldn't pass up breakfast! We then went to meeting and then had a delicious home-made lasagna for lunch at Kristin and Blair's lovely home. Then we headed back to reality!! A great weekend!

Avery's Seizure Experience

2010-08-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

So, I guess a few people have wondered what happened with Avery and her seizure, so I will just briefly explain.

About a month ago (July 20th) we headed out for an evening on our boat at American Falls. It was such a beautiful evening and we got out on the water about 7:00 p.m. and took a short little jaunt up to "Mexican Cove" (about 10 minutes from the dock). We all got into the water and swam for a little bit and then it was time for me to get out as I was becoming tired. Tyler was going to help me out of the water, so he set Avery on the back platform, (which at that time, he kind of scraped her back because he misjudged the platform) and as he did that, Avery fell over and was crying. We thought she was just upset to be out of the water and so Tyler propped her up again, but this time as she fell over, her arms went into the air and her eyes got wide and scared looking and her legs went ramrod straight. There was something obviously wrong at this point.

I got into the boat without help from Tyler and he got in and carried Avery(still screaming) into the boat. We decided that it would be faster to go to the new houses on the cove rather than go to the dock, and headed over there. I jumped out of the boat and up to a residence and had them call 911 while Tyler brought Avery up to their yard. I think by this time she had quit screaming and was actually out, but I'm not sure.

When the ambulance got there, Avery was in and out of a sleeping/screaming state. They took us into American Falls' hospital and there determined that they needed to transport her to the Pocatello's Portnuef Hospital by LifeFlight. They gave her some seizure meds but she was grinding her teeth and still screaming off and on.

I rode in the helicopter with Avery and the crew and got to Portneuf where they did all kinds of tests and then sent her up to a room for the night. Because of the hit to her back (which was really nothing, but at the time, the only thing that made any sense to the whole incident), I was scared that maybe she had nicked her back and done some kind of bizarre injury. But by 11:30 or so, Avery was in a more comfortable looking sleep and seemed quite normal.

By 4 that next morning, she woke up and was asking for us, and seemed quite normal.

The doctors kept us there until about 9:00 that next night, due to testing that they wanted done. Everything came back normal and they feel sure it was an isolated event, which is a relief to us. It has now been over a month, and you would never even know that she had a seizure. I can tell you that the look on her face was enough to convince me that she would never be the same again, but I am so glad that I was wrong!

Becky's Shower

2010-08-16T08:51:00.001-07:00

Saturday, we had a baby shower for my friend Becky. It was a lot of fun!! Here are some pics of her day:

Update

2010-08-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I never update this thing!! It's kind of last on my list of things to do! But I thought that I would add some things to this just as an update to our life.

As some of you heard about Avery's seizure last month, I will update on that...not many know that happened, and sometimes I think I dreamed it up myself! She is healthy as a horse with no ill effects and everything is great with her. Although an awful experience, we are so grateful that it was nothing worse than a seizure that we are being assured by the medical field should not happen again. So far so good.

Tyler has started a job here in Pocatello and hopes to be there for at least to the end of the year. It is a completely different avenue of work for him in that it is an office job-which has been a bit of a challenge for him-no physical labor during the day! Keep your fingers crossed for us that he doesn't get too bored, as we would really like to stay home for a while.

Also, we are expecting a Baby Girl in December, and so far so good with her as well. We are getting excited to welcome her to our family! Everything came out fine on the ultrasound 3 weeks ago, and that helps put some fears to rest for us. She is a kicker-much more so than Avery was!

Well, hope everyone is well!! Take care!

Cody Convention

2010-07-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

It was so nice to get all but 2 meetings at convention this year. Last year, Tyler only got a weekend, so this was a special treat, especially since we also got the weekend at Riverton. We enjoyed this John Deere Tractor and the nice centerpiece it made for some family pics.

Weekend with the Rozema's

2010-03-08T14:28:00.001-08:00

So this past weekend we met my brother Brent, his family, and his sister-in-law's family at the Mall of America and spent the weekend together. We stayed at Paul and Melody Trevithick's home and had a very nice time!! We were excited to spend some time with baby Jack (and his parents!)

Tinkerbell

2010-03-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

This is Avery in her Tinkerbell costume, which she wears about every day!

Lefse Party!

2010-03-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

So one of the perks being in North Dakota is all the Lefse we get to eat. I won't be surprised if we come home needing bigger pants!! Paul invited us out to the Beth's home for a truly Norwegian experience---Lefse (the best I believe that I have had) and Neoffla(kneffla?) soup. Yum!! We were glad we accidentally got invited for supper!!

Grandma and Grandpa C visit

2010-03-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

So a few weeks ago, John and Ellen made the 800 mile trip out to visit us! It was so nice to see some familiar, homey (no, not homely) faces!! Avery enjoyed their time a lot, as did Tyler and I, of course!! If anyone else is bored, please come on over!

Winter in North Dakota

2010-03-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

So, I have been extremely behind in posting anything. So sorry for my laziness!! We are still in the Weeda's basement, and will be here for the duration of the time spent here in Mandan. It has worked out so nicely, and are indebted to them and their hospitality!!

These are some pictures of the ski slope in which I have enjoyed a few times with my husband, Tyler, and a good friend Janna Marie, and also Brandi, a friend whom I am not as acquainted with as I would like, but hopefully will get to know better!!

Moving Again!!

2010-01-13T14:17:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, Tyler's work sends us all over the country, with no end in sight! This past October, he was offered a temporary job in Bismarck, ND, for 5 weeks. We decided with weather being as it is in ND, that we would not bring our trailer and that we would find an alternative. Martin Wilson helped put together a temporary "bachelor pad" for us at the Mandan Convention Grounds, above the Weeda's garage. It worked out great, even though we were living without a true kitchen, because we knew it would be temporary. Well, 5 weeks came and went, and then we were told that they wanted Tyler until April. Yikes! That is nothing like 5 weeks!! So we decided that if we were to stay here in Bismarck, we would prefer to be somewhere there was a kitchen and perhaps a bathtub, and somewhere if at all possible, that we could have our dog, because from October to Xmas, we were without him.

So what happened is this: we found a place to house sit- which we are paying a rent for. The people that own the house go to AZ every year from Jan-April and the people that rent the house were killed in an accident. A friend of ours is renting a place right next door to them, and knew we were looking for a furnished place for a temporary stay for a few months. We moved over there 2 Saturdays ago (9 days ago or so) got completely moved in and settled, and then on Thursday got a call saying the owner died while in AZ awaiting bypass surgery. The widow is coming back for 3 weeks for the funeral and other things, therefore causing us to move. We are feeling very fortunate to know people! Anywhere else, we would be in a world of hurt, but being as the convention grounds are here, the Weeda's have graciously invited us to stay in their basement apartment while we await Nadeane's (the widow's) decision about when she will return to AZ. The Weeda's have also said that if we want or need to, we can stay here as long as we need. We are seriously considering staying here so we don't have to move yet again. The apartment we were staying in previously has been winterized, since we thought we had found a better alternative, and so being in the basement apartment is actually a lucky break for us. Thankfully, Nadeane has said she will refund both the rent and the deposit that we paid, and that if we decide to move back into the house, we will just start fresh from there. So today, I left the house for the last time being, and have moved back to the Weeda's, not even 100 feet from where we began in October and left hardly a week ago!! Whew!!!

Snowmobiling in Island Park!

2009-12-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

A wonderful day for riding. Tyler took Dad, Wesley, and Adam and met Roy, Jim, Nate, and Brett up in Island Park for the day.

Christmas Day!

2009-12-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day at the Curtis's. Felt Like Home!!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at the Grants. Lots of fun!!

Back For Christmas

2009-12-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

After much anticipation, we are headed home in the morning. Cannot wait to see some real mountains!! Although we will only be home for 2 weeks, it will still be home. Avery has been asking to go to Maggie's house and also saying she misses Sunny. It is a great and glorious day!!! YAY!

Other pics!

2009-12-01T10:56:00.001-08:00

The house is the house that my brother built--very nice setting right in the woods.

A Big Night Out

2009-12-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Tyler and I decided a night away from Avery would be beneficial, and so we planned an evening in Madison at a bed and breakfast called The Parsonage. The owner was a friendly guy that made us a delicious breakfast!!

We left Avery and headed out. Then we went to The Melting Pot for dinner, which was a 3 hour affair. Very yummy!!

When we got back to Brent's, Avery still didn't want to stay with us. She spent rest of the evenings with Grandma and Grandpa!!

Baby Jack!!

2009-12-01T10:41:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures of the Little Baby Jack. Avery was a little jealous toward the end of the trip, not too sure about what that baby was all about!!

A Trip to Wisconsin

2009-12-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving, we headed over to North Freedom, Wisconsin to see my brother and his wife and their new little one, Baby Jack-Jack.

On our way there, we stopped in the Twin Cities and stayed with Paul and Melody Trevithick, and had lunch with Bryce and Amy Hagbom, with their three children.
Also staying with Trevithick's was Melody's sister, Diann.

Robin Hood...

2009-11-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Robin Hood and Little John walking through the forest, laughing back and forth at what the other'n has to say. Reminiscing, this'n'that, having such a good time, oo-da-lally, oo-da-lally, golly what a day!Robin Hood - Oo-De-Lally lyrics

This is our theme song as of lately. Golly what a day!!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

2009-11-10T17:22:00.001-08:00

We went up to Medora this past weekend and did a little sightseeing. We were able to do a little "hiking" with Avery in tow...

"DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS" missed that sign.
(eating a curly fry)

Family pic

Bismarck Zoo

2009-11-03T15:27:00.001-08:00

Sunday afternoon, we headed over to the zoo since it still is open on the weekends.

This was our favorite exhibit, the Bengal Tigers. They had this golden tabby tiger, which is among 30 in the world. It was so pretty! It had no black in its stripes, and was huge! We enjoyed watching him with the other 2 tigers, a white Bengal, and a traditional Bengal tiger.
Tyler liked to see our ISU mascot in the flesh!

Just a swinging!

2009-11-03T15:24:00.001-08:00

Tyler and I took Avery to the park right before we headed out Trick-or-treating. She didn't want to leave!

Baking Disaster

2009-11-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

I do enjoy a good cookie once in a while. Encouraged this week by others to "bake something" I attempted, good naturedly, of course, to bake cookies in a kitchen that I am unfamiliar with, but with my favorite chocolate chip recipe in hand, I began the near fiasco...

To begin, no electric mixer. Found a hand mixer, began the task of mixing, and the crisco and the brown sugar became a lovely lump stuck inside the paddles. Lovely. Then recalled where I had seen the electric mixer and vwa-laa, magically mixed. However, was missing said lump-which I suppose is needed.

Looking for teaspoons, tablespoons, anyone? No idea where to find these items. Continue on my merry way, needing to add 2 tablespoons milk. Not hard, one would think, right? Wrong. Promptly overfill guesstament spoon, pouring more or less 1/2 cup of milk into dough...yikes. Try to pour out what I consider excess, losing vanilla, I'm sure, so I add more vanilla, looking around to see if there are any witnesses to this catastrophic excuse for an experienced "chocolate chip cookie baker." Good thing I chose to do this experiment when all were away, and Avery fast asleep downstairs.

Next, the baking. Ah, yes, the baking. All ovens are not created equally. First batch, bottoms burnt. Second batch, tops still doughy. Third batch, not really sure what is wrong with them, but the good thing is I happen to be married to a garbage disposal. No worries there. He'll eat them all and ask when there might be more coming. Not this week, I think!

Halloween!

2009-11-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

All Hallow's Eve

2009-11-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Avery was going to be a kitty this year for Halloween, and she was. But I also became a kitty, and then Daddy did as well...3 black cats. We headed out around 5 p.m. to the Olson's neighborhood, which turned out great once Avery realized that ringing doorbells=treats, lots and lots of treats! By the end of the night, she didn't mind the cat ears or tail, and I think we even could have gotten away with no whiskers on either Mommy or Daddy's faces!

Grandpa Dennis, Avery's good friend and co-consipirator! We spend an awful lot of time here, as they are like our parents away from parents! They take good care of us here in Bismarck! We had a pizza party here after some cold-weather trick or treating.

Pumpkin Pickin'

2009-10-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Right before we left, we had to get some things out of the garden...Avery helped Daddy pick the pumpkins!

The green and the orange---shame we couldn't enjoy them---but we heard that Davita made pies with them, and froze the corn---I guess atleast someone enjoyed our harvest!!

Helping Out In Jamestown

2009-10-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Avery playing farmer. We really need to get her one of these!

Avery and Levi "helping out"

Grandpa Paul loving on Baby Emily!

We headed over to Shar and Sedric's this past weekend because they are moving, so we wanted to help out. It was good to see them, and our old pal's Paul and Melody. They used to live near us in Idaho, and we were at their house almost every night the first few years we were married. It really is like old times when you are with those you love!

Walking the River

2009-10-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Avery was enthralled with this statue of the Eagle, we could hardly keep her away from it.

Gorgeous afternoon on the Missouri.

Finally, A smile.

Playing with Paul

2009-10-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is Paul H, Martin's companion this year. He and Avery really get along. He lets her tell him how it is (not really, she just thinks so). This is at Dennis and Lorna Olson's house, they are like Grandma and Grandpa to us. They have us over all the time-it's really nice to be loved!!

Hanging in Our new 'crib

2009-10-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

We are feeling very spoiled this trip, because we are staying in the Worker's quarters at the Mandan Convention grounds. We knew it would be just a little chilly staying in our trailer this time around, and when we called to let the friends know we were on our way, they quickly came to our rescue by finding accommodations on the grounds. Martin Wilson is the older worker here, and my family was extremely close to him growing up, and he was the one to help furnish and find all the comforts of home for our temporary stay. We are in the attic of the garage, in a spacious one bedroom "L" shaped room. We have pretty much anything you need in a home minus an oven. Can't complain! Pretty comfy.

Scout Mountain

2009-10-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

This is a special mountain for our family. It over looks our home, and we try to hike this every year to the top. From the top, you can see the Tetons from quite a distance away.

Bismarck, Here We Are!!

2009-10-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

So we finally arrived in Bismarck, North Dakota about 3 weeks ago after expecting to be here a few weeks before that, but getting the run around from the HR people at the refinery where Tyler is now working. We will be here until around Thanksgiving, hopefully, but you really never know with Tyler's line of work. They may end up asking him to stay for a little while longer, but we are anticipating the end of November as the cut off date. We are then headed to Madison, Wisconsin to meet our newest nephew!! Jack Martin was born Sunday, October 25, 2009. We are very excited to meet him!! His is my brother and his wife's first child, and so very exciting for Avery to get her first cousin on my side of the family!!

2009-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

SLC Trip

2009-08-27T21:03:00.001-07:00

I am so worn out from a long day! Avery and I got up and headed to the Hogle Zoo to meet Shannon and her kids for a fun day. Before we even got on the freeway, Avery promptly threw up her breakfast. Lovely! I was unsure what the day would bring with that welcome. I continued on, and again she lost another portion about 10 minutes till we arrived at the zoo. Poor little one! I made it to the zoo and cleaned her up while we waited for Shannon, and Avery was very adamant that she was ready to tackle the zoo. She wanted to see the elephants...the lions...the giraffes...she wasn't gonna let a little bout of carsickness get her down!

She enjoyed the day and we saw no more signs of sickness! Thank goodness.

Already Fall

2009-08-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

Well, time to catch you up. We have had a wonderful summer at home. Tyler has been working a lot this August, and I am presently in SLC at my parents house. Avery and I are going to the Hogle Zoo tomorrow to see the new baby giraffe and baby tigers. I can't wait to see Avery's reaction to all the animals. It'll be so much fun!

So, here are some pics of what we have been up to this summer. Tyler and I climbed Mount Borah with some of our friends and Tyler's Dad. Borah is the highest peak in Idaho...I made it to 11,900 and Tyler made it to the top, at 12,600. I chickened out at Chicken Out Ridge, because I wanted to go back alive to my baby Avery!! That was quite a trip!!

We've done a fair share of spending time on the water as well. Avery is turning into quite a little fish!!

Back to the Cold Country

2009-05-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it. Avery survived. Sunny survived. It was a really great trip!!

We got into Vegas around 4:30 in the afternoon on Monday, checked into our hotel, and hit the strip. Kind of fun to be fancy free. Had a good dinner and enjoyed all the walks of life that venture to the strip-rednecks to first class.

Tuesday we decided to head up to the Hoover Dam, which was interesting. We didn't have a ton of time, as we had to get checked into another hotel and we got up there after noon, so to the disappointment of Tyler, we chose not to go through the visitor center and tour. I didn't mind so much, but I think Tyler would have enjoyed a little mechanical intrigue (huh. boring.)

We headed back to the hotel, got checked in, and then headed over to MGM to see the tigers. Before we knew it, it was 6 p.m., so we quickly got a bite at the Rainforest Cafe, and hurried back to the room (Ex Caliber) to get ready. I was starting to get nervous we would be late, so in our haste to get over to the Mandalay Bay, I forgot (gasp!!) the camera. Totally my bad. So we quickly bought a disposable camera (gasp!), with which we used, not knowing even as yet how the film has turned out. Yikes!! I love being a red neck from the sticks. No one expects more from you, not even yourself. Nice.

We got to will call, and picked our tickets, got our seats, and enjoyed the show. First comment to make is that the puppets are unreal!! Well, real, actually. Life like. Awesome!! So glad I have finally experienced it!! Amazing how much they can do on such a limited space as the stage. Really a masterpiece that all ages would enjoy. Highly recommend it!!

We headed home the next morning and got back to Pocatello aroung 6, went to meeting, and headed up to pick Avery up from Idaho Falls, where she did remember who we were, amazingly enough!! It's Saturday and I am still trying to de-spoil her!!

Weekend Away!

2009-05-03T21:51:00.001-07:00

Today marks a new adventure in our life!! We have left Avery for 3 nights with the grandparents and are on our way to Las Vegas to go see the Lion King. We are seeing how long it takes to miss her too much. We lasted about 2 hours, when we rolled into Twin Falls. Ring, ring....How's the baby? 'She doesn't even know you're gone!' ...well, good to know we're missed!!

We are staying with our friends Kristin and Blair tonight, Sunday, and then heading down Highway 93 through Ely and on down to Vegas for Monday and Tuesday night. The Lion King opens on Tuesday night and we are to be seated 8 pm sharp!! (Kim has been waiting to go to the Lion King for more than 10 years!! Yay!!--good thing Tyler loves me!!) The story is this:

Back in high school, The Lion King debuted on Broadway and made a lot of news. I really got interested to see it, but never thought too seriously about going. Then, when I returned to college in 03, we were asked as an assignment to make a goal collage to hang in our offices when we graduate (kind of silly, but nonetheless.) The theory was that if you have your goals staring you in the face, the more likely you would be to accomplish them. One 'goal' for me was to go to New York City and see The Lion King.

Well, we got to NYC just this winter. However, due to uncontrollable circumstances, we were unable to see The Lion King. I was disappointed, but I knew someday...

Then we headed to California for workm and as we headed through Vegas, we saw the billboard "Coming in May!! The Lion King!!"....and things set in motion!! We decided that we would make this work, and since we have never left Avery for more than a night, we felt this was a perect opportunity to take a mini vacation.

We look forward to it!!

Home Again, home again!

2009-04-27T15:13:00.001-07:00

Back to the cold country!! Last week we returned to Pocatello, just in the nick of time!! It was 90 the day we left, which was plenty warm for us!! Back to life, back to reality!! It snowed up in the hills Sunday!! Crazy life, I think!!

The top picture is of us with some friends in Ridgecrest. They took us to an old gold mine, the mine goes completely through the mountain!! A half mile!! It really got dark in there!! Avery did really well, and Sunny really enjoyed how cool it was inside the tunnel.

Easter Sunday Avery got to look for Easter eggs in the back yard of some other friends in Ridgecrest. She really enjoyed that and got the hang of looking for the eggs all by herself!! She found every last one of them!!

The last pic is Avery in her Easter Sunday dress and her "pretty" shoes she put on all by herself!! Note: on the wrong feet of course!!

Hiking With Daddy!!

2009-04-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Once she got into the Kelty, she was fine. In and Out, however, was a whole other story!! We hiked for 2 hours and not 1 complaint!! What a trooper we have. Tyler was beginning to feel the strain of her 27 pound person by the end of the trek.

Hangin' out

2009-04-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today has been a nice day. We got up early and took a hike up Walker Pass. Avery wasn't sure about the Kelty Pack, but once she got into it, she warmed up quite a bit. It has been a little while since we stuck her in it. When I get a little more time, I will be posting some pics of the past couple of weeks. See ya then!!!

Matching Girls!!

2009-03-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

It's already hot out!! We got settled in our trailer space on Saturday evening. Sunday we went to meeting at the Hansen's home, here in Ridgecrest. Then we spent a lazy afternoon at the trailer, and then headed to Tim and Nancy Taylor's home where they fed us homemade pizza and we enjoyed their gazebo outside. It was a nice beginning to this stay here in California.

When we got back to the trailer, Tyler made Avery and I pose as we matched in our brown skirts and our pink shirts!!

The Andersons

2009-03-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is Mike, Amanda, Dane, and Nora Anderson from Henderson, Nevade....we enjoyed a nice lunch with them on our way to California.

Having Fun with Dane

2009-03-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Las Vegas briefly for lunch and met a young family that were a young couple in Pocatello once upon a time...now they have two children, and the oldest, Dane, and Avery enjoyed lunch to the max in the curtains of the restaurant!!

Hinderager's Visit

2009-03-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

We were so afraid that the call to Cali would come a week too soon...and it almost did!! The call came Wednesday morning telling us to leave Friday, so we were able to see Marc, Louise, Janae, and Kara Hinderage, briefly, on their visit to the states from Australia. They are visiting as a whole family for the first time since they left in '04 before any of us here had met Kara. It was a nice time to meet her and visit, and the girls got along famously. They really enjoyed Sunny as well!

Last Ride of The Year!

2009-03-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, March 10, Tyler and Wray headed up Mink Creek for one last Harrah up on the hill. A beautiful day and plenty of snow, the two had a great time when they found an open field to play in. Tyler was grinning from ear to ear when he arrived back at home just in time to help me clean up for meeting later that night. Silly boys with their toys...of course, I believe if Avery had any clue where Daddy had gone, she would have wanted to be up on the hill as well...

New York!!

2009-03-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pic of New York!! I actually don't have all my pics on hand, but I will get them here soon...well, just a few choice pics. We went to see Carmen's family in February, and she and the kids took us up to Manhatten for a few days, which was great!! This, if you look close, is the ice skating rink in Rockefeller Center...we walked all over Times Square, Central Park, and then up to Rockefeller Center to have a coffee at Dean & Deluca (I have always wanted to go there!) We then saw the NBC studios and other miscellaneous things...we did have a wonderful time!! After NYC we spent a little over a week with the Hall's...hopefully we didn't wear out our welcome!! We had a terrific time!! A wonderful vacation!!

2009-03-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pic of us from Wyoming...

California...Again

2009-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe we are on the road again...and in California again. I wouldn't mind making this a yearly spring trip...it sure is nice to be sitting in the sun on a warm March morning... it should be around 80 this week...hmm...I believe it may be snowing at home...if not worse.

As soon as I can I will be posting some pics from the past few months and also of us here in Ridgecrest. Tyler started work yesterday and it seems to be what he expected...his friend and fellow weldor, Josh is working with him in Trona, about 45 minutes from where we are staying. The trailer park is quite a ways out of town, about 6 miles or so. But it's pleasant enough, so far. We spent Sunday with Tim and Nancy Taylor, who lived in Blackfoot when Tyler was quite young...it'll be nice to get to know them.

Avery did very well on the trip down here. She was very patient and rarely screamed and cried in objection to her seat. Sunny also did well. He prefers to be outdoors on his chain and so at the moment Avery and I keeping him company in the luxury of the shade.

Home at last...

2008-11-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well, Avery and I leave Thursday (tomorrow) to head back home. Though we are sorry to leave Tyler we are very excited to be going back to Pocatello. The good news is that Tyler will be heading West also hopefully next Wednesday, to be home in time for the holidays. The bad news is that it does look like they will be asking him to come back for a few more weeks. Which is good and bad news in itself. However, he will be bringing the trailer home and if and when he comes back for the last bit, he will just stay in a hotel. That is all for now!!

Working at the Railroad!!

2008-11-14T14:47:00.001-08:00

Tyler had the afternoon off this week and so we headed over to the Douglas Information Center and Railroad Museum. It was neat to see all the rail cars, from the dining car to the Caboose. There was also a Great American Jackalope...well there should have been, seeing as this is the "Home of The Jackalope." It is the pride of the county, all the Jackalope around here!! Everwhere you turn, there they are!!! Avery really enjoys to pet the stuffed Jackalope at the KOA office...everytime we go in there, she is enthralled at the soft fur and the antlers on his head!!!

Notice, too, Avery's favorite outfit. Ever since Halloween, she finds her Cinderella Dress and wants to wear it!! It's this week's "must have!!"

Papparazzi!!!

2008-11-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Caught on Camera!!! Avery thinks she's pretty special in her hat and sunglasses!! Last night Tyler popped some Sunday Popcorn, and Avery just had to show off her stuff to distract him while she swiped his prized popcorn!!

We got these sunglasses and now she wants to wear them at all times. The hat still has the mittens attatched to the top of them, as I am trying to decide if it really fits her, but she loves to wear it all around the house as well. Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!!!

Casper Mountain

2008-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went up behind Casper to Casper Mountain. From afar, it just looks like a ridge that runs east and west, nothing real excting. But as we drew closer, we could see that to get to the top, we had to climb up a road that had a drop off, a sheer cliff we had to climb. It was very interesting. On the top, we found the ski lodge, Hogodon, and then some good nature trails that are also cross country ski trails. They are lit at night with street lights. The pics are from our "hike."

Playing with Sunny

2008-10-31T20:37:00.000-07:00

Lovin' on Sunny!! Avery has taken a real liking to her puppy dog! She often gets on him (like he's her own personal horse) and cuddles close to him. He doesn't seem to mind (but he also doesn't seem to love it, either)...

Trick or treat!!

2008-10-31T20:26:00.001-07:00

Trick or Treat, smell my feet!! Avery had a blast trying to figure out the purpose of her candy bag!! We quickly went around a small neighborhood and showed off our little Cinderella! Now she has candy galore!

Happy Hallow's Eve!

2008-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

BOO!!

Drivi' back to Wyoming!!

2008-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but have to post these pics of Avery in her Sunday best. This was Sunday on the way back to Douglas after a "relaxing" weekend at home, filled with relaxing tasks such as winterizing everything!!! The weather was on our side at least!!

2008-10-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

Avery and Tyler went for a ride on the pony ( In Keystone.) She only liked it when one of us helped!! Not too crazy riding on her own!!

More Rushmore

2008-10-31T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is Avery enjoying the snow at Mount Rushmore - the first snow of the year and the first snow that Avery has ever had the pleasure to play in. She was enthralled by it!!

2008-10-29T20:03:00.001-07:00

So just a little note to say that we made it back to Wyoming in one piece. The weather has been nothing short of fantastic, which makes Tyler happy. I've told him that Avery and I will stay until it gets too unbearably cold, however, we have been in the high 60's and low 70's, making it very pleasant to be here. We'll see how long that lasts.

2008-10-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

Rushmore Weekend

2008-10-22T15:22:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago we decided to see an American Wonder. We headed Northeast to South Dakota and to Mount Rushmore. It was a cold, foggy weekend, but very enjoyable!! Tyler had never been there, and so it was fascinating for him to see the mountain.

What was fun, too, was that Avery had never really seen/played in snow before. She was so engrossed with the snow on the ground, but didn't like how cold her hands became!!

We stayed at Darrin and Marcia Hansens' on Friday night, and then went up to Keystone, South Dakota for Saturday night. We walked the boardwalk and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!!!

Douglas,Wyoming

2008-10-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog spot!!

It is Tuesday, Oct 21, and the weather outside is frightful! Well, wet enough that Tyler was sent home for the day and so we spent the afternoon chillin' in the trailer and shopping in town. Time always seems to go by quickly no matter what we do!!

These pics were taken at the walkway along the river in Douglas. We walked on this path quite a bit this summer and hopefully we can get some more walks in before it gets too nasty out. However, it did snow today!! Yikes!!