A Poor Man's Getaway

My friend Kristi just turned 30, sorry Kristi, now the world knows. She invited myself and our friend Tara for a girls weekend in Vegas to celebrate/mourn. Although we desperately wanted to go, we just couldn't, for various reasons. So we put our heads together and started thinking of some other ways that we could show Kristi a good time. We decided Wendover would be a fun idea, and decided to bring the hubby's along.

So we headed out Friday night after work and started with a lovely dinner at the "Over the Rainbow" restaurant then some gambling at the Rainbow, where we were staying.
Opee was so excited about his players card he thought he would try it everywhere.Then we took the shuttle to the nugget, where our luck changed (at least for one of us).

Kristi and I were playing some slots next to each other and were both relatively excited when she won 10,000 credits. We both thought $10 was a pretty good win. Luckily, Ryan came along and helped us out with the math, it was actually $100 dollars she had won. I guess we should have been much more excited, but we made up for it when the ticket printed.Don't let Tara fool you, I think that ticket only says $5.00

Of course the most fun came when we headed back to one of the rooms to just play some games with our friends. It was a lot of fun memories and a lot of "one-liners" that none of us will forget. I know it was Kristi's party, but we all loved getting away. I just love that I have such great friends that make life wonderful, and such great in-laws that love tending Andrea so Ryan and I can do this. Happy Birthday Kristi!

My Side of the Family

Technically, time wise, this post should go before the Easter one, but I guess you will all just have to pretend. My brother Ryan came down for a visit over spring break and I thought this would be a good chance to get some family pictures like we had with the Lees. So I asked my friend Kristi, again, if she would do the honors. Her and I were both worried about the amount of daylight since everyone's schedules didn't allow the photo shoot to begin until 6:00. So she suggested asking our friend/ex-coworker Emily to help out since she is also quite the photographer.
It seemed like everything went wrong that day... we had planned to do the pictures outside at a farm in Grantsville, but the wind was blowing so hard we weren't sure if it was going to work. Then a fire on I-80 (yes, that was the day) shut down the two main highways to Tooele. So both my brother Brent and my brother Eric (and family) were stuck in the mess. I thought for sure we would have to cancel, and I felt like crying because of the luck we were having. But just as I waved my white flag, the highway opened back up and everyone arrived just on time.

We were all still worried about the wind as we drove to the farm but I figured we would give it a shot before moving the photos indoors. Although it was a little chilly, the trees blocked the wind enough that the night was a success! I'm so happy that it was all able to work out and I'm so glad that I have such great friends who are willing to provide such great memories! I hope you both know how much it means to me and my family! So here they are, the photos that took a few years off my life, there are quite a few, but what can I say... it's a big family.

Here are my siblings:

My oldest brother Brent and his wife Becky:

My next oldest brother Ryan and his wife Melissa, daughter Sydney, and sons Andy and Taylor:

My brother Eric and his wife Amy, daughter Brigitta, and son Roland:


You all know our little family:

And all of the grandkids:

Hippity-Hoppity

I was so excited for Easter this year because I knew Andrea would be old enough to understand it. Last Easter was her blessing day, and that will always be special, but now each year will be more fun than the last.

I ordered her Easter basket last year after the holiday, so I got a good deal, but it doesn't hold much. We may have to upgrade in a year or two. The Easter bunny left her a farm sounds puzzle, an outfit, a talking egg, a mooing/pooping cow, and a light up ducky. He placed them in her chair so she would know that it was all for her. It took no time at all for her to realize that there was something new and exciting in the room.Grandma and Grandpa Lee had planned a fun easter egg hunt for all of the grandchildren, but the weather just didn't cooperate! Although it was a nice day, there was still snow on the ground, so the hunt was moved indoors. Grandma entertained the kids downstairs while the parents hid the goodies (well, Matt and I did most of the hiding because Ryan and Sara were feeling a little under the weather).

Each child was given their own theme for their eggs: Peyton's were sports, Meryn's were flowers and butterflies, and Andrea's were animals. They were told to only pick up their own and they all did pretty well, Andrea did get a few of Meryn's but I re-hid them when she wasn't looking. They each also got their own bubbles, pez, pin-wheel, and kite. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa really went all out, and the kids loved it!

Here is some video of what it's like to get a 14-month old to hunt for eggs.

I just love Meryn's face in this one, like she's jealous of Peyton's goodies. So I think it was a wonderful Easter, the kids definately enjoyed themselves, and that's what it's all about. I'm so lucky to have my little cutie this year and to have such wonderful family to spend the holidays with!