Train ridin'

So.... I have been a little behind on getting some posts on here, the summer is busy, I am starting a new job and I have been planning a 35th wedding anniversary party for my parents. I thought that I would take a litte time to put a few things on here. Barbara, Em and Mimi went on the Front Runner down to Gateway. We had lunch and did some shopping. We had a good time. We walked Mimi's legs right off. This picture was taken while we were on the train, headed down there of course... they are all full of energy and excited to be going, the ride home was a little different, we were all tired and ready for a nap!

Mmmm! The sweet taste of summer!

We had a ton of beautiful ripe strawberries in our back yard. We picked them and Miland cleaned them up and cut them up to make this georgeous strawberry pie. He made the crust by scratch and everything. It was so yummy. Emma is the photographer on this, she does a pretty good job (minus cutting Miland's head off a bit, but I guess that it is hard to point the camera that tall when you are only 7). Thanks for the yummy pie!

Last weekend we packed up the whole family and went to Strawberry reservoir. We had a great time, but it was wet and a little cold. We went with the family of Emma's friend Mitchell. The girls had a great time hiking and going in the boat. I love spending time with the family.

Weight Watchers Update...

I started to write this post, and now it is July 4th and I have been doing Weight watchers for 5 weeks now and have lost 13.4 pounds... add that to the 15 I had lost since December and I have now lost 28.4 pounds! I am so excited. The last time that I had lost this much weight was my senior year in high school. I am going to keep on trucking... want to make my 15 lb mark by my next weigh in! Wish me luck... it is so hard not to eat all the fun BBQ foods!

Weight just a minute!

So... I finally decided, with the push from our health insurance,to work on being healthier. I joined Weight Watchers and have made a real effort to begin an exercise routine... however, while doing my first yoga class, I twisted funny and hurt my back once again. I feel so dumb and am frustrated with myself. I know that it will heal, as it already is starting to feel better, but it is difficult to have to cut back on my activity already. I lost 7 lbs my first week at Weight Watchers, injured myself the beginning of my second week and gained back .6 lb. I know that isn't that big of a deal, but the goal here is to go down each week. My dad has lost nearly 45 lbs in 16 months and I hope that I can do as well as he has. I had to write this all out so that I can get over myself and get on with it. Wish me luck!

My Goodbye to "Motorcycle Dave"

I am writing this post on my blog to say goodbye to my employer and friend of six years. My family and I left for vacation to Seaside Oregon to have fun on the beach for a week on Friday May 15th. I took in the payroll to Dave as we headed out of town, not knowing that it would be the last time I would see him. On Sunday, as we were looking at the beautiful Multnoma falls in Oregon, only an hour or so away from our destination, Josh, Dave's son called me and told me that his dad died Saturday night out at the Knolls while riding his ATV. Apparently, he was trying to go up an embankment too fast and rolled his Tyrex. The roll bar crushed in and according to the coroner, Dave died from "Extreme Whiplash" or I guess it is something just short of a broken neck. I was devastated. Dave made me crazy some days with his wacky finance strategies, but never failed to make me laugh. He told me things would be okay when I was stressing, and enjoyed seeing my girls twice a week. His shop was a huge part of my life for 6 years and I am having a hard time trying to come to the realization that my friend and my job are now gone. I am so grateful to have worked for Dave, he gave me the chance to stay at home to raise my girls while earning a paycheck. I missed his memorial service because we were in Oregon, and it was so hard for me, not being able to say goodbye. I had to pack up all of his files and take them to his son, sister and ex-wife for them to try to figure out what to do now. I see a lesson in this... be prepared. Dave had no life insurance, no co-signers on any of his bank accounts, no will or trust, no list of his debtors, he really left his family no clue where to start to close his business. Now it is going to take lawyers and time to get all of his things sorted out. If I can say anything to everyone out there it is: Please think of the future and your family and friends. Make sure that people know what you want and where your documents are. If you are not organized in any part of your life, make sure that you are in this one part. Nobody likes to think about their death, but it is so important that you do and prepare for it. I'll miss you Dave and I know that you went out the way you wanted to... having fun! Love ya!

Happy Birthday to my Big Girl!

My Emma was born 7 years ago today. I was kidding with her yesterday and told her that I was going to wake her up at 3:24 am to tell her happy birthday since that is the time that she was born. She did not like that idea very much. Funny thing is... Mia woke up at 3:30 this morning and had to come in to tell us that her diaper had leaked and she needed to be changed and her bed changed. Hilarious, we were all awake except Emma. I remember how long we had to wait to have this precious child come into our lives. I am grateful to her birthmother for making the decision to place Emma with us. We love her (stubborness and all) and are so happy to have her in our family. I can't believe how fast our kids grow. They always said that you blink and your children will be grown... but I never believed it, especially when you think that some days will never end, but it is the truth. I love you Emma and I am so happy that you are my daughter.