Just Dive Right In

Facebook SUCKS!

2011-09-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here is Damon's 5-6 Month video with cousin Sienna. Stupid Facebook knows about my songs as a background and claims copyright infringement. Blah Blah...

Not sure how else to post a video with better quality...until then, you get to view it this way.

Damon's 4-5 Month video that Facebook refuses to Post

2011-08-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

My Mister, or as Louie calls "little man"

2011-03-22T17:55:00.001-07:00

Damon was born on February 24th at 12:21am. He was 8lbs 12oz, 21.25" long with a head size of 14.25". The birth went really smooth. The epidural was key, although I was more freaked out about getting the epidural than actually giving birth. I was induced (by breaking my water) at 7am on February 23rd, and reached 10cm by 11:15pm. The epidural went in at 3pm at 4cm. My mom, louie's mom, Kyla, and erin accompanied Louie and I for the delivery. What an experience. I don't have many thoughts at the moment about this experience except that I am not ready to do it again anytime soon.

Meet my Mister

First encounter with the puppy dog.

This is taken today at two days shy of 1 month old. We are just now starting to figure each other out. What a journey.

Location:E St Maries Ave,Coeur d'Alene,United States

House Remodel Update

2011-02-17T12:36:00.001-08:00

As I have had the last three weeks home from work, waiting for this baby to come, I have come to realize how much we have done to this house in the last 1.5 years. I wanted to take you back to when we started, and where we are now.

To Start, the Living Room:

What was………………………………………………………………………………………Is now……………………………………………………………

Onto the computer Nook:

There was a wall………………………………………………………………………….Now there isn’t.

The Dining Room:

Carpet is going………………….going……………………………………………………………Gone!

The Kitchen:

Old…………………………………………………………………………vs………………………………………………….the new.

The Kitchen is still a work in progress…but it is looking PRETTY!

The Stairs:

Once gross carpet = Pretty Pretty Pine!

What we call the Office/Craft Room turned Baby Room:

Looking back, this is pretty impressive the improvements made. Big props to the Louie’s for doing most of the work. I can only really take credit for the baby room, and picking out some of the materials used in the other rooms. I was the big pull to knock out that wall and to create the computer nook. I am very very impressed!

First Ultrasound

2010-08-03T09:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the first ultrasound of baby Mysse. Louie and my mom went with me. I wasn’t expecting to see much, and had warned Louie of that. They had told me that they would have to do an internal ultrasound because the kid is too small to see through the “stomach” way. When we got called back, the ultrasound lady was short, old, and frumpy, but she loved her job and had been doing it for 40 years. She says in the Cd’A area that she has 20,000 babies running around. Crazy. Anyways…there was no prep, the ultrasound was right away. The lady did the “stomach” method first and immediately you could see the little guy. It was amazing and shocked all of us how clearly you could see “it”. The baby waved to us, kicked it’s feet, arched it’s back, was very active. We could see the heart beating and thank god there was only one! We were all shocked and how much you can see, and how much it looks like a baby at 11 weeks 2 days. You can’t tell much at this ultrasound except the age of the baby, which is why I did the ultrasound in the first place. Like I said, I am 11 weeks, 3 days pregnant. The kid measured 47mm, with a heartbeat of 167. We heard the heartbeat for maybe 5 seconds is all. I have a due date of around Feb. 19th…so a week earlier than Brent and Danielle. I had originally thought I was a week later. To sum it up, it was a very cool and amazing experience to watch the screen and see the little baby moving around so much. It definitely made it seem a lot more real and I am 100 times more excited now.

I have another appt in 4 weeks, just a routine checkup. Should know the sex of the baby at the end of Sept.

Ironman ‘10

2010-07-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Kayaking for Radiant lake (see previous post) motivated me to kayak for Ironman, this time recruiting Louie to assist. Lets just say this was a different experience. Instead of a sprint Triathlon, in which was kayaking part maybe lasted 45 minutes, this was 2400 athletes, swimming 2.4 miles. We were asked to be on the water by 5am. EARLY! The race didn’t start until 7:30am, so we were a little annoyed we had to sit for so long in the kayaks.

5 am was not exciting for us as I feel into the water when I tried to get into my kayak. Louie thought that was hilarious though. It was cool to see the moon and water the sunrise though.

This is the crowd watching the start of the race. If you haven’t watched the start of 2400 athletes enter the water all at one time, it is pretty amazing. This time we got to see it from the water.

These are the elites athletes, which get 50,000 if they win. Luckily they get a different start time.

The elites swimming their second lap, while the “normal” athletes start lining up on the beach. The paddleboarder is along side the first female swimmer so we can keep track.

The mob, 2400 racers. It was a madhouse.

And they are off. I lucky never had a swimmer hold on to my kayak for a rest. Louie had to help several swimmers though. I heard that there were somewhere between 25-30 people that had to get pulled out of the water all together. It was pretty intense. If only we didn’t have to sit in our kayaks for so long, I would consider volunteering again. It was just a long time to be on the water and wait. A good experience though.

Radiant Lake Triathlon

2010-07-30T16:40:00.001-07:00

This summer has been a volunteering summer. I was recruited to kayak for the 1st annual Radiant Lake Sprint Tri in early summer. I can’t really remember when. Haha. Anyways, I somewhat dreaded going as it was early on Sunday morning, but once I got there it was really fun, and I got a really nice shirt for volunteering!

I was stationed at the first turn, by this fountain. As you can see the wind was blowing and you can say that I got soaked in my kayak. Thankfully, everyone made it past the 1/2 mile swim and no swimmer needed help . Two of my “Elkins” family was in the race and it was fun cheering them on!

A Day at the Park

2010-04-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

Can you say 75 degrees in April? Oh yeah! Matt, Cassie and the girls came to visit Mom and I in Cd’A this afternoon. We had a picnic in the park and got lots of playing time! And of course a photo shoot. How can I resist?

Craft room

2010-04-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

So we have finally finished the craft room. Now it is just set up time and finding a place for everything.

Here is louies project. We have this storage and we decided to buy chalkboard paint and paint the doors with it and frame the doors to look like pictures. It is sweet! Louie made one of the doors too because only one door exisited.

On one wall I put up a bunch of butterfly decals. I saw on extreme home makeover a master bedroom had butterflies for wall paper. I loved it and ended up finding these decals at tj maxx for cheap! I almost think it looks too busy but Louie said it's fine.

I got my craft organizer from michaels. I have been eyeing it for months! I found a 50% off coupon and used my 30 dollar gift card from Christmas so it only cost me 12 dollars. (originally 80). I was so excited to fill it last night with my paints and buttons! Thanks to the jars I got from louies parents in Montana! Now I just need more ribbon!

I am excited to finally get to use it! What to do!?!

-- Post From My iPhone

Spring has arrived!

2010-03-22T17:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend we decided to take a trip around tubbs hill. Bentley has been a bit neglected these days so he was stoked to have a long walk.

The lake was beautiful. Spring has arrived and the wild flowers were in bloom.

I liked these pretty little yellow flowers. I liked how the pedals flipped up.

Gotta love this place when it is sunny and warm! Oh happy day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:E St Maries Ave,Coeur d'Alene,United States

Craft Room?

2010-03-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

So I know we said the projects were done for awhile, but I got antsy. My antsy-ness = my project (according to Louie). Our house look so nice, and is soo cozy with the new floors, painted walls, and everything. What can I say? We have this little nook outside of our bedroom upstairs. It used to house the computer, until we built a new little nook downstairs. Now, this nook upstairs is going to be my new craft room. Hence, my project. This is what it used to look like. Carpeted.

So, we tore out the carpet, and found the same fir/larch that was throughout our house downstairs. For the downstairs project, we were going to refinish them, but then found a heck of a deal on red oak that we couldn’t pass up. For the upstairs, I decided that I was going to try to save the fir/larch, plus I am cheap.

Imagine 4 layers of paint on the wood floors.

Since belt sanding was getting no where, we decided on paint stripper. White, Red, Green, Grey, WOOD!

The grey layer we could not get up with the stripper…it was a grey goo, instead of paint. I am wondering if it is the old finish, not paint. Anyways…I was at it again with the belt sander…but you can see, getting no where fast.

Today, I was fed up, and rented this handy beast. Never used one, but we became best friends. Well worth the 40 dollars, sore body, and dust everywhere. Way quicker than hands and knees, with a belt sander.

Maybe it will someday transform into this?

What’s next you may ask? Stairs.

I wasn’t planning on ripping out the carpet on the stairs, but Louie got motivated and found his new project.

Stairs before

Whats to come…One at a time.

We have a black theme going on in the house…so the kickplates, as I like to call them, will be stained black, and the top of the stairs, will be pine. A nice contrast.

This girl makes ME smile!

2010-03-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

I got the spend the day with Matt, Bella and Lilah last Monday. It was a whopping 58 degrees and sunny! Sooo nice! We went the Riverfront park and watched the girls run run run in the grass. Lilah wasn't too sure about the grass a first, and complained some. But, she finally got into it. Bella just went all out. Stupidly, I did not bring my camera to the park with us. When we got home though, I whipped it out and got some shots of Bella, while Lilah was napping. They are so much fun!

A New Model

2010-02-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

Today I took Erin's dog Lucy to Sander's Beach with us. She had a BLAST bugging Bentley as usual! Erin has always asked when Lucy's photoshoot is going to be...here you have it!

This was a LUCKY shot! I wasn't expecting Lucy to jump from the rock to the shore...and I just happened to click at the right time. I think this is an awesome shot!

Now the sequence of the typical stick throwing contest. Bentley retrieves from the water, and Lucy tries to steal it when he gets to shore. Bentley loved that Lucy was on a leash.

A waiting doggy...

This was also a special shot because these two dog NEVER get nose to nose. I think this is cute!

On the way home.

I am irritated with the blogger. There is no good way to organize these photos and make them bigger through blogger. I need to somehow find a good program for MAC. grrr.

House almost done

2010-02-20T21:41:00.001-08:00

It's pretty!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Floors finally!

2010-02-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

Unfinished floor

Finishing floor

Still working...

Two coats of poly are one. At least two more to go. Isn't it pretty?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aunties girl in training

2010-01-31T15:51:00.000-08:00

This last weekend was my birthday weekend and my present from Louie was a plane ticket to go visit my friends in oak harbor. A lot of our time was spent driving to and from the airport, around downtown Seattle to the aquarium, on the ferry to port townsend (no never made it to forks, but I tried), a search for the elusive game farm (which ended up being closed) and back to their house. We got lots of quality road trip time with Taryn and I made sure we captured it. I was teaching T about making funny faces at the camera.

Mommy made sure she was in the mix too.

She was getting really good at making faces and wanted to take lots and lots. Also this kid is brilliant at figuring out the iPhone. I had a drawing app that she had hours of entertainment on.

We had lots of fun! I am glad that I got to spend my birthday with some great friends!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spring time in January?

2010-01-21T17:05:00.001-08:00

What? The weather in coeur d Alene has been amazing this week. One day we had 55 degrees and sunshine. I sat outside in my t-shirt and was comfortable. Today, since it has been nice out, I decided to take bentley to the beach. Can you say excited? It was 45 degrees and beautiful.

This is how sanders beach should look in the summer. I wish!

Swimming?

Louie and I are both getting spring fever. I just wish it really was spring and not the dead of winter.

On other news, we have new floors! They are red oak, 5" wide. They are in their adjustment period. We hve to wait 3-5 days to lay them down. I can't wait!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday Breakfast

2010-01-17T20:04:00.001-08:00

It has been a tradition for a long time now, to go to Matt and Casey’s house for Sunday breakfast every other Sunday. When the girls were born, our tradition started failing. Now we are back on track. It is a great way to spend some time together, and especially bond with the girls. I love this tradition. Plus the food ROCKS! Thanks Casey!

I got lots of pictures of Mom and the girls today. I am sure she will be happy about that!

Morning walk

2010-01-17T08:05:00.001-08:00

I am currently on a walk with my boy B and it's warm (for Idaho) and foggy. It kinda of a cool walk. I have yet to see one car, one person, or one other dog. Where is everyone? Maybe I am living post-apacolypo ages on my journey to deliver the book. Oh wait. That was the movie last night, not me. Anyways, here's bentley and I this morning.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The house

2010-01-06T12:03:00.001-08:00

These are some pictures from the living room this morning. I don't think I have posted much recently and Kyla has inspired me to post about the house.

My doggy has been needy this morning

My real reason to blog is because I got a new app for my iPhone that makes blogging easier. Hope it works!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thanksgiving Weekend and More

2009-12-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, I really suck at blogging. I am never sitting at this iMac anymore, and when I do it is normally to pay a bill or read some sort of random article. Plus, I really hate that there isn't not a good way to blog on this stupid machine. I really need to find a program like Window's Live Writer. Oh well.

Thanksgiving weekend was awesome! Kyla, Rob and Taryn joined us from Oak Harbor, WA as well as Louie's parents for a great weekend. The highlight was definitely the Friday festivities of parade, lighting, and big big fireworks! Couldn't have ask for a more perfect evening for it all. I didn't partake in much of the Black Friday shopping like I used to do. There did not seem to be as many "steals" out there...or maybe it has to do with the fact that there isn't any money to be spent. That always puts a bah-humbug to everything.

It snowed 2-3 inches today, on a different, more current note. I have decided that I really like the snow when it is fresh and beautiful. I do not care for the fact that we live on a corner lot and I have twice the amount of sidewalks to shovel. Thank god we aren't getting the 8 feet of snow like we did last year. I would have the muscles after that winter for sure. It is a nice break from the 2, 5, 8 degrees we have been having. This feels like a heat wave!

Last weekend we did our annual Christmas cookie making over at Matt and Casey's house. I am sad to say that I forgot to bring a camera with me...sad day. Oh well. The twins were very cute and lovable. We only made and decorated two batches of the sugar cookies this year. I have another two batches of dough in my refridge and I am just trying to get the motivation to cook and decorate those. It is sooo much work.

Tomorrow I am heading over to the Truscotts house for the annual Apple Strudel making. Wow...what a lot of traditions over the holidays. It is nice.

I am just getting over another head cold. They suck.

As far the house goes...we got crown molding up, I finally got the mantel done, and we have put up the big 52" tv as well as the receiver and surround sound in the living room, to match our couches we put in a couple weeks ago. I think we are a little antsy to get our living room in order. We have already watched Harry Potter 5 and 6 on Blu Ray with our speakers and sitting on our couches. It is nice to report and Louie, Bentley and I can all sprawl out on our sectional and we don't even touch each other. It is very comfy. Now if we can only get a floor in. haha. I think the goal is to try for superbowl. We will see.

This upcoming weekend we celebrate Christmas in Libby Montana with Louie's parents. I am really looking forward to that! I can't believe Christmas in only 1.5 weeks away. Whoa.

Bella and Lilah

2009-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

So it has been a LOOOONG time since I have spent any quality time with my two favorite twins! I got the chance to spend all day Tuesday with them. They are almost 9 months old now and just about crawling. What a BIG difference from being with them from newborn to 4 months old, and now five months later. I can't believe how much they are growing! They are eating baby food now and only nap twice a day, instead of almost all day. They are such a joy to be around. More pictures can be found on Facebook. These are just my favorites.

Freshies

2009-11-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend was eventful! Friday night Louie and I went to the Banff Film Festival in Spokane. It was amazing, as always...and inspiring to get out into the outdoors! We woke up on Saturday to go to NEW MOON (Twilight series). The movie was WAY better than the first movie. Then we went to the Verizon and AT&T stores and ended up with one white Iphone and one Black Iphone (My Christmas present and Louie's birthday present). So, my phone number has changed.

Sunday we woke up to a winter wonderland with around 2-3 inches on the ground. We took a walk, went over to Matt and Caseys for Sunday breakfast and then I headed to the Broadway Production of the Lion King in Spokane with my friend Alan. It was sooooo good!

It is getting closer to Thanksgiving. Wow is it really winter already?

A Moment with Bentley

2009-10-29T09:43:00.001-07:00

And this morning…we went on a walk and found a surprise…

This morning we had the first snow fall. Man…really…winter already?

And He's Off

2009-09-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Just now, my dad came over with his truck, camper, and car. He is on his way to the sunny south for 7 months. His dream is becoming a reality...getting away from the snow and joining the other snowbirds in California/Arizona. Lets just say, Bentley and I will thoroughly miss him...especially Bentley. It has become a routine were dad comes every morning to pick up Bentley for the day while I am at work. He comes at 8 am every morning, walking in the same direction. Bentley knows this is coming, and wakes me up to let him outside. Sometimes at 6 am, and sometimes not till right at 8 am. Bentley sits on the front porch, sometimes for hours, and just watches in the direction dad always comes. I am afraid that tomorrow morning is going to come as a shock for him, when dad does not come around that corner at 8 am. We will have some adjustments to make. Good Luck Dad!

Weekend In Leavenworth

2009-09-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went with the Cocks Family to Leavenworth for the Fall Leaf Festival. It is a tradition that this family has been doing for over 20 years. I had the privilege of going two years ago, and again this year. As always...it is a blast! There was lots of laughing, parade watching, wine tasting, shopping and hanging out. It was a nice weekend get away. Most of the pictures I took was on a little walk around the Leavenworth Park. I got really into these bamboo shoots that were a yellowish green color and just kept trying to get a good picture of how cool they really looked in real life. Also, I saw the first leaves turn color...fall really is coming...even though we had 85 degree weather all weekend! All the others have all the crazy goofy people pictures...I will have to steal copies from them.

Then as a surprise...and some lies from Louie...I found, when I came home, that more dry wall and the hall closet door was put in. He wasn't just a couch potato all weekend like he had me led on the believe. His parents had come in for the weekend and helped him with the house. This is what is now looks like.

What was Before Is No Longer

2009-09-21T09:12:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Louie's parents were in town, yet again to help us with the house. They also had an excuse to visit because of a concert in Spokane they went to see on Saturday evening. Lots was accomplished this weekend...the biggest is that the furnace is back up and running! Which is good because the new thermostat reads 54 degrees this morning. brrr. We also got the home theater outlets to have a new breaker and power to them. Also...I came up with a new idea. The running joke is that I am not allowed to watch the DIY network anymore. I come up with new grand ideas and the old projects just seem to get bigger and bigger. With this new imac though...i decided it needed a new home sweet home. I found this on their website...

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-build-an-office-under-the-stairs/index.html

so the project began to build a office under the stairs. It should be pretty cool. I guess while Louie was demolishing...he cut right into the water line for upstairs and water went everywhere. Lydia and I were sad we missed that one. (we were out shopping). So this is what is new with the house...

Also it was my dad's birthday this weekend. We celebrated by going out to Azteca for dinner and had icecream in mom and erin's new house. It was fun. Mom and Erin moved into their new house this weekend...so we now have them three blocks away. Watch out...the Dvoraceks are all within a 7 block radius!

New Addition to the Family

2009-09-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Do I need to say anything else? Can we say Happiness?

Thank you Louie! :) Now picture editing will be so much

sweeter!

Fleming Family Video

2009-09-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Back in August, I got the priviledge of taking pictures of the Fleming Family on their farm in Reardan, WA. Louie came with me...and I stuck him with a video camera. I love the idea of making a short film of the photoshoot (an idea I stole from Tara Whitney). So...after many trails and tribulations, of broken down computers, and dvd burners not working, and internet crashing...I think I have finally been able to burn it and upload it. Here's hoping! The quality of the short film is grainy because I had to shrink the file way down to upload it on the internet. I have the final pictures and copies of this video in the mail to the family. I hope they like it.

Hiawatha Trail

2009-08-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

Saturday the Louie’s, Lydia, Alan and I went onto the Hiawatha Trail. It happened to be the only crappy day for the whole week! We left at 9 am and headed onto the trail. If you don’t know about the Hiawatha Trail…it is almost 15 miles downhill! There are like 9 tunnels and 9 train bridges you go into and over. The longest tunnel is 1.7 miles long…pitch black and mad fun! We get to go through that one twice!

Going into the tunnel…picture taken inside the tunnel…we couldn’t see anything!

These chipmunks were very plump…getting ready for winter! They were also very friendly!

This is the crew…and also if you didn’t have a fender on your bike…you got mud all over!

It was a great time and a perfect Idaho thing to do in the summer!

As far as the house remodel. We got a wall knocked out and the living room wired for a 7.1 home theater system. I didn’t get pictures of this…but Louie did.

More...

2009-08-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

More Pics from the Fleming Family Photoshoot...I have lots and lots...took over 200 shots...It's hard to choose the best ones..so I will just keep posting...Also I had to use a different way to post the pictures since my programs aren't on this one...so the pictures might not be as good of quality of as big. Oh well...at least you get to see some more.

Also have pictures to share from the weekend...but that will just have to be another day.

Fleming Family Sneak Peak

2009-08-25T21:39:00.001-07:00

I really early sneaky peaky...i really decreased the quality of picture...so some might appear blurry, but they are not...except for the jumping one...that one really is blurring...couldn't get it right.

SubFlooring = Finished

2009-08-18T10:03:00.001-07:00

Louie finished the subflooring while I was at work on Sunday. He did an amazing job and it is super solid now! Today, I just dropped off some samples of the old wood floors that we pulled up and took them to a mill to see if they will refinish them for us. Here’s hoping!

Like our make-shift stairs for now? Haha. This is kind of a cool picture of the new vs. the old. I am getting excited to pick paint colors and to finally have this project done! Seems like we can see the end now!

Living Room Sub-Flooring

2009-08-15T19:02:00.001-07:00

Today, Louie and I worked on the living room sub-floor project.

This is pretty much how we started the day (picture a lot more of the old sub-flooring in, and also the new cross beam wasn’t in yet).

Two different angles of shots here…but look at the old support (which is just a tree log) and now the new one. Louie’s dad should be happy that there are new support beams which equals minimum bounce in the floor.

Here is a picture of the new beam by the fireplace and new cross beam we had to put next the old one because there was dry rot in the old one.

Louie had to use swim goggles as eye protection while cutting this piece of plywood. It was hilarious how he looked! Well…you can see!

This is where we are at 5:00 pm. We are still working…Hopefully going to get most of the new subflooring in tonight.

sneaky peaky

2009-08-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

just a few…

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

Last Wednesday, I took Ashley and two of her friends out for another senior picture photoshoot. This time we went to Manito park and it was AWESOME…but again very hot! Anyways…there are over 170 pictures…so it was VERY hard to choose just a few of my favorites. But…these ones are mine.

There are several more good ones…but I couldn’t post them all.

This Weekend

2009-08-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

Wow a busy weekend. This weekend was Art on the Green…my FAVORITE weekend of the year EVER! I went on Friday evening and met my Mom and Erin to watch Tuxedo Junction, a big band music band. They were pretty good.

Saturday, Louie and I worked on the living room floor. We got two subfloor pieces in, and ran out of boards and time. We headed down to the park again for dinner and met my mom and her friends. We looked at the booths in the city park, and down at NIC college. There were some cool booths this year…we really liked one local guy who did abstract art of the local lakes and towns. I am spacing his name right now, but his art is 2,000 dollars for one. It is worth it though. Maybe next year if I can save!

Today we went down to the Street Fair and looked at the booths there. We got our photobooth picture taken and visited with our friend Mike Normand who has a longboard booth. He is doing pretty good this year, even with the economy down. Louie’s friend Bean is in town (got a new job at Avista and will be moving here). We decided to go out on the boat for a little tour and swimming since it is soo hot! We had a blast!

They had fun floating on the lifejackets and drinking their beer. Did I mention I love summers in Cd’A?

Scroll down for our Libby adventure last weekend.

Libby Weekend

2009-08-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

I had a lot of great pictures from Libby two weekends ago…so I couldn’t pass up this post. We went for Louie’s 10 year high school reunion, and never went to a single event. He ended up meeting up with a couple of friends around town, so it turned out.

These cows are in Louie’s backyard neighbors. I have always had a fascination for cows.

We went shooting to test some plates for Louie’s work. The flies were HORRIBLE and Lydia found a natural fly swatter. It was pretty funny.

Can anyone say Montana?

Found a pretty sweet HUGE bee hive. It was hard to take a picture of though. Also, Louie’s Dad looking out at the train passing by.

My favorite pictures of all…This lovely Sadie dog.

And some nice pictures of Louie. It was a fun weekend of picture taking! Well, a fun weekend all together!

Ashley’s Senior Pictures Preview

2009-07-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

I am on my lunch break from work…but I wanted to post some of these so Ashley’s Family can take a peek…

These are the ones that I quickly found and liked…we got some good shots. We are going to do another shoot because just as I was getting warmed up…Ashley was OVER smiling! Haha. It was soo much fun taking her pictures!

June 26th – The Girls

2009-07-13T16:09:00.001-07:00

I never posted any of these pictures of the girls. Man…they are already two weeks older than these pictures and a lot has changed in those two weeks. I don’t get to see these lovelies very often anymore, because I have found a semi-job working at the Kroc Center as a lifeguard/swim instructor. Last week I worked over 40 hours at the Kroc, and another 10 hours at the restaurant.

House Remodeling

2009-07-13T16:01:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was spent hard on working on the house as well as working at the Restaurant. Lets just say that today, I am dog tired!

Here is what we have done so far:

We tore up the carpet, found hardwood, ripped out the hardwood, tore out the nails and staples on the hardwood, tore out the subflooring, put in new beams, put in new subflooring. This is just in the dining room.

Louie’s parents were in town helping us out. It was soo nice having that help. We still have a lot to do. Man-o-Man.

Homeowner Louie!

2009-07-01T22:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Louie finally received the keys to his wonderful house, which means I get to finally post pictures of it because it is officially his!

kitchen

Dining Room

Dining Room bye bye Carpet

downstairs bedroom

downstairs bathroom

downstairs to basement

upstairs

upstairs bathroom

upstairs bedroom

upstairs office

Click on each picture to enlarge if you want to. The pictures of the outside of the house are on louie’s camera and for some reason his card will not read on this computer. They will come later! The remodel has already started with ripping out the carpets to find hardwood underneath. They are pretty beat up and we got talked into buying new hardwood to put there, instead of sanding down the old ones. We have a lot to do before we can move in, but it is going to be sooooo nice. Louie and I have been addicted to the HGTV and DIY networks to get ideas for the new house. WE are EXCITED!

Aloha Girls!

2009-06-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

Well the twins have finally returned from Hawaii! I missed them! Lilah has definitely gotten stronger and is finally standing on her legs and loving it! It seems like she is taller too. Bella is the same old girl from a week ago, cute as a button!

Bella was being way more photogenic this time around. What a sweetheart. Lilah was a bit more cranky than usual. She either has an ear infection…or just misses Hawaii.

Hana Finishes!!

2009-06-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

She continued the bike and finished it after 8 hours! So that leaves us at 1 hr 20 minutes in the swim, 8 hours on the bike…onto the run!

After the bike…the rain started and the temperature dropped to 52 degrees! Brrr…I put on my down jacket and a stocking cap. We were bundled!

We ended up getting a crowd at our house last night. Ian (hana’s brother), Mike, Jamie, Bob and Mary Woods were at our place for dinner and the last 4-6 hours of the race. Our house is the perfect location because the run came 1 block away from our house…so we tracked her online and made sure we were at the street when she crossed 4 different times! Because of the cold and the rain…I had the fire going…hot cocoa on the stove and louie cooked up a mean dinner for us all! It was tiring just waiting for Hana to come in!

Go Hana! She started off the run in excellent timing..finishing the first 7.5 miles doing 11-12 minute miles, and the 22 miles at 15 minute miles. Those last 4 miles…her knees were giving out and her blisters on her feet were popping. Expecting to see her around 10 pm, we didn’t see her cross the finish line until 11:12 pm! It was a little confusing and we were worried we had missed her at the finish line…but we hadn’t! SHE IS AN IRONWOMEN and I couldn’t be more proud and excited for her! She finished the 26.2 mile run in 6 hours 40 minutes…that is a total time of 16 hours and 12 minutes. She was feeling great coming a crossed that finish line!

Hana Truscott is an Ironman! Wow.

Ironman 2009

2009-06-21T11:06:00.001-07:00

My friend Hana Truscott is currently on the bike for the Ironman race today. It started at 7 am with a 2.4 mile swim, in which she completed in 1 hour and 20 minutes. She was on the bike by 8:30 am…and will be for the next 4-6 hours completing 112 miles. Louie, Bentley and I were there to witness this madness.

The Series of wetsuit stripping. I want this job next year! A random athlete:

Hana #79:

To the Bikes:

There goes Hana!

After 112 miles of biking….here’s whats to come:

Lilah’s PhotoShoot

2009-06-15T16:17:00.001-07:00

Movies of the Girls

2009-06-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Vicki and I had the privilege to watch the sweetest little girls. My memories cards were almost full so I didn't get many pictures, but I did get some video. These girls amaze me everyday by how much they are growing. They have now learned to push the buttons on their exercauser and pull the links to make sound. It is pretty amazing. Bella is also giggling and it is sooo cute!

The Weekend

2009-06-08T09:03:00.001-07:00

I finally got to work on Friday evening, and let me tell you it was PACKED! There was ArtWalk in Downtown Coeur d’ Alene, so everyone and their mother was out and about strolling the streets. We had to send people away from the restaurant because every table was full! Let me tell you, I never worked so hard and I have never been more exhausted! I came home at 11:30 and about fell over.

Saturday, I awoke immediately at 9:15 am because I had forgotten about the Saturday morning Weight Watchers meetings that Mom and I go to. I quickly got ready, and went to the meeting all by myself! Mom and figured that we were ditching it because I never called her to confirm, so she wasn’t ready to go. I gained 0.4lbs. Maybe it was that Frosty and the Below 31 milkshake I had that week. Oops. I even worked out more than usual too! Oh well. What can you do. Louie and I then headed to the local Bakery for our usual little breakfast. I relaxed lazily on the couch for a few hours until we decided to head into Spokane to go to the WinCo grocery store and have a little lunch. I had to work again Saturday night. Saturday wasn’t busy at all at the restaurant and I got called off around 7:30 pm to find Adam and Louie playing video games. We chatted until around 10 pm and they went out to the bars while I sat at home and relaxed some more!

Sunday, my mom’s friends from WAY back in the day in Missoula were in town. Louie and I headed to mom’s house for a nice breakfast and Erin cooked! We had a great little chat and catch up!

Mom and Ann Susan and Mom

The rest of the day was pretty low key. We ran some errands, took Bentley for a walk and just hung out. Louie made some Carne Asada tacos that were pretty awesome for dinner.

Off to go play with the babies all day today!

A Secret Beach on Tubbs

2009-06-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Bentley and I have been getting out and about this past week and walking three miles to get some exercise. On Wednesday, I decided to walk downtown and around Tubbs hill. It was a blistering high 80's day so it was nice to be at the lake. I packed a lunch and we headed out. It was fun going through all the new little shops in downtown Coeur d' Alene and dream about some new home decorations that I found.

Around Tubbs, Bentley and I decided to go the point and park it at a little beach where no one was! This way he can roam and roam and I don't have to worry about him bothering other people. I sat on this log that jetted out into the lake and just watched Bentley enjoy this little beach. I captured this video because Bentley soon became obsessed with the end of the log that I was sitting on because it was halfway under the water and he WANTED IT! It was hilarious how obsessed he got!

We had a great day at the beach and our three mile walk! I got blisters on the bottom of my feet from walking in Chacos for the first time this summer. OUCH! I also went into work at the restaurant and got called off for Wednesday night and Thursday night. Hopefully I will go in this weekend to work...I can sure use the money.

Here is Bentley trying to get the sunken log.

View from where I was sitting on the other end of the log.
He found another stick!

Self Portraits!

3 Months

2009-06-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am here with the babies today and they have been great! They both have slight colds and their little noses are very stuffy. Poor girls.

I took some good pictures today so I thought I would share a few while they are napping!

Me with Bella trying to get a self portrait...I am not very good at it yet.
The girls were being very cute together!
Then we decided to do a little reading

And Bella loved her little exerciser!

Selling My White Water Kayak

2009-05-28T18:47:00.001-07:00

It is time to sell my White Water Kayak and some of my gear. I do not use it anymore and I definitely need the cash…any buyers out there? $600 Dollars for all this stuff! Kayak, Paddle, Dry top, Two Spray Skirts, Two Float Bags, and a Smiley Nose Plug. That’s a STEAL of a deal! Great beginner set.

Scroll Down for two new posts today…I am on a roll.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T18:42:00.001-07:00

Louie and I travelled to Oak Harbor for Memorial Day Weekend to help the Walters build their deck and to just hang out. It was really relaxing and fun! We ate too much, drank too much pop, and soaked too long in the hot tub…but it was well worth it!

Hot Tub Time!

Scroll Down to the next post for Bentley and I’s day at the Beach!

A Day At The Beach

2009-05-28T18:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I washed my car, and planned to wax it for the spring cleaning season. Well…after I got the car washed…I found that I had killed the car’s battery by keeping the lights on the stereo blasting. Therefore I was stranded at dad’s house and had to walk home.

Last night was my first night on the job. I work at Scratch Restaurant. The shstick is that they make everything from scratch, and buy from local farmers. It’s pretty cool. My first night went well. I like everyone that I work with, although the business is slow and I got sent him at 7 pm. Today, I got called to not even show up. I hope the business picks up so I can at least get SOME hours! I definitely need the cash.

So with the information that I didn’t have to go to work today, I decided to wax my car in the morning…then Bentley and I headed to the beach. It was a nice balmy 80 degrees today. I love the summers here in Coeur d’ Alene.

Can you tell Bentley loves sticks?

This Past Week…

2009-05-21T17:19:00.001-07:00

I have not been motivated…and WAY too busy to post. My brother, Brent, and his wife were in town the last week because of a wedding and some other various family events. Danielle (Brent’s wife) graduated from nursing school, so we had a little family get together also. It was very very busy and fun to have them in town!

This is Danielle (in the feather boa) and her girlfriends getting pictures taken at the graduation party.

On Monday, Brent and his buddies, along with me, went out on the boat for the first cruise of the year! It was warm and nice out on the lake. It is beginning to look a lot like SUMMER!!!!

This is where I live…home sweet home!

Oh, what a great week with them in town!

Also some news…I finally got a job…not an engineering job, but a Hostess at a new restaurant opening up in Cd’A called Scratch. They make everything from Scratch…get it? Haha. Anyways…I go in on Friday at noon to find out more information. YAY!!!!

More babies

2009-05-13T09:57:00.001-07:00

Is this all I post about anymore? As many of my friends have said…that I need to start a blog just for these two girls. But…I spent last Wednesday, Wednesday Night, and Thursday with these babies and got several great shots.

Now Lilah’s Turn

More Time with the Girls

2009-05-05T15:26:00.001-07:00

It seems like all I blog about is the baby girls anymore. Maybe that is all I am really doing that is picture worthy. Friday, Mom and I took the girls by ourselves, and gave the daddies a night off. Lets just say it was a LOT of work! Phew. Saturday, when mom and I came home, we both took several hour naps!

I took Bella, while Mom took Lilah for the night. Bella woke up at 4:30 am and 6:30 am, while Lilah woke up only at 5:30 am. Mom got the easier one for sure! It definitely made me realize that twins are not ideal unless you have two people at home all day. Casey…wow, I have new respect!

The rest of Saturday was spent being lazy. Sunday, Louie and I went with mom and Erin car shopping. We finally found the 2009 Subaru Forester to be the IT car for mom.

Thats about it for me…now picture time.

Good Job to Matt for capturing Bella smiling!

This last picture was interesting because Lilah was off in her own little world in Matt’s lap, and then Casey called. She must’ve heard her dad on the phone and kept on staring at it. It was very cute!

Babysitting by myself…twins!

2009-04-28T09:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my first day of babysitting the girls by myself for around 3 hours. It was a GREAT afternoon. They came to me fed…so we played for about an hour…they slept for about an hour…and then we started feeding again. Bella was fed and playing on her floor mat toy, while I was feeding Lilah. Then…she did the imaginable…she spewed ALL OVER! This was not just a little throw up…it was the entire bottle, plus more…I swear! So just as I was finishing cleaning her up, Casey came home and saved the day by giving the girls baths! Then we did a little shopping!

Matt wanted to get some pictures of the girls in their labeled shirts…but with Lilah’s accident, she pretty much ruined her shirt…so I only got some of Bella. BUT…I managed to finally capture Lilah’s cute cute smiles!

Friday with the Girls Recap

2009-04-27T09:24:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, I spend the whole day with Matt and the babies! It was a GREAT day and I ended up really bonding with my Bella Girl. The first stop was at Matt’s breakfast place, so he could show off his girls, and we ended up meeting up with Casey too! Then…to Matt’s nursing home, to give therapeutic time to some of the old ladies!

After the nursing home, we headed downtown to do a little shopping and eat Thai Chicken Pizza at Rock City Grill! I have to admit that I was CRAVING it! Haha. Off to Casey’s work, to show the girls to some people that Casey is working with.

We were planning on going to Manito Park to do a little scoping for an upcoming photoshoot that I am planning with some of Matt and Casey’s friends. But….the girls were getting hungry, and cranky, so we decided to head home. Some feeding, changing, and relaxing was in order. Oh, and also a long walk, and a short photoshoot.

I have to give some photo credit to Matt. He learned how to use my camera and had fun taking some pictures of the girls! It was fun to finally get into a few pictures! Ah what a great day!

A Day with the Girls

2009-04-24T08:12:00.001-07:00

Today I am heading to the baby girls’ house to play! I visited on Wednesday and got some pictures…but more video. These girls are getting soooo big…and I finally got to witness the actual smiling, on purpose, by Bella girl. Now I need to try to capture that today! Here are some pretty pretty eyelashes: Bella, then Lilah.

Weekend Softball Tournament

2009-04-23T13:26:00.001-07:00

I just got this picture in my e-mail. I thought I would show you guys the 2nd place finishers…TEAM CATFISH!

Am I always trying to pose? Haha.

Scroll down for Bentley pictures!

Monday

2009-04-23T09:49:00.001-07:00

It was FINALLY a nice day out on Monday. Bentley and I headed down to the beach to catch some rays and play ball. I tried to get some good shots of the ol’ doggie.

Louie and I also went fishing in the canoe at Fernan lake…but no such luck…not even a BITE!

Busy Weekend

2009-04-20T13:03:00.001-07:00

This weekend was busy and jam-packed! Louie’s parents came into town for a visit! They arrived Thursday evening, to a hamburger BBQ at our house! We drove around a looked at the potential houses we would be viewing.

I was still having issues with my sickness on Friday, so I decided to head to the doctor. She said it was probably just some virus that I picked up, and that I would have to wait it out. But…just to be safe, she is testing me for bacterial stuff, such as gee-r-dia, or salmonella. Lets just say it was bad. Nothing I could really do.

Friday, while Louie was at work, we ran some errands, ate lunch at Blondies Deli and tooled around town. Dinner was at the Bistro on Spruce, which was REALLY good…if only I had an appetite! I definitely recommend it! I decided to play in my softball tournament this weekend. It was Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday…but I only participated in Friday’s game and Sunday ALL DAY! Our game on Friday was a lot of fun and we skunked them! WOO HOO!

Saturday was house hunting day...we must’ve toured 7 houses or more. It is fun to look at all the different ways to live! It seemed like the houses I loved had something wrong with them…either the foundation was cracked or the wiring was old. The “good” houses seemed to be located a little farther away then we originally wanted. Something will come along.

That afternoon we headed into Spokane to ride on the Gondola over the Spokane Falls. We ended up running into Matt/Casey, Babies, Mom and Erin at the park. So both families got to meet finally! We found a cool wall to take some photos and would be a fun to someday take a shoot there.

This wasn’t the exact shot that I wanted…and taken with Louie’s point and shoot…but it turned out.

Saturday night was a steak/shrimp BBQ in our backyard, with a bonfire to burn up all the sticks that had fallen down during winter.

Sunday…softball ALL DAY! we placed 2nd overall, making it to the championship game, only losing 17-22…sad. I ended up getting burned on my face. Louie and I also went to 17 again…it was pretty good. Probably a renter though for most people.

Today, I have my phone hearing for unemployment. It has definitely made me nervous and antsy all day. I think I am going to head to the beach and relax until the phone call.

Recap

2009-04-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

With so many new blog readers...I feel obligated to update my blog more regularily. So here goes.

Tuesday: I got to spend the afternoon with Casey and the girls. We ran some errands that Casey needed to get done. Louie also got approved for his home loan! It is home hunting time!

Wednesday: I got my resumes all spiffed up, and headed to the Coeur d' Alene Job Fair at the fairgrounds. It was a ZOO! There were several employers there, and one place in particular that was hiring engineers...that I might be qualified for. I stood in line for 5 minutes or so just to talk with this company. Resume is handed in! I also applied for the new Croc Center that is supposed to open in May. Hopefully something will come around soon.

Louie and I met with Renice Sandler to do our first look into home buying. We previewed 4 or 5 houses, and the one we had our hearts set on already had an accepted offer on it. There is one on Garden St that we like also though. It was fun to think of buying a house...or Louie to buy a house!

Thursday...Oh I got sick. Thats right! I just laid around the house all day...running to the bathroom every 30 minutes. It is not fun! I had this fun day planned to go spend with the babies and Matt/Casey. Oh well...better to get cured than to make anyone else sick.

Louie's parents arrived this evening. We had Hamburgers on the grill...which we LOVE our new grill that Erin gave to us! We drove by the houses that we are looking at with them...watched some TV and off to bed.

I was supposed to play in our 8:30 pm Softball game...but decided it probably wasn't the best idea. I heard they won though...20-17!

Friday: Made breakfast for Louie's parents...apple strudle bread french toast and bacon. Yum. I ate one piece...because I am still running to the bathroom. I decided to head to the Doctors, because this is not normal for me. She believes it is something viral, and I will just have to wait it out. But...they are testing me for some bacterial things...so we shall see.

Supposed to have a softball game tonight at 7:30 at Memorial Field. Maybe I will get some pictures tonight!

Little Lovebug!

2009-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

I put together a little video of Taryn's Birthday Party. Enjoy! (Don't forget there is sound).

Music: "Lovebug" by Jonas Brothers

Taryn’s 2nd Birthday!

2009-04-13T12:13:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, Mom, Louie and I drove to Oak Harbor to attend Taryn Walters 2nd birthday party! It was a blast! Taryn is growing up so fast. At one point I counted a 6 word sentence…she is brilliant and definitely cute! She had lots and lots of love from family and friends that came over to her house. Here are just a few pictures from the millions that were taken!

There will be more to come when I have more time to go through them! Happy Birthday Taryn!

Easter was spent driving the 7 hours home….:(

Girls Shopping Day in Coeur d’ Alene

2009-04-08T15:53:00.001-07:00

Today Matt and the Girls came to me in Coeur d’ Alene! We had a nice little breakfast at Michael D’s, and then walked all around downtown and through the park. The girls did AWESOME! We made it into The Shops and did a little feeding and playing!

What a great little day we had! Check the post below for yesterday adventures!

The Girls are Getting Bigger!

2009-04-08T11:07:00.001-07:00

Bella Bean

Lilah Girl

We had a great day yesterday! Matt and I tooled around Downtown Spokane, enjoying lunch at the Davenport…walking in the brilliant sunshine to the downtown shops, and car rides here and there! What a great day!

One Year + Bentley

2009-04-06T14:19:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, Louie surprised me with a nights stay at the Silver Mountain Resort, and an AWESOME dinner at the BEST steakhouse I know…Wolf Lodge. Can you believe it has been one year since Louie and I have started dating? Of course we knew each other before a year ago…but man has the year flown by! I think at this time a year ago…we were planning our trip to Hawaii. This year…sadly…we don’t have any big trip plans.

Wolf Lodge definitely lived up to its reputation…as it does every time. The Silver Mountain Resort is pretty cool, and was PACKED due to spring break. We found our way up to the 5th floor…which was where the outdoor HOT TUB was…that overlooked the resort. We got into the tub at 97 degrees…and go out of the tub when it went down to 96 degrees…we realized that it was broken and slowly getting colder. It was fun while it lasted though! Louie had upgraded to the “romantic package” which included champagne, candle, chocolates and bath salts. We devoured those.

Friday was a bit of a predicament. We had ski passes to go up to Silver Mt…but we also had indoor water park passes. It had just snowed on Thursday…so the snow was great. We tried to see if I could get an extra night stay…but they were all booked. We both finally agreed to do the water park, since we both hadn’t been there before…and we were over the ski season and ready for summer! It was a great choice!

The waterpark was pretty cool for all being inside. They keep the inside temperature at like 85 degrees…so it is comfortable walking around in your bathing suit. They had three large slides…and several water features. The unique thing about this park was the fact they had a wave you could surf on. Louie and I got on the wave…but only boogie boarded it! It was way fun! I definitely recommend it!

Today…Monday…the weather is beautiful! I took Bentley swimming at the local beach. He LOVED it! When we got back…he rolled and rolled in the dirt in the back yard…now he is all covered in wet dirt…or mud as we call it!

Have I mentioned that I am keeping this 50 mm Lens I am borrowing from Kyla? haha…

Louie, Bentley and Kristen’s Photoshoot

2009-04-04T20:42:00.001-07:00

Today was a great day in Coeur d’ Alene. The weather is sunny and warm for the first time! Louie, Bentley and I got out our longboards and went for a morning adventure. We first stopped at our local Bakery By The Lake for breakfast. Yummy! Then we longboarded up to, what will become, the new community garden, that our friend Kim is organizing. She had asked me if I could come down and take some pictures. I guess the Spokesman Review Newspaper will be doing an article, but with cutbacks, they weren’t able to supply a photographer. Kim had seen my photos of the babies on facebook, so she thought of me for doing their photos. Pretty cool!

This is the group shot, of all the volunteers, I took and liked. We took over 100 pictures!

Then, we decided to go longboarding around and look at houses. We went ALL over!

On our way back to the house…we decided to stop at this red wall I have been eyeballing for future photoshoots. I used Louie and Bent as models. :)

And then Bentley decided to roll in poo…

Lots of Photos Today! I will post about our 1 year anniversary date maybe tomorrow…It was a BLAST!

Sneak Peak Flemming Family

2009-03-31T19:49:00.001-07:00

Easter Babies!

2009-03-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Grandma Vicki and Auntie Kk got to babysit the babies girls, while their daddies worked. We had a great day! Matt had received these personalized Easter baskets a couple days ago…so of course I had to photoshoot them! I was sad that they were too small to fit inside the baskets…so they just got to laid across them. Oh well. Little Miss Lilah was being miss photogenic yesterday…which it is normally the opposite. I got soo many great shots of Lilah. What great babies to let me do this to them! Haha.

First of all..this is how we found the girls when we arrived. Sleeping in their crib, side by side. It was very sweet.

We got to dress these girls in some CUTE outfits that Casey and I found at Coscto. Here is Bella girl:

And Lilah in her color of green:

Now for the Black and Whites:

Tulips – It’s Spring!

2009-03-25T17:43:00.001-07:00

Louie was very sweet a couple days ago and bought me some tulips. I decided to use them has a model for my next photography shoot. Here’s what I got!

Pretty huh! I love that it is spring! :) Tomorrow…look for a post with some EASTER babies that I shot today!

It’s More Baby Time!

2009-03-19T12:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the first day that the babies were left without both their daddy’s around. Grandma Vicki and Auntie KK were on the job from 10:30 am until 5 pm. Lets just say the girls were almost perfect. Almost being that Lilah had about 20 minutes of fussing until we figured out she just wanted to sleep on the couch. Bella was an angel. We got a few pictures.

We put them on their tummies for the first time. Bella was such a strong girl picking her head up and twisting it left and right. Lilah could lift her head…and almost could twist it…but kept on getting frustrated. It was fun to watch.

Lilah Marie’s Shoot:

Bella’s Shoot:

Volleyball Tournament – Seattle

2009-03-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure to drive the Beuker Girls to Seattle for the NW Juniors Volleyball Tournament in Snohomish. The car rides were a blast with crazy loud singing and great conversation…while the volleyball tournament was a little boring, but with some nail-biter games. Ashley’s team ended up in the championship game for their bracket…and lost. Overall, it was a grand adventure!

These are just some of the shots that I took…99 in all. Oh but it’s good to be back home!!

Babies March 12th Shoot

2009-03-16T08:55:00.001-07:00

Just some random shots of the girls…as usual

Weekend in Libby for a BIRTHDAY!

2009-03-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Friday, Louie, Bentley and I headed to Libby Montana, to visit Louie’s family and celebrate Lydia’s birthday (Louie’s mom). It was a really fun weekend, with new restaurant adventures, a walk by the river, and a great birthday breakfast with some strawberry shortcake as dessert! Yummy!

Birthday GIRL!

Kootenai River, Thanks to Louie who took most of the pictures!

I thought these rocks were pretty…so I stole the camera for two shots!

Walking back to the house. It was a fun weekend and a great get-away. Happy Birthday Lydia!

Photoshoot Sneak Peak

2009-03-06T16:29:00.001-08:00

Sneak Peak at the photoshoot we did at Mom’s house today. I am actually happily surprised at the results…

The Twins are HERE!

2009-03-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

When Louie and I were gone for the weekend skiing at Mt Baker, Matt and Casey’s sweet baby girls were born on Friday morning around 10:40 am. I missed it, and thought about them ALL weekend LONG. Sunday, on our drive home, Louie and I stopped by the house to see the girls for the first time.

Welcome Bella and Lilah!!

I am playing nanny to the Jackson-Fleming family this week…so I have gone to the first doctors appointments, witnessed the baths, and of course been there for all the chaos and wonderfulness of these two angels. I have tried to capture some of the moments.

Today or tomorrow I am going to try to get more pictures of the four of them together. It is sooo great to be able to share this experience with Matt and Casey and to be able to bond with these little girls. Sometimes it is great to not have a job. It was meant to be.

Mt. Baker Ski Weekend

2009-03-05T08:10:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, Louie and I drove to the western side of the state for a ski weekend with the Walters and crew. Lets just say it was an AWESOME day of skiing. I really really like Mt. Baker. I felt comfortable on my skis, and was able to somewhat keep up with Chris. The house we stayed in was beautiful, but there were WAY too many sweets and good things to eat!

Great times, Great people…

Hmm…

2009-02-26T11:15:00.001-08:00

I really don’t have a lot to say. I’ve been here everyday, doing the same thing…watching my daily shows…doing my daily things. I’ve been putting items up on ebay…but so far nothing has sold. I’ve applied to several new jobs, but haven’t had any hits.

Last night it did snow about 3 inches.

Oh wait…something a little more exciting…Louie and I are heading to Mt. Baker this weekend for a ski trip with the Walters and friends. But…on the sad note, I will be missing the birth of the twin girls, which are getting induced tonight at midnight.

So…thats about it. Hopefully I will have more exciting things to talk about when our road trip/ski trip, and the birth of the girls happen all this weekend.

Ebay and Bentley

2009-02-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks, Bentley has refused to go anywhere near the couches, a spot that he used to occupy 80% of his time. We believe that the couch was somewhat connected with the fact that his toenail got ripped off, and he was scared. Finally...a breakthrough today! Bentley has found comfort back in the couch!

I am also slowly starting to sell some things on ebay. I got this Madame Alexander Doll from granny's house back when we were having the garage sales. I knew this doll was a collector's item, because granny used to buy them for me when I was little. I probably have about 20 of them in my dad's basement. I decided to give this doll a shot on ebay to see how it does...but...there are like 4 others the exact same. I also have some precious moments...and well..whatever else you can think of to sell. This should occupy some time while I look and wait for jobs.

25 Years of Food, Fun and Friends

2009-02-18T11:15:00.001-08:00

This past weekend, Louie and I joined in on the 25th year of the Elkin’s retreat at Priest Lake. My family, as well as around 7 other families have been going up to Elkin’s resort since I was one year old. It is a grand time of 23 or so people sharing one cabin, eating too much, and playing lots of games. It was fun to share the experience with Louie, and let him meet all those people who helped raise me!

Here are some photos:

Everyone who was up at Elkins this year. This is actually a small group. Think of all these people in one cabin.

Brad eating cupcakes…I think Kim and Mary made something like 90 cupcakes.

Drinking…Kim maybe having a little too much…and I had to capture the nun having her traditional wine coolers!

The reading, knitting, and games are always happening!

Sunday, we all went out for a ski on the lake. It is rare the the lake is frozen, so it was fun!

I came back fat and happy. I love this weekend away!

Gonzaga Girls Basketball Game

2009-02-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last night Louie and I had a night out in Spokane. I picked him up from work at 4 o'clock, and then drove to Europa Restaurant for a little dinner of calzones and a hot drink!

Then we headed out to the girls gonzaga game at the Mccarthy center. Lets just say that the girls games are not as exciting as the guys games are. Louie and I had fun during the game pointing out several players and "commenting" about them. We decided to leave at halftime so we could make it home for the guys game at 8 pm and survivor! I miss the old players of survivor from last season.

Frozen peas...mmmmm...It is really good. A couple nights ago Louie and I made chicken enchiladas for dinner. I realized that we did not have anything to go with the enchiladas...so I decided to break into my childhood tradition of eating frozen peas. They were sooooo good! It is just like eating soft ice cubes in a way. Anyways...don't knock it until you try it!

My days seem to be busy. I have my little tradition of watching the Today Show, while my dad comes over and takes Bentley for a long walk. Then I normally run errands...and play on the computer until Louie makes it home. The days seems really short! Amazing how that works.

Happy Valentines day! Louie and I are headed to Elkins Resort (the 25th year of going for our family) for the weekend. Should have lots of pictures to share after the weekend!

Calfornia for the 3rd time in 3 months.

2009-02-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

This past long weekend was spent in California for an interview with Orbital on Vandenburg Air Force Base. I believe the interview went well...and I won't know until the beginning of March if I got the job.

I drove up to Morro Bay to spend the rest of the weekend with my brother and his wifey Danielle. Friday night we had a bbq with the whole gang, and had a great time!

Brent had to work both Saturday and Sunday...so I only got to see him that one night. Saturday morning Danielle, Adam, Heather and I went to Cayucos, to watch the big surf competition. The waves were HUGE! Here are some shots from the competition.

Danielle and Heather on the pier.

Cool Shot of a surfer coming from outside of the barrel.

This surfer is gone!

Danielle said this is Eric, who would probably win the surf competition
Catching a wave

woo hoo! Go blondie!

This kid has nice form

All the little duckies lined in a row

Jumping off the pier so he doesn't have to break surf

Surveying the scene

And GONE!

The BIG wave, where they had to jet ski the surfers in.
He caught a nice one!

Saturday, we also hiked in Los Osos up this hill for an amazing view of Morro Bay. It worked my big butt, which was good!

Saturday night, we met up with Shelly and the gang at Mr. Ricks in Avila for some reggae fun and dancing! It was fun to be with the girls on a night out! We stayed with Shelly in Shell Beach for the night.

Sunday we went to a fun little breakfast place in Pismo Beach, walked the beach and downtown...and then I had to sadly drive back to Santa Barbara to catch a plane home. It is COLD here!!!

A Weekend with the Walters

2009-02-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

T's little going out outfit

The little chipmunk
ooo pretty braids!
Grumpy wants to go home from the park

I spent from Wednesday Night until Last night with the wonderful Walters family! Taryn and I had one-on-one time on Thursday, while both mommy and daddy had to work. We took three naps, went to Wal-Mart, colored, went to the park to play and had lots of fun reading books! She was very easy to hang with throughout the day and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Taryn LOVES to color! It became an addiction. Sometimes she would just sit at the table and stare because she threw all the markers and paper on the floor. We were both a little sick, and staring was ok.

Friday, Rob, Taryn and I hung out at the house. I took T to go get slurpees and for a walk. She became addicted to her apple bottoms jacket and pink tutu, and wouldn’t leave the house without them.

Saturday, Kyla, Rob and I headed into Seattle, where we partied the night away with all of Kyla’s friends! It was a late birthday bash for me, and it was really fun! We spent the night in Seattle. (Pictures can be seen on facebook). Sunday, Kyla and I were on the search for the perfect interviewing outfit. We tried on a lot of clothes, but never really found the one. Overall…a great weekend!

(windows live writer and our internet don't work...so this post was done a week ago...and i am just now getting it to work...hence the pictures are not organized...just needed to get it done!)

Just some Pics…

2009-01-28T12:11:00.001-08:00

My Birthday Cake, and my Birthday Present!!

Bentley ready to Bark at the mailman….Matt and Casey’s House, their remodel and view.

Matt and Casey’s “grandma room” for when the new babies arrive!

The Empty Chair

2009-01-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

I guess my last post was appropriate. The empty chair symbolizing the end of work at Amulet Manufacturing. I am now an unemployed American, following the path of the thousands of other Americans in this day and age. I got told this news on Friday afternoon.

Other than that devastating news, my weekend was very fun. Mom, Louie and I went to Frost/Nixon on Friday night. Definitely a recommendation! Two thumbs WAY up! I was actually surprised that I liked the political movie as much as I did.

Saturday morning, Ashley and her friend "Nida" came over. We played with music on the computers, opened up some scrapbooking supplies from Ashley, and headed to watch The Bride Wars. Movie was ok, funny. I really like Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. Louie cooked some Meatloaf, potatoes, and green beans (the staple Dvoracek meal) and invited Mom and Dad over to enjoy the blow-out Gonzaga game.

Sunday...Happy Birthday to me! I awoke with several sounds from Louie...asking if I was awake yet. He couldn't wait any longer for me to open up his gift. A 32 Gig Ipod Touch! I am shocked! I made him wait to play with it until I found some screen protectors and a cover for it, which is a story in itself. We toured around all day to find the perfect cover for the new ipod. Alas, Circuit City, the store going out of business, had the perfect cover. I bought it. It is sad to report that the cover only fits the 2nd generation ipods, therefore, it doesn't fit mine...and is not refundable. I was pretty dissapointed. Mom, Dad, Louie and I ate GREAT gorgonzola new york steaks, mashed potatoes, and asperagus for dinner. Present opening, of new luggage, socks, an emerald bracelet, as well as other misc. items were in order. A fierce game of Canasta was played, in which the last hand, I was stuck with three, red 3's in my second hand, which made it so Louie and my Dad won. Ah...what luck. Some homemade ICECREAM CAKE...made professionaly by ME...was eaten as dessert...and there concludes my birthday celebration!

Today...Well it is the, what seems like never-ending battle, of filing for unemployment, and searching for a new job.

My New Office Chair

2009-01-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me the exercise ball so I can use it as a new desk chair. I blew it up today and had to change my monitors so they were higher on my desk. So far…I am forced to sit up straight…my back hurts a little bit from that…and my butt is sore from sitting on the ball. After a week or so, I should be more comfortable, and healthier in the long run. I have been trying to do some exercises while at my desk, including some crunches. We will see if this helps!

Today is my “friday” at work…so Happy Birthday to me for Sunday, Jan. 25th! I will be 26 y/o! I am not sure if I will post again until the following week. :)