"Real Men"

Well Brandon took up a personal project.... it was the basement. I think this is an important step for him, its time for him to be a real man. Real men use saws, they use hammers, they have steel-toed boots, they bleed and don't care. So, needless to say Brandon has accomplished all of the above in just a few short weeks, and the proof is in the pudding:

Vacation

Have you ever been to Altamont Utah? Chances are no..... What about Neola? Again, chances are better that you've been to Spain and gotten tagged by a charging bull... We however, spent a better part of 7 days in "God's Country". Below is the photographic evidence of the event.

The wonderful city of Neola slogan "Move no more" we celebrated our independence in this great city, and despite the fact that the parade was 20 minutes long and covered two city blocks, it was fantastic; small goats, veterans of war, rodeo queens, otter pops that opened from the bottom as you were eating them from the top, fire engines, a fly over by 8-10 jets (and by jets I do mean crop dusters from the local area), and many other sights and sounds.

Here is a picture of Brandon pretty much just commanding this powerful twin engine vessel. Look at the way it effortlessly glides across the water. The look of worry on his face probably comes from the realization that if, heaven forbid, a squall came up quickly, five passengers is a heavy burden to swim to shore. Although, the transformer swim trunks would no doubt provide him with the ultimate strength of the one whom the trunks bear - Optimus Prime.

Speaking of Squalls... Here is a real doosy that could have caused some serious damage to a small vessel...

We spent the entire vacation enjoying those "finer" things in life...

Time with family.

Horseshoes. (Brandon's first toss went backwards nearly injuring a small child to which he was quoted as saying "whoa")

Playgrounds.

Fishing.

and each other.

Here is what has been going on...

We took a weekend getaway over to Glenwood Springs, a much needed break from the scuffles of the real world.  The natural hot springs were therapy to the body and soul as we soaked in the mineral rich water of the earth.  Christina enjoyed a relaxing day at the spa while Brandon washed the car and took one last dip in the healing pool, (I'm not sure he can be healed from his everyday craziness). 

We arrived home only to realize that we were in need of a Christmas tree, Brandon wanted a charlie brown tree, while Christina was a fan of the more traditional tree... Below is the picture of the traditional tree.  It took awhile to get it into the house, at 8 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide it was no easy task, luckily Brandon has been working out (in his dreams) and hoisted it like it was a candy cane

Christmas Vacation took us to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, and we are both too exhausted to describe the Christmas Vacation so just enjoy the photos...

PUMPKIN FUN!!!

 

We thought that carving pumpkins for family home home evening would be an excellent idea, we had decided that we would have some adventure this year and head over to the "Rock  Creek Farm" patch to pick out the perfect pumpkins.  It was muddy, cold, and the the rain was falling, which equated to the perfect fall day...  After what seemed like an hour long process we found two perfect pumpkins one large and round the other tall and skinny.  We loaded them into the trunk of the car and headed to the booth to pay; $7 dollars for one or $12 for two, we couldn't have found a better deal.  After a little hot cocoa at Starbucks (just hot cocoa), and about twenty minutes of Christina scraping mud off of her shoes in the parking lot we returned home.  

Here is what the "perfect" pumpkins look like...  (if you look close I am still in work slacks).

It is a long and delicate process, that of carving pumpkins, it requires 1) patience 2) a steady hand, 3) the perfect canvas and 4) the ability to concentrate...  

Brandon really excited....

And finally the finished product....

Brandon's pumpkin was supposed to be a witch and it really looked good for one night, however, the elements have taken hold of the poor little pumpkin and slowly but surely it is shriveling into a mess of ruts and gashes. (If you look closely you can make out white teeth in the background).

Philadelphia

Christina and I needed a little break from Colorado and we decided to take a vacation... first stop wonderful Philadelphia.  What a great time we had exploring this historical giant in our nations founding.
Good ol Robert Morris... He was known as the "Financier of the Revolution".  He once graced the likes of the thousand dollar bill...
Here is a photo of me with the First Central bank built in Philadelphia in 1795-1797 a time when each state had its own currency, the need for one currency was as great as ever.

What would a tour of Philadelphia be without seeing the old Liberty bell, another symbol of our country's freedom and efforts...

One of the key historical sites - Independence Hall...  here the United States Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 177, and the Declaration was read aloud to the public in the area now known as Independence Square.
We had an enjoyable time in Philadelphia and hope to return soon...

July 4th

There is nothing like the Provo parade for the 4th of July.  It is one of our favorite holidays, Brandon gets to wear the festive shirts that he so diligently searches for each year.  This year if you look closely you can see an eagle, the American Flag, and the statue of liberty all in one... Wow!

The big event this year for the stadium of fire was none other than Miley Cyrus ( Brandon really wishes we could have purchased tickets for this event....) Just think thousands of screaming girls

For the the 4th of July this year we went to Utah for the Provo parade.  This year the big attraction was the WWII M16 Hellcat tank. We always enjoy our time at the parade watching the bands, the old war veterans, the floats, and the crazy  

and of course what would a parade be without the curious little monkey...

It's been awhile...

Finding the time to write on this thing in the past 31/2 months has been nearly impossible. With Brandon working until all hours of the night during busy season and myself trying to fit five hours of statistics lessons in every day and then take four tests within ONE MONTH (my suggestion would to not try to do that right before a  deadline)!  We are so happy that statistics and busy season are over! I never really know what to write about on here. First of all, I'm not the type who likes to publicly share details about my life with whoever wants to read it. I don't want to give too much away to people that don't need to know but then again I don't want to write things that are totally boring. I'm sure I'll find a balance as I get more into this, provided that happens. 

Here are a few updates for those who care to know! 

*We love the neighborhood! Our neighbors are so kind and friendly. Today G'Angela just opened our back gate and came up to the patio door to ask us if we wanted her patio table because she didn't have enough room. It was really cool and she just stopped by. 

*Brandon has been coming home early! Busy season is over and he can start to "enjoy" work a little more while normalcy is starting to be established in our lives.

*Finally we have a washer and dryer! They are fabulous! Our pink laundry room is quite unique and adds a lot of value to the home I'm sure.