Comments Please!

To all of our friends and family who are bored enough to read our blog:

Please leave us comments. We love hearing things from you (most of you). he he he... It is nice to hear from you. We really do miss all of our friends and family. So, if you feel like making a comment or sending an email, please don't hesitate. Excuse my desperation, but coming from all of the friends and family in Tampa, Boise is a lonely place!

Hi Jason and Amy

Jason, I know you read this so you better start leaving comments! It was really good to talk to you two during the holidays.

Christmas Day

Willy and I had a very nice Christmas, although it was a bit quite. We woke up at 8am and warmed up some cinnamon rolls and opened our presents. Leigh and John got us some Omaha steaks. Whoo Hooo! It is nice to have a freezer full of good stuff. You know how hungry I am!

Mom got Willy a cool clock that you can only tell what the time is if you know the binary system. She also gave me some really nice ornaments that I will hang in my room with book quotes on them. They are called Bohemian Ladies and are really awesome.

Speaking of books, Willy got me some French novels that I can read and translate to keep up on my French. He also got me 10 volumes of world literature starting with Egypt's The Book of the Dead and ending with literature from the 20th century. It is so cool because it is divided up by countries. To say the least, I need more bookshelves! Oh yeah, Willy bought be the boots that I have been eying for a while (picture is below). I wore them and they make such a difference in the snow. I love them! I also love Willy, too! :)

After our nap, we ate some food and took Ally near Bogus Basin so Willy could go sledding. I took some video that he better put in this blog. If you don't see it, nag him!


Now, we are trying to warm ourselves up and we will see what we do next on our Christmas day...

Merry Christmas

We hope that everyone has a very merry Christmas this year. We miss all of our friends and family very much. I just want you all to know that Willy and I are thinking about you up here and we wish you could all be with us enjoying the beautiful blue sky with a little snow around. I hope that you all have very happy holidays!

Tonight we are going to go to a Christmas Eve service to get into the Christmas spirit. I miss you Mom! Hopefully tomorrow after we do our Christmas thing, Willy, Ally and I will go sledding. Sounds fun!

Sun Valley, Idaho

So... Once we left Jackson Hole Wyoming we traveled across Idaho to Sun Valley. Past or present home of the rich, famous, and powerful, including Ernest Hemingway, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Ashton Kutcher, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sun Valley is a very affluent area but in the off-season even us normal folk can afford to stay a few days.


Along the way we passed two points of interest. The worlds first nuclear power plant,

Experimental Breeder Reactor I

It was closed so we didn't get to check it out but we did drive through Atomic City and by the Idaho National Lab on our way to destination 2:

Craters of the Moon National Monument

Which was also mostly closed, as was Yellowstone and Grand Teton, but we did take a walking path through some of the lava which was cool. We decided to take a family portrait also!

Ally, Marisa, and Willy

It was extremely cold for some Floridians (20s) so we moved on after collecting a couple of unique rocks, not from the park but from nearby, this was frowned upon to take rocks from the park and we are good kids!

Once we arrived at Sun Valley we actually stayed in the town of Ketchum which is right next to Sun Valley and closer to Bald Mountain (as seen above in the picture).

More to come....

Jackson, Wyoming

Willy finally decided that he wanted to try out his new snowboard at Jackson Hole. We arrived last night and we are staying at a place where they have little log cabins instead of hotel rooms. It is pretty nice and relaxing here. The night we arrived, Willy and Ally went crazy in the snow.

Today, while Willy is snowboarding at the local ski resort for a half day, I am relaxing in the cabin with Ally. Soon, I will go out and take a walk with her and get some exploring of my own done. Later, we are going to buy a pair of boots for me (I can't find the ones that I love anywhere).


Tomorrow we plan to go to Targhee so Willy can snowboard some more while I maybe snowshoe with Ally. We are finally getting into the vacationing mood. It was slightly sketchy driving in the pitch black dark with icy and snowy Yellowstone roads!

White Dog was tagging along as usual:

WHITE DOG!!!

ALLY

And the Winner is.....

Well, my grandpa has wanted a Vespa for a while so we decided to turn the tables and do something nice for him! He used to talk about filling out entrys into drawings for a Vespa and my grandma told me he may or may not have been chased off one that was on display stating "I'm just testing out MY Vespa!" Looks like he likes it. John (aka Danger Dallas) helped him get set up (and took it for a spin or two himself).

Dang, Grandpa is Lookin' Sharp!
Check out that Crazy Biker!!! Grandma better start keeping good tabs on him...

Thanksgiving Weekend

Willy and I are having a wonderful time doing absolutely nothing! Well almost nothing. It is so wonderful just enjoying each other and hanging out. Today we finished putting up some Christmas decorations. There is a nice glow in here. You know me, I have the lights around the house, candles, music... magical! (Sorry to be so freaking adorably corny.)

Willy is also busy in his garage because he is swapping out CD players in my 4Runner while I drink cocoa.

We just took our little Ally dog for a walk up the hill. There was a huge full moon and in the hills we heard coyotes howling and yipping again. Pretty cool. Ally is learning some confidence and is being a good watchdog. I heard her barking at something up our backyard and I looked really hard but didn't see anything. About 20 minutes later, she barks again and I look out to see deer running away from her. What a courageous little girl!

We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with our new friends and their dogs. After dinner we walked up to Table Rock again to see the view. We let Ally run free in the hills because she is pretty good and stays near us. She gleamed in the moonlight and was darting all around. Happy doggy. After we rounded up the dogs and people we drove back to our place, ate some pie and played Monopoly. It is worth mentioning that I beat 2 accountants and an engineer. I had a good deal of luck landing on the free parking, but with the smarts to see it through!

Hope everyone else is having a great weekend too!

The Great Outdoors of Idaho

Willy told me yesterday that on his way home from work he saw a herd of elk passing. There was a bull and some smaller ones. He said that they look like moose but with different antlers. I am so jealous!

What I am not jealous of is that this morning Willy had to drive to work in the snow! Yup, it is snowing out here. He took the 4Runner so he should be safe. Ally and I were watching him from the window while he scraped the snow off of the car windows...then to do it again on the other side. Brrrr. We will see if we were lied to; the snow should be melted by noon. :)

Of course Ally doesn't care if it is snowing. She eats it.

We are also having friends over for Thanksgiving. It sure is going to be different from last year with all of the friends and family we had! Miss you guys and I wish you were here to see the snow. he he he

The Epic Dog Ride....

Today Marisa and I seem to have a little cold. Achew!! Well, White Dog (Ally), didn't seem to care and wanted to go out. Sooo, I figured I didn't want to just walk down the street with her, she's too fast and ansy... I'll see how well she can pull me on the bike! Not so much... But she was GREAT to ride with. She stayed right next to me and I basically didn't even know she was there. Never pulled on the leash really, just wanted to go for a trot. So we went to Ussery Rd. which has all the cool jumps and drops which is 2 miles down the road.


I didn't really feel like exerting that much effort so we just followed the trails. It has been raining so the ground was a bit muddy, White Dog did not care! If there was a puddle, she was going to walk through it and drink out of it. I didn't know how she would do out in the free world without a leash so we walked up the trail for a while and then I let her go... she was perfect! She would stay right with me and if I was riding and she wanted to smell something she would run and catch up afterward. Marisa better step up her game on the mountain biking or White Dog may take her place... just kidding. We went further than I have been on the Ussery trails all the way over some ridges (steep and muddy) to Bogus Basin Rd. About 2 or 3 miles of trail. Once White Dog lost the leash she was flying down the downhill sections right behind me. Awesome Dog!


We both took a short rest and after contemplating having Marisa come get us in her 4Runner, dirty White Dog and I decided we could do the 3.5 miles back at an easy pace. She only pulled me to try to eat some Quail and a scarecrow in someones yard on the way back. Uphills are not fun. We had a lot of fun and both went to sleep for a good nap afterward.



The End...
-Willy

Waaaaa!

We have colds. :(

Subin'

The other day, I went to my Substitute training class. It was sort of fun. Two teachers taught it and I learned what to do in a bunch of bad kid scenarios. I hope that I will enjoy it. Who knows if there may be a job interest in there for me.

Ally and I are going to walk with our new friends Jack and Jessica at a park later on today.

Our Crib

Just in case you are curious. This is the layout of our place. It came out kind of dark, but you get the idea.

Da Crib

We've Adopted!

Hello everyone! Willy and I are excited to announce that we adopted a dog into our family. We think we are going to name her Ally, as in Ally-O!, Ally-Ally-Off-Good, etc. We got her from the humane society and she is a German Shepard and Husky mix. She is about 24 months old and a whopping 88 pounds! When she runs through our house she sounds like a horse!

She is taller than I though she would be. She can see on our kitchen counter! (Uh Oh) She is also very inquisitive and seems smart. We will have to exercise her a lot and train her a bit. She already shakes hands and sits.

Good news for John and Eric, she seems to like everyone and she even licks other dogs (their faces).

Our New Doggy

Norfolk, VA

Last weekend we visited Keith and Marci and their two little kids. For my part, I expected a lot of oooh's and aaah's but I had no idea how I would so completely fall in love with my nephew and niece.

Keithie is around 13 months old and he smiles and waddles around. He plays this adorable little game of "Keithie, give it to me" when he is clutching one of my bracelets or his sock. He comes over to hand it to you and then he smiles and runs away so you can chase him. It is sooo funny. Even his mad face is cute!

Alexis is just a baby and I was a little afraid to hold her because I haven't held a baby in almost 20 years. I fed her a bottle and couldn't believe how long it took. She is so pretty and pink. I love looking at her in her swing because she looks around and smiles to herself.

These are very good kids and I am so proud of Keith and Marci for what they have accomplished. Keith just jumps in there and changes dirty dippers like a pro. It maybe takes him 30 seconds. Marci is home juggling two personalities that need her at the same time (three when Keith comes home).

We had such a wonderful visit. I almost cried my eyes out when it was time to go. Willy loved being the crazy uncle!

To see pics, go to The Meir Family Circus link at the right. (Shout out)

Bad News :(

We just found out that we will not be coming to Florida in December after all. It is very disappointing but Willy's training in St. Pete was canceled. It may be rescheduled and we will let everyone know when we can. This just means that everyone will have to follow the example that Lynn, John and Keri are setting and come to see us!

Exciting News!

I am so excited because Willy and I are going to meet our nephew and niece for the first time tomorrow. Yup, we are flying to Norfolk to visit Keith and Marci's family. We are looking forward to it. I haven't held a baby since my cousin Brittany. Willy hasn't been around babies since his own little brother. I will let you know how that goes!

Tomorrow before we leave we are going to buy a 94 Toyota 4-Runner. I will post pictures when I get it all pretty. It is perfect for us. We wanted something that we can rough up a bit with our camping and biking adventures. It has four wheel drive, too. You know we have to keep close ties with our roots! I will write more on our new wheels when we get back.

Also Willy's grandparents made it home to Florida today. They seemed really excited about their Vespa. Very surprised. :)

Say Good Bye To the Land Rover

As some of you may know, I had my heart set on a nice and used Land Rover Discovery. We decided to focus on other cars because every time Willy looked under the engine he saw twenty unidentifiable fluid leaks. He also did a lot of research on them and he has often read that if you don't see an oil leak then the Disco has no oil! It is a shame because I really loved the interior, but there are more important things in life...

So we have moved on to Toyota 4-Runners (as my big bro and Jason will be happy to hear). So please wish us luck! We despise car shopping on so many levels!

Everything's Goin' Good

Willy is having a fun week. On Tuesday he had his root canal. He said it wasn't bad because he almost went to sleep and he got to watch Shrek through special glasses and earphones. It went well. Just wait 2 weeks for the next update...the crown.

He also went out to lunch twice during work with people from both companies. I am so jealous because they are some nice places and he won't bring me home a doggy bag!

We have been playing Racquetball some more. I have my own racket. It is such a challenging game and what a workout! We are still on the quest for getting skinny or at least healthy. I really love the gym because we are starting to feel more comfortable and beginning to want to talk to people. We watched a game with real racquetball players and there is no way you would get me in there with them. They are seriously good.

So, we are doing good. Just looking for a Land Rover Discovery for our outdoor vehicle. I wanted to write an update so all of our adoring readers wouldn't get bored looking for our posts! he he he... it goes straight to my head, doesn't it! :)

The Maize

We just got back from The Maize. We went with a nice couple from Montana. It was a lot of fun and we learned that corn is a lot taller than you think it is. There were two mazes and a scary maze. The first maze took us 40 minutes to figure out. The second maze took us that long to get back to where we started. At that point the vote was to call it quits because it was so muddy and harder to crack than you would think. My favorite was the scary maze. They had people jumping out of the corn at you and lucky for me, they target girls. Willy had a lot of fun jumping on the trampoline-like bubble on the ground with the kids. It was a very nice night. I posted the link for everyone to see on the right.

Earlier in the day, Willy schooled me on my first game of racquetball at the gym.

Truck Sold

Willy sold his truck today. We had to drive and meet the buyer 113 miles away at Twin Falls. It was freezing and pouring the entire time. I was so happy that the guy bought it because if he didn't....

[:( my mean unibrow frown

Driving there was cool because the color of the sky matched the road and the hills and prairie grasses were all yellow. Yellow and gray. As you can see, I am really struck by the differences in color between FL and ID. The picture doesn't quite capture it but I tried...

Lucky Peak Video

Remember when I was complaining about all of the scratches that I got while riding at Lucky Peak Reservoir? (See October 8th's "Sunday Bike Ride.") Well, here is the video that Willy took while he was riding his bike. I am soo not coordinated to do that!

This trail is not how they all are. All that we found so far have been perfect. This one we crawled through barbed wire to get to it. Bad kids, I know, but we were curious!

Lucky Peak Reservoir

Tamarack Camping

Willy finally got around to making our videos work so that I can upload them. Don't worry, he is going to teach me how to do it so we will have them up a lot faster. These are from our last camping trip (see "Weekend Camping," September 30th). We would like to do more camping but it is too cold!

Willy is the grill master while I was sleeping.

A sweet trick!

Our Campsite

Motorcycle Momma

Check it out, my mom bought herself her first motorcycle. Livin' life on the edge!

Honda Shadow VLX 600 Deluxe

I am going to be a Sub!

Yesterday I applied to be a substitute teacher. It was basically just an orientation on how to work everything and to be able to find jobs online. I was also fingerprinted for the second time in my life! In about a week I have to go to sub training to learn how to take attendance. Hopefully this will work out for me and I will enjoy it.

Our Weekend

Last night was cool because we went to Table Rock and took a walk on the dirt rode up to the top of the hill. The air was chilly at first. There was a haze over everything making it hard to see and recognize the shapes around you. I kept wanting Willy to shine the flashlight on wild animals that turned out to be bushes. There were so many stars to see! When we got to the top of the aptly named Table Rock, the area was illuminated by a large fluorescent cross that is a Boise landmark overlooking the city nestled in the valley. It is a very beautiful sight because you see all the lights against the surrounding pitch black hills. Willy has heard that on a clear day you can see a hundred miles into Oregon.

Tonight Willy took me to see the new movie Elizabeth, The Golden Age. We both liked it a lot. I knew that I would but I wasn't sure that Willy would like it too much. He says that he did and was all fired up to be the hero. He hated leaving the theater to confront the neon lights on the street. That, is the power of stories.

Can't wait to see everyone!

Mark Your Calenders! We're Coming to FL

Hello,

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are coming to FL on December 1st through the 9th. Willy has training on the 7th and 8th with his job.

Leigh offered to have everyone over her house for a between-the-holidays-get-together-dinner because Willy and I are going to miss our families when we get home for Christmas. So please let either Leigh or I know if you would like to come. I don't know which day it is yet. She told me to decide...you better call her. :)

We really look forward to seeing everyone and I will let you know when we buy the plane tickets.

I Can Drive a Stick, People!

That's right! I drove Willy's car for the first time home from the gym tonight. It was pretty easy and fun. I only stalled it once at a four way stop sign on a hill. The second time I tried it, I peeled out! Why? Because I am awesome!

Sunday Bike Ride

On Sunday we rode our bikes at the reservoir. Willy and I crawled through a whole in the fence to ride on a trail. In the beginning I didn't understand why the trail was closed off and we rode on. It was a bit over grown and we rode through thorny bushes. My arms and legs look like a cat got to me. I actually bled in spots. Willy recorded some pretty footage that he will have to post on here soon (he is getting a bit behind).

Our next stop was a new trail in the foothills. We always manage to do the new trails backwards. There was a steep climb and Willy distracted me from a sign that said "for Experts use only." It would be awesome going down the trail instead of up. There were rock gardens, wall rides, jumps and drops to navigate. He is going to go it alone after work today. I always complain on the way up, but I am always proud of us when we are done.

Scary Spider!

Willy killed a real black widow last night in the garage. It was hanging near the passenger car door and I could have been killed! What an ugly spider. It was a mean shiny black and Willy said that it had the distinctive red hourglass shape beneath it. I didn't get that close, believe me! He killed it with a broom and said that was the second one he killed. The wild west!

Weekend Camping

This weekend we went camping on Lake Cascade near Tamarack Ski Resort. It was very pretty and relaxing. It was also freezing. The sad thing was that we knew that the temperatures would drop to around 24 degrees before we left. We are just two sorry Floridians earning a new respect for cold! We had our Florida clothes and a tent designed for much warmer days.

We enjoyed walking on the lake shore and finding animal prints.

We call this picture "Not a Dog."

When night came, the moon was so huge and bright! Willy looked hilarious because we bought a sleeping bag shaped like a mummy and he could not even move.

Willy was amazing because he turned from a 8-5er to a woodsman. It was very relaxing, for me anyways. I woke up and he was tending the fire and frying his sausage on rocks! Afterwards, he rode his bike at Tamarack in some snow.

We will post some videos as soon as we can of the lake! We miss everyone!

Remember Us?

I know you tried to block it out, but this is what we look like!

The Library!

Hello,

Today I went to the library! It was pretty cool. I checked out a lot of books that I needed to help develop my novel. It feels great to write that 'out loud.' I never knew that it could be this much fun to write your own stuff. At times frustrating, but you really get out what you put in. Boise really encourages reading. They even have book mobiles that travel around town. There is even a branch of the library at the mall! How cool is that for nerds like me!?

I should also note that returning home from the library I became so lost that I actually left the city of Boise. You would think our house would be hard to miss because all you have to do is head to the MOUNTAINS to get there. I had to call my dad for mapquest.

This weekend we are escaping to the mountains for a little camping trip. I am writing it so it must be so. (Last weekend it rained and was freezing.) I am going to read in the sunshine while Willy tears up the mountain trails with his bike.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

The 300zx had a baby... 350z!!!

Our faithful old 1990 300ZX has been resurrected in the form of a 2006 350Z.

The comparison:
300zx vs. 350z
Auto vs. Manual
Where's 2nd Gear? vs. Braaaaaappp!
2+2 vs. Coupe
White vs. Gray
222 HP vs. 306 HP
Marisa vs. Willy
hahahahaha!

Nice!!!

OLD...

NEW!!!

A little Willy singing Willie and a little Z slide show.... Off the road again!

Backyard Hill and Sunset

The other day, Willy decided to go explore our backyard and beyond with his bike. I climbed up the hill (sometimes crawled) and went to where I thought the top of it was. When I got to that spot, only then did I realize that I was only half way up the hill! I brought water, the video camera, a sheet to sit on and a book. The idea was to wait for Willy to return the way he came and go home with me.

About 30 minutes later I see a tiny biker coming up the street. Willy didn't know where I was but crawled up the hill anyways to find me and bring me home. How sweet of him because I would have had trouble crawling down on my butt!

Fall is Here

Mom says that the wild horses we saw the other day may be free range horses. This makes more sense... no matter what, still freaking cool!

It is finally getting chilly enough for us to start using our fireplace. Willy is the official fire starter in this house! It gives the house a nice atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, I have been cooking fall foods. I made a butternut squash and apple soup today. I really liked it but Willy misses the saltiado! With the left over squash, I am making butternut squash bread topped with streusel. Should be yummy. I have to admit that I am missing my friends and family... The holidays are gonna be tough this year.

-Marisa

Wild horses

Hello,

Willy and I decided to take a drive up to our local ski resort, Bogus Basin. Incredibly, we saw three wild horses! At least we think they were wild; they didn't have any horse shoes on. It was awesome.

You can tell that I got a little excited and my filming techniques may have suffered for it. Also forgive my blond questions! I was excited, ok!?!

-Marisa

The 187 Crew!

187 Bikes Video

The original FL 187 bike crew video. Represent!

-Willy

The Lucky Peak Reservoir

Lucky Peak Reservoir

Lucky Peak Reservoir is about 10 miles from our house in Boise. It is the beginning of the Boise River which flows through Boise. The Lucky Peak Dam regulates the water flow through town. Floating down the Boise River on tubes is a popular summer activity. Marisa is scared of water moccasins eating her, so we have yet to float it. Uhhh this is Idaho woman! Watch out for those beavers!

-Willy

Welcome to the Daily Dallas!!!

Hello Everyone.

We are making this page to keep in touch with friends and family back East. Hope you enjoy!

Marisa and Willy