Date Night

Last night Willy and I ate out with some friends at Olive Garden. Then we watched a band called The Devil Makes Three. It is a fun punk/bluegrass band. Willy and I are trying out the NW beers. We are very rusty with our dance moves, but it really didn't matter. CM made cookies with his babysitter and broke into the honey combs Willy set aside. By the way, I am so proud of Willy for taking up this hobby because it is the BEST honey that I ever tried.



This is what the concert was like...

Happy Halloween

From 2011-11-02

This year Cole wanted to be a vacuum cleaner for Halloween. I made a cylinder out of chicken wire and covered it with black felt. Willy added all of the great touches and used a milk jug with a vacuum cleaner pipe and attachment to put the candy in. He then wired it up so when Cole turned the switch on it glowed blue and white. He was a hit in the neighborhood and even got large size candy bars for his enthusiasm.

Please click this for a few more pictures trick or treating. There are two small videos at the end that show the colors better without the flash.

More Pictures!!!

From OR trip and more 2011

I finally have some pictures up for the Grandparents! They are a few from the peach orchard, our trip to the Oregon coast and the Botanical Gardens Fall Festival.

From OR trip and more 2011

From OR trip and more 2011

From OR trip and more 2011

From OR trip and more 2011

Camping at Stanley Lake, ID

The pictures say it all! We had a nice time escaping from chores and camping. It was relaxing.

From Stanley Lake

More Pictures!!!

From 2011-08-14

I finally got the pictures up on the internet! There are some good ones starting from the Fiddle Contest in Weiser last month to last weekends fishing trip. There is a new post about the time we met the Werme's (a few posts below).

From 2011-08-14

Warhawk Air Museum

A few days ago Cole said that he wanted to go see airplanes. I took him to the Warhawk Air Museum today. Cole was very good and was really interested in the airplanes and jeeps there. They had airplane engines displayed and he stared at them long after I started yawning! It was a perfect little afternoon. I think I will bring Grandpa and maybe Great Grandpa there if they are ever in town.

The Best Kind of Day

Yesterday was so great for all of us. We woke up and ate some delicious french toast. After that I weeded our garden into submission and Willy put a first coat of paint on the front of our house. The afternoon heat is a signal to stop working before you get grumpy. So we decided to go swimming in a nearby lake. The water was cold and felt amazing. It is very clear, too. Willy inflated our boat and we went paddling around the lake. Willy swung off of a rope swing a few times. After the lake, we went to Stan's hot dog stand. Then to a fancy chocolate shop for a few pieces of candy. Willy finished off the night by having another bluegrass jam.

I lost our camera cord. When I find it, I will post about Weiser, Uncle Walter and Aunt Corinne.

Weiser with the Werme's

Last week was the National Fiddlers Contest in Weiser, ID. Willy really loves going there. For the last two years he has dragged Cole and I with him and each year he vows to never bring us again. In my defense, Weiser is very hot at this time of year and I am not really into bluegrass music.

He went by himself on Saturday and spent the night in his van with all of the other hippies. There were jams going on until late at night.

The next time we all went to see Willy's Great-Uncle Walter compete in the contest. I think he did amazing and it was the first time that we ever saw him. Later we met up with Aunt Corinne. It was very special to see them and to get to know them a little. Willy was taken aback by how much Uncle Walter reminded him of his Grandma. They played music together, too.

From 2011-08-14

For more pictures and great videos of the contest and music click here.

Our Vacation

Here is a run down of our family vacation. Here is a link to see the rest of the pictures.
There are some play date and birthday pictures on there too!

Friday

We finally left the house at 3pm and headed to Salt Lake City. We stopped and picnicked at the Shoshone Falls, the Niagara of the West. It was a nice place to hike around at. That night we camped in some woods behind a rest stop outside of Ogden, UT.

From vacation 2011

Saturday

We spent the day walking around Salt Lake City. The Mormon Temples are at the heart of it. Then we played in the Salt Lake. It was weird and dirty. It was like being in Florida but not. There were seagulls and it smelled like the ocean but it was surrounded by desert cliffs. Evidently it attracts a lot of birds that end up dying there. Gross. Ally rolled around in them and Willy had to wash her in the lake. Gross. On the way out Willy spent $9 on 4oz of jerky because I made him. After dinner Willy pulled a tick out of his butt and while we were inside the restaurant Ally ate his jerky. I feel itchy.

From vacation 2011

(I just noticed how dirty our camera lens is. That CMCD!)

From vacation 2011

From vacation 2011

We camped at Yuba Lake.

From vacation 2011

Sunday

On the way to Zion, it was very hot. When we got to the National Park, all of the camp sites were filled. We were getting hot and crabby. All we were looking for was a tree in the desert. We randomly pulled of at Sand Hollow. We found an oasis! This was one of my favorite days on the trip. We swam all afternoon and even bathed. We camped there right on the beach.

From vacation 2011

Monday

Zion National Park. We also camped there.

From vacation 2011

From vacation 2011

Tuesday

Decided to drive to CO. On the way there Willy's van started doing something a little weird and we pulled off at Cove Fort. I was happy because the best way that I could help a grumbling husband was to take Cole to the fort while he babied his van. When we first got there all of the men were wearing starched white shirts. I thought that they were dressing for the period but it turns out that the fort was a Mormon home. Cole and I got a one on one tour from a nice Mormon man. He called me Sister Dallas and I must admit that it was a very good experience. They have many sentimental sayings and I learned a lot. Especially when I expected old canons and Indian stuff. (Sorry that the batteries on the camera died.) We spent the night in Gunnison at Black Canyon National Park. The stars and scenery were incredible.

For the rest of the vacation, we spent a few days with Grandma, Aunt Kim and the Mahar's. It was awesome but they wouldn't talk to us until we all showered. I listed all of our bathing events so I cannot blame them. Everyone called me Reesa and Reesie. It was really great to relax and talk to some family face to face again. Uncle Brian wanted to keep Ally (she was shedding since Utah) and he liked Cole. My cousins are beautiful and good people. I hope that we can see them all again soon.

From vacation 2011

Estate Sales

My neighbor and I went to a few estate sales today. I bought a big framed print and a beautiful wallet. I really love the print. It looks very similar to the picture below. I am getting a book at the library to find out more about it. As a bragging point, we stayed in a hotel in that area. It is a meaningful find for me.

Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955)
La Maison de Mimi Pinson à Montmartre

Summertime in Boise

Happy Anniversary and 5K

I ran in the Race for the Cure 5K today with some friends. There were 20,000 people participating and that made it a little hard to jog at times. You had to really work hard to zig zag through the crowd/mob and it made it a little frustrating when you reached an impasse. I wasn't able to run the entire thing yet anyways so it worked out. My only goal was to beat my time from last years race of 53 min. This race was done in about 40-45 min. So I am improving! It was a good girly time. Honestly, I don't think that I will want to do that one again next year. I like smaller races with maybe only a couple of hundred people...

Art Source Gallery
Later on that day, Willy and I had a date and left CM with a babysitter. We ate some amazing pizza outside while looking at the foothills. We drove around downtown a bit and we were considering going to an art gallery to listen to music but it seemed too serious. We were committed to having a very laid back anniversary. Willy had the awesome idea of miniature golf. So we went to a place just like Malibu in FL and did the arcade, golf (I won by 2) and batting cages. Willy hit 20/24 balls and I hit almost 12/24. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it. We laughed a lot together and won a snap bracelet.

Mom, we found the hat

From Easter 2011

Easter with the Garwol's

From Easter 2011

I had such a good time with Jenna and Don's visit. It was a lot of fun seeing how much Cole enjoyed his Auntie Jenna and newly honored Unckie Don. :) S-P-O-I-L-E-D

From Easter 2011

From Easter 2011

I think they got a good first intro to Idaho. They got a taste of neighborly hospitality and some home made wine, Easter-Dallas style, Idaho City, snowboarding and hiking at Bogus Basin, foothills and our Hyde Park.

It made me feel so good that Jenna cried a few times on the way and at the airport. I will miss her very much and I am proud that our friendship has remained so real for all of these many, many, many years.

Here is a link to some pictures.

From Easter 2011

We also volunteered in the Unplug and Be Outside event. I think Cole and I may have been on the news but I wouldn't really know. We were filmed being cute and beautiful looking at an observation hive.

From Easter 2011

From Easter 2011

From Easter 2011

We have our bees!

I am excited to say that we have completed one of our goals this spring. We have our colony in place. On Saturday, Willy went to Fruitland to claim his queen.

There was a beekeepers meeting and BBQ. Everyone met at one of the members Honey store where he keeps bees commercially and keeps thousands of hives. They demonstrated how to put the bees in a hive and light a smoker. I thought Willy was very composed when doing the same thing at home. I took a few videos that I think are very interesting.

Here is the link to the web album.

From spring 2011

Saturday was also the day of Cole's Preschool Auction. Our amazing neighbors were gracious enough to watch Cole for a few hours while Willy and I enjoyed the open bar and talking with other ADULTS. The auction was pretty cool too. One of the items that we submitted was 4 one hour guitar lessons. Lucky for Willy! I submitted my gourds, a carrot cake and 2 businesses donated to the auction for us. I was very surprised how much I enjoyed myself. Willy had a good time meeting other dads that had similar interests as him.

From spring 2011

I am thoroughly enjoying the sunshine (ha ha Marci) and getting our gardening on. Cole has been a big help (mostly cultivating our patience) in the yard. He is mowing and planting and drilling to name a few. Later this week we are going to build his very own garden.

From spring 2011

I am looking forward to Jenna and Don V. visiting us for this weekend. It will be so much fun. I have a few plans for that but I will write about them later. I hope everyone enjoys the pictures and videos.

Pictures, Finally!

So far today has been great. Cole and I went to the Birds of Prey Museum. He enjoyed himself. I would have liked to see them bring out the birds from their cages but you had to be quiet and Cole was ready for a nap. We bought a kite that we will take out hopefully tomorrow. Ask yourself: "When was the last time a flew a kite?" My answer is about 20 years or more!

There are some nice pictures on our web album. Dad requested the silly self portraits because he forgets what I look like. I am trying to bring the camera around with us more and I will post the pictures as soon as I take them.

Cole singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Cokka Cokka Toe)

Spring

Spring has arrived. This month has been exciting because we are busy building and planting.

Willy is working on putting up a chicken fence so our chickens can enjoy a side pasture and I can protect my tulips.

We put down a winding brick path inside our garden on top of the hill. Willy also built me a cold frame to start some seeds in. I hope that they will grow strong and be already somewhat hardened off by the time I transplant them. Cole is helping and we already have the cabbage popping up. I am trying eggplant again. Cole and I have already directly sown parsnips, peas, onions, radishes, romaine, spinach, arugala, and one other thing that I can't remember now. I have a ton more to plant but it has been raining all day.

We had our first neighborhood garden club meeting. I am glad to be a part of it because they are awesome people. We did a seed exchange and I will try my hand at lemon cucumbers, bok choy and kohl rabi this year.

Our bee brood boxes came in the mail today. Willy will have to build them. We pick up the actual bees in April.

It is a busy time of year for us but after looking at the dead plants all winter, I am thrilled to see our gardens come back to life. I wish I had more of my family around to enjoy it with us.

Still in my 20's!

Today was such a perfect birthday. I don't know how Willy pulled it all off. My morning started off with Willy and Cole in the kitchen while I stayed in bed. Cole must have been "growing" because he was screaming at Willy all morning. Willy didn't want me to help him and about 30 minutes later, they both bring me breakfast in bed. I invited them to share it with me but they left me to myself and my coffee. When my coffee was topped off, they brought me lots of presents to open. I got a girly water bottle, a garbage disposal, and an i-shuffle. The i-shuffle is so small I confess that I didn't know what it was. It will be awesome to take on my runs when I need to relax with some David Bowie!

Willy taught Cole to say "Happy Birthday Momma" and he would give me as many hugs and kisses as I wanted.

All three of us went for a quick run in a light rain. Willy is amazing and of course could run the whole thing. He helped me to improve drastically on my uphill spot. We felt really good after and then we hung out and played games with Cole and tried on my wedding dress (impulse of growing old and it fits better than before).

We have an amazing babysitter, so Willy and I went on another date. we went out to eat and then he surprised me by taking me to see Portland Taiko at the university. It was so cool. They received a standing ovation. It was an awesome and perfect night.

I am sorry that I am lacking pictures of the one that everyone really wants to see and know about. I lost the camera. The next place I will look for it in is Cole's toy box.

Thank you to everyone that thought of me on my birthday month.

Out at the ol' Ranch

Our neighbors invited us to see their old ranch today. We saw a herd of elk in their driveway and ate pizza cooked by a bonfire. It was a very nice afternoon. Thank you both for having us.

From Richard and Cheryls Ranch

My awesome video of the elk. You may be able to see it better by clicking on the link between the movie and the pictures.

Our 1st Bee Meeting

We went to a bee hive building workshop held by Idabees

We joined the club. One of the members is the leading apiarist in the state. There were a lot of new people interested in having their own hives (some our age) and the members were really patient and good by answering questions. They are a beer drinking club, too, which looks promising.

The meeting was at someones house and Willy was drooling over the size of his shop. It had to be about the same size as our house. After the meeting, Willy and I held a baby goat. The momma goat licked Cole's finger.

I really look forward to having a hive. Here are a few pictures.