Drill Weekend!!

Usually Nick dreads drill weekend. He has to leave family, drive to Boise, roll around in the dirt a little, get bossed around, share a shower and bathroom, what could be so exciting about that. But not this weekend, Nick was actually way excited about going. But who wouldn't be. He got to do war training and fly in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and shoot big guns. I guess boys will always be boys.


All Suited Up!


Picture from the helicopter


Nick also received great news when arriving at drill this weekend. He was getting promoted. YEAH!! He will be getting promoted from E5 Sgt. to E6 Staff Sgt.. For those that don't know military lingo (like me) this means more pay and and no more grunt work. Nick will now be assigned to a until called JFHQ (Joint Force Headquarters) located in Boise. He has no clue what he will be doing but it sounds oh, so fun!! He is so excited, he thought this promotion was far in the future. He is stoked. Congrats Nick.

Happy Easter!!

Paradise Does Exist

Cancun, Mexico (Moon Palace Resorts) March 2009

The trip of a lifetime has been being planned for about a year now as a surprise for my mother on her 50th birthday and 30th wedding anniversary. My father put a lot of thought and money into planning this wonderful trip. Thanks again dad it was an amazing trip.

Us waiting in the airport for the grand surprise!! We showed up 3 hours before the flight so that we wouldn't run into mom until the gate.

Our room was amazing. The Jacuzzi tub was a two seater whirlpool that was huge. It took a good ten minuets to fill.


The view from our room. WOW!!!

At our resort around the swimming pools.

Huge Iguana!! There were thousands of them everywhere.


Dad having a face off with the Iguana!!



Just a few of the places we ate dinner. We were serenaded at nearly every meal. This was an all inclusive trip. Meaning all food, drink, flight and hotel all included. We made it worth it. We drank and ate more in one week than we do in a month. It was great.



Chichen itza one of the 7 wonders of the world. This trip was very interesting and HOT!!


This was an underground river that was 90 ft deep with nothing to hold onto on the sides, and one ladder for people to climb up on. We didn't jump in due to the thousands of people waiting to do so. Very pretty!!

Just outside the underground river waiting for our bus to leave.

Jungle Tour!! This was an amazing trip. We drove these little speed boats through the Caribbean sea and throughout the jungle. Once out a little ways they anchored our boats for snorkeling. It was such a great experience. The fish were crazy close and lots of them. Nick was a bit of a chicken driving the speed boat through the ocean water. He screamed like a girl the whole time. We were bouncing everywhere. It was so much fun.

The beach at one of the palace resort hotels. BEAUTIFUL!!! We rode a few waves with our knee board. The waves were so strong it was hard to keep from going under.

The zip line. This was totally freaky and fun at the same time. We were so high off the ground floating in the air. It was awesome. The workers thought they were hilarious and pushed me off one of the platforms backwards. So scary.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, mom and dad. Thank you for a wonderful trip of a lifetime. I was going to put the cute kissing picture on the blog but I knew I would never hear the end of it. You are wonderful parents. Thank you for all you do.

NOTE:: Some pictures will have to be posted in a week or so. They are still on Brandy's Camera.

TO BE CONTINUED...............

An update!!

The second closing date was successful. We moved at the beginning of this month and I am just now getting a chance to update. We found a nice rental for now until we know if we will be traveling anywhere with the Military. Life seems to be getting back to normal.

Oh the Stress!



For those of you that know me pretty well, you all know that I am quite the stresser. When things don't go as planned immediate stress sets in. Let me explain, we built a twin home, rented one side and have been living in the other for almost two years now. We did this as an investment. Once the rental thing only caused problems we decided to sale the entire twin home. So last year we had both houses on the market for the entire year, and some. We had zero bites, I could probably count the number of people that walked through it. So we took it off the market through the winter and decided to put the rental back on this February. It was listed for a week and we had an offer. Great!!! Except they made the offer on our half. Okay, not so bad except where do we go now. Everything was fine and dandy until closing date got closer. My entire house packed and ready to move and then the news that there were complications at closing. Oh, no!!! So After a lot of figuring things out we now have a new closing date. I have been living in boxes for two weeks now and am just crossing my fingers things are still on track. And to top it off. The only place we could find nice enough (and that is not being picky, just realistic) was a place that doesn't allow animals. We have to now find good homes for our dogs and cat. I don't think this move could have ran any smoother. I keep hoping it is all for the better! I guess time will tell.

Tag Nick!!



How did we meet: In my apartment at college. He kept coming over to see his cousin. (or so I thought)

How long we have been married: 6 years

What's my favorite feature about him: Brown Eyes, Body!!

What's my favorite quality about him: Happy, Full of energy


What's his nickname: Nicker Bocker

What's his favorite color: Blue

What's his favorite food: Pizza, Pizza and more Pizza.

What's his favorite sport: Football

First kiss when and where: A party at his house in college. He bet me a dollar he could kiss me without using his lips. I got the dollar!!

Favorite couple thing to do: Go camping or four wheeler rides. ( I bet we all know what Nick would say!! Get it on!!)

How many kids: two, Brayden and Jaycie

Hidden Talent: His snort is quite impressive.

Favorite music: Nickleback,Gotta be somebody!!

What I admire most about him: Integrity, the way he loves me.

His favorite past time: Golfing, rock climbing, kayaking

Will he read this: I don't know, we'll see.

I tag: Lacey, Brandy, Lisa, Aubrey

Fun in McCall!!

Another year in McCall, this time with our kids and two other families. Last year we went to McCall to see the ice sculptures and did so many fun things that the kids would love, we decided this year, to take them with us. We had a lot of fun. We got to see some amazing ice sculptures. Rode on a horse drawn sleigh to see elk. And of course sledding. This was the winner of fun for my kids. The very first time we got to the top of the hill, Brayden wanted to go by himself. We of course, protecting our child from a very steep, fast, hill told him he had to go with us first. We all laughed hysterically going down. By the end Brayden went by himself and loved every minute of it. He thought that was amazing. After each run, before we even got out of the tubes, Jaycie would be saying "gin mom gin". We all had a blast.

This ice sculpture was the largest and had so much detail around the whole thing. It is amazing what these artists can do.

This ice sculpture was outside our hotel. Very neat. On the inside on the castle was a king and queen sitting on their thrones.

This was just a cute bear fishing.

Us with the Elk. It is crazy how close they get to you. They eat the hay right out from under your seat. There was a couple of bulls but mostly cows. The bulls would get close enough to have their antlers touch your back as you were sitting there. Most of us moved to the middle and let the Elk eat but Nick was too stubborn to give up his seat. He was in a personal battle between his seat and a cow elk that kept bumping his bum to get up. Nick never gave in.

This one you can tell Brayden was a little reluctant to get so close. The mean mom I am kept pushing him closer so I could get a picture.