New Hair Color

For future reference... When I want this exact same color again!

This is How We Work

First day of school information table. Now, if only there were some students to give information to...

Almost...

Still chasing that sub 2 hour half marathon. This is by far one of the hardest I've ever run. All the way uphill the first half, and then screaming back downhill the second half.

The Best Day of the Year

You can never complain about a day on the San Rafael desert with no wind, short sleeves, and jackets; especially when it's January 2nd. The weather has been unseasonably warm. Is it it weird, yes. Do we complain, no! We take advantage of it, and do things that are not normally done in January!

My dad took us on an adventure south of I-70 in Emery County to find a famous, yet hidden, signature of Butch Cassidy. Apparently he smeared it on the rock with axel grease, so it has preserved the sandstone from rain and weather. Some of the signature is now disapearing, so we went to check it out before it's totally gone. We also tried to take a cute family picture on some cool rocks, it turned out about as well as the rest of our family photos. Although very fitting that I'm trying not to go over the edge with Caleb, it's kind of a metaphor for my life right now.

Since we were already in the vicinity of the Musn't Touch It Sand Dunes we decided to stop and let the kids run around. It was really the most unbelievable day, there have been colder days in May. The kids took their shoes off, rolled their pants up, and ran around like crazy on the "beach".

I hiked about half way up with Caleb, until he wanted me to carry him the rest of the way. Carrying a large child up hill in sand is less fun than it sounds. Apparently running up a steep sand dune is really fun when you weigh less than 50 lbs...Just ask Cali she sprinted up and down several times.

Caleb filled up all his clothes and bodily cracks with pounds and pounds of delightful sand!

Carter raced Brandt to the top, and Brandt showed Carter how to run down as fast as your legs can take you. Even these cute little legs needed a tiny rest.

Our faithful tour guides, my mom and dad. Our trips to the desert have been much more productive and less scary since GPS was invented. My dad is a pro GPSer and doesn't go anywhere without it. Some day I might fill my readers in about the maps and handwritten direction that led our adventures as kids. Suffice it to say our 1990 Suburban saw more that it's fair share of incidents on the desert.

I still can't get over what a wonderful day we had, and how a little bit of nice weather created one of my fondest memories yet!

Our Pre-Christmas-Minus-the-Kids Vacation

Sometimes you want to create special holiday memories with your children, and sometimes after being husband-less for several weeks, you want to create special holiday memories without your children. I think Christian could see I was on the edge...not of glory like Lady Ga Ga....but the literal edge of my sanity. Maybe it was all the hints I dropped about checking myself into UNI. Whatever it was... It worked!

While Christian was working in Utah a couple weeks ago, and I was finishing up my final papers for school, he said to me "what are you doing the 9th and 10th of December". I checked my calendar and told him that I was free. He said that he had something planned. He sure did...

He arranged for grandma Vicki to watch the kids, she arrived on Thursday night, and we left first thing Friday morning for Salt Lake. Christian had to have a lunch date and finish up some work related business, so he dropped my off with my sissy.  Bethany and I hit up her hair stylist for some "hair-doing" lessons, then Granato's for lunch, and we met Christian at the Utah Utes store later that day.

Here we are, surrounded by our favorite team paraphernalia, right after we got our hair did! I think I've finally decided to give up the wavy hair fight, for a season, and try this curlier look. I'm giving my flat iron a break for a while.

Of course, Bethany had to try some cute baby clothes on her baby.

After we said good bye to Bethany...apparently some people have to go back to work... Christian and I checked into our hotel. He kept telling me that he got a room better than the Anniversary Inn, we laughed and joked because we thought our stay at the Anniversary Inn was a little lame for the price.

Then we drove right up to the Grand America, no joke. I have the slippers to prove it! For the sake of all my readers, this is the ONLY picture you will see from the inside of our room!

The Grand America, is just that....Grand. You could spend whole days inside and never come out into the real world. Some reasons for the five star rating...in my humble non-sophisticated opinion.

1. There is a door man that opens your car door when you arrive. Christian may or may not have almost slammed his hand in the door. We are obviously not that high class.
2. There is a cute little dude from the Ukraine that takes your bag to your room, and makes awkward small talk with you all the way to the 15th floor.
3. There is a free cookie and gelato cart that is available all hours of the day and night.
4. People call you Mrs. and Mr. and you have to look around to see what "old" people they are talking to.
5. They charge you $10 extra dollars just for getting on their treadmills.

There are some fun activities at the hotel, even if you are not a guest. There is a Christmas treasure hunt that we participated in. You walk through the main level of the hotel looking for clue in the fancy window decorations. It was really fun, I almost wished my kids were there...almost.

We also got to check out this gingerbread house. Yes, made by the chef at the Grand America. Christian is pretty tall, and he could have lived comfortably in this thing. All gingerbread, 30,000 gumballs, and the windows that look like glass are sheets of crystallized sugar. It smelled so good!

A nice family with kids, who actually had an excuse to get pumped up about gingerbread houses offered to take our picture. We were obviously way more excited about it than their kids!

 Finally, the bakery and toy store in the Grand America are worth a visit. The tree outside the store was decorated with balloons. Something I might try someday when my kids are at a less of a choking hazard age. The robot and dragon are displays in the store, and the monster is one of the main windows of the store. It was amazing. You could spend hours and your life's savings in that place. We managed to purchase a few books for the kids...we didn't forget about them entirely.

 

We got up at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning and ate breakfast at the Village Inn on 4th South for old time's sake, and then hit the shopping trail. More Costco, the outlets at Park City, and then home again.Grandma Vicki looked a little tired when we got back, but we were so grateful for her willingness to come and wrestle the kids for a couple of days. She left me a voice mail later that night that said something like..."Cammie, I told you that I cleaned your whole house, but we missed a few things. We didn't get the showers done and we only swept the floors...not mopped them -pause------pause- your one little helper was too much of a helper to get much done. Now I see why it's so hard for you to get things done."

I've been back to reality for a couple of days now, and it's not so bad.

I Throw My Hands Up in the Air Sometimes

Especially when I shatter {by whole minutes!} my previous best 5K time at one of my favorite places in the world.

Thanks to my sister Bethany for the action shot here. I really really wanted to get that girl in the gray shirt just about to cross the finish line. I was hot on her tail for most of the race, passed her a few times, and almost got her at the end. The feeling must have been mutual because at the end of the race we felt it necessary to hug. Don't know why...Never met...But we pushed the guts out of each other that day.

Of course, Swoop was there to greet all of the race finishers. Funny story, when we were in college at the U Christian was playing basketball with the guy who was {at the time} Swoop. During some sort scramble for the ball Christian's elbow ended up on Swoop's head {no, he wasn't in his mascot suit at the time...I thought the same thing}, and Swoop {I'm sure he had a real name} bit down on his tongue nigh unto biting it off. From then on {and to this day} we call Swoop, Thwoop. Because that's how you'd say it if you had a problem with your tongue. Go ahead try it... {if you haven't already!}

More Than Once...That's For Sure

How many times have you and your sister appeared together in the same shirt? Well, for me and my sister, the answer is...more than once. It's not as awkward now that we live 200+ miles away from each other, but when we worked together it happened, well...more than once.

I guess we must have impeccable taste. That, or we have similar taste and can patiently wait for the $36.00 shirt to hit the clearance rack for $8.00. I'm just glad I'm NOT the pregnant one in this wardrobe match.

Got Grass?

We finally do, and some trees too! It's been a long time coming and a lot of hard work, but our yard is finally in the completion stages.

eShakti

My very stylish friend Natalie devoted one of her vlogs {video blog} on 100percentcottam to an online store called eShakti. I watched the vlog and was impressed by her dress {she was wearing it in the video} and her excitement.

eShakti.com is an online store devoted to beautiful, affordable, and {my favorite} customizable clothing and dresses. Have you ever seen a dress you love, but it's too short...the story of my life! Have you ever seen a dress you love, but it has no sleeves...also a very reoccurring theme in my shopping life. If you have these same issues, you need to check out this website. You provide them with your measurements, sleeve and length modifications, and you get your perfect dress.

After looking around for a black dress {with no success} for my brother's wedding, I figured it was a good time to try something new. I picked a dress {pictured above}, I entered my sizes, added a cap sleeve, and a knee length, changed the color to black and I had my perfect dress in 10 days. They guarantee to ship your order within 3 business days, and provide a full money back return policy...even if the order was a custom size. You can't go wrong.

If you have an occasion {or no reason at all} to shop for a pretty dress, blouse, or skirt I recommend you try eShakti. Right now if you enter the promo code JUNPRV you get an additional 15% off your order.

The picture posted above is the same picture I saw on the website. The pictures beloware my custom version of that dress. I received so many generous and thoughtful compliments about the dress, I knew I had to share! Happy shopping!!

{the dress came with a black sash, but I added the red belt via Down East Basics to add some color and to go with the theme of the wedding. The shoes are Steve Madden, and although very cute, I was done with them after the formal picture taking.}

Need Some Inspiration Today?

If you do, you must check out one of my favorite blogs. My childhood friend, and fellow Castledalian, is a professional photographer/cinematographer and just moved to Hawaii to follow his dreams. He is a great writer, and provides some amazing insights on life. You should stalk him, I mean his blog.

Hawaiian Jace

Life is Full of Hard Choices...

Now that I've been sleeping in a giant grown-up bed, I think it's time I invest in some grown-up bedding. Here are just a few of my top favorites. I really like a splash of color here and there, but for some reason my eyes are drawn to gray tones...I think it's because gray is the color of sweats.

Shutterfly is My Favorite

Over the past few years I've used Shutterfly to make Christmas cards, photo books, posters, calendars and movies. This coming year I think I am going to try out their birthday cards too.

I love the quality of their products, and the user-friendliness of their website. They also have great customer service. One year for Christmas I ordered my in-laws a video I made using pictures from our vacation. When the DVD arrived it wouldn't play, I called the customer service phone number. They sent me another DVD that day, no questions asked, and it still arrived in time for Christmas.

Shutterfly is my favorite! Earlier this year my mom was looking for some photos for her scrapbook. When she realized she didn't have any pictures from some very important family events, I browsed all my uploaded Shutterfly photos, made her a picture CD and had it sent directly to her. So easy!

Our family has changed quite a bit over the last two years, but what hasn't, is me making Christmas cards using the Shutterfly website.

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009
So, what will our Christmas cards for 2010 look like? We already have our new family photo, so the hard part will be picking only one of Shutterfly's great designs.

In the past I've used the flat photo card. But, I'm really liking the new designs for the folded Christmas cards this year.

Check out their website, it will surely be one of your favorites too!

Getting My Sew On

It's no big secret that I love to sew. Sometimes I make promises to myself like, if I get all my homework done...I can sew something. Or if I clean the kitchen I can get out my sewing machine and alter some clothes.

I really need to round up my latest projects and do a post, maybe later. For now. Here's a flower that my mom taught me to make a couple weekends ago. No machine involved. Just a few stitches and a safety pin. I had to post it because at the time we were making it she kept asking me, "are you sure you'll wear this color".

So here I am, and here's how it looked with a drape neck shirt. It actually kept the extra fabric in place, and dressed it up quite a bit. Coming soon...A whole bouquet of these using my extra fabric, in a vase on my piano....But only if I get the house cleaned and my homework done!

RunTone

For my birthday my mother and father-in-law gave me some sweet shoes. The Reebok RunTone. THE.BEST.SHOE.EVER! I have worn my fair share of athletic shoes and I am very impressed. I am in the process of trying to secure a black pair too.

She Bangs She Bangs

I may or may not immediately regret my {Jay's} decision to cut me some super-duper fun bangs. Bangs and Wyoming wind are not always the best of friends. So, we'll see how it goes. If all else fails I'll just give it a few weeks and they'll grown out enough to pull back in my signature I-just-got-done-working-out-head-band.

Speaking of Jay, my trip to the salon wouldn't be complete without some words of pure wisdom and reason. This man/girl is a total trip, I really do pay of the whole experience--not just the cut and color. Like when I walked into the salon and he said, "Oh Cammie! Your hair! You really need to go with more hooker less mom!" Can there be a happy medium?

Or the fact that he is convinced that his house is haunted. He had a psychic check it out, but she determined it was out of her leauge. So she called in an "expert" who determined that his apartment complex used to be an old railroad station....built on an Indian burial ground. Apparently, the way the axis of the world is positioned in 2010 tilts the veil just so that more spirits are visible. And it just so happens that the vortex to the spirit world is on one of the walls in his house. Needless to say, he's moving! He has also taken up bulimia as a way to lose weight, however, he's very dissatisfied with the results. So far, all he's got is a gaunt face and a pot belly...not any skinnier. However, he will do whatever it takes to reach his ultimate goal in life which is to be, "The skinnest with the most hair in any given situation". Aim high!

The Surprise of a Lifetime

This post requires a little background information. When it comes to being surprised, I'm not. There are very few times in my entire life when I can truly say that I was surprised. It's not that I don't like surprises, it's just that I'm slightly skeptical and have a hard time giving up control.

A couple weeks ago my dad called and asked if he and my mom could come for a visit on President's Day. He was out of school and said that they were looking to get out of town for a couple of days. I tried to talk him into coming for the whole long weekend, but they both had other obligations and decided that coming Monday morning and leaving Tuesday morning would be the best plan for them.

When they arrived on Monday they watched my kids for me so I could run to the dentist. Afterward we talked, ate the cookies they brought, watched movies, and relaxed for the rest of the day. At 5:30 I had to go to the rec center to teach a kickboxing class. Christian was on his way home, and when I finished teaching my class we were planning on heading out {or picking something up} for dinner.

Nothing too surprising about this story....yet...

When I got home from the rec center Christian and my dad were standing on the driveway. I figured they were hungry and waiting for me, so we could eat. When I got out of the car Christian said that Caleb was really hungry and freaking out and that I better hurry in the house and nurse him. So I did. But when I got in the house Caleb wasn't freaking out, he was just playing with my mom, smiling....weird.

I asked my mom what was wrong, and she said that Caleb had been fussy, but she calmed him with the binki. However, I better go somewhere and feed him. So I sat on the couch and began to nurse him. While I was sitting there...nursing away, a person entered my house through the garage. I heard my dad say, "No, Mark, not that door....". I covered up.

Confused...I asked my mom who this "Mark" person was, why he was in my house, and how my dad knew him. My mom assured me that he was a nice person and that she and dad knew him. Still confused...I told her that she didn't know anyone in Rock Springs....She just nodded and told me to go take care of Caleb. So, I went in Caleb's room.

Then Cali started freaking out, running around the house, yelling about a surprise. My mom told her to go downstairs. Very confused...I heard a truck back into the driveway, my mom told me not to look out the window. Everyone was acting strange, and no one would answer any of my many questions.

Finally my mom told me that she had a surprise planned for me. Surprise? Really? I couldn't even think of a way they could surprise me, let alone what it could be. Several minutes later she allowed me to come out of Caleb's room and see the surprise.

My first surprise was that there were two people in my house who I had never before seen in my entire life and Christian's friend Paul was standing in the hall. However, this is how my face looked when I saw the real surprise.....

My parents bought me a piano! I could not believe it. Never could I have ever imagined such a generous and heartfelt surprise. My parents are very generous, but this is above and beyond!

The two strangers were the piano store owner and her son from Price Utah. Christian had called Paul to help with the lifting, and between the four of them they carefully manuvered the piano down the stairs to it's final spot.

Now our house is filled with music. Cali begs to play it all day, she "practices" before school. I am brushing up on my skills, and am so thankful grateful and overwhelmed at the generosity.

Surprise!

On Thanksgiving night we had a wonderful surprise. My sister Jayna and her husband Mike moved to Washington this past fall so he could pursue a master's degree. I haven't seen them since last April when our whole family participated in the MS Walk. They got the wild idea to drive 1500 miles and surprise everyone with a Thanksgiving visit. After they made the trek from Washington to Utah, they continued on and drove a few more hours to visit us too.

I was trying to capture the exact moment they arrived. It was so fun to visit with them, if only for a little while. They also brought a couple of bonus surprises too. Brandt and Dory rode from SLC to Rock Springs with them. Brandt had never been to Wyoming before and was pleased that his first encounter with person in Wyoming was with a cowboy at a truck stop.

We were all glad to see Dory too. I haven't seen her since June, and Cali was over the moon excited. Dory was very nice to go downstairs and play with Cali and see her new room, and basically do everything Cali wanted to do.

When I talked to my mom today she said that Mike and Jayna arrived safe and sound back in Washington early this morning. We are so glad that they made the 16+ hour drive to give us a wonderful Thanksgiving surprise!

Ten Days

Caleb in his pimp Hugh Hefner robe {thank you Apryl and Abby} at ten days old.

Me in my not-so-pimp black thermal shirt ten days with little sleep.

Visitors

Here are just a few of the visitors who stopped by while we were in the hospital. I really wanted to get a picture of everyone who stopped by, but I got way too busy chatting it up, and forgot all about the camera. Carl, Brandt, Brittany, and Bethany are pictured here. I was also very excited to be visited by my dear friends, Adrienne, Margo, and Roz. They all came bearing gifts and well wishes, and I so appreciated their company. I must also mention that Tyler was there too. He was a good sport about gazing into the corner while his half dressed sister-in-law nursed a baby.

Thank you all so much for taking time from your day to visit us!

These Boots Were Made for Walkin'

Actually I think these tiny cowboy boots were made mainly for sleeping, since {as I recall} that's pretty much what tiny babies do...We hope!

My friend Nicole sent these to me, and I just can't get enough of them. Carter has been carrying them around trying to keep them for himself. Although, he's quite disappointed that his big fat foot won't fit in them. Every time I look at them it just makes me smile.

Our little guy is going to fit right in here in Wyoming!

Thanks so much Nicole!!