On The Lake With The Readers

Jim's Mom and Dad are here for a quick visit. We have done a lot of fishing and touring the various lakes. Today was special. Kevin came with us so we brought the wake board. He is really good at it and wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa.

Then I jumped in (mostly because there is no bathroom on the boat {over share?} and partly because it was warm). I swam around for a minute and then Grandpa decided he wanted to try the knee board. Now let me just tell you that Doug had polio as a kid and now suffers from the effects of post-polio. His back muscles are all but gone and so we worried that he would get hurt.

He did GREAT! He didn't do it for too long hoping he would be able to walk tomorrow. We were all impressed. When Grandma jumped in the water to swim with Kev, we thought we could talk her into going on the board, but no luck. Maybe next time.
There were pretty dragonflies in blue and gold everywhere. They were cool to see. All things considered it was a good day at a very big lake.

Am I Insane? Part 2

So just before we went to pick up Jim last night, I put the final coat of pink on the stripe. What do you think? Other than some touch-up spots, the bathroom is painted. WHOOT WHOOT! Now as soon as Jim get's his pint sized bonus we'll have new light fixture, sink, counter and toilet. Then we'll really celebrate. For now I'm just so happy to be finished and have Jim home to rub the knots out of my shoulders and back. Gotta love home improvement projects.

Am I Insane? Part 1

So when we moved into this house I hated the bathrooms. They were just blah. The color in Jo's was yucky and it really needed one more coat to cover the pepto pink that was there before. So that was going to be the first project last summer but Jo and I could never compromise on the color. She was still into the black and I was so not. We did agree on turquoise and hot pink but that was it. Skip to this summer. We are having company this week and I am so tired of looking at Jo's yucky walls. So while Jim was in Chicago I decided to do something about it. When we started on Wednesday, this is what we had.

Lots of room for improvement. What I didn't count on was the high temperature and very high humidity. I had trouble getting the tape to stick to the walls. So here is a few coats of paint later. Who knew painting with Jo would be fun. I had her all to myself and we had lots of time to talk and giggle and gripe.


I am still working on this while my friends are all off camping and having a fabulous time. Jo and I have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning (we paint really slow) painting and talking. We did take a break on Wednesday night to go to YW (sorry we were late Char). All things considered it is turning out really well.



We get to pick up Jim at the airport later tonight so it has to be finished. I'll post some pictures of it tomorrow so you can see it. I can't wait to be done.

WOW! That Was Fun!

The kids decided the tube was a little tame, so we got a knee board. I was nervous (you know me) and I wasn't sure I was ready for this. But the kids were excited. They got right out there and gave it a try. It took a minute for them to figure it out. But then...success! They were jazzed. So add one more thing we can do together on the boat.
It's a rare thing for all 4 of us to be able to find something we all enjoy doing at the same time. We like to take the boat out 4 or 5 times a week, weather cooperating, of course. Now the kids want a wake board. I don't think I'm ready for that one.

A Blog About a Dog

Well, it might seem strange but since it's Nellie's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! What a dog. I should tell you a little about Jim's dog. We had a fabulous dog named Lucy. Then Jim surprised Lucy and I with a puppy (Darla). Lucy eventually warmed up to Darla and even grew to like her. I have never seen anything funnier that my 120 lb. rotweiller playing with my 15 lb. pug. It was great. But, sadly, Lucy got bone cancer and died. Bad day, I still get weepy. Darla went into a serious funk. I didn't think she was going to make it. So we got the brilliant idea to get a puppy for Darla. After scanning the paper for a springer spaniel (with no luck) we decided on a labridinger (a designer mutt). The price was right and Jim loves labs with the same zeal I feel for springers. We went to the house to pick her out and found 9 female puppies and 2 males. The females were speckled and cute, but which one? After looking at all of them we narrowed them down to 5. It was hard to tell them apart, except one. She was already fetching a ball and looked pretty smart. They called her Princess. Dumb name for a dog, but we could figure that out later. I got the weirdest feeling of familiarity when I held this puppy. So we loaded her in the car for the 20 minute drive home. She bawled the whole time. I was not loving this puppy. When we got her in our house and introduced her to Darla, the crying stopped and they have been pals ever since. So 2 years later we almost like her most of the time, Naughty Nellie is her real name. She hates it when we leave so badly that she tries to tunnel her way into the house...through the screen! Oh well, Jim loves her and Darla does too. Happy Birthday, Naughty Nellie.

Back To Normal

Well, my Dad and Lacey left us yesterday. Yes, a few tears were shed. I know I've had a whole month with them but it was still sad. We have had an amazing time. I didn't realize how much Lacey was changing and growing up. I'm missing it. That almost kills me. My Dad seems to be doing pretty well.
I really enjoyed having him here. I know I'm supposed to be here in MN. I've had that confirmed time and again, but man it's hard to be away from all of my family. On a brighter note Jim ordained Kevin to the office of Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood.
That was a big deal for us. He is preparing to serve a mission next year. I am a little sad and very happy for this next step. My baby boy is a grown-up man-child. Weird. I can still call him my baby...right?

I'm Baaacckk...

Yes, I made the longest car ride ever back to my family in MN. My Dad isn't an overly talkative guy so the 16 hours didn't exactly fly. But that's OK, he brought me back to my son and (whiny) honey. I think they just missed me because they don't cook while I'm gone.

My trip was so much fun. I met for lunch with my friend Bonnie and had my hair done with my friend Jackie (it actually turned out to be a bad day for her family, hang in there guys). I was also lucky enough to meet with my friends in the '72 Club. We are the original Girls of Summer (LOL). I am so blessed to have such great friends who want to keep in touch.
My sisters and Dad and I had fun hanging out. The kids were so cute to watch. We built sandcastles at Jensen's Grove. We had a pizza party for Kev's birthday.
I didn't feel like partying on my b-day,
but the day after we got a cake and sang. It was good. We visited with Jim's Grandpa and his Mom and Dad. We had a great visit and are looking froward to having them visit us here. All in all, my trip was fabulous. I really missed my friends here and I'm very happy to be home.

Having a Great Time

I am having such a good time here. I do miss all my friends, not to mention my hubby and son. But things here are laid back and hot as all get out. I'll put some pics on when I get home. For now, just know that I'm partying in the sunshine and loving it. I miss you all, thanks for the e-mails and the awesome birthday blog. I loved it. I'll see you all in a few days.