Our Last Grandma

We have one Grandma left in our lives. Teddy is 87 years old and though she isn't as spry as she was at 75 she is still going strong!!

She lives in her own apartment and does everything for herself...except drive. But luckily she has enough friends and family around that are willing to take her where she needs to go. 

We love her so much and we are so happy that she is still around!! (On a side note...why can't my husband look this happy in our family pictures????)

That Smile

This boy has the best smile!! When he and I are talking over the phone (oovoo) and he says, "Hi, Rackie!" I melt!! Seriously I can't wait for this boy to move closer so I can hang out with him more often!!

FIRE!

Since we moved in we have wanted a fireplace. Not just for the warm ambiance it provides but for an emergency heat source. In the beginning Jim and I couldn't agree on the type. Jim wanted a stove looking fire and I wanted a traditional fireplace. Well...Jim is a good man and listens to me on design choices. I painted the wall Palladian Blue before we started leaving a square when the fireplace would be.

When the first day of the install happened I was so excited. I just wanted to see the finished product. I'm not overly patient when it comes to my projects. I had no control over the timeline and was probably a pain!! I did learn quite a bit by watching and asking a ton of questions.

As it started taking shape I started to panic. What if the tile and mantle I picked out looked terrible? What if I hated it all and was stuck with it forever!!

When the tile guy showed up (a scheduling snafu caused him to be a week late) he was very helpful! I had tried to envision how I wanted the tile laid out but I couldn't get anything to work. He suggested a couple things (including putting tile on the floor in front and where to place the accent tile) and it all fell into place.

I love it!! I am still trying to figure out the cord mess...but I have faith that it too will come together.

I am still hunting for bookcases to go on either side. I feel like we need the extra storage and it will make everything feel finished.

A Trip to Arches

So I know it has been a while since I posted. I have done so many things. Moving here has been hard. But I finally feel like I am settled (as settled as I can be without my kids). We took a trip south with our awesome friends the Palmers. Jackie and Curtis are so fun to hang out with. 

We went to Arches National Park. It was WOW!! There are so many things to see here. We came here in winter so a lot of the hikes weren't overly accessible. But we got in for free so we weren't bummed about that!!

I can't even tell you how interesting I found all the formations. They seem so random and impossible, but there they are!!

We love spending time with our friends. They are so good to us.

I love this one. It reminds me of three sisters standing watch over the others.

Here is Delicate Arch. You can see the tiny people below it. We were told that the hike was icy so we didn't try it. Next time we will for sure!!

We can't wait to go back and hike some and see the arch up close. We are thankful for our friends and the memories we are able to make with them!!