Just Because...

he is so dang cute!!! Gabriel is such a stinker! He is almost two years old and he knows it. He's already getting into the "terrible twos", but he can still turn on the charm when he needs to.
He will give such attitude if you make him mad, but if he wants to make you happy he knows all he has to do is give you that little grin!

Ewww...Cooties!

The other night, Daniel and I started getting ready for bed. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth when Daniel walked in and said, "Hey Kers, why are you using my toothbrush?". My response, "Uuuhhhhh.....".
Sure enough, I looked down and the toothbrush in my mouth was GREEN, not RED. Oops!
Good thing we've swapped spit before, right?

Weekend in Utah!

This past weekend Daniel and I drove with the boys to Ogden to visit our family there. We always have so much fun. Dennis and Tammy got us free passes to Lagoon. Luckily Patti was there visiting too so she watched Gabriel for us so Daniel and I could take the older boys to ride all of the rides.
CJ and Caleb did so great with the rides. We started them out on a few tame ones---and they got bored. So we tried the Bat. It was a roller coaster type ride that went pretty fast! I was a little nervous for the boys because neither of them wanted to ride next to me. They wanted to ride with Aunt Tammy or Jacob or Andrew, so when the ride was over I was fully prepared to give hugs and kisses and tell them we would stick to the carousel. HA! They didn't need me. They thought it was great! In fact, Tammy had offered to take the boys so Daniel and I could spend a few hours alone. I didn't want to, I wanted to be there with the boys to see how much fun they had. But they could have cared less whether I was there or not. It was kinda humbling. But it was fun! The boys are about an inch too short for several of the rides so I can't wait for next year when we can take them back and try a few new rides. I doubt they will care if I'm there to ride with them or not. At least I can take some pictures, right? Maybe Gabriel will be old enough for some rides and he will want me to hold his hand.
We always have so much fun when we go to Ogden. I have said it before but Dennis and Tammy make it so easy to stay with them. They let us take over pretty much their entire basement and they have tons of toys and video games for the kids to play with. Even if the boys get too rambunctious I know Dennis and Tammy can handle it--they had three boys themselves and then came Trini. They can handle it all!
And at Grandma and Grandpa Glover's we love it too. The boys can play and Grandma usually gives me a new book or a doll that she made or something special from one of her many collections. I love the fact that when she sees something she thinks of me and wants me to have it.
I really have to thank the Mercado and Glover Families. From the very moment I met them, before Daniel and I were married, they openly and completely welcomed me and my boys into their family. There was never any hesitation or awkwardness, they loved me and CJ and Caleb right away. I honestly can't put into words how grateful I am to them all. Patti, Roy, Victoria, Reid, Bette, Dennis, Tammy, Matthew, Andrew, Jacob, Trini, and the rest of the Glover family. Thank you so much for making us a part of you. And helping us make so many wonderful memories.
WE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND IN UTAH!!!

Date Night!

For his birthday this year, Daniel received Josh Ritter concert tickets from Jon and Victoria. He was really excited. Josh Ritter is one of his favorites and the fact that he is from Idaho makes it even better. Last year we saw him do a little acoustic set at the Record Exchange and Daniel got his CD signed but this would be the first full concert of his we have been to.
The concert was last night at the Knitting Factory downtown (formerly the Big Easy). I really like this venue because it is small so you don't feel as if you have to squint to make sure you are really seeing the person you came to see. However, because it is small it can get very crowded. There are only a few tables and a few stools around the bar so it is very rare that we go to a concert there and get to sit at a table. We usually have to stand the whole time and fight off the people who are taller than me, i.e. everyone, to make sure I can see. For this concert we decided to get there early so we could get a table and sit and have dinner while we were waiting for the concert to start. This didn't work out quite as well as we had hoped. When the venue changed names it also changed a few other things and we didn't think we were able to go upstairs to what used to be the Bourbon Street Saloon to eat first. So we ended up waiting outside in line and even though there were less than twenty people in front of us by the time we made it through the doors they had let everyone upstairs come down too. We BARELY got a table and it was in the very back. But we were able to eat and did see most of the show with out too many people standing in front of us.
The good part about having a table in the back was the people watching. This is a favorite habit of Daniel and I's. We love to play the "What do they do for a living?" game, where we try to guess what someone does just by looking at them. Of course we also giggle about what someone is wearing or try to guess what people are talking about if we can't hear the conversation. We're horrible, I know! That is another thing I love about the small, downtown venue we were at. There is always a very eclectic group of people there. While we were waiting in line we saw young people with facial piercings and sleeve tattoos. We also saw an older man (65+) with an Obama '08 t-shirt picking up tickets. Inside there were women wearing backpacks and Teva sandals and others in lacy tank tops and heels. We especially loved the older couple who sat near us for most of the night. Toward the end of the concert, and after several drinks, they both stood up and started dancing. Neither could keep the beat or the rhythm but this turned into a win-win situation. They were obviously having a good time and Daniel and I enjoyed watching them.
Anyway, Daniel and I had a great date night and for anyone who hasn't ever heard of him or heard his music you should definitely look up Josh Ritter. He was raised in Moscow, Idaho and had a lot of great music.

Poker Night!!

Every once in a while, Dano and I get together with my family and have a poker night! It isn't quite hard core, but close. We give each other a hard time and tease a bit. But all in good fun, I assure you!

I am not a good poker player! Well, I guess you could say it depends on the night. I have no strategy, therefore it is difficult to predict what I will do. Unfortunately, this only gets me so far and I rarely win better than third place. Dano is a bit better than me, so I try to depend on him to win our money back. But I do have to give him a hard time when he takes me out. Curiously, this happens quite often....hmmm.

Regardless of who wins, we always have fun. We all bring food and the kids get to play outside. We spend a few hours together, teasing and laughing. And really, what could be better than that?

Chrissy's First Half Marathon!!

Today I ran my first half marathon!! I thought I would be nervous, but this week I realized that I was ready. I wasn't looking for a record-breaking time...I knew I could finish and I wouldn't be fast--but my main goal was to finish and to feel good at the end. While I was training, I had good runs and bad runs. I'm sure this is typical of anyone training for an endurance race...but I had several weeks where I had hip issues and other days where my long runs made me sick. Because of that, I was very nervous about how I would feel when I finished the half. About two weeks before the race I wasn't even sure if I would be able to run it. But the week leading up to the race I really concentrated on eating right and keeping myself hydrated.

This morning I woke up at 5:30am, had breakfast and got dressed. I left with enough time to get to the starting line about 45 minutes before the gun went off. This race was unique to me, in that I had trained with a group--Boise Run Walk!! We had met every Saturday for our long runs, we also had seminars on pace, stride, nutrition, etc... Therefore, at the starting line I was able to meet up with people who had gone through the same training and had similar goals. I even got an extra round of applause because this was my first half. In my other races I was basically telling Daniel to meet me at the end at this approximate time. To be fair, Dano never missed a finish...he was always there, cheering me on near the finish line and ready to meet me at the end. It didn't matter that it meant he had to get up early on a Saturday and get the kids ready by himself--he wasn't missing my finish. Today was not an exception. The half marathon ended at the Boise Hawks Stadium, but that wasn't enough for him, he wanted to be there near the end to cheer me on to the finish. I had only about 500 meters to go when I rounded the corner and saw my wonderful husband and my baby cheering me on! I had strangers clapping for me at the finish--but it was the two of them that said "Keep goin' Babe, you're almost there!", that made it worth while to finish.

At the end, I got a medal from the organizers, but I got a bouquet of flowers and a kiss from Daniel and Gaby. To be honest--those flowers and that kiss was worth more to me than a first place medal ever could have been.

This is an accomplishment that I honestly never felt I would ever achieve. When I started running I always thought "That would be great if I could finish a half." But I knew it was always easier said than done. Somehow, somewhere, I crossed that threshold between maybe and I will. I can't tell you where it was...all I can tell you is that I passed it...and I finished my half. Maybe not as fast as some or as strong as some...but I did. And that finish is for me, only me, and it is mine. I finished a half marathon. YAY!!!!

We're Going to Vegas!!

This year for our anniversary, Daniel and I have decided to take a trip to Las Vegas! We are so excited! Our last trip there was in 2004, so it has been a while. Since the trip is now less than a month away I have decided to start a countdown (to be honest, Daniel and I started the countdown several weeks ago). I'll add pictures and tell everyone about it when we get back!

10 Year High School Reunion

While we were in Idaho Falls we also went to my high school reunion. 10 years! Wow! Even though high school seems like a long time ago it doesn't feel like 10 years! Oh well. I may as well try to grow old gracefully and always call those weird things by my eyes "laugh lines" and not "crow's feet"! Right?
The reunion started on Saturday morning with a tour of the high school. It has been added on to since I graduated so it was interesting to see the changes. The most unusual part was walking out gym doors that used to lead outside and now instead you are in another hallway. For lunch we had a picnic at the city park. All of the kids played and the adults tried to catch up. We were a small class (just over 200) and only about 50 former students came, the rest of the group was comprised of spouses and kids. With that few classmates you were bound to have had classes with just about everyone of them at some point in time, or been in a club or on a team with them. It was a little hard to do more than just "Hi, how are you? Where do you live now?", etc.
That evening we all sat down at dinner. It was nice to be able to sit and chat. We also watched a slide show of new and old pictures and heard class statistics of "Where are we now?". It was fun and definitely interesting. It wasn't as awkward as I thought it could have been. It was pretty easy to be comfortable with most everyone, even though it had been so long.
We have already nominated someone to plan the 20 year reunion in 2018! I guess we'll see if I make it to that one!

4th of July!

This year for the 4th we decided to drive down to Idaho Falls to spend the holiday "Dickson Style"! When I was a kid we would spend the 4th of July at the Greenbelt in IF. We would go to the parade, ride bikes, picnic, and stay late for the fireworks! So that's what Daniel and I did with CJ and Gabe this year.

We stayed with Grandma Turnage of course, so first we got up early to go to a flag raising ceremony and breakfast with her ward. From there we headed straight to the parade where CJ had a blast trying to catch candy. After we went home and had a little nap it was time to hop on the bikes and head to the Greenbelt. We rented a bike trailer for Gabe and he loved riding around in it and CJ loves riding his bike anywhere for any reason. Grandma even brought her bike down to the river and rode around with us.

Pedaling around helped us work up an appetite so we stopped for dinner at Chili's then went and claimed our spot for the fireworks. While we were there CJ got his face painted and Daniel tried to take another snooze, but mostly it was people watching and listening to CJ ask 'How much longer before the fireworks start?'.

When it was finally dark it was time for the big finale! The fireworks were great! It is, after all, the biggest and best fireworks display west of the Mississippi! CJ loved watching! Gabe was interested at first but then got a little bored. I think he realized if he sat still for very long he was going to fall asleep. After it was all over it was time for us to ride back to Grandma's. It was a lot of fun racing past all the the cars that were backed up and all the walkers who had to park blocks away! We made it back in pretty good time!

It was so much fun to be in Idaho Falls for the 4th! It brought back a lot of memories. Of course it is always great to see Grandma too! She always makes it so easy to stay with her!

We hope everyone else had a great holiday too!

Happy Birthday Daniel!!

Today is Daniel's birthday!! He is 32, or twenty-twelve, as he would say! We had a BBQ for him on Sunday and he got spoiled! All of our family came and we had good food and lots of fun!

I did find it a little funny that more than one of his birthday cards referenced beer--but hey, they know him well right? Just kidding ya, babe!

Anyway, I wanted to tell my wonderful husband Happy Birthday! You have no idea how much you are appreciated and much we all love you! What would the boys do without such a great daddy and what would I do without my best friend? Love You!!

Oh yeah, and could you make sure you mow the lawn tonight, thanks!