Aidree Turns 1

I can't believe that my darling little niece is one. It seems just like yesterday that she was born the same day we were celebrating yet another Boise State Win. We sure love her blue eyes, independent spirit, chubby legs, and sweet smile. I flew in an hour before the festivities began. It was the first time I was in town for a one year old party. I have decided that the parents are the one's who should receive the gifts congratulating them for making it through the first year. The weather was perfect as we sat out at Tristen and Mitch's and the kids played on the blow up slide. Mitch's nieces and nephews already knew the rules that we stand in line, but Gavin and Kadyn had to learn something new that day; taking turns. It was pretty funny to those watching, but not to the ones who already knew the rules.
Aidree loves to eat. I think that she is also a social eater like her Aunt Terah. However, she wasn't quite sure what to do when a cake was put in front of her...

But it didn't take her long to figure it out.


Even Uncle Troy had fun with Aidree's gifts...


We had a great time together. And the babies, well they just keep growing. It is amazing how they change in a mere two weeks. Oh, how we love them!

BSU Pulls it off again, Sorry VT

This was definitely music to my ears last night. Wow what an exhilarating game of ups and downs. But BOISE STATE pulled it off again! Thanks for the great entertainment! PS. This will redirect you but so worth being redirected for!

It's Back!

It's that time of year Boise Residents looks forward to all year. Football season has got to be one of my very favorites for many reasons. My earliest memory of Boise State Football is watching it as a kid with my dad when Pokey Allen was the coach. I remember very well Coach Allen getting and later dying from cancer. I don't know why I remember this but I do. I would venture to say this is the time when Boise State Fans started to become a Boise Nation. I love to go home to see the blue and orange every where. People wear blue and orange like they are the only colors made. People ask me all the time where my "accent is from." After I tell them this is normal talk, I tell them I'm from Boise. Then they always ask about "the blue turf." Just this morning at 3:30am I had a conversation about it with the oral surgeon. He was telling me how awesome it looked on HDTV. Patients always ask me where I went to school and when I tell them Boise State they always start talking to me about Boise State Football and of course I love it. Nearly 24 hours from now I will be anxiously awaiting kickoff of the first game of the 2010 season. Oh, how I wish I was there to support my team in DC as we take on Virginia Tech. No worries though. I will be sporting my Boise State Blue scrubs tomorrow and will be dawning my blue and orange gear as soon as I'm off. Here's to another fabulous football season...

Life Is Like A Puzzle

I've been thinking lately how life is like a puzzle with all of its different pieces. Some are small, other's awkwardly shaped, some are corner pieces, some involve the boarder, but most are center pieces. When I put a puzzle together I start out by separating the boarder pieces and the center pieces. I initially put the boarder together of course and then set out to work on the center pieces. I usually work on one section, then another, and then eventually go back to previous sections until the puzzle is pieced together forming a small masterpiece. Isn't this how life really is? We are here on earth to create our final masterpiece. Yes it does involve the big things of life, but most moments I would say are about the center pieces. I think the boarder of my lifes puzzle is pretty complete. I am solid in the fundamentals that make up my boarders, ie family, the gospel, friends, education, important dates and milestones. But then there is the center. Which of course belongs to the small, daily mundane things that make up LIFE. So I was thinking since being home recently and hearing people say, "So what do you really do with your single life..." aka you have this great, exciting life that is all about you and have all the time in the world, because it is only you...And people want to know what my life is like away from my Idaho. So I thought I would start a new segment about the pieces of my puzzle to let you in on what my life really is like; what the everyday, mundane things, the small things, choices, and experiences that essentially make up my life, but in photographs. If you really think about it, it's about the small everyday moments that make up LIFE. For example, the other day I worked a 5 hour shift and decided that I didn't want to wear the same thing that I wear every day. People think scrubs are so cool, well they aren't when that is all you wear. I mean really think about if you wore the same pair of jeans and t-shirt every day. It would probably get pretty boring wouldn't it? Seriously, that day the hardest decision I made was to decide what I was going to wear; yes really. I'm sure you are thinking, were is she going with this. Well I have pieces of fabric which are cut into octagons by my great, great, great grandmother, some are pieced together in large octagons others are half stitched
and still others are just small pieces waiting to be stitched together. My mom actually has a quilt made from these same pieces that I had quilted for her for her birthday this year, (as I it was just the large octagons pieced together with out a backing). I have often wondered as I have looked at these, what stories do these pieces of fabric hold. It's not like she went to the fabric store just to by fabric for a quilt. I'm sure these pieces have to do with pieces of clothing that she made which made up her families small wardrobe. Wouldn't it have been great if this lady would have been able to take a picture of her favorite apron made from one of these pieces of fabric, which she wore day in and day out? I'm sure some of these were pieces of left over fabric from aprons or dresses that she handmade and wore.
So this leads me to my point, the center of my puzzle of life is made from many different pieces, small, day to day, mundane pieces that to me is probably boring, but to someone else it may not be so boring, however many of these pieces are pretty exciting to me, because who doesn't find happiness in peaches and things that are clean? As I'm typing about quilts, it's true that life could also be related to a quilt, with its many pieces too.
These thoughts really came to me on Friday, but I was too busy to blog that day. What is funny is on my way to work after I had already taken these pictures I was talking to my mom and she asked what I had done with my day. Well, this is what took up my day...I cleaned out and reorganized a few cupboards and put the spongy stuff down that I needed to have done for the past three years. Betty got a wash, which she hadn't had for quite a while. It was so bad she had had this huge bug really stuck to her front end, that rain hadn't been able to wash off. While waiting at the car wash I called my cousin Alisha to wish her a Happy Birthday and also spoke with Tenielle and mom for a quick moment.
The night before I had taken out a lasagna that I actually had made in preparation for my families visit when they were here in May, that we didn't end up eating. I cooked it, separated it into smaller dishes, put some back into the freezer for later use, and have eaten it now for the past three days.
I went to my favorite supermarket Aldi's to get a few main staples for the next week. I bought some beautiful and tastefully delicious peaches and nectarines for 19 cents each. Isn't that a great price?
I read a few pages from my new favorite book that I found on Grandma Betty's family room table when I was home last week. I am totally loving this book and highly recommend it.
And then I took a short nap so that I was ready to work my night shift. And you wonder what I do all day...