Thursday, July 31, 2008

New Video

You have to check out the new You Tube Video I posted to the left, Nature Untamed. It's a little long but you have to watch it all of the way through...

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

My guilty pleasures

The first step to healing is confronting your problems.....so today, I thought I would confess my problem and current addictions. I confess to being a REALITY TV JUNKY! It's tough because some of the shows I watch I know are completely and totally ridiculous, but I can't take my eyes off of the damn TV. Here are my top 10 Reality TV guilty pleasures in order from least to most ridiculous. 10 - American Idol I know that I'm not alone on this one!! But unlike a lot of people, I don't like to watch until they have their Top 10 selected. 9 - Big Brother Everyone has dreamed about being the fly on the wall in someones house. This show gives you the chance to do that. 8 - Amazing Race It's great to see the different countries and cultures. 7 - Top Chef I like to check out the different recipes and what people can come up with. I can't cook myself but have a dream of being able to. Sorry James. 6 - Project Runway Along with not being able to cook, I have never claimed to be very fashion savy. But then again, some of the things they make on this show I wouldn't have worn in the 80's....and that says something. 5 - Shear Genius I just started watching this one, but the episode that got me was when they were creating hairstyles on wigs for chemotherapy patients. 4 - Real Housewives of Orange County Not much to say about this one except that I like seeing how the other half lives... 3 - Real World / Gauntlett Challenges Just another "fly on the wall" show... that and I like to watch the competitions. 2 - The Hills I can't come up with a good reason except that I got hooked from The Real OC on MTV a few years ago..... 1 - Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood OK, it's THE most ridiculous of them all but I can't help but get taken back to my 90210 days. You can admit it, I know you watched it too!!! Give me your input and let me know if I am the only one that is hooked on these or if you watch them too. I can't be the only one out there or else these stupid shows wouldn't still be on.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Pioneer Day Rodeo

This weekend was a busy weekend full of craziness, laughter, and the occasional bi-polar moods most commonly referred to as MY FAMILY. My dad grew up in Carey, ID which is where we spent many summers with Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. Many of these included going up for the Pioneer Day Rodeo and Parade. For those that don't know, the 24th of July is known as Pioneer Day. While the Rodeo isn't one of the bigger Rodeos's you can watch, it is a big event for this small town of 581 people. We decided that it would be fun to head up this weekend for the festivities. Dad and James decided to ride their motorcycles up and the rest of us (Mom, Jana (my sister), Hunter (her son), Jordan (Janelles daughter) and my two labs (Kendall and Sadie) drove up.

Friday was a crazy day to begin with. It was decided that morning that we would leave about 4 hours earlier than we had originally planned. That presented a little stress in itself because not everyone was ready to go (OK, I had procrastinated and wasn't ready). We finally got out of town but had forgotten to call Jason (my brother) to let him know that we were about 2 hours behind schedule. That left him in this busy town of Carey with Easton (his son) waiting for us. Janelle (my sister) also came over with her girls for the festivities. By the time that we all got there it was time for the Rodeo. It was a quick Rodeo and I think that either I am much older or the rodeo festivities are dwindling.

We decided to drive into Ketchum, ID to stay the night with much thanks to James's Mom and her husband Bruce for letting us stay the night there. We woke up the next morning to drive back to Carey for the parade. We arrived just as they were shutting down Main St for the "floats" to come through. There were about 15 floats in all besides a few fire trucks and a carriage for the "Grand Marshalls" of the parade. Grandma and Grandpa once held this title and I remember watching them drive down the strip in a convertible Ford Mustang waiving at the crowds.

We decided to have lunch at the Fairgrounds, (there is only 1 restaurant in town, so you don't have a lot to choose from). It was then time to head over to the cemetary to visit the graves of Grandma and Grandpa Rudd. Time has gone so fast, I can hardly believe it. Their head stones were a reminder that Grandma has been gone for four years now and Grandpa for 10 years. Carey might not be a big city, but it always brings back great memories for us and will always be the place where it is easiest to remember Grandma and Grandpa.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

The Project List

Today is a day of celebration! I have had a few items on my "Project List" for almost 6 months that are just now getting completed! One of these items, my roof has actually been on my list for about a year. Our house is about 10 years old, however we have had a big problem with losing shingles during wind storms. We were told it was something to do with the way that they were installed, but either way we have had neighbors return shingles back to us that have ended up in their yard. James has attempted to repair the roof, but when my roof started looking like a patch work quilt, we decided to call in the professionals. Today they came and started the repairs. What a relief! Tomorrow I will finally be able to cross off two more items from my "Project List". While our house is plumbed for central vac, the previous home owners that built the home never installed a tank. After trying to find a really good vaccum (with two dogs and two cats it's got to be a great one) we finally decided to go with central vac. I am so excited because installation day is tomorrow. Along with installing the tank in the garage, they are going to cutout a small part of my wall and install a floor vent so that when I sweep my kitchen floors, I can just suck it up! The last item that I'll be able to cross off my list is our new water softener. I came home from the gym one Saturday afternoon to find a solid stream of water shooting out about 6 feet into my garage originating at my water softener. Needless to say it was time for a new one. The best part of these last two repairs is that we have someone that is going to install both the water softener and the central vac for just $250.00. I'm not sure if James is more excited to get the projects done, or to get me off of his back about getting the projects done. Now if he can just get the cabinets in the garage built, life would be fantastic! I have to laught at myself sometimes because I am often reminded of just how old I am, because I get excited about getting my central vac installed. Even worse, I can hardly wait to sweep my kitchen into my new floor vent! UGH, I'M OLD. I remember when James and I got married and we bought our first washer and dryer. I could hardly wait to call one of my friends, Jill and tell her about our new domestic purchase. I can picture her now shaking her head and calling me a dork. Hey, I'll admit it, I get excited about buying things for our house. OK, you can all agree with Jill, I am a dork.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy 4th of July!!

Today was a beautiful day in Boise. I think that our high temperature, while high at 98 degrees, there was a soft wind that took the sting of the sun off a little bit. As I mentioned earlier, James and I have started golfing. I am a member of a Ladies Golf League that golfs once a week. Unfortunately due to my ankle fracture, I have been unable to golf since the end of April. I am scheduled to go back in to the doctor because it doesn't appear to be healing. After two months, I am still dealing with the swelling and stiffness and now believe that the bone chip may have gotten into my ankle joint.
Well, I decided yesterday that it might be a good idea to test out the ankle. Today James and I met up with my dad and mom and my aunt and her friend to go golfing. I am still terrible at the sport, but hope to improve each time I go out. While that is the goal, it is not happening as fast as I would like it to. The ankle held up OK, but mainly because I had my tennis shoes on all day so the swelling had to stay in my ankle, and couldn't escape to my foot. My dad is a great golfer and while I feel bad for holding up his golf game, I appreciate the advice he gives to me on the game. Well, now that I'm a little caught up I am going to go to bed but will update more later. I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July.

A few more items to catch up on....

June 30th was a special day for James and I. This was our 8 year wedding anniversay (which means we have officially made it past the 7 year itch, woo hoo). James had to go back to work which meant that I got a day to myself (thanks for that present James) to do whatever I needed to do. I had thought about going back to work as well, but one of the great benefits to working for the bank I do is the vacation time we are given.

If any of you have suggestions for anniversay presents for your husbands or significant others I would really appreciate the advice. James is quite possibly one of the hardest people that I have ever shopped for. This year, I decided that I was going to make it easy on myself and ordered him an Edible Arrangements bouquet. Before you start to question my decision to put that in the blog, you should check out the website.
My husband loves fruits and vegetables, so I thought that a fruit bouquet would be a good gift for him. Well, needless to say it didn't go off as well as I would have liked. We are just getting into golf, but I had already bought him a golf bag and he already has a set of clubs so that didn't help my cause much. Again, gift suggestions are appreciated.
Now, a quick note about my husband. I often listen to the girls at work, complain about their husbands and their habits. "He leaves his clothes on the floor all over the house" or "He doesn't know how to wash a dirty dish". I am able to reply that my husband does neither of those things. James pretty much takes care of the whole house both inside and out. It is not uncommon for him to load the dishes before leaving for work in the morning or to take care of all of the laundry. James also works very hard. He puts in about 50-60 hours a week and then comes home and takes care of the yard and things around the house. The people that he works with know that if he has given his word to do something, that it will get done.
While these are fantastic qualities there are many other things about James that I love. I often joke with James that I must be crazy because I have now been with him for a total of one-third of my life but I think the opposite is more true. I at times wonder how he has put up with me for so long. I will admit that I am not the easiest person to live with and appreciate his patience and support that he gives me.
Probably one of the best attributes that James has is the way he is with kids. Ny nieces and nephews love the chance to play with uncle James as he is as much a big kid as they are little kids). It is apparent how much he loves them whenever he is around them. I know that when the time comes for us to have kids, that he will be a fantastic father. He is eager to play with kids, teach them all that he knows and support them in their future. I love you James and am looking forward to enjoying what ever the future brings.

Just playing catch up...

Things have been a little crazy since getting home from Australia. We have FINALLY gotten our sleeping patterns back on track and are very thankful for that. The weekend was spent catching up on some yard work. James paid a neighbor boy to mow the lawn, but there was a power outage while we were gone and the sprinkler box didn't have a back up battery in it. You know what that means.....dead grass over the whole lawn when we got back. We are fortunate because our sprinkler water is hooked up to our irrigation line. That means that we can water our lawn for about $150 / year. That is of course unless you come back from vacation and have large dead spots all over and a leak in your sprinkler line. We had to hook the hose up to the house and water the lawn off of city water, which means that next months bill is going to be really ugly. The subdivision that we live in is very different from that in Pocatello. Back in Poky, we were the youngest couple on the street. Not only were we the youngest couple, but because we had bought the house I grew up in, all of my neighbors had been my neighbors for about 20 years. Many of them picked me up from school when I was sick, babysat us when needed or just helped mom with the 5 brats that she was putting up with. While the street was busy with cars...(with ISU and AMI traffic) there wasn't much else that happened unless one of us Rudd kids were chasing a basketball that had bounced off of the backboard out into the road. In our subdivision in Meridian, there are kids riding their bikes, ATV's, or scooters down the road all day long. Times have changed a little more now though as the 10 year old girls walk in their usual packs but talk on their cell phones to their "boyfriends", giggling all the way. We have many neighbors that are in their 30's and 40's (yes we now have to be classified in that group, ugh). For Halloween, James and I took the fire pit out into the driveway and handed out candy from there. It was a great way to meet the neighbors while keeping warm and avoid running to the door every 4 minutes. The neighbors in both cities have been great and always willing to help. Back to the point of my dead lawn. We have a neighbor that used to work for Core Barton Homes (the builder that was used when abc's Extreme Home Makeover came to the Boise area). I don't personally like his homes as they all look the same and have about 4 feet in between houses with little to no yard. Albert, however gained a lot of experience working for him and came to help us with our sprinklers. Thank heaven for nice neighbors!!!