2011 Memorable Moments

Time for a review of the year! Here are some of my favorite or most memorable moments of 2011.

January-Thomas and I spoke at the MS Captains meeting about Bob and our connection to MS. What an experience to get choked up talking about Bob in front of a hundred people! 

February- I wish I remember what happened, I will get back to February.

March- I love St Patricks Day, made some Guiness Stew and Irish Soda bread. mmmm

April- RSL in the CONCACAF Finals to go to the Club World Cup and it was so heartbreaking to lose. Walk MS - always an amazing experience especially with family. One other special moment was our dear friends having their baby almost 3 months early and her surviving!

May-  I just love the month of May, its my birthday month and I share it with my sister, and Mothers Day but it seems to always be such a positive month. Bob's Army Casino Night was held this month and its such a fantastic event and I'm so honored to be a part of it!

June- See a theme here? Its all about MS and the events we do to fundraise and it all comes down to BIKE MS. I finally got to ride this year and it was so awesome!! I rode 40 miles with friends the whole way and it just makes the fundraising and perks all the more worth it!

July- I love celebrating the 4th of July, a great time to be an American and also its a big birthday month! Thomas, Tori and Grandma Welker all turn another year older :) Oh and lots of swimming!!

August- One of the best months of the year! We had our family trip to Yellowstone and it was such a memorable trip! Everyone on the trip loved it! (see my blog post about it for pictures) One more thing, the Utah Irish Music Festival was this month and that day had to be one of the most perfect days you could ask for. Beautiful music, beer, sunshine, my best friend sitting next to me (Thomas) and then a downpour to cool us off.

September- Jordan's birthday is this month, he turned the big 7! The most memorable thing about this month had to be LOTOJA. What an experience for me as support and for Thomas, riding 206 miles of hell. It was so fun to be meet new people, stay in quite the swanky condo in Teton Village and have Thomas accomplish something so amazing! Good job babe!!

October- Hmm bittersweet month. Fall is beautiful, Halloween is here but so is the dreaded cold and the end of soccer season :( On a good note: I won a chili cook-off which validated the kids' opinion of me being the best chef in the world.

November- A time for thanks and reflection on what we have been given. I just wish there was something more memorable to talk about.  

December-Best and worst time of the year right? The holidays are often turned into shopping madness but I would say this year we did pretty good. I am excited for Christmas and I can't wait to share all the wonderful gifts we have to give. So I guess the memories for December have yet to be made :)

Life is good

Wow, um... its been like 2 months since I posted. Hey, guess what... I am not going to post anything about going on a trip or just coming home from a trip. Crazy I know... I'm bucking my trend.

I wish I had something exciting to talk about but in all honestly,  so many little things have been going on I have not been taking pictures or thinking about what I would post here. Life is just flashing by. Which if I don't have anything super exciting or dramatic to tell you then I suppose: Life is good. I'm happy with that right now, who needs drama or something super exciting when you have an awesome family, a good job and the holidays coming up. Not me!

I probably won't get around to posting before Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all! 

Seriously.. how much more fall like can it get here in Utah? We are being blessed with a long fall without those windy days to knock off all the leaves! (*knock on wood) Because fall/winter reminds me of cooking I am going to make some chili, banana bread, maybe tackle a pumpkin roll and who knows what else this week. Fall will be in my kitchen! Can't wait!

Soccer season is almost over unless RSL makes the playoffs (crossing my fingers!) Jordan has just a few weeks left of his soccer season, dance class for Tori is in full affect, and cycling season is coming to an end but we won't be stopping. Thomas is doing his coaching class again and I am going to be riding the trainer. I have a new goal for next year and that is to do the century for BIKE MS! I will be sure to let you all know how I am doing since I need to make sure to check in.

Anyway, life is good for us. We can't complain!

Update: RSL made the playoffs weeks ago! Phew. (Thank you Thomas for reminding me)

I am OBSESSED with this new blog/store I just found today. http://shopruche.blogspot.com/

The fashionista in me would love to go all vintage in some of these pieces! The DIY blog posts are fantastic too. It makes me want to actually use my crafty skills and make something vintage pretty or even just start working on Jordan's quilt.

Back to School and a Little Family Trip too!

Victoria and Jordan started school a while ago but I just had to show you how big they are getting! Jordan is in first grade and Tori is in fourth grade! Its scary because I remember those ages and they don't seem like that long ago so that means they are growing up!

 

We went on a family trip to Yellowstone in August. It was so fun because we had my parents, sister and the kids with us this time. It was everyone's first time there but Thomas and I. We stayed at the Rainbow Campground near Hebgen Lake which is just outside of West Yellowstone. It was a great campground other than so many bugs! 

We all enjoyed going through the Grand Canyon on a little hike down to the falls. The falls/Grand Canyon is Thomas' favorite place in Yellowstone. Of course we had to visit Old Faithful, and while we were there Beehive Geyser went off as well. It was a surprise for the kids as they had never seen anything like it! We went to Yellowstone Lake and had a picnic which included many birds as visitors to our table. Thomas rode his bike back to camp from there which was crazy because it was hot and windy! He made it safely tho :)  We went to the Bear and Wolf Discovery Center and the kids saw a bear up close, her name is Spirit! We also enjoyed a dinner at a little diner called Gusher and walked around West Yellowstone to do some shopping and of course had to grab some ice cream! We decided to spend some time on Sunday at the Madison River which is my favorite part of Yellowstone. It is one of the most peaceful places on Earth! We saw lots of wildlife there and it was fun for the kids to see animals they don't get to see in a zoo. They got so excited for every animal even the chipmunks and squirrels that we saw in camp. 

I am pretty sure Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed Yellowstone, and my sister said she loved it also.Yellowstone is truly a place where you say, God thought about this place a little more when he created it because its so unique and beautiful!

Here are some photos from our trip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming up next will be Thomas and I's adventure at Lotoja. His amazing efforts to ride and from what I'm told, the best support ever from yours truly.

Just a little bit has happened since my last blog...

Well, its been like 3 months since I last blogged. How bad is that? I guess I should catch you all up on what we have been up to!

1. Tori and Jordan started school. Tori is in 4th grade and Jordan is in 1st grade.
2. Thomas had another birthday! Another year, a little wiser.
3. Tori turned 9. (Wahhhh, I'm old!)
4. Jordan turned 7 (Again, I'm old!)
5. We went on a family trip to Yellowstone, details and pics to come.
6. Bosco turns 4 in 5 days!
7. I signed up for Irish dance lessons. (Scary...)
8. Thomas completed one of the hardest rides/races ever. LOTOJA! I can't wait to blog about it. Its quite the story!

I still need to get some pictures together so I can make my post a little more excited so stay tuned :)

Bob's Army in the House!

Its hard to explain how awesome and amazing BikeMS is because all participants experience it in a different way but two words that I'm sure we would all use is humble/humbling and proud. I will touch on being humble later on but for now its time to be excited because Bob's Army was in the house!! We were a veteran team this year, even tho we didn't make it last year. Check out our name on the teams banner.


We had 5 out of the 6 team members ride. Thomas, myself, our friends Amy, Corey and Giselle. Bob was listed as a rider but the MS caught up with him this week and he wasn't able to come up with us. We wish he had come because it was an absolutely perfect weekend for a bike ride.
Exhibit A and B can show that (credit to the SLTrib for these photos)

We all did the 40 miler however Thomas rode ahead, finished and came back to ride with the group back. I was a little worried about riding 40 miles but Corey paced Giselle and I really well so we made it just fine. The rest stops were well staffed and stocked and all of the volunteers were great! I honestly was so impressed with the turn out of riders and those riding with MS. Over 3,000 of us rode Saturday and Sunday and between us all are anticipated to raise about 1.4 million to fund research for finding a cure for MS!

Here we are at the starting line (Corey is taking the picture)


Here is the awesome swag we got from check-in. Thomas and I were in the 150 Club, which means we were in an exclusive group of 150 people who were the top fundraisers! I can't wait to sport my jersey around town and I have already worn my shirt.

The MS Society is really a great and inspiring group of people. I am so glad they have put together such a great event that encourages those with MS to keep fighting and also for those to keep supporting to find a cure. There may be a few moments where I was a little tired and my legs didn't want to go up that hill but I am humbled at my short moment of discomfort compared to Bob's daily battle with MS. Its a blessing in disguise that we are involved with this disease, because I feel we have found a great group of people and a wonderful cause to fight. Can we do it again next weekend? I'm ready to get out there again!

P.S. Bob's Army will have raised about approx. $4,500 at BikeMS along with $4,887.46 from WalkMS.

We've been busy!

Yeah yeah yeah, a month has gone by and I haven't blogged. I hope you are not surprised! We have been busy with so many things May just flew by and June is on target to do the same. Thomas has been working very hard on our garden so I thought I might show you a picture of his pride and joy!We are now getting strawberries and here soon will be able to get some spinach and other lettuces. I'm so excited for it all to grow!

One of the RSL Players was injured a couple of weeks back and so we as a family made these awesome banners!


Along with all the fun we have been having as a family, Thomas, Tori and Jordan all got strep throat. Unfortunately Tori's has turned to Scarlet Fever. (Yeah, that deadly sickness back in the 1800's!) Fortunately modern medicine is readily available so she is on antibiotics and healing up.

We hope to all be on the mend and ready for soccer tournaments, dancing and Bike MS! Its coming up shortly. Wish us luck!

The Little Things Mean the Most

My Mother's day/birthday was amazing and it really shows me that I have fantastic people in my life and those people are my kids and my husband along with all the wonderful family and friends I have.

My kids think the world of me, my husband knows what to say to make me smile and that's all I need to cheer me up. The kids gave me this awesome cause band that has the word "MOM" on it, Thomas made me breakfast and was extra nice and helpful and my mom gave me a simple butterfly to put in my flower garden. Those things really do mean the most because I truly appreciate them.

Even tho it was Mother's day/birthday weekend it wasn't all about me. Thomas received some exciting news that he was accepted to race Lotoja (insane race from Logan to Jackson Hole), Victoria had a dance competition and was the star of her 2 groups, and Jordan rocked it at his soccer game.

Its time for me to focus on something I want to accomplish. The issue is...what do I want to accomplish? Turning 28 I realized I have 2 more years before other things in life might get in the way. If anyone is out there and listening, feel free to give me ideas =)

P.S. I think spring has finally showed up so I will actually go outside and ride my bike. Bike MS is coming up and I haven't rode out there yet...YIKES. June 25 can take as long as it wants to get here!

Talent in the gene pool!

Wow, what can I say... I have some talented kids! I could go on and on about my kids as any parent could. I totally believe my kids have some true talent. Victoria is excelling in school, dance and tumbling. Tori is going to be in competition here soon, and I'm sure she will rock it!


Then there is Jordan, our awesome soccer guy. He is seriously the best kid on the team, possibly in his age group in the league! Consistent goal scoring and he understands what he is supposed to do!

I couldn't ask for more awesome kids =)

Soccer season is upon us!

Just thought I would share how excited we are about soccer season starting up! Thomas worked on his man cave over the weekend and I must say it looks fantastic considering the space and not being able to paint how we want.





Photography credit to Sara who took our family pic and to Angie who is an amazing artist and painted our awesome RSL painting. I think I want to try and do one myself!

Real Salt Lake plays Columbus tonight and we pick up our season tickets. How much more awesome can this day get? Thoughts on the man cave additions?

And finally, if this doesn't get you pumped up for the new season you must not be an RSL fan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ohiH45QwC0

Gooooo ReAL Salt Lake!

Lost & Found- Our trip to Yellowstone last year!

I found this little black notebook that I used last year for various things and one of those were to document Thomas and I's trip to Yellowstone last August. It all began with me deciding I should write down what animal life we saw and then I realized our daily activities were of note as well.

Animals seen in Yellowstone: Swans, otters, deer, geese, bison, chipmunks (Chip N Dale Bros, Tortilla- a cousin), mountain goats, horses, a hawk, bald eagle and numerous fish.

Day 1- August 27
We had a few stops on our way up. Thomas had family in the Idaho Falls area so we decided to pay a visit to his grandparents and lay some flowers on their graves. Then off to Yellowstone we go! We set up camp at the Yellowstone KOA, had dinner at the Wolfpack Brewery (drank the Red Lodge Amber beer), walked around West Yellowstone. *It was really windy that day.

Day 2- August 28
Made breakfast, then made our way to Bunsen Peak (Got caught in construction). We got just a little over half way up Bunsen peak and a thunderstorm started, we figured we should turn around as getting caught in a thunderstorm would be a terrible idea. Along the trail we did meet two cute and fairly friendly chipmunks- hence Chip N Dale. We ate our lunch in the car (exciting I know!). We went through "the pass"- it is kind of a scary place to drive in bad weather. We toured the new Canyon Visitors Center, it is really nice! We then proceeded to drive through a crazy storm with wind, hail, rain and lightning. Stopped at the lower falls lookout- always beautiful.

We headed back to West Yellowstone to find out that high winds or a possible tornado had happened just minutes before we got back. At least (5) hotels were damaged, the city park had some damage. We were so concerned we rushed back to camp and ours was just fine! I made sloppy joes for dinner. Before we went to bed Thomas found a big smashed spider on his pillow. (GROSS!)

Day 3- August 29
It was a very busy day for us so we decided to have breakfast at the KOA, was well worth it! We went back to our tent to make it bear proof and we found a HUGE spider in our tent. Not cool! *side note: when we woke up it was a balmy 37 degrees in our tent! the space heater was our friend.

We decided to visit the geyser basin while doing a hike out there. We saw a sweet old tour bus.
We hiked to Fairy Falls, a beautiful waterfall, 197 ft! The whole time I was soooo paranoid of bears coming to get us because it was very back country! We met another chipmunk and decided it was the cousin of Chip n Dale, her name was Tortilla (for tortilla chip). We went to Old Faithful, always a good show. We decided to go back to the Lower Falls area, on our way we saw some buffalo and after I took a picture of them, they didn't like it and were giving me deadly looks.

While in the Lower Falls area Thomas decided that he wanted to do the Uncle Tom's trail. I remember telling myself last time we were in Yellowstone that I would NEVER do it because its 328 VERY STEEP steps. Well we did it and it was AMAZING, and so worth it!


Going down!!

We did it!

I have a love affair with the Madison river area. It is probably one of the most beautiful areas in the world. While driving through, Thomas had a call from mother nature and we made a pit stop. He thought he had seen a hawk swoop down and grab a fish, so he ran to the car to get the camera. The hawk was gone, so we decide to drive a little further down the road and to our left...We see the hawk swoop down into the river and come up with a fish. It was a total National Geographic moment. We were in awe! Just when we thought it couldn't get better we saw a bird perched on a dead tree...a BALD EAGLE. It was amazing!

After all that excitement we went shopping in West Yellowstone and then ate dinner at the Three Bears Restaurant. We went back to camp, made a fire and I had a much needed shower (that equaled a very happy Lindsey).

Day 4- August 30
As much as we love Yellowstone, we didn't want to pack up in the snow so we decided to leave that morning. Our legs were super sore from our awesome hikes but it was worth it.

I made breakfast while Thomas packed, good teamwork! All while it was RAINING and COLD.

We checked out and got a refund for not staying our full stay. It rained most of the way back home, not a very fun drive. We stopped in Idaho Falls and bought some cereal, wine and beer. Also drove around St. Anthony looking for the sand dunes Thomas' family used to go to (couldn't find the right road to turn on), what a charming little place.

Back home and it was sunny and beautiful!

Here are some pics from the trip! Enjoy!


Camp for the trip!

Proof of me cooking outdoors!

Thomas sporting the famous point at Fairy Falls!

The beautiful Madison River

P.S. A special thanks to the staff at the KOA for keeping the bears away...apparently I have a big fear of them!! Also, a big thanks to Thomas for keeping me bear free and safe through the whole trip- my hero!

Here's to 2011...

As you can tell our family has fallen off the radar for about 3 months! Most of our time has been spent celebrating the holidays and spending time with family. As time goes by I have realized more and more how important it is to be around the ones you love. You never know when they will be gone.

So this year I will be calling my grandparents more often, texting my cousins just to say hello and spending every little second I can with those closest to me. Especially my little troops (my kids), my husband and my sister. I'm so lucky to have all of you!

I have set my personal goals...not resolutions, but goals. I hope to accomplish them all one step at a time. Thomas has some very aggressive cycling to do this year, and the kids are getting bigger and smarter everyday. Jordan wants to play soccer this spring and Tori is dancing to her little hearts content in dance class. So here's to spending more time with those you love, reaching our goals and having fun while doing it!

Oh and we are going on a road trip to LA next week...sun, warmth and some soccer. (I find it funny I only blog right before I am about to go on a trip)

Cheers!