Fishing Frenzy.....

When planning a vacation I have to take into account more than sun, sand, and fun. I have been given strict orders from my husband that we are not allowed to travel anywhere that he is not able to fish. I don't mean charter a boat and go out for a few hours fish, I mean fish off the beach with his own fly rod and hand tied flies fish. Everything about these orders is fine by me until it comes time to pack. Packing for five people for three weeks is alot of luggage, but when you add two suitcases and a gigantic rod tube to hold all of his "fishing gear" it becomes a TON of luggage. You see he does not just take fishing poles and hooks, he takes six fishing poles, reels to fit each fishing pole, fly tying matierial, fly tying vice, stripping basket, (it holds all the line in the surf) and that is just mentioning a few of the items he takes with him. Imagine going through customs with three children, five large suitcases, three backpacks, two large totes, a four foot rod tube, a five foot rod tube, and 500 bustling crazy travelers all around.....FUN!

This year it was all worth it though. The beach we stayed on had a daily fishing frenzy. It was crazy!!!! You would be laying at the pool relaxing, drifting off to sleep and the next minute there were men running to the beach with fishing pole in hand. The key to all of this was to watch for birds, lots and lots of birds. When you saw huge swarms of pelicans and small white birds it was time! Jeremy was in heaven. He made his debut into spey casting with his 15 ft spey rod. When he whipped this thing out it was impressive I must say. Salt water fishing on the beach is WAY different than river or lake fishing. You MUST be in fairly good shape. The fish don't stay in one place for very long so you end up running miles up and down the beach trying to cast your line into the school of fish, if you dont get a bite after four or five casts then it's back out of the water and another run up the beach to catch up with the birds. The day I was designated photographer I think we ended up running about five or six miles. The fish are just off the beach in the surf. When the waves come in before they crest and crash you can see the school of fish in the wave. The guys had a blast and I think they ended the trip with a count of 19 fish, two pelicans, and a dog. (the pelicans and dog were not injured) The dog thought it would be fun to chase the fly while Jeremy ran down the beach, it got stuck in it's paw, and the pelicans.... well there are just so many of them it is inevitable the will get hooked.

Which one is your favorite?

Here is a sneak peak of our vacation pics....well not really....kinda. We had the luxury of living in a three bedroom condo on the beach. The sunsets were AMAZING!!!! I took a few with my totally ROCKIN camera and they turned out beautifully, just like a postcard. I want to blow one up, frame it, and hang it in the house. The only problem is that I can't decide which one I like best. That is where you all come in. I am not blog savvy enough to put a real poll on here but leave me a comment and let me know your choice...... Thanks.

I'm Back!!!

Ok, Ok, so I know I have posted this before but this time I have a good excuse. I was on vacation for three weeks, add in the week of craziness before trying to get packed and ready, and the week after trying to adjust to life back to normal and that is FIVE weeks of excused blogging absense.....RIGHT???

All right I know I'm lame but oh well..... I will be a more regular blogger from now on I promise.

Recap on Life: (will post pics later)

*We had a fantabulous time in Mexico this year. I took almost 700 pictures. My new camera ROCKS!!!! Fishing of the beach, catching dorado and sailfish, jumping off of trees 45 ft in the air, sliding down natural rock waterslides, horseback riding, and lots of SPF!

*I was in my first snowmachine race and won.....there were only three women in the race, but I beat them anyway. It was a 120 mile cross country race. I will be racing again in March, it will be a longer, rougher, cross country race...we shall see what happens. Jeremy is also racing, he got 2nd in his class this past weekend.

* Starting my spring cleaning early this year...WOO HOO! Maybe if I start early I will actually finish the house inside and out.

* I started a new bible study called "Young Mom's" bible study. I am really exited to learn new things and since it is through another church via MOPS I am also exited to meet some new friends.

* Jeremy is SUPER DUPER busy at work and at home these days ..... poor guy. Kids are doing great.

* I just got an email that I have a new niece, Annika Reese Pepperd. 6 lb dark haired little girl, born 2:20 am. Congratulations Josh and Lindsay! I now have 12 nieces and nephews.

Well that is life for now.....pics later

Crazy 8's...I'm it!

I have been tagged by my new friend in Texas, Laura, here it goes.

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1. Friday Night Lights (I am a CRAZY football fan)
2. CSI Miami
3. What Not to Wear (sometimes I find myself guilty of the same fashion no-no's)
4. The Cosby show (I may have seen EVERY episode)
5. Sex and the City (Guilty Pleasure)
6. King of Queens (one of my favorites too, Laura)
7. Las Vegas (It comes on after FNL)
8. Hmmm...this was harder than I thought, we don't watch much TV

8 Favorite restaurants: ( This one I can do...I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to eat!!!)

1. Sullivans Steak House (Mmmm.. The bleu cheese salad there makes me salivate!)
2. The Brewhouse (Mmmm...The bleu cheese salad here is also amazing)
3. Pandemonium (I love the fun,cozy bookstore/bistro atmosphere here...the food
is good here too,very fresh)
4. Taco Del Mar ( The giant burritos are my favorite)
5. The Mooses Tooth (gourmet pizza and home brewed cream soda)
6. Starbucks or Mocha Moose (ok... so it's not a restaurant but I think coffee is
a food group)
These last two aren't in Alaska but I have to hit them when I am out of town

7. P.F. Chang (oh the Lettuce Wraps!!!)
8. Cheesecake Factory

and a bonus... KRISPY KREME, a warm doughnut off the conveyor is heaven!


8 things that happened today:

1. I ran on the treadmill (while watching What not to Wear)
2. Had a "mommy moment" when I found my oh so adorable son asleep on my bed
curled up with two plastic airplanes and his blankie.
3. Cleaned out the laundry room
4. Unloaded a freezer out of the back of my truck all by myself (it was light)
5. I found THE dress I wanted for the Chrisrmas Party at a price I can afford!!!
6. I bought a new laundry sorter
7. Wondered If Jeremy has shot a mountain goat yet...about a hundred times.
8. Finished every piece of laundry in the house.

8 things I look forward to:

1. Three week vacation in Ixtapa Mexico....Jan 12th!!!!!
2. The company Christmas party
3. Jeremy coming home tomorrow
4. Getting completely organized (Hopefully sooner than later)
5. The Macy's Thanksgiving day parade (I know I'm a dork)
6. Snowmachining on the river with Jeremy
7. Meeting my goal weight and fitting into my bikini like I did pre-babies.
8. Racing my snowmachine for the first time this winter.

8 things on my wishlist:

1. Organization
2. Patience
3. Long lasting determination
4. More time in the day
5. A Pottery Barn house.....every single room
6. Lexi's dog to be potty trained....and Landin
7. My life to reflect Jesus
8. To raise my kids to lead lives that reflect Jesus


I now tag, Tasha,Amberly,Jess,Heather, and Chantel

Election day fame...

The election is over and though it did not turn out as I wanted, I have to say Congratulations to Barrack Obama. I wish you and your family well in the next four years. Do America Proud.

When we went to vote this year there was a reporter there taking pictures and he took a couple of us. One of Lainie peeking out of the voting booth and one of all of us waiting in line. Lainie was so pumped when the reporter asked her name and my permission to print it in the newspaper. She said "I am going to be FAMOUS!!!" Lexi repied, "It's only fifteen minutes of fame Lainie." OH MY!!!

Here is the link to the paper, Lainie is the first in the top row and we are the fourth.

: - Frontiersman

Catch up post # 8....Lexi's X- country meet

This past fall Lexi competed on her school's X-country running team. At the end of the year meet she had a great time, while doing really well. Out of about 100 fourth graders she finished 18th. Woo-Hoo! Way to Go Lexi!!! You are totally Rockin Awesome!

Snow day!!!

I am such a sucker when it comes to fresh snow. It has become an unintentional tradition in our house that when a significant amount of snow falls overnight, I keep the kids home and we have fun in the snow. We accumulated about 6.5 inches of snow Tuesday night. The kids had great fun sledding (or boating as Landin called it) in the backyard,and Landin was thrilled to have sissies at home to play with him. They are getting old enough to play a little less "safe" and a lot more fun. They were found sliding off the roof of the shed, and sledding down the steepest hill they could find which plows them directly into the house!!!