Peas in a beach-pod

Jet Ski Goodness!

Jet skis

Last night we went out in search of a pizza parlor and we found Wolfgang Puck's instead. It was great. We went with the Boulder Cooks and ran into the Hutchins there. Then we got some ice cream and went home and passed out.
This morning we did one of the finnest things we've ever done in our lives: we jet skied through the emerald and blue waters of Lake Tahoe. TJ only biffed it once, but he was an animal. Leslie had a great time, as you can see from the photos. Home tomorrow.

Fishin'

Last night we watched two more episodes of the Cosby Show while all the kids fell asleep on the floor. This morning Leslie and I got our day fishing license and caught six fish in the Carson River. Awesome!

Another banner day

Today we had family photoes taken at the coolest lakeside beach ever. It was so fun and such a unique opportunity. Afterwards we all hung out and swam in the lake. It was a little cold at first, but with a little exertion we got used to it. It was a blast, especially with the crystal clear waters and the snorkel mask. Then we packed a lunch and my folks and Jim and Di set out for the marina. It was a blast! Leslie and the rest of us warmed ourselves with a little starbucks and now it's off to eat Jenn's fajitas.

Fun fun fun

Leslie helped get Elisa ready today this morning and she looked great, so did Elisa. A group of us decided to go to Heavenly and take a gondola ride to this really cool restaurant nestled in the hills.

Atlantis

For our anniversary-pre-family-reunion we stayed at this place the Leslie found close to the airport. We had an amazing evening at their spa and a wonderful dinner at their bistro. Good times. Family, here we come!

To Reno we shall go

Here's a few pics from our excellent adventure (© Eileen) so far. The Great Salt Lake (or Gran Lago Saleado, as the Spanish version of trip computer said) from the plane. Here you see Leslie being entertained by a Sham-wow commercials. Also included is a picture of us walking through the airport lobby, me with a full length quizno's sub in my full length airline ticket pocket. Now we're just waiting in the hotel shuttle for the rest of the merrymakers to arrive.

Layover in Salt Lake City

Pretty sleepy after five hours of sleep, but it's a small price to pay for the feeling that the house is in order and we remembered everything.

New couches/ sectional!

Man! God is totally blessing us everyday, but this week especially! We just recieved our new funiture for the fireplace room and are very thankful to have such a nice place to live!

Praise God for Some Answers!

So you might be wondering what the above photos are... Well, they are my vocal cords! Many of you know that l've been struggling with vocal problems since december. I went to an ENT back in March and was told that my vocal cords looked fine and that I just needed to rest. Well, it july now and still hadn't seen the progress I was wanting. I went ahead and scheduled a second opinion with a highly recommended voice specialist and sure enough he found a node on my vocal cord! You can see the little bump on my left cord when you are looking at the pictures. Even though this means surgery in two weeks, I am encourage in knowing what the problem has been all this time and that there is something we can do about it.

Tea with Eileen

My very great friend and co-worker Eileen is about to head out on a pretty amazing adventure. She is moving to Venezuela to teach music in a school down there for two years!!! She will be greatly missed. To have one last hoorah together I took her to the St.James tearoom because she had never been. We had a blast!

Our Cabnets!!

They're in!! Andy and I are excited and pleased. Thanks Brian Lujan- your work is amazing. If you need cabnets done, we can give you his number.

Carcassonne

Leslie wins her first game fair and square. Yah, Leslie! Yar!

Phase 3: Tiling begins

This morning andy and our great friend Jon began the exciting process of laying down the tiles. Andy, once again is a natural and is doing an amazing job!! This is how it looks so far. Hopefully we will grout tomorrow.

Phase 2: De-carpeting!

We are in phase two of getting the house ready for tiling. While I was on the phone with a dear friend in the other room, Andy was busy working on taking out the carpet, the padding, and the tacking. When I got off the phone I had the fun job of scraping off all the glue and leftoverpad off the floor. Sounds harmless enough, right? well, don't let the simplicity of the description fool you. It has turned out to be one of my least favorite activities. One piece of advice- be sure not to graze your nuckles on the ruff, sticky concrete while scraping. Ouch!

The Destruction Begins

Today a good friend of ours came over and gave andy a crash course in tiling and de-tiling. Here are some pictures of andy's work so far. He is doing a great job just taking out what we need to and preserving the rest. He's a natural!

Summer fun with the family

We had such a great time with our family on Monday night, working all day to get our "house in transition" to look somewhat like a "real house." We got our new mattress today... Mattress number five. If you're ever looking to buy a new mattress, I had a wonderful experience with Jesse at the Uptown Mattress Firm. We've got some fun remodeling in the future, near and far. Thinking of our friends around the world. Shout out to Brian, Finn, and Megan; Alex, Ellie, and Isaac. We love you all and miss you very much!

Leslie's poker face

Summer fun

We've had so many fun times this past week that the most efficient way to divulge the memories is via the majesty of photo.

Birthday painting

Here's the latest painting I did for my mother-in-love's birthday. Flowers in a vase on a chair in watercolor. I enjoyed painting it.

No More Wall Between Us

So, we finally took the plung and started our house projects. Phase 1: Take out dividing wall. It actually came out pretty smoothly and without much of a mess.

Answer to prayer

Leslie and I had come to a point of frustration with her voice being damaged for seven months even after a period of silence. After another discussion of the possibility of another sich time, we went to the Lord in prayer and asked for direction. Within 24 hours of that prayer, we ran into someone whose husband had undergone the same perdicament and come out successfully, the prognosis of acid reflux was confirmed, and Leslie met with a voice coach who had her singing after one hour. Sometimes it helps to write things out. It makes answers to prayer as conspicuous as they actually are.
We still have yet to get to the bottom of it, but this was a very good encouragement in otherwise discouraging times.

Corn Hole on the 4th

Observe the form. Living proof that presentation does not gaurantee performance. It was such a beautiful evening, our first Independence Day in the country in three years. We lit some small fireworks in the street, then watched the big balloon fiesta park show from a distance.

New Song: "Not My Concern"

Here's a song I wrote for an amazing couple that got married on June 20th.
Not%20My%20Concern.mp3

Camping and Fishing

Check out our picture album to the right!! Fun times!