New Camera!!

For Christmas (a little early) we got a new fancy DSL camera....the Canon Rebel something. It's wonderful and complicated and easy all in one. I've only had a few days to play around with it, but it's amazing!! I've got a lot to learn and I can tell it's going to be great. Mostly I've just practiced with the focus feature and faces. I'm having fun with my close up lens. The clarity of the photos is great...a true upgrade from my point and shoot. Here's some of the first shots I took when I was playing around today:

Thanksgiving Week

We had a great Thanksgiving week. On Sunday we packed up and drove to the Villages in Flint, Texas for a week getaway. David had to work, but the kids and I were able to play until he was through and then play some more. We enjoyed being together and doing different activities. We had a good Thanksgiving dinner and movie night too. We wish we could have seen our extended families, but we had a good immediate family Thanksgiving. We have lots to be thankful for. The mini wave pool at the waterpark was relaxing!

A ride through the lazy river!

Evan was terrified at first sitting on the horse, but by the end he wanted to run, run run!!

McKinley wasn't old enough to ride, but they let her sit on Red until it was time to go!

Checking the girth so Austin won't fall off!

Putt putt golf every day!

Two horse power paddle boats...these were a work out!

David getting photo credits for Thanksgiving dinner. To his credit he did breakfast that morning and did carve the turkey. Everything else was my doing!

Everyone ready to eat...except maybe McKinley who looks a little sick here. She wasn't and everyone ate until they were full...and then some.

Timeshares??!! NO!

For the week of Thanksgiving we packed up and headed out to Tyler, Texas for a week at a time share resort. No, we didn't buy a timeshare...this is the "sampler" package they pitch for you to "experience" the whole time-share/resort vacation. Boy, am I glad we didn't and never will buy a timeshare. David and I saw through the high pressure salesman the first time they had us out to the Canyon Lake resort for a "presentation". There are so many holes in their pitch that it's almost laughable. They pitch you on the great value of the paid week each year. For a price you own one week at a resort. You can even trade your week and/or trade with other owners. Once you get finished paying for the deed you get to pay annual maintenance fees that add up to about $800 a year...every year...forever...until you sell it (and you can hardly give timeshares away right now!)
Pitch #2 is that it makes you take a vacation each year since you've essentially "prepaid" for it. Well, that has never been a problem for me. If I want to take a vacation I make it happen. In my opinion, David's job merely gets in the way of my true desire to travel and explore! Pitch #3 is the ammenities of the resort...mini golf, pools, basketball, organized games, etc. Sure, we enjoy those things, but again, for the price that's a lot of mini-golf! I guess it boiled down to the fact that I can plan, in fact, I enjoy planning, vacations that are fun, adventurous, and frugal! I can do soooooo much better on my own thank you! And I'll use the $14k +$800/year to finance a lot of vacations to remember.

Walk-A-Thon Winner!!

**scroll down for a second post**

Each year at the elementary school, the PTA has a walk-a-thon for it's big fundraiser. The kids get people to sponser them and then they walk (or run) as many laps as they can in 45 minutes. The school raises a crazy amount of money, but it's the only thing they ask of us all year! For the past two years Evan has come home from the walk-a-thon and told me that he won...he ran the whole time and got the most laps of everyone in the school. I told him "great job" and kept the "yeah right" to myself. I have always known that Evan was a very confident child!!

This year I was able to volunteer at the walk-a-thon and see all the different grades come out and do their laps. I planned on walking with Evan and McKinley to share in the event with them. When it was time for Evan's class I found him and he was so serious...kind of in "the zone". He was ready to do this thing! Any ideas I had of walking with Evan were quickly put to rest as the kid sped off for his first lap. They make the kids walk the first 1/2 lap so they don't stampede each other, but there are some very fast walkers in the 3rd grade. I quickly figured that if I stood in the middle of the track I could watch Evan run (yes, I said run) bye each time. And run he did. I have to take back every negetive thought I had about the little guy and his bragging...he was telling me the truth. I watched him run for the entire 45 minutes! He completed 18 laps, which equals out to 4 1/2 miles! Come to find out that was the most of any of the kids that day from Kinder to 5th grade! He was, IS the winner of the walk-a-thon! Wow!

So, congratulations to my little winner!! Evan Smith, 3rd grade!

Soccer Crazy

(photos won't upload?!)

What a weekend in the soccer world...local and MLS both!!

Our 97 Rangers team (A/Et team) competed in the bracket playoffs for a chance to advance to Western Districts. We had 2 games on Saturday and the team played one on Sunday without us. The first game on Saturday we won handily 5-0. The second game of the afternoon was against the #1 team from the other bracket who was also undefeated. This game was a killer, hard fought battle of two very evenly matched teams. The match was physical and tough, but clean and fairly called. We took a very early lead 1-0 that lasted through the half. Then they tied it up 1-1 and the battle continued. Close to the end of regulation time they scored on us, leading us 1-2. But on that kickoff play our forward took it upon himself to even the score 12 seconds later!! It was a rollercoaster of a game...the kind that make you wonder why it's called fun. The remainder of the game was an intense battle for that final score...but we ended with the tie. What a game!!

The team pulled off a 3-0 win on Sunday to end with a point tie with the other #1 team. The decided factor then came down to goals scored...and we outscored them in our first game by 1 point. What an important point though, because now we head down to Harlingen in a couple weeks as the #1 seeded team, so we will playt he #4 seed in our first game. Just an easier pathway for us. I couldn't be more proud of this team. They have played together for 5 seasons or more and are really coming into their own. All their hard work and endless practice is paying off. And they are having a great time! Thanks boys for the fun!

GO RANGERS!!

Then on Saturday...Salt Lake Real MLS playoff game. Go to this link and watch the highlight real:

http://web.mlsnet.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7131977&team_id=t121

What a game....so long, such a fight!

Trevan and Evan Is Better Than Heaven!!

Congratulations to Trevan on his baptism day, Sunday November 8, 2009! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day.

Haircut

McKinley was bald until after age 1...so hair has always been a commodity for her. Combine that with her inheritance from me of fine, thin hair and it's just a bad combination. Lately she has been asking me to cut it and I've been trying to get around to it. She wanted to go ultra short, but I wasn't ready for that yet. I talked her into shoulder length with layers....and we love it. Here's before:

And after...from behind...

And from the front with a smile. Now if I could just get used to the fact that she looks so grown up!!