Happy Birthday

to Andy! He is 35 today! We celebrated with his parents on Sunday night. We also celebrated Chet's (his dad) birthday which was on March 25.

Saturday's branding

Our biggest branding of the year was on Saturday. The weather was beautiful and we had a great crew! I took lunch out and stayed for the afternoon.

Everything went really well until the end. My Dad got bucked off his horse and hurt his back and hip. Since my mom was visiting Mary, I drove him home and took care of him. I will definitely admit that being a nurse doesn't come naturally to me... unfortunately for my Dad, he was stuck with me. I think he will be pretty sore for a week or two... maybe longer.

Here are a few action shots...

Abigail took a turn holding the branding iron...

We had to do our 2nd annual group shot, which the guys love to complain about, but seem to like once they see the picture....

I am not sure what is going on here, but Andy is actually smiling...

The kids had a great time playing in the mud. Good thing J.T. wore his mud boots and not his cowboy boots...

One more big branding and one small one to go....

He likes it!

More cooking today

After I took lunch out to the crew today, I cooked some more.... today it was:

baked pasta casserole (like a mock lasagna) times 3
Tiramisu cheesecake bars
cinnamon white chocolate coffee cake
Snickers brownies

and now I am off to figure out something for dinner....

Cooking up a storm

I have been cooking all day to get ready for one of our brandings this weekend. So far today I have made...

chili
chocolate chip cookies
Devilish Caramel Fudge Brownies
macaroni salad
beef enchiladas

Whew, I am tired! Good thing I don't have to do this everyday... :)

Work truck

in training... Someday my truck will probably turn into Andy's work truck. While I was on the Girlfriends Cruise, he drove it a lot because he had the kids with him. Apparently, J.T. thought it would be a great idea to load the 4wheeler into the back. He thought it was the best thing ever....

Rice Krispy Treats

I am a little late in posting this, but oh well... while I was gone on the Girlfriends Cruise, the kids wanted to make Rice Krispy Treats. Andy took them to Safeway to get all the ingredients.... and then they got to work. By the looks of the pictures, I have a feeling that he told them they had to bathe and get their jammies on before they could make them.... they didn't save me any, though!

Sleeping boy

Last week I went in to tuck J.T. in and this is what I found... he had fallen asleep on the floor with his blankie, next to one of his tractors...

Weekend of baptisms

We had a great weekend! We went to Fort Bragg on Friday afternoon and stayed through Sunday morning. We had an awesome dinner at North Coast Brewing Company on Friday night. Afterwards we met up with Clint and Christina for a drink.

The main reason we were there was to celebrate Evan's baptism on Saturday morning. It was held at this cute little chapel, St. Anthony's, in Mendocino. Evan did really well. Here's a couple pictures I took...

With Godfather, Uncle Travis...

During the baptism...

With Christina and Clint afterwards....

We had a nice, relaxing party at Christina's parents' house after the baptism. Later that evening we went to a great restaurant, Mendo Bistro, for dinner. They sell some of Clint's meat so he wanted to check it out. Dinner was excellent. After dinner, Christina, Clint, Joy, Travis, Andy and I went to the "Welcome Inn" which is a fun little bar in Fort Bragg. We had a couple drinks and played shuffleboard. Andy and Christina's team were the big winners!

On Sunday morning, we had breakfast with the group and headed to Santa Rosa for the next baptism. This time it was for Olivia and Sydney. Andy is Olivia's godfather and I am Sydney's godmother. We feel very honored to be asked. Here are a couple pictures that I took after the ceremony since I really couldn't take any during it...

Aren't they cute in their matching dresses? Their dolls even have ones to match!

We went back to their house for a party afterwards.... it was great to hang out before we had to head home.

Birthday dinner

A couple pictures from last night's birthday dinner....

Do you see J.T.'s cake on the table? He was so proud...

We had a great time with our friends!

34 great things about the day I turned 34

Today I turned 34 years old... and it's been a great day! Here are some of the things that happened...

1. The kids got out of bed right away this morning and gave me a hug to wish me a Happy Birthday.
2. The staff at the Ferndale Children's Center gave me a nice birthday card and a Starbucks gift card.
3. Mary and Michela called me after I dropped off J.T. to wish me a happy day.
4. Mary emailed me a picture of Michela with only a diaper on... she is so cute!
5. Andy and I went on a 3 mile walk together....
6. And the sun was shining when we walked!
7. My mom took me to lunch at a new restaurant in Eureka, Oberon Grill.
8. Then we went and got a pedicure at the Spa at Personal Choice.
9. It was an hour-long aromatherapy pedicure!
10. I went to Target and wasn't in a rush!!
11. I went to the mall next and wasn't in a hurry there either.
12. I got my truck washed on the way home and it looks so much better!
13. When I got home, there was a bouquet of flowers on the table from the girls at Six Rivers Property Management.
14. Cindy, my house cleaner, was here today and the house looks and smells so clean!
15. Andy picked up both the kids from school this afternoon.
16. I got several birthday cards in the mail (and no bills!).
17. I didn't do any work today!
18. My parents gave me a gift certificate for a facial from Tiara LaChelle, a yummy smelling candle, and a gift certificate to Shotz Coffee.
19. J.T. and one of the teachers at his preschool (Ms. Carol) made me a cake today.
20. We went to dinner with some friends at Las Cazuelas tonight for dinner.
21. We took the cake with us to dinner and shared with our friends. J.T. was so proud.
22. We put all the kids down at one end of the dinner table so the adults could have a conversation.
23. The kids were really good and (mostly) got along with each other.
24. I received some nice cards and Starbucks gift cards from my friends.
25. I am looking forward to my "girls night out" that Kristina promised me.
26. I received lots of messages with me a Happy Birthday from my friends on Facebook.
27. I have the most awesome husband who will do anything to make me happy on my birthday.
28. I had a fantastic day today!
29. I am looking forward to going to Fort Bragg this weekend with Andy.
30. I am very happy with my life at age 34.
31. My Dad called and left me a message on my cell phone wishing me a very happy birthday.
32. We are going to celebrate with my parents and Andy's parents tomorrow night... the celebration continues.
33. The kids can hardly keep a secret about their gifts to me... we'll see if they can keep it until tomorrow night.
34. I have been blessed with wonderful family and friends.

Now onto the next year....

First branding of the year

I know it's taken me awhile to get these on there, but I put A LOT of them so that should make up for it. This was our first branding of the year which was actually split into two mornings. J.T. was so excited to be a part of things...

J.T. was so excited to try out "his" saddle on Jimmy (a.k.a. chimichanga)...

This is one of my favorite shots of the day...

J.T was so excited that he got to help Papa brand the last one....

Overall things went really well. Thanks to our crew for helping out!!

Bad, bad blogger

Sorry I have not been around here much. It's been so crazy. I know that I never posted the branding pictures that I promised. We had our big fundraiser for the Childrens Center this weekend too. I will try to catch with you all this week.....

Do you ever...

want to take a nap instead of talk on the phone?

Isn't Michela so cute? I miss her so much!!

I am off...

to watch Andy and his crew brand some calves. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share later. It's cold though... only about 30 degrees right now. Brrrrrrr........

100

Taking the idea from my friend Shelley, here are 100 random facts about me....

1. I am the oldest child, of the oldest child, of the oldest child, in my family.

2. I wear my diamond stud earrings (that Andy bought for me) 24/7. The only time I ever take them out is to clean them.

3. Most people think I am a stay-at-home mom but in reality I run 4 businesses from our home office.

4. I would get some kind of spa treatment (pedicure, massage, facial, etc) every week if money and time allowed.

5. Clutter makes me feel stressed out.

6. For the first 30 years of my life, I couldn't wear flip-flops because they hurt my feet.

7. Now I love flip-flops and live in them in the summertime!

8. Someday I want to compile all my blog posts into a book. Or maybe one book for each year.

9. Fall is my favorite season.

10. I love to watch Nascar races.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr is my favorite driver.

12. Every vehicle I have ever driven has been white, except for my first car.

13. I help in Abigail's class on Friday mornings.

14. I sleep with my hair in a pony tail every night.

15. The work I do as the Treasurer/Board Member for the Ferndale Children's Center is very satisfying for me.

16. I wear Victoria's Secret Heavenly perfume and have for at least 5 years.

17. I love inspirational sayings like "Obstacles are opportunities in disguise."

18. I grew up on a cattle ranch but had no interest in pursuing it as a business...

19. It wasn't until after college that I realized that I wanted to continue the family cattle business with Andy.

20. Raisin bran was my favorite cereal when I was a kid.... I still love it.

21. I am near-sighted in one eye and far-sighted in the other. The doctor said I will never need bifocals.

22. I weigh less now than when I graduated from high school.

23. I was the Editor of our high school newspaper, the Husky Howler.

24. When I have babies, it happens very quickly... 5 hours for Abigail and 2.5 hours for J.T.

25. Mac Studio Fix is my favorite make-up of all time.

26. Scrapbooking used to be my favorite hobby but I haven't done it in a long time.

27. I have always wanted to live in a remodeled farmhouse with a big wraparound porch.

28. I prefer to write with a blue, rather than black, pen.

29. I think it's important to thank God everyday for being a part of my life and guiding me through whatever the day brings.

30. When I was in elementary school, I had an accident on a go-cart.

31. Because of #30, I don't like to go fast on a bicycle, 4 wheeler, etc.

32. I love watching "The Bachelor".... even this season.

33. I have never watched "American Idol."

34. My favorite show to watch in re-runs is now "House."

35. I used to think my eyes were hazel but now they seem more green.

36. I have been to nine states (California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Maryland, and Hawaii).

37. I want to make it to the remaining 41 by the end of my lifetime.

38. I have never bought a lottery ticket.... no big surprise that I have never won!

39. We didn't find out the gender of either of our kids.

40. I "knew" Abigail was a girl... good thing because we didn't have a boy's name picked out.

41. I didn't appreciate the value of texting until about 6 months ago.

42. I pay off all of our credit cards every month.

43. Typos drive me crazy, especially on blogs. Spell check works....

44. I try very hard to spell people's name correctly.... mine gets misspelled quite a bit so I am little sensitive to that.

45. I love Target and could spend hours browsing there!

46. When it comes to shopping for myself, I love to shop at places like Girlie Girls in Ferndale, Alirose in Old Town Eureka, and other cute little boutique-type stores.

47. My favorite restaurants are Tomo in Arcata, Hurricate Kate's in Eureka, and Melting Pot (lots of locations).

48. Andy promised to take me to Melting Pot in Boise and I will hold him to it.

49. The Body Shop's body butter is the best! I love Olive, Brazil Nut, Coconut, and Cocoa Butter.

50. The only time I get to shop at the Body Shop (other than online) is in the San Francisco Airport when we are flying somewhere.

51. I can't believe I am only halfway done.... this is tougher than I thought.

52. I won't give up!

53. I have a subscription to "US Magazine" and love getting my weekly dose of trash.

54. I like to try new recipes but over half the time, find out they aren't all that great.

55. I visit Shelley, Rosjuane, and Julie's blogs daily... and get slightly disappointed when there isn't a new post.

56. I am not great about commenting on other people's blogs.

57. I LOVE when other people comment on mine.

58. I wish all my friends (especially the out-of-town ones) had blogs so I could keep up on their lives.

59. Sometimes I wonder if people really care about the things I write on my blog.

60. I don't consider myself a morning person but sometimes I like to get up early and enjoy the peace and quiet.... but no one better talk to me!

61. The two things that I require to wake up is a shower and a cup of coffee.

62. I would give up TV before I would give up the internet.

63. I had braces on and off from 3rd grade through my junior year in high school.

64. I had three sets of braces... the third one was free because they screwed up.

65. I still remember exactly where I was when my mom told me I had to get the third set.

66. If I didn't have email, there are some people (or Facebook for that matter) that I would never communicate with.

67. Abigail and I are so much alike that we tend to butt heads a lot.

68. Some days I want to get a tattoo, and other days I can't imagine having something permanently on my body.

69. I got my belly button pierced when I was 29 1/2.

70. I can't stand the sound or feel of a nail file.

71. I never get manicures (see #70).

72. My feet are so ticklish that I get the giggles when I get a pedicure.

72. Someday I want to go visit the southern states and see a few people (Shelley and Rosjuane in Arkansas, Rick and Amanda in Alabama, Nichole and Ralph in Florida).

73. When I need fashion advice, I go to my sister.

74. I love sushi. My absolute favorite is the Tempura Yam roll from Tomo in Arcata!

75. I have never been on a motorcycle.

76. I love designer jeans. They just fit me better.

77. Maybe I just have to tell myself that #76 is true so I can justify the cost to myself.

78. I like ice cream, but would be okay if I never had it again in my life.

79. When I learned to drive it was on a stick-shift. I have never had a car that was an automatic.

80. I never wear bracelets.

81. I wear a watch everyday and feel funny without one.

82. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was in 8th grade.

83. In high school I loved country music. Now I never listen to it.

84. I am not too big on concerts. I have been to a few (Tim McGraw being my favorite) but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

85. It drives me absolutely crazy to be late.

86. I really appreciate how hard Andy works to support our family... and I know that I don't tell him often enough.

87. I am very thankful that I don't have to work outside the home.

88. I want to write something on my blog everyday but many days I just can't think of anything to write about.

89. I love the cozy feeling of a roaring fire in the evening.

90. I feel very lucky that my kids have close relationships with all of their grandparents.

91. I majored in Agricultural Business in college but I never took one ag class in high school.

92. I have an enormous amount of respect for teachers but could never be one.

93. I am a very spiritual person even though I don't go to church that often.

94. My favorite candies are red licorice, sour gummy stuff, Milk Duds, and See's Dark Chocolate covered caramels.

95. I don't like black licorice.

96. I love designing stuff in Photoshop... flyers, collages, etc.

97. I hate going to the dentist.

98. I absolutely hate the nickname "Red."

99. I miss my college friends and wish I could see them.

100. This is way more difficult that I thought it would be.

I challenge all my blogging friends to try this... it's tough but fun.

Annual Wine Gala

It's that time of year again..... time for the Ferndale Children's Center Wine Gala (this year named the Western Gala to follow the theme. The board of directors and a few parents have been working really hard to make this year's event successful.

As some of you know the past six months has been very challenging for the Children's Center. We are in need of all the support we can get.

I want to personally invite anyone who is interested to join us for our wine and beer tasting event. We will also have a silent auction with a lot of great items.

I also posted a flyer so you can get a little more information. The tickets are $20 each. Please let me know if you would like to buy one. Thanks so much!!

Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Let's help stop it!

A couple of my friends are walking in the Los Angeles "Avon Walk for Breast Cancer" in September. They each have to raise at least $1,800 to participate.

Check out their site and send them a little encouragement. I would really appreciate it. They are having several fundraisers in the area so please support them if you can! I am taking photos at one of their fundraisers in April so hopefully I will see you there! Thanks so much!!

Busy, busy, busy

This time of year is supposed to be not so busy. I expect after the busyness of the Christmas season calms down, but before the craziness of spring hits, there shouldn't be too much going on. WRONG! This has been our busiest January through March ever. We have something every single weekend until the end of April. How did that happen? Is anyone else this busy?

National MS Awareness Week

Do you know someone with Multiple Sclerosis? Well it's National MS Awareness Week! Go check out their site!

Thanks!

What a weekend!

It's been a bit crazy around here. Besides the fact that I was sick with the worst cold I have had in awhile (and an ear infection), we had a lot going on...

On Friday afternoon, I helped set up for the fundraiser. Then Andy and I went to the Humboldt State basketball game.

On Saturday morning, I had a meeting for an event I am helping with (more on that later). Then we had Abigail's basketball game.

In the evening, we had the fundraiser for the Ethan Craig Medical Fund. What an amazing event!! It really helps remind me of what an awesome community we live in. There were over 750 people there! The live and silent auction did so amazingly well. Not including the bar proceeds, we raised over $55,000 for the Craig family!! Thank you to everyone that donated, bought a ticket, came to the fundraiser, bought something at the auction, and helped out!