OH THE PRESSURE

Oh my goodness! The pressure to keep the blog updated! I'm just not as creative as some of the bloggers I know!

I'm thoroughly enjoying my day to day life, more than I can ever remember. It just seems silly to write about it but I will give you a quick update.

I'm making a concerted effort to live a more healthy life. I start everyday with a three mile walk and fit in weights and pilates at least three times a week. Mark and I are eating more whole foods and very little of anything processed. We've cut out most sugar and have learned to love dark chocolate! I've been taking fish oil and other vitamins. I haven't had a soda since the end of July and off all medications. I don't think I've lost much weight but my clothes are fitting a little better and I feel great! I hope that eventually the new habits will result in weight loss.

The weather has been beautiful so I've spent a lot of time outside, reading. I finished a few really good books and have four more that I can't wait to get to.

Jeffery and Kristin are doing great. Jeffery is back in the swing of things now that school is back in session and still plays golf everyday. Kristin is taking a full load and doing great at State. She came over on Tuesday just to have dinner with me and watch a movie.

Aunt Rose from Tennessee was here. She and her friend Fran stayed at my house and everyone gathered here for dinner in the evenings. We saw all the sights Ruidoso, Cloudcroft, White Sands and Holloman. Lily and Mel took them to Las Cruces and Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival. It was a fun week!

I'm picking up Patty/Betty tomorrow at the airport. She's surprising everyone. I'm the only one that knows she's coming in. We'll meet Kristin for lunch and the mall in El Paso.

Jeffery just asked if we could watch a movie together. WOW! Got to go!

OH! Mark and I are going to Hawaii at the end of the month. (Wish I could take Dave and Jenn for Dave's 40th birthday but.....)

Just want you to know that I'm alive and doing very well!

Dragon's Breath

Last Saturday I was sound asleep and thought I was dreaming. I was hearing a strange sound. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I raced around the house and nothing....I finally stepped out on the balcony, in a daze, and saw hot air balloons everywhere. I'm pretty sure the people in the balloons got a kick out of seeing me staggering around with my hair sticking up and realizing, I should have a camera. This could be cool for the blog!

SO Happy Louise is back in the Southwest!

Kathy, Connie & Louise

Sunset on the drive from Alamogordo to Tucson

More Sunset

The New House

And the new pool. Just can't wait until its finished!

Our Last Trip of the Summer

Museum of Natural History

National Monument

Jeffery and Grandpa Bob

Barbara, Mark's Mom, Mark and I. We're waiting to have dinner in Annapolis, Maryland

Barbara picked flowers from her garden for my bedroom.

The Hope Diamond.

And of course, we went to an Orioles game!

After and Before

This window project took months to complete. It took several months to get the furniture and its been quite some time since its been finished.... I just forgot to show the results. The pics don't do the room or the furniture justice.

5 Question Challenge

1. If you could have lunch with one person from high school and catch up on each others lives... who would it be?
I had a great friend in Yuma Arizona, Cindy Sooy. Her Dad was in the Marines and we moved away from Yuma at the same time. As a matter of fact, her family drove me back to NM. She visited me again once, shortly after Kristin was born and although we hear from each other once a year, around Christmas time, I haven't seen her since. She had two boys and one is a cancer survivor. Just thinking of her now makes me miss her.....I owe her a visit.

2. If someone handed you a gift card worth 10,000 dollars what store would you want it to be for and what would you buy?
I would like a card from Lowe's Home Improvement. I would buy paint, tile, home improvement stuff....

3. What's a current trend or fad you just don't get?

Flat bill hats, baggy pants and huge shirts. Yuck!

4. You're having a dinner party and you can invite 3 famous people dead or alive... who would you invite?

I'm not really sure, Oprah, Elvis and Jennifer Aniston?
I would much prefer having dinner with my whole family, Uncle Fred, Aunt Gene, Kimberly and especially with my grandma. She would have loved Mark and would absolutely adore all of the grandkids she's never met. It would be so much fun to have a dinner together, the way we used to, back in the day.

5. Where's the best place you've been on vacation... and what made it the best?
My favorite place, so far, has been Puerta Vallarta. The weather has been perfect, the food was great and it was very relaxing.

Reason for the Game Room and Wii

This is the reason we put in the game room.

We've got two playing ping pong, two playing the Wii, two spectators and two more coming in the door. What more could a mother ask for? I was accused of being paparazzi, but who cares if you know where your teenagers are?

Love to hear the music and laughs coming from down the hall....