HALLOWEEN IS ALMOST HERE

HERE IS SOME MUSIC TO GET YOU INTO THE MOOD!!!

ENJOY AND WE HOPE YOU HAVE A SPOOKTACULAR SEASON!

My Twilight Zone Adventure

I really wish that I had taken my camera because this town is a must see event. I had to travel to Rangely, Colorado last Friday to officiate a couple of college volleyball matches. I really wasn't looking forward to the 41/2 hour drive let alone having to spend the night but hey they pay my gas and my hotel right? How bad can it be? I honestly felt like I had entered the Twilight Zone. We left civilization and entered into this little town and there was nothing there...how can you possible have a college in a town where there isn't a fast food restaraunt, movie theater, bowling alley, nothing. There was this awesome museum...ummm?

The closest town with any of these things is an hour away. So my partner, Lisa, and I arrive and find our hotel...the Budget Host.

WOW...that is the best I can come up with. The room smelled like stinky feet. Lisa and I both started to gag, literally. I am really not sure what could make a room smell like that and i was not sure I really wanted to find out. We chose our beds and put our suitcases down...okay I can only describe the sound the bed made as a rubber band. We sat down on them and they twanged. If you moved even a little bit the beds rocked and banged against the wall. We both got the giggles so bad that I almost wet my pants. I had to run to the bathroom and while in there, took a peek into the shower...yep...hair in the drain. Now honestly that is so disgusting to me that I can't handle it. We decide to leave and look around because we couldn't take much more of the room. We leave and I lock the door behind me. BIG MISTAKE. I guess I didn't realize that when you lock your door, your key won't work anymore. I think that might be an important heads up for the front desk to tell you. So when we get back to the room, (which didn't take long cause there wasn't anything out there to do) we can't get into our room. We go back to the office and she has to call the manager because she doesn't have a master key. Well come to find out, the manager's key doesn't work in our lock either. He says to me, "are you in room 213? Yeah this always happens" Hello...maybe you should fix your lock. Okay so after 20 minutes of him trying to open my door he announces that it will have to wait until the morning. Ummmm noooooo...my stuff is in there and I kinda need a place to sleep. In the meantime, some guy down below us I guess hears what is going on and comes up to help. He says that this happened to him here before and he pulls out his credit card and slips it into my room door and it opens. Okay..so now the guy down below knows that he can get into our room with his credit card even with the "unbreakable lock" that the master key can't even budge. Not really comforting. We finally make it through to the morning and find out that the hotel checkout is at 10:00 and our match isn't until 3:00.

We decide to go to eat a the only restaraunt in town that serves breakfast (found it on the hotel brochure). We drive by and it was burned down...not joking. We are both just looking at each other and laughing...honestly what else could happen? We go back to the hotel and ask them where we can get breakfast and she tells us to go to the grocery store. Hmmm not quite the idea we had in mind. She then recommends this Italian place down the road a bit. Not really the breakfast food I had in mind but better than wandering the 3 isle grocery store.

I order the calzone and cut into it and I promise I found the most disgusting grey big old half a sausage just plopped into the middle of it. It looked like..I can't even say but you get the picture. It wasn't cut up, just plopped right into it. It is now that I remember that I have a camera on my phone. I got a couple of pics but that is about it and the quality isn't great. It is what it is I guess.

Some great pictures of Rangley, Colorado...

Looking down Main Street...hmmmm

We finally get done with our matches and head back home.

We drive to the nearest town and it is called Dinosaur, Colorado.

There are these paper mache looking dinosaurs all over this little town just randomly place around Main Street. All and all it was a good trip and definately a memory I will have for quite a while.

Not thinking I will be going back anytime soon though...lol

Our Denver Getaway

Well we did it. We took a much needed trip together JUST THE TWO OF US! It wasn't exactly the best time of year to go, what with Mitch's new work schedule and it being right in the middle of my busiest time of volleyball, but it was so much fun.

I have been going to Denver now for about 5 years to ref volleyball tournaments and coming home and tyring to tell Mitch all the stuff that I see and finally we just decided to see it together first hand. The Convention Center where I ref the games is really enormous. There is this big blue bear that stands outside and looks in the window. For the life of me I can't figure it out. It is really kinda strange.

Ever since Mitch has watched "Forrest Gump", he has always wanted to go to Bubba Gump Shrimp. Well...there is one right down the street from the Convention Center. He was in heaven. I am pretty sure that if we had done nothing else but go and eat there that the trip would have been complete. He is so easy to please, LOL. The food was actually really good and the atmosphere was a lot of fun too!

I had no idea that the Denver mint was right around the corner from where I have been going for over 5 years. We got to take a tour but they wouldn't let us bring our camera or our cell phone in. Who would have thunk that the security would be so tight at the place where they make our money? They were making pennies the day we were there. That was pretty interesting and I had no idea all that goes into it. It gave me a new appreciation for those pesky little coins.

This is perhaps one of my favorite pictures of the whole entire trip.


Ever since Mitch was a little kid he has had a fascination with trains. He loves them. We found this awesome train museum and of course we had to spend an entire afternoon there. There is not a sign that was written or a picture that was displayed that we did not stop and read and look at. There actually was a lot of cool stuff there and I even got to sit in the conductors chair and blow the whistle...pretty cool.

They had some really funky looking trains too that I have no idea what they were used for.

We then went to the State Capitol building. There on the steps is a spot where you can stand exactly one mile above sea level. Hello....it is the mile high city..

While we were walking up to the capitol I swear there was this kamakazi squirrel that kept chasing us. No matter where we went it would run after us. I wasn't sure whether to kick it or run away. It totally freaked me out... I know it looks cute and innocent but I swear it was a killer squirrel.

I don't think I have seen more beautiful mountains and scenery in my entire life. We had to stop at the rest stops on the way back home just to take pictures and appreciate the world. Heavenly Father really knew what he was doing when he created this wonderful world we live in. I forget how lucky I am to live in such an amazing place. The mountains and the colors were amazing. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Halloween is coming

I love this time of year. The weather gets cooler, the leaves change colors, the smell of wood burning. There really is nothing like it. I picked apples off my tree yesterday and made fresh apple crisp. Honestly, does apple crisp tastes any better than in the fall? I think not. We had rain for three straight days this weekend so I was completely unable to get my Halloween decorations up outside but when I do, you will all get pictures.

In the meantime, we celebrated with Grant, Angela, Victoria and Grants brother Tim, and went up to Gardners Village to WITCH-A-PALOOZA...you really have to experience it to get the full effect. It has become a tradition for us to go the first week of October. They have carriage rides with witches, pumpkins everywhere you look, witches, ghosts, you name it and they have it. We always end the evening by having dinner there at Archibalds and eat their famous fried green tomatoes. Angela and I have been trying to figure out the sauce forever and we finally bribed the waitress tonight to tell us...guess what I am going to make this weekend? YUM

Grant, Angela and Tori

Tori isn't so sure about the big rat

For those of you who don't know Grant, Angela and Tori, they are my son-in-law, step daughter, (doesn't seem that way) and grandaughter. Love them all to death. We really have a great time together.

The witches playing baseball

Tori sitting with one of the witches

House of pumpkins

Matilda the witch and the carriage ride

You gotta love a man who gets frisky with a witch hanging upside down...

It was a great night!

The First Attempt...

Okay, after much contemplation and reading all of the blogs from my cute neices and their families I decided to take the plunge. I never could have done it without the help of Annie (thanks Annie). She sat by my side and helped me create. "I lika Lenka".

I feel like I have so much to catch up on but maybe I should just start out by talking about the present and doing the background later.







Mitch is busy with working full time for Orem City and also putting in a full schedule with his own business Lewis Mechanical. But most importantly he always finds time for me and the family. I really don't know how he does it all but he does. He is my hero. Love you honey.







Volleyball is in full swing so I am working on average about 5 nights a week. Thank heavens for a husband that has strong hands for my foot rubs. Between highschool, college and city league it is a lot of standing. I was voted in as the female official of the year in the entire state of Utah this month. That was pretty exciting for me. Mitch and I will be going to a banquet next month for the awards ceremony...pretty cool if I do say so myself. Kelly got the male official of the year award so we will be there together



Chris is working hard at Maverick and putting in a lot of hours. He has the horrible time of graveyards but he really seems to like it. I guess they figure that no one will come in and rob the place with a big 6'4 350 guy standing there. If only they knew he was a teddy bear in disguise. He is doing really well and trying hard to live life to the fullest.














Chad is still Chad. He is working full time at APEX alarms and still making us all laugh. As he puts it, "the world is made up of 2/3 water and he makes up the other 1/3". He is living in an apartment with a couple of his friends. It is his first big adventure out and he is doing really well. I don't think he realized how easy he had it at home. (admit it Chad) When he isn't working he is playing hard at baseball, basketball and challenging Annie to every sport possible. They have a running challenge going. So far I think Annie is up 1-0. They play extreme frisbee together and she taught him a couple of things.







Kylie is still here at home and keeps us on our toes constantly. I am not sure if she is coming or going. She is working 30+ hours a week at the Wing Shack. I am pretty sure that Mitch is her #1 customer. She is still "tiny" to me but actually just turned 19 last month. UNBELIEVABLE. It hits me every once in awhile that I guess I am not so young anymore...go figure. She is doing well and staying out of trouble...right Ky?






I will keep you all posted as to the latest. I think this might be a little addicting.


Chad and Kylie on his scooter. His first big purchase.