Memorial Day Weekend 08

The end of May was a busy one - Sarah came home to celebrate her 21st birthday, and then John, Adrianne and Elliott came into town for the weekend and the race.

As a birthday gift, Sarah and I will be going on a hiking trip in late July. We'll hike down to the village of Supai and spend two nights exploring the famous waterfalls (Navajo Falls, Havasu Falls and Mooney Falls). We'll also hike the Narrows in Zion National Park (two day/overnight river hike).

On Saturday, Elliott golfed with the boys, Danny worked at the pool and the rest of us worked on the yard. John got rid of a dead tree in the front yard and dug up a stump in the back. The rest of us weeded and put some fresh mulch down. At the end of the day, the yard looked fabulous, just in time for the backyard party the next night!







On Sunday, we all went to the race (Sarah's present from Dan). We took two cars and drove to the track. We arrived in plenty of time before the start of the race and had a great day.





Later that night, we ordered pizza, played outside (bocce, badmitton, volleyball and soccer), and had a bonfire (where John had his first 'real' s'more). The next morning we had a big breakfast and everyone departed. It was a great visit and I'm glad everyone made it home.

Lady

Our sweet Lady enriched our lives for 15 great years

She passed on last Thursday after becoming ill early in the week. Her last day was peaceful - the weather was beautiful and we spent hours outside on the swing relaxing with and comforting her. It's sad without her and the house feels empty but we're all glad that she didn't suffer and we're grateful for the time we had with her.


She received the best care from Dr. Mitchell and the staff at Avalon Animal Clinic. They were concerned, compassionate, and caring.

Food Rescue

Our volunteers donate approximately 90 minutes of their time,
one night each month, to rescue food
that otherwise would have been discarded
and give it to those in need.

Danny and I signed up to collect and deliver food for the Food Rescue organization. We saw the story featured on the news a while back and after reading about the mission on their website, we signed up for once a month.

On the third Monday in May, we arrived at Big Apple Bagel at closing time and packed up all the leftover bagels. We delivered them to Third Phase in Noblesville, where there is a food pantry that makes food available for Hamilton County residents.

Volunteers are asked to commit to only one night a month and there are several openings available at Big Apple (also some at Panera and Paradise). You can find the schedule by clicking here.

Prom 2008

Danny and Megan went to the prom last Saturday (5-3) with Zack, Charlee, Dunn and MaiLyn. Charlee's mom made them dinner and we all went there to take pictures. Megan was beautiful in a gorgeous yellow dress and Danny didn't look so bad in his tux with yellow accents. Cute couple!

More pictures here.

Spring Break

Emily and I just returned from our hiking trip, which was a long postponed 21st birthday present. We had a great time, the hiking was spectacular and the weather was perfect. We experienced quite a variety - of weather, of terrain, of food, and of people! Glad to be home and glad we went!

We flew to Phoenix early last Friday morning. We had a delay at Budget when the air passenger seat bag would not become engaged and got upgraded twice in the process. We headed north in an HHR which proved to be great on gas mileage (and the cruise control was welcome!). We stopped for lunch and bought drinks and snacks for the week and arrived at the Grand Canyon Bright Angel Lodge about 3:00. We checked into our cabin and started exploring around the rim. The weather was sunny and windy, in the mid 60's. We walked around to Hopi Point for the sunset and ate dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. We packed up our backpacks for the next two days and went to bed early (after narrowly avoiding a cabin fire caused by my backpack on the baseboard heater when Emily turned up the heat!).


We woke the next day and started gathering up last minute things. We used daypacks which proved to be big enough, but just barely. We stuffed them full, packed up the car and hurried to the last express shuttle to the trailhead. The day was gorgeous, sunny and cool, high expected in the mid 60's again.


We headed down the South Kaibab Trail, eventually descending about 4300' over 7 miles. It was a beautiful hike with spectacular views. We stopped twice, once for a quick snack and again later for a longer lunch (bagels, peanut butter, apple and M&M's which became our standard hiking meal). Emily got inspired by some trail runners and did a couple of mile long runs downhill. We arrived at Phantom Ranch in about 4 1/2 hours, checked in, claimed our bunks, had some cheese and crackers in the canteen and set back out exploring. We ended up at the boat beach, where a few river trips were docked. We hung out for a few hours and headed back to clean up for dinner. The hikers stew was every bit as delicious as I remembered and Emily polished off a big bowl of vegetarian chili, with cornbread, salad and chocolate cake! We agreed that it was the best meal ever! We enjoyed talking to other hikers and comparing our days. Several people at our table were spending two nights at Phantom and had done a hike to Ribbon Falls that day. Something to keep in mind for next time! After dinner we listened to the ranger talk about the geology of the Grand Canyon and then headed back to the bunkhouse. Asleep within minutes!



Breakfast the next morning was at 6:30 with coffee, scrambled eggs, pancakes, peaches and bacon and then we filled our water and headed out to the Bright Angel Trail for our hike back up. We would ascend about 4400' over about 10 miles. The first 5 miles were easy hiking, a gentle grade with temperatures in the high 50's, the sun was shining and the spring flowers and trees were blooming. We stopped at Indian Garden Campground for lunch and a water refill and spent about half an hour resting and visiting with others on the trail who we would leapfrog the rest of the way up.

The squirrels were everywhere and just waiting for an attack on unattended food. One grabbed the food bag of a guy sitting on the next bench - he looked down and his bag was sliding across the bench, with the squirrel underneath!


We got going again after lunch and the trail became steeper, although the weather kept the hike pleasant. We slowed down on the way to the 3 mile resthouse and took about a 10 minute break. The next 1 1/2 miles were the hardest, it was steeper yet and the trail had steps built in which were harder to navigate than a smoother trail. We stopped briefly at the last resthouse and now there were patches of snow on the sides of the trail where the sun wasn't shining. The last stretch was still slow going and the temperature was falling. There were lots of day hikers in tennis shoes, jeans and sweatshirts. Lots of people and lots of noise but the end was visible and gave us the extra energy we needed. We finally made it to the top in about 7 hours. Quite a different experience than hiking it in 90 + degree heat! We stopped in the lodge for a quick bathroom break, got to the car and took our boots off, and started the drive to Page, Arizona!

We stopped at the Cameron Trading Post about halfway there. We were quite a sight walking in, as we both had stiffened up and had trouble walking :) We both ordered the house speciality, the Navajo Taco and devoured it! The base was a circle of Indian frybread with beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream on top. Mmmm!

We continued on to Page and arrived about 5:00. We checked into the Motel 6, got directions for the next day, filled the cooler with ice, set a wake up call for the morning and fell into bed! The next morning we packed up for another day of hiking and set out for the Paria Canyon Ranger Station, about 30 miles away. We arrived at the scheduled time of 9:00 to enter the lottery for permits to hike to the Wave. We were happily surprised that there were no other cars in the parking lot and assumed we would get our permit until we entered and found out that as we had crossed the border into Utah, the time was now an hour later and it was past 10:00. All permits for that day and the next were spoken for but we stayed and hiked along and above the Paria River.



We spent about 5 hours walking and exploring, eating and snoozing, crossing the river and climbing up canyon walls (at one point holding on for dear life spreadeagled on the face of the rock!)


We drove back into Page to the Colorado River Discovery and while the trip was sold out for the next day, we added our names to a waiting list. We got cleaned up and went back out for dinner to the Dam Bar and Grill where we enjoyed a fabulous meal. Em had Fettuccine Alfredo and fries and I had a great Mediterranean salad.

We perused the gift shop for a while but didn't buy anything and headed back to the motel for another great night's sleep. In the morning we found out there had been a cancellation on the river trip and we had our spots! We packed up and checked out of the motel and headed over to river trip headquarters where we enjoyed a great cup of coffee and read a Page/Lake Powell tourist magazine. We boarded the bus to the Glen Canyon Dam which is the launch point for the boats and spent a relaxing day floating down the Colorado River.


We got back about 5:00 and started the drive to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. The trip took about 3 1/2 hours and it got noticeably cooler as we drove north. We started seeing patches of snow that became fields of snow further on. Brrrrrrrr! We checked in to the Best Western, Ruby's Inn about 9:15 and found out that the hot tub closed at 10, so we hurried and hauled our bags up to the room (no elavator, but only two floors!), changed and drove back to the main lodge. We sank gratefully into the hot water and traded hiking stories with two other groups.

We woke up to 35 degrees and SNOW, dressed in lots of layers, and drove a mile down the road to the park. We started out at Sunrise Point and hiked through Queen's Garden, Navajo Loop, and up Wall Street. We spent about 3 hours on the trails and couldn't believe the contrast in weather! The landscape of Bryce Canyon is amazing and we warmed up as we walked.

We headed back to the room, showered and packed up, checked out at noon and started the drive to Vegas. We first had make our way west, over and around lots of hills. It was slow going for the first hour or so, but we finally came to I15 South, the speed limit was 75 mph and we flew down the highway. The weather warmed up and snow disappeared. We crossed from Utah to Arizona and finally into Nevada. Emily used the navigation tool on her phone and got us to the hotel. We walked into the Excalibur to check in and it took me a while to get used to all the noise and lights of the lobby and casino after the solitude of hiking! We checked in, got our coupons, hauled the rest of the stuff up to the room, changed and set out for a walk up and down the strip. We wandered for hours taking it all in and went to bed exhausted!


The next morning we slept in with no agenda but to lay by the pool, which we ended up doing all day long. It was such a good rest! We finally got moving about 5:00, got showered, and used our meal coupons at the dinner buffet. We had a taste of almost everything and then spent the evening walking again. We watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, visited some of the other casinos, the Coca-Cola store and the M&M store, walked through the Miracle Mile shops and spent the last half hour back at the Excalibur casino. We ended up spending a total of $3 and at one point, Emily was up $2!


The next morning we slept in, packed up, checked out and made our way back to the pool. We relaxed there for a few more hours and then used our spa coupons. We visited the steam room and the whirlpool. The showers all had different products inside (shampoo, conditioner, body wash) - I chose Mango and Emily chose Green Tea. The powder room had everything you might need, lotion, deodorant, hair dryers, etc. and we finished getting ready there.



We finished up and made our way to the car rental return building, took the shuttle to the airport, checked in, made our way to the gate, ate a late lunch and boarded the flight. It was non-eventful and we arrived back in Indy about 1:00 Saturday morning.

It's good to be home!

More pictures here

Back home again in Indiana

Adrianne came home for a visit while Elliott was in Jordan for training, and Sarah traveled home during Auburn's spring break. Although the weather was lousy, we all enjoyed reconnecting and catching up together. Can't wait until summer when we can all get together again! More pictures here.

G6 to the 3rd

Home for the Holidays

Christmas break was great - lots of times when we were all home together with time to relax and enjoy each other. The break started with Sarah getting her wisdom teeth out (and Emily becoming a personal nurse, on call 24/7). The girls all got new haircuts, the boys went to a Colts game, we all ate well, played well, shopped a little and rested a lot!

We enjoyed friends visiting, going to the movies, meeting Adrianne and Elliott's new niece as well as catching up with the Hultgrens. We loved when Chelsea came to visit and when Sarah brought John back. Kylie and JD took over one house and Cali and Lady shared another. Looking forward to a new year and lots of love and laughter!
Adrianne and Elliott left for their new home in Virginia - they'll now be on the Atlantic Ocean instead of the Pacific. We're all excited that they will only be a drive away now. Elliott loves his new job training to be a Riverine and Adrianne is getting their house in order before she starts subbing and looking for the school she'd like to work in.

More pictures here.

Family Pictures

Christmas 2007

New favorite place to get pictures taken -
Portrait Innovations - all digital - in and out with pictures printed in an hour!

Merry Christmas

We all enjoyed a quiet evening with a good dinner, a fire, and opening presents. Sarah had her wisdom teeth pulled on Friday and didn't want any pictures of her swollen face and this was the compromise for the Christmas picture.

Port of Fishers

We were so excited to get to visit with Elliott as he stopped in Fishers on his way from Hawaii to Virginia! And his timing is excellent, as he and Adrianne became Uncle and Aunt to baby Molly while he was here! Karli joined us for dinner and then we watched IU beat Tennessee State. Go Hoosiers and we enjoyed Elliott being back home again in Indiana for a short while. Only 17 more days until Adrianne gets home!

Happy Birthday to You!

#22

Spirit Week @FJH

College Sweatshirt Day
War Eagle!

Fall Break

grilling out at the condo picnic area

This was the last year for HSE to have a week-long fall break. We took advantage of the time and accepted an offer from Margy and Tom to drive to a family (free) condo in Siesta Key, Florida. We left on Sunday and took our time, with several stops. We arrived late Sunday night, unpacked and fell into bed. We all slept in and the weather on Monday was beautiful. Margy and I walked on the beach and we all spent the rest of the day at leisure, at the beach and pool and condo. We watched the Colts play on Monday night and fixed nachos. The rest of the week was about the same - we basically ate, slept, sat in the sun, read, played cards and swam. I had a test to take on Tuesday and drove into Sarasota to the Panera, which has free wi-fi (no access at the condo).

making puppy chow

On Thursday, we headed to Auburn. The trip was about 8 hours and we drove directly to Mellow Mushroom, had a pizza while we waited for Sarah to finish at work, and then followed her home. We met roommate Mallory and her dog Desi and got reacquainted with Sarah's dog Kylie. Mallory and Sarah were kind enough to give up their rooms to the moms and the boys spread out in the den with futons and air mattresses. Friday was spent on campus - Sarah with classes and the boys with a campus tour and appointments. We met back at the house and the girls went out looking for furniture (kitchen table and dresser). We made it to a couple of stores, but didn't find anything in our price range. We went back and got the boys and headed out to "Good Ol' Boys" for dinner. Emily had decided earlier in the day to drive down, and she arrived about 11:00. She and Sarah and I stayed up and talked for a while and then we blew up another mattress for Em and we all went to bed.

sarah and kylie

On Saturday morning, I dropped Sarah at work at 9:15 and visited a garage sale on the way back - no table or dresser :( Back at the house it began as a lazy morning but after everyone was awake, we got into action. We headed toward Goodwill, which turned out to be Mission Thrift and unbelievably we found exactly what we were looking for - a kitchen table and four chairs, a coffee table and a dresser (all for $150!). The boys hauled our finds home and the girls went next door to K-Mart for supplies. Back at the house we rearranged furniture and cleaned and organized all day. Emily and the boys met Sarah when she got off work and they all went straight to the game (Ole Miss). Margy and I put the finishing touches on the kitchen, living room, and Sarah's bedroom and then got ourselves and the car packed. Mallory came home from work before Sarah and she couldn't get over the changes - she was excited and couldn't wait for Sarah to see it. John, Sarah, Emily, Danny and Tommy stayed for the end of the game (Auburn 17 - Ole Miss 3) and then came home. Sarah was shocked and could not believe her room! Margy gave her the dresser and a new lamp as a thank you for having us all as guests and for getting Tommy a ticket to the game. Emily organized her desk and papers and most of her clothes and we made up her bed with her down mattress pad, clean sheets, her duvet cover and LOTS of pillows.


We stayed and visited for about a half an hour and then headed north. We got stuck in the football traffic for the first 50 minutes, but after that we were in hardly any traffic. Margy drove to Nashville and then we switched and I finished up. We only stopped once, the boys slept the whole way and we rolled in to Indy about 8:15. We slept for a few hours - my bed felt like heaven - ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! Emily stayed at Auburn Saturday night and went to a Halloween party with Sarah and John (the girls dressed as scuba divers, pictures soon).

Happy Birthday to both of you. . . . .

Christi and Danny never forget each other's birthdays - as they're the same day!

The timing was great this year, as we celebrated a day early and watched Survivor! Emily baked two outstanding desserts (brownies and chocolate/peanut butter bars). Christi hobbled in on a crutch and later found out that she had torn a calf muscle and was ordered to stay off!

Back home again in Indiana!

Emily surprised us with a return home sooner than planned. She had a great experience as a nanny, got to know and love two little boys, got to travel to Corsica once and into London and around England most weekends. She loved being home to watch the last few games of Danny's soccer season. She accepted a job as a permanent substitute for the corporation, based at my school -we now carpool!

Danny and I love having her home!

Homecoming @Fishers High School

Last week FHS celebrated Homecoming, with activities each day, including dress up days, a bonfire, the football game, and the dance Saturday night. In it's first year with seniors in the building, the school spirit has increased and the football team won it's first home game in two years on Friday night. It was a sea of RED in the stands!!

Cub Scout and Brownie (childhood dress up day)

Homecoming Bonfire

School Spirit!

Danny and I

Danny and Karli


More pictures can be seen by clicking here!