Our Awesome Stake President!!!

President Walker is the Stake President of the Highlands Ranch, Colorado Stake, which means he is our Stake President. We know he serves long hours in his stewartdship for the Lord, but he goes above and beyond when it snows in our neighborhood. The best thing is that he does it all with a smile. We love Pres. Walker!!!!

Colorado Summer

Boulder Colorado Trip

Monica, my teaching partner from ACS, back in San Jose, came to visit for a weekend, in Colorado. We had a so much fun checking out some of the sights in Colorado and just visiting. It is great to have friends and family visit!!!!

Family Hands

Our family has a tradition. When we travel, as a family, we take a "Family Hands" picture. Sometimes it is as often as one every month. We have taken our hands at the beach, camping, against a tree at the sacred grove, the seal at the U.S state capitol, European destinations and many more over the years. It is so fun to look back at the "Family Hands," when there used to be five of us. Seeing our children's baby hands and then growing has made a great photo record for us. Here is our latest... Paul, Laura and my hand in Colorado Springs. We had a great day and loved adding to our "family hands."

Our Great Germany and Colorado Connection

In September, we had our good friends Rolf andf Birgit Schaefers, come to visit us from Wuppertal, Germany. We had so much fun spending time with them and showing them our new state of Colorado!

Visiting Teaching on Pikes Peak?

Our family took a trip up to the top of Pikes Peak, where we ran into the Hill family. Since I visit teach Sarah Hill.....can we call this a visit? j/k

Our great Nephew's first steps at our home in Colorado!!!!

So, our family came to visit and as luck would have it, our great nephew, Reed, took his first steps at our home in Colorado. :) How lucky are we?

Another Fun Family Visit!!!

I feel so lucky. I have had my some of my family visit 2 times this year. My sister, Mary Lynne and her daughter and son-in-law, Caroline and Brent visited. The star of the family was Reed, Caroline and and Brent's cutest son!

Trek to Martin's Cove 2009

Paul and I were so fortunate to be able to attend our Stake's trek this year. Laura, was attending trek as well, so we were able to get some cute and candid pictures of her. Paul and I helped with events. Paul, played one of the U.S. Army members who pulled all of the men and boys out of the Trek for the Mormon Batallion. It was awe inspiring to be in Martin's Cove and stand in the Sweetwater River. You can not visit this place and go away untouched. Hope you enjoyed some of our memories.....

Our "Peltz" mini reunion was a BLAST!

I had so much fun having some of my family here. My brother, Stephen and his wife, Beth, came from North Carolina and my sister, Mary Lynne, came from California. We were also so lucky to have my niece, Carolina and her sweet son, Reed, come too. We had a lot of fun showing them our new home of Colorado. I miss them already. :(

My brother, Stephen, doing what he does best...photography. :) I love these pictures at the park behind our home.

This picture was taken during a sunset above our home in Highlands Ranch, Co. My sister, Mary Lynne, my niece, Caroline and her son Reed.

Fun in the California Sun!

Laura and I had a delightful time in California. We were able to see our good friends from Almaden Country School, spend time at the beach with Cortland and enjoy the company of my siter and her family as well as some of my nephews and their families. I love Colorado, but I wish I could bottle up all of the for mentioned things and bring them all here!The California trip was a great mother and daughter time!

Front Door Funnel Cloud View!!!

Our friends were leaving our home and we went out the door to wave goodbye to them, when we saw a funnel cloud forming on the hill behind our home. This was huge and you could hear it, but it never touched down. They say they never do up here on the hill, but it was exciting to have a close-up and personal view of the funnel forming. About 5 minutes later it started raining in buckets full. The weather here in Colorado is dramatic to say the least. WHEW!!!

A Bear Sighting in Highlands Ranch!!!!!

We live in suburbia and not in the middle of the wilderness, but yesterday, a warning went out that there was a bear sighting near a park about a mile from us. We live at the edge of Highlands Ranch and this park is toward the middle. He must have come from our way and then crossed roads and neighborhoods via the green belt that runs throughout Highlands Ranch. The bear didn't hurt anyone. He seemed to be hungry and a little shy. Wow, our open spaces here have a alot of wildlife, including elk, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, eagles, bobcats......and now bears.

FROM SNOW TO HOT SUN in TWO DAYS!!!

We had a storm hit us on Friday and Saturday that dropped 3 1/2 feet. As you guessed, Paul was in Heaven. Yesterday, Sunday, was sunny and today is so warm and toasty. I am loving the wonderful weather changes here. We can hardly believe that we had that much snow, but as proof I decided to post this video.

Backyard Snowboarding

Laura never skips an opportunity. Today she suited up and did a little boarding in our backyard. Shelby was out there to race her to the end of her run.

Our Hands on an acient Mayan carving.

Visitng Ancient Mayan Ruins

We traveled by bus for one hour and then by river boat through the rain forest of Belize. We saw birds, crocodiles, monkeys and of course the ruins. What a great day!

Our Family's Caribbean Cruise

What a great adventure we had as a family. We traveled in the western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean Cruises. We enjoyed wonderful family times, playing games, attending musical shows, ice dancing shows,lounging by the pool, trapsing through a rain forest, taking jungle boat tours, Visiting acient Mayan ruins, snorkling, dining and plenty of much needed relaxation.

SUN AND FUN HERE WE COME!!!!

Well, we leave today for our cruise to the Caribbean. This has been a two week packing frenzy for me. We are anxious to get this show on the road and to see the packing come to an end. Austin left this morning for Miami, via Washington D.C. and Paul, Laura, and I will meet up with him in Miami. They say we might get snow here in Colorado while we are gone......SUN and FUN here we come!!!!!

Fillin' the Bucket!!!!

Life is busy and can be tiring, what with--school, work, carpooling, budgets, the scary economy, homework, cooking, cleaning and anything else that helps to make up each of our days. There are times when we just need to refill our "bucket." Last Saturday was definitely a "bucket filler!" I am calling it that, because we got up early to do service. You can't help but feel happy when you are serving, right? It sort of picks you up and sets you straight. Well, that is the way it works for us anyway. We went to a Catholic Church near our home to help make blankets for children in need. We did this in October and had such a great time that we decided that we HAD to take part in this again. Paul has become quite the stitcher-man. Laura, Austin and I can tie a mean knot on polar fleece blankets. :) At the end, we all sat together and helped to stitch the "Project Linus" tag on each of the blankets. It was three hours well spent with great people from our Highlands Ranch community. Once again, we all left feeling happy and a little better for doing something for someone else. I am starting this week with a full "Bucket" and this will help me to attack this busy week ahead. Anyone else found something that helps to fill their bucket?

I am loving this new experience!

When all of our kids were at home I would often write notes and letters to them and place them on their beds. Sometimes they would write me back. I have kept all the letters that they wrote to me. I love re-reading them. It is a gift.

Last year, one of my friends, shared something with me that has changed my life as a mother. She told me about a journal that she keeps with her daughter. They write back and forth to each other. I was was intrigued. Paul and I tried to help our children with journaling over the years, but we were not the best examples of consistency, so when I heard about this daughter/mom journal, I got sort of excited about making another attempt.

Last Mother's day, I decorated a journal as a gift for Laura. I made the cover pretty feminine with scrap booking materials. I started the journal by writing my feelings for her and telling her how much she means to me. Next, I told her about when I was 12 (her age at that time) and then asked her a few questions. That afternoon, I gave the journal to Laura. I explained that I would write to her and she could write back to me. Any time we finished our entries to the other person, we were to place the journal on their pillow. I can not tell you how much this has meant to Laura and I. She asks me things that have never come up in conversation and I answer them, and then ask her things back. We share our feelings and appreciation for things. I am grateful that a friend shared this concept with me. I wish I had been able to do it with all of my children, while they were still home. I wrote to Laura last night. I can't wait to see the journal appear on my pillow. I am loving this!!!!

Another awful business trip....

Paul is away on business this week. He went to California. I know he is working really hard in support of our family, but somewhere in the back of my mind,(that mind attached to my head and body, which is living in 32 degree weather) he is having fun, talking to old friends and basking in the warm 69 degree weather of moisture filled California. Never mind that he has sat in two long meetings today, I still get these visions of him eating out, staying at the hotel and watching sports without a sweet, loving wife standing in front of the TV. I know when he gets home tomorrow, he will be tired from travel, but not hungry, because they feed him really well in First Class. Laura and I will shower him in kisses and hugs and thank him for working so hard for our family. We really miss Paul/Dad when he is away on another "awful" business trip. Really, it was awful.

I am addicted to House Hunters

I have a confession. I hear that once you find out that you have an addiction, you are supposed to face it. At first I thought it was that I just liked the HGTV channel on TV, but it is so much more. I turn on the TV in the evenings and my heart skips a beat as I scan to HGTV. I find myself smiling and my pulse seems to increase as I search to see what is on next. Then it happens, Suzanne Whang,is walking toward me with those bangs....You guessed it, HOUSE HUNTERS. I must confess this House Hunter watching is a real addiction, because I am not even looking for a new house. Then the addiction increased as they introduced HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL. Now I get to feed my addiction twice in one day. In the future, if I ever want to live in Puerto Rico, Belize, Italy or Paris, I will be set, afterall,I am almost a pro, right? If I decide to simply stay stateside I have become a couch real estate agent. It is amazing what you can learn in the comfort of your own home, in your comfiest chair, holding a peach fresca. I feel better that I have confessed this, but I have to go....House Hunters is starting in a few minutes. I just love this whole confession thing. It is so cathartic.

I DON'T DO BUGS!!!

Paul, left for Philadelphia this morning. He had been gone only 3 hours when I decided to do the Monday morning wash. I was sorting the wash, when this huge, hairy, bulbous spider crawled out from under a sock. I am not spinning tails here, this spider was about 3 inches across and it had eye thingys in the front. I screamed, the dog barked, and all heck broke loose. Now, being spider savvy, I knew that the worst thing I could do would be to take my eyes off of that ugly creature. Knowing there is a spider on your mud-room floor and knowing where it is, is better than knowing there is a spider on your mud room floor and NOT knowing where it is! So, amidst screaming, I kept a wary eye pealed on that big sucker. With my other eye, I spotted the heaviest,weighty, item that I could find...the Clorox bottle. I finagled the clothes away from his grotesque leggy body with my feet. Note* (All of that learning to pick up coins with my toes as a child was paying off) With the vermin in the clear,it took me three thuds to kill that gruesome rascal.
Laura, is at the mall today. She has no idea that her very own mother saved her. I am not sure if I want to tell her about this incredible feat. I will have to be a quiet hero.....after all she and I don't do bugs.

Baby you can drive my car....

Laura, our youngest, is only 13, but she never lets us forget, that 16 is right around the corner. The very thought of that makes me cringe. How can she be growing up so fast? I suppose I knew that this was coming, when she asked for clothes last Christmas. This Christmas it got worse. She asked for clothes, shoes and make-up. When the clothes, shoes and make-up request comes, it is only a small jump to asking for the keys to the car. Wasn't it just three years ago that she still wanted an American Girl doll? I really started worrying, so I looked up the age when you can get your permit in Colorado. It is sadly, still 15. Sadly, because that means Laura is 18 months away from that permit. Yeah, I freaked! Then I went outside a few days later and saw my daughter. She was sitting in a toy car, (belonging to her good friend's little sister) driving around and having a great time. It was Barbie pink, and moving along at 1 mile per hour, and just too cute. Cute, because she wanted to ride in a toy car and also the fact that she could even fit in it. As she came up our driveway, (the really long one) she announced, "Hey mom, look at this, I am going be driving our Sequoia in 18 months, watch out!" I smiled and ran to take this picture. I waved as they turned the car around and slowly made their way down our very long driveway. I realized more than ever that I have to savor every moment with that sweet girl. She is a hop, skip and a jump away from high school, driving, proms, dating (cringe) and then college. I guess I am lucky that she always announces her progressing age. I need that reminding from my daughter.

We have a long driveway.....

Living where it snows is a new experience for us.  Paul gave me all the tips to driving and stopping in the snow and black ice.  I feel really comfortable driving and getting around in the white stuff now, but we have a really long driveway. Most days the snow has been gone by afternoon carpooling. This happens, because Colorado has a lot of sun!!!!  That is the good news. There is still the fact that we have a really long driveway.  I mentioned that before right? :)  Well, we do. Paul and I were either going to get a snow blower or an ATV with a plow set up for the winter months.   Now the "either" was really never there for Paul. What man would choose a snow blower, right? So, you guessed it, we got the ATV. Now Paul goes to the home of our Honda ATV with snow plow, starts her up and plows the driveway in two minutes. He also does some of the neighbors driveways and some of the street for fun. Yes, we have a really long driveway, but a snowplow makes it another new Colorado adventure for us.

Let it snow! Really?

Our first winter here was picture perfect.  We had a beautiful white Christmas. Nothing looked more peaceful than watching it snow on Christmas eve. Huge, light pieces of snow falling against a dark sky, while we were inside, warmed by the glow of the fireplace.  We were some of the lucky ones.  Our house faces south and the sun shines most days, melting the sidewalk and long driveway. Oh, guess what, we loved shoveling snow!!!!

Leaving California

We moved to Highlands Ranch, about 30 minutes south of Denver, 18 months ago.  This move opened up a new chapter for our family. When we lived in California, we had some great adventures.  Paul and I were born and raised in California, and we delighted in raising our kids there too.  We hiked in mountains of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada, swam and built sand castles at most of the beaches, visited the Sequoia and Redwoods, explored the gold rush country and experienced all of the theme parks several times. We miss all of those places, but mostly we miss our friends and family. On a trip back to visit, my sister, daughter and I went to one of my favorite beaches.  I stood in the waves and collected sand in a bottle.  Now when I am homesick, I can pull out my bottle of sand and sniff it.  I suppose if I hold a shell up to my ear, while I do that, I will be able to hear the waves too.  I have haven't tried that one yet. :)