The Colburn's

Montana's first Christmas

2012-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

What a great year... My mom was able to come down and spend the holidays with us and it was fantastic. This was Montana's first christmas and man was she spoiled (well so were we:)...more to come...

Thanksgiving in Georgia

2011-12-06T09:31:00.001-08:00

We spent thanksgiving this year in Georgia with Ken, Kit, Howard and Lou and Lou's family.... Oh so fun!
Atlantic Sand
The trees and alligators were amazing
Don't worry I would never feed my child to the gators
Nice Gator
Leaves!
Oh how we love her
the fam with trey serious face
Ken and Kit James
Just flippin around
When two people fell in love......
The boys

Ken being this gators meal

Grandma Presents

2011-12-06T09:23:00.001-08:00

So we love getting presents in the mail. Grandma sure does spoil us... Tana loved everything!

Montana Sleeping on the Job

2011-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

So every family has the picture of you when you fell asleep on the job, doing the one and only thing you have been good at sense birth, EATING!!!!!

So I thought I would share this photo of little miss Tana; whom her mom says "good luck with her she has been crazy all day and only had one nap; SUCKER!!" Slamming the door as she left for work.

I said, Tana and I will have a grand time... We did!! We spent time on the floor playing with toys, went out and fed the chickens, watching until all the feed was gone and Cheeks was done swishing her tail feathers around like a Peacock. Then we came in to eat some of moms homemade squash, carrots and apple puree. (As I like to call it babe food is so 6 months) After which I was going to make a great big glass of moms left and right! Upon turning around much to my surprise I found the sleeper, punched out, calling it quits, no desert for me Tana.

P.S. MOM I have such a great time with dad and we play so hard that I just fall asleep in the highchair after eating some of your great food.

Pumpkin Carving Time Halloween 2011

2011-10-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Crews alien pumpkin face... Miller and his football... the girls.. Gracies cute face.... family.. what more could you ask for!

Every year we have our pumpkin carving with the family. Last year we drew a fetus on our pumpkin and this year this is the beautiful gift we have.....

Friends and Family!

2011-10-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

We went to California October 1-4 and Toni and Fausto let us play with them and crash at their place! We loved seeing Tiger, Janene, Tassia, baby bump Kristi and Jeff! Tassia is so dang cute and I am glad that my lap was comfortable for her. It was so fun to see family and enjoy each other.
We also were so excited to see the Dinkles and spend some beach time together we miss them so much!

This is Tana's first time at the ocean, she liked it except when I wasn't looking and a wave splashed us.. Oops I can't believe Montana is 7 Months already!

Tana also experienced mardigraw beads for the first time! And she didn't have to do anything to get them!

Desert Botanical Garden

2011-10-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

We Surprised Trey and took a trip to the botanical gardens, it was a beautiful day!

Minnesota

2011-09-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

Montana and I went to Minnesota to visit the family Aug 9-16th. This was her first plane ride and I was definitely more nervous than she was. She did awesome. We were sad Trey couldn't go but we had a lot of fun just hanging out together and watching Tana. Literally that is what we did the whole week we were there. As you can tell from the pictures my mother kept feeding our child food. Ha! We stuck with the fruit and veggies even though she wanted to feed her licorice and ice cream, Bad grandma.
The cabin is always so much fun and this year I finally beat nana in Jin so I finally get bragging rights! We had beautiful weather and amazing sunsets at Sturgeon lake, and it was so fun to see the fam! Tana is 5 1/2 months old

Camping: Flagstaff

2011-08-08T06:25:00.001-07:00

This was Tana's first time camping overnight. We went to Flagstaff and camped with Brian and his kids (my cousin). It was super fun! Even though she screamed for an hour and didn't sleep it was amazing. We fished, had a good brew at Flagstaff Brewery, walked around downtown and had family time! It is so beautiful in Flagstaff and we were so fortunate to live up there for 2 years.

her pj's

Jeff playing with her

my naked baby

My boy and girl!

Now she sleeps.... when its morning time!

All Smiles and Amazement!

2011-08-03T20:58:00.001-07:00

"So listen up here's a story..."

"Daddy caught a fish for me, can I kiss it like my great pa would do before he and my mom would fillet them?" 8.29.11

"What! you mean I got ten more things to suck on..Amazing"

"So many diapers....I love my mom for cleaning my diapers, she doesn't even have to fold them, she can shove them into my drawers if she wants.:).." (That ones for you Trey)

"I am a flirt"8.3.11

This is why we do not have a TV, we just commentate for our child!

Tell Me 'bout the good old days

2011-08-03T20:51:00.001-07:00

She loves her brother

Enough Said

2011-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

She is so Stinkin cute!

7.23.11

family reunion fun

2011-07-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

We had a family reunion celebrating Ina and George being married for 60 years. It was such a special time to spend with family! We took professional pictures so I will post those soon but Tana did amazing. She was pretty worn out at the end of the day from playing in the pool and getting dunked underwater for her first time. She also had so much fun with Ethan and Ryann (especially when Ryann would take the binkie out of her mouth:)

Ryann

Ethan and Spur

"What do you do"

2011-07-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have a few thoughts that I wanted to write down and share. First off I wonder if it has always been this way or if it is just our generation.

Why is it that the first thing people ask to "get to know you" is "what do you do?" This usually correlates to what do you do in the workforce "I am a plumber etc". But why is this so, does it really define who you are? Have we really been trained to think that we need to accomplish something in the workforce. Is working 60 hour/week and making a lot of money really an accomplishment? The more I am a stay at home mom the more people ask me "what do you do?" as if I should put my daughter in daycare 60 hours a week to go and work and pay for daycare just to show the corporate world I accomplished something? Yeah its stupid. Work doesn't define me, so when my professor called regarding my 600 internship hours I need to finish in the fall she asked me what I want to do... this was my response; I see myself raising a healthy beautiful child to be successful in LIFE, to continue having a happy and healthy marriage so we can lead by example, continue my contribution to society, recycle, eat from the earth, be healthy (not "I go to the gym and lift weights healthy") but healthful living, be thankful and not take things/people for granted. If we don't take care of where we live we will not be able to have jobs, If we don't take care of our marriages then it is harder to teach our children what healthy companionship means, if we don't take care of our children they will not contribute to society or in the workforce, if we don't take care of eachother what is the point of being here? Everything has a cyclical affect and so often I need to be reminded of whats important in life, so if my "daily living" could count as my internship that would be awesome.

well lets just say my professor didn't go for that!

So, who are we? What are we doing here? What do we value? Does it show? I definitely need to check myself....

Our life

2011-07-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally are becoming "cityfied" don't tell Trey because he still doesn't want to believe it. But we bought a house! Trey is plugging along and enjoying work and I am in love with being a mom. Life could not be any better at this moment.

I love our new house!

Daddy cleaning the pool after that crazy nonsense above!

People, I am not messin around, I love this bouncer and yes I know I still cannot touch the ground!

Fathers Day!

2011-06-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

What an amazing fathers day! I told trey yesterday he should get a tattoo with his finger and Montana's finger wrapped around it, because yes ladies and gentleman that is the case. She is starting to be a daddy's girl. She is sixteen weeks today and she rode a horse for the first time and went down a zipline for the first time. What a fun day!

2011-06-20T14:32:00.001-07:00

Hands

2011-06-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Those hands have and will touch others lives and make the world a better place!

Our Family

2011-06-06T09:49:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday April 24,2011
Montana: 8 Weeks old

Saguaro Lake

2011-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

This was Tana's first experience at 9 Weeks old on the boat and in the water.

Rockin to sleep in the boat

He does have a bathing suit on!

Picnic at Freestone

2011-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

Trey got off work early so we had our first picnic at Freestone Park. I love these pictures because Montana has such an amazing dad!

Trey and I were talking about how many kids fall into freestone's lake and how many parents jump in after them in that disgusting water. Well not more than 2 minutes later a stroller fell into the lake, and yes there was a 4 month old strapped in, the mom jumps in to pull the upside down submerged stroller out and luckily Trey was there to help because she couldn't have done it alone. We can laugh now because everyone was ok but it was perfect timing. I had to pretend to take a picture of the lake so you could see them drying out their stuff.

My little Bumble Bee

2011-03-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

9 days old

My sister and I determined that I have a little bumble bee! Because we are using cloth diapers her booty looks rather large and she has a bumble bee body.

14 days old

You know you are a stay at home mom when you want to update your blog more than once a day..... Don't worry instead now i just add more pics
"yeah my Aunt came to see me from South Africa"

4 generations

in the hospital everyone had to gown and mask up thanks to Influenza B

Montana arrested at 18 days old!

2011-03-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is what came home with Trey last night because he has a Taser workshop to go to today and he needed a car, he just so happened to take a new police car:). It was quite funny because if any of you know our neighbors, you would know that they were freaking out! Hilarious....

Montana Louise Colburn

2011-03-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

MONTANA LOUISE COLBURN
2.26.11 at 5:50am
7LB9OZ
20 INCHES
So she is finally here, and things are going well. I was ten days late, and of course the last week of my pregnancy I get the flu, I find out later in the hospital I had Influenza B, yeah no fun, anyhow I went into chandler hospital the 25th to get the gels, was there ten hours and then went home with contractions every five minutes for the rest of the night. If the gels did not work I was to be induced Saturday morning. Well Friday at 11am I started stronger contractions about three minutes apart. I think this is due to my sister coming in from South Africa that day. I went to the hospital at 4pmish, and everything was going good, I was officially in labor! I loved the shower, I was actually in there between the monitoring times. But after the second shower Montana was flat lining so I had to stay on the monitor and had to receive an IV to get fluid in me. After the IV I was able to move around again, contractions were getting stronger and I started bleeding way to much so at 12:30am my midwife had to break my water because she was getting concerned about the blood, I was 6.5cm dilated then. This made everything challenging for me as the contractions were much more intense and back labor was not very easy to do laying down. At 1:30am I had to get an epidural because I could not relax enough during contractions and my fever from being sick was starting to rise. Three hours into the epidural I was fully dilated and I pushed for an 1 1/2 hours pulling Montana out at 5:50am. Trey did a great job encouraging me, he is a great coach. It was an incredible experience the only bummer was anytime a nurse or family member would come into my room they had to suit up in a gown and mask due to my sickness. Montana however was so perfect and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

1st bath

2 days old

Day home from hospital

Spur in his sisters bassinet

Proud Daddy!

My Life

2011-02-15T08:49:00.001-08:00

So in a week we will be a family of 4 (yes I am counting Spur) so I just had to take a moment and write about the last five years with just Trey and I. We were married November 4, 2005 and exactly a month after he was deployed on a mue for 8 months. During that time I lived with my sister in gilbert. When he returned we moved to San Clemente CA, on Base housing where we were fortunate to live right next to the amazing ocean. In California we surfed, bought a 1979 bright green Volkswagon bus, and soaked up the california sun. We were youth leaders for Living Hope church, I coached at San Clemente Gymnastics and Freshman cheer at San Clemente Highschool, got to go to Maui with SC high, was an Education Coordinator for the national education and sports trainers association. We moved 5 times in CA before moving back to Gilbert to live with my mom for a few months to help out.

Summmer 2008, We both got accepted into NAU so we rented an apt. in Flagstaff before our 5 week trip to Costa Rica with Jason and Tracy Dinkle. We hiked all over Costa Rica eating beans and rice everyday, surfing, and splitting time between the rainforest and beach. Dominical, Uvita, Panama, Osa peninsula.... Chiquita banana tour, horseback riding, waterfall swimming, boating, coffee and chocolate tours, hiking and more hiking.

August 2008-May 2009 Our first year at NAU and my first time seeing a true Fall, leaves gold in Lockett Meadow. Amazing hiking at 7000ft. Beauty just plain beauty. My first time also living in snow, amazing. Small town, heritage square, bluegrass festivals, concerts in the park, coaching cheer and gymnastics, Instructing Flagstaff adventure bootcamp. Trey leading backpacking trips for NAU and working at Peace Surplus.

Summer 2009: Petrified Forest National Monument, Trey accepts internship at the Pefo, we live in our 25ft travel trailer in the middle of nowhere, Trey is a Interpretive Park Ranger throughout the park educating tourists on how amazing this place really is. We road bike and run the park a lot. Many BBQ's and wine nights, killing red ant days, hiking and extracting dinosaur bones.

August 2009-May 2010: Back in Flagstaff to Finish school, living in our travel trailer at the KOA. Enjoying Flagstaff. February, Ragnar Relay, relay team run from Prescott to Mesa, 207 miles. May, Trey graduates, family comes up and we celebrate. We also celebrate by going to Oahu to see Jack Johnson in concert at the Kokua festival with Brinton and Charlotte, North shore, beach, giovannis shrimp, scenic drives etc.

June 2010: 4 week Road trip, Trey, Spur and I.... camping in random spots, Yellowstone, Glacier, Mount Rushmore, Minnesota: cabin and family and finding out our lives were about to be +1, Arkansas: family. Barfing begins on way home.

July: Move into a room in Flagstaff for Trey to finish his internship and for me to finish last semester of school.
Sept: Too sick, move to the valley and rent a room from dad, NAU online, playing with Trey. Sold the travel trailer, bought a fishing boat.

Sept-january 2011 Fun trips to the river, spending many days at the lake, baby shower, belly expansion
Feb: Move into a little house in Mesa, expecting arrival of Montana. Trey receives a full time job for the city of Gilbert.

Other Random Adventures: Nascar, California, Colorado, Utah with Justin, Mexico with family, Oregon, Washington, Rodeos, PBR, Polar Express, Vegas, Jet boats, etc.

Wow, what a five years, I can honestly say Trey and I have had so many adventures together. We have learned so much about the importance in life, and who we want to be and what kind of parents we want to be. I am so blessed with having a husband who treats me like a princess (yes a hard core princess). We have supported eachother, learned from eachother and spent time together playing before our little one arrives. We are excited to now see things through Montana's eyes.

Cheers to many more happy memories and adventures!

Happenings

2011-02-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

So we haven't posted in awhile but it has been far from boring. Trey and I moved into a cute little house in Mesa (pictures to come). Trey started a full time job today as the Gilbert Rangemaster. Had an ultrasound and Montana at 38 weeks was 6.5 pounds and perfectly healthy and active and was told by my midwife she can come out whenever. It was a fun ultrasound because my fabulous husband all of a sudden said oh no as he saw her face... I was like what the heck whats wrong? He said "she has your lip, you can see it" My lip meaning the top one flips up. Most of you have to see my kid pictures to get the full extent of my lip. But anyhow Montana has that characteristic of mommy!

39 weeks

This is the diaper bag that Trey and I and Grandpa George made. It was a long process but here it is, it is cowhide and tooled leather, because as you know I love cows, Montanas room is cowprint along with her car seat:) So this bag is perfect (Thanks to George)!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

The Colburn's and Gunnells unite to make one big family.

And one big goofy family!!!

Jenna had a baby christmas- she got a great little bracelet for Montana, a sling to carry Montana in, a book to read about secrets for moms, and best of all she got a nice new neckless.

Gmama and Nixin showing off there pretty flowers.

The creators of all the fun and happiness. Thanks guys it is always great.

What a great time!! All the family was able to get together and enjoy each others company and how fortunate are we as a family to be able to do so.

Bradley Class

2010-12-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Jenna and I have been going to Bradley Classes for the past 12 weeks and we have learned a lot. The class focuses on husband or partner coached birthing. Let me tell you what I am excited to coach Montana out and be there to support my wife. While at the class Jenna and I learned so much about everything from first stage labor, second stage labor, transition, and active labor as well as many other great tips. All the information has been great in helping Jenna and I build a plan for what our labor will be like (hopefully) and what to do if things do end up going wrong. I would recommend this class for anyone that is expecting for the first time as it really gets couples or parents thinking about the big step and how to minimize risk, limit drug use, and preventing interventions into modern birthing methods unless absolutely necessary.

Oh Belly!

2010-12-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! Hello belly!
So I am know 30 weeks, went to my midwife this week and everything is going fabulous. I need to take an hour out of my day to count fetal kicks, I need at least four within the hour, if not there is a problem. Well no need to worry this last week because within 30 minutes Montana kicks me about 45 times. By that time I stop counting. It feels like I am on a roller coaster, you know when you feel that drop in your stomach when you are about to drop down on the roller coaster, yup that's what it feels like.
The midwife says I will also be having a long baby! Thank you Trey....

27 Weeks

27 Weeks

27 Weeks

30 Weeks

Prego's

2010-11-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

So here are some more pictures....

20 weeks

24 weeks

24 weeks
Just had to show you how ridiculous my belly button is :)

Family halloween pumkin carving

2010-10-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Our Pumpkin

Brannon and Amandas on the left ours is on the right? Do you know what it is?

So every year we get together and we all carve pumpkins, it was a blast as usual. Rhonda made amazing chili and cornbread! Julie had beautiful 3.5 week old Gracie there and all the kiddos got to ride on the Pumpkin express aka golf cart and trailer. Can you tell what our pumpkin is?

Camping and skunked

2010-10-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

The skunks path

Eating cereal on a plate...
Oh yes yet again! We got skunked but I have to tell you the full story... We brought the boat and went camping at fools hollow lake in Showlow. First we decided to take the dually (F350) so we started driving down the road and i forgot something so Trey goes back, I get it and we are off again then we get 2 miles down the road and we decided not to go to flagstaff but to showlow, so we had to go back and switch vehicles because the tacoma has the tonto pass for fishing. We switch the stuff and the boat as quick as we can onto the tacoma and we are off for the third time, we pass over the first speed bump and trey sees the boat go really high and then we heard a crash, yup the boat came off the hitch because we were in a hurry and flattened the front tire. Well, we hook it up again and we are off, we stop to get gas I go into the store and buy ice and a drink, come out I put my wallet on the back of the truck and we were off. WE get to showlow, It was gorgeous but we wanted to camp in the middle of nowhere because you all know my husband, but instead we ended up at a habituated campsite. When we were waiting to pay for the camp sight I realized I didn't have my wallet so the next hour I was on the phone with wells fargo canceling my cards. Trey didn't want to sleep on the concrete tent pad provided, he wanted to sleep on the earth under the tree because the soil is much softer than concrete. So we go to bed, not putting the rain pad up so we could see the stars but during the night spur woke up and darted for the end of the tent, i scooped him out of the way cuz i just knew it was a skunk and yup you better believe it our whole tent got sprayed by the skunk.... it was just awesome especially with my super pregnant smells. So the rest of the night I am cuddled in fetal position covering spur so he doesn't see the many skunks that are passing out tent because little did we know we placed our tent right in the skunks path. So needless to say I did not sleep very well and all of our stuff reaked of skunk,..... So we get home and a police officer left his card on the door saying he retreived my wallet on the on ramp getting onto the freeway, crazy right! It is never a dull moment with us! and I love it skunked and all~

20 weeks

2010-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the fact that this is a horrible picture, just wanted to show you my pregger belly growth.

Its a girl

2010-09-17T12:42:00.001-07:00

Treys first comment: I now have to save more money and buy more guns!
She was moving around like crazy and the ultrasound tech says: dang did you eat a pound of sugar before you came? I swear I didn't I only had a few gummy bears!

Jimmy and Samus

2010-08-30T12:26:00.001-07:00

My brother got a kitty yesterday! She is so cute her name is Samus (ask him about the name). Spur wanted to play with her and maybe eat her. He was shaking so bad because he could get her.

16 weeeks

2010-08-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

So I am posting this picture because my sister is living in South Africa, and can't see me! Anyhow I am 16 weeks pregnant and starting to feel better...

Trey the Parasite and Me

2010-07-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

So since the only people who usually check this blog are family I had to update you on this past week. Well on July 5th I started to vomit until July 6th, the day I was supposed to start summer school. I barfed so much I had to go to the Dr. and I had to get a nausea shot in my butt. Anyhow July 19th I had my first ob appointment the days preceding only came with like 3 barfs a day but after my appointment the wrath of this parasite was shown! By the way the Dr. went good couldn't hear the Heart Beat yet but I go in this Thursday to hear it. And the funniest part about my appointment was my midwife was very Keen on making sure Trey got to see my cervix, oh yes you heard it the ducks were in and the mirror was out and my fancy man saw what he called "the donut". Anyhow proceeding the Dr. I did not leave my bed for 4 days, well except to go the bathroom. These were some thoughts as the days pasts...

1. I don't know whether I hum and moan when I am so nauseous to let trey know that this sucks or if it makes me feel better.
2. Do not drink orange juice if you have nothing else in your stomach
3. Do not just eat cheerios and graham crackers without water because it will come up like glue
4. Bananas are nice to throw up
5. laying in bed is hard work.... i was sore for days
6. Suppositories for nausea is no fun, trust me
7. If you are trying to fend off the smell of pork chops your husband is making go into the bathtub start the water and start pouring smell good bath soap all over you

Ok enough of me lets now turn to TREYS WORDS of ADVICE
1. DRINK WATER Jenna: Trey I can't I am throwing up as we speak Trey: WELL STOP THROWING UP!
2. YOU BETTER BE TAKING THOSE SUPPOSITORIES AND NOT JUST THE PILLS BECAUSE WE PAID FOR BOTH OF THEM
3. YOU ARE SO BORING
4. The day I start feeling ok...SO YOU HAVEN'T THROWN UP IN A LITTLE BIT DO YOU WANT TO GO FISHING jenna: umm its pouring rain out THAT'S OK YOU WON'T MELT Jenna: ok trey I will go
we get on the boat.... WILL YOU HAND ME THAT? jenna: I can't move(not a good idea to be on a swaying boat when you have been nauseous) FINE
5. YOU NEED TO DRINK 32OZ OF WATER WITHIN THE NEXT 20 MINUTES jenna: trey that is a lot in 20 minutes WATER SOLVES EVERYTHING
6. Trey asked me this everyday: SO HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? one! DO I NEED TO GET THE CAMARA FOR DOCUMENTATION?

4 Week Road Trip (lots of Rain)

2010-07-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

If you have not noticed throughout all of our blog pics our dog has to be in every one. So Spur is now doing self portraits and if you would like to buy them they are only $100 and all the funds go to aiding dog neutering.

Our first stop on this road trip was a very beautiful spot out side of Provo Ut. This area is known as the Wasatch Range and has some amazing topography. Ok I lied this was not our first stop we did go to Justin's house in Cedar City where he escorted us to Cal Ranch (one of my favorite stores) and proceeded to buy half of our new Loge Tech Skillet/Pan (we love it) Then we went back to his house; if you did not know about the Wimsatt's natural cooking talents let me tell you Justin marinated some pork chops for us to take and they where some of the best pork chops ever. He also gave us two Trout which where great as well.

After our wonderful time in Utah we decided to go on to Grand Teton National Monument. This is where we found the rain storm that followed us the entire length out our 4 days out to Minnesota. But it was still a beautiful place and we loved reading about the Elk refuge which is where all of these antlers came from. We stayed the night in the Grand Tetons and I fell in love with the place. Jenna was cold and grumpy but managed to find a laugh when I was trying to cook those great pork chops in the rain and then I spilt all of my broccoli soup. Jenna was also worried about bears and I assured her that with me and my "attention to detail" (or as Jenna calls it anal tendencies) we were better off then most of the campers.

On to Yellowstone and this was one of our first sites, I forgot what the name of this fall is but lets just call it pretty!!!

Then there is the infamous Old Faithful where we met up with one of my old supervisors form the Petrified Forest Rita. She is a awesome lady and has great knowledge about the wildlife and flora in the Yellowstone area.

Jenna found these Tatanka and we sat there for a hour or so watching them graze and it made us hungry so we had a little lunch with the Tatanka (fortunately for the Tatanka they are protected so I could not eat them)

This is the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River and it is a amazing sight to see.

Our first and only Grizzle Bear sighting in the park unfortunately he was very far so we could not get a great shot of him. I say him because there were no cubs around and being so close to spring I figured she would have cubs around.

These two photos are of one of my favorite attractions in Yellowstone it is called the "Dragons Cave" because as the water boils in this thermal pool it hits the roof of the cave and makes a growling sound really cool.

Mount Rushmore here we come!!

For great faces of the past. I really did think that this was a cool place but I was a little disappointed with the carving of the rocks I understand what the purpose of it was but to deface a mountain so that we can remember the impact these people made seems silly because we can see their impact's every day. (that is the environmentalist in me I guest)

Jenna really likes the Tatanka and this one was right next to us in Custer State Park out side of Mount Rushmore.

So finally after 4 days of rain and waiting in Shakopee MN. for three days we made it to the cabin on Sturgeon Lake where we awoke to this beautiful sun rise over the lake.

The fishing at this lake was great we caught a lot of fish but we had to take at least a taste of these two (Jenna stole mine I swear)

After much build up from Jenna we got the fish cleaned and they were a tasty treat!!!

Jeannette, Janine, and Jenna or as I called them the "terrible J's" standing on the new bank and steps that we all helped complete in our two weeks spent at the cabin.

The whole gang, I know it was rough being the only man around. (don't those steps look good)

One to the home of Wall Mart and Craig Wimsatt where we had a great time seeing Miranda, Hannah, and Josh. We arrived around 6 pm so we cooked up some chicken, stake, yams, and potatoes another great Wimsatt meal. The next day we went to see the first store that Mr. Walton opened himself and then all I mean all the buildings that Wall Mart has in Bentonville Arkansas. The whole town is Wall Mart warehouses or suppliers offices it was really cool to see one of the largest companies in the world's headqurters even if I don't agree with all of there tactics.

Our upcoming Adventures

2010-06-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

So I had to add all of these posts because I forget the password and when I remember it I have to catch up (yes I know the smart thing to do would be to write it down, but that would be way to easy). We enjoyed a weekend in Rocky point this weekend with the Gunnell and Colburn families and wow was it awesome. Those pictures will be up soon.
Then tomorrow we are doing a month long road trip consisting of Yellowstone, The Badlands, Mt Rushmore, Hot springs, the cabin in Minnesota for 2 weeks to see my mom and nana and then KY and (well we are winging it from there). We will post our adventures in a month.. Take care and know that I posted more than one post.

Plus we wanted to fill you in on our plans. We are headed back up to Flagstaff for one more semester so I (Jenna) can finish my last semester. The Airforce called Trey a week ago and informed him that all the spots for S.E.R.E are closed and that he will have to wait until the next fiscal year before anymore open. So, it worked out perfect as I will get to finish school (By the way I am on the Deans List, just had to brag a little).and Trey will finish his internship...

Our New Boat Adventures

2010-06-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

So if you know Trey and I you know we are spur of the moment people sooooo, we bought a fabulous boat! Here are some adventures with water.
Memorial Weekend we also had a fabulous time hanging out at the river with the Wimsatt and Monreal family!
....
Paul and Trey with a mad game of horseshoes

The girls, Jeni, Miranda and me just relaxin

Trey and I (just ignore the hand..afterall you know Trey)

Our fabulous friends Taylor and his new Fiance!

The man and his boat

PBR and the Payson Rodeo

2010-06-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is a Yucca plant getting ready to bloom, I love these things they are so beautiful and remind me of asparagus

These are what the cowboys had to tie and tackle to the ground and I was proud to say a lot of these little guys were too fast for the cowboys.

In the last few months Trey and I have had the chance to go to PBR in PHX and the Payson Rodeo. They both were amazing but I do have to say I would love to be the sports medicine guys for PBR as they probably deal with some gnarly stuff!

Treys Graduation

2010-06-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

So my handsome man graduated from NAU with a Bachelor of Science in Parks and Recreation Management with emphasis in Outdoor Leadership! So so proud!For Treys spur of the moment graduation present we went to Hawaii to see Jack Johnson in concert!

2010-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Trey is Graduating

If you want to see more of this make sure you attend Trey’s graduation!

Where: NAU Sky Dome
When: 8th May 2010
@ 2PM
Section to sit in for best view of Trey: P-W

He is in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Parks and Recreation Management Program

*We will be having a BBQ in Phx on May 9th at 4pm for those not attending the ceremony.

Email for Directions

*RSVP if you can attend the BBQ by responding to this email or calling Jenna: 760.696.5424

Ragnar Relay Prescott to Tempe "204 miles"

2010-02-28T15:47:00.000-08:00

trey speaking: So the Ragnar Relay is a race from Prescott AZ. to Tempe AZ. consisting of 204 miles of 24 hour racing. It is a very physical and mental race comprised of 204 miles split between 12 members of a team who are split up into two vans of 6. Our team was named "The Runs" and was sponsored by Peace Surplus (kind of). The race for "The Runs" started the moment we left Flagstaff with a rush to get Trey to a internet sight where he could take a Philosophy test (thanks Starbucks) at 11:15. Once that was over we then raced to the start line in Prescott for check in only to wait for 3 hours. All our team members finished the race and did very well pacing a good majority of the 351 teams and ending in the top of the field (We don't know the actual finish time yet).
Jenna Speaking: It was fun and we are not super sore. Thanks to the parents at the gym i coach at I received a free one hour massage, so trey and I went sunday night. Awesome!

2010-01-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

These are some beautiful pictures of the storm we had this past weekend. It was beautiful out. There is at least 4.5 feet of snow out and tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day so Trey spur and I will be snow shoeing.....

Christmas

2009-12-30T10:25:00.001-08:00

The Family

Family Fun in Show Low

2009-12-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

So Jenna has been doing a great job at keeping everyone informed but I am out of school right now and have nothing better to do, so here it goes. We are very lucky and grateful to have such good brothers in our family. Ryan thanks for letting us use the cabin in Torreon to share such a special family time. This weekend Jenna's mom, bother Jimmy, Sister Missy and husband Derek where all able to meet up in Torreon out side of Show Low at Ryan's cabin for a Christmas weekend. This is the last time we will all be able to get together due to the fact that Derek and Missy are going to South Africa to serve a tour in the Peace Corps for two years.(Did you know that the Peace Corps budget is as much as the Military's Coffee budget is that sad or what) Anyhow we had a great time with each other playing games like Cranium Hoopla (I think that was it) and eating a turkey dinner. We also enjoyed some football and we where also able to go to the Petrified Forest where I gave a privet tour. Anyhow it was a great weekend and thanks to everyone that helped make it a great one!!!

Flagstaffs Blizzard Conditions

2009-12-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

So Flagstaff is calling today "blizzard Conditions" they have not declared blizzard conditions since the 60's or so Trey says! It has not stopped dumping since we woke up and we are supposed to get another 7-11 inches tomorrow. It is gorgeous out though. I don't have work tonight cuz of the weather and Treys final may be delayed. This calls for a cup of hot chocolate a blanket and movies!!!

Spur is loving it though! He sure looked clean before the snow came but when he is next to the white snow he looks so dirty.:)

Turkey Day!

2009-11-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

Trey and I had a fabulous thanksgiving time..... We went horseback riding, killed our own turkey, spent time with the fam eating a lot! The pictures are out of order but I am sure you will be able to tell the oder:)

This chick just hatched out of the shell.. So cute

Canyoneering

2009-10-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday trey led a trip in canyoneering (repelling) in slot canyons and I had the opportunity to go. The canyon was close to page and it was awesome we repelled down 4x. Sorry no pictures. On the way home a cop driving next to us fell asleep and ran into us. Luckily nobody was hurt but we should have asked for his license and registration:)

Fall in Flagstaff

2009-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

We went up to Lockett Meadow a little late this year, so the leaves have started falling. But here is gorgeous flag!!

Home

2009-09-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home in the Pines

This is what Spur thinks about some of the trailers here. If you are going to buy a 40ft trailer that has 2 flat screen tv's inside and one flat screen hooked to the outside then you should just not be camping. There should be a book that explains the definition of camping because that is not it!

My handsome boys

It has been beautiful up here the past week, we are so fortunate to live here! Trey is leading a backpacking trip in the Centennial Forest this weekend for a freshman class.
Last weekend we went to Jerome for this VW festival. It was awesome if you like camping in an old mine with 500 VW and a whole bunch of hippies. It was an experience:)

Oregon and Washington

2009-09-10T06:49:00.001-07:00

We went to Oregon labor day weekend for Braunsteins wedding. We left thursday and got the chance to drive to Seaside Oregon on the coast and then up to washington (olympia, tacoma, seattle) thanks to the help of Brinton telling us where to go! After the wedding we went to the Gorge along the Columbia river with my friend Dani and Andy. It was also fun to hang out with Strider and Jana for a bit too! We picked peaches, saw the first ever starbucks in seattle, it was fun!

Stories

2009-08-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Goodbye PeFO

Hello all! So We left the Petrified Forest and we are now living at the KOA Campground in Flagstaff. We are finishing school which by the way is extremely hard this semester. The week before school started Trey and his friend Nick went to Mammoth Lakes in CA for vacation.

Treys classes consist of Program Planning, Experiential Learning, Statistics and Community and Commercial recreation. Jenna has Anatomy physiology I and II, Principles of Epidemiology and Health Promotion grant writing.

We will have pictures of our new home and some more adventures soon.
Things to look forward to
1. Braunsteins wedding in Portland Oregon
2. VW weekend fest in Jerome AZ
3. Picking in the Pines Blue Grass Festival
4. Kristi's wedding in CA
5. Having our pipes in the trailer freeze soon
6. Driving to Louisiana to go hunting
7. Then canoeing the Everglades in Florida

My Handsome Rangers

2009-08-09T15:26:00.000-07:00

Well we are getting into our final Week at the Petrified Forest, so I decided to take a picture of my handsome man and our child spur...

The Horses at the Pefo

2009-08-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

These are the horses Trey and I have been working with. (Trey really, I just think I do a lot but someone has to clean the poop and brush them and talk to them :) Trooper is the Quarter Horse and Pintado is the Quarter/Apaloosa

Canyon De Chelly and Hubbell Trading Post

2009-08-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

The weekend of Treys Birthday, we did a day trip to the Hubbell trading post and Canyon De Chelly and Window Rock. Then we went through Gallup NM and back to the Pefo.

More Petrified Forest Stuff!

2009-07-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

Here is some views of the Petrified Forest during Trey's Program.

The Rock with all of the Petroglyphs is called thumb rock, the glass pictures is the ceiling at the Painted Desert Inn. The Youth Conservation Core came in and painted those when they restored the Inn.

Petroglyph Program by Trey

2009-07-23T14:42:00.000-07:00

Trey had a special program this morning. He took a group out to look at petroglyphs it was fun, the video is of my handsome man giving his presentation.

You know you live in a trailer park when..........

2009-07-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Trey's friend Nick came over (awhile ago) and we got moved to another site that had millions of ants, so we (nick and I while trey was working) amused ourselves for hours with these stupid ants.

Big Lake Weekend

2009-07-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Trey and I and Some people from the PeFO went camping at Big Lake (original name right?). It was so fun and so gorgeous!

4th of July Fam Reunion in Ut & Nv

2009-07-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

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Trey's Surprise for me

2009-07-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

So I was away from Trey for about 3 weeks in Minnesota and Gilbert and he came to pick me up in Gilbert saying he had a surprise for me for the weekend, I was expecting to go camping but he took me to the J.W. Marriot in Scottsdale. Well Folks it was fantastic, we started out at the pool, then got a couples massage (Trey fell asleep during the massage and was snoring :) then we got ready for dinner at this really nice Italian Rest. Then we went back to the room and to my surprise there was rose pedals on the bed, champagne and chocolate covered strawberry's. The next morning we went to an awesome breakfast buffet and anyone who eats at a breakfast buffet knows to eat as much as you can so that is what we did. My man definitely scored brownie points on that one!!!! This is him looking like such a professional at the resort

Summer Solstice

2009-06-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello I am going to create a post because while Jenna is away I have to do things on my own. It has been hard but we only have a week left. Anyhow I have been working at the Petrified Forest and the other day I was able to do something really cool. I did a program for about 30 people on the Summer Solstice marker here at Peuerco Pueblo. Peuerco is a Indian ruin that is here at the park and was believed to be inhabited around 1250 AD to 1400 AD. The marker can mean a lot of different things and the amazing part about that is that we will never know for sure. Some of the things that they think it could mean is marking some sort of a planting calender (I don't think so because they were planting all year round.) There is also thought that it could be marking a ceremonial calender, due to the fact that the Hope and Zuni tribes that are in this area have a very busy ceremonial schedule and there is evidence of these ancient puebloens to be very social. (I think that this one is most believable.) There is also a thought that it could be marking the beginning of the monsoon season which it actually does do.

So that is what I am doing while Jenna is gone just trying to survive.

Not for the weak!

2009-06-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

Why Hello all! I am in Minnesota and I had to share with you my first fish cleaning experience, Nana and I went fishing and we caught three Northerns to keep (oh and it was my first time driving a boat, my grandma was a little scared :) So with my grandpa looking over us my grandma and I did it even though it took about an hour for only three fish. The fish were a little boney when we ate them for dinner but what can you do. I also want to add that it is quite creepy when you find joy in looking at all of the anatomy in the fish, I cut up the stomach and found fish tails not digested yet, I cut the Lg. Intestine to find parasites it was pretty cool although my brother and mom thought otherwise. Here are the pictures......

Sturgeon Lake

Lake Superior in Duluth

Fossil Extravaganza

2009-06-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Why Hello! I have an exciting story that I do not have pics for, so sorry.

SO Trey and I went to a BBQ at the Archeologists house and we met some Paleontologists (bone poeple), They were really important people like from yale or something, anyhow they found a fossil of an Aetosaurus and they were in the process of carrying it out, they put a jacket on it (plaster to keep it safe) and it was about 300 pounds, so they had spent the last 3 days carring it and had 1.5 miles to go so yesterday I went to help. With about a mile hike into the forest we found the fossil and began doing little carries, between the carry time they showed me how to find fossils within the hillside, that if we saw a fossil on the ground by a hill then to work your way up the hill as erosion made the fossils slide. Anyhow, guess what I found....... I found part of a jaw, part of a femur, part of a pelvic girdle, part of a skull,a tooth and a few more random pieces all in all it was Awesome! So for someone who didn't really believe in dinosaurs I definitely do now. I mean the people I was with have found T Rex! Well the fossil we carried out will take about 2 years to clean up and then it will be put into a museum.

Petrified Forest

2009-06-06T08:47:00.001-07:00

So here is an update on the Petrified Forest so far....sorry no pics yet...

Trey started work Tuesday, he likes his training so far. The supervisors already want to hire him! He is a good suck up J/K he works his butt off and talks to everyone. Anyhow Thursday I got the chance to go to training with Trey, we were with the Archeologist all day. When I first got here I wasn't to impressed with the park, I mean really it is just a desert, but after going with the Arch guy you truly understand and appreciate the park. So First we walked along old route 66, We found so much stuff that people threw out off there cars forever ago. We found, pottery, dishes, beer bottles, parts of cars etc. Trey found the only bowwen(sp) arrow and he found a pipe from the 1800s, it was super cool.Did you know they use a rodents penis to smoke the tabacco out of the pipe, it is becasue in some rodents there is a curve to the penis, so that curve hooks into the rock where the tobacco is. Interesting huh? well Kinda gross but cool. We then went to another arch site where the archeologist taught us about rocks, he explained if the rock was used for tools, or if an arrow was being made etc. We found places that people lived in from the early AD era. We then went and saw petroglyphs, I learned that if there was a petroglyph that had big hands or feet on it it was a sign of famine, which could mean that is why they left the area.We saw an 1800's horseshoe and breast plate, the arch guy showed us exactly how it came off the horse and how the shoer guy messed up on the last nail ( i know crazy right).
Umm I am rambling and don't know how to spell this stuff but it is pretty cool,you should all come out here as Trey can explain it way better. I will have pictures later cuz it is soooo windy here it is out of control:)

I remembered the password!

2009-06-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Why Hello! Yes I remembered the password to get into our blog so now I can update you all on our exciting lives.

Well as most of you know we are living in the Petrified Forest, Trey got an Internship here. We moved out of our apartment in Flagstaff and now have a 25ft travel trailer. Yes it is rather exciting. But before I explain everything about it we have done a few things since then.
1. We rented a tin boat and went fishing in flagstaff (pic below)
2. Trey went on a backbacking trip for 17 days in the Gila (NM) which he lost all of his pics (i know i didn't get to see them either)
3. Moved out
4. Ken and Jenn and the kiddos came to see us
5. We parked the trailer at the PF

Multi-tasking : Fishing and reading

Poor spur had to pee so bad!

SNOW DAY!

2009-02-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

NAU is closed! It is officially a snow day! Yeah

Mogollon Rim

2009-02-10T07:28:00.000-08:00

UTAH

2009-02-10T07:15:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend we went to Cedar City Utah to see the family. Saturday we went snowboarding at Brianhead which was sooo fun. Then on Sunday we explored San Hollow Rec area and St. George.Ethan was so cute in San Hollow he wanted to eat sandstone but Chris wouldn't let him. We went and saw Paul and Joanne's land in St. George and it is AWESOME, I was actually quite jealous of it :). We then went and saw Darwin Steves dad and let me just say I wanted to take him home with me, I would be satisfied my whole life with stories from him he is 93 years old and so cute. We then started the trek home and we drove through Zion National park which was gorgeous. Oh yeah and Spur wanted to say he had fun with Oney, the two of them sure made a mess in Justins house though.

In loving memory of Jack

2009-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Today was a horrible day! We had to put down jack for multiple reasons. He was such a good dog besides the peeing, trying to kill cats and biting bailey. He started out no personality, he was a grumpy old man. But eventually he needed to be cuddled, he slept by us every night. He started out being so far behind Spur when it came to catching the tennis ball but he now has beat spur to the tennis ball a few times. He wanted attention and if he didnt get it he would cry and grunt, even if it was 3 am. He loved his doggie bed and loved going on walks, anytime I pulled out the leash he would jump as high as my belly button. He hated cars! Loved water and wasn't sure of the snow! I had to post something about him because eventhough it was for the best it was soooo hard, So this post is for Jack may he have fun in doggie heaven and know he will be thought of often. We love you Jack!

Grand Canyon

2009-01-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

Jenna talked me into going to the grand canyon the other week. It was fun but we could not hike down because we had the dogs with us.

Snowshoeing!!!!!

2008-12-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Our first snowshoe experience!

Santa!

2008-12-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

Who is this handsome man dressed up as Santa! None other than Trey.... He was santa at a christmas party for one of our bootcampers! He had like 40 kiddos sit on his lap and it was soooo precious. Here's my man

update: We have 2 inches of snow on the ground and it is supposed to snow for the next 10 days! Come and Visit!

love you all

Polar Express

2008-11-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

So Ken Jen Bailee John and Kit came up here and we went to the polar express. It was SO much fun, Trey and I felt like kids as we wore onesies on teh Trey. You should have seen everyone's reaction to trey, let's just say all the kids got a bell and Santa gave Trey one too! Trey and I sang Christmas songs ridiculously loud and it was awesome to see the kids reaction to the whole polar express experience.....

The RIver

2008-11-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Driving home from the river(we were in our bathing suits on the boat at the river and this is what we come home to. Our first snow... The only one so far, our back porch.

Seriously how cute is that!

Spur kisses Ethan

Yeah he is cute

So we went to the river last 2 weekends ago and it was a blast!!!!! Here are the pictures.

Halloween

2008-11-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

It was so fun to see you all for Halloween! Here are some Fabulous Pictures

Trey's School Hike

2008-11-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Tree

Tree (if you couldn't tell)

Sun Rise Sunday Morning

Sun Rise Sunday Morning

Backcountry Baking class we made some good calzones

Humpherys peak in the distance

The best thing about the Degree that I am taking (Trey) is that I get to go on hikes and camping trips throughout the semester. ya I know it is rough these are my labs that I have to do the best thing about it is I am getting a Bachelor in Science ha to all you that are taking Bio suckers. Any how we had a camp out and we went to the Centennial Forest area and the hiked from West Fork Canyon to Oak Creek it was a great hike.

The Move Down Stairs

2008-11-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

So I know we are late on this but better late then never right. We finally moved in downstairs and it is nice except for the fact that now we have no hot water and Jenna and I have not showered in at least 3 days but Jenna still loves me. The move went smooth and it worked out great because our new neighbor Ken who moved upstairs the same time we moved out gave us his box spring so he didn't have to cut his in-half. so the pictures are of the dogs that got confused because we had a blanket laying on the coffee table and they thought that it was there personal recliner. Spur hates the down stairs because it is all wood floors and he can not stop shaking due to the coldness of the ground. (Just wait till it is winter Spur)

Cousins in town

2008-10-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

So Stephanie, Skyler, Phillip and Summer came to visit us. Brent was lame because he had to do this thing called WORK! Well they are my fabulous cousins and they came hiking with us because the kiddos are on fall break.Thanks for the visit:) I thought Aunt Inny would enjoy these pictures.

Congragulation's to Anthony and Jessica Juliano

2008-10-13T19:04:00.000-07:00

So the day started out with a nice walk with the dog down to the beach and Jenna and Mya got some exercise.

Then the LIMO picked up the wedding party at the hotel and drove us to different spots to take pictures. This was really good for me because now I don't have to take Jenna in a Limo apparently it was her first time.

We were all trying to take pictures and all Anthony and Jessica wanted to do was make out!!

The Girls all looked beautiful sitting on the beach!!

This is my favorite picture with two of the more beautiful women in my life.

I was trying to get Jenna to stand up but she insisted on sitting down. I don't know what her problem is.

This is a sequel to a picture that was taken while we where in Guam training.

This was a first I think at least for that Cold Stone we all decided to get some Ice Cream before heading back for the reception.

Just to let you know that is Jenna's Ice Cream because Anthony ate his to fast for the picture.

But all else aside it was a beautiful wedding and a lot of fun. The dance floor was hopping all night and the food was great. Thanks to both family's for putting on a great night and to Anthony and Jess for letting us be a part of it as well as there lives

More Inner Basin

2008-10-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

So this is more of the Inner Basin in Flagstaff. Miranda and her friend Christina came up last weekend and they where a blast. Jenna and the girls went shopping and found the bead store. So we were beading all night and they made some awesome things. Then somehow I woke them up to go to the Inner Basin on Sunday around 7:00AM ya I know early for them but they did great. We got to the Inner Basin and I met up with a professional photographer who has done shots for National Geographic, and Arizona highways so he was giving me some pointers. Although we mainly talked about solving all the worlds problems but it was fun and peaceful to sit up on a mountain with no one to distract you. I love the outdoors. So in result of that these are the pics. Hope you all enjoy them.

Live like there's no tomorrow, because there might not be!!

Beautiful Inner Basin Hike

2008-10-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Friday Trey Me Spur and Jack went on a beautiful hike through the Aspen trees where the leaves are changing colors. It was amazing to see the beauty of it all. Take a look at some pics, sorry there are a lot I couldn't decide on which ones to post:)

We got Skunked!

2008-09-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is what our cute and innocent dog used to look like!!!!!!!!
So we had to tell you all our funny story that happened this morning. It started at 4:30 am when I (Jenna) took the dogs outside to pee. Well our fabulous dogs decide to run across the street into this concrete box/wall thing and I thought they were running after a cat but then i see them cornering this black and white object so as I am in the middle of the street in my PJ's and I smell this funny smell and see this puffy looking thing. Oh yes you better believe it was a skunk, spur starts running for me and the skunk begins to chase us so Spur and I ran into the house and Jack was left to fend for himself. Spur runs inside and jumps on the bed and what do we smell and see.... A huge yellow streak of skunk spray going from his eye to his tail. Trey and i wanted to barf it smelt that bad! Then Jack comes running upstairs and within seconds our whole house smells so bad we can't handle it. So Trey stayed home this morning while i taught the bootcamp cleaning up after our dogs.Well if you don't know a skunk resonates on you and anything it is around, even my bootcampers could smell me this morning and the best of it we had to go to school and yup we smelt like skunk. I know you all are laughing but it was a horrible ordeal, one that i do not wish happens again. Good thing we are moving down stairs in a week and we can get out of the smell and this time our dogs will have a yard so they will not be running all over the neighborhood!

Watch this video on Obesity

2008-09-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

So because we are so boring we are posting some interesting facts!

Killeratlarge.com

1. 46% of USDA approved "fruits and vegetables" kids eat these days are ketchup and French fries.
2. 71% of our American veterans are overweight and most of the amputations that veterans suffer are not war related but are obesity and diabetes related.

3. The leading cause of obesity is a confluence of factors.

* No Child Left Behind legislation leaving physical education and nutrition classes by the wayside.
* The USDA feeds kids the most unhealthy, greasy food imaginable
* The ubiquity of junk food advertising
* Vending machines in schools
* Soda pop
* The internet
* The societal acceptance of things like Taco Bell's "fourth meal."
4. In regards to global warming
If every American lost one pound this year, we'd use 39 million gallons less than last year. And the food and agricultural system in the United States uses as much as 20% of our nations fossil fuel supply. It's because our food travels so far to get processed and then it travels even further to get to us when we should be buying as much food locally as possible.

Very compelling and very true!!!

2008-09-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

A Columbine student wrote this;

"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses, but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We have higher incomes. But lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men and short character; steep profits and shallow relationships.

These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference or just hit delete."

NOT MUCH HERE

2008-09-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

So not much has been happening with us. We just started our boot camp on Monday and that is going good, we submitted a request for use of the NAU dome which will be a big step for us in advertisement and what not we are really excited. School is going good for the both of us a lot of test this week and next. Other than that the weather is beautiful and I have been going out on nature walks daily now that the dogs feet are all better we went through some ruff paw issues for awhile. Well it is time for me to do home work but if you get the chance to look at this web address it is really a good read for the family. as well as you friends love you all remember that Money can not by happiness it is only achieved by our mind and how we look at all of our day to day activities but money can buy love ha talk to you all later

http://pixiesplace.com/trainride/

This Week

2008-08-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Let us not forget we are free and we can make a difference in this world!

Well hello all, we started school this week and it went really well. Trey is taking math for the underprivileged (i had to take that class too it is the one that doesnt count for credit), environmental law, recreation leadership and supervision, introduction to parks and rec management and outdoor leadership. I am taking Human Disease, developmental psychology, anatomy and physiology, drugs and society and foundations of community health. We are getting really good workouts because we ride our bikes everywhere, we go swimming at the aquaplex during our lunch break which is fun too.
So Wednesday i got my stitches out and my arm looks like Frankenstein but wait it is treys turn. On Thursday we were riding our bikes to school and coming down a hill when an escalade(sp?) decides to put on the blinker at the last second not giving trey enough time to stop and of course she didn't see us, so there goes Trey locking the breaks up on his bike flipping over the handle bar and slides into the car, all you heard was a big bang, he hit it pretty hard but thankfully with his head being under the tire the woman driving didn't move. I just stood there in shock and i do recall me yelling "oh my gosh!" like a valley girl or something. Trey got up and besides the blood gushing from his legs, fingers, and arm he was ok! No broken bones, Thank you God :) no seriously thank God. So we got him cleaned up and this is what he told me right after. "Wow I am glad my sunglasses were ok that is why i didn't hurt my head at all because i was trying so hard to save them" isn't that encouraging :). Anyhow everything is good.

We will be posting pictures tomorrow because we are going sport rock climbing. Oh and just wanted to let all you know i made some delicious home made lasagna tonight (homemade noodles too) and it actually turned out delicious!

Smart Jenna

2008-08-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

So last night i was really smart and i went to go feed the dogs, i was trying to be nice and give them wet food to go into their bowls so i go and peel off the metal dog food can and it wouldn't budge so i pull a little harder and well lets just say i got the lid off but i also sliced my forearm really deep (like to the muscle) and i had to go get stitches lame huh! So at the urgent care the doctor showed me my layers of skin and fat deposits and you know all the fun stuff. It was cool (the bill wasn't though:)So i came home with 3 stitches underneath my first layer of skin and 8 on the top of my skin.I wish i would have taken a picture of the cut but i didn't. So today i am heading to NAU's health center to go get a tetanus shot.Good job Jenna! Trey is so proud of his wife!

Lake Mary Flagstaff

2008-08-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Trey putting Spur in the water (Spur does not like H2O)

Jack our newest addition loves water. This is him in and out of the water

The boys on the couch being lazy... I got booted of my own couch!

Spur obsessed with cats, this is Jens and Baileys cute little kitty

So Trey and I went with our dogs to Upper Lake Mary, it is about 10 miles from where we live and i keep forgetting how beautiful flagstaff is!We both found jobs which we are so thankful for. I am coaching at a gymnastics gym, and am starting a cheer program there. Trey works at a store called peace surplus, it as an awesome local outdoor store. We both are also Instructing an Adventure Boot camp for Women at 5:30 am. Trey is getting all the certs he needs and i am shadowing/helping for another week before we take over.

Adios Costa Rica

2008-08-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

So we had an amazing time in Costa Rica, one that i will never forget. It was so wonderful spending so much time with my fabulous husband. The crazy part is we never got sick of eachother! Seriously:) Well after Treys birthday we went to a town called Santa Maria De Dota, this town was beautiful. All mountain scenery and everyone who worked there worked in the coffee farms. We spent one day reading and watching boys play soccer which was awesome. The following morning (monday) we woke up early to make our way to the coopedota coffee tour, we had no information about this place and suprisingly the town didnt know to much about it either so we waited for it to open and we were so excited, they opened the door and we asked when the tours were. They said that no tours were going on today, we were bummed but we still drank some amazing coffee at the cafe, then a man walked in speaking a little english said he would take us on a tour, so we did get a partial tour after all.Some facts i learned.
The quality of the coffee is based upon the weight of the beans, the heavier the bean the more expensive it is.
Local farmers bring there own coffee to the coopedota plant.
They are very organic using there own fertilizer (the bean shells and something else)
The coffee bean grows for 3 months before it is picked.
Anyhow it was awesome and we bought a lot of coffee to take home with us, how could we not i mean we start school in a few weeks and i have to actually study! After the tour we caught the bus to san jose and then allejuela where we stayed for 2 nights. We didnt really do much there but meet back up with Jason and Tracy and exchange stories and pictures. Then we were on our way home 2 1/2 hours to florida, 3 hour layover and the like 5 hours to LA. We arrived to Jason and Tracys house at 1am. that day we went to Paula and Joannes house and played with baby Ethan who by the way is super cute and Trey made him laugh so hard (he is practicing his daddy skills, don't worry though no babies for awhile) we then went to Chris and Jeni's to eat a delicious dinner that Chris made (he even had my favorite tortillas, the ones that you have to cook, thanks Chris). By 9:30pm we were off in the bus headed to go see our baby Spur. We Will update you on all of those pictures in the next day.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who followed up with us, we have such a wonderful family and we are so blessed to have each of you in our lives. Trey's family I am so grateful that i married such an awesome man with such a great and supportive family. Thank you for letting me be a part of that.

Just a warning that our blog will not be as fun because we are starting school in a few weeks and well as you know school is not that fun!

Happy Birthday to Trey

2008-07-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you all know it was in fact my Birthday on the 25th thanks to all of you that wished me a happy birthday. As for us we had a interesting day and would love to share it with you all. So we awoke at 4:40am to go and climb the highest mountain in Cost Rica. With a harty breakfast of peanut butter and honey sandwhiches we where off climbing at 5:20am. we made it to about 8000ft in about 2 hours and I could tell Jenna was not feeling good. As many of you know Jenna is known to get altatude sickness no fun. But she was not leting me know and was trying so hard to not let it affect her because she knew that this was one thing that I really wanted to do so sweet I love her don´t you. So at that point she was walking all over the trail and almost falling so I said "babe you ok" ya I am fine she says well that is not a usual answer from Jenna so I said to her "lets go back down and hang out in the hot springs and what not" and she says no no but I insisted. So we start our way down and she tells me that she was not feeling good the whole time and I knew it is that not amazing. It is like that movie What Woman Want. So we get to the bottom and can not get a refund on the 54 dollars we just spent on the park permets and a stay at the top of the mountain. So we look in the money bag and figure that with a stay at the hotel that we stayed at the night before and the bus ride back to San Isidro we had 1500 colones left (3 dollars U.S.). Humm we said what should we do the hot springs was 3 dollars per person so we said lets do it anyhow mabe they will give us a discount. NOPE and it was more like a pool with some hot water in it and it was warm out that day anyhow. So insted we sat on a bridge for about 2 hours and watched the beautiful day go by it was probably the best day yet the river was moving so swiftly and then out of nowhere some horse came and was eating on the bank of the river it was awsome. But that is not all after that we said lets go all out and get 2 ice creams so we did that we both had a cone with the chocolate on the inside you know the ones we like so much Janine. The I went to call my mom and thank her for giving birth to me and she did not answer like the whole trip love you mom. But despite fighting off the crowd of young american kids that were in this small town painting the school house I was able to call and my mom did answer. We had 4 min left on the card and it just cut us off so bye mom and I love you. Well that was about it o ya the birthday dinner consisted of you ready for this it was amazing BEANS, TOP ROMAN, AND HOT TORTILLAS. It was good because it was the first time having hot top roman on the trip and then the owner of the hotel was very nice and gave us some homemade bread that was really good so we made out like bandits that night well we love you all and are trying to get to this coffee place now wish us luck .

P.S. Pictures Pending
and to Josh and the rest of Craigs family Hello and hope you are enjoying the 120 degrees ha ha ha. Miranda dont reck that new car. You know Jeni and I used to trade cars when she was going to school and you would luck out on that because I have a sweet VW Bus you could drive around in everyone loves it!! Just let me know when you are ready to give up the AC?

50Km Hike through the Jungle.

2008-07-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

this is a big ant pill if you cant figure that out

So this is why you all did not hear from us for a while we where treking through some really remote jungle on the Osa Peninsula for 3 days. It is so the best part of the trip so far. It would be imposible to explain the beauty in the wild. There was such an abundance of wild animals we came into contact with so many. We had to take a 2 hour 4WD 2ton truck ride to a small town to start the hike that was fun Jenna got car sick as usual and for me it was like the Marine days. From there we hiked 20km to a place called Sirena, one of the most beautiful places on the earth I think. It is so crazy because you have been hiking for 6 to 7 hours and all of a sudden you pop out of the jungle and here sets a amazing green pasture and this huge building that has a kitchen and 10 sleeping rooms and a platform for tents. We went with the tent area cheaper. On the way to Serina we saw most of our wild life including a Taper which is really rare to see, a heard of Paccarys wich is like our Havelinas, a lot of racoon looking things dont really remember the name and so so many monkeys all kinds. there was also a mom with a baby hanging upside down it was so cute but it was raining and I could not take a picture. I was so mad because the pictures that we took did not come out because the lighting was so dark. But it was beautiful. Then we went on a 20k hike to the next ranger station which was beautiful in its own way not as many animals because it was raining for about 5 hours of the 7 hour hike. This ranger station was a little more remote and the water gave us the %hits for the last 3 days YAH!! so we stayed the night there it is the pic of the tent under the tarp and it was awesome. from there we were advised not to go any further they said it was closed unless you had a guide. Which could have been a good thing seems how you had to cross a river 22 times. the thing is is that Jenna went the wrong way and instead of going down river she went up (ok my fault not Jennas). so we crosed the river 20 times and were very excited when we reached a town in the middle of nowhere thinking we are almost done and the man in the village said not La Palma (where we wanted to go) was in the other direction man. so we set of to find the right trail so we crossed the river 60 times with a couple of them I had to rescue my wife by grabing onto her pack and drag her to the side of the river no joke it was bad a couple of times (no wonder why they recomended a guide)!! so after that we finally found the town of La Palma and felt very triumphant. But poor Jennas feet where gushing blood. (it must suck to be married to me) she did not complain at all. so now we are back in Domincal and I got my money from my surfboard and we are resting for a day untill our next hike which is in the mountains this time. We are hiking the highest peack in Costa Rica it is 12,700ft and can be below freezing at the top (did I mention we dont have a sweater) but will have to buy one befor we go. so untill next time livestrong and go watch the tour de france it is amazing to see people push themselves so hard.
P.S. Mom I think I found Blue he is very happy in Costa Rica lots of girls to chase. (I think that was your macaws name and was it a boy or girl anyhow love you how is Darwin)
and Grandma thanks for watching our baby for us sounds like Muggles and him had fun!!

For the LOVE of Chocolate!!!

2008-07-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

So after returning to Costa Rica we came to the Osa Peninsula it is amazing!!! We were sitting around thinking what can we do for a day prior to the big hike that will be talked about shortly. So we looked up this chocolate farm called kobo farm. We got to the farm and the owner Alex was a awesome tico. It is him and 3 other people that work the 50 hecter farm producing 100% cocolate as well as having some expreamental crops growing things that only survive in the secondary forest and the primary forest. He first took ups on a tour of some really cool plants a lot of which were used by his family when they were living in a more remote style of life what we call the indiginous people. Plants that are used to cure parasites, arthritis, fever, anemia, and all sorts of other stuff. But then on the farm he has the secondary forest and primary that he takes us through and explains a lot of thing really informational. And then the good stuff he showed us the cocoa plant. the fruit which is the yellow thing that has white fruit inside as seen in pics. The fruit is really good to eat you just dont bite through it the center is purple as in pic and is kind of bitter. So when the cocoa fruit is yellow it is time to pick and then they take out the fruit and ferment it for 5 days for the English and 3 for Americans. The fermentation is most important the longer it ferments the better the chocolate depending on how you like your chocolate. But obviously the english is better. then the seeds are set out to dry for 5 days and they have to be constantly turned so they dry evenly. at that time we tryed the seeds and you could really taste the difference in the 5 day fermented and the 3 day. Jenna liked the 3 day and I liked the 5 day a lot more bitter. After the drying you crack the seed open and the chocolate is on the inside then he put it in a old grinder that looked like the meat grinder that we used to have mom. This really brought out the smell of chocolate. from there is when in the U.S. we lose all the natural cocoa. that is why we are all so fat from eating the chocolate in the U.S. It is said that chocolate is really good for the skin and heart but not the U.S. chocolate. Because of companies like Nestle´s and Hershey´s at this point squeeze out the cocoa fat which is what is good for you and sell it for big money to the cosmetics companies. (everything is for more money in the U.S.) all that is left is about 5 to 20% fat in the cocoa and the rest is vegetable oil very bad for you. so that is the exciting info that we have about the chocolate. at the end of the tour we endulged in some 100% pure chocolate fondue it was amazing but it was so different then any chocolat we have ever had. But dont worry we bought some and are willing to share for a small donation to help us get back to flagstaff!! love you all remember to say hello to your animals they have feelings to...

Chaquita Banana Industry

2008-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

So Jenna and I met some people at a bus stop and started talking one thing led to a nother and we came and visited them at there home in Changuinola, Panama. The man we met was very nice he is from Guatemala, his wife is from Czech and they have 3 kids. He is very high up in the Chaquita Banana Industry. He asked us if we wanted to tour the packing station and the Banana fields. It was amazing at the amount of labor that goes into each package of Banana's. It all starts with the men in the field cutting down the banana stems after approximately 13 to 15 weeks. The field worker works on average of 14 dollars a day and let me tell you it is not a nice work place. The banana stem is not allowed to touch the ground so it does not bruise then they cut the whole top of the tree off and it is not allowed to touch any other tree it is crazy. Then it moves to the washing station via a cable system that is really cool and is cleaned with high water pressure, then it is cut into the hands that we see in the store. But it is a little more complicated there can only be some with bruises about 1/8 in size and if there is bigger than that it is thrown out and if there is 2 bananas that are bad then you throw out the whole had because a hand has to be 3 or more bananas. From there it is put into a tank and cleaned with chlorine water and sorted into large, medium, and small. after that it is placed on trays and sent through a wax that prevents the latex in the banana from spilling all over the other bananas. From there it is placed into boxes in a very orderly fashion. All throughout the process it is being inspected and at the end each pallet of bananas has to be better then 85% or it is thrown out. This is really cool that he was able to give us a tour because it is not allowed, we are among the select few that have been able to do it.

Bocas Del Toro

2008-07-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

So we crossed into Panama on well lets just say the 11th. It is really fun to ride on busses let me tell you. We have been taking buses and none of them are less than 5 hours, but it only cost us about 2 dollars or so to take them so we like it. We arrived to a small bus stop and met a girl that lives in some town next to the border and we are going tomorrow to hang with her. She says that she has a lot of friends in the peace corps and we are going to hang out with them hopefully. Any how, how we got to the island of Bocas Del Toro specifically Isla Colon, we jumped on this little water taxi and came over (you thought it was going to be really crazy ha) so we got to this island and it was not really our cup of coffe!! (jenna wont let me use tea). So we found one of about 100 guys claiming they have a boat to take us to Isla Bastimentos for 2.50 we are bargan shopers. We have been on this island for two days and really like it, the best thing about it is that there is no roads or cars. It took Jenna two days to figure that out but lets not tell anyone that. So we have been hiking around made it to the other side of the island to some beautifull beaches, even though I am feeling a bit under the weather. Well that is all I have to say lets see what my lovely assistent has to say? Jenna? We have met a lot of people from all over the world and have been hanging out with them and listening to their stories (trey: It makes me want to travel more), some people that we met have sold there homes and quit there jobs and bought a plane ticket. How cool is that!!! anyhow love you all bye!!

Nauyaca waterfall

2008-07-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

So we just had to tell you of our amazing day today. But first I need to explain this dog that is with Jenna the dog followed us all over the town so we gave it food (it was hungry.) The thing would not leave us alone the owner of the hotel would throw rocks at it at night to get it away (not our decision) and it would be on the door step in the morning. Any how we went to the Nauyaca waterfall to day it was amazing it is about 150 ft. it was huge. We all got on horses with 2 other people and a guide and went riding for about 2 hours. It was Jennas first time outside a pasture and Tracys first time ever touching a horse. They both did well and found a good seat in the saddle although Jenna had a ruff time because she decided to play with some hornets and they stung her twice, once in the neck and in the arm and the guide once. Then the guide kind of took to her and kept smacking the back of Jennas horse and Jenna would screem the whole time the horse was running. Let me tell you what though I would not have taken many horses from the states up some of the hills we were on as well as in the mud it was slippery. We had a contest to see who could swim into the waterfall and I was the only one it was tuff. Then some other tours came and this Tico (a local Costa rican) jumped off a rock and swam under the water to the rocks and then climbed up with a rope and tyed it off somewhere and did a sweet back flip off. we could not get up the rope because they said that it was for there tour. love you all. we are headed to panama tomorrow!!!

Update

2008-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

why hello everyone this is jenna with the update on amazing costa rica. Let me first say that if we didn't have a place in flagstaff or have to go to that thing called school we would definitely not be coming home. we left our cabina on top of that hill with the most beautiful view ever. we then ended up in Uvita (a few miles south from where we just were). this is an awesome neighborhood, people ride there horses everywhere and there is a lot of land that the people live on and it definitely gives you that local feel. where we are it is about a 600 meter walk to the beach with good surf and swim with a perfect low tide. we have really just been going to the beach everyday, there is a point called the whales tales where you walk out on the sand bar and get to look at tide pools. we have been reading a lot and playing a lot of card games and it has been fun watching trey surf, let me tell you he is getting really good. the waves are big here! and on the 4th of july not to freak anyone out but a dead body surfed onto shore, the cops non nonchalantly put the green body in a plastic bag and drove off, and the day before there was a cocaine bust with 300 kilos in a boat. we are safe don't worry, Tracy and i have our men with us... (they have gotten pretty skinny though). Brinton you would love it here there is the best skimboarding beaches ever!!! to bad they don't sell skim boards. umm and last night we had the amazing idea to give me dreadlocks. you can all laugh now but there is no going back now... missy if you could call carli for me and set up a hair appointment when i get back that would be great (aug 1st ha ha) ! there are so many stray dogs here, i think that we would have way to many animals if we lived here because they all seem to follow me. (don't worry spur you'r still my number one) there is this one dog and he walked with us to Rio Uvita today (a long walk) and right now he is laying right next to me at this cafe. we will have another post in a couple days about a 2 hour horseback ride to a waterfall, then we are headed to panama! we love you all
PURA VIDA

Hola

2008-07-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

So sorry that there will be no pics this time Jenna forgot the cords to the cammera ok maybe it was me. But our stay here in Costa Rica has been so relaxing the last 5 days. Jason, Tracy, Jenna and I rented this awsome Brisas Del Mar, it is high up so the walk from the beach everyday has been a good work out but we have been able to cook there so we have been saving money eating the beans ans rice meal. The view is amazing for only 14 dollars a night and the wildlife is great. We awake to Toucans, monkeys, parrots and many other crazy sounds. (we think we found Kya´s sister) But in a couple of days we are spliting up from our travaling partners and we are heading to Panama and they are heading north to do some more surfing. The surf is fun here but on monday it was about 10 foot beach break and we paddled out and surfed one wave got smashed and said no thanks. So for Jenna and I we are going to try to go to some islands in panama and hang with the rasta that live there then it is up to the central part of Costa Rica to hike the HIGHEST POINT IN COSTA RICA. Then to a coffe plantation to pick our own coffe. so that is it for now we hope all is going good and thanks to Dad and everyone going up to the house to check on it. let us know how it goes. P.S. If you recieve a package it is not a gift but our cloths and stuff we dont wont to pack around.