more Yellowstone and Grand Teton photos....

elk...buffalo...moose family...
NO BEARS!

kids...kids...camping....
TONS OF FUN!

Super Happy Birthday!

Had one of the BEST birthday's ever yesterday!
I am a mere' 39 this year... ha ha, still have
a THREE in front of my age so I am still
officially "young" to most of my crowd of family
and friends. Whew!
Anyway, it was a GREAT day and I am so thankful
to all those who treated me like a princess! The night
before Dani's boyfriend Den brought me a purple basket
of goodies and the sweetest card - Loved it!
Then I woke up to flowers and cupcakes and cards from the kids,
Ed bought me Starbucks for breakfast, Robin and LaRee
took me to lunch and got me some really sweet gifts,
Lisa May came by and dropped off a gift at work for me,
I had a sweet friend drop off these FREAKING AMAZING
flowers and a card at work, then back at home I had
a card from my sister Carlee, the kids hung up purple
balloons at home, Ed took me to dinner and WOW it was
a great day! I think I got like 70+ bday wishes on FB,
sung to a dozen or so times, and I just felt so loved.

THANK YOU everyone for a great day!!!!!!!!! XOXOXO

DarlaLOU

tons to share... TONS

I have a TON of stuff to share, and a TON of photos too

but

I do not have time to post it all so I'll have to play
catchup sometime soon. For now, I had to share one
of my fave pix from our trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton
last weekend!

Loves! XOXO
Darla

home - sick - tired

been a long weekend
lots of fun lots of crazy times
and somehow I managed to get
the start of a kidney infection
accck :O(
so now I will try to nurse it back
to health and play catch up
at home with house and laundry
and laundry and laundry
Yellowston was wonderful, camping was
a blast but it was a lot of work
and I have a lot more work ahead

SO PUMPED UP FOR THIS!!!!!!!!

The M.A.D. Half Marathon Info - May 14, 2011
Start Times
Half Marathon: 6:00 AM

Venue
Start: North of Broadway on Old Butte Rd,
Soccer Complex Idaho Falls, ID
End: Soccer Complex off Old Butte Rd, Idaho Falls, ID
Brief Description
The M.A.D Marathon is a beautiful race course that begins at the Soccer Complex on the Westside of Idaho Falls, ID and features beautiful fields and country serenity. Marathon runners will run along the acres of planted fields and miles of peaceful roads.

Additional Information
Aid stations at miles: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13.1
All participants receive a tech shirt
Portable restrooms along the race route
Finisher medals will be given to those who complete the course ALL proceeds go to charity.
Because this is a Charitable run, no refunds will be issued.

FANTASTIC weekend!

Chrissy and Jake were AWESOME and smoked us in the RIM2RIM run this weekend
but the three silly sisters stuck it out and we made it!!!!!





Sunday before we headed out of town to go home we
made a trip over to Shoshone Falls to sightsee and
then a hike over to the Hidden Lakes and it was so
beautiful! HOT HOT HOT outside and no one was really
prepared for the trek but it was a blast! The kids loved
it and we even got to see some guys cliff diving into
one of the lakes! It was awesome!

20 Years? Already?

So Ed got 'double' treated at Starbucks the morning of our 20th Anniversary!
I 'snuck' to SB before work to get him a mocha, some apple fritters and a
card... in my gut I just KNEW he and his other mgrs were going to go for a
mocha/coffee run... sure enough, there they were IN THE DRIVE THRU when
I was waiting for our order - so he got a double double shot! LOL


That night we went out for a little dinner at Red Robin... nothing fancy
but a dang good meal - some friends spotted us and sent us a drink and
they came and sang "Happy Birthday"???? to us! Funny!

20 years and still going - and they said we wouldn't make it
5 years.... POOOEY on those doubtful fools! 20 years, 4 kids,
and a wonderful freakin' ride!
I LOVE YOU ED!!!!!!!! XOXOXO

a few things to share...

I am getting geared up to go do the Rim2Rim in
Twin Falls in a couple more days... not ready.
NOT at all.

The EMOTION BOWL is tomorrow night! WOOT SkYlInE!

Loving having Lea here - she is amazing!

Fitting into my smallest size pants is making me
very happy.

Celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary - wow!

grumble and bumble and whine

feeling a little out of sorts today
ok a lot out of sorts

sorry

i don't get how you hurt someone you love
and someone who has loved you and put themselves
out there for you and extended themselves to you
and cared for you - who has invested years of
thier lives and special occasions and shared
so much ... how can you hurt them and sit back
and not "feel" anything?? I do not understand.
Some emotions I think I feel more than others.
I am tenderhearted. Just don't get it. Open up,
say what you think or feel - say I AM SORRY when
you screwed up. Say THANK YOU when you are greatful.
I could go on and on but the lesson is - open up and
speak and remember others might need to hear a simple
expression of emotions. today, I am not ok with how
i have been blown off.

i don't get how you don't STOP in a crosswalk, at a
school, in a school zone, when a student is crossing
holding a giant orange flag. HOW does that happen?
how does a BUS hit a kid on a bike?

i don't understand teenagers are so ungrateful. so demanding.
so self centered. so terribly disrespectful and rude
to the people who brought them into this world, feeds
and clothes them and LETS THEM DRIVE THIER CARS!!!!!!
grrr.

i don't get any of it today - i feel grumpy and whiney
and like crawling in a hole all to myself. i don't like
feeling this way - AT ALL :O(

GO BIG BLUE! GO DARLA LOU!

FUN STUFF GOING ON AT OUR HOUSE!!!!















We are giving Lea THE all American
experience here - EMOTION BOWL week!
The big HS rivalry football game is
coming up and we just had to teach
her a bit about Grizzly pride.
Lea and Dani had a lot of fun painting
the windows on our house and cars today!













I spent my afternoon on a 7 mile 'trek'.
I wanted to sort of test myself before the
Rim2Rim next weekend. My goal was 7 miles
in less than 2 hours with walk/jog intervals.
It weren't pretty. It was pretty warm out and I was
poopered by mile 5. The last 2 miles I just
walked it out. No jogging AT ALL! I was so mad
at myself. Tonight I am feeling it - all over.
I need to get as much good practice in this week
as I can! SCARY!

Sweet new daughter at my house...

Lea





Lea with her Mother at home in Germany







This is our new 'daughter' Lea.
We had a whirl-wind few days with
getting her to our home but we are
SO excited to have her here!
Lea is from Germany, she is here through
the school year on an exchange. We
had NO idea we'd be getting an exchange
student but a very wonderful person (or 2?)
passed our names on as interested and
we got a call, got a visit, got a child! LOL
We are LOVING having her here and hopefully
she is very happy so far?! I think she is.
I believe this has all been quite overwhelming
for her but she seems to be adapting well.
The first night she went with Dani and Chris
to the homecoming football game and really
enjoyed it. Yesterday Ed and I took her to lunch
and a bit of shopping & fun. Last night she went to a small
party for the kids who did not go to the
homecoming prom/dance - Dani had a date, so
our niece Mindy picked her up and took her
and they had fun.
Today (Sunday) we are just laying low and close
to home so she can relax and aclimate a little
more.
We are feeling SO BLESSED right now. I hope she
is too! :O)

Off for a long walk n jog later today, let's see
if I make it! LOL

Darla

first off

welcome to our lovely new exchange student
Lea
we are loving having her her!

and thinking of the citizens and workers
who lost thier lives on 9-11 just a few
short years ago - seems like yesterday
God bless all those touched by this event
and God bless those who stood tall and strong
for our country

more changes?

what a new day can bring...





got a call tonight at dinner
from a friend
wanted to refer me to someone
regarding an exchange student

what?

ya, a german exchange student
wow.

so we are burning the midnight oil
here getting paperwork and little stuff
done in prep for the possibility of
her arrival

wow.

guess we'll see what happens?????

POWDER PUFF 2010!

So, dear daughter Dani (a Jr this year) chose to do Powder Puff football for homecoming week. Cool! Very cool! (I always wanted to do it in HS but was never in the 'in' crowd to join in myself) So, dear daughter Dani's boyfriend, Den (a Sr this year) chose to follow along... cheerleader style!

WOOT! Oh yes, Mr 6 ft tall and tough was indeed the cheerleader of the game! Den is a big guy, over 6 ft actually and a LaCross player as well as a wrestler! Talk about FUN! Dani was the kicker - naturally since she was in soccer. She looked SO cute out there! She was number '0' on her jersey. Den is in the middle wearing the long, black, shaggy wig - I told him he looked like Elvira on steroids!
And yes, they made them wear the skirts and sweaters too!!
ENJOY!
(PS Jr's lost to Sophmores and Sr's stomped the Sophmores) LOLOL


There are a few videos here too (short ones) of Den giving Dani one last good luck hug and jumping around and cheering and one really good one of Dani's kickoff at the first of the game! I wish I'd gotten it on camera, but he also asked her to Homecoming at half time - on microphone - in the middle of the stadium!!! Danggit!

lots n lots n lots going on

lots to share

but no time

right now

so

you will just have to wait! :O) tee hee hee....

yucky

feeling yucky today
sucks - it is Labor Day!!
I drank some water from a water
bottle last night that had been
sitting in dh's car... it tasted rank
and I think it was
I pukied my desesert and half my dinner
and still feel like the pits today

not good

feeling this way this weekend

Come what may;
and love it.

-Joseph B Wirthlin



(I think sometimes we forget we are not
in control at all... ya know?)

cool things to share

my scrappy page of Ed's side of the famliy - simple but a lot of fun to do



my cards challenge (three with one set of stamps) for the retreat blog challenge...



My scrappy area all tidy and cute looking!!








Sweet ROBIN! XOXO








Great Grandpa and Grandma Jorgensen's grave in Denmark! SO COOL!





Bodhi doggie and lil' Tina pup = a difference of over 100 lbs LOL His head is
bigger than her WHOLE body! LOL






LOVE ME SOME SKINNY JEANS! WOOOT! WOOOOOOOT!















I got my scrapbook area DONE and pretty
and even scrapped a bit today! Robin n
the boys came over, we played, ate, played
some more and it was awesome! I LOVE Robin!
(and Chris and Tater!)
I got yardwork and cleaning done, got some
misc boxes unpacked, it was just a good day.

Big cool thing, my cousin Julie is in DENMARK
for a vaca with her hubby (he is a military guy)
and she is trecking around looking at family
history things. She got to go to the town our
grandfather (on my Dad's side) grew up in
and even was able to find HIS (my grandpa's)
parents grave! SO COOL! I am a tad jealous
tp be honest LOL but so cool that she is there!

Ed is in Vegas for teh weekend, doing a little
trip for himself, getting away, he needed it.
I have a couple of minitrips coming up myself
so he needed a break and off he went! I hope he
is having a blast and I hope he comes home safe!

We have had Blake's dog, Bodhe, here this weekend.
He jumped out of the back of the truck a couple of
weeks ago and tumbled out and under the big flatbed
trailer as Blake was driving along... needless to say
he got pretty banged up :O( so Chris is watching him
while they are gone for Labor Day weekend!
He is SOOOOOOOO sweet! He is a choco lab and he is
a big ol' baby! Love that pup! So sweet!

BIG accomplishment for the weight loss journey - VERY
sadly, all my cute denim capris I wore last summer
were NOT budging this summer. I couldn't even lay down
on the bed to button them up! I about cried when I was
getting ready to go on vaca to Calf cuz that took me
down to almost nothing to wear :O( This morning I decided
to give them a whirl -- HAPPY DAY! They fit again! WOOT!I was so excited! Stll a bit snug but I can wear them
and I am VERY happy about that!

Enough babbles... off to get my ironing done and then to bed.
Big day again tomorrow...

DarlaLOU