In the mean time...

Catherine has been pretty busy with school and the end result is that our blog has been neglected. Blogging really isn't my thing, but I suppose I'll add something to hold you over. It's nothing surprising, just what I know, work and play. Where do we start first... how about work?

We've had some bad luck on the 'ole Union Pacific railroad here in Colorado in the first week of October, 2 derailments and a rock slide. 1 of the derailments was massive and we ended up staying on-site for 2 days getting the track back in service. The conductor of the train didn't fully release a brake on one car they picked up and it started dragging until it derailed, right on a switch. A total of 15 cars piled up, carrying varying loads. Here's a teaser shot, for the rest of them you will need to look at the link to our photo album.
Link- Derailment Cleanup

And now some playing... after all that work, I needed a break. I ended up taking a big motorcycle ride spread out over 3 days. It was amazing, but I really missed having Catherine there to share the trip with me. Mabey in the future we can pick up a motorcycle for her, so she can come along. I posted the trip report on my forum, so click the link below to read more.
Link- Motorcycle Ride

$422.87

So what would you do with that much money? I know i would pay a phone bill, cable bill and a car payment. Nothing exciting but all very necessary. Well last month someone decided that they needed the money more than I did and used my card number. How they got it? I don't know.

So for the last month I have been calling and filing out claim forms and faxing them and re-faxing them and mailing them and re-mailing them only to get provisional money back.

Provisional money like they think I stole my own money?

Anyway I painted my nails black to give off a sign of terror to anyone who crosses my path...of coarse the nail paint is provisional.

twilight is coming...

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

I'm still alive...

The last 2 months...
tim and aleca came
i started my new school year
mom and dad came
greg got sick
i got sick
at least one of my students had swine flu
i have had 3 doctors apt
i helped with a baby shower
i have worked at 3 volleyball games
canned tomato sauce
canned pickles
canned beets
made raspberry jam
made blackberry jam
went on a trip over black bear pass and lived
graded countless papers

and my favorite...
snuggled with greg and daisy

squash???

For the past couple of years I have grown vegetables and fruits...however I never really reaped a ton of fruit. This year I am planning to do a lot of canning and want my plants to be overwhelmed with fruit. I have a few squash that for the past few weeks have had a lot of blossoms on them but i still have not seen and fruit.
Am I doing something wrong?

buisness time...

So this video may be a little inappropriate for some but it is HILLARIOUS!

one man's junk...

so greg and i had a garage sale last weekend. All summer I have been pulling things out and making piles and saying "do i use this?" Once we got everything out on the driveway i was surprised at how much stuff we really didn't use...or want.
We made some good money considering that by 9am it was almost 500 degrees. I bagged and boxed up what didn't sell and took it to goodwill.
I took my audio books down to the used book store and they gave me almost 50 bucks in store credit!
With my money I bought some new dishes at target. I bought melamine plates and bowls that match not only each other but the house too. The best part is they wont chip.
Daisy sold her traveling kennel to help pay for Lulu's stuff that we also tried to sell.
I feels good to purge the old stuff that collects dust and then to buy new things with the rewards.
LONG LIVE GARAGE SALES!!

im a lazy blogger...i know

So about 2 weeks ago my parents came out to visit and we had soo much fun with them. I really intended on blogging about it but now i don't know where the camera is. i'm sure that if i asked greg he would know...but then i would be admitting he knows more than i do.
so if you want to know what we did with my parents im directing you to my mom's blog...

while my parents were here we noticed a little squeaky visitor...who we caught with a trap and apparently he had invited his 2 friends who we also caught. We decided to get a cat to keep our castle private from all those nasty little creatures. We had been talking about it for a while and finally...we found LuLu...

I had been looking for a long hair cat because they are sooo much more fun to snuggle with. Sure, sure Daisy snuggles with greg but i usually get the butt end and the hind feet that like to kick to stretch out. I wanted a snugly kitten. i realize this picture is a little hard to see but i took it with my phone when i humble myself to ask greg where the camera is i'll post more pictures.
We found LuLu in the local want ads and she was free. Right now she is 7 weeks old and living in the bath tub. She loves to sit on my lap and purr. The name LuLu came from...Dukes of hazard i din't have the guts to name her cooter. Daisy loves her and acts like a mom/sister. We decided Daisy must be a cat person more than a dog person. She lets LuLu snuggle up to her chest but draws the line when LuLu starts sucking on her. So i think LuLu will stay.

the new commuter vehicle is...

so many of you were correct with your assumptions however only one person waas truely correct...timmy! yes it is a bike but what kind? A tricycle!!!!
It is a shwinn tricycle meridian. Greg helped me assemble it and then he took it for a test drive. it is soooo nice.
Daisy loves to chase it and run in front of it and then stop. When you slam on your brakes to avoid hitting her she then proceeds to bite your toes. she may be a little bike retarded.
i needed the extra storage that a tricycle has with the basket on the back. My calling at church is the family preparedness person so this last month when we canned wheat and beans i delivered the cans to people and found that the bike was the perfect way to do it. I can fit 12 #1o cans in that basket. awesome.
so in summary...
bike: $250
gas: $0
exercise: priceless

too much commitment...

So I have been teaching 8 years! To me that seems like a long time. I feel like I should just be getting out of college. Looking back at my teaching history and it seems that every 3-4 years i switch something around. Well I have been teaching up here at the same school for 3 years now...so i switched it up.
I requested a transfer to the middle school in the town i live in. It is exactly a mile away. There were 8 people that applied and 1 spot. All teachers had worked in the district. I got it!!!
You could say I'm going green because with the new job came a new commuter vehicle. I decided that I don't need to drive the 4runner everyday. its so nice out that I should take advantage of that.
Can YOU guess what the new commuter vehicle is?

I have a new blog for buttons...
click for the button:


So check it out. If you would like a button then post a comment. Next i'm going to see if i can figure out how to create labels and backgrounds...but don't hold your breath...remember i'm a full time teacher!

So I have been playing around with the html codes and buttons. I have created a button for Melissa and myself...go ahead and click on them to the right. Fun! i'm new at this but send me a comment if you want me to play around with a button for you as well. hopefully my design skills will become better with each button.

We ADOPTED!!!

The Gardner family has grown! After some research and seeing how many families have been adopting, we decided to prepare ourselves for adoption. With some changes around the house, we made preparations for the new member of the Gardner family.

Today while shopping, we came across a couple selling a dog out in front of Sportmans Warehouse. Catherine has been talking about getting a German Shorthair for years and was quite interested in this one when we saw him. We talked to the couple with the dog for about 5 min and the whole time the dog was just snuggling with both Catherine and I. He isn't papered, but is a pure breed. We paid approximately the price of a large bag of dog food for him, which is a good deal for a pure breed.

The couple that owned him had rescued him from an abusive family. They've had him since last Fall, but due to money getting tight for them, they needed to let him go. He's very thin, so we need to fatten him up and get him healthy. He is shedding a lot, the previous owners say it's due to a recent diet change and feeding him cheap food. We're going to take him to the vet this week, get his shots updated and give him a good checkup.

He is soooo friendly, almost to the point of being annoying... he loves to cuddle, he'll just rest his head on you and hang out there. So far he and Daisy, are getting along great. He's very vocal too, talks often and we've yet to hear a bark. He's very mild-mannered, hopefully that will rub off on Daisy.

Catheine named him... Rosco, after Roscoe P. Coltrane! Daisy's full name is Daisy Mae Duke, so you can see what direction we're headed. So without further adieu, here's some pics of our newest family member. -

the infamous waterproof hiking shoes

So about 5 years ago I bought a pair of hiking shoes the week before I met greg. I bought them having talked with greg on the phone and through email. I knew that he loved the outdoors and that i would soon be sharing this love of his. My mom went with me and i'm sure she thought i was crazy.
Throughout the years I have used these shoes almost weekly. Greg and i have always "discussed" how waterproof these shoes are. I try with all my might to convince him that they are in fact waterproof and he persistently denies such a claim. This last weekend we went camping with some friends and it rained every night. One morning i woke up to place these shoes on my feet and noticed that they had a little bit of water on them. Horrified that i might be wrong i quietly slipped them onto my feet without letting greg know how cold and damp they really were. When the morning fire was lit i sat next to it with one shoe on and trying to dry the other. Greg noticed and made a comment about how i was drying them out. I tried to convince him that i was merely trying to warm them up in the morning air. They were completely wet steaming against the fire.
Once again i succeed to greg. He is right. My shoes are not waterproof.
I thought about this and realized is this such a bad thing? No, I say not. Now i get to shop and buy another pair of shoes.
This time they will be waterproof.

hearts of our fathers

Last week greg got an email from his dad explaining that one of their relatives was going to be honored with a sculpture. I think i got more excited about it than greg did. I always ask greg what some of his ancestors names are and he responds with something like i don't know all the genealogy is done though. So when i had a name to look at it just got so exciting for me. I quickly ran to the computer to google the name...

Robert Gardner Jr.
I found so much information and stories about him. I found a journal entry that he wrote that had a great deal of his life achievements in it. He immigrated with his family from Scotland to Canada. From Canada he converted to the gospel and crossed the plains with the first wagon train to enter the Salt Lake Valley. With his family he helped to settle the valley. He was later called on a mission to Canada and then to settle the St George area. The sculpture was placed in St George. Greg's dad and some of his uncles and aunts went down to see the unveiling. From the newspaper article it seems like there was quite the turn out.

What a great feeling knowing history about your family. Robert Gardner Jr would have been greg's great great grandfather. His son (from his second wife) is greg's great grandfather that was named Royal Joseph Gardner which is where the Royal name began ...i think. If i could say thank you to Mr Robert Gardner Jr i would. He must have been a strong man to not only cross the plains with his family but to join the church and give up so much for the testimony that he had of our Savior.

sitting in a booth

One of my favorite qualities about Greg is his dedication to me and the respect that he shows me. i am often the one who has said or done something out of haste and he always shows his patience.

His adventurous personality never leaves a dull moment. He indulges my passion for delicious food. One of my favorites quotes of his has been... "I imagine this to be like heaven, sitting in a booth eating crab legs..." How can you not fall in love with someone like that.

This past week I have been thinking a lot about the family that I have and would like to grow into. I read a story about a young family (thanks Melissa) that was struck with an almost fatal tragedy. The love that each member showed was incredible and inspiring. This pushed me to realize that I have a great blessing in my life. I have noticed and truly felt more love for and from my husband. I cannot believe how truly blessed I am to have such a wonderful person in my life.

He is my best friend.

Today is our anniversary.

I love you Greg!

two miracles with one post!

Well the first being that i have blogged 3 new posts in the last week...i know let the heavens open and translate me now.

The second miracle is that greg and i are heros. Last night just before i called dad for his birthday one of our friends came by to visit. His wife had to work and she was going to meet him at our house. When she got here she ran in the house and screamed "fire!"

We all got up and ran outside to see what she was talking about. our next door neighbors house was on fire! Greg ran in to get his fire extinguisher and i ran around to the back yard to get the hose. We called 911...

i realize the pictures are a little dark. Here is the street from the front of our house. 2 firetrucks, 1 ambulance, 1 news van and 2 cop cars all reported. Apparently they were grilling and dumped the embers which they thought had cooled off into the trash can. Well they began to spark with other pieces of trash and started to burn. The scary part is that this was right next to the gas meter. In fact the gas company had to come out and replace the meter because it had started to melt.

The fence burned up and flames were about 2-3 feet above the roof when we got out there. Behind the fence they had 2 full 5 gallon gas cans and a full propane tank that were right up against the fence. Scary but a few minutes later and they would have exploded and probably caught our house on fire too.

The fire started to travel up into the rafters and burn some of the insulation. The inside of the garage looks a little more destroyed. They pulled out the dry wall and ripped out insulation. Fire extinguisher was all over. This was exciting news and the most action our neighborhood has seen. The neighbors have only lived there for 7 months and we didn't know them all that well. This broke the ice!

The news station wanted to interview one of us so we nominated Christy to do the speaking. She is the one who called 911 after seeing the fire when she drove by. We made it to the news Sunday night and in the paper today. Here is the article.

i have found it, the new wonder drug...

what is this wonder drug? first, let me explain all the benefits of this little pill. it cures headaches, backaches, leg aches and insomnia. it dissipates all anxiety and panic attacks in the morning. so little and white it creates a blissful mood that everyone enjoys. i'm pretty sure it even helps the common cold. No this isn't a new concoction that was just released by the FDA, it has been around for quite a long time. its midol!

Many of you have probably used this and know of its healing powers. every month when i am blessed with the "joys of womanhood" greg always offers to go buy me some midol.
I quickly reply with a "no that stuff is just like Tylenol"

Well a few months ago he actually took me to the store and made me purchase some. i took some when we got home just to please my caring husband. Twenty minutes later i was surprised and humbled. I admitted to greg that we was right once again.

I now use this wonder drug for everything. I pop these pills for the simplest things and my symptoms always disappear. it's wonderful.

Fruita is the greatest place in America!

So when Greg and I moved to Colorado is was a spur of the moment type of move. He was not a big fan of the Californian way of life...meaning traffic and millions of people everywhere. He had been to Fruita, Co once in about 2000-ish. He suggested it and my first words were something to effect of, "Who would ever live in a town called Fruita?" My second request was that we move somewhere that was not in the desert... which Fruita is. Well 4 years later and I could not imagine living anywhere else. We live in the perfect spot to enjoy the outdoors no matter what time of the year it is. For the past couple of weekends we have gone on little trips in different directions.

The first trip we went on was snowshoeing (one of my favorite winter activites) Every winter I ask to go snowshoeing. This year I realized its because I can go slow and it doesn't hurt my knee...low impact. In the past we have gone up to the Grand Mesa but this year we decided to go to Red Mountain. Red Mountain is between Ouray and Silverton with lots of neat history with old mines and beautiful forests.





The next weekend we headed to Utah and Thompson Springs, then up to Sego Canyon. Greg had heard about it and was curious to see what was out there. We knew there was an old mining town but what we didn't know is that there was also some petroglyphs. It was a nice day and we saw only 2 other cars.





The next weekend we went out to Capital Reef National Park. We camped right outside of the park. It was so nice. We used our roof top tent. Greg got a heater to use in the tent to warm it up. It was a nice weekend. We hiked and took pictures. The weather was perfect and hardly anybody was there.







The best part about this weekend is that we took a family picture and Daisy would not stand still. Every year I tell myself that we are going to send out Christmas cards and when the time comes I can never find a picture or I don't have enough time to take one and still get them out. So this year we are taking tons of them so I have no excuse. This is my favorite so far. It was taken at Capital Reef National Park.

Greg has taken up Smoking!

No, not the nasty tobacco habit, the yummy, smoke-flavored, can't-stop-eating habit! One of our Christmas presents was a electric smoker that Catherine got for me. I've been wanting to try smoking food for a long time, for the last few weeks I've been trying different foods.












The first thing I tried was Tuna steaks, Coho Salmon and Scallops. About 2.5 pounds of seafood total! I had an extra Alderwood plank, so I set most of the Salmon on it and used 3 pans of Alder chunks for the smoke. I loaded the smoker up, turned it on and set the tray of chips in there... it was pouring out smoke within 10 min!! The smoke cleared up as the chips burned out, but the smell was goooooood! I ended up smoking the seafood for about 6 hrs.

After pulling it out, I sampled the food. The Salmon was amazing... could have used some Lemon though. The Tuna wasn't bad either, a tad dry though. The scallops were the best though.... oh man! Moist and tender, they just fell apart in my mouth. Catherines favorite was also the scallops. I smoked one big Salmon fillet and had plenty of that, so I decided to make a spread. I threw a couple pieces of Salmon in the food processor with a bit of Miracle Whip, a bunch of Cream Cheese and hit the button. I quickly had an amazing, smokey Salmon spread and procedded devoured a package of crackers and Salmon spread. Yummmy!!
























Next up was to make some beef jerky chunks. It was pretty simple, just got 3.5 pounds of chopped beef intended for stew. I made a marinade with soy sauce & some other ingredients and let the beef sit overnight, then I smoked it with 2 pans of Apple Wood for several hours. It ended up a bit salty, will have to keep that in mind next time I use that marinade recipe. Otherwise, it's great. It was pretty inexpensive compared to buying beef jerky outright. We still have much of it, but I'm already looking forward to the next batch of beef jerky.














This weekend I decided to pull out all the stops. It was time to make the Atomic Buffalo Turds! To make the ABT's you need Jalapenos, Lil' Smokies, Bacon, Cream Cheese and Cayenne pepper. You cut the tops of the Jalapenos, then slice them in half & remove the seeds & most of the membrane. After mixing some Cayenne pepper in with the Cream Cheese, the assembly begins.





























After spreading the Cream Cheese & Cayenne mix into the pepper, you place a Lil' Smokey on top. Then wrap that combo with a slice of thick bacon and pin it all together with a toothpick.









I placed the ABT's in the smoker, loaded the pan with Apple Wood chips and let that magical smoker do it's thing. It took a few hours to cook the bacon, but it was well worth the wait. The Apple Wood chips in the smoker were the perfect combo for the bacon and Cream Cheese mix, the flavor is amazing! I pulled the ABT's out of the smoker and quickly gobbled 5 of them down.


Catherine tried one, but I think they're a bit too spicy for her to enjoy. Sorry Catherine! Me on the other hand... I love these things. I've already eaten way too many. So much for the diet! This smoker has been the best & worst thing for us in a long time. Great because the food is so good, but bad because I can see myself getting fatter. Time to hit the gym I guess. Thanks for the great Christmas present, the next thing I smoke is your choice!

So who's coming to visit and what kind of smoked food would you like to sample?

our Christmas in california

we went to california this year to spend with my family. the day before we left it snowed all day. the roads were a little icy outside of fruita but good the rest of the way.

it was nice to see my sister melissa and her family. we had sooo much fun with them.

this was a good year for santa clause he definately did not skip over this home.

and lily...who spoils her the most? grandpa! he is very protective over this little girl. notice one of the only gifts he bought this year was for his little cupcake.

it was nice to just relax in nice weather. my parents are wonderful hosts. my mom and i made ciopino one day to satisfy the seafood urge of being so close to the ocean. it was a nice vacation. we came back on friday the 2nd and just barely missed the snow.

i have decided that snow is fun the first time it snows but then it just becomes a little nuisance.