Vegas...


World Market was going on and I wanted to scout out some pieces for a client. So we decided to kill two birds w/ one stone... work and a lovers get away. Although I must say, we needed at least another night + day! 2 nights, 2.5 days was NOT ENOUGH TIME. :) Especially w/ Market- It's nutzo humongo. But, we came to the conclusion it's always better to leave wanting more than having that "get me home already" feeling. no?

We stayed at Treasure Island. It was good- we really liked the location. We watched the pirate show out in front of the hotel one night.... Um - ya. MUCH different that what we had remembered it being. Pretty skanky. (word/sp?)


What I love about Vegas is all the WALKING... It was the bomb. And the shopping! And the yummy food. We ate at a Mexican Food place in NY/NY the first night, and the second night at the Cheesecake Factory in Caesars Palace. Jess was so much fun. And such a sport to come with me to Market- don't think he was planning on that- but was great company. And he is hilarious! On our way out of town we stopped at the miracle mile mall in PH- there is a store: Bettie Paige. Jess was diggin' all these 50's style dresses and was all about me trying them on. (this is NOT my husband to be interested in shopping) It was a fun time. So now he is trying to get me decked out w/ the vintage dresses. Today we went to a shop here in Flagstaff and scored some pretty cute ones. Most of them don't fit just right - but no worries b/c he is ALL over altering them for me... himself. Gotta love his confidence. So I'm sure we'll do a little before and after documentation. Pretty funny.

Anyway. It was a great time. EVERY couple needs some get away time...EVERY COUPLE! So get away with your honey pronto - make it a priority. Alright? Alright.

Tonight Jess & I attended the kick-off party for the Fireman Calendar. 100% of the proceeds benefit the Dawson Merrick Medical Fund. Dawson was battling a rare form of cancer and sadly lost his fight Sept. 20th. He was only 10.

To purchase a calender click HERE.

Here is a sneak peak... (The back cover) Jess is "September".

Soooooooooooo was wishing I had my camera with me....
At least I had sense to use my camera phone. :)

Behind the scenes at the FIREMAN CALENDAR SHOOT. The proceeds of the calendar are going to go to a little kid w/ leukemia. (Great Christmas presents, people!) ;)

For Jess's shot they all got up in the bucket and UP they went! yikes.


And then he went over the side.... (Can't wait to see the shots Jamelle!!!)


They also did some of him w/ the rope...


Whooooo, he makes my heart flutter. :)


It was fun to hang around and watch some of the other shoots! I can't wait to see what Jamelle and Cameron come up with. They ROCK!

P E O P L E!?

So, the poll is over. And Jess is one happy feller. And is already having fun rubbing this in my face. :)

I will not falter, though. The popular 'no' vote does not mean he doesn't have to cut his hair EVER...I mean, I assume you all meant: no, but maintain a healthy length...don't let it get out of control, right?

I suppose I should have been more specific...or given more options than just a mere yes or no?? He REALLY needs a trim, it can get kinda scragley from time to time...curls, goooood. scragley, baaaaaad. So if you'd like to make a retraction, or explain your vote to me further (if you haven't already) or BACK ME UP, now you can. :) And ladies, how come your husbands all are clean cut then?? hmmm?

My knight in shining armor rescues me again...


It wouldn't be the first time, and I'm sure not the last...

He left to go to work with me lying in bed not feeling so great...I assured him I would be fine. 20 trips to the potty and 8 up-chucks later I had to call him. I had only made it 4 hrs. But there was absolutely nooooooo way I'd be able to make the eggs Brock was begging for for lunch, or anything else for that matter. I was as useless as useless gets. He made it home, put me to bed, went to the store for the essential hydrating fluids, and I slept, and slept, and slept -occasionally waking and hearing 'life' outside our bedroom door. My house is crazy and I was so glad to have the luxury of staying in my bed for as long as I needed...
Today was a lot more rest, but I'm able to keep food down (hooray!...or not hooray, I could've afforded several more pounds) But nonetheless it feels good to be on the mend!

P.S. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS VOTED SO FAR IN OUR LITTLE POLL!! IT IS QUITE FUN FOR US TO REVIEW THE RESULTS. OOOOHHH. IT IS SO CLOSE!!!
5 MORE DAYS UNTIL IT CLOSES!

CALLING ALL PEEPS!!
(Please answer the call and participate in the poll on the sidebar)

Here is your reference picture...

A morning with Dad.

I'm pretty sure Brock had the MOST fun out of the three.

Although Kona was a close second!

Bodie was mostly content riding his bike, Wyatt mostly liked to watch.

Not wanting to feel left out, I jumped on the back of the bike and Jess whisked me away. (for 30 seconds)
And I almost wet myself.

Then Bodie rode home w/ Jess since it was all downhill. That kid gets some serious mileage on his bike!
(It was only about 1.5 mi...maybe 2mi. to home.)

He was gaining quite a bit of speed down the road. I was very happy he didn't wipe out.

more of what I've been 'learning'...

I fell, and I fell HARD for Jess, but sometimes -in those *special* moments ;) I have to remember why. It's # 6. on the list in this article...
Love this picture of us in Yosemite. We had been married only 3 months! (Ahhhh, sweet, fresh, young LOVE!)

Sometimes I think to myself, "How would I treat/react to Jess if we were dating?" Usually it's different than how I want to react at the moment, but the outcome is ALWAYS positive. (Example)
It makes me sad to hear of marriages that aren't working out. Marriage is hard (I guess not for everyone), but that's why I think it is so important to remember why you fell in love! I want to be that couple that's been married 60+ years and is still holding hands walking down the street.
Keep the love alive, let it thrive! (It's the "greatest gift we can give our children") read this AWESOME article.

A week and 1/2 ago I went on a w h i r l w i n d trip to Vegas w/ Jess. (Basically to see him off on a race) I had the best time w/ him... and connected w/ a great gal. (I am happy to report the 'soul patch' is gone!)

The lowdown on Jess...

This was the area he was working. You can see the smoke hanging in the air. They were working a dozer line, and basically wetting down the area - When trees burn - they also burn down to the roots, leaving voids in the earth where the roots & trunks were. Jess stepped on top of one of these hidden 'stump holes' and his leg fell through the earth - basically into boiling soil... He knew immediately that he was burned pretty bad - his skin sloughed off right away (NO damage done to his nomex pants) His crew took care of him and a Cal. DPS helicopter picked him up and took him to UC Davis in Sacramento. (that is totally understated, but I don't feel like going into the deets...sorry)
I love this picture w/ the berries. (1)He was thinking of me...he knew I'd appreciate a picture of berries...I love berries. and (2) I love his hands.


The d a m a g e... breathe.

Katie saying goodbye before driving home. Oh, how I love that girl. Deb - the outreach burn coordinator. She was our saving grace at UC Davis.

There were 3 engines and a slew of Firefighters from Cal Fire & Sacramento Fire waiting for us near the plane to see us off. It was crazy. We really appreciated it though. Jess did his best to say thank you - He was in so much pain. They greeted us with bags of goodies for the kids and for the flight back - so nice & thoughtful. BC Rob Cone from Cal Fire pictured w/ Jess - What a great guy!! He was with Jess throughout his recovery, making sure he had everything he (and I) needed.

Our pilots & view from inside the plane. We had a great flight (VERY scenic) - We flew over Yosemite (do you see half dome?), Mono lake, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon... It was gorgeous.


The view of the Peaks as we were landing...a welcomed site! Again - our pilots were awesome.

A few pictures of the healing process... See that yucky stuff on the dressing? That's how you know the cream is doing is magic and getting all the dead gross skin off...Then you wash the leg down and reapply...

Not bad, eh??? Pretty amazing how quickly he is healing. There are just a few raw spots left. He is able to walk around more - but still has to keep it elevated quite a bit to keep the pain down. Wyatt loves sitting w/ Jess.

Marilyn & Steve came up Friday to bring the boys up. It's nice having them back...Time has stood still for the last little while and it feels good to be getting back into the swing of things...Bless your souls Steve & Marilyn! Now go and sleep for the next 834,083,235 days. :)

Sorry if you've called and I haven't gotten back to you...I don't know anymore who's phone calls I've returned or not. But THANK YOU so much.

On the Road to Recovery.....
Jess was finally discharged from the hospital yesterday, and we made it back from Cali last night thanks to the guys at Cal Fire who flew us directly from Sacramento to Flag on their own plane. They treated us like rock stars which brought us to tears more times than we care to count. The support and love we have felt from everyone is overwhelming to say the least. My eyes are still sore and tired. Our sincere thanks to everyone who has kept Jess and our family in their thoughts and prayers. We have felt them. We are so lucky to have not only our own families, but our FFD family & Church family as well. After my flight to Phx got canceled, the guys from Flag Fire drove me all the way down to catch my connecting flight out to see Jess. I was very touched they would do that for me.
Jess's burns are doing well. His right leg is still pretty burly...I'm sure he will have pictures up in no time...as soon as he's not so heavily sedated anyway! He has been in quite a bit of pain.
Jess had a good night last night and is SOOOO happy to be in his own bed and out of the hospital. I am also happy to take care of the ornery cuss, but I should be napping right now as he is... it's just like having a new little one. :) Except I'm not the one that's sore. Poor kid.
My in-laws have had the boys since Wednesday...I can't even express in words how much that has helped. Katie drove up and was at Jess's side as soon as she heard the news. I am sooooo glad that she was there when I got there - to be with me too and to teach me how to be a good nurse. Thanks Auntie.
I will update as soon as I can. But we are doing well and Jess is going to be just fine. Hopefully in the next few days he'll be out of the worst of it. We don't think there will be too much scarring, most likely there will be discoloration, but time will tell. Jess was hoping for a nasty scar... he said "might as well after having to go through that much pain". :) If only women could look at our bodies after childbirth and think that! :)
Anyway. Time to get some rest! Love to all....

True Story.
There once was a girl with a crooked nose. She fell madly in love. She was with her love one night and he looked deep into her eyes and asked, "Did you break your nose?" Hoping for a great story, the love was caught off guard when the girl started to cry. You see, the girl had issues, or rather insecurities, with her crooked nose. Her love wasn't supposed to even notice her crooked nose, but inevitably he D I D and asked the profoundly impolite question. "Nuh-ohhhhh!" the girl was barely able to reply, choking back tears. He had some major back peddling to do. :)

Oh man, it's funny to remember 'special' moments like that. I just asked Jess if he remembered when he asked me if I had broken my nose! His reply: "Yep. *pause* It was a fair question, an honest question... Just trying to learn more about you."
I guess I can't argue with that. :)

B i R t H d A y B o y...

Is S I C K today! :( How sad, and unfair!

Jess and I went to Telluride for a couple days of skiing. It was a really fun time. It's amazing how you can be married to someone for nearly 8 years, and still find out something new about them. The drive there and back was priceless.

Starting out the trip - I actually drove for awhile - that usually never happens.Gotta have the "Spitz"

But NOT any other kind...I accidentally got this kind on the way back...After a couple hours Jess had to stop on the Rez to get the right kind. I have to admit, they were better.
(Mom, I'm sure you will find this information more than useful)

Jess took over after a couple hours - still spittin' seeds - It's addicting!I've never seen this much snow on the Rez before - It was really pretty.Getting gas in Cortez, where we got the best fountain gatoraide, and not too long before...

We tried going down this drive in our Outback. Oh, Jess was so confident in our little car.

But that's where his confidence got us... TWICE. (He's a glutten for punishment)Finally we were able to get the car towed out and enjoyed an evening in Dolores with our hospitable hosts. I wish I took pictures! Getting the boots nice 'n toasty during the drive to Telluride the next morning.

It took awhile getting to the resort because there was a TON of snow.

After a long day of skiing. It was really fun, and I was t i r e d.

We decided to stay in Telluride (on our drive up that morning from Dolores) After we got settled in,

We walked around downtown for a bit...

I've always loved coming into this store -even before I really played...

This was one of the guitars that caught my eye - not flashy, and it sounded really, really nice - and would be perfect for performing...if or WHEN I muster up the courage...

After a really yummy Mexican dinner we stopped by 'The Sweet Life"

Mmmm

The next morning we woke up to THIS. Lauhhhhhhhhhhh (choir of angels)

Ready for another day of skiing - Jess looks so stoked. Actually, we were both pretty tired!The view of town from the gondola

It was a perfect day of skiing. I am finally getting used to skiing in so much powder.

We just had a ton of fun goofing off...

I could NOT stop laughing after this biff - It was so unexpected... for him too!I kinda look out of control - I probably was, but was trying my darndest to look like I knew what I was doing.

"Fake it 'till you make it." For me it's all about confidence -It always takes me a bit to warm up and just go for it and not be so timid.

Our legs lasted until about 1:30, when we called it a day and headed back for home...

Where discs 3 & 4 of Season Two were waiting for us...
We watched BOTH of them!!! Hellewww! So much for being well rested after days away from the kiddos! (Thank you SO much Nana) My eyes are still trying to recover. Hopefully I can get a killer nap in after Church. Dang - we are hooked.