Daddy's Little Girl

I think it's true that for most little girls (and big girls too!), their dad is their hero.  Dad's have a special place in their daughters' hearts that is saved just for them.  No one can fill it and no one can replace it.  It's meant only for him. 

My dad is quite simply my hero.  I look up to him immensely and in my eyes, he can do no wrong.  He's who I go to when I need advice, and he's who I trust the most with my questions and life decisions.  He's my role model, my friend, my first love, and my hero.  There really aren't words to describe the love, respect, and admiration I have for him.  He is truly just the best and I'm so lucky to have him.

Tomorrow is a big day for my dad as he goes in for surgery.  I'm so sad that I can't be there along side him as he goes through it, but I'm thinking about him every second and sending so much love his way.  I ask you all to send good thoughts his way tomorrow too.  I pray for a quick, successful surgery and a speedy recovery.  I know that in the end, it will be much better.

I love you dad, more than you will ever know!

Wednesday Wisdom

I love this quote.  Sometimes we get caught up trying to prove ourselves to others, and all that does is bring us down.  There's nothing to prove.  We are enough.  We don't need to and shouldn't have to prove our worth, or our integrity, or our values to anyone.  Know your own worth and your own strengths and find the people that stand by you and see it too.  They are the ones that will bring you happiness and contentment.  Those that question you are not worth it.  You are enough.  There's nothing to prove to anyone.

Weekend Fun!

Oh boy, was it a fun weekend around here!  The weather finally cooperated and the wind died down enough for us to have a fun-filled weekend outside. 

 

On Saturday, we decided to go snowshoeing up Gallatin Canyon so we could try out the new hiking backpack that we got for Christmas.  We had planned on doing a trail in the canyon, but little Mr. Drew slept the whole way, so we decided to not wake him up, and went all the way to Big Sky.  We decided to give Beehive Basin another shot (we tried to reach the summit unsuccessfully three times this summer due to storms).  We knew we probably wouldn’t make it again, since we would be slow going on snow shoes, but it’s such a beautiful area and there’s a pretty good viewpoint not too far up the trail.

 

 

Once we got there, Drew woke up from his nap, and we fed him a quick meal, so we could head out on the trail.  It was a beautiful day, and in fact, it was so warm, that I had to shed most of my layers because I was so hot. 

 

 

 

 

 

The backpack worked great, and Drew really seemed to like it.  I think he enjoyed being able to look around.  I mean, who wouldn’t want to be carried by their dad on a hike!!  Plus, the views were great.  It sure is a beautiful area.

 

After the hike, we had some lunch at Lone Peak Brewery, which is one of our favorite places to eat in Big Sky.  It was delicious.  Then we headed home.  Drew slept the entire ride home too, so the hike must have worn him out!

 

Saturday night, we tried to go to the MSU men’s basketball game, but Drew wasn’t having any of it, so we had to leave at halftime. The games don’t start until seven, which is pretty much Drew’s bedtime nowadays, so I don’t think he’ll be making any more night games. He needs his sleep, and gets pretty grumpy if we don’t get him to bed on time!

 

Sunday, I wanted to watch the Broncos football game, so we ran some errands in the morning, and came home at one to watch the game.  Doug wasn’t too thrilled to be spending the nice day inside watching football, so we decided to go for a quick bike ride around the neighborhood at halftime.  We didn’t make it back until the fourth quarter, but that was okay since the Broncos were winning, and we were having fun on our bike ride.  The Burley pulled great, and we’ve been really impressed with its ease of use.  Switching from biking to skiing is a breeze, and it has really worked well for everything that we’ve tried so far.  And Drew seems to like it too.  He slept through most of the bike ride!

 

 

 

 

Overall, it was a pretty great weekend, full of family fun.  We’re glad the weather cooperated and we got to enjoy the beautiful nature surrounding us.  Next weekend is someone’s BIG 3-0, so we have some more fun planned.  Although, I’m not sure I’m quite ready for the milestone.  I guess I’ll enjoy these last few days of my 20’s.  Hard to believe!!  Hope you all had wonderful weekends as well and are enjoying this beautiful week that we’re having too!

MLK

 

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. today and his wisdom beyond his years and time.  He certainly knew what he was talking about.  His visions for this world were right on, but unfortunately, we're still not quite there.  Love and acceptance of those who are different than us is not a hard task, but it's one that we certainly need to master in order to move forward in a world of less judgment and hate.  I encourage us all to be committed to live in love rather than in hate, and to be the love and light that we want to see in the world today and every day. Happy MLK Day!!

High Five for Friday!

It's Friday!!  Yay!  I'm so excited that it's Friday, and it's looking like we're going to have a beautiful weekend around here.  We have some fun family activities planned and I'm looking forward to getting outside since last weekend we were cooped up with the terrible wind. 

It's been a good week too, so let's recap the highlights of the week:

1.     Drew has been pretty mobile for a while now.  He's an expert roller and was getting pretty good at pulling himself around.  He'd even crawl a couple of steps, but then fall to his belly. This week, he finally did the traditional crawl that we all imagine when we think of crawling.  He crawled all the way across the room to me.  It was pretty awesome!!

 

 

2.     Doug and I finally booked a trip for after tax season.  We are going to Oahu for a week, and I couldn’t be more excited.  Tax season is always long, and by the end of the three long, cold months of not seeing Doug nearly as much as I’d like to, it will be nice to go someplace warm and spend some quality time together!  Drew helped us figure out our budget!

 

3.     For some reason, Drew has been getting up much earlier than normal this week.  I kind of hate it because I really like my sleep, but it’s also been nice to see some of the beautiful sunrises that we have right out our back door.  We sure live in a beautiful place, and these mornings that I’ve been up feeding Drew have really reminded me of that!

 

 

4.     Last night, I got together with some girlfriends for happy hour and dinner.  It was fun to get out and spend some time with the girls.  Doug was kind enough to watch Drew while I had some adult time, and he and Drew went to the MSU men’s basketball game.  I think they had fun watching some basketball, and I had fun spending some time with friends!

 

 

5.     I made a couple more scarves for my mom and sisters this week.  It’s really quite amazing how well they have turned out.  I really like the look of them and I’m proud to say that I made them!

Well folks, that’s it.  How was your week?  Hope you’re enjoying this beautiful Friday and have a great weekend!

Lifesaver

As many of you know, Drew, our beautiful baby boy, entered our lives about nine months ago.  He's perfect, and I'm so in love with him.  But as many of you also know, having a newborn (or any child at all), makes it incredibly difficult to get exercise in.  As someone who used to exercise regularly, it's been hard on me to have such a sporadic, and often nonexistent, exercise routine.  I know I've mentioned this struggle before, but it's definitely been one of the hardest adjustments for me with having Drew.  I want to get my body back, but I also want to spend time with Drew.  It takes a good chunk of time to make it to the gym and back, and I have a hard time fitting that in my new mom schedule.

The exercise struggle ended for me this Christmas when Doug's parents so generously gave us a treadmill.  It has truly been a lifesaver for me.

I've used that thing almost every day since we've had it.  It's so nice to get back to a regular workout schedule, and it's so convenient that I can do it in the comfort of my own home and I don't have to leave Drew to do it.  I can go for a quick run while he takes a nap, or more often, he keeps me company in his jumper.  He actually quite likes the exercise room because it has one wall that is entirely mirrors, and as we all know, babies love to look at themselves.  He often just sits in the jumper and laughs at himself.  It's pretty darn cute.  It's been so great to get my exercise in and not have to worry about finding a time when I could leave Drew or finding someone to watch him.  It truly has been a lifesaver, and I'm so grateful for this new exercise option.  So thanks Wayne and Jean, we love the treadmill, and I'm so happy that I can finally feel like I'm making some progress on getting my pre-baby body back!

Wednesday Wisdom

Today's Wednesday Wisdom comes from a sign/piece of artwork that my sister got me for Christmas.  It's a beautiful reminder and I found the perfect place for it in our master bathroom.  The message is simple: believe in yourself and all that you are and have confidence in and love yourself unconditionally.  I love the quote and I think the bathroom is the perfect place to be reminded of our beauty and strength daily.  The message is so true and something that I think all women (and men!) need to remember and truly believe about themselves.  Thanks sister, I love it!! 

 

I've had this post ready all week, I just forgot to put it up this morning.  Sorry!