...and the living is easy!

I would like to start this blog post the same way that I started my last post, but that seems quite redundant. Even though they are separated by three month's time, they are only centimeters apart on your monitor, which makes it too close for me. Regardless, Hello! I've missed you, whomever you are!

Clint and I just returned from a wonderful vacation in Kellogg, ID where we biked all over! We were one of four couples staying at a family friends' house. Other couples included my parents, my cousin-once-removed John and his wife Ginny, and family friends Mark and Anne. We had a great time!

We arrived on Friday evening and set the plan to ride the Trail of the Hiawatha Route on Saturday. This is a 15-mile historical train track that has been converted into a bicycle trail down the pass. The neat thing about this trail is that it takes riders through 10 tunnels and 7 high tressels, just as a train would have in decades past. The first, and most impressive tunnel, starts about 20 meters into the ride, and continues in complete blackness for 1.66 miles! The temperature inside the tunnel is a chilling 36 degrees year-round. The tunnel begins in Montana, and part way through crosses the state line into Idaho. From there, riders continue along an educational and breathtakingly beautiful ride through the Bitterroot Mountainside.

On Sunday, Clint and I went downhill mountain biking on Silver Mountain. Let me tell you, this is not for the faint of heart, or soft of rear! The gondola, the world's longest, takes you 3.4 miles up the mountain, with your bikes following you in the next car. When you reach the top, an extensive 8 mile downhill adventure awaits. Being a beginner, I opted for the easy route down for our first run. Well, after about 15 minutes, the easiest route (green) dumps you off into a blue run, the next level of difficulty. Having no other options, we (cautiously) proceed.

Skip to the chase: Our first run down the mountain took us about two hours to make the 8 mile descent. Our second; an hour and twenty minutes. Our third and final run; forty minutes. Let's just say that this whole downhill mountain biking thing kind of grew on me as the day went on. It was amazing!

By Monday morning, Clint and I were the only folks left in the house. Feeling utterly wrecked from the previous day's battle, we took it easy and headed to Wallace, ID for the Sierra Silver Mine tour. What a neat thing to do! We had a tour of an underground silver mine, our guide demonstrated some of the equipment used in silver mining, and we got to hear all about the mines! It really was a neat tour.

We then went to the Old Bordello Museum and learned about the working girls in employ until 1988. What an eye-opening and shocking experience that was!

By Tuesday we were feeling OK and we headed to Harrison, about an hour away and at the South end of Lake Coeur d'Alene, to bike the 15 miles to Plummer. This was beautiful! The paved trail crossed over a part of the lake, and the view from the bridge was spectacular. Then the trail climbed up for 6 miles along the hillside. We saw a fawn and about 3 million grasshoppers. Plummer was a nothing destination, so we turned right around and headed back to Harrison for milkshakes.

Long time, no blog!

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 6 months since the last time I posted a blog! As I have always known, and rarely admit, I am a great starter...

So, what's been going on? Well, the house is coming together! Over New Year's weekend we took the wallpaper out of the kitchen and painted the walls blue. Yes, almost the same color blue as thr outside of our house. We have a very blue house, with a blue door, a blue kitchen, and blue cars. Maybe we like blue for everything because the sky around here is always cloudy...

The weather was fabulous in February, so Clint and I started on our yard work items! We pulled out the Maple Tree that was planted at the corner of our driveway, out of control, and blocking the view of our house. I now have a nice flower garden there that is starting to fill in nicely, along with the dozens of other plants and bulbs that I planted in out flower bed between the street & our retaining wall.

I found my raised bed! We have a raised veggie garden bed outside that was completely (COMPLETELY) overgrown with dandelions, blackberry, and other randoms. While Clint was in Baltimore, I found and completely cleared it out! I have planted 2 hops for Clint, and the veggie starts & seeds should go in this coming weekend!

I have reorganized my craft room to make room for my new sewing machine! I randomly bumped into Mom at the fabric stor a few weeks ago and followed her next door to the sewing maching store where they had a great used machine. I thought this would be pretty great to have, so as I went to purchase it the next day, I thought I'd call Mom just to make sure it was a good buy. Dad said he'd save me the trip, as he had just returned home with it for me! Happy early birthday, Shannon!

Here are some cards that I've made recently.

KITTENS! KITTENS KITTENS KITTENS! At the end of January, we brought home Hops and Barley, our rascally, obnoxiously affectionate purr boxes of love! They are the sweetest kittens, and they have certainly changed the mood in our house. They are siblings, and they snuggle together in a way that just about akes you cry it's so cute. They have terrorized the house a little, but we love them, so we've been dealing with it. They are wonderful! They are just over 6 months old, and weigh 7 lbs!

Clint and I are embarking on our next weight loss adventure. It seems as though it's always one thing or another, and yesterday we began yet again. We are adhering to the Dr. Atkins eating philosophy of lowering our carbohydrate intake to encourace our body's to turn to our ouw fat sources for fuel. Day 2, and I'm starving! I have become so addicted to the SAD (Standard American Diet) of pasta, bread, potatoes, and PIZZA that this change is really tough. I don't feel hungry as in, hunger pangs, but I'm starving and craving the sensation of eating and of feeling full. I love that feeling. That's why I have punds to lose! My goal is to lose 62 lbs. Wish me luck!

Work work work. Since about Thanksgiving, I have not had a chance to breath. Most companies right now are struggling to keep pace, whereas we are almost to the point where we need to turn away prospective clients. We have so much work that both my boss and I are in a constant state of anxiety and hurry. It's great for business, but until we hire a new intern, we'll continue to sink, little by little until we realize that we're under water!

Enough on that for now. More later!