National Western Stock Show

Hello Everybody,

The week did not start off so great for me. I came home Monday evening and began feeling nauseous, and by 10pm it was evident that I had a stomach virus. Jimi stayed up with me most of the night. I think we both slept between 2pm and 6am.Needless to say, I did not go to work on Tuesday. By that evening I wasn't feeling sick anymore; however, I had no energy from not eating.

I finally got our 2008 scrapbook posted on line. Please take a look, as many of you are in the album. With the 3d embellishments, it is much better in person. Anyhow, here is the link. Please enjoy! http://dogbonegraphics.com/blog/?page_id=247

Jimi started his final semester of college this past week. His schedule is as follows: Mondays - Web Design, Tuesdays - Digital Video, Wednesdays - PHP, and every other Thursday - the Capstone.

I spent nearly the entire day on Saturday in Mead with my girlfriend, Jennifer, and Jimi made a trip to Denver to take pictures.

On Sunday we went to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. We watched several shows: the mule keyhole races, the Clydesdale 8 horse team, the mule costume contest, and the Clydesdale heavy weight pull. While the mule costume contest was somewhat of a ridiculous joke, we sat in awe watching the rest. The mule keyhole races were fascinating; the way those mules move so quickly and turn on a dime was astounding. The Clydesdale 8 horse team was a beautiful sight. The winner for this show was for Colorado; however, the winner of all the combined team competitions was from Michigan. The horses were absolutely gorgeous. Finally, the heavy weight pull kept us on the edge of our seats to see weather or not the horses could do it. Those horses gave it everything they had. We saw them working and working to pull the bed of sandbags. Some tried so hard they would loose their footing and fall down. The winner of this competition was also from Michigan. We didn't get to see the animals in the stock yard, but had a nice time anyhow.

That evening we made homemade chicken noodle soup, watch some TV, and played cards.

That's about all for now.

Love Everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Here's the latest...

Hello Everybody,
 
Jimi and I made the decision to bring Jennifer back to Longmont before the end of the school year. We are flying her home on January 30th; unfortunately, she will not be able to bring all of her belongings. She is shipping some of her smaller personal items through UPS, but she will have to leave her furniture. We weighed the options and financially it is not worth driving out there to bring her furniture back. It will be more cost effective to obtain new (used) stuff.
 
Jimi carpeted the basement for her and we rearranged the house a little. The basement includes a living roomand a bedroom. We set it up with a couch, chair, end table, and TV in the living room area and a bed and dresser in the bedroom area.The basement has a separateentrance, which will give her (and us) privacy from her and her friends coming and going. The change is going to be different having someone else in the house with us, but we think we are making it as easy on everyone as possible.
 
On Wednesday Jimi brought lunch from Red Lobster to work and we sat in the lunchroom eating together. That was sweet of my man. All my girl friends at work are jealous because he always does stuff like this for me.
 
On Thursday evening we went out to eat for a really nice dinner at O's Steak and Seafood located in the Westin Hotel in Westminster. Wow, that was a fancy place. My meal was like something you see on TV: a large fancy plate with two shrimps and two scallops on it. I was floored, but surprisingly with the side of pasty rice it filled my belly. Jimi ordered a smoked steak. He had a smaller plate, but more food. We giggled about it. Miller, however, had to wait in the car.
 
I had a dentist appointment on Wednesday morning and I am pleased to report that I am cavity free.
 
Friday night I went to dinner, drinks, and a movie with a group of girls from work. We saw the movie "Bride Wars". It was cute and I am glad I went to see it, but not a movie I would likely want to see again.
 
Saturday night Jimiand I went to a party in Windsor with Vicki, my friend from work. We had a great time getting to know some of her other friends, playing poker, dancing, talking, and lets not forget drinking.
 
Sunday morning we went to breakfast and saw some friends from work, so we sat together. And then we went home to clean house and do laundry. Later in the day, we bought Blizzards from Dairy Queen and ate them while taking Miller on a long walk. We buzzed through the grocery store and it was back home for the night. It was a pretty relaxing day.
 
That all for now. Hope all is well with you.
 
Love Everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

It's a work work work week

Hello Everybody,
 
One thing of interest this week, but otherwise it was productive for us, yet boring for you to read about; therefore, I will be brief.
 
I spent the week and weekend engolfed in working both my jobs. Jimi was very productive with honey-dos around the house.
 
We made time to cook together a couple of nights, which is something I really love doing, and we went to the local pub one evening for a few beers.
 
Saturday we rearranged a portion of the house. We disassembled what we used to refer to as the "reading room" and turned it into a working room for selling on ebay. We have a packaging/boxing table with shelves holding all our supplies and a photo table for taking pictures with a white and black backgrounds. We believe making the process more effecient will encourage/motivate us to sell the things we have that have been sitting around for a long time.
 
I spent some time on the phone with my exhusband and my daughter, Jennifer, this week. Jim S. was laid off from his job in Kingman. He has since accepted a position for a fire equipment company in Boise, ID.We are making arrangements for Jennifer to move back to Longmont with Jimi and I. The details including the date has not been worked out yet, but I will keep you posted.
 
I finished our 2008 scrapbook, but did not have time to upload them to our blog for you viewing. When I get them done, I will let you know.
 
We woke up to several inches of snow this morning and I am meeting Jimi for coffee in Niwot in a few minutes, and otherwise that's it. All is well and life is good.
 
Love Everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Happy 2009 New Year

Hello Everybody,

The Holidays are over and life can resume to what we know as normal. I trust that you had a beautiful Christmas and rang in a festive New Year.

I did not take last week off work, as I wanted to save my vacation time for our summer trip to California. I worked at Crocs most of the week and for Cencorp a little nearly everyday. We also managed to spend a lot of time with Jennifer and Daniel.

Monday night the four of us went to the Colorado Avelanche hockey game. They played the Nashville Preditors winning 5 to 1. It was an awesome game, as the Aves were on fire.

Tuesday evening Jennifer and I went to Jester's Dinner Theatre. The play was the Charles Dickens classic "The Christmas Carol"; also known as "Scrooge" and very well done. The food was good too. We had a nice mother daughter time. Jimi and Daniel hung out at the house with frozen pizza and pop.

On Wednesday Daniel and Jimi went to Boondocks Fun Center, where they played laser tag, raced go-carts, played video games, miniture golf, and hit baseballs in the batting cage. Jennifer and I went shopping for much needed apparel: jeans, socks, underwear, etc. We had fun trying on clothes and shopping. That evening  we met Brad and Ellen for dinner and drinks at Gorden Beirsch's in Superior. They headed home around 10pm, but we stayed just a little longer. When we did finally leave, we dropped Jennifer off at her friends house and got back home just in time for the new year to arrive. Jimi, Daniel, and I sat in the hot tub before calling it a night.

Thursday morning was a slow start; however, I got up and made french toast, sausage, and eggs for breakfast. Jimi had a bit of a hangover, so I insisted he rest. I cleaned house, put away the christmas tree and decorations, and did laundry. That evening I made supper and chocolate chip cookies. The four of us each had a hand in making a ginigerbread house. It turned out really cute; here is a picture.

On Friday Jimi, Daniel, and I went snowboarding at Eldora Ski Resort. It was our first time going this season. The snow was not good at all and I did not have much of a taste for it, so I only did 2 runs. The boys also thought the snow sucked, but tore up the black slopes. Jennifer spent her last day with her friends. That evening we had pizza and lost ANOTHER game of monopoly to Jimi. We had a bit of a scare with Jennifer when she verbally refused to get on the plane back to Arizona.

Saturday morning I dropped Jennifer and Daniel off at the airport at 7am and then I had to go into work. I worked the whole day, and that evening Jimi took me to a very nice resturaunt for dinner in the Omni Resort Hotel. We enjoyed the kids' visit, but celebrated by cherishing our time alone.

And again on Sunday we hibernated in the house spending time together, as well as doing our own thing.

All in all, it was a good week. The holidays are over and we will turn our focus to a more serious nature of work and school.

We hope all is well and until next time.....
Love Everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Christmas Week

Hello Everybody,

The week was wonderful. Spending time with my family was a real treat, just as it was spending time with Jimi's family over the Thanksgiving holiday. Jimi and I are so blessed to have such a wonderful family who love us.

Jennifer spent Monday and Tuesday catching up with friends she had not seen since she left in August. Daniel and Jimi spent time playing guitar hero, other Xbox 360 games, and doing other destructive things that boys do while having a good time. I tried to get a whole weeks work done in two days at Crocs, as well as trying to get some things done for Cencorp.

Tuesday evening we had to take an unexpected trip to Mead. The dishwasher quit working and Jimi needed to fix it. We got that done and then went back home to get ready for our trip.

Wednesday morning we headed for Nebraska arriving around 4pm. This year Mom decided to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve in an effort to alieve chaos on Christmas day and it worked. A couple of hours after we arrived, we ate a beautiful Christmas meal with turkey, ham, mashed and sweet potatoes, and many more tasty dishes. It was fantastic. After dinner we vegged on the couch, each got to open a present, and then went to sleep waiting for Santa to come.

Christmas morning was the traditional scene. Each person got up to find a stocking full of goodies and once everyone was awake and had their necessary coffee dad started handing out presents to open. Our family is not that big, but to see all the presents one would think we were a large clan. Everyone was happy and the day continued with no schedule. We simply played with our gifts and enjoyed each other's company.  As with each visit, Jimi was put to work fixing, setting up and/or installing something for mom and dad, which is something he enjoys doing. That evening we played several games of twister, embarked in sword fighting, and went bankrupt in Monopoly (except for Jimi, as he owned the entire world by the end of the game) and then we bestowed upon our merry selves cocktails and karaoke. 
 
I have attached a picture for you. From left to right.
Bottom row: Larry (my dad), Jacque (my mom), Lorie (me), Miller (da dog), and Jimi.
Top row: Brittany (my great niece), Daniel (my son), Marie (my sister), Jennifer (my daughter), and Kristina (my great niece).
My sister's daughters Jacque Sue and Bonnie were not present, nor was Lyle, my sister's spouse.

I won't bore you with the details of our gifts, but I do want to mention one gift that Jimi gave me. He booked us a trip to Las Vegas in February. I was so surprised and am very excited. He says the hotel is really nice and right on the strip. Of course you will hear all about it in February.

Friday we spent the morning moving my sister from Overland, NE back to Stamford, NE. She moved to Overton a few months ago, but was unable to find work and decided it would be better to stay south. Luckily, her old job at Bugbees Restaurant was waiting for her, so it all worked out. After lunch we laid down to watch the movie Iron Man, and again that evening, as if we did not learn our lesson the first time, we all went bankrupt while we watched the Jimi empire grow in another game of monopoly.

Saturday we drove home, and once there, we unpacked, did the laundry, and laid around. We went to bed kind of early, as we were all tired from the hectic week.

One of my gifts from Jimi was a remote start for my car, which lead to Jimi and Daniel spending most of the day installing it on Sunday afternoon.

Now Monday is here again and I am back at work; however, we have a busy week with a lot of family activities planned before the kids fly back to Arizona.

Please have a safe and happy new year!

Love everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Family and Friends,

There's not a whole lot to speak of regarding this past week. The main things included tying up loose ends for Christmas, finishing the bathroom, and picking up Jennifer and Daniel from the airport.

I had dinner with my girlfriend, Brenda last Monday evening and then coffee with some girl friends on Wednesday night. Friday night we went to Mike Oshays, a local Irish pub for a quick drink with my girlfriend, Vicki; however, she left and we stayed. We always have such a wonderful time together whether we are alone or with others and this evening was no exception. We sat cocktail after cocktail, beer after beer, and talked about everything under the sun. Though our bill was way more than we had originally planned, it was worth it.

Jimi received his grades for all 5 of his classes and as suspected, got straight A's. With only one semester to go, he still holds a 4.0 gpa.

             

We finally finished redecorating the bathroom and are very happy with the results. I attached a picture for you to see a portion of it. We took down the old wall paper border, painted the walls white with grey trim, bought, and hung a new shower curtain. Jimi also painted the dresser and door the same grey color. I believe the only thing left is the art work. Jimi is going to print and hang one of his beautiful photos.


I spent the weekend cleaning house, doing laundry, and preparing for Jennifer and Daniel's visit. Jimi spent much of the weekend playing guitar hero and on his computer. All in all it was a productive weekend, yet a lazy one, as we didn't go anywhere but hibernated in doors for two whole days.

Movies we watched included "Gone With the Wind" and "Ride With the Devil", which are both Civil War movies. We also watched "The Matrix", which is a sci-fi movie.

We picked Jennifer and Daniel up from the Denver airport at 11:30pm Sunday night. It was 2am before we were settled and all in bed. I know that this week is going to be very busy and before I know it I will be writing you again. But, in the meantime, we hope you have a wonderful week of Christmas bliss.

Merry Christmas and God Bless you all!

Love Everybody,
Lorie & Jimi

Christmas Parties

Family and Friends,

Hello everyone. This week was pretty full for Jimi and I.

Jimi finished his classes for the semester and now has a six week break before the next set begins. I don't think he has his grades yet, but I am confident that he will have finished again with straight As.



I worked at Crocs and for Cencorp, as well as finished some homemade Christmas gift projects.


Thursday night was the Cencorp Christmas party. It was merely a dinner at a nice Italian Restaurant in Boulder called Carellis. After dinner six of the eight of us went to a nearby bar called the Dark Horse. We each had a drink or two and then went home. I think we were home by 10:30pm. I have attached a group picture of us. Some of you know some of these folks.



Friday night we had to turn around and do it all over again, as it was the Crocs Christmas 

party. This party was held at the Boulder Theatre. My department went to dinner beforehand just down the street at the Cheesecake Factory. It was very yummy. The party was a lot of fun too. The live band called the Funkiphino was very good. We danced practically the whole evening and had a blast. Still we were home by 11:30pm or so. Attached is a picture of (from left to right) my closest friend Vicki, my boss Eric, my other close friend, Jennifer who is also rents my house, and then, me. This picture was fun because we were trying to get a serious picture of us, but Jimi kept snapping pictures one after the other, which only made us laugh and goof off more. After six goofy pictures, we finally got a serious one, but I thought it was more fun to send you this one.

 Also in this week Jimi made another you tube video. You have to watch this one; it is so funny. We began preparing for the making of it last weekend at our favorite local diner, and he finished it up later in the week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54AyGD0-1a8

We spent all day Saturday on the bathroom. We took down all the fixtures, towel racks, and medicine cabinet and then painted a couple of coats of the white paint. We also watched Pulp Fiction and reaxed a bit before bed.

Sunday the weather turned cold and snowy. We woke up to several inches of snow and below zero tempuratures. We stayed in the house ALL day. We painted some more on the bathroom; however, it is not finished. I did all the laundry, cleaned the house, wrapped a few presents, and worked for Cencorp. It was a great indoor day. 

That's about it for now. Hope all is well and you have a wonderful week.



Love everybody,

Lorie & Jimi