Ryan Bingham Stole my Crazyheart!

Earlier this month, Wes and I had the opportunity to go see this guy in concert!

You may not know who this guy is by photo, so let me just educate you a little here! His name is Ryan Bingham and he just happens to be the stealer of mine and yes, even Wes' heart! He won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his song "Weary Kind" from the movie Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges (who also won the Oscar for best actor in the movie!). We actually rented the movie via Redbox a couple of months ago and we both thought the movie was excellent and the music was even better! Then, coincidentally, Mr. Bingham came to Deer Valley to perform and the Park City Fire Dept. got a few complimentary tickets. We snagged a few and headed up the mountain!
(oh, if you turn up your speakers, you can hear him serenading me!) 

  

When we got there, a lot of people had abandoned their place on the grass, blankets and all, and made their way to the front to be next to the stage. We followed suit and were able to get really close to the stage! It was chilly but Wes stood behind me and kept me warm!                           

I love that Wes and I have the same taste in music and we love to do the same things! It makes for a very fun marriage! We had a blast that night and have been listening nonstop to Ryan on our ipod. Yes, we are on a first name basis! 

Giving him, well....his cardboard cutout, a nice big grope hug Amy style!

We also have a tradition of buying a band T Shirt for every show that we go to that blows us away! His shirts just happen to be the coolest in our collection so far! 

P.S. After seeing this photo, I am really liking this new Target bra! 

Celebrating #3

Can you believe that my best little buddy turned 3 this month!? He is getting so big, so funny and so crazy smart! His current interests are anything construction related, music of all kinds, fire trucks, ice cream, swings and the sandbox. He loves his fruit and veggies but still can't chew meat very well. He is not a fan of naps but likes his baths and going to bed at night (thank goodness!). He doesn't like to let us help him with things and wants his independence but likes to cuddle and wrap his arms around our neck or legs and tell us that he loves us....often! Three is a fun age - a tough age - but still fun! He gives us a nervous breakdown every once in while but for the most part, he has been a really good and well behaved kid! 

He has said some hilarious things to us this year and I'm not quite sure where he heard them. I remember he came into our room early one morning this summer while we were still sleeping and came over to my side of the bed. He stood there and looked at me for just a moment and said, "Where the heck have you been? You need to go take a shower!" Then there was another time when he and I were sitting on the couch talking and he said, "Get back to work you slacker!"

Here's to another fun and entertaining year with Emerson!

We decided not to have a party but to just give him his presents and cake at my parents house when we were there for our weekly Sunday dinner.

We made him open the least exciting present first: Clothing. We learned our lesson last year when he opened the most exciting gift first, then refused to open any more after that and cried when we wanted him to!

Daddy opens the John Deer tractor that Emerson received from my parents.

He loved the Imaginext from Colett and her family! 

He was so thrilled with everything he got! He didn't even mind all the clothes! Maybe he has a little of his mommy in him after all! 

The following Monday was his actual birthday so Wes got up at the crack of dawn and went to Harmon's Grocery to pick up 20 balloons. We were going to sneak into his room and tie them to the 4 corners of his bed so that when we woke up he would be surprised. But, the sound of 20 balloons trying to come down a hallway is REALLY loud! It woke him up and we just brought them into his room and sang happy birthday instead! 

When we asked him what he wanted to do for his special day, he told us he wanted to go to the park. So we did! We also went to lunch at Rubios because he loves the chipotle salsa! We then went to Wes' parents house where he got spoiled a little more!

He just can't stand the suspense! What is it!!!???

A box set of Bob the Builder videos - oh my! He is in heaven!

This is what he does every time I tell him to smile! Such a silly kid! He thought his Cookie Monster cupcake was pretty cool too!

Oh...and just in case you were wondering what Wes and I got him for his birthday:

Thanks a million to our family's for helping us celebrate this little guy's existance! You are all wonderful!

Celebrating #7

It is hard to believe that 8.5 years ago I met a great man. A man that I would fall head over heels for and that I would want to spend the rest of my life with. Now after celebrating 7 years of being married, I can still say that I am one lucky gal and that I love this man more with each passing day!

We decided to celebrate by packing several activities into one day! We dropped E off at my parents in the morning and headed up the mountain to Park City. A few months ago, Wes scored the highest on a course test at work and was rewarded by his department with 2 all access passes to the Park City Olympic Park. We thought our anniversary was the perfect opportunity to utilize them! 

Wes is practicing his slalom racing on the virtual alpine course.

I, however, am thinking I missed my calling in life. I can swing into a bobsled in no time! 

It was funny to see the costumes and props that were used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics. I remember watching them on TV and thinking how boring it was! Because let's be honest, it was pretty bad! 

The Australian olympic team was in town practicing so we hung out and watched them for awhile. Which didn't really make sense to us because isn't it winter in Australia right now? Anyway, you can see the brave little guy in the middle of the picture just above the trees. 

We were given bracelets to wear that allowed us to get us on all the rides. That's right - we are XTREME! 

I haven't ever seen the runs up close and they are soooo big! This photo doesn't do it justice! I was very awe struck! 

This is what they cover the the runs with. Layers upon layers of long strands of wavy plastic. It's really slick and feels like wire. 

Our passes got us rides on both zip lines (there is a small and a large one) and the alpine slide. This is the top of the small zip line.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Wes is trying to get his body in the most aerodynamic position. 

Next stop: the alpine slide. We were a little confused as to why the worker guy was wearing a beanie in 90 degree weather.

A view from my coaster!

After we left the Olympic park, we headed downtown to enjoy some tasty food from Cedars of Lebanon. It was soooo good! I loved the ambiance more than anything and it was fun to eat off a platter on a coffee table and relax our full bellies on the big silk pillows!

After dinner, we headed to Pioneer Park to hear the sounds of Zooey Deschanel in her band She and Him. I love her and her music! We have been wanting to see them in concert for a long time and it just so happened they were in town on this very night - and it was FREE! 

After elbowing our way through the drunken crowds we were able to get a really good spot to stand and watch about 30 feet from the stage.

Our Kodak moment!

When the concert was over we walked all over downtown. We checked out dark alleys, parking garages and we even climbed this stairway to get a better look at the skyline. Salt Lake is probably the only major city where you can feel safe walking around dark places!

We even decided to show off some of our talents. 

Wes does a little parkour.

Ahhhhh! Good times, Wes! Let's do it again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.....

Dear Denver, I Like You!

I was home from Wyoming for only a week and a half before venturing onto my next destination. Denver, CO. My cousin Matt and his wife, Alex, were having an open house and vow ceremony to celebrate their wedding that had actually occurred year ago. The actual wedding was very small and intimate and held in Oregon on Alex's family's property. Only a handful of family and friends were able to go so they held this open house as a way for everyone to come and celebrate. The trip was originally going to be Wes and me with little E in the back seat once again and we were going to just follow my parents in their car. Wes decided to stay home with E at the last minute, my sister, Colett, decided she wanted to go too so it ended up that she and I just rode with my parents. I was really sad at first to not have my hubby and boy with me. I really wanted Wes to see Colorado and be able to go on another vacation with each other. But then reality set in and I thought of how great it was all going to be! No pushing a stroller everywhere, no one to get bored and annoyed while I shopped for 8 hours, no one to run around and have to be chased down the aisles at the Rockies game, no one to worry about what to eat for lunch because an ice cream cone for lunch just isn't sufficient enough! It was awesome!

No offense boys, I love you, but this was a great trip without you!

Our first stop was the Main Street Cafe in Grand Junction. It is a classic all American diner with the usual menu items and it's decorated in vintage memorabilia. The food was delicious! 

The city has several large sculptures and art pieces throughout the streets and this one caught my sister's attention! Her climbing on it and riding it caught mine! Yee-Haw Lett! 

Next stop: Vail. What do you do when on vacation in one of the most beautiful towns in the Rocky Mountains? You find a lot of photo ops! Cheeeeeese!

My father and mother. They kind of felt like the hosts of the party while my sister and I were like the hired entertainment. 

A river runs through it. When your child or husband isn't with you on vacation, you end up getting a lot of pictures taken of yourself! 

Vail. You rock.

Me and my sis.

I wish this was my view when I looked out my window. But, no. 

The next day my dad and uncle went golfing and the girl's had a great day without them! We used my parent's GPS (aka Lulu) to navigate us though the city to all our shopping destinations! We spent the day shopping and touring the city waiting for my dad to meet up with us. It was so much fun and I am really glad that both my mom and sister love to shop as much as I do! We wore ourselves out!

We stopped at a cute little cafe and ate homemade ice cream. I got the salty caramel! Oh my! It was heaven on earth and I have been craving it ever since!

We finally met up with my dad and he took us all to a Rockies game that night. Our tickets may not have been the best, but the people watching and the mass amounts of food my dad bought for us was fantastic! In this picture my dad is saying, "Eat your heart out, Wes!' Seriously, he is! 

Coors Stadium.

The players entering the field. Notice the fountains in the back. They shoot off whenever something exciting happens. The Rockies were playing the Milwaukee Brewers and were down quite a bit by the 7th inning so we decided to leave. Just so happens that right when we left, things got real exciting and the Rockies were able to pull ahead and win the game. We could hear the fans screaming as we walked down the street to the car! 

Looking back at the stadium and wondering what all the cheering is for! 

City of Denver. It is huge!

We walked around downtown on 16th street. We caught this guy playing his electric guitar in the alley. Way cool! 

The next day we headed into Boulder where the reception was being held and where we planned to stay the night. Boulder is a big college town and it was back to school season so there were a lot of people in town. Boulder is very "earth friendly" and it was interesting place, to say the least.

There is a large promenade that is open only to pedestrians. There are street performers on every corner and we watched (and listened. yawn.) to this guy for awhile. Stop talking and do your thing Mr. Really Tall Unicycle Guy! 

We hit the city's Saturday Farmer's Market. If you like lactose and gluten, this is not the place for you! If you like over the top all natural, organic and allergy free everything, this is the place for you. What I found really interesting is that everyone was so concerned with eating healthy, but the town is notorious for it's large consumption of alcohol (think Coors) and EVERYONE there smokes - tobacco and weed. Hmmm? I think I'll have that Duncan Hines made-from-a-box brownie with a tall glass of whole milk, please!

That evening we went to Matt and Alex's party. It was held at a little farm just outside of town and it was gorgeous! They used the produce from the farm to make the food that was served at the reception. Everything was delicious! Favorite tasty treat of the evening, SALTY CARAMEL cupcakes! How did they know I needed one of those?!

That evening we retired to our hotel room and hit the hay. We knew we had a long drive ahead of us in the morning.

We didn't make as many stops on the way home since he hit everything on the way there, but we did go into the gas station to pick up a few lottery tickets. The Denver Lottery jackpoct was up to almost 80 million! No such luck for me, though! It just wasn't my day to be rich, I guess! 

Thanks mom and dad for toting me along! You guys are great tour guides and I hope I get to vacation with you again someday!