Grandparents!

When we were in Salt Lake we had the most wonderful evening with my grandparents Bob and Allene Fowler. (My mom's father) It is a special treat for my kids to know their great grandparents.

My grandpa is a gifted and talented artist who still paints for hours every day. My favorite thing about going to their house, is not only the amazing food, beautiful decorated interior, and great conversation, but most of all, to see what artwork is keeping my grandpa busy.

He gave Maddie and Josh a 20 minute, kids style, Art 101 class. They loved the hands on attention and especially enjoyed watching him mix so many different oil paints to create fresh new colors. It brought back memories from when I was that age sitting on my grandpa's knee painting with him in Palm Springs.

We are blessed to have the wonderful grandparents that we do. Thank you so much for making my children (and Dave and I) feel so special when we come to your house. We love you!

Jakey and Matts

This weekend we had a real treat. Dave's sister Jessie, her husband James, and their three kids came to party with us. It was a great weekend all the way around! Jess, please know that I love all your kids, but this blog is dedicated to Jake!

Jake is one year older than Maddie, and I just can't get over how cute they are together. Everywhere they go, they are holding hands. Jake just always seems to be looking out for her. For example: Josh, William, and Jake were having a sword fight with the light sabers, and William had two swords. Jake came up to William with the sweetest voice and said, "Will you please give me another light saber for Matts?" He asked about five times before William gave in. Then, Jake ran over to Maddie and said in a very serious tone, "Here you go Maddie, you will need this to protect yourself." I could tell Maddie was so happy to have someone watching out for her.
That night, I was putting Maddie to bed and in runs Jake with his favorite stuffed animal. He said, "Maddie, I want you to sleep with this tonight." (Adorable!)
On Sunday afternoon we were eating lunch and Jake asked his dad for a drink of water. James said, "I will get you a drink in a minute." Without any of us seeing, Maddie climbed down out of her chair, brought a cup over to the refrigerator and filled it with ice and water and quietly handed it to Jake without a word. Jake said, "Thanks Matts." And then Maddie returned to her seat. The four of us adults sat there stunned that Maddie had even heard Jake ask for a drink. (Adorable!)
Best for last...
On Saturday night we went out for ice cream. Dave and I ordered a large shake for our family to share and we split it up into little dishes. Jessie got her boys chocolate ice cream cones. When Maddie saw what Jake had, she started to cry that she wanted the same thing. I went and got Maddie a cone and I put her ice cream into a cone just like Jakey's. She started crying even more because she wanted chocolate, just like Jake. Dave and I looked at each other trying to decide if we should tell her to suck it up, or should we give in and go get her a chocolate cone. After only a few seconds, Jake says, "Maddie, do you want my ice cream cone?" He had licked every inch of it, but there was still a good sized scoop on the cone. She immediately stopped crying and said, "Thanks Jakey." It seriously was the sweetest most tender moment I have seen in a long time. Jake didn't care what kind of ice cream he had, as long as Maddie was happy. All of us felt like we wanted to somehow capture that moment.
Jakey, we love you so much for being the kindest cousin to Maddie. Happy Birthday on the 18th!

A "sparkley" prayer!

This just may be the cutest girl in the world. At least in my eye's. So, here is the story. Maddie has become very excited to say prayers over the last few months. She wants to say the prayer every time we sit at the table. Lately she has started to use a lot of adjectives when describing things in her prayers. No longer does she say, "Thank you for this day, and thank you for this night." She now says, "Thank you for this beautiful day and beautiful night," and everything else in the rest of the prayer has the word beautiful in front of it. The next day, she will say "wonderful" in front of everything. "Thank you for this wonderful carrot. Thank you for this wonderful table, and wonderful dog, and wonderful house, and wonderful baby brother, etc..." So the other night she began her prayer and decided the adjective for the night would be "sparkley." "Thank you for this sparkley day. Thank you for this sparkley family. Thank you for this sparkley chicken." Everything in the prayer was sparkely. I just keep hearing her voice in my head because it was so sweet and sincere. It took a lot of effort to say the word sparkley in front of everything.
We love our little sparkley princess Maddie!

Dazed and confused...

My random thoughts want to be written down for some reason. Do you ever feel a little bit spacey? I have been having some dazed and confused moments lately that have been quite embarrassing.

Getting lost.

In this new city, I find myself getting off course often when I am driving. This is so annoying, because when I wake up from the little day dream I am having, I ask myself, "Where am I?" And then it always takes me a while to back track to where I was supposed to be going. Ok, so last week I had two particular instances that made me think, "What is wrong with me?"

I was taking Maddie and Tyler over to play at my friend Janelle's house. I have been to Janelle's house probably at least 6 or 7 times. I park the car, ring the doorbell and wait. No answer. After waiting a few minutes, I call her and ask, "Are you asleep?" She said, "No, I'm awake. Let me open my door." Then, she waves at me from one house away. I back my car out of the wrong driveway, and pull over to the next house. What was I thinking??! We just laughed.

Two days later, I was taking the kids to a babysitters house. It had been an extra busy day of being in the car and rushing from one place to another. I was already 30 minutes late from where I needed to be. I thought to myself, "House with the green door......there is a green door!" So we all get out. It is freezing cold and I was too rushed to get coats or shoes on the kids. After I ring the door bell I get that odd feeling, "Hmm, something doesn't feel right." Then a 50 year old man with his shirt unbuttoned and chest hair flowing out opens the door with a smile." Oh crap! Wrong house again. I should know better, I have been here a handful of times. He nicely points me in the right direction, down the street to a different house with a green door. Ahh! I am just wondering why these things keep happening to me.

So the other day, I am driving down the road, either having a nice conversation with my kids, or once again, lost in "Kristine's world". All of a sudden, out from the bushes steps a huge, bald police officer with gun in both hands clocking my speed. I was startled and said, "Oh no, I think I am in a school zone." I drove past not knowing what to do. Have you ever seen a police officer jump out of the bushes to clock you? Then I thought, "Wait a second...I know that guy!" Sure enough, it was the policeman who is in our ward and happens to be a really cool guy. I decided to just keep driving.

A few days later he cornered me and said, "Was that you speeding down Zionsville road?!" I said, "Yes it was. Was that you jumping out of the bushes?" WHEW! That would have been a big fine! I really wish I had a journal entry for all the times I have had run ins with cops that have let me off the hook. But that is not my point. My point is that once again, I was a little dazed and confused. Or maybe another word for it is just "ditsy!"

Oh well...thanks for reading. Don't be concerned. I will start trying to tune in a little better! (ha!)

Star Wars Battle!

We couldn't wait to post a scene from the battle of the Jedi's against the Dark side. Our first minutes of filming was when all the boys were teamed up on two different teams. For some reason a few of the members on Josh's team which happened to be "The Dark side" abandoned him. So, in this second filming, you will see that Josh is taking every on himself!

It was a great time had by all! Thanks for being born Josh! We love you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDMF18sJnQA

Happy Birthday to Joshua Orme!

Josh is turning 6 today. (Well, kind of. He is a Leap Year birthday!) These pictures are from when Sir Boss (Grandpa Geoff) came to visit us in January. These pictures were taken at a great Western Art Museum. The stagecoach was the highlight.

I have been wanting to think of some Joshua stories to share, but nothing is popping out at me. But when I think of him, all I can think about is how grateful I am for him. I am in love with the boy and person he is becoming. I think one of my favorite things I have been able to do with him this year is to watch him learning to read. Tonight we finished a reading course that has taken us nearly 6 months to complete, and guess what, he is reading!!! It is so exciting. I love that Josh enjoys school so much. I love his teacher Mrs. Lehr. I honestly can not think of one thing I do not like about his school. It has completely exceeded any expectations I had of Kindergarten. I already know it is going to be extremely hard to leave Traders Point Christian Academy in 5 years.

Tonight we had a KILLER birthday party at our house. Josh helped plan the whole thing. It was a Lego Star Wars Birthday Party. I will save the details for when I post the pictures, but it was a total success. 9 boys attended, all with their light sabers and Star Wars shirts! We had plenty of games planned to last the 3 hours. (If you know me, you know that I am a game person at parties!) After about the 4th or 5th game, this cute little boy with glasses and blond hair said, "Do you think we can have a rest from the games and have some free time?" I thought he was adorable in the way that he asked, and of course I said "yes"!

Josh, thank you for being the best big brother in the world. Thank you also for being exactly who you are and so kind and caring to everyone. It is a joy being your mother!! We love you!

I love you Salisha!

Over my Christmas vacation in Utah I had the privilege of spending 3 days with one of my favorite people! Those of you who do not know Salisha, she is someone I plan to be friends with forever. She is from Grenada and is currently attending BYU Hawaii.

This was Salisha's first time EVER seeing snow. She has lived on an island her whole life and has never experienced any seasons. When she got off the airplane she couldn't understand what was coming out of her mouth and said, "Oh my gosh, I am talking smoke!" Seeing her breath in the cold was something that she had never known.

We spent a beautiful snowy night on Temple Square with Aaron and Keri Johnson. They are also friends of ours from Grenada. They are the ones who made it possible for Salisha to get an education in the U.S. (I hope you guys know what an inspiration you are to all

of us that know you!!!)

Despite all the hard times Salisha has faced in her life, she is one of the happiest and most kind people I know. I feel grateful to know her and to be able to talk with her often.

We are standing at "This is the Place Monument" at the mouth of Emigration canyon. Salisha joined the church 2 months before I left Grenada. She was one of the smartest people in her school in Grenada despite harsh family and living conditions. I admire her motivation and determination to work hard. It has been wonderful to see the blessings come into her life because of her faith and hope.

The cute girl in the pink hat is "Jada". Jada was one of Josh's friends in Grenada. They were only two at the time and look how beautiful she is now!

Salisha is fabulous with kids too. She gives Tyler lots of love!

And here we are on my favorite ski mountain. We had a great time hanging out, but I was not going to be able to convince Salisha to ski down that mountain. She was ready to leave the cold and get back to the warm beach!

I love you Salisha! You're the BEST!

A retort to my Valentine

WOW! I certainly can’t top that last post. I can honestly say in 10 years I never new my wife loved me so much!
This is only my second post of all time, but I wanted to share a few thoughts about my wife today. Of all of her amazing attributes, there is one that I think stands out the most and that is…FUN. She is generally always happy and is up for anything with anyone at anytime. So today I wanted to highlight this one attribute that I truly adore with a top 10 list of the fun things Kristine has done for/with/to me over the last 10 years.

#10. Tour de St. George. One month before Kristine became pregnant with Josh, we got the crazy idea to ride our bikes from Salt Lake to St. George. We spent four days on the road with just the clothes on our back. We stopped in Eureka the first night, then Milford, and finally Ceder City for the last. We crashed in our Grandmother's condo for a day and a night once we completed the journey. I never ate so well. We walked funny for a few days afterwards but it was worth it. St. George usually means lots of tennis, and of course, rollerblading, but once there, we just felt like sitting down, so we went to a movie--we never do that on vacations. Anyway, it was an incredible trip, the crummy hotels we stayed at, the ma and pops cafe's in Delta and Milford, the beautiful scenery, the solitude of being alone on our bikes in the middle of nowhere listening to our cassette players. (ipods weren't around yet.) I forgot to mention neither of us actually trained for it and Kristine used her mountain bike. But we did it. I remember huddling up together from Delta to Milford, during a wind storm and it was near the sand dunes, so we hid behind an old rail road shack until it died down. We had quite a few flat tires, and going from Ceder City to St. George on the interstate was scary, but all in all, it was a blast.

#9. Rollerblading down the strip in Las Vegas. If you know Kristine, you know she loves Las Vages and if you really know Kristine, you know she still loves rollerblading despite its rapid decline in popularity 10 years ago. But not too long ago, Kristine and I found ourselves in St. George with roller blades and there was one thing on her mind…to go ride the strip…at midnight. It was before Josh, so just the two of us, cruising through crowds of people, bumping into them and saying sorry a million times(I did, just typically felt it was their fault.) Our favorite part was when a man yelled out to us “Rollerblades? People don’t use those anymore.” We’d take them off to go into stores of course, but it was a memorable night for all involved, Kristine and I, and the hundreds of people still shaking their heads after seeing us. In the purpose of full exposure, it could be said Kristine and I have had many a memorable time rollerblading in various parts of this country. From Balboa beach over to Mackinac island, from Seattle down to Phoenix, we’ve done our best to keep the roller blade in existence.

#8. Snow camping. It was a long time ago now, but when we first started dating I knew I like Kristine, but I didn’t know how much. I always thought a good tale sign would be if the girl would enjoy snow camping. So I asked her if she wanted to go sleep in a snow cave with me and my friends for New Year ’s Eve. It is obvious to me now what her answer would be, but back then I was quite surprised how excited she was to go. So we went up the North side of Big Cottonwood Canyon near Jupiter Hill and built a snow cave. I had a large wool blanket to put the sleeping bag on and as far as I remember, there weren’t any complaints overnight. We built a large fire pit, hung out, drank lots of hot chocolate and went snow shoeing in the morning. Kristine and I always talk about going again, but the kids aren’t old enough, though Josh is close. My friends told me I was lucky to have a girl willing to sleep in a cave made of snow…so since then she was dubbed, the “snow princess.”

#7. Kayaking in the Pacific Northwest archipelago. Although most people prefer the beach for a honeymoon, Kristine and I went to the San Juan Islands off Seattle. We spent our days hiking in trails, taking boats to different islands and most memorably, kayaking in the ocean. We packed some sandwiches and took off. We didn’t see any Wales unfortunately, but we had a blast and caught a few waves as well.

#6. Swimming with the Green Sea Turtles. Off the coast on Canoun, an island in the Grenadines of St. Vincent, Kristine and I took a one day boat trip and ate lunch on the deck, snorkeled around four different islands and eventually wound up swimming with the sea turtles that were 4-5ft long, no kidding! Most people on the boat were too scared to jump in, but Kristine and I were the first off the boat and they eventually had to call us in to get back on as we were having way too much fun(and they were sick of watching Josh without us). In fact, that entire day was incredible. We saw coral very few people have ever laid eyes on while snorkeling. One particular island was so remote it was simply an island with one resort on it with a dozen rooms. Only the wealthiest people in the world could go there—no, not movie stars, beyond movie stars. Our boat was forbidden to dock and we could only rest 100ft from shore. Funny thing was, that didn’t stop Kristine. She wanted to go on there. So she convinced me to swim to shore with her, act like we were part of the crowd, and walk around. I was nervous the whole time, but not her. Soon she was swinging in a hammock with Josh. We didn’t have much time to hang out, but I won’t forget it.

#5. Cross Country Skiing on her Birthday. So, every birthday since she can remember, Kristine’s dad had taken her skiing. So I helped continue the tradition since we’ve been married. 6 years ago, she was 8months pregnant with Josh and was very discouraged she couldn’t go skiing. So instead, we went cross country skiing up Millcreek with our dogs and had a blast. The dogs were crazy, Cru even got stuck in a snow drift that I had to literally search for the body, it was hilarious and we had a memorable ski day. Kristine, of course, enjoyed it like she always does and didn’t complain at all that she wasn’t up at Alta.

#4. The Break-In. I know this is mostly a lighthearted post, but one of the truly “craziest” things Kristine has ever done was quite serious. Some may know that while in Grenada, Kristine and I had a man break into our apartment in the middle of the night. The perpetrator and I got in a fight, thrashing up the house, but eventually pinning him down, Kristine(eight months pregnant with Maddie) and Josh went to safety downstairs at a neighbors apt. Anyway, a dramatic night to say the least, I was treated for multiple wounds, couldn’t see out of one eye, etc, and then had to go take a final that morning. Despite all of that, and the fact that there is a significant gang population on the island that the police warned us of that may retaliate(since I fought back and embarrassed the kid), Kristine didn’t want to back down and she spent the day helping to clean the house and we slept there that night. There wasn’t even a part of me that wanted to sleep there again, but Kristine was firm that we needed to overcome the fear immediately. So we did, and we were safe from there on out. Admittedly neither of us slept well for weeks, we nevertheless stayed in our apartment until the lease was up.

#3. ANIMALS!

Kristine loves animals. The first big surprise was when I came home from camping and we had a beagle puppy in a shoebox sitting in my house. It was hard to be mad when the puppy was so adorable. FYI, for all the guys out there, lesson learned, don't go camping by yourself. Well, one beagle spread to two. Then in Grenada I build a bird house and we had "bluie" for Josh while Cru and Saddie stayed in Utah--it was too difficult to get them to Grenada. Then In St. Vincent came "fish" for the gold fish we had(don't tell Josh but we actually had three of them.) Now in Indiana we have Tucker, our new terrier that I had the surprise Kristine with when she went to Utah without me. To be honest, I was considerably upset about Cru, but Cru soon became my best friend, I played soccer with him outside all the time and he loved to go running with me, and well, this isn't a memorial, since he passed away last year, but let's just say Kristine's guts to bring him home has led us down a path of nonstop action and fun. Anyone who thinks having pets takes away time from the kids, or are too messy, or too much work, or depreciate your house value, etc, well, just ask your kids if it's worth it(yes, I am calling out all of my siblings)

#2. Camping in the rain forest in Grenada with 6 young, sexually excited men. Kristine attended a campout high up in the rainforest of Grand Etang in Grenada. She cooked their food, help set up the tent and gather firewood and was the instigator of the hike to the waterfalls in the morning. By the way, it rained the entire night, our tents were so poor that water went straight through them despite the rain tarp. Luckily it was the Caribbean and even when raining it’s still hot. She told ghost stories at night to the boys and easily brushed away their charming though silly advances(they didn’t care she was married or even that I was there as well. The most guilty is in the yellow shirt) She was one of the first to dive into the waterfall in the

morning and got all the boys to update her on their girlfriends, girl-trouble and how to talk to women. While we were driving home, one of the boys whistled out the window to get a girl’s attention. Kristine quickly explained girls didn’t like that. (unfortunately I think that particular girl did.) By the way, how many women would absolutely love moving to Grenada for 2 years, little communication with family and no money to enjoy the perks of the Caribbean? If you didn’t go there, you may think a lot, but Kristine is one of the happy few that don’t talk about the Caribbean med school experience as something they “had to get through.” I even think some of her friends threw a party to celebrate “getting through” the Caribbean. Kristine on the other hand, can’t wait to go back and has been encouraging me to start teaching down there part time.

#1. Well, sorry to disappoint, but this one is too Hot for TV(or computer). Sorry David, I just deleted it. We all know you can cross the line with some of the things that come out of your mouth. Your wife sure does love you though!

Sorry, I just saw this picture and had to put in on. Maddie on an island she'll never see again.(mostly because it was illegal to be on there in the first place.)

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON, KRISTINE!!!

To my Valentine on V-Day!

Young and beautiful...

Older and a little frightening...

(Maybe this picture is telling me that I need to go back to blond!)

However, I will say that our photographer was quite good in this picture, aka: Joshua.
Three weeks ago, Dave and I started a 6 week marriage course through our church. The leaders of the session pick 4 or 5 different couples for each new session until every married couple has a chance to be involved if they choose. Dave and I went to our first class and after about 30 minutes we were all told to go into separate rooms and discuss and write down any "challenges" we are facing in our marriage. Dave and I got up to the quiet bedroom and we just stared at each other and laughed. We couldn't come up with anything. Let me explain why. As Dave put it, "I just don't feel that we have any problems in our relationship because we don't really have a relationship." Sounds horrible, but in many ways this is true. We have nothing to fight about because we are never around each other for a long enough time period. These days I feel that I truly never see him. The only thing we managed to write down on the paper was that our greatest challenge is finding time for our marriage. A few nights ago, at our third class, our teacher asked everyone to explain how our communication had been through out the week. Dave and I once again looked at each other and tried not to laugh. He held my hand and gave it a squeeze. When it got to us we both admitted that we truly felt like we hadn't talked to each other for the entire week. Not because we don't want to, and not because there is underlying tension, but rather, simply because I have not seen him. He does not have a cell phone, he can not talk regardless when he is at work or on call every 4th night, and time slips through our fingers when he walks in the door and is pulled in a million directions by the kids. We promised to do better this week.

This blog may sound as if I am complaining, however, that is not the case. I love my husband more than anything in the world. I would not trade him or anything about him. ANYTHING. I have loved Dave Orme fully and completely for over 10 years now. (And actually 13 years if I think back to high school.) I want to feel that I can write an honest post although I always worry that I may offend a reader. Sorry if I do.

I talked to my mom yesterday and she asked me about Dave. I told her about his hours and how hard this rotation is for him. She asked me if it was hard on me. I told her in all honesty, that "No, I am doing very well and so are the kids." She knew that I was telling the truth. I feel right now that my life is perfect. Yes, even in residency when I rarely get to spend quality time or any time with Dave. My life is still perfect. In Michigan and Indiana I have numerous friends and acquaintances that are in the same stage of life as me. Young kids at home, finances tight, missing their husbands, and just trying to "make it" through residency until "real life" begins. So often, the conversations lead into a feeling such as "whoa is me" or "life is unfair." Or there is a feeling of pity, resentment, anger or just frustration. (There are times when I feel it too.) More often than not, I feel that these wives want someone to complain with about "how hard" life is being married to a resident. I guess what I am trying to say is that it gets old. In fact, recently whenever I meet a girl who is married to someone who is NOT an aspiring doctor, I get so excited to talk all about another, ANY other profession outside of the medical field. Let's just say that I feel totally saturated with residents in our neighborhood and ward. Variety is good...and healthy! I have to remind myself that there is a world outside of medicine.

I am so grateful to be married to a highly motivated, hard working, compassionate individual who has chosen a field where he truly changes and blesses the lives of other people every day. I don't have to pull my husband off the couch to go find a job. I don't have to nag him to study or work harder. In fact, I don't think I EVER have told Dave to work harder at anything. He is the hardest worker I know. And I know exactly where he learned his work ethic. Thanks Geoff AND Lynnette! I don't have to push my husband to read his scriptures or go to church. I don't have to worry about him eating too many french fries and burgers at McDonald's. I don't have to drag him outside to get exercise or do something fun with the family. I don't have to worry about him looking at porn or flirting with other girls. I don't have to ask Dave (without the kids hearing) to watch his language or to try to show a little more love to them. I don't feel the need to ask for his help around the house, because when he is home, he helps without asking. I don't even have to ask Dave to take our dog out running. Dave gets that puppy energy out of Tucker at least 3 times a week with a 5 mile run. So tell me again why I should be complaining about how hard life is being married to a resident? I don't have a whole lot to complain about. (By the way, I know every resident has a different and/or more demanding schedule than Dave. Some wives probably have every right to complain about their husbands. I am just saying that I don't feel that I do. I have a million more things to be grateful for than whine about. I have to watch myself to make sure I don't fall into that negative mindset.)

When Dave first made the decision to be a Child Psychiatrist I didn't quite know what to think. "Is that going to be weird," I wondered? Psychiatrist's definitely have a certain stereotype associated with them. The more I have thought and thought and prayed and prayed about this decision he made, the more excited and convinced I am that he is pursuing the right thing. I am SO GRATEFUL he wants to help children in this way. This week at the gym I spent two hours in a room with an autistic child who clearly needed medical attention and medication. It made my heart break to see a child so perfect looking on the outside, but his mind was in a totally different place. These are the types of kids Dave will be helping. I felt even deeper sadness for this boys mother who seemed so lost as to know what to do with her child. Here in Indiana, you can be put on a year or two waiting list before having your child get into see a psychiatrist. There is a high high demand for good psychiatrists throughout the country and becoming more and more so every year.

Dave truly is my best friend in the whole world. For the two years he served his mission, it was kind of fun going out with guys while I attended Southern Utah University. After a few dates I would ask myself the golden question. "Does this guy compare with Dave?" Then I would check them off the list pretty quick. Nope. That was easy. One guy I was friends with/dating told me a few months before Dave got home, "Kristine, I just really hope I can meet this Dave guy. He sounds like he is superman." Yep, pretty much! I thought Dave was the most amazing guy back then, and now, 3 kids and 10 years later, I know that I only saw a small fraction of how rare and special and good he truly is.

I love you Dave. I can't wait to go out on a real date with you tonight! (He is on call tomorrow for Valentine's Day. Poor me.)
Love,
Kristine with a "K"

Friends

This is my younger and fiesty sister! Watch out or she will give you the snarl. "You, you're sisters, do you share everything? (Everything.) Then give your sister her half of this!" (Smack!)

(Name the movie)

Suzi Grant and I at Sammy's Baptism. It is so great having friends that go back to 7th grade, and having a friend with such amazing hair!
These girls go back just as far, and farther. Marian is the first person who inspired me to sing and play the guitar. There is no one in the world who is funner to get hyper with than Marian. Brianna and I became as close as sisters my freshman year of high school. Lake Powell trips and skiing stand out the most when I think of our memories. And Grace....I don't even know where to begin. I think Grace knew me better than anyone else for over 10 years, or until Dave came into the picture. She will take on any adventure, and back in the day, I was almost as brave as her; whether it be skiing, snowboarding, climbing, biking, parasailing, water skiing, rollerblading, cliff jumping, and everything else in between.

Oh yea, I just thought of something I would have never done with out the influence of Grace...crowd surfing at a concert! She had done it numerous times and finally I got up the guts. It really is an amazing feeling...until you get dropped, which I did!

I feel grateful for the friends I have had during the different phases of my life. If you are out there reading this, I just want to say, "Thank you for being a friend."

(Does anyone think of the Golden Girls theme song?)

I love you guys!

And by the way, thank you for putting up with all the dumb things I say and do! Hopefully those of you who know me well, know that I have good intentions, and once I make a friend, it's for life!