Creating a house

(BEFORE picture)

Well, one day I decided I would make lawn chairs.
Actually, how it really happened was I saw these solid wood chairs in front of a neighbors house for the trash pick up - and took them in the middle of the night (with some assistance, but not naming names here).
Then, I decided I would sand them down, add some paint and create my own seats and cushions...and that is exactly what I did.
It pays to be crafty! (and talented)
Hope you are impressed, because I sure was.

(After picture)

Hilbran Family Pics 2009

Well, here it is coming on Fall and Winter soon. As our family tradition, Chuck and I (and the kids) took family pictures again this year.

They were taken by Sara Jarvie - who is so much fun to work with and does a really great job. The location we chose was Red Mountain (also known as McDowell Mountain) and it was a beautiful setting with the sun going down.
This year we had two babies. We discovered that Cash does NOT like taking pictures...he acutally only ended up being in three of them.

Well, next year I guess we will have to bribe him to behave (doesn't he look miserable?).

7.17 are fabulous numbers!

Well, just like everyone else this year I turned one year older. As always, I didn't know what Chuckie had planned for this year. I knew he would have a hard time out doing himself from last year's experience with Erin Bode.

Well, as Chuck hates to wait for surprises - he woke me up at 12:30 am the morning of my birthday so I wouldn't have to wait any longer and could open my presents...how thoughtful of him. I do NOT like being woken up from my sleep, but because he was so excited about it - I woke up enough to open my presents. He has spent several nights making a model car of my 1965 Shelby Cobra - my dream car. He even painted the stripes on perfectly.

I also noticed an awesome pink flamingo in our yard - compliments of our Ward's Relief Society. I love flamingos! Did you know they turn pink because of what they eat when they are young?

Well, the other great present that I discovered were tickets to Wicked at Gammage! I was so excited because I really wanted to go. We went on Saturday to Wicked and it was incredible! Chuck and I had never seen it before and it was a great time!

Well, here's to another great year!

Now this is camping

Chuck and I took the kids camping the last weekend. We went up to the Rim and stayed the first night up there, then went stream fishing. The kids loved it. Of course with that much fresh spring water, we had to see if they could swim. Chuck threw them in and they paddled their little legs to get out as fast as possible. Dogs are so funny!

I guess all that fun and running through the mountains tired their little legs out!

It was our first camping trip as a family. Chuck "did the man thing" and set up the tent by himself (yes, he wouldn't let me help) and then built a fire.

We stayed at Bear Canyon Lake up on the Rim and yes - we were roughing it. Real camping means no plumbing and no running water. However it doesn't mean you have to smell or stay dirty. So, I picked up some bottled water and shampoo in town and washed my hair out in the open air of the mountains. It felt fabulous!

The dogs loved being able to run free in the mountains and especially liked the doggie door in our tent.

I guess sometimes they really are man's best friend! Oh, look at all my sleeping babies!

Before heading back to reality - we (Chuck did more fishing at Bear Canyon Lake.

Ginger let her hound "hund" instincts show full force. She heard a chipmunk underneath a rock and went crazy. We let her off the leash and she started digging furiously. She dug so far that you could barely see her little tail sticking out from underneath the rock.

Summer Vacation - part IV

We had one more day at Morro Bay and Chuck made me into a mermaid. I burried him as an octopus.




We also went to Monterey Bay and took a journey to the bottom of the sea to visit all the creatures that live in our vast oceans. My favorite sea creature was the jelly fish...and I took several pics of them!



There was also a petting zoo of baby sting rays that you could touch - here is Chuckie trying to touch one. We also touched and held starfish - they are actually very easy to pick up.




There were also several sea horses - did you know that the Males carry and deliver the babies? Wouldn't that be an interesting twist to for our society! Oh, and an anemonomone!

Summer Vacation - part III

The next day we ventured up to San Simeon where the reputable William Randolph Hearst lived in his self-designed (along with architect Julia Morgan) castle on a hill. What a view! Here are some of the pics we took...

The Neptune Pool was my favorite feature of the estate - it resembles the old public bathing pools (Neptune Pool seen in first two pics above).

There was also this really hilarious English man who took this pic of Chuckie and I at the end of the tour. Then, of course we had to stop at the beach in San Simeon as well - I wanted some drift wood.