awakening.

(insert cliche' phrase about how it's been 10 months since I posted). 

I figured I'd let you choose your own, since there are so many. 


Now that we have that over with.  Here's what's what.

Since January 22, we:

celebrated a Kiwi Loco birthday

helped open a yogurt shop in Canada, 

opened a yogurt shop in Rexburg, ID

opened a yogurt shop in Pocatello, ID

Attended various piano and trumpet lessons, 

ended a school year, 

started a school year,

ate dinner

went to church

had a summer full of sun and water

sold a yogurt shop in Burley, ID

sold a yogurt shop in Twin Falls, ID

ate some more dinner

mowed the lawn

lots of other stuff.

you get the drift. 

Here we are about 2 weeks ago.  

Happy 11.1.11

Peace, Love & Sanity.

CSI vs. SLCC - January 22, 2011. Go BRET!

It's been SOME time since I blogged on here.  Far too long, and ONE DAY I will get back to covering Thanksgiving, the Burley store, Christmas, the Idaho Falls store, the back to school, the 1500 cups of yogurt at the basketball game, the Portland Froyo conference, you know...everyday life stuff.   But for now - since it's easier, I'll post the coolest thing ever that Bret did last Saturday.  Solo on Trumpet with the National Anthem in front of 3000 people.  I have never in my life been so nervous about anything.  And I didn't have anything to do but hold the camera.  Alas, he did super and we're so proud.  I give you - - the stud:

pics, pine cones and pixie stix...

The other day, kind of at the last minute (and when I learned that it was nearly the last day of warmth) I gathered my family for their favorite (not!) activity of all time.

They threw things at me, snuck candy into their pockets, stepped on each others' fingers on purpose, etc.  It was a real slice of heaven on earth. 

Same as last year, I enlisted Jessi to stand in for me and then trade places.
That really is the best way to do this, if you're usually the photog and still want to be. :)

At least they put on a good face for most of the pictures. 
We went to Five Guys when we were finished and succeeded in trashing that one corner signficantly.  Came home, got a cold and was sustained as Primary President in the subsequent two days.  It's been a fulfilling weekend,  it seems.

Halloweekend

It's no secret that I (capital L) Loathe Halloween. 
I try to hide it for the sake of my children,
but I think they heard me say "I hate Halloween" to at least 13 people yesterday.

So clearly, I'm not doing a very good job.

From the pictures, though, you'd have to assume that it doesn't bother me a bit.
I had to put on a happy face whilst representing the store and
handing out candy to the 4000 people that came through the
company-sponsored RV circle-thing.  I tried to remain as cheery as Princess Snow White herself. 

It was fun seeing bunches of my former students, all confused why I was dressed like Snow White in front of an RV with Kiwi Loco plastered all over it, handing out candy from a green cardboard boat.

 I figured that cardboard boat would come in handy for SOMETHING

after the regatta.  We used it to house all the candy and coupons. 

It also turned out to serve well as a good promotion for next year's race!

Kyle chose to dress as a dragon for the second year in a row. 
He seems to care for the holiday about as much as I do.

The girls decided (with some prompting)
to be "twin witches."

Bret had just come from working at the store,

so went with that concept and added a cup and a balloon to his hat. (?)
Hey - free marketing!Tate?  An old fat man.  (no, he's not going as Doug.)

and now... we're off to brush our teeth.

'ode to Friday...

Began the day at K.E.S.

In second grade I did my best

to substitute from eight till three...
I miss those kids so much, you see.

We went to Sonic after school,

that Happy Hour just makes me drool.

For cones and cokes and slushes blue

we really love that fast drive-thru.

At home...piano, vacuum, quick!

A photo session's next.  No trick.

Order pizza, find the phone,

who's is this melted ice cream cone?

And then the shuttling to and fro

of children ever on the go. 

At least two hours passes fast

it seems I'm running out of gas.

And lo! A second wind is found.

Just as the call of yogurt sounds.

With eldest child, we talk and mop.
Someone has to close that shop.

Whilst driving home we gab some more
I'm ready to crash on the living room floor.

A day of laughter, love and fun. 

It needed a rhyme, so I wrote one.  Done.

the boy with the painted face.

Tate received his Arrow of Light award at the last pack meeting. 
We think he's pretty awesome.

the rockets red glare...

That last post (a photography one) was supposed to be on the other blog.  She is adorable though. 

And now, to feature one of my real children...

This is why we're doing lots of patriotic standing in the kitchen and Living Room these days.  And, we should probably prop up a visible flag too, it would seem...

He wanted to rush up and work on his rendition when he watched this one.

He's now aspiring to play at a home game sometime soon...
(p.s... this is a goosebumper...I ♥ America.  It's no wonder he wanted to run out and practice!)

the best. first. day. ever.

why?

not sure. 

It just was. 

Maybe because my car and I drove off with all the other moms this time.  I enjoyed that. 

Or, becasue they were all super-spastically-excited about their day(s). 
Our suburban was buzzing all the way home. 
I love where they're at, who they're with, and what they're doing.  So comforting. 

 

I held back a tear or ten on the way home, actually... bitter-sweet from not having been in my classroom, but then because I knew, (I knew!) I'd made the right decision. 
Here's to an awesome year. 

down home country....'er whatever.

 I SO grew up in Southern California.  And as such, have limited experience when it comes to "The Fair" and all that inherently comes along with the experience. 

"The Fair" is no small fry around here, and now that we're local business owners and all, we took advantage of an opportunity to sponsor part of the rodeo. 

(note awesome banner in the back...)

We went on Thursday night with our special VIP passes and ate dinner with Governor Otter, passed out T-shirts and froyo to contestants and thoroughly enjoyed the general splendor of the event. 

It reminded me (teardrop) of the "World's Oldest Rodeo" we'd often venture out to see in good Ol' Preskit...  So, we decided to round up the chillins and take 'em last night for some more.

It was great fun, and largely entertaining. 

Mutton Bustin' was our sponsored event, and let me just say- Hysterical.  This was my first experience witnessing such, and I'm exceptionally intrigued.  Abby says she's doing it next year, so, maybe I'll get on the ball with ordering some pink-sequin chaps and a custom hat. 

The rodeo ended and we crossed over to "the other side of the gate" and began "The Fair" experience.  I seriously felt like I was an extra in a movie.  Hope Floats, Steel Magnolias and Charlotte's Web all came to mind.  It was nothing short of an out-of-body experience.

The smiles on my darlings' faces was worth every overpriced ticket I bought, and the frozen chocolate banana may have been worth twice what I paid (making it exactly $6).

I'm such a wimp when it comes to rides, maybe...because even that bumble-bee flyer made me sick to my stomach...!!?!?

So, I suddenly had lots of time to play with my camera.

The boys were talking smack to each other about the mechanical bull, so we had no trouble putting our money where THEIR mouths were, and away they both went...

We trudged out of there with our sticky fingers at almost midnight (!!!) and hardly made it to the pillows before we all were sufficiently zonked.

I guess we've officially become Idahoans now.

♥
so glad.

Cardboard + Water = Floating Fun

Last weekend, the Twin Falls Chamber sponsored the first ever (in Twin) Cardboard Boat Regatta. 

We had known about it for quite some time and had thought it would be fun to enter.  Doug's Office Max people really wanted to do it and built a boat (if you can call it that) a couple days before the race.  However, when they tried to move it (and I observed this) I was really concerned it wouldn't float.  It was more like an anchor than a boat.

So, the morning before the race, I woke up at about 3 am and couldn't sleep.  I was concerned about the boat situation.  I took it upon myself to go online and find a suitable replacement option.  I found a set of plans, looked them over and decided it was easily something I could do.  So, I headed up to the garage by about 6 am and began folding and cutting away. 

The end result after about 6 hours was a boat that would have been too small for the O-max employees.  So, it suddenly became the last-minute Kiwi Loco entry. 

I knew that we could make another one (my dear mother and I) so we started a bigger one for Doug's team, which was the whole reason we started in the first place.

After a VERY LONG day, we ended up with two boats and were OH-so-excited for the Regatta in the morning. 

We made a great team, the two of our stores with our matching boats.  And Tate and I were officially proclaimed captain and co-captain, respectively.

Doug's team (consisting of three of his employees) was set to race first, just before MY first heat, and when the last guy got in and it SANK I was freaking out.

These were the same plans I used to make mine, and I was terrified.  We got in, however, and it was just fine.  We paddled off at the firing of the gun and off we went.  In fact, we kind of rocked!   We won our heat, several yards ahead of the other boats.  It was great!

We were fast enough, actually, to be placed in the semifinals, 9 out of the 35 boats raced for this.  We came in 5th out of those times, and only 4 were allowed to race in the finals.  By THREE seconds we missed the chance!  bummer!  There were some fast lil' boats though.

And, some really cool looking ones:

We're SO doing this again next year.  It comes at a really awful time for Office Max (back to school season), but we'll make it work.  And maybe next time we'll start somewhat sooner than the day before the race!!

Thanks to my awesome mom who helped.  I couldn't have done it without her, and she is quite handy with liquid nails and a razor blade.  We'll maybe have to do this at the next family reunion!