Denver adventures with my nieces...

I know...my blog has been post-less for awhile! I've gotten sucked into the world of Facebook, but that's no excuse! :) Here are some pictures from my nieces' visit to Denver after Christmas. They are SUCH cute girls, and it was fun to spend time with them!

Picking up the goods!

Game night eventually got off track...

The off track-ness continues!

Estes Park is LOVELY!

Crafty McCrafterson Jr. wearing one of the bracelets she made

A cute picture of my sister Lizzy walking to the game room

Gramps and his blazing fire!

Getting ready for some serious marshmallow roastin'!

Texty McTexterson in the flesh!

A glimpse of the s'mores/marshmallow yumfest!

Games and snacks (always food for the Johnsons!)

Grandpa ROCKIN' his pink 2009 glasses!

Two cute girls! (Notice Crafty McCrafterson Sr.'s tie-dye shirt she made in Estes!)

I LOVE this little girl!

And I LOVE her big sis!

Dropping the goods off! :(

It was so good to spend time with these cute girls! We ate (of course!), shopped, played games, laughed, chatted, cried, hugged, and ate some more, before we had to send them back home. They are such cute, cute, cute, cute girls...sure glad they're part of my family!!

The Alamo

Here are some pics from my trip to The Alamo:

It is a small little place, quite photogenic as you can see!

My first banana cream pie...

This Thanksgiving, I made the banana cream pie. Now granted, the crust was not homemade (that will probably never happen since I'm not much of a pie person myself...and anyway, why make it from scratch when you can buy a pre-made crust at the store?!), but I made the filling, and I was very happy with the outcome...the filling was smooth and tasty, and the pie looked good too:


I enjoyed every bite:

and so did Lizzy:

Who knows what I might try to make next...any requests??

Have you ever...

Maybe you'll learn something about me here...I've bolded the ones I have done!!

Started your own blog (more than one!)
Slept under the stars
Played in a band (I'm fully counting the elementary school orchestra!)
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland
Climbed a mountain (part of one!) :)
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo (5th grade...had a solo in our rendition of "We Are the World")
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris (oh...that's not referring to visiting the hotel/casino here in Vegas?!)
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Adopted a child (I've adopted several as surrogate nieces and nephews!)
Had food poisoning (pretty sure...and from a random veggie/melted cheese plate)
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Grown your own vegetables
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitch hiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (when I was in high school my mom excused me one day so I could go stalk Marky-Mark!)
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Run a Marathon
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Been on a cruise
Seen Niagara Falls in person
Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (sort of...depends on the definition we're using of "ancestors")
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I agree with Jori...does that EVER happen??)
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing (it was at a Rec. Center in Arvada, CO, but still!)
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung Karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance (when I was a baby...my dad likes to tell the story on my b-day!) :)
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud (I don't have a specific memory, but I'm pretty sure we all did this!)
Gone to a drive-in theater
Been in a movie (well, it was only the goofy Universal Studios screen test thing, but it was on a video cassette, so it must count!)
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout Cookies (no, but I've eaten my fair share of them!)
Gone whale watching
Got flowers for no reason (beautiful roses from an unfortunate college boyfriend!)
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Bounced a check
Flown in a helicopter
Seen the Lincoln Memorial in person
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone (several at one time by jumping off the roof of my house when I was 10-ish. It was my brother's fault...he offered me 85 cents to do it!)
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book (not yet, but I will!)
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car (need to do that again soon!)
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (uh...do I live on a farm???)
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous (I LIVED with someone famous for a few months!)
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person (a month ago I wouldn't have been able to bold this one!)
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone (uh...do we really need to ask that question in 2008?)
Been stung by a bee (a wasp!) :P

NKOTB...the aftermath!

Here it is...finally...the long-awaited post-NKOTB concert blog! I went through the many, many pictures that I took, and pulled out a handful of favorites to share. If you'd like to see more pictures and some videos, let me know, and I'll be happy to show you! Now hang on, and get ready for the NKOTB ride...

All "bluffed up" and ready to go!

Foofy in her newly acquired NKOTB shirt (yes, we're in a bathroom stall!)

The "Kids," doing their thing!

Wah-wah-wee-wah! Someone's been working out! (Jordan, showing off his assets!)

What NKOTB would look like in Heaven!

Joey is still my favorite!

The verdict...can you tell from our faces how we liked the show?!

The show was a lot of fun! I'm not sure how much longer these middle-age men can carry on the "boy band" thing, but they sure rocked the house in Broomfield, CO on November 14, 2008!

Davy Crockett

Okay, okay...I know I have some people who are antsy for a follow-up NKOTB post, and I promise that I will take care of that while I'm in Denver for Thanksgiving. But, in an effort to not let my blog stagnate for too long, here's a little quicky post.

I just got to Denver after a 5 day trip to San Antonio, Texas for the National Council of Teachers of English convention. I didn't get to see much of San Antonio, but I did make it out to The Alamo. It was interesting...I'm pretty sure I didn't know that Davy Crockett died at The Alamo...shows how much American History I learned in school! Anyway, the coolest thing I learned at The Alamo had to do with Mr. Crockett and his move to Texas. He was a U.S. Congressman, and around the time of his eventual defeat in his final run for Congress, he said "...you may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." I wish I would have had that quote in my pocket BEFORE I left for Texas...I'm sure I could have made good use of it! Thank you Davy...for a great quote, AND for introducing that fabulous coonskin cap into our lives!

Tomorrow I will:

1. Go to the gym...treadmill for an hour, abs/arms/buns/legs to follow.

2. Tidy, dust, clean the mirrors, and vacuum my room...my aunt Janet is coming for Thanksgiving, and will be borrowing my room!

3. Clean my bathroom to get it ready for company (see #2)...cleaning my bathroom is probably one of my least favorite jobs in the world, but until I win the lottery and can afford a maid, it's a necessary evil.

4. Bake a Texas Sheet Cake...my boss/friend Jen's b-day is on Wednesday, and the girl wants a sheet cake! I'm on it!

5. Do laundry...I must wash the clothes I dirtied on trip #1 in preparation for trips #2 and #3!

6. Start packing...who else thinks it's going to be interesting to pack for a 10 day trip, especially since I'll be going from the San Antonio climate to the Denver climate?

7. Work on making a budget for myself...sounds fun, doesn't it?!

8. Go to the church and work on stuff that needs to get done there...I'm leaving the single's ward soon, and I have some housekeeping to do to get things caught up for my replacement.

9. Go to bed at a decent time so I'm not tired on Wednesday!