Annual Adak Hunt

For the second year in a row, Darron and five of his buddies flew to Adak Island for their annual caribou hunt.  D, Craig Wilson, Cody Carpenter, Ron Bailey, Anthony Brooks, and Ian Turner set out for 7 days of "man-time" in the mountains of Adak.

 After not having any luck with caribou the first few days,  the guys decided to go "hunting" for ptarmigan.  They bacon wrapped the ptarmigan meat and broiled it in the oven.  According to the guys it was good, but I'm thinking they were just wanting to kill and eat!

 At one time, Adak Island was an old military base.  The guys always find some pretty cool artifacts left behind when the island was basically deserted.

Darron was blessed with a beautiful caribou this trip!  He had to take the shoot from 400 yards away and took it down on the first shot!  Impressive!

The guys came home with four caribou total.  They could have had more, but the "bou" were still way up in the mountains and they just didn't have enough time to keep hiking, shooting, cleaning, and packing out.  

Thanks to a wonderful client who let D borrow his professional grade meat grinder, Darron processed his own caribou this year.  Our freezer is abundant with roast, ground meat, and sausage!  Love the hunter in my man!

Viva Las Vegas!

This summer I had the opportunity to keep my niece and nephew a few times a week to help out.  I made an agreement with their parents that I would keep them as much as needed, as long as they would keep our kids for a long weekend to away in the Fall.  Best deal I could have made!

Darron and I love going to Vegas together, always have.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to lay on the beach in Hawaii, but with only a few days to sneak away, Vegas is cheaper.  

We had the best time together, just getting away, staying in a nice hotel, relaxing, and being carefree.

Of course one of my favorite things about vacation, is eating.  And after a long flight, this fresh fruit crepe hit the spot!  Yum!

 We stayed in a newer hotel, the Vdara.  They "upgraded" us to a room on a higher floor overlooking the Belagio fountains.  The room was beautiful and the view was outstanding!

 This pregnancy, wings have been my biggest craving.  And wouldn't you know it, a Hooters Casino and restaurant is on the strip!  And they have AWESOME wings.  We stuffed ourselves the first night and could barely wobble out of there!

 New York, New York.  Love this casino and how beautiful it is on the strip!

 We went out of our comfort zone and had dinner at a Blue's Club one night (thanks to a coupon).  We ended up staying for about 2 hours because we were having so much fun!  The music was so good and we had a great time laughing and watching people dance....especially this group of African American ladies from Dallas who were singing, dancing, cheering, and everything else.  So fun!

 We also branched out and ate lunch at this Brazilian restaurant (thanks for another coupon)!  They brought fresh meat and seafood to your table.  You just said "yes" if you wanted some and they would cut the meat and give it to you there.  Again, we could barely wobble out of their.  It was soooo good!

 Out of all of the trips we've made to Vegas, we've never ventured of the strip to Freemont Street.  We made it a point to spend an evening there this trip.  It was a unique and very fun experience!  They have the street covered by this screen that plays little shows and stuff.  The street is filled with shops, casinos, and street performers, along with a very fun looking zip line!  We will definitely be heading to Freemont Street and the zip line next time we're in Vegas and I'm not pregnant!

 Darron and I don't take much to gamble with.  We set aside a certain amount for each day and just consider it our "entertainment fund."  We mainly play fun slot machines with bonus games and just enjoy walking the strip.  The last couple of trips we've experimented with playing Craps.  This trip, we started to really get the hang of it.  The cashout voucher was for $181.  We only started with $20!  Now THAT was fun!

 A picture of our beautiful hotel.  Would definitely stay here again!

D and I realize how blessed we are to get away by ourselves about once a year.  Between the kindness of T and Scott, or my parents, we are usually blessed with a trip to Vegas or somewhere local every year.  It does wonders for our marriage to just spend time together without being "mommy and daddy" and with limited other stresses.  Although we don't have the next trip planned, and it may not be for awhile, I'm already looking forward to it!

Basketball Baby!

Since shooting hoops with Max and Uncle Scott this summer, Preston decided he wanted to give basketball a try this Fall.  He played on a YMCA team with Max, one practice a week and one game on Saturdays.  They had a lot of fun playing together and Preston learned alot about the game.

 Parker snuggled with Aunt TT during one of the games....for a few minutes.  He loved going to "basketball" and I'm sure he'll be officially on the court as a real player in no time!

Wether it be soccer or basketball, Preston loves to learn and try.  While he isn't necessarily the "best" on the team, he sure plays with a lot of heart.  He always has fun and is so encouraging to his teammates.  Keep up the great work Pres!

A Ghost, A Pirate, and Rapunzel

Halloween came quick this year!  Darron and I spent five days together in Las Vegas and didn't return home until the day before Halloween!  While costumes were ready and kids were excited, the day was still crazy and therefore, a lack of pictures. :(

Parker loves playing in his big brothers pirate chest so he "played pirate" this year for Halloween.  The poor little guy was just diagnosed with a sinus infection and double ear infection that same day.  We thought we'd take a sled to pull him in, but it didn't last long.  After only a few minutes, Parker was off and running to the rest of the night!

Little Silas was dressed in a warm Giraffe costume and he loved being pulled in the sled with Parker!

For several years now we have had a Halloween tradition of having the Mondeel's, Sanchez's, and Wilson's come over so we can all trick or treat together.  The group continues to get bigger each year, but we all have such a great time!  Look carefully and you'll see a Preston ghost with a Cowboy candy bag, a little Parker Pirate, and a sweet Payton Rapunzel with pretty much only her long braid showing!