Rays of Sunshine

"Sunlight is painting." -Nathaniel Hawthorne
Our new passion is painting. We are not talking murals or masterpieces. Just simply adding color to a room there, a room here. Recently we just finished painting our living room a light gold (like the sun, but a little duller). It really brightens up the room. Here are some pictures to give you a preview. But we both know you really have to visit to come see it!

Anxiously Waiting

Hello strangers....I am back in blogging mode. I know it has been awhile. I have had alot of heat from my dear friends and some family members. So here it is; back in full force!
From the last time I blogged. Many things have happened.
Christmas...We decided this year we would by each other gifts. I bought Ryan tools (which he loved and wanted). A man's gift, right? I got a VACUUM from him. I like it, however, I wanted something I could use on my hardwood floors and my couch to clean up dog hair. Well...let's just say the detachment on the vacuum is now broke and it weighs a million pounds. It would scratch my hardwood floors. Women, don't you love the way men think?
New Years...Ryan and I had the pleasure of seeing our awesome friends, Steve and Patti, wed on New Years Eve. Ryan was honored to be an usher and I was the wine drinker for the night. Yes you know how that goes. When I see wine...I drink one glass, two glass and before you know it I can't count how many I have had. Needless to say the night went by smoothly.
Winter months....These were filled with home projects. We painted our bedroom, pantry, and our living room. It is amazing how much a coat of paint can spice up the room!
I know what most of you are thinking now...short, boring blog. Don't you worry. There will be more stories on the life of Ryan and Emily later.

Thanks-giving

Thanksgiving means the start of lots of family time! I LOVE family time! This year for Thanksgiving Ryan and I decided to split up. (I didn't like it much.) I had to work on Thanksgiving and between Ryan's get-togethers that weekend it was too much driving to go from point A to B to C. So I headed up north with my brother and the two dogs, while Ryan basked at home in FX (Fairfax).
Up north I enjoyed Grandma's cooking. Logan drove down from Duluth and my cousins and uncle joined us. On Friday we stuffed our faces and then I enjoyed some playtime with Gavin and Brielle. (Some might say I had something to drink, but there wasn't an ounce of alcohol in my system). I was just having plain, old fun!
On Saturday my brothers, grandma, grandpa and I headed up north in my grandpa's old, old, old bronco (I couldn't even tell you a year, but it was before my parents time I believe...). Logan, who of course sat in the front, decided to bust out the moves to Elvira on the cassette tapes. All that he had in the car was a cassette player. We of course were all dressed in our Sunday best. I just thank the Lord that I didn't know anyone besides my family. We took the dogs with as well. They had to jump over the front and back seat to get to the back end because the door didn't open in back. Finally we arrived and took the dogs on a run through the woods. They ran, while we rode 4-wheelers. That evening after getting all the work done at the cabin I decided to start knitting. She taught me the knit stitch, which wasn't too bad. Then Sam and Logan decided to learn. Before you knew it we were all knitting.
Between the food, family, and knitting it was time well spent! :)

Chicken Dance

In my quest to blog more, I thought I would add a little humor to everybody's day with a great story! While at work reading the newspaper this last weekend I came across the Fleet Farm ad. Of course I found some great deals. I decided to have Ryan pick me up at the hospital and we would run up to Lakeville quick. Let me note the time...3:30 when Ryan arrived at the hospital to pick me up. By 5pm, less than two hours later, we arrived home. Prior to leaving Ryan set out 3 raw chicken breasts to thaw for supper. Little did he know when we got home they were gone. All that was left was the plate sitting nicely on the counter. I asked him where he had left them. He turned white. It turns out we still have my parents dog, Maddie. She doesn't have a chewing problem like Jack does, so we let her roam the house when we are away. Well...SHE ATE 3 RAW PIECES OF CHICKEN. That night I would say she was smirking the entire time at us, while doing the chicken dance!!!!!!!!!!

Explanation=Laziness

I know it has been awhile since I have last blogged. I have tried time and time again to think of excuses as to why this has happened, but unfortunately my mind has become a complete blank. The only one I can think of is pure laziness.

September highlight:
Ryan and I experienced our first Jesse James Day experience. Jesse James Day (aka the Northfield town days) is not just a regular celebration. People from all over the US come to Northfield to celebrate the day Jesse James tried to rob First National Bank, but was defeated. You would say Jesse James Days is the state fair of Northfield. Both of our parents and my brother and his girlfriend came down to join in the festivities. My dad and I even ran in the Jesse James 15K. Yes you have that correct if you do the math it is 9.32 miles! It was not the longest, but the most horrible race I have ran. Imagine yourself running on a country road and you see nothing but sun, hills, and corn fields. YET, I will be the crazy one to run it again next year.

October highlights:
October was more eventful for us. October 1st our fabulous friends, Jay and Katie Kasner, got married in the twin cities. They had a beautiful day and was fun to catch up with friends.We also celebrated a special 3rd birthday for my cousin's child, Brielle. It was a day filled with dolls, Tinkerbell, and playtime! My inter-child came out that day when I spent the day outside with my godchild, Gavin.

November:
November has slipped by us. We haven't done much besides work, work, work. Ryan helped his parents on their farm. Getting ready for winter has been a chore for us too because we are homeowners this year.
We have been taking care of my parents dog, Maddie. My parents decided it was a good idea to take a Mediterranean Cruise for a couple of weeks (of course they didn't ask me to join them!). It was a trip "for adults." ;) So since they are sailing the seas this Thanksgiving, my brothers and I will celebrate at Grandma and Grandpa Huxford's this year. I am excited to see my brothers, Logan especially, (I haven't seen him since he left for school in September), and also my uncle and cousins. I hope you all get to share a simular Thanksgiving experience with friends and family!

Labor Day Weekend 2011

We were super busy on Friday night we did the usual sit on the driveway and talk with the neighbors. Saturday we went to the fair and dropped Jack off to play for the day in Elko. Of course we ate more greasy, fatty food than we could handle and headed home for the night. After picking up Jack and playing fetch for an hour, we headed to our monthly annual game night with our friends in Northfield.
I know most of you haven't heard of game night, so I will explain. Basically we get together and play games every month. There are about five or six couples that participate. Each month somebody new hosts. It is always BYOD (bring your own dish). Ryan and I love it! We have made great friends here in Northfield.
On Sunday we had Ryan's family over. It was great to see them! Each family had gone on a trip, so it was fun to hear about all their experiences. In particular Ryan's parents had just flew in from China. How crazy is that! I hope Ryan and I will be flying to China someday. Monday we literally sat outside and relaxed. Tuesday it was back to grind. Here are some photos from the long weekend.

Ryan eating a huge, long beef jerky stick. He better have liked it because like everything else at the fair, it was not cheap.
Ryan eating his walleye fingers. He ended up taking two bites and saying they were gross.
Me eating my walleye cakes, which were very delicious.
Ryan at the fair. Of course you can't tell, but we did pick the hottest day to go with the most people attending.
Ryan's family outside after eating a yummy supper.
Jack waiting patiently for somebody to throw the ball.
Isaac throwing the ball for Jack. Him and Jack made good friends because Isaac could practice throwing, while Jack caught.
Ryan's nephew Andrew and sister-in-law Shelly. Cute picture!
Ryan's brother Todd and his wife Kate. They just returned from North Carolina.
Ryan's niece Hannah, being silly.

Ryan and his favorite nephews!

1st Anniversary in the Rockies

Ryan and I traveled to Colorado for our very anticipated 1st Anniversary/vacation. When we got up at 5:30am for my cousin, Andrew to take us to the airport we were both beaming. We arrived in Colorado with no turbulence and headed to pick up our rental car. We thought we would get a sweet car, but we opted for the cheapest option and landed a blue Suzuki. Stylish, I know. It was small, comparable to the movie Just Married. We spent a day in Denver, traveling to the State Capital (Ryan's choice), the 16th street mall (my choice), and Cheeseman Park (a famous grassy knoll area where you can see the city's landscape). From there we hopped in our mini-mobile and headed to Colorado Springs. Of course I thought everything was planned (everybody knows me Mrs. Organized), but we found out Priceline over-booked the hotel. After arguing over the phone and fighting for help, we booked a hotel close to the Airforce Academy. The next morning we headed to the Olympic Training Center and had an awesome tour of the facility. I have never see so many masculine people in one setting in all my life. These were huge men/women! The six-packs were amazing! One guy was a bobsledder and he would carry this make-shift bobsled up a hill and back down. Let's just say if I was single I would definitely tour the facility on a regular basis (sorry Ryan, I still love you!). After the tour we drove to Manitou Springs to grab a bit to eat. Located at the base of Pikes Peak Manitou Springs is known for their mineral water. They would distribute cups and you could walk around taste-testing each different mineral water.
Pikes Peak was the next stop. The drive up was hilarious for me, but sweaty for Ryan. Let's just say heights are not his friend. And I had to be the brat who snapped pictures of him as we ascended to the top. It was a 19 mile drive, but took about an hour to make it to the peak. Once we got there the views were breathtaking. It was awesome! You could see for miles and miles. The temperature was also colder. We were 14,000 plus some more feet above sea level.
After venturing down, Ryan settled in and we started on the 2 hour drive to meet the rest of my family, where they rented a cabin in Dillon, CO. That night we enjoyed the food and company of my family.
Sunday morning we woke up to the cool smell of the snow-capped mountains. It was a dream to wake up on our 1st Anniversary and see the view out the window. That day was a testament to our marriage, and showed me how much I truly love my husband. We set out on a hike in the morning near our cabin. From the mountain we could see the city of Dillon, which is surrounded by a reservoir. It was beautiful. After the hike, my parents thought it would be fun to rent bikes and see the cities close to Dillon. The Van Hon's, packing more food, water, and supplies than you can imagine strapped on their biking shoes and biked 7 miles to a nearby town called Fresco. We walked around Fresco for a bit and then ventured out. This is where the fun begins. First of all, we hadn't eaten lunch yet, and Sam was farting his brains out all day because the night before he decided to eat jalapeno hot dogs (thanks to my dad). His farts were worse than if you had been following a sewage truck for 1,000 miles. So you can imagine...pretty, pretty good stench going. We started out on the trail again and my dad's internal GPS kicked in high gear. My mother and I can contest that his GPS 20% of the time is accurate. After my brothers fighting with him on which way to proceed back to Dillon, we got right back on track. With Logan in the lead, we of course had to take the most ascending route possible. After climbing a two mile up-hill bike climb, we made it to the top and Ryan turns around and says "Happy Anniversary." I glared with my evil eyes at him and kept going. Little did we know we still had many miles to go. Finally, after smelling Sam's stench with my body aching all over, we arrived home, showered, and spent the evening touring Breckenridge (quite a quaint little ski village). I had a very memorable anniversary. If my husband survived all the day and my family, I have a feeling we are going to have many memorable anniversaries ahead of us. I can't wait! :)
The next day we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. The views here were more awesome than Pikes Peak. The elevation was also higher. Logan wanted to venture off and climb every mountain he could find, but resisted to please my dad as he was clenching to my mom (he is more afraid of heights, than mice are afraid of humans). We also went on a 4-mile hike. The ranger said it was an easy trail, 2 miles up-hill and 2 miles down. But to our luck it was treacherous. After a long day we headed home, but it wasn't a trip home if we didn't smell the stench coming from the backseat (aka Sam!). Before we left the park Logan ordered a coffee and had to place two sugar packets and butt-load of cream in it. All we heard on the way home was Logan and all we smelled was Sam. I was beat!
Ryan and I went to bed that night, knowing that we had to go back to the real world tomorrow. We both had a great time with my family and hope that we will have many more anniversaries...(maybe even in the Rockies again)
Ryan and I in the dome of the State Capital in Denver
A view of the State Capital from the streets
The Olympic Shooting Training Center
Garden of the Gods near Manitou Springs (basically very huge rocks)
Top of Pikes Peak
On our Sunday hike...mom and dad...married for years...
My brothers, Maddie, and us on our Sunday Hike
We took a tram in Breckenridge and could see the entire city from the tram
Our 2 mile hike up Lilly Mountain
Stanley Hotel (from the movie The Shining) located near Rocky Mountain National Park
Logan working his supermodel skills at Rocky Mountain National Park
At Rocky Mountain National Park again
A spectacular view
My entire fam!