tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36032537763436765162024-03-12T16:03:22.959-07:00Atkin PlanetTamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-18355683485713833392010-11-01T13:14:00.001-07:002010-11-01T13:37:06.325-07:00Fall 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_CRTNbOBAzolgq2A46bWz8lLoD4BfIQ6IPYkun5l9JkxEOraNqCCScpcUsBa7bGI4OqHl1whXyMJgt1ClvUUvsogPa3yHmZa03GePcDQqygQoNBFtRwB16Z88mrloKQKGRHUb6X8vTej/s1600/fall+2010+035.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534681708625213826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_CRTNbOBAzolgq2A46bWz8lLoD4BfIQ6IPYkun5l9JkxEOraNqCCScpcUsBa7bGI4OqHl1whXyMJgt1ClvUUvsogPa3yHmZa03GePcDQqygQoNBFtRwB16Z88mrloKQKGRHUb6X8vTej/s320/fall+2010+035.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjResGqJIytK-cJoIVtpvTUaEn5IQxnx8LQ6IpYhDaFSmCi1uibAqXvrMpkIYxeaDxDJEU4Gu8deguexq8JRiRXafOJ-MQGOk7tN2sk6uvzB6VAkDdW-YY31C5q1d1W8vyPstFmRyUb9ViK/s1600/fall+2010+025.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534681688858431746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjResGqJIytK-cJoIVtpvTUaEn5IQxnx8LQ6IpYhDaFSmCi1uibAqXvrMpkIYxeaDxDJEU4Gu8deguexq8JRiRXafOJ-MQGOk7tN2sk6uvzB6VAkDdW-YY31C5q1d1W8vyPstFmRyUb9ViK/s320/fall+2010+025.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVHA0nEIrJ5QSWQr9FK34X-3mgY1q5AioywGTA4VGsYguSHG1F4FUQFSve-3OZeNsBwD_yNyulfwaYpfW3pv3HXGFn5i9QtnjDLoGb4omcKZgtytXaDMCbIGqpgfdPLZzNcMQDQRT7xlZ/s1600/fall+2010+032.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534681682521289106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVHA0nEIrJ5QSWQr9FK34X-3mgY1q5AioywGTA4VGsYguSHG1F4FUQFSve-3OZeNsBwD_yNyulfwaYpfW3pv3HXGFn5i9QtnjDLoGb4omcKZgtytXaDMCbIGqpgfdPLZzNcMQDQRT7xlZ/s320/fall+2010+032.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div>We have had a very full October starting with the fall harvest festival which is put on by one of our neighbors. The kids had a lot of fun finding their way through a hay maze, jumping on a bungee trampoline, riding ponies, posing for pictures, and playing in the petting zoo.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
<br />Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-63273445176733007372010-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:002010-08-01T14:16:31.766-07:00Skydiving<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRReNYktZWz1FvASvvzP4N0fltvpmtlEnD1AqoPpmyuXtP3q6pXRFHQYY_fgHwFHUIUmMpaJUw8I8qR76nHP-rf-SLUp7J6UFcjSSlThp7zhGrLYg4OqVpAJTfF2bib_6TQdVScowlqmxH/s1600/IMG_0051.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500552560500720962" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRReNYktZWz1FvASvvzP4N0fltvpmtlEnD1AqoPpmyuXtP3q6pXRFHQYY_fgHwFHUIUmMpaJUw8I8qR76nHP-rf-SLUp7J6UFcjSSlThp7zhGrLYg4OqVpAJTfF2bib_6TQdVScowlqmxH/s320/IMG_0051.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H0OHzZksJ1hjYFNkxRojfLr9ilv1tnFH6tqoIX1Jo7LG-TUlewzjj7u6HmJ1tuO4Ru4acLM8j58FScQqBtPzqaBUTuCF_JfMoSjPjWPanwC3Szll9ELy-NY5ePBXp0nHjiuzdx8PjPAc/s1600/IMG_0008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500552553220672242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9H0OHzZksJ1hjYFNkxRojfLr9ilv1tnFH6tqoIX1Jo7LG-TUlewzjj7u6HmJ1tuO4Ru4acLM8j58FScQqBtPzqaBUTuCF_JfMoSjPjWPanwC3Szll9ELy-NY5ePBXp0nHjiuzdx8PjPAc/s320/IMG_0008.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAOukIJd3oPv9EDkjd8qV-YSxH6xZWqrS51kq-DuKqDpfO5G50r_Gia3YPwpOo7kH7cl6NirzGhX_vMHH6JoPXIF7neHfd_WyeOj1QuGVvEok-eMlJXzdVkNKhGPggPP_Nm2gGqnMJR5m/s1600/IMG_0046.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500552545533962562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAOukIJd3oPv9EDkjd8qV-YSxH6xZWqrS51kq-DuKqDpfO5G50r_Gia3YPwpOo7kH7cl6NirzGhX_vMHH6JoPXIF7neHfd_WyeOj1QuGVvEok-eMlJXzdVkNKhGPggPP_Nm2gGqnMJR5m/s320/IMG_0046.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wQh8j31gfai_k12KsBQQZOWDHOE3_LJUW2EoVXiqR7VGGagnSoclThCetLC8ze0QI_Yut6yrYlYCypkq74c9TQAFfnoSNFxAxOnGO2FkoTkT_O_BeLN5Bb7LqC9VgDWLGrEKw61YdEA4/s1600/IMG_0003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500552542599327890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wQh8j31gfai_k12KsBQQZOWDHOE3_LJUW2EoVXiqR7VGGagnSoclThCetLC8ze0QI_Yut6yrYlYCypkq74c9TQAFfnoSNFxAxOnGO2FkoTkT_O_BeLN5Bb7LqC9VgDWLGrEKw61YdEA4/s320/IMG_0003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1Xd0jrbkSmYs6P_-dRUqRh-EiwuTMHSjBvo2mWLxXfzdC8q5nj4aKWpYvsPGniGV9LTR_NeE80-LP8OCmqZeMND5a8lizhGAtA3MrPiOmd-69OA5E8y5IUEwsFUK8rgrP84NBoAebk5S/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500552530296677538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1Xd0jrbkSmYs6P_-dRUqRh-EiwuTMHSjBvo2mWLxXfzdC8q5nj4aKWpYvsPGniGV9LTR_NeE80-LP8OCmqZeMND5a8lizhGAtA3MrPiOmd-69OA5E8y5IUEwsFUK8rgrP84NBoAebk5S/s320/IMG_0030.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Jake's birthday is today and he decided friday that we should celebrate his birthday by jumping out of an airplane. I of course agreed to join him and yesterday we drove to Toole and made it happen. I thought it would be so much fun that it might become a regular, new hobby for the two of us. No, it won't. Besides the fact that it wasn't cheap, it was also fairly terrifying and surprisingly uncomfortable. The harness was by fair my least favorite part. If I had more comfortable gear or dressed more appropriately I might have felt different, but I don't think so. The most scary part was looking down as we flew up in the plane 13,000 feet. It was actually more frightening to see the small ground than it was when we arrived and could really only see clouds. I didn't look down as I jumped so that was actually less frightening, plus the tandem guy basically pushes you out so you don't really have to jump. And he pulls the cord, so that part isn't a big deal. If I go again, I would get to do that part. The first time all they expect you to do is breath and not pass out. I did that. While I was decending and for hours up until I watched it on video I decided I would definitely never do it again. The video makes it look fun and clouds my memory. The more time that passes since my jump the more I think I would consider going again. In that way it's kind of like having a baby. </div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-77124606379331371472010-02-17T12:01:00.000-08:002010-02-17T13:38:08.329-08:00Cruisin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmG9MInqrrjRf_PXiy0Drzyu9VoAHmr-Pk5S0jAJbxOyFEMjrVGzIE6_5bfID9k8GBdjUsu4vsXHjYTiuPPUwd3iDxTVXw_zvIBHrBaCbITt_EsOo3WVLyptIHKANFNAN6xVLXkZbYk3_s/s1600-h/DSCN0756_050.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439329512182083442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmG9MInqrrjRf_PXiy0Drzyu9VoAHmr-Pk5S0jAJbxOyFEMjrVGzIE6_5bfID9k8GBdjUsu4vsXHjYTiuPPUwd3iDxTVXw_zvIBHrBaCbITt_EsOo3WVLyptIHKANFNAN6xVLXkZbYk3_s/s320/DSCN0756_050.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrloTSl5BpayyLABpC_W2Tz4PkHzt3vp3T3wafWp9HrCm2u24g-PBYa000GpJXvdc4RciC1v8rVhOP0Y6zSmfYywrbrnnFoUlI1yUbqCnFD7pC_W_e4DlBV6UCcnA9ZsxxC3Dm2OGD2mY2/s1600-h/DSCN0740_039.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439329505089035026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrloTSl5BpayyLABpC_W2Tz4PkHzt3vp3T3wafWp9HrCm2u24g-PBYa000GpJXvdc4RciC1v8rVhOP0Y6zSmfYywrbrnnFoUlI1yUbqCnFD7pC_W_e4DlBV6UCcnA9ZsxxC3Dm2OGD2mY2/s320/DSCN0740_039.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbqPVA2eMBHdEkhLHm86xVeLkPhNeeowwHJSY7d9MeUnL4YzOQ-9GgHgj-nn0v3kvJCCX8ojzrYkmqjSCrSHMi7CVnx6ffuGCNczjW7P-46Leksc50E532r4s8rkEOsKPgwFVXZIJTiv9/s1600-h/DSCN0735_034.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439329493934545298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbqPVA2eMBHdEkhLHm86xVeLkPhNeeowwHJSY7d9MeUnL4YzOQ-9GgHgj-nn0v3kvJCCX8ojzrYkmqjSCrSHMi7CVnx6ffuGCNczjW7P-46Leksc50E532r4s8rkEOsKPgwFVXZIJTiv9/s320/DSCN0735_034.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kaVlW4uNq8wNRTKdOmDXgZJi6n7YRdQtUSrLHCkYf8-IIGeepTnPwaTLkzm89HFIbSTEsVT81YWjGC38Na6Nzswh_oBZ3C7HfsfhQhroeYSiOZA0xQLhWS2WByJRtSbrWTsxdCRkESAO/s1600-h/DSCN0726_025.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439329490994507826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kaVlW4uNq8wNRTKdOmDXgZJi6n7YRdQtUSrLHCkYf8-IIGeepTnPwaTLkzm89HFIbSTEsVT81YWjGC38Na6Nzswh_oBZ3C7HfsfhQhroeYSiOZA0xQLhWS2WByJRtSbrWTsxdCRkESAO/s320/DSCN0726_025.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_9Prenq4yAL_meVnCfmiPg1XqfKUxWEX46PXAaMUV2tLOnMoIpwqaSMi0I2D2s2usxCnXMTUzKwZQKzJJju2OtJjdeI8s8k7ZIvAJKxqkIBduK7YNHTszVsHv_lNt6wCqcX4AmausGok/s1600-h/DSCN0730_029.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439329481892180578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_9Prenq4yAL_meVnCfmiPg1XqfKUxWEX46PXAaMUV2tLOnMoIpwqaSMi0I2D2s2usxCnXMTUzKwZQKzJJju2OtJjdeI8s8k7ZIvAJKxqkIBduK7YNHTszVsHv_lNt6wCqcX4AmausGok/s320/DSCN0730_029.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57GeexVIv_LLv2NLunSjpMoVqW6Nn8F_rN_CpJtT_snrXoHI8K3tL7Hoic5ITo2Bd5bsaE009qwfQS0CHS1USz_grahUxjF2cv6FdbyBfX9VBuKtb-IJzRPzall_NUfKp8EWYzIL3txod/s1600-h/DSCN0753_048.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439327575619984594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg57GeexVIv_LLv2NLunSjpMoVqW6Nn8F_rN_CpJtT_snrXoHI8K3tL7Hoic5ITo2Bd5bsaE009qwfQS0CHS1USz_grahUxjF2cv6FdbyBfX9VBuKtb-IJzRPzall_NUfKp8EWYzIL3txod/s320/DSCN0753_048.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG1V3HMxBhzFVvo1nrJNAZzpDQVQXCISCQ2_IszTlkeTVjqsCVswrTANtaUUCbECQ1EZXbRTMSOoXXnVad6Gi7wz1lnTuB908cgI0k8K-d1gpqxq278npoffGdC5Y55kiwmiIycLcUpfM/s1600-h/DSCN0757_051.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439327567344700786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRG1V3HMxBhzFVvo1nrJNAZzpDQVQXCISCQ2_IszTlkeTVjqsCVswrTANtaUUCbECQ1EZXbRTMSOoXXnVad6Gi7wz1lnTuB908cgI0k8K-d1gpqxq278npoffGdC5Y55kiwmiIycLcUpfM/s320/DSCN0757_051.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQAj9XAQJblrOscfu0CRZza1wXRUQR9bSVfEoN8-skj0mOPlNZJrDQbwfocuT1QvTHfMQSzIm3mf_eyT9EG11KZ_QkmB46SU4zIG3aXVT7hYE_knLTld5USQMVd2z-wUoBr6Y00SDzxpx/s1600-h/DSCN0762_053.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439327557103560162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQAj9XAQJblrOscfu0CRZza1wXRUQR9bSVfEoN8-skj0mOPlNZJrDQbwfocuT1QvTHfMQSzIm3mf_eyT9EG11KZ_QkmB46SU4zIG3aXVT7hYE_knLTld5USQMVd2z-wUoBr6Y00SDzxpx/s320/DSCN0762_053.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_EJAgonMcSIUXFDGU7QMCqx8vTZFsPdtxO2mMr39jGuXO1OAojwjDULRLfzAgSyE_goGnfO9K3oSmcGge5BubUQgKVPlr17tAJfo7jEy-oPFMy9Nv33-8eDL4-Q9v9eI_nOGvCE0yfDd/s1600-h/DSCN0782_060.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439327548492521026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_EJAgonMcSIUXFDGU7QMCqx8vTZFsPdtxO2mMr39jGuXO1OAojwjDULRLfzAgSyE_goGnfO9K3oSmcGge5BubUQgKVPlr17tAJfo7jEy-oPFMy9Nv33-8eDL4-Q9v9eI_nOGvCE0yfDd/s320/DSCN0782_060.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP6yjwSeWMnW3WkiWyn6gua9R-JyR_Bg0YzS0TaEcyj9MQdHLswy0AQAzgGQoNnECIUIXujrchVrS4aF6vJbu09JfBK52LveKcOTczHNposQm-BxwdAWer7ppk4BKTttE_Qu-IDo1wwgb/s1600-h/DSCN0783_061.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439327545290038002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijP6yjwSeWMnW3WkiWyn6gua9R-JyR_Bg0YzS0TaEcyj9MQdHLswy0AQAzgGQoNnECIUIXujrchVrS4aF6vJbu09JfBK52LveKcOTczHNposQm-BxwdAWer7ppk4BKTttE_Qu-IDo1wwgb/s320/DSCN0783_061.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>We had the time of our lives. Neither of us realized how overdue it was for us to get away from it all. The cruise ship was a great medium for relaxation and adventure. We would plan our day and then do next to none of it and it was great. The only thing we could possibly be late for was a meal and even that gave us a three hour window. Too bad we never missed one. I suppose it is a small kind of accomplishment that in eight days on a cruise ship I only gained seven pounds but thankfully it's coming right off as I return to eating like a normal, sane human being. Eating dessert three times a day in addition to about four meals a day is not sane and who knows the effects of such a lifestyle long term, but it was yummy and thank goodness it has come to an end. </div><br /><div>We went to the Virgin Islands (St. Martin and St. Thomas). The beaches in St. Thomas were amazing. In St. Martin we mostly shopped and that was a fun and new experience, because we bought some nice jewelry which is something we've never had or wanted before. We had a short stop in Puerto Rico, there we shopped and we tried the local food as someone advised us to do. We had plantane soup, giant avacado filled with steak, and mango juice. We bought some hand carved bowels to decorate our table. In Haiti we set a course for adventure and tried three different excursions. 40% of the excursion money went directly to the Haiti people, so it was also a good cause. We did the zip line (the longest in the world) that is 400 feet high, then we went parasailing, and finally we had a boat take us out to a nice location for snorkeling. A Haitian man was selling coconuts to drink and we bought two of those from him. It was weird stuff, but we were all about trying new things and spending money that week so why not. </div><br /><div>Finally we finished the trip with an airboat and alligator zoo excursion in Florida. Our camera battery died before got to the alligator zoo. It's really too bad because our son especially would have appreciated a picture of the self proclaimed alligator wrestler doing tricks with an alligator including sticking his head into the alligators mouth. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-80452760966533781092010-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:002010-04-02T12:46:02.342-07:00Girls Weekend Getaway<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DbWDqTaf6T22NI7WyG4FaajoXlQrSKO5CbPk1AObhtAEODRe6eYKevlgY5XuevMLxLFzzVvzsRS7D58QCeQK-X6VNuTFNmMOAdKLKDUAUjDEePRZ54VeQgi16XUo-MV8nygI6opRfv16/s1600-h/DSCN0703_002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430821421599416146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4DbWDqTaf6T22NI7WyG4FaajoXlQrSKO5CbPk1AObhtAEODRe6eYKevlgY5XuevMLxLFzzVvzsRS7D58QCeQK-X6VNuTFNmMOAdKLKDUAUjDEePRZ54VeQgi16XUo-MV8nygI6opRfv16/s320/DSCN0703_002.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYl5DhBVB5DJ4wZ9hIqQYGQ2tvr6nLQkuUE5nQdf9Jl_foGMj5Z5JhVhR_OJ60gZqExfiB6vsLfQF5etbMFqDmw1te2Xsa8OfIwXR4utXzrrjSa40nNmenNlHG0E9ReJkcd4eZCA06OIs/s1600-h/DSCN0704_003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430821408243297570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVYl5DhBVB5DJ4wZ9hIqQYGQ2tvr6nLQkuUE5nQdf9Jl_foGMj5Z5JhVhR_OJ60gZqExfiB6vsLfQF5etbMFqDmw1te2Xsa8OfIwXR4utXzrrjSa40nNmenNlHG0E9ReJkcd4eZCA06OIs/s320/DSCN0704_003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xrvgS1kUWVVyI51V-CYT3mo0wItzDzZfUjGIA3VpZkPm0HgiL3f849q-d9dyRJIc67kAErBi6ptEqInfoj4iddtxwz3gFgSzMFMmz44CDMOYt8-5l7PT_Xdc6CshLbz8I9ZWepcqbDa6/s1600-h/DSCN0706_005.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykxdrkdWici090p8E0vwNY5_YFB6EfCRyO6OsMMnM6_O5npqrdc5O1NeSXC_AqjCdmujn8plgbZviEfeO2FZxZirKIQElPSAaSdfMyq-ayVWuNU1el5wm4luQIk42klUZcNMiptdw5OHh/s1600-h/DSCN0709_008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430821393990044338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykxdrkdWici090p8E0vwNY5_YFB6EfCRyO6OsMMnM6_O5npqrdc5O1NeSXC_AqjCdmujn8plgbZviEfeO2FZxZirKIQElPSAaSdfMyq-ayVWuNU1el5wm4luQIk42klUZcNMiptdw5OHh/s320/DSCN0709_008.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMxvBDRvwHaFNBC2wvlV-A50aueYdypU5I88PP4hf8ZCWlR8KscvUbnq4VcIx7WZ4Tu-SA1SCSVtv29n6C520lIobA9nQJG6MRrpcqNESri3m4o0n2YOE9HHe8NX460lld1RjJfU0K5Ag/s1600-h/DSCN0710_009.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430821379309713394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMxvBDRvwHaFNBC2wvlV-A50aueYdypU5I88PP4hf8ZCWlR8KscvUbnq4VcIx7WZ4Tu-SA1SCSVtv29n6C520lIobA9nQJG6MRrpcqNESri3m4o0n2YOE9HHe8NX460lld1RjJfU0K5Ag/s320/DSCN0710_009.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Last weekend was my first girls weekend getaway. Amy and Kathleen joined me in Park City for the Sundance Film Festival and we stayed at the Inn on the Creek. They both had super professional cameras and photography skills, so they took most of the pictures. I have a point and shoot Nikon that I can barely use, but I will post what I have and wait for them to send me some good ones with all of us in them. I don't even have any pictures of Kathleen because once she arrived the fancy cameras came out and mine stayed tucked away, except for the one I took of Amy sleeping (because she's always been the last one to get up) and the one I had taken of me an the Yetti in Park City. I realized after that I was supposed to give him some money, but oh well. I'm sure he did not expect such miserable weather when he came up with that bright money making scheme. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our adventure began with the airport. Amy's brother and sister in law (Myron and Maggie Nilsson) work there bringing celebrity's in and getting them around town. I will post my very fuzzy picture of Myron and Amy looking very proffessional. Amy and Kathleen tried out their papparazzi skills and got several shots of big stars, namely Kareem Abdul Jabar, Adrien Brody (from King Kong), Dakato Fanning, and several people who looked like they might be someone and were not. </div><br /><div>Our second adventure was had in trying to get home from the airport. The weather was insane and we thought we could die many times during this three day period. We tried waiting out the weather during dinner but it was not going away. Luckily I had a 4x4 and new windshield wipers, but the wipers were still in the box (it took us at least a half hour to get them on) and figuring out how to use my 4 wheel drive took a couple of days. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next day Jason Kirks made us a super yummy breakfast and gave us the official tour of his town of Midway. We saw hot pots and a herd of a dozen Elk, Giant Frozen sprinkler water, Very big trees, and century old swiss style houses. Next, we headed to Park City to experience the festival festivities. All parking is on the outskirts of town during the festival and free shuttles take everyone from place to place. I haven't been on a city bus in so long, I forgot that it takes forever to get anywhere and it's so crowded. Most shuttles were crammed full of standing people and every stop had dozens of people getting off and on. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had no tickets to any shows and getting them last minute is nearly impossible without serious connections. We met a lady on the bus that sold us some tickets that she wasn't going to use and by the time the bus got us back to the car and we considered the weather and the traffic, we realized there was no possible way to make it to the showing on time, so we did some outlet shopping instead. I got a great deal on boots and jeans. </div><br /><div>We got very little sleep every night, which was just like old times and I would have it no other way. Hanging out with these two girls has always meant loads of great conversation, continual spontaneity, and next to no sleep. We had a very cute room and a great view but we spent most of our time out and about with no regard to the hazardous weather. </div><br /><div>I loved my time away and my reunion with old friends, but I also loved returning to my very adorable and adoring family. Going away reminds a person how much it's good to be back. I think we plan to make these getaway's a regular thing and I truly hope so because I loved every part of it. Not even deathly winter weather could mess it up for me. And that's saying a lot. </div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-56100601296896172222010-01-09T07:24:00.000-08:002010-01-09T07:52:44.352-08:00A Bit Overwhelmed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEfvm-k7sCM97biyBYSGjSifK4x5CFjtsTlPktJEf1N13N1z7SUKiucBqoQDhuL2BFyIUTuzSHI9Krldwziv33EAmxGGusnaqbAXJo-nbO6LnjxIg6vBZm2c9tbRJV9AT8oXRnVzPONd5/s1600-h/DSCN0695.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424767027415534562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEfvm-k7sCM97biyBYSGjSifK4x5CFjtsTlPktJEf1N13N1z7SUKiucBqoQDhuL2BFyIUTuzSHI9Krldwziv33EAmxGGusnaqbAXJo-nbO6LnjxIg6vBZm2c9tbRJV9AT8oXRnVzPONd5/s320/DSCN0695.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzA_1puXJa-JjBLCXL7Pam-lxZITUjSyBEdx9-lAIlPSz4GkXesNXwt1Tr9frGbcNZ8JIbOlMhScGG5qL2uwwIP_3jvwjcvys23QIh_ppNgU8JKXYA61a4zMwYkg65PFpxS2AJKClTbMD/s1600-h/DSCN0684.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424767024397238850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzA_1puXJa-JjBLCXL7Pam-lxZITUjSyBEdx9-lAIlPSz4GkXesNXwt1Tr9frGbcNZ8JIbOlMhScGG5qL2uwwIP_3jvwjcvys23QIh_ppNgU8JKXYA61a4zMwYkg65PFpxS2AJKClTbMD/s320/DSCN0684.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWctSkJsylZNQZ_cPCGvCguTzZm7so6eiAKWJbyWW6CG8e30d9TswoFQ0B38zw01VuPm1gNsTfoBlEaFIZRu_esdCjl3CHVoaBLxuAZ5ctX48p5tBcsTeJjZ-mnJhvDR5nqocekefsNlg5/s1600-h/DSCN0683.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424767013999956546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWctSkJsylZNQZ_cPCGvCguTzZm7so6eiAKWJbyWW6CG8e30d9TswoFQ0B38zw01VuPm1gNsTfoBlEaFIZRu_esdCjl3CHVoaBLxuAZ5ctX48p5tBcsTeJjZ-mnJhvDR5nqocekefsNlg5/s320/DSCN0683.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG906kNNTJfP0NLzfF1WdaJgaNIe1g3C9Rf70qoyxZ58PizxSCKIIlaju7k-YpXmWk766UagbYAT4eYvuPTb24kNpn5gUMUpVXbUgp-Mbj8Lh9GmTN1GdXMlG9D8oREaG-R3yn1CXxK22_/s1600-h/DSCN0682.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424767006863081490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG906kNNTJfP0NLzfF1WdaJgaNIe1g3C9Rf70qoyxZ58PizxSCKIIlaju7k-YpXmWk766UagbYAT4eYvuPTb24kNpn5gUMUpVXbUgp-Mbj8Lh9GmTN1GdXMlG9D8oREaG-R3yn1CXxK22_/s320/DSCN0682.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVkJOSeh1Dfp49PwntCteKT6Rv0BbjRIxI53l9KVwK9cu1Eb57joA9vw8uL4o9ucNuvhnDYFnnIKegVnbex1XjicyTG_synOSH5YVCswWgDHV7m6o0tAgLFy1BiGz4i5mfyvPa4x2Zrmv/s1600-h/DSCN0678.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424766995852527058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVkJOSeh1Dfp49PwntCteKT6Rv0BbjRIxI53l9KVwK9cu1Eb57joA9vw8uL4o9ucNuvhnDYFnnIKegVnbex1XjicyTG_synOSH5YVCswWgDHV7m6o0tAgLFy1BiGz4i5mfyvPa4x2Zrmv/s320/DSCN0678.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Usually a long stint of not posting means that nothing interesting is going on. But if you have a blog I think you know that the opposite it also true. So much, so fast, where to begin, and the answer can easily be just don't begin.<br /></div><div>Our holliday season was a lot of fun this year starting with halloween and straight through to new year's eve. It seems like there was plenty I should have documented here, including pictures, but the time zipped by and my camera battery was lost, so I just didn't. I bought myself a new camera during the black friday door busters and I have a few pictures to show for it, although learning to use it did result in accidentally deleted quite a few. We have some from Christmas that look very similar to last years pictures and a few of Jake's short experience wearing a goatee. </div><br /><div>During Christmas break most of my family got the flu, followed by strep throat and bronchitis, so it did get a little fuzzy there for a while. We had to miss out on some holliday visitors and my efforts to deliver homemade baked goods was half done and ended in the garbage..Sorry neighbors. We celebrated several birthdays, attended three business christmas parties, I threw the ward christmas party complete with dinner and santa, and Lydia was our first child to get baptized. All of that happened within a couple of weeks, so that too is kind of a blur. </div><br /><div>Now that the new year has started, we are going to make an effort to plan our trips, activities, and celebrations one at a time and I plan to do a much better job documenting them here. This can be one of my many new years resolutions. But I think these pictures are pretty cute and I'm going with the better late than never defense. </div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-5328656200754227302009-09-06T14:57:00.000-07:002009-09-06T15:03:50.088-07:00Twinkle Toes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHTx3as64sHlV0AdlF5BiL1k0ByNd8xwOs3Vnc0TyfSxOZamYJNC2-M8ZOA3hWn8DVPan_Z7oPdL-BlyUsEsOUBoN86hfRCj4ypm2knWI3hip-PTAXhfyqjYPJV4CVS3Zc55MSYZ5QKgD/s1600-h/toes+003.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378478229438856514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHTx3as64sHlV0AdlF5BiL1k0ByNd8xwOs3Vnc0TyfSxOZamYJNC2-M8ZOA3hWn8DVPan_Z7oPdL-BlyUsEsOUBoN86hfRCj4ypm2knWI3hip-PTAXhfyqjYPJV4CVS3Zc55MSYZ5QKgD/s320/toes+003.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Q9D5_-JM5WDXiz1gxoO-04uMa0f7kz3jkAK0Pwwm1sboTeSQDbYMMhG4PMuazWvPvSCkjdMiC1tzMxsv1KQejpuMNmmvDBo2jFtciSEg769_SZbhT8JwKy8_yBSvwbY_vkGpTix3Ym8/s1600-h/toes+002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378478219291642210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2Q9D5_-JM5WDXiz1gxoO-04uMa0f7kz3jkAK0Pwwm1sboTeSQDbYMMhG4PMuazWvPvSCkjdMiC1tzMxsv1KQejpuMNmmvDBo2jFtciSEg769_SZbhT8JwKy8_yBSvwbY_vkGpTix3Ym8/s320/toes+002.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9p-Dr2IozVo9hVK3tU15kxSsCd2hT73YF2rCM4UuLd1UaHZQ1_Z_utExzzcNm9mJW0Bt2s3DGftXQRgtZdT83befgk3W3hqBBMY_L5hWSbRqro-Z5g4ByBLuDUvhOYmzE5yxHVhdtFCM/s1600-h/toes+009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378478209124416322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9p-Dr2IozVo9hVK3tU15kxSsCd2hT73YF2rCM4UuLd1UaHZQ1_Z_utExzzcNm9mJW0Bt2s3DGftXQRgtZdT83befgk3W3hqBBMY_L5hWSbRqro-Z5g4ByBLuDUvhOYmzE5yxHVhdtFCM/s320/toes+009.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>It was my turn to choose our date night activity. I decided for a change we should go get a pedicure together. The asian ladies using a knife, took about an inch of callouse off of Jake's feet. In the end, I chose french manicure and Jake let the ladies choose for him. They could not stop laughing, even as we were leaving.</div><div>I'm not really a fan of my big, wide feet. But if I'm going to post his, I should at least be willing to post mine as well.</div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-27401630365794945872009-08-24T12:52:00.000-07:002009-08-24T13:37:52.591-07:00A Very Merry Un-Birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLk3OsHpPVSMH-FL_XHlt3EaWQQ3lof6BsfHrCzGzEuv7YqVEloB3qeKr0r8q3ZvEuKUcXvns8e-LQwnV60j_IrFELmJ0GsjdZqW_yD6T-3w8T7MFa0PRoOLocu6CfJz-zgji7vn6a_i4/s1600-h/Caleb's+6th+bday+009.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373631277876040482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLk3OsHpPVSMH-FL_XHlt3EaWQQ3lof6BsfHrCzGzEuv7YqVEloB3qeKr0r8q3ZvEuKUcXvns8e-LQwnV60j_IrFELmJ0GsjdZqW_yD6T-3w8T7MFa0PRoOLocu6CfJz-zgji7vn6a_i4/s320/Caleb's+6th+bday+009.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiDRql3r1ap_-t_-h8xk5zgE_ZcwKR2ny29Aro8QAmZ_PeGdnONoTDC4p6lrVYN6BFzCjCrPY8R2g8xAAXR29UzdWowKaRWb-bcD62tVKwQa3BLnptkEsDzdh-kprOJ5Svcg-b_iPtJSo/s1600-h/Caleb's+6th+bday+020.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373631270443043794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiDRql3r1ap_-t_-h8xk5zgE_ZcwKR2ny29Aro8QAmZ_PeGdnONoTDC4p6lrVYN6BFzCjCrPY8R2g8xAAXR29UzdWowKaRWb-bcD62tVKwQa3BLnptkEsDzdh-kprOJ5Svcg-b_iPtJSo/s320/Caleb's+6th+bday+020.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirabPFl1tQxzoglMVu3OhZiQ1bP-J8FLL2fIKMiT-HBbhBFSbbwokJ_vlMoVP9GS-S6gLQuO1qctSZEz7ED836dReR3DhFQnnn-DM_KbYdH_f3iNbIEvo_h8dX8WRYFOGxNsusjxYLe58i/s1600-h/Caleb's+6th+bday+013.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373631260442422482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirabPFl1tQxzoglMVu3OhZiQ1bP-J8FLL2fIKMiT-HBbhBFSbbwokJ_vlMoVP9GS-S6gLQuO1qctSZEz7ED836dReR3DhFQnnn-DM_KbYdH_f3iNbIEvo_h8dX8WRYFOGxNsusjxYLe58i/s320/Caleb's+6th+bday+013.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGERVGT0NpdiOXReRXK-fmfg4R1GZOmaETeTGngIFh8YcKZps9vvymIBo1A-2q2lNQlcOjQZNHBtnoHlUEK6QRQ0YGVh5MijPTveVbkgvULoyh0wCzgb5qYEF5MCH2NT8q0zqqUnRYCTI/s1600-h/Caleb's+6th+bday+007.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373631254453857666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGERVGT0NpdiOXReRXK-fmfg4R1GZOmaETeTGngIFh8YcKZps9vvymIBo1A-2q2lNQlcOjQZNHBtnoHlUEK6QRQ0YGVh5MijPTveVbkgvULoyh0wCzgb5qYEF5MCH2NT8q0zqqUnRYCTI/s320/Caleb's+6th+bday+007.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CbBDe6ltkHwX1uREkhw7ipAa78IrKvqNjmx94oCna0ITOkOvI04YrJJXvHw9HHjoe5XWQcTk8e4VTrMW3VlRJHsLcqnjESNSzGjeb7KL9K_8ppvZZDAiq0HSKYX2WgkYmBdCjAxg2WKN/s1600-h/Caleb's+6th+bday+002.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373631245262577426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2CbBDe6ltkHwX1uREkhw7ipAa78IrKvqNjmx94oCna0ITOkOvI04YrJJXvHw9HHjoe5XWQcTk8e4VTrMW3VlRJHsLcqnjESNSzGjeb7KL9K_8ppvZZDAiq0HSKYX2WgkYmBdCjAxg2WKN/s320/Caleb's+6th+bday+002.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Because my bday is in Dec., I have empathy for my children who are also all winter babies and I give them an option for a summer bday party. Caleb's bday this year was Aug. 18th. (A date pulled out of the air.) It gave us a chance to use our yard instead of trying to entertain 10-six year old boys in my not that big of a house. He was so excited for it this year and doing it in the summer allows some space between the excitement of Christmas and a bday party. </div><div></div></div><div><div> </div><div>I made him a special cake that was supposed to look like a dirt mound covered in creepy crawly things. I got the idea online. I also got some good ideas for games online, but the boys only had the attention span for one and then they wanted to swing and climb, which was a lot easier for me. I kept coming in and out of the house with pizza, soda, cake, ice cream, napkins. I was glad Jake was there to run things because I was just a gopher. </div><br /><div>Our present to him was a new bike, which he needed desperately because his old one was way too small and had a bent front wheel and missing spokes. I gave it to him by way of a scavenger hunt which the kids really enjoyed. And of course, the traditional pinata filled with more candy than it should be.<br /></div><div>Overall the party was a great experience. The down side is that now Caleb is a little confused about exactly how old he is, but no system is perfect.</div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-37443056649764574132009-07-23T14:32:00.000-07:002009-07-23T14:59:26.019-07:00Latest trip to Cali<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpYOzl92OtSVkz6hjfvTWXg44U4HjXLY_iPvnnckmJ9xrK983f37moRuoA7POWCI7BwnyiapB0zqHf3OLmjoFnAmu6xAUZxgmaHJH79Z8UQtUaiRbUfHVNVm8Gd8UvoKStVyXuZypcC_m/s1600-h/vacation+and+yard+020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361778167262491170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJpYOzl92OtSVkz6hjfvTWXg44U4HjXLY_iPvnnckmJ9xrK983f37moRuoA7POWCI7BwnyiapB0zqHf3OLmjoFnAmu6xAUZxgmaHJH79Z8UQtUaiRbUfHVNVm8Gd8UvoKStVyXuZypcC_m/s320/vacation+and+yard+020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnedxUSP5W8UNyd9FeleCH6-D1NEAqd7w6lFs9WW7yezuZ_IbUKClJvZOiZiNYXxyzsgVbgLXCBS9bp_-REYZCorPp9IKLGfT40jbFRA33NTPWHch4uW2NKZ3rJzHvaXYpMDjV2LEeGNmI/s1600-h/vacation+and+yard+044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361778162302073138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnedxUSP5W8UNyd9FeleCH6-D1NEAqd7w6lFs9WW7yezuZ_IbUKClJvZOiZiNYXxyzsgVbgLXCBS9bp_-REYZCorPp9IKLGfT40jbFRA33NTPWHch4uW2NKZ3rJzHvaXYpMDjV2LEeGNmI/s320/vacation+and+yard+044.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfnCS6w6lIPW9f3M0HjRy2ohuUrbNmnRgiI2NB_0HDhyKpNfrH8GzKG5zZhHmtqIVHkfUSABTiBjewdR1rCZ7vxGa8ludzvlfIE9tlI_yOeScmhDTfRkwI4fByNDCrIUox0g5xFBwig1I/s1600-h/vacation+and+yard+031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361778154247271762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfnCS6w6lIPW9f3M0HjRy2ohuUrbNmnRgiI2NB_0HDhyKpNfrH8GzKG5zZhHmtqIVHkfUSABTiBjewdR1rCZ7vxGa8ludzvlfIE9tlI_yOeScmhDTfRkwI4fByNDCrIUox0g5xFBwig1I/s320/vacation+and+yard+031.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXA4KC7eeXDadTKFksapHoCpkEFsztSk91M8Hh84s4xEccgsOsYUDyn0_ENH4Q9VgYlcuVcbEqgr3Tho9YyFcvQA06yxO5GBDmsEWYNgLKFOHZyMS_wxqSzbH36iLS9U-8558UyFOKKzhX/s1600-h/vacation+and+yard+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361778145083005458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXA4KC7eeXDadTKFksapHoCpkEFsztSk91M8Hh84s4xEccgsOsYUDyn0_ENH4Q9VgYlcuVcbEqgr3Tho9YyFcvQA06yxO5GBDmsEWYNgLKFOHZyMS_wxqSzbH36iLS9U-8558UyFOKKzhX/s320/vacation+and+yard+024.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagDCfR1dDNmOm4GpIyd6_zCSZ6EqGsLX4nFEn3T6iiv7uYxx932Je5p4zzZprngHRLu3OW175D0wHon1DtMNsSUnUoSihNc7LQGnyWAOCGPqbdq-dScNElkAABrUb-cVbLOnn2w1g2Ypa/s1600-h/vacation+and+yard+033.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361778129914740434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagDCfR1dDNmOm4GpIyd6_zCSZ6EqGsLX4nFEn3T6iiv7uYxx932Je5p4zzZprngHRLu3OW175D0wHon1DtMNsSUnUoSihNc7LQGnyWAOCGPqbdq-dScNElkAABrUb-cVbLOnn2w1g2Ypa/s320/vacation+and+yard+033.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>My husband says that all I ever want to do is go to California. I have to admit it calls to me and I have no real vacation experience; so, I don't long for other places. This trip was all planned because of my 20 yr high school reunion; so it had to be a CA trip.<br /></div><div>We started by visiting Lisa in Huntington Beach. She was very gracious and let us eat all of her beloved ice cream. Coming from her, that is true love. Thank you again, Lisa. Next we went to Lovely downtown, Bakersfield. The first night it was 107 degrees when we arrived. We had pizza with my fam and as we exited it was still 107. We stayed at the four points by sheraton and they had a great pool. It wasn't heated but it felt like it was. We went swimming the first night and Jake complained that he couldn't cool off. I love night swimming. He was just happy that we could crank it down it 65 in the hotel room. </div><br /><div>The next day we took advantage of the fact that my sisters wanted to watch our kids and we went to the movies alone. We saw the latest Harry Potter, which we both loved. Jake could not get over the fact that the theatre was so very empty. It was a brand new, stadium seating theatre called the Mayan. We arrived five minutes before the show and it was a new movie. There was no line at all and they were offering free popcorn, which we didn't want. We only ever get popcorn to occupy our kids who easily get bored at movies. I tried to explain to Jake that people just really don't go to the movies in Bako. Personally, I would rather go swimming or boating instead as well. </div><br /><div>That night we went River Rafting with my sister's, their men, an uncle, a cousin and her friends. It was pretty scarey while rafting, but after I couldn't remember why I was scared. It was beautiful at night and great fun. </div><br /><div>The next day, saturday, was my reunion. I couldn't find my camera; so, I have no pictures. Hopefully someone will post there's soon so I can see them. It was fun to see people. Almost everybody that showed up is also on facebook, so I felt like I could tell them about themselves rather than ask them any questions. </div><br /><div>We went swimming everyday, while there. The kids of course loved staying in the hotel and I just love to go away every chance I get. The kids got to spend a lot of time with cousins they never see. And I got to see two of my father's siblings that I never see. Everything went as planned, so it was a very good vacation. Next time, I'll have to think of somewhere to go other than California. </div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-28283907066587217372009-07-08T09:17:00.000-07:002009-07-08T09:24:54.135-07:00Quick "10 Minute Trainer" updateJake and I have been following the 10-day program for 2 days so far and the results have been great. We both lost 3 lbs the first day and he lost another 3 and I lost 2 the second day. At this rate we really will cut quite a bit in 10 days, maybe as much as 20 lbs. The meals are light, but the recipes are pretty good and you're eating constantly. I follow the program down to the minute and measure the food with a food scale. So far I've done three videos a day and Jake just works out and plays tennis at school. I know that it isn't suppose to be healthy to lose weight this fast but that's probably why it specifically says not to do this for more than 10 days. I trust Tony to not put out any program that is not healthy and that won't improve fitness.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-15157218774706029722009-07-06T08:18:00.000-07:002009-07-06T08:44:43.727-07:00Anti-Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Self DiagnosisBody Dysmorphic Disorder or BBD is most often found in person's suffering from anorexia. They look in the mirror and regardless of their actual appearance, they see someone who is overweight and they continue to work to lose it. I believe that I am suffering from something opposite of that. Despite what I wrote it my last post, the truth is that I think I look really good when I look in the mirror and so I have to remind myself that it can't possibly be true. How is it possible that I am the weight and size of someone who would not look good but on me it just works. If you've ever seen the movie Shallow Hal, there is a seen where Gwyneth Paltrow takes off her little clothes and throws them accross the room and all of a sudden they are huge. Well I must have been affected by Tony Robbins because my large clothes look the perfect size once they are on me. I'm glad that I like me so much but I have to remind myself of the truth so that I can remember to work toward actual improvement.<br /><br />In addition to Tony Robbins, I am also a big fan of Tony Horton (P90X); so I bought another of his programs called The 10 minute Trainer. The workouts are only 10 min but you can do multiple in a day, so I plan to always do 2 or 3. I'm excited that this program is more designed for women than P90x and for weight loss. P90x is so muscle building that I didn't lose any weight, I'm excited to see some slimming results. The program even contains a 10 day quick cut weight program which promises to cut one pant size in 10 days. I happen to have 10 days left until my high school reunion, so I'm putting it to the test. I'm actually only two pants sizes bigger than when I was in high school; so one size down would be great and two would be fantastic. So I have high hopes for this program. I even got my husband to do it with me. Normally he wouldn't do anything that was at all girly, but since I did P90X with him and since he wouldn't mind cutting some weight too. Next time we start P90X, we'll be more able to do push-ups and pull-ups when we have less body weight to push and pull.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-73113331046938276132009-06-19T12:54:00.000-07:002009-06-19T14:18:46.773-07:00Fatty BubelattyMany of you know that I have struggles with weight ever since I started having children. My whole life, I never knew what it was like to need to watch what I eat or worry that things won't fit. Now I know that I should be grateful and feel very blessed for that history because it is an awful feeling. The pregnancy years were tough and pretty hard on my self esteem. It's like I was a totally different person for those eight years than the person I was for the first 30 years of my life. If you didn't see me during those years ( the "Large Marge" years), let me assure you that I am not one of those people who exagerate this kind of thing. Let's just say that I was big enough that my husband's grandpa said to my face that I was "almost big enough to pull a plow." And I had my first cousin say, "there she blows," and when I tried to ignore him, he made sure that I knew that he was saying I was as big as a whale. (Am I the only one with relatives who have no tact?) Luckily my husband never even hinted at such a thing. He says he likes women to not be too skinny, so that they don't have a womenly figure. Perhaps he's a really good liar or perhaps the fact that I wanted and needed to believe it helped a lot.<br /><br />Now it's time to enter a new stage and I have high hopes for a good future. But I do realize that keeping in shape will be a big part of the rest of my life. I have a lot of determination, and right after the last baby, I dieted big time and got down to my goal weight in 10 months. I also got into the size of jeans I wanted, but I was so flabby and untoned that I wasn't as pleased as I planned. I went off the diet for the holidays and was suprised at how quickly one can gain the weight back. Then I began the world of P90X. I am still a believer, but I think it is better designed for someone who has no life and no house full of sickies. My husband and I have vowed to conquer the program but I hate doing things half way, so we're going to wait until Sept to start, because our lives are a little more simple at that time. Right now I'm just eating healthy and going to the gym, because it fits pretty easily into my day in the summer time.<br /><br />My goal now, is to hit a weight and pants size that I can comfortably say out loud and still be muscular and tone. My opinion is that fat is better than flabby, so that is my current state. I am so determined that I have decided that I will never again by an article of clothes with a number on the tag that I don't like. I will simply buy two moo moo's that can cover my nakedness until the clothes that I allow myself to buy will fit. I recently went on a big shopping trip with my mother in law and sister in law's using this rule. I purchased a lot of shirts and no pants. I think I look pretty good from the waste up and from the knees down, but my bum and thighs are holding up the progress and it's me vs. them from here on out.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-56657285932176830932009-05-12T13:09:00.000-07:002009-05-12T13:25:55.253-07:00Vegas Vacation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjU6kfMgspLRBa8VnmZWELQja6iItXKwn5R9JvTnTHGRdieIhWDXIDPwocZSgbMPk_El6G7hIOEPiTljUJkTlpaju_TxOfyy-uAQwOgIkhXj5PSbS-_y8omubKZGrE1rhYjXVIlqW2PlV/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+197.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335036119765554290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjU6kfMgspLRBa8VnmZWELQja6iItXKwn5R9JvTnTHGRdieIhWDXIDPwocZSgbMPk_El6G7hIOEPiTljUJkTlpaju_TxOfyy-uAQwOgIkhXj5PSbS-_y8omubKZGrE1rhYjXVIlqW2PlV/s320/theme+park+tour+197.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4QgI-n-EpPWZR6SF-py324N8D3LkEMH9yv4xp7A5LGJM4AjLRj3HrfOeRQ2FOlJZtaI_I58HxeUJg0tTxjLO2MQETe1vs3y0_OfcWZ3b-0M2LWTuaRE72eezHJ-buFeRzqG7droVdwFY/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+185.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335036117589837250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4QgI-n-EpPWZR6SF-py324N8D3LkEMH9yv4xp7A5LGJM4AjLRj3HrfOeRQ2FOlJZtaI_I58HxeUJg0tTxjLO2MQETe1vs3y0_OfcWZ3b-0M2LWTuaRE72eezHJ-buFeRzqG7droVdwFY/s320/theme+park+tour+185.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9UyQvpZrPMLniNVfDw_8V5SQT4__xfMgDTevr-rIyPtcQmc57YtfDvwLQgnk6f2vzGfWQA9EmIEdTjWDYx1dfZLQEdq4TCqImINoahLdjr1Tad08Fsam3Cw9JH2ZlOd9X-rysfFdOJ-L/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+176.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335036109495330114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9UyQvpZrPMLniNVfDw_8V5SQT4__xfMgDTevr-rIyPtcQmc57YtfDvwLQgnk6f2vzGfWQA9EmIEdTjWDYx1dfZLQEdq4TCqImINoahLdjr1Tad08Fsam3Cw9JH2ZlOd9X-rysfFdOJ-L/s320/theme+park+tour+176.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwi6kTtOL51JWEQ18Hqd9vdnNihvSIXCSiceqgElWQlzBVvXZp4S5dBZp0DS5OuA0jh_4YuuMsThxhGtG0d8zG16e2RUxD2UWtJ3UNdvIbFxj1jwELuNeerFbzapVef2vaVW-On2TkJk-/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+175.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335036104922589330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwi6kTtOL51JWEQ18Hqd9vdnNihvSIXCSiceqgElWQlzBVvXZp4S5dBZp0DS5OuA0jh_4YuuMsThxhGtG0d8zG16e2RUxD2UWtJ3UNdvIbFxj1jwELuNeerFbzapVef2vaVW-On2TkJk-/s320/theme+park+tour+175.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRBNKL4-3f9xKyfIBybfJ-cGI1Wtv1B9_qn5k68fCQCB6l27uumXpxtWspsB_qyyHLmEjuNGaSmwAjklCM-zNMVu-cEUvg_AUXwJSeW4U8c1hjCczOiTg8JxmI0aBLdxewtFinIOskwY9/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+174.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335036108017081746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRBNKL4-3f9xKyfIBybfJ-cGI1Wtv1B9_qn5k68fCQCB6l27uumXpxtWspsB_qyyHLmEjuNGaSmwAjklCM-zNMVu-cEUvg_AUXwJSeW4U8c1hjCczOiTg8JxmI0aBLdxewtFinIOskwY9/s320/theme+park+tour+174.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Jake went bear hunting for five days this last weekend. And rather than waiting around here, we decided to go away ourselves. We visited my mom in Las Vegas at her time share condo. It's about half-way between CA and UT, so it makes it easier to see each other if we meet in the middle.</div><br /><div>The kids were thrilled about the pool and we went swimming practically the whole time. I tried to site-see a little, but they weren't too interested, so it was minimal. We went to Circus Circus and rode a couple of rides at the adventure dome. We all got a healthy dose of sun, and then some. It was good for the kids to see my parents, that happens only a few times a year. </div><br /><div>Jake shot a six foot tall bear and he is having it made into a rug with a head, which is the standard practice I guess. He gave the meat to his brother and brother in-law, who love wild game meat more than most people. I will post a picture of the bear when it's back from the taxidermist. Right now it just looks like a black garbage bag in our chest freezer. </div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-72924609374653544542009-04-20T12:01:00.000-07:002009-04-20T12:08:08.105-07:0025 Random things about me.This is a list that I originally made and posted on facebook. I decided to post it here as well.<br /><br />1. There are six kids in my family. My closest siblings are four years older and six years younger than me.<br /><br />2. All of my cousins are Mexican but none of them speak Spanish. All of my aunts and uncles speak it fluently.<br /><br />3. When I was a child I used to have a reoccurring dream that I could fly by running, jumping and then holding my legs like I was doing a cannonball.<br /><br />4. I’m taller than my father and my brother.<br /><br />5. I loved to be on sports teams in high school, but I didn’t really like the pressure of playing in the games. I only liked practicing and learning to play better.<br /><br />6. When I was 19, I won a VW Mini Bus from a radio station at the Kern County Fair. It got about 10mpg and couldn’t go faster than 35 on the freeway when going uphill. I drove it for about 6 yrs. It was hot pink and white.<br /><br />7. I can juggle three balls pretty well.<br /><br />8. I wore braces for five years, from the time I was16 until I was 21.<br /><br />9. In my early teens I worked as a food demonstrator. Sometimes I demonstrated Tweenkies at gas stations dressed in a “Tweenkie the kid” costume outside in the Bakersfield heat.<br /><br />10. On my mission I had 16 companions, only two of them for more than one month.<br /><br />11. I sold pest control every summer for six years and earned enough to cover all of my college expenses. I’ve worked for five different companies and sold in six different states.<br /><br />12. I was bitten by a dog at 19 and by a black widow spider at 32. The dog bite hardly hurt at all, but the black widow bite gave me the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.<br /><br />13. I was single until I was 29 and many of my close friends are much younger than me. My husband is the youngest of my close friends.<br /><br />14. Although my husband is very handsome, I wasn’t really interested in him when I first met him because he dressed like a cowboy. Who knew we would be married 3 months later.<br /><br />15. Every time I was pregnant (which was five times) I would gain about 50 pounds. I would work very hard to lose it, so I decided that I was like Princess Fiona. I’m very glad that I’m done getting pregnant.<br /><br />16. I never owned a car with a working AC until after my daughter was born. I was 31 yrs old. I never owned a brand new car until last year.<br /><br />17. One time on the 60 freeway on my way to LAX my hood flew up just like on Tommy Boy. It smashed my windshield and shattered my sunroof all over me. Luckily there was no AC and my window was down; so, I stuck my head out the window and pulled over calmly.<br /><br />18. I currently own at least one cow and I plan to get some chickens and bees.<br /><br />19. I’ve never been outside of the continental U.S. (yes that includes Mexico and Canada.)<br /><br />20. I like the idea of pets and pictures of pets, but I really don’t enjoy animals in real life.<br /><br />21. I like to earn certificates and licenses. I am certified to teach high school, sell real estate, sell pest control, teach snowboarding, perform CPR, and carry a gun.<br /><br /> 22. I own my own pistol and I’m a pretty good shot. It’s a Kimber 1911 9mm.<br /><br />23. I have very thick hair. My hairdresser thins it with a razor, but I still lose so much around the house that I have to remove it from the vacuum wheel with scissors every couple uses.<br /><br />24. I have four adorable children. I’m positive that they all would have very different names than the ones they’ve been given if my husband had no say in it.<br /><br />25. Someday I want to go to Culinary School and become a gourmet cook.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-82862871475067934132009-03-24T08:38:00.000-07:002009-03-24T08:58:43.485-07:00Gateway Drug<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcfZHS1CB01nrZamZbBdSt3ktuUhzIiobG30DbWH-09y6jkSzFcfE4NzJzKu1WZOB4QFR9c04lwqyDf_x65WpQXYhzwQWbA-OgF7MnVhiokCsjNL8lOteRw1os3BWFV2HKbHM7oMA4Q6_/s1600-h/180px-Chocolate.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316784215951317538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcfZHS1CB01nrZamZbBdSt3ktuUhzIiobG30DbWH-09y6jkSzFcfE4NzJzKu1WZOB4QFR9c04lwqyDf_x65WpQXYhzwQWbA-OgF7MnVhiokCsjNL8lOteRw1os3BWFV2HKbHM7oMA4Q6_/s320/180px-Chocolate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I've heard people talk about gateway drugs in the movies, but I never gave it much thought. To really understand I believe you have to struggle to avoid drugs. Well I think I truly understand now that I have my own. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It's name -- Hot Cocoa. First you think, it's not really chocolate. Not the kind with saturated fat anyway. It's just a flavored sugary drink, no worse for you than gatorade or maybe even juice. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Next you consider Chocolate pudding, it's just chocolate flavored as well. It's like really thick cocoa is all. All your adding is maybe a little corn starch or something. It can't be much worse. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Next thing you know, your eating chocolate ice cream. After all it's very similar to the pudding maybe just add a little cream. Cream isn't that bad. It's like milk, so it's actually kind of good for you.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Finally you realize that you've completely lost control. Hello, my name is Tami and I'm a chocoholic. It's been one day since my last indulgence.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-63211179751529339172009-03-19T08:29:00.000-07:002009-03-19T12:14:55.042-07:00....and to the republic for which it stands.Here is the answer to my previous question. Our government is becoming an Oligarchy because we could not hold on to our precious gift of a republic. Watch this short, educational video for further explanation. I found it very interesting and accurate.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/">http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/</a><br /><br />Can you say "Secret Combinations?"Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-91775144345023670362009-03-17T08:17:00.000-07:002009-03-17T09:13:32.999-07:00Why are we socialists?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52jMNoVNUvPVq3ernkz0PnQ5FIo9N9gWC1lHohRXwWeKc1qlsAlUHqoaNOgBJbjiU5LfB0vaCgb6My7GDzlY2qyAdThmMJr84YW5G9NGapRKWxjcbBrYnvlZ4Y6AYtpRomddPjyq8UNDQ/s1600-h/we+the+people.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314185520435539378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 133px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52jMNoVNUvPVq3ernkz0PnQ5FIo9N9gWC1lHohRXwWeKc1qlsAlUHqoaNOgBJbjiU5LfB0vaCgb6My7GDzlY2qyAdThmMJr84YW5G9NGapRKWxjcbBrYnvlZ4Y6AYtpRomddPjyq8UNDQ/s320/we+the+people.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I haven't updated in awhile and thus far I have avoided writing anything political because I get very passionate about it and I feel unsure about how it comes accrossed in writing. But I have little else on my mind these days and I might as well record my thoughts and feelings here. </div><br /><div>This is the greatest country in the world! The conditions in which it was discovered, defended, and designed are all so miraculous and divinely inspired. Our forefathers have given us a great gift and it is slowly dissolving before our eyes. Even though many people don't seem to notice. </div><br /><div>People can say that socialism doesn't work, but now we can actually see why first hand. Businesses aren't being allowed to fail. America is great because the great ones rise to the top and the incompetent fall by the wayside. Without the natural consequences of failing there is no incentive to work smarter, to be creative, to make sacrifices. When companies like AIG pay themselves big bonuses (which is actually their pay agreement when they hired on). I don't call it greed. None of us sacrifice unless we have to. Why would we? It is human nature to do what we have to when we have to and not before. With the bail-out they didn't have to. This bail-out idea allows poorly run companies to continue to run poorly and that is the failure of a socialist society. </div><br /><div>In this media driven day politicians don't have the guts to be Capitalists even though it is the only system that takes into account human nature. It appears too heartless to let losers lose, but there is simply no incentive to work hard when you can't lose. Who would study hard for a test if it wasn't going to be graded at all? No one. AIG paid themselves as if they were successful. And if they had succeeded no one would care what they paid themselves and it would be no one's business. That is the true american way and the american dream.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>As Glenn Beck put it in his nine principle that american's can unite behind, "I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results." In america if you work hard you can win and if you don't you can lose. If you take away people's ability to lose you will also take away the ability to win and that is the gift that we may be losing. If the goverment gains the power to decide who can lose and who can win this will no longer be "the land of the free and the home of the brave." We'll just be another country of sad, lazy socialists and no one will be risking their lives to move here anymore.</div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-58450088558311429062009-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:002009-01-28T10:49:59.735-08:00Theme Park Mania<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaANUOROtotyCcgNbc5uiCphNdHbRCIPS99rLKiQdDRjNNhMA7XghM6OKiwUQFJXcxCmHicNi-YFsbRtjAaJwjVOTe0AMKVjBME2L6USuBJcCQF9KfGUJ-KXcFZ1DEI6FK4jVQDWwRnmfg/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+053.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296416624166437330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaANUOROtotyCcgNbc5uiCphNdHbRCIPS99rLKiQdDRjNNhMA7XghM6OKiwUQFJXcxCmHicNi-YFsbRtjAaJwjVOTe0AMKVjBME2L6USuBJcCQF9KfGUJ-KXcFZ1DEI6FK4jVQDWwRnmfg/s320/theme+park+tour+053.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1sGyY5yI9QcX5VXI_gq3yV32Wh2-bdT6LLENx1fJh2Q3w-kQI-fNMHAEuMuNUXtQWFrxZfsD7HnbUvoUmuw9IVpAltgplBCsf2SmwFIp28GrmF6ahkYWssgPR1fMJNeHhJiJuNYR6yCZ/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+083.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296416620185508722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1sGyY5yI9QcX5VXI_gq3yV32Wh2-bdT6LLENx1fJh2Q3w-kQI-fNMHAEuMuNUXtQWFrxZfsD7HnbUvoUmuw9IVpAltgplBCsf2SmwFIp28GrmF6ahkYWssgPR1fMJNeHhJiJuNYR6yCZ/s320/theme+park+tour+083.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxSzlEAOfjrEHmWOEs12YRcqne8E7jxoKP-B10Z7SorEv5OX0IVfuXqB6Zd2UiaRwCiApqgSqsA5Njowlm0T87znLxJMMDW-yWRCG_gcNK4KfMaPMdPukzh6vc22cMZGYSW2hqHqgjXLc/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+127.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296416615705283666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxSzlEAOfjrEHmWOEs12YRcqne8E7jxoKP-B10Z7SorEv5OX0IVfuXqB6Zd2UiaRwCiApqgSqsA5Njowlm0T87znLxJMMDW-yWRCG_gcNK4KfMaPMdPukzh6vc22cMZGYSW2hqHqgjXLc/s320/theme+park+tour+127.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA_1Hl1Msv6qtqCtkFaFgXipVOfMB4k3y0xSFD4-M1LwzYl6r8EjSjgrRpcw6eSUzF8sq8U0L7fpKgsEFw-xpuFlXe1lfa82n-nz82Vde7J17zAK3yrbzSL1jT7R6RvQPtY6TLR7N1MAL/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296416614354946658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZA_1Hl1Msv6qtqCtkFaFgXipVOfMB4k3y0xSFD4-M1LwzYl6r8EjSjgrRpcw6eSUzF8sq8U0L7fpKgsEFw-xpuFlXe1lfa82n-nz82Vde7J17zAK3yrbzSL1jT7R6RvQPtY6TLR7N1MAL/s320/theme+park+tour+044.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2UJJWNxvWVgtfFw4lsDu-kTr1Dz0ZUMAN63x4Q7Mf57pp9XcklDi2I-IXq8UGNVVAtAd1KHkIKFZmXfDlw_4jsTk6NoarWYubXu08_0TrpTlSsAU8-o4Ld6C9-FUDHyMC05EoDnhyphenhyphen0Ea/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+123.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296416609962890482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2UJJWNxvWVgtfFw4lsDu-kTr1Dz0ZUMAN63x4Q7Mf57pp9XcklDi2I-IXq8UGNVVAtAd1KHkIKFZmXfDlw_4jsTk6NoarWYubXu08_0TrpTlSsAU8-o4Ld6C9-FUDHyMC05EoDnhyphenhyphen0Ea/s320/theme+park+tour+123.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDjtzhT3de8Sd0WivEcp26Nyu2wLtX69uL1X7kq1oNUrWIp6m0XtOffvEzOzGNxUMJBul1oB47VYBU6VNhv5qRv3-6f8DdWrDvueuFUC8WCkrK5Kif4Z0ff4w0a_WTscFkMER-XU46YgW/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+134.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296414829132003378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDjtzhT3de8Sd0WivEcp26Nyu2wLtX69uL1X7kq1oNUrWIp6m0XtOffvEzOzGNxUMJBul1oB47VYBU6VNhv5qRv3-6f8DdWrDvueuFUC8WCkrK5Kif4Z0ff4w0a_WTscFkMER-XU46YgW/s320/theme+park+tour+134.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3KCkoRB7zTJOHda5G3UMowItXQXABtHhofl7Q0iQZF9z33U7qWyQ6Y2wfZE4yF2lzvUAGZ1jouPrAQ-ZtDIf1BCA7McmpMSX2HA4_gSEwiwx3NyFP8TalkzZ247gKbp3tQp6DB9Xb7Yz/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+050.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296414824212704418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3KCkoRB7zTJOHda5G3UMowItXQXABtHhofl7Q0iQZF9z33U7qWyQ6Y2wfZE4yF2lzvUAGZ1jouPrAQ-ZtDIf1BCA7McmpMSX2HA4_gSEwiwx3NyFP8TalkzZ247gKbp3tQp6DB9Xb7Yz/s320/theme+park+tour+050.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0D7fXw4nhRWj9oitMI7aJm6iFNSON38b_8ucyEKD_PVpP9mvwSX8ovJLMxOYQAGfMlgKX-mNvzyUzHOzybQJ6KU1bQZGgL6dzwkfOZ0ZwuogVOgl5KP01NphPn9mCnZkGj17f-W4dKY9/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296414816117051426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0D7fXw4nhRWj9oitMI7aJm6iFNSON38b_8ucyEKD_PVpP9mvwSX8ovJLMxOYQAGfMlgKX-mNvzyUzHOzybQJ6KU1bQZGgL6dzwkfOZ0ZwuogVOgl5KP01NphPn9mCnZkGj17f-W4dKY9/s320/theme+park+tour+065.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyX8CBE8EsU3TzImruhe8e_uHisOSl5EaiJieIFypwFiAB7BdtozXXSsBX1WrXOI-GOVSmgYVs3A1MXKAvK_sFIuLUpCUh99qPZ3q7QJBBn79ipOaoD98JPKgFiosFcGoSVe6xFTJp8Wn/s1600-h/theme+park+tour+047.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296414812725580066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyX8CBE8EsU3TzImruhe8e_uHisOSl5EaiJieIFypwFiAB7BdtozXXSsBX1WrXOI-GOVSmgYVs3A1MXKAvK_sFIuLUpCUh99qPZ3q7QJBBn79ipOaoD98JPKgFiosFcGoSVe6xFTJp8Wn/s320/theme+park+tour+047.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The traveling Atkin family went on tour of the theme parks of southern California. It was a wonderful escape from the cold and snow. We started out in San Diego. It was wonderfully warm. Shorts and Flip Flop weather. I had to hit target after the first day to buy sandals for the family.<br /><br />Monday we hit LegoLand. I didn't realize that they really made everything out of legos. The best part was that the park was fairly empty. The most challenging part was that they required that there be one adult for every child on the rides. I hadn't realized before that we were so outnumbered. It was some of my childrens' first experience with rides and roller coasters. They loved it. Caleb was pushing my tolerance levels. He didn't want to go on anything so we had to force him. Afterwards he always said it was the best thing ever. He never seemed to catch on that maybe new things were good.<br /><br />Tuesday we went to Sea World. My sister came down to go with us and she helped out a lot. I hadn't seen her in over a year so it was great to get to see her and it was the first time she had seen our youngest, Lucy. She brought her new boyfriend, whom I hadn't met. He was very nice and it's always good to be able to put a face with a name. Lily loved the Buluga whales and Polar bears the most. I think she could have watched them forever. Jake made sure that we sat in the soaker seats for the Shamu and Dolphin shows. By the second Shamu show I knew to sit up high but Caleb, Lydia, and Jake were in the front rows. They were entirely drenched by the end and the day was over. It wasn't hot enough to be that wet, so that affected my kids memory of how much they enjoyed Sea World.<br /><br />At the very end we decided to let the kids play in the climbing area. We discovered this is a bad idea at a theme park, because you lose site of them. By the time I discoved Lily was missing a park worker was walking her back to us. She had gotten in line for a ride by herself. When they asked her where her parents were she said "I don't know." When they asked her what her name was she said, "Pink Princess." Luckily when they asked her where her parents were last she said "by the slides." And they were able to find us. Luckily once again the park was pretty empty.<br /><br />Wednesday we went to the Wild Animal Park for the first half of the day and a beach called La Jolla Cove for the second half. We rode the merry go round and went on a tour bus. We also had birds eat nector out of our hands and fed ducks. Their favorite part was the petting zoo. The kids loved being so close to the deer. My favorite part was the Baby Rhino's. They might be the cutest baby animal I've ever seen. We had lunch at the beach and played on the shore. We could see tiny crabs, sea urchins, and lots of rocks, caves, and shells.<br /><br />Thursday my mom was in town and she kept Lucy while we went to Disneyland. Lisa met us there and hung out for the first couple of hours. We hit the bugs life rides and attended the playhouse disney show. Then JoDee took Lily to the small kids rides and Jake and I took Lydia and Caleb on all but two of the rides at California Adventure Park. We first rode the Tower of Terror and Lydia, who is usually are bravest, was pretty affected by that one. She eventually got over it. At Disneyland we took them on Space Mt., which was their favorite, the Matterhorn, splash mt., and Pirates of the Carribean. The park was very empty. A five minute wait or less for every ride.<br /><br />Friday we went to Universal Studios. It poured down rain, which damped everyone's spirits. We saw a few 3D shows and we rode the tour bus. Caleb couldn't quite grasp that the ride was a setup. He was very worried when the bridge starting falling, but when we passed the Bates Motel and Norman Bates pulled out a long knife and kept following the bus, he thought he was after us and he looked for him the rest of the day.<br /><br />Saturday we went back to Disneyland. We got in an hour before the park opened, but that hour went quickly. We rode the new Nemo ride and got in line to see Tinkerbell. Once again it rained quite a bit. We saw the princesses (Cinderella, Belle, and Jasmin), we hit toon town and poohs corner. By 3pm the place was packed with people. Most of the lines were an hour long, so we left.<br /><br />We really made the most of every minute of this vacation. Jake's view is that he came back more tired than when he left. I think it was a great time and great memories for the kids. Even though we came back to a flooded neighborhood. (JoDee's drive lane is such a glacial river that it actually bent brackets of our engine driving to her house and we had to tow it to the mechanics.) And now I am suffering from a pretty bad cold that I think is due to the extreme weather change. But I still think it was worth it. I certainly wouldn't mind going back right now.</div></div></div></div></div>Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-33619776133338934262008-12-26T17:31:00.000-08:002008-12-26T18:23:33.490-08:00Christmas 2008<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpJ3OejsAJW1wlvIKvu1UJ3f80f5EMsUwp-4Qz23FsimJv3tS-cTrnPq9FkunKPx4qQB_829NHPwFKrIQgoWoWdJws_zaaQPqQB106iuSvn7DWJCvK_QdE16mE57luFMgCH3yBhygNB-8/s1600-h/Christmas+08-05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpJ3OejsAJW1wlvIKvu1UJ3f80f5EMsUwp-4Qz23FsimJv3tS-cTrnPq9FkunKPx4qQB_829NHPwFKrIQgoWoWdJws_zaaQPqQB106iuSvn7DWJCvK_QdE16mE57luFMgCH3yBhygNB-8/s320/Christmas+08-05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284289672971750930" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiy1UzR20o49qSgQbdYCAwcFkeD7yA6YGWA_bZNnle3CEtDOhYEwq6ejTX3EMjz2vb7BV4jImKGYmPKKOCkXzqqhyphenhyphenqotoV_hsG6FZE2ESqcuHlC9Fd_nvywDG-y2Gu6coUAO09EsxJyrcz/s1600-h/Christmas+08-12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiy1UzR20o49qSgQbdYCAwcFkeD7yA6YGWA_bZNnle3CEtDOhYEwq6ejTX3EMjz2vb7BV4jImKGYmPKKOCkXzqqhyphenhyphenqotoV_hsG6FZE2ESqcuHlC9Fd_nvywDG-y2Gu6coUAO09EsxJyrcz/s320/Christmas+08-12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284289668941198546" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPK0C6pPxMmS2qxAMrIBMeHoXF1CeXZr_bCXWMBPv3Kq-c211cMd8RBsQcAAMIEjJyx6J46rOPT9yikBWrmJzi37YfrxlivJvosSBFXJdeUDS_3TMpEuoaqWwc5Xe5dswu-8wqRBRW5vYb/s1600-h/Christmas+08-10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPK0C6pPxMmS2qxAMrIBMeHoXF1CeXZr_bCXWMBPv3Kq-c211cMd8RBsQcAAMIEjJyx6J46rOPT9yikBWrmJzi37YfrxlivJvosSBFXJdeUDS_3TMpEuoaqWwc5Xe5dswu-8wqRBRW5vYb/s320/Christmas+08-10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284289656688583410" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_G48tHbLa-PeeXOxu0HUhNnKvYUEQCb8RVq05nZVVE5Ru6K0CMChJVwOVW6TTRLrl9-OMkNOLcqAineam5Oh_Uno2fDlFTGvOlN02dpuoZbQUm2b_ubH3JQws9dqyRlp-P845rf98sA-v/s1600-h/Christmas+08-07.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_G48tHbLa-PeeXOxu0HUhNnKvYUEQCb8RVq05nZVVE5Ru6K0CMChJVwOVW6TTRLrl9-OMkNOLcqAineam5Oh_Uno2fDlFTGvOlN02dpuoZbQUm2b_ubH3JQws9dqyRlp-P845rf98sA-v/s320/Christmas+08-07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284289651930412770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfGEO5HrDhfKtVJL9pEzwEp-8lHNshFHrAc4HIgIL69HPiQpK7jTdBiNyyNpTnpemUdsa-telc-sQtMlIBhMCWlJK7vTAxq6VIJ5vDYY9qA_BW_0Msw2BkLzkltbCxcE-QhJNA_mSIXIW/s1600-h/Christmas+08-03.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfGEO5HrDhfKtVJL9pEzwEp-8lHNshFHrAc4HIgIL69HPiQpK7jTdBiNyyNpTnpemUdsa-telc-sQtMlIBhMCWlJK7vTAxq6VIJ5vDYY9qA_BW_0Msw2BkLzkltbCxcE-QhJNA_mSIXIW/s320/Christmas+08-03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284289641135838786" /></a><br />Another year has flipped by like a page in a book. We really had a great year. I love family traditions and we are still figuring out what ours are. I come from a family that really had no regular traditions. So, I've brought none to our relationship. The ones I suggest come mostly from things I've seen on TV. My husband comes from a family that loves traditions, so he doesn't have to worry about me fighting him on any suggestions. His mother loves traditions, and we (his parents, and bother and sister's families) all live within a few blocks from each other. So she suggests things for the whole family and we all do it together. That makes 2 grandparents, 5 couples, and 11 grandchildren, soon to be 14. <br /><br />One of our regular traditons is the Christmas Tree Hunt. The friday after Thanksgiving is for shopping and the saturday after is for tree hunts. Jake and I actually have decided to do fake, pre-lit, but we still love to tree hunt for grandma's tree. We play in snow if there is some and we take a lunch, hot cocoa, some ATV's, a chainsaw, and of course an arsenal of guns(not for shooting the tree). Then we help grandma string popcorn and cranberries while watching it's a wonderful life or whatever other Chrismas show. She loves any and all of them, even the one's starring Steve Gutenberg.<br /><br />This year we added some new traditions. First we always deliver treats to neighbors, but this year we decided to do it while caroling and on a hay ride. It snowed on us and we knew very few of the lyrics to entire songs. Also, we changed our annual Christmas eve party from great grampas house to grandmas house, so we had more control over the party activities. We had a nice dinner, the extended family exchanged gifts between cousins, kids, and granparents, we had the annual homemade pinata, and this year we added a live nativity play with the grandchildren (super cute). Also many of us (Jake and I included) decided to start a chrismas eve Pajama tradition.<br /><br />Christmas Day was for the kids to open the gifts from us and from Santa. Jake gave me a gift that he kept at his mom's in order to completely surprise me (which he did.) He gave me a Vita mix blender which I have been talking about ever since the kids and I spent about a half an hour standing at the demonstration at Sam's Club. The demonstrator made smoothies, and soups, and ice cream and we just kept on eating. Seeing my kids slurp down a smoothie made with fruit, carrots, and cabbage and ask for more, sold me. Now I just have to buy some fruit and carrots and cabbage. <br /><br />The holidays seem over now but we are still partying. Caleb was born on new year's eve, so I still have to decide how I want to do his birthday party and bring in the new year. Then in mid January we are doing a week long So. Cal. theme park tour with the whole family, the same 23 people minus his siter and brother in-law who do not have children yet. I don't think this will become an annual tradition, but it should be a lot of fun and offer a lot of memories. Or at least a lot of pictures and stories for posting.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-61742876044416747442008-12-16T12:42:00.000-08:002008-12-16T13:24:46.207-08:00Facebook FrenzieAfter much coersion, Amy and Jeff Gabbitas finally convinced me to join facebook. I must also credit Amy with convincing me to make a blog. I should definitely thank her, because it's all been great fun. Even though I really didn't need any help to clean my house less. For those of you who have not yet joined, you definitely should. It's fun, like a blog but a little more interactive. It doesn't require as much creativity, but for me that's a good thing. It doesn't require constant updating, so it should take up less time. But I spend more time viewing, since I have access to the pages of more people. I have discovered that adding to your friends list is similar to collecting trading cards. It's kind of addicting and there is a tendency to compare one's list size to others. <br /><br />One interesting phenomenon is that almost my entire list consists of people whom I've met in Bakersfield. I have been reflecting today on the implications of that fact. There are several possibilities. One might be that I was a very likeable person back when I lived in Bakersfield and since then not so much. That is possible. Another is that Bakersfield people are very into joining facebook, and people I know from other places aren't participating. A third option is that Bakersfield is populated by very friendly, social, and fun people. That one is very possible. I'm sure there are other possible reasons, but the fact remains that I really like people from Bakersfield. <br /><br />Utah is a lot more family oriented. Especially my rural neighborhood. Everyone in my ward has extended family in the ward, usually several generations. We spend all our time and do all our activities with my husband's family. It seems that is the way it should be, but I do miss having close friends to do things with. But I'm glad for my kids that they will be tight with their cousins. I used to not feel like I fit in with my in-laws but it's getting a lot better with time. They are getting used to my quirky ways and I am finding joy in having some family traditions. In Bakersfield people seemed to have a way of treating friends and even strangers as family. I know this for a fact because I was often the stranger. I haven't found the same to be true around here, but perhaps that's because I now belong to such a close family and so does everyone I now. We don't have many strangers, I can count the non-members that live in my ward boundary on one hand. So of course we know those few and they get a lot of attention.<br /><br />Today is my birthday by the way. I've gotten really bad at celebrating my birthday. I'm in such a hectic, frenzied state of life, that I actually forgot it was today until Amy reminded me. I was going to plan something special for myself to give my husband a break from trying to please me. (I'm not good with surprises which has scared him away from trying.) I had a few ideas, but then a Work Christmas party and a school dance recital were both scheduled for today. I may still plan something for myself for friday, but it sounds like a lot of effort and makes me tired thinking about it. The holidays are kind of a lousy time to have a birthday. Unfortunately all of my kids were born during the holidays. I do work really hard to make birthdays special for them anyway. And that is one more reason that I forgot mine was today.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-33789615586779028862008-11-19T14:20:00.000-08:002008-11-19T14:34:25.112-08:00Bako weather, in Utah?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuOndIU2-UUYPxRViWZZZE9guGghW6dKJnANdkLKcROJ3_a9q6uY68QDaH2_WSe5FcIUsWdf7ecwO_jMP5oi9B_culLwRbZ-pB1wYdOtiwIbKUE80ru8v11zNISZJ-MnmcDKRmng4KcLx/s1600-h/Nov+08+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuOndIU2-UUYPxRViWZZZE9guGghW6dKJnANdkLKcROJ3_a9q6uY68QDaH2_WSe5FcIUsWdf7ecwO_jMP5oi9B_culLwRbZ-pB1wYdOtiwIbKUE80ru8v11zNISZJ-MnmcDKRmng4KcLx/s320/Nov+08+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270499571735751570" /></a><br />Okay, maybe I was a bit premature in my wallowing about snow and cold. We had one storm and I was gearing up to expect more of the same from now until spring. But this is a picture of my 3 yr old and her neighbor friend today in our yard, just about one week before Dec. It's 62 degrees outside. Of course they like to wear their swimsuits inside even when there is snow out. I am loving this weather, but also feeling a bit guilty when I know people are praying for snow and rain for watering crops and drinking.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-4292736124782843262008-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:002008-11-19T11:26:53.862-08:00I truly am a "beaner"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbXWed6q-H1ut5wUmDjnPJ8FCvYVOm4Tb5aQHY3le_e3DZsAgQRz0J3kp1Wj0C3b5U6u210wAgwtzhp6nwpb30brdiywQ5_jvflaVfmooSFBvqMlTHjitz2NaOq1EleG6fsTjQEwzuO3I/s1600-h/d6174a43cbd3b04a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbXWed6q-H1ut5wUmDjnPJ8FCvYVOm4Tb5aQHY3le_e3DZsAgQRz0J3kp1Wj0C3b5U6u210wAgwtzhp6nwpb30brdiywQ5_jvflaVfmooSFBvqMlTHjitz2NaOq1EleG6fsTjQEwzuO3I/s320/d6174a43cbd3b04a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270433387163672354" /></a><br />Is it possible that mexicans are genitically inclined to desire beans in their diet? I believe it is so. Here is my proof. Recently Jake and I were on a diet that we followed so closely we only ate what was listed on the program at the exact times suggested, even the recipes were provided. When we stopped the diet, a month and a half later, we allowed ourselves to indulge in the foods we had been missing. One of the first things I wanted was a bean burrito. I want a bean burrito right now and it's 9am. <br /><br />My grandmother (the mexican one) served refried beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with homemade tortillas and a side dish she called sopita, which I think means little soup. But it was actually a pasta dish. It was much like mexican rice but it was made with fideo noodles. One meal was only different from the other with the main dish. Beans and tortillas with eggs for breakfast and beans and tortillas with enchiladas, tacos, or tamales for dinner. <br /><br />For her homemade tamales, beans, and tortillas I think I would drive to Wasco, CA right now. But she has left this world many years ago and taken her recipes with her. This post is making me hungry. I think Christmas is making me want her tamales. For those of you gringos who don't know: tamales and Christmas go together for mexicans. I don't know why because I am only half. I think you have to be a full blood to get access to details such as those. My dad told me a joke about it once, that it was so that mexicans had something to unwrap. He loves mexican jokes, as long as he is the one telling them.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-69430290114700428762008-11-09T15:18:00.001-08:002008-11-19T11:33:14.350-08:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDy7WuRLGnID9dJ0OIoJyOXK57fZnqDM26CAXr2hUSmXqkDUrBmzmMfQ01APdgV0jBVL_J4452-mNtA9fPCqerkfVPP52tVNOQGNeMktweWD3VLq922cEfQbMWCl0AbdeYUS1UJyDnbG_/s1600-h/winter_depression.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDy7WuRLGnID9dJ0OIoJyOXK57fZnqDM26CAXr2hUSmXqkDUrBmzmMfQ01APdgV0jBVL_J4452-mNtA9fPCqerkfVPP52tVNOQGNeMktweWD3VLq922cEfQbMWCl0AbdeYUS1UJyDnbG_/s320/winter_depression.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270453944915439298" /></a><br />I have just recently discovered something about all of the big holidays that are clumped together from Oct 31st through Jan 1st. They were created as a diversion to get people through the winter. Being from Bakersfield, CA where there is no winter, I always just thought they were for fun. But now that I live in a place that half the year seems to me like an uninhabitable wasteland, I realize I need Christmas Carols to convince me that it is actually a winter wonderland. I had never seen real snow when I first came to Utah and 15 years later, I still haven't warmed up to the idea. During my college years I discovered snowboarding to divert my attention from the discomforts of the local weather. Now that I have small children, I don't get to the slopes much but I celebrate the holidays more than ever before. So, as much as some people are peeved by celebrating Christmas too early, I'm startng now. I very much enjoyed creating a Christmas Carol playlist. I searched through all my favorites, listening to different versions. I chose about 25 songs (I couldn't narrow it down to less). And while I was at that website only 36 viruses loades onto my computer. I have a real love/hate for the playlist website.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-48254687894914051282008-11-08T07:35:00.000-08:002008-11-09T15:17:56.556-08:00In Their Own WordsWhen I first started this blog I decided it was because I don't keep a journal; so, I need to use it to jot down things I want to remember. Like all kids, mine have come up with their own interesting words for things as they've learned to speak and here are just a few.<br /><br />Lydia: for grandma and granpa she would say maga and paga. All animals were named after the sounds they make (i.e. a cat was a meow and a cow was a moo.) Other than that she was always very articulate. As a matter a fact before I weaned her at a yr old, when she was hungry she would let me know by saying "Nurse?" I knew it was time for the weaning. Although she was always average size, at 2 yrs everyone thought she was incredibly small because she spoke like she was much older. I even remember one person asking me if she was 5. Poor Caleb was more normal but I worried that he was slow because of the comparison. <br /><br />Caleb: for grandma and grampa he would say damna and ompa. Lydia was "yaya" and yellow was "lello." It took us awhile to discover that he needed tubes in his ears and he wasn't hearing well, because he mispronounced for a long time calling himself taleb and most words starting with "D". He loves corndogs, but he always called them a hot dog with a stick on it. Of course the "st" was replaced with "d" and people always looked at me with a concerned look on their face when he asked for one. He also did a very interesting thing with "R's" that reminded me of scooby-doo: yogurt was rogrit and bananas were branas. The cutest thing (and he still does this) is for hungry and thirsty he says he's eaty and drinky. Today he said, "I want the glass really full because I'm really drinky" and I thought I need to write this down.<br /><br />Lily: She often shortened things to the last syllable. Lydia was "eeya" and Caleb was "dub." Which is so cute that I often called him dub. She still replaces "L" with "Y" and calls her sisters "yiya and yucy." And if you ask her to say her name she'll say, "I'm not yiyee, my name is pink princess." Lily would replace most all of her consonants with "D." So only I could decode her language. People would just look at her and then to me to translate and I would be surprised that I knew.<br /><br />Lucy: is 1 yr old in a couple of weeks. She doesn't really say anything yet. She is my first child to speak like Trixie from the story Knuffle Bunny. She actually sounds like she's saying "aggle flaggle klabble." She talks in fulls sentences and paragraphs like she is saying actual words and we all should understand.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-83154754302628499572008-11-05T10:43:00.000-08:002008-11-05T11:03:26.403-08:00Back In The Saddle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVji3Gouky_hQK0tisz33jsJ_8f4pViOlK20MsOX0tB3qRRnUEgLcavVl0HFWF0LinF88mc7Xk-fSkgH6PzZd6X7v0Ger541q2GgJEAX9lPsXK2FEO9nZToJJJy-SAnAow_lnJ9WgDAX6Z/s1600-h/d2ac81b0c8a0789b0fefc110.L"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVji3Gouky_hQK0tisz33jsJ_8f4pViOlK20MsOX0tB3qRRnUEgLcavVl0HFWF0LinF88mc7Xk-fSkgH6PzZd6X7v0Ger541q2GgJEAX9lPsXK2FEO9nZToJJJy-SAnAow_lnJ9WgDAX6Z/s320/d2ac81b0c8a0789b0fefc110.L" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265251064015130994" /></a><br />I couldn't let everyone believe that we dropped out of P90X for good. We started up last monday and have been going strong all week. For any of you who were considering giving it a try. I recommend the program highly. It was hard to restart once stopping, but so worth it. Monday I felt twenty times healthier. It gives me a rush to get up early and work out hard. After a three week pause, I was completely out of shape again. Today I can barely lift my arms or sit down. I also lost all the fexibility I had gained, which wasn't much for a normal person, but I can't usually touch my toes. <br /><br />We made some adjustments to make the program fit more comfortably into our lives, mostly with the diet. Rather than following the recipes completely we decided to just follow the food group allowances. We use some of the recipes still. Also, we started over from the beginning for the excercise, but for the diet we've blended the fat shredder witht he energy boost plans. <br /><br />It is important to realize that this is not a weight loss program. The company is called "beachbody" and the main goal is tighter everything. The ab ripper, yoga, jump training, and bum and thigh programs are wonderful and the most intense I've ever done. When I'm focusing on arms, shoulders, and back, the program seems like it's more for guys but I have to remind myself that it is that kind of thinking that makes it commonplace for women to have relief society arms (AKA: saggy, flapping triceps).Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603253776343676516.post-26552064636388091162008-11-02T06:26:00.000-08:002008-11-02T07:31:48.314-08:00Of costumes and candy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBUvV1nnbfiWDnSKNuvB6mIRtDbAcfog-V9vgxZk0VXHYbJgMAdKIlGTQsiaxbrx3T0w9_Y8sb2SjiF2KQFiBX5jgLCUv9S0XPKX-A6mK4e00FEcPFoHp0LVJjPzjaptSXESauzsM1vWT/s1600-h/halloween+2008+017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBUvV1nnbfiWDnSKNuvB6mIRtDbAcfog-V9vgxZk0VXHYbJgMAdKIlGTQsiaxbrx3T0w9_Y8sb2SjiF2KQFiBX5jgLCUv9S0XPKX-A6mK4e00FEcPFoHp0LVJjPzjaptSXESauzsM1vWT/s320/halloween+2008+017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264072448172834034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlYA8RaplvX0wW1V7vj_UhZ19sMWEY60ydGNILUcX-cE16QsHH7UqwHu1kGD_oyLLoGaiXIgTks7Tox0S-mla0KPWbNwkPha89rEt3ZLYTfTLNFgrQLz82sjD5MUD3m0-2LkEOq2vgo32/s1600-h/halloween+2008+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRlYA8RaplvX0wW1V7vj_UhZ19sMWEY60ydGNILUcX-cE16QsHH7UqwHu1kGD_oyLLoGaiXIgTks7Tox0S-mla0KPWbNwkPha89rEt3ZLYTfTLNFgrQLz82sjD5MUD3m0-2LkEOq2vgo32/s320/halloween+2008+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264072430340380962" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7w8pT1QEo_Vlur-3281NKEQk1GFeprw2WByGJzFx06hTp2-9xCGrr1QGTlAmEPH-nPlB_Zu0Rk3ehtE0oNqc84UnBXcokoDAH3L4QeI3ZKkKJlI-ZS-csrN7QoKOOKkwXzFU3Xvgs3QJ/s1600-h/halloween+2008+028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7w8pT1QEo_Vlur-3281NKEQk1GFeprw2WByGJzFx06hTp2-9xCGrr1QGTlAmEPH-nPlB_Zu0Rk3ehtE0oNqc84UnBXcokoDAH3L4QeI3ZKkKJlI-ZS-csrN7QoKOOKkwXzFU3Xvgs3QJ/s320/halloween+2008+028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264072424023097826" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj6vUfzpYAP6StisN2pNOPoIrBlO9vpl_aWmLdUrx8hbFB5fHMLScJq2Higk-MAZUH2WpwcT2LQ6FtzSAn_IADB0gvX5tpl4gwEEnRbcidN-g4dIaKdb6ADIVNylkttFCPXYFfA2kgae6/s1600-h/halloween+2008+023.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj6vUfzpYAP6StisN2pNOPoIrBlO9vpl_aWmLdUrx8hbFB5fHMLScJq2Higk-MAZUH2WpwcT2LQ6FtzSAn_IADB0gvX5tpl4gwEEnRbcidN-g4dIaKdb6ADIVNylkttFCPXYFfA2kgae6/s320/halloween+2008+023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264072414115116642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS7j1vM4TaTgmEWCmyJWeKarPs5kacYEuTcxs-UGifawtV0jnYDae8UKQFyYohsVxYzWJ_hNLixubWtLGAIItW1ReKFvMIAtwXq1LLOyzFz8yKEA79xfP0skgImdeiAMWIVURvZo0rHLX/s1600-h/halloween+2008+011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS7j1vM4TaTgmEWCmyJWeKarPs5kacYEuTcxs-UGifawtV0jnYDae8UKQFyYohsVxYzWJ_hNLixubWtLGAIItW1ReKFvMIAtwXq1LLOyzFz8yKEA79xfP0skgImdeiAMWIVURvZo0rHLX/s320/halloween+2008+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264072410930710002" /></a><br />With all the thinking that I gave to a costume for Jake and I this year, I went to my sister-and-law's at 10am the morning of and just barrowed a few things to make quick costumes. Costuming four children took all of my halloween strength. Assembling costumes is a lot more work than just buying them premade. Next year I vow to go to the next step and actually pull out the sewing machine to make good costumes. <br /><br />We had a lot of fun and the day went very fast. The morning was taken up with last minute costume finding, getting everyone dressed and getting Lucy a nap. The afternoon zipped by with getting Caleb to preschool and helping out at Lydia's school halloween party. In the evening we attended the ward halloween party (thank goodness dinner was provided because there was no time to cook anything), the ward trunk or treat and a little neighborhood trick or treating. It was a long day of costumes and candy and as much as I like the holiday, I was quite relieved when it was over. <br /><br />We have an interesting "day after halloween" tradition. It's called "go candy wild." Other than keeping wrappers picked up, we have absolutely no rules. Candy for breakfast and candy all day long. It makes our children sick and grumpy, but it cures them of their love for candy. And it makes the post halloween candy supply go very fast. They get a little wreckless and they start tasting them and throwing them away after a couple of second. They share with neighbor friends. They do trades in which they really do not get a very good deal. All of this sounds pretty bad, but it ends in my favorite result, which is to have no more candy. We used to ration it out in a healthy and responsible way but it lasted forever that way. This way it is all gone in a couple of days. Yeah.Tamara Atkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679898879336888937noreply@blogger.com2