Feb. 28 (Day 59) - They're Back!

Yep, Mama Lotus and the remaining kittens have returned for a few days stay.  I picked them up yesterday afternoon and will have them until Wednesday when they will have there surgery.  Jillybean and Otis already have a home with the Hoskos.  Only Mama Lotus and Lily will need to stay at the shelter.

Feb. 27 (Day 58) - Boys to the Rescure

Mark and Kevin went to Bobbie's (my mil) house to get my tire and take it to the shop to be fixed.  This was Kevin's first time changing a tire.  It's great that he knows how to do this now.

Feb. 26 (Day 57) - Computer Rx

Before vacation I took my computer in to see what it would cost to fix it.  They said it would be $185.00 and it would take a week.  I decided to get a new one and then get this one fixed.  Having gotten the new one delivered to me on vacation, today I took the computer.  Today the estimate was $85.00.  Woo-hoo!

And on the way home from the mall, someone stopped to tell me my tire was flat. Ugh!

Feb. 25 (Day 56) - Ice, Ice, Baby

With all the snow and sun we are getting a lot of ice and icicles building up on the house.  I'm really hoping this doesn't make our roof leak in Mark's closet like it does every thaw season.

Feb. 24 (Day 55) - Benadryl = Bliss

Another day of Benadryl and sleeping.  Besides laundry, I don't think I've gotten anything done this week.  Ollie was my partner in crime.

Feb. 23 (Day 54) - Itchy, Itchy, Scratchy, Scratchy

While in Tahoe I developed a super itchy rash.  And 7 days later I still have it.  I'm so happy I can take Benadryl now that I'm not skiing every day.  Only problem is then all I can do is sleep.  I just wish I knew what caused be to get this.  Doesn't it make you itch just looking at it.

Feb. 22 (Day 53) - Snow Day! Part Deux

Well the kids were gifted one more day of vacation by Mother Nature.  Over night, we went from just a little unmelted snow here and there on the ground to a full 8 inches everywhere.  Having just spent a week in the mountains they didn't even want to go outside.  It was total veg time in the house.

Feb. 21 (Day 2) - Too Pooped to Paparazzi

We left Tahoe early in the morning.  There was just an inch or two of fresh snow, but as we headed down the mountains into Reno, they had received a foot of snow overnight.  We arrived pretty late but the plane was delayed as well so it wasn't a big deal.  We thought we might miss our connection in Chicago but it was delayed a few hours too, so it all worked out okay.  We arrived home safely around 9pm. It was a long day.

There is no picture today, I guess i was just too pooped to play paparazzi.

On a side note I have to tell a funny mars/venus story:  The night before we decided when we would need to leave.  I heard 6:30am, but I guess that was the absolute latest we should leave.  We got up and the kids and I were ready and just grabbing a snack at about 6:20am when Mark started grumping at us to get moving.  I said we were fine, that we were getting in the car at 6:25 so we'd be on time.  I was informed that might make us late, 6:30am was the drop dead time.  Silly boy, don't tell me the time you don't want me to be ready. Instead, tell me you want me ready because I am an on-time kind of person.  Our wheels hit the pavement at 6:29am, right "not-on" time.

Feb. 20 (Day 51) - Better Late than Never

Our last day of beautiful California skiing.   It was in the 40s most days but it was finally a little colder this morning as we headed out for the last time.   Lori captured the proof that I actually can ski down the black diamonds even if I'm somewhat reluctant.

She also got a great shot of Mark heading down Sierra Grande.

Later in the afternoon we finally got what we'd been wanting all week, fresh snow.

Feb. 19 (Day 50) - Shoeing and Boarding

Feb. 19 (Day 50) - Shoeing and Boarding

Today was our non-ski day for the trip, although Alana and Kevin decided to take an all day snowboarding lesson.  The rest of us decided to go snowshoeing and geocaching on the mountain, but somehow we forgot the geocaching once we started up the mountain.  It's days like these that I defintiely cannot just pick one picture.  The pictures themselves tell the story.  So enjoy.

It was a great trip.  I really enjoyed seeing the mountain at a slower pace even though it was quite a lot of exercise.  Everyone really took to it quite well.

We stopped for hot chocolate at the old caboose at the secluded reservoir.

We learned a little about biathlon from a former US Olympian.  Shannon got down and scoped out the targets for us.

And in true Olympic form, we witnessed the agony of defeat.  Running in snow shoes in not highly recommended.  Unless of course you're tying to cool off a little.

Meanwhile on the other side of the mountain, Alana and Kevin had a great day at the Burton Academy. They were excited right from the start.

The had great instructors that got them started at the flats by the academy.

But by the end of the day were heading up the chair lifts to hit the slopes.

Feb. 18 (Day 49) - Group Shot

It was another beautiful day on the mountain.  Someone offered to take a picture of our group.  Unfortunately Cassie stayed in for the morning so it was just the skiers.  The rest of our after ski daily routine now involves just relaxing, playing foosball, watching Olympics, and the girls playing Nancy Drew on the computer.

Feb. 17 (Day 48) - Above the clouds

The Flynns and Alana went out for a day of skiing above the clouds.  This is what is looked like up on the mountain.  You can see the clouds down below on the left.

And this is what it looked like to Mark and I driving into town for groceries.

I noticed this morning that I have a really itchy rash on my calves and thighs.  I think this happened the last time I came to Lake Tahoe.  Kevin stayed home another day.  Hopefully he'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Feb. 16 (Day 47) - Day 2 on the Mountain

After a day on the mountain it's great to kick back and have a drink on the mountain.  Lori and John were waiting at the Ritz for us when we finished that day.  I got a underground tour of the Ritz from the ski valet when we had to go looking for my lost gloves.

Feb. 15 (Day 46) - Mountain Fun

We had a great first day on the mountain, even though I didn't ski that many runs.  We skied and found Schaffer's Camp, where we can go for hot chocolate and lunch.  You take off your boots and they have slippers waiting.  Here are some great shots of the day from everyone's cameras.

Lori on East Ridge with the beautiful view of Lake Tahoe.

After our free hot chocolate it was lunch time and the teens got kicked out of the bar.  They had to wait for our patio table while we stayed in the bar.  They weren't too pleased about it.

Lunch on the deck was great and offered some great mountain views. Here's Meghan and Shannon.

Mark and the kids waiting for lunch.

The guys took us out for a late Valentine's dinner at the Ritz Carlton.  The gnocchi with butternut squash was to die for.  I thought the bar was just so pretty.

Feb. 14 (Day 45) - Lake Tahoe here we come

So happy to be on our way.  We left the house at 6:30am and met the Flynn's at the airport.

The kids always find ways to entertain each other on the airplanes.

I managed to get a nice shot of the Rockies on our way over Colorado.

We caught our first glimpse of the ski slopes.  These are the harder runs on Lookout Mountain.

We arrived and walked around to check things out.  Shannon found a nice home for the week.

Feb. 13 (Day 44) - Columbus Volleyball Tournament

We went down for one day of Alana's volleyball tournament before our trip.  The girls didn't win any games, but are just starting their season.  Alana was supposed to play Setter (a new position for her), but instead got to play Libero (her favorite position).  I love seeing how happy she is with her team.

Feb 12 (Day 43) - Double UGH!

I took Alana shopping at Target the other day to buy Shannon's Christmas gift that they are going to exchange over the ski trip.  We were both so bummed when I dropped a bottle of teal nail polish and it broke all over her new and first real pair of UGH boots.  I thought I should take a picture even though I doubt we'll ever forget it.

Feb 11 (Day 42) - Go Wings!

Tonight we went to the Red Wings game with Kim and Steve.  We had them in the Xmas sibling gift exchange and this was our gift.  It was a lot of fun.  The wings fell behind but managed to tie it up before the end of the 3rd period.  Unfortunately they lost in the shootout.

The face-off right before they scored.

Kim & Steve as we were leaving.

Feb. 10 (Day 41) - Snow Day - 8 inches

When we woke up this morning we found 8 inches of snow on the ground.  It was very grey but so pretty!

The kids were happy to be home and had two friends spend the night.  I made Kevin come out and help shovel in the morning.  Everyone had a pretty lazy day except for some sledding on our back berm.  Kevin and Kyle tried standing on the sleds until Kyle bumped his head.  Cassie, Alana, and Erica were sledding in a large plastic bag.  I don't think it was quite working.

Feb. 9 (Day 40) - Here comes the Snow

It started falling around 8:00am.  I took the kittens to the Humane Society for their shots.  It took me 10 minutes to go the last mile.  I had to wait about an hour because Dr. Meredith was stuck out on the slick road in traffic.  By about 4pm we only had 4 inches.  But in the evening it really started coming down heavier.  This is the best shot I could got.  I still need a lot of practice with the camera.

The kittens were all sore and crying from their shots and Lilac bites if you try to pick her up.  Poor babies.  Here are a few napping by the vent under the kitchen sink cabinet.

Feb. 8 (Day 39) - Meeting with Genius's

I had an appointment with the Geniuses at Apple today.  My macbook screen turns grey if I open it more than about 1/2 inch.  I found out it will be about $185 to fix this and they'll fix the cracking palm rest for free while they are at it.  I'm not quite ready to lose it for a week, so I'll just keep plugging it into an external monitor.

Feb. 7 (Day 38) - Bump, Set, Spike

Alana and I spend most the day in Toledo at her volleyball tournament.  The girls were excited to win their first match.  They lost the other 3 matches, but did take 2 of them to 3 sets.  Here they are in their team huddle.  Alana is in there somewhere but I cannot even see the red hair.

Feb. 6 (Day 37) - Almost a free day

We didn't have any sports today until 7pm. so Mark and I went shopping to pick up things for our anual ski trip.  At 7:00pm, Kevin's school soccer team played his travel soccer team and actually beat them.  Kevin was pretty excited.  I of course forgot to take my camera.  My photo today is of our door to the basement.  We had this installed last year when we finished the basement.  I just love it; it seem to just beckon you to come on down.

Feb. 5 (Days 36) - It's Catch up Time

 I always seem to stop posting on Friday.  I've been good at picture taking at least.

After a few days of all the kitten being sick (it was really kinda icky), I think they all felt better today.  Their favorite play place right now is the pile of boxes in the dining room.  They could stay there for hours.

Feb. 4 (Day 35) - Just another Day

Today was really just a boring day.  I think I need to get out of the house.  I'm having that Michigan winter depression set in.  February is always the worst.

All I accomplished today was cleaning the smelly cat room/office and I made progress on getting all the kittens to eat a little canned food with their formula.  I spent twenty minutes outside shoveling a little snow just to get some fresh air.

The highlight of my day was just looking out my kitchen window.  Strudel the possum stopped back, but he quickly took off when he heard me open the kitchen door.  I guess he won't be a good playmate for Ollie.

I also had another visitor slink through the yard.  I think this is a feral cat. We see it from time to time. I should have grabbed my camera the first time I saw it because on the way back it was carrying a field mouse.

Here's the best I can do with zooming and extra sharpening.  A longer lens would have been nice.

Feb. 3 (Day 34) - And they wonder why ...

nobody likes to go to the dentist.

I got my first filing (ever) today.  It wasn't too bad but the dentist's room could use a little redecorating.  



First you had the teddy bear family hovering up at the ceiling.

Next are the lovely teeth photos.  Aren't mine pretty!

Then there's the big looming light that's blinding you half the time.

And last but not least.  The freaky Kermit frogs laughing at me from the corner.  I mean really, what's up with that?  Why don't they just get a big scary clown and hang it from the ceiling.  Then all the kids can have nightmares.



The rest of the day went well.  Mostly just the usual.  However, Mark did take me out for a nice dinner while Alana was at volleyball.  We found a place we'd never heard of called Mediterrano in Ann Arbor.  Not a bad 43 birthday!

Feb. 2 (Day 33) - I buy the best birthday gifts :)

It was a pretty great day today.  I got my early birthday present to myself.  A new Canon 7d with one lens. This was to replace the Canon 20D that got stolen at a soccer game about three years ago.  So today I will be posting a lot of pictures with my new toy.  The highlight of the day was the possum that came to visit. The last time one came around, the girls named it Strudel and that's what we now call all possums.

So here are some pictures with the 7D.  I'm just on full auto right now until I relearn how to use a real camera.

Strudel was not a huge fan of Ollie's;

especially not after he raced out and ran over it causing a double Strudel somersault.

Cassie holding Lily or Lilac.  I think it's Lily, since I don't see any black lipliner.

Ollie's food bowls are always the kitten playground.  This is Cow Pie, but we really need something cuter before he gets put up for adoption.  Any good boy cow-type names, anyone?

This is my favorite photo of the day.  I even like how his eye is slightly out of focus.