Soccer Camp

This past week McKenzie participated in the British Challenger Soccer camp out in Sand Springs. Although none of her teammates were at the camp with her, she had a lot of fun. Both of the coaches that were running the camp were amazing with the kids! I picked up on a few ideas to use with my students from them in the two days I went with Kenz!!! Their teaching method totally reinforced to me that my philosophy of learning through play is a good idea! Kenzie was super excited about all the "cool soccer tricks" she learned each day and was ready to go back the next day, despite the heat and her apparent likeness to me with heat stroke readiness...

Here's a picture of Kenzie on Friday after she started to have a heat stroke during camp. She felt terrible, but she didn't want to leave. She really wanted to be out with her group playing!!! I just liked how I was actually able to capture all the feelings she was displaying in the picture!!!

Here is Kenzie with her coach Nick on Friday. I think she has a crush on him. She told me several times that she would like for him to move to Oklahoma to coach her team... as if he doesn't have a job in London or his own soccer team that he plays on there!

Each day the coaches had homework assignments for the kids. Everything from creating a juice drink, to looking up information about UK online, to bringing dress up items to put on the coaches... Nick took off part of his attire for the World Cup competition before camp ended, but here he is with Kenzie looking all sorts of silly.

The entire camp. The photographer from the Sand Springs paper came out and took their picture for the paper... if anyone happened to see if it made it in the Sunday paper let me know!!!!

Kenzie is super excited about starting her fall soccer season and learning more soccer skills. I am thrilled that she is pumped about the sport!

Happy Birthday Baby!!!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!!

In honor of Ian's big 3-0 birthday, I thought I would list 30 things that I love about him and him being in my life... so here goes...


1. He makes me SMILE, all the time with the silly things he says or the things he does for me.
2. He does LITTLE THINGS for me that mean the world to me!
3. He LISTENS, wholeheartedly.
4. He is CARING and SHOWS his CARE for others
5. He will text with Kenzie, even when he is busy and/or tired!

6. He COMPLIMENTS me, on my cooking, how I look, without cues.

7. He RESPECTS me and my ideas, goals, values

8. He is SUPPORTIVE of my goals and dreams

9. He enjoys being ACTIVE, can't handle being inside too long...

10. He's a HORNET!!!

11. He enjoys taking PICTURES.
12. He is THOUGHTFUL of others
13. He is GOAL DRIVEN
14. He will take pictures WITH ME
15. He is usually SMILING



16. He strives to be MORE, to do MORE, to see MORE
17. He loves to TRAVEL
18. He LOVES... all things, photography, animals, sunsets, clouds, ME, rocks, plants
19. He has FAMILY VALUES
20. I can TRUST him with all of my being



21. He shows AFFECTION... in his words, his deeds, his actions
22. He steals KISSES in public... and let's me steal kisses
23. You can tell that he LOVES me by the way he looks at me.
24. He is incredibly PERSONABLE and EASY-GOING.
25. My family (dramas) don't SCARE him...


26. He wants to get to KNOW my family, especially my nieces.
27. We have a lot in common, while having a lot of things different
28. When he tells me he loves me, he makes it PERSONAL and you just KNOW he means it!
29. He wants to have a FUTURE with me!!!
30. He is just overall... AMAZING!!!

I hope that your special day is all that you hoped it would be. I can't wait to be there and to celebrate with you... I love you so very much and I am so thankful that God put you BACK in my life after all these years! Thank you so much for being everything I had dreamed of and then some! I know that you are the ONE for me... it seems OBVIOUS to me now after this week. I LOVE YOU!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Random Summer Fun

So far this summer at home has been fun! I have watched Ana and swam with her some as well as gotten together with some of my friends!!! I can't believe how much Ana's skills have improved! That girl has some talent when it comes to swimming!!!! She is such a hoot to watch jump into the pool off of the diving board. She likes to make up dances and such as she comes down the board until she jumps!!! Here I am watching her from the swing the other day...


Saturday I was blessed with the chance to see one of my best-good girlfriends and hang out poolside at her parents house. We had a good time as usual and caught up on our guys! It is so great that we are both in love AND with such amazing guys!!!! I love ya Val!!!

And last but not least... my babies... yes my family grew the last time I visited Ian in Colorado... Growing up, my grandma had these plants called Hen and Chicks that I watered religiously and helped her replant as needed. When I moved away to Texas, she sent a few of them to me in a pretty yellow pot. Well, when I moved home after her passing, I (ignorantly) left the plant in Texas on the back patio. So... while at the nursery with Ian one day I commented on how much I loved those plants and how I would like to have my own. Ian suggested I get a plant or two of my own to care for in Colorado. So... I did!!! We now have our own hen and chick family, two hens and about 5 chicks! He is a good daddy and hasn't starved them off water and I have been a negligent mommy and abandoned them with their daddy for 3 weeks...

CHANGES...

Change is good...right??? Well in the spirit of keeping my blog and actually using it... I am making it an open blog again... that is right... anyone can read my blog now... So... remember to bookmark my page or become a follower (thanks Trish!!!) so that when I update you will know!! I am going to try to make a valiant effort to blog at least once a week once I move to Colorado the end of July. My blogs will hopefully have pictures and stories of what Ian and I are up to and how work and life is going for me.

Be sure to continue to check back soon!

A day at the Bells

A beautiful spring day at the Maroon Bells...

Hiking in the Ice Caves and Hunter Creek

This trip to Colorado has been a little more interestin than the last. The last trip was only 4 days and with so much to do and see and so little time to do it in, it is no surprise that this trip has had more adventure packed in!!! Today we went hiking at the Ice Caves between the Continental Divide and Aspen. (I will post pictures from there as soon as I can hijack Ian's mac) It was mildly sprinkling when we arrived at the trailhead to go up to the caves... it only lightly sprinkled during most of the hike, which was beautiful in itself... there was still some ice in the caves, but apparently not as much as usual at this time of the year. Ian has loads of pictures of me "playing" on the rocks with a huge grin on my face to prove that I had fun today! He had to turn around often to check on me either because I was REALLY quiet, or I was squealing and he wasn't sure if they were happy squeals or "I'm hurt" squeals.

Inside the ice cave. Check out the awesome curves!!! Ian has some other pictures that are more incredible than mine, but I don't have them yet...

Ian likes this picture, he says it is better than the one he took on his incredibly better camera than my little 5.1 megapixel... :) I'm not proud or anything... no not me...

Ian between taking pictures! Isn't he handsome?

Me and Ian in front of the cascades. Notice the color of my shirt and the lack of moisture... see below for the after shot only 45 minutes later!!!

Hunter Creek in Aspen, Colorado. Here is a view of the "creek" looking up the creek... not exactly MY definition of a creek, but hey, who asked me?

Me and Ian together looking up the creek... yes, I am sopping wet... yes I am hiking in 50 degree weather in the rain... and yes... I am still smiling...