It's Official.....I'm HOOKED!!!

Today I went with a co-worker of mine and her daughter’s Girl Scout Troop to Wintergreen Ski Resort to try snowboarding yet again- I was so glad I did! The instructor (his name was Gifford) was so much better and he really taught me a lot! By the end of the day I was actually able to get all the way down the mountain and to the ski lift without falling, AND I got ON and OFF of the ski lift without falling! I was on cloud 9- I am totally hooked now..... time to buy my own snowboard, Robert! The great thing is this place is only an hour and a half away, so I will definitely be taking some trips next year! This video is from the beginning of the lesson, so you will see me fall at the end of my run. :-)
I bet my muscles will not be happy tomorrow :-)

Massanutten Snowboarding Trip

This weekend we went to Massanutten Ski Resort, and had a GREAT time! Totally LOVED it! 

I convinced my friend Natalie to take snowboarding lessons with me- haha... we got two- one hour lessons, and trust me, people aren't kidding when they say it's harder to snowboard than ski! It is very difficult, but I really tried, and was determined to do it! I think it would have been much easier if there weren't tornado force winds coming through every few minutes....seriously.... but oh well. Robert took some pictures of my many unsuccessful attempts- but actually, there was one time that I did a good job on my C-turn and got a high-five from our instructor- SWEET!!!!

I know it's hard to see, but that's me learning to walk with my snowboard- and realizing that Robert found us and was taking pictures. :-)

Natalie and I practicing....

This is what I looked like MOST of the time.... haha- with my instructor Mike beaming in the background

 

                                                                                                                                                                                     

The sun was bright, but beautiful, and as usual, I'm ready to go back already!

Valentine's Day

I know most people wouldn't be excited about this, but for Valentine's Day, Robert bought me an over the stovetop microwave! Anyone who knows me, KNOWS that this was perfect for me, plus I had been wanting it and we really needed it. We had this bug hunker clunker microwave that took up most of the counter- I was so happy to get rid of it! Poor Robert spent 6 hours last night doing the whole installation process. We thought it would be easy, but we should have known better- every project we have undertaken since we moved in has never been smooth sailing! First off, as soon as Robert took off the hood that was there, we were welcomed by 2 yellow jacket nests and a mud-diver's nest! Thankfully, they were empty, but it was still creepy. I am so glad that we always choose to do things like this in the winter. :-)
There was another nest hanging, but I decided to take a picture after Robert threw it outside.

After much sweat,

he finally got it up and running (at 2 am)-

I love it, and I think Robert's pretty proud of himself- well deserved! Thank you baby!

We're going SNOWBOARDING!!!!!

I just found out yesterday that we will be going to a ski resort at the end of this month! I'm so excited- ever since winter started all I've thought about is skiing or taking snowboarding lessons! I'm sure we will have a great time! Hopefully we can get some good pictures while we are there. 

:-)

If a dog was a teacher....

I definitely learn these things from Emma each and every day. What a great teacher a dog can be!

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:

1) When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

2) Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

3) Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

4) When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.

5) Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

6) Take naps.

7) Stretch before rising.

8) Run, romp, and play daily.

9) Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

10) Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

11) On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.

12) On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

13) When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

14) No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout- run right back and make friends.

15) Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

16) Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

17) Be loyal.

18) Never pretend to be something you're not.

19) If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

20) When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Wonderful....

I've seen this before, but Lynn emailed it to me again today, so I figured I'd share. I think it's a wonderful picture. The caption below reads, "Amy and Andrew J. DiMaggio of Laplace, LA don't need to be told that their 1-year old daughter Anna Maria is special. They get a glimpse of it everyday when the toddler walks out to the front yard of her house and begins an animated conversation with the Blessed Mother. "Whenever she is with us in the front yard, she will always stop playing at some point and walk up to our statue of Mary", the DiMaggios said. In this photo, she was holding her hands up and talking to Mary in her own babble language. We hope that this picture will inspire our readers to remember the words of Jesus, Who said that to enter the kingdom of heaven we must be as open as a child."

Silpada Party

HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!!! Which was yesterday, and yes, it went on even without me there :-(

So I had a Silpada Jewelry party this past Sunday.  I couldn't believe all the people that came, and even more surprising, how much jewelry they bought!  I get a percentage of sales in free jewelry, and today my sales rep emailed me to let me know my grand total in free jewelry. Get ready...... I get to pick out $510.00 worth of jewelry!  I think I'm still in shock! I thought I would pick a piece or two and let Robert buy me a thing or two for Valentine's Day, but now he doesn't have to get me any!  Which I guess is good, because he told me today that he already bought me something that I really want...... That could literally be ANYTHING! I could name quite a few things I want or need right now!