2ND CAMPING TRIP

OUR SECOND CAMPING TRIP WAS WITH AVERY AND HER FAMILY. WE WENT UP TO SCOUT MOUNTAIN LIKE WE DID IN 2010. THE PLACE IS AWESOME. IT IS NOT EXPENSIVE, THERE WAS PLENTY OF SHADE AND PRIVACY, AND THERE IS A PICNIC TABLE AS WELL AS A PREPARED PLACE TO PUT YOUR TENT. IT IS ALSO QUITE CLOSE MAKING IT CONVENIENT FOR SPONTANEOUS CAMPING TRIPS. WE ALSO HIT UP LAVA HOT SPRINGS. WE WERE ABLE TO BORROW PAXIE-LOU FROM HER NEW OWNER. IT WAS GREAT TO SPEND TIME WITH HER.  ALL AROUND, IT WAS A GREAT CAMPING TRIP DESPITE ME WAKING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND SLIGHTLY FREAKING OUT :) ENJOY THE EVIDENCE: 

Read more!

UPDATE

A FEW FUN THINGS HAVE HAPPENED THIS SUMMER. FOR STARTERS, WE WENT ON THREE CAMPING TRIPS. THE FIRST ONE WAS WITH KELLIE AND HER FAMILY. WE WENT UP TO THE KELLY CANYON AREA CLOSE TO REXBURG AND STAYED IN THE MOUNTAINS.THEY BROUGHT TWO OF THEIR HORSES AND IT WAS A BLAST RIDING. UNFORTUNATELY I FORGOT OUR CAMERA AND THE TRIP WAS NOT DOCUMENTED VERY WELL. I HAVE ONE PICTURE FROM KELLIE'S PHONE AND THAT'S IT! 

HERE IT IS

Read more!

A few exciting things have happened this last semester. First of all, Elsa turned 9 and Kajsa turned 7. We all finished the school year with great achievements. Elsa was chosen as the "Young Author" in her class and was able to attend a workshop. She was also at the top (or very nearly at the top) in all areas of her ISAT testing. We are very proud of her. Kajsa has done extremely well with her IRI, she is a fast and accurate reader. She will not start ISAT testing until the 3rd grade. She, like Elsa, is advanced for her grade ;)

 

Thaddeus made it through his MUCH dreaded music history and choral conducting classes just fine. I was impressed when he stayed up until 3 in the morning completing his 10 page paper. I managed to pull off another 4.0 this semester. This is the fourth one in a row! Next semester I am going to attempt to juggle a part-time job and a little over full-time credits. We will see if the 4.0 will be possible. I absolutely LOVE my new job so far. It is fun and challenging, the perfect mix. I recently took the licensing exam to sell insurance in Idaho and passed. The rest of the summer I will be training full-time.

 There is also another accomplishment worth bragging about. Thaddeus and I made it to our 10 year mark! Tomorrow is the big day. Ten years ago(TOMORROW)we said our vows. Despite a bit of turbulence on the way, we have endured and enjoyed the ride. We are excited to get away for just a day or two to celebrate. We have two fantastic children who are beautiful, smart, and spunky. How lucky I am to have a husband who listens to me, cleans, cooks, and is a fantastic father. Through all the years we have grown closer to each other as we have gone through major changes in our lives. I am looking forward to the next ten years. Thanks for putting up with me Thaddeus M. Ferrin.

 

Here we are right before we got married 2001

Here we are (almost) ten years down the road!

Read more!

Spring is here, and summer nearly upon us

AND I just finished taking finals yesterday afternoon. Grades have not been posted (as of this minute) and I am just a tad worried that I may get my first "bad grade." There may be an A- awarded to me this semester. After working hard to keep up my 4.0, I believe I have reached the threshold of despair. I am sick of school, and sick of studying. I want a break. Today is my first day of freedom from school. I donated plasma. Booooo! I am also sick of donating plasma. The scars on my arms don't even look like scars, they resemble craters! Big, Fat, Nasty, Craters. However, I have FABULOUS (to be read with a flamboyant gay mans voice) news. I was hired at the new Allstate Insurance facility in Chubbuck. I will be starting om May 11th (Yes, on Kajsa's birthday). I will be working full time during the summer and then part time during the school year. YAY for a pay check! SAD FACE for not getting more than a week of summer break. I guess I have a week to catch up on blogging before I start work. I know, I am pathetic. If you were me, you'd be pathetic too, cause you'd be me, and you see: I'm pathetic. Read more!

smart phone

So I got a smart phone this week. It's so smart I can actually make this post FROM MY PHONE! I'm sure this is old news to all you high tech people, but for me this is a BIG deal. It's been tons of fun watching you tube on my phone. I introduced Elsa and Kajsa to Michael Jackson via you tube on my phone. I swear my phone is 10 times faster than my lap top. The best part is that the new HTC Arrive will only cost us $6 more a month than the old Samsung seek. Woohoo! Read more!

Cute kids, & Camping

We have a tradition to go camping with our cousins. We always have a blast.
We sleep in tents, and rough it old-school style.
This past year (2011) we went to Utah.
It was WAY up in the mountains, there was even snow in some places and it was cold.
Some of these pics were taken by Avery, some buy me.
Basically the nicer quality ones Avery took with her fancy pantsy camera.
The other ones I took.
I'm excited for this years camping trip already.
I wonder where we'll go.

Read more!

Quick Update!

Please excuse the horrible picture quality. These pics are from my old phone. Since I can't possibly go back and catch up on everything that happened since July, you'll get the quick version :0) WARNING: They are not in chronological order.

We made deliscious Christmas candy with Grandma Ferrin (after Christmas)

Road trip to CA to visit Matt, Sarah, and ADORABLE Maja in my tiny Honda. It was crowded with four people and Paxie-Lou, our dog, who lives with Mom in Rexburg.

I made a bajillion hair bows during Christmas break. Here is one set I made to match one of Kajsa's new outfits she got for Christmas.

Matt and Maja cuddling on the couch. Again, sorry about the crappy picture quality. My old phone didn't do so well in dark (or light) environments. We also picked oranges on Christmas Eve! But I forgot to take a picture.

Elsa and Kajsa, beautiful as can be.

I got a new Yamaha Xeno trumpet! This is the first, nice trumpet I've ever owned :) I love it!

On our way home from CA, we drove down the strip in Las Vegas to show the girls the lights.
My Honda overheated.

Chelsey Gale got married this summer to Austin Warr. I had a bit to drink and we stayed up late. It was fun :)

Here are some hot shoes I bought for Idaho State Civic Symphony concerts. I just like them a lot and I'm also very excited to play in the orchestra.

Here's Chelsey on her special day. What a hottie!

Our Paxie-Lou forever ago. I think this is from June or something. We were taking her for a walk. She is our third baby, I think she looks a lot like Kajsa because of her beautiful red hair. Thad says this is what happens when "you do it doggy style." He actually said that.........whoahahaha, he never checks my blog anyway. He'll never see I shared that.

Elsa Ferrin, future (current) musician, right after her Christmas choir concert.
So grown up.

Read more!

High School Days

It has been 10 years since I graduated high school and it was time for THAT reunion. I helped track people down for the class president. It turned out to be more work than I anticipated, but it was also fun. I got to see a lot of familiar faces. It was a fun evening, with great entertainment and the food was good too.

It actually says class of 2001, not 200.
I'm old, but not THAT old :)

Me and my hubby!

I have to tell a funny story about us at the reunion. So towards the end of it Thad and I (plus Kiirstin and Michelle and their hubbies) went to the band room to check out the new amazing place and say hi to Mr.North. We end up talking for quite a while. Kiirstin and Michelle go back to the party and I am recruiting David Waters for the ISU Bengal Marching Band while Thaddeus is talking to Mr.North about the upcoming leadership camp at ISU.

When we finally got back to the reunion, the awards/nomination-ceremony-thing was already over. So I get there and find out I won an Idaho spud bar (super) and was nominated to help Michelle plan the next reunion. More work, but okay. Anyway, then two separate friends ask me where we had been for such a long time and if we hadn't sneaked to the band room to have sex!

WHAT? ! ? ! ? ! ?

Thaddeus and I? We would never do such a thing. Actually we probably would, but let me clarify for those who thought we did, that WE DID NOT.

I guess we were just a HOT couple that night :)

Hannah, Zach, and Me

Jodie, Kellie, and me
I've been friends with Kellie since the 2nd grade and Jodie sine the 3rd!

Michelle, Kiirstin, Mr.North (the band director), and me,
I've been friends with Michelle and Kiirstin since the sixth grade!

Read more!

DCI show in SLC

I love drum corps.
After being aged out for a long time, I still wish I could go on tour in the summer time. It's not the same being in the stands, but the shows are great. Personally, I thought the Cadets were amazing. Here are a few pics I caught!
Enjoy

Just like last year I got to meet up with Robyn. We marched together in Troopers 2000. This past week she came up and visited. It was lots of fun. I tried recruiting her for the ISU marching band. She politely abstained :) She did hang out at our leadership camp a little and had a blast spinning the flag for the first time in a LONG TIME.


Of course, the only reason we were able to go to the show was thanks to our
FAVORITE COUSIN (in-law for me) Avery and her man Joe. They are the best and met us at the U, took the kids on the train to the planitarium AND had popcorn AND split a twix AND had a mud fight........the girls had a blast while we did.
Thanks Avery! Read more!

Happy Fourth

Yes, I'm a bit late

I had such a hard time picking photos out because there were so many great ones, so I decided to make a collage, or two or three.



We went to the park on 8th street. I'm not sure what it's called, maybe it's centennial. There we waited for the parade to start. It started to rain and blow, but the parade seemed to be delayed. That, or they had advertised the wrong time on line. Either way, we got lots of great pics and we had fun sitting on the side walk throwing pops and acting goofy. Then 11:30 rolled around and we had to take off to make it to great grandpa and grandma Ferrin's for a luncheon. As we crossed the street to get to the car, we could see very faint lights from the police cars who were finally heading the parade. The girls were a bit sad, but we promised to buy them candy and they cheered up.

Then we headed over to see family in Blackfoot. It is always fun and something I look forward to on the fourth. The "usuals" were there. Great grandma and grandpa (I somehow did not get any pictures of them). Sally and Jerry, Shirley and Rick. Cole, Chelsea, and beautiful Cori, us (Thad, Me, Elsa and Kajsa), Matt, and Rochelle with her adorable baby boy Trexton. We had a delicious lunch and then Matt and we went over to check Cole and Chelsea's new crib out. Crib, as in a house not a baby bed.......just in case anyone was confused.
After that, we headed back to Poky, dropped stuff off at home and then drove to the fair grounds. We had heard it advertised on the radio that the fireworks show here in town was supposed to be the "BIGGEST SHOW IN IDAHOOOOOOOO." (The man who did the commercial had a huge booming voice analogous to my upper case typing).
So we paid to get in!!!!!!!!!!!
Then the kids started playing on the blow up toys. Thad and I laid in grass on a blanket and then it started to rain, and rain and Rain. It RAINED some more and then we ran to the car, then it began to hail! It was nasty, we probably sat in the car for at least a half an hour. we debated leaving, but we HAD paid to get in. So we waited out the rain. It finally stopped and we went back in, bought some food. Mmmmm, nothing like fatty food for the fourth. Then we waited for the fireworks to start. It seemed like hours and I'm pretty sure it's because it really was.
All that waiting was worth it though. The Pocatello Fireworks show was hands down the best fireworks show I've ever been to. The girls were mesmerized the whole time and it seemed like the whole crowd was too. It was a great fourth. Hope yours was as fabulous as ours! Read more!