Thursday Thoughts

First off, thanks to my sis for inspiring me to start a Thursday Thoughts Post. Here goes:

• I need $14M, STAT. Dennis Quaid's amazing ranch in Montana is for sale and I NEED to buy it and move there.
• I love the show "Parenthood". So much, in fact, that I kinda want to be a Braverman. I love my family, don't get me wrong, I just love that family too. I want to merge their family with my family and have a giant, happy, VeikBravermanSallee family sandwich.
• Fall is the best season of all except for one tiny (literally) problem: SPIDERS!  I killed two in my bedroom this morning. ICK!
• I love my husband for many, many, many reasons. Lately he has really charmed me with his dry sense of humor. We have tons of inside jokes and even just a look will make me laugh.
• Other drivers make me crazy. Just because you see a law enforcement officer on the side of the road does NOT mean that you need to slow down, in the left lane, to 5 miles an hour below the speed limit. If you are so paranoid that you find it necessary to slow down this much, at least get in a different lane and let us normal people continue on with our cruise control set.
• I can't believe how much homework our 2nd & 6th graders have. I can't even imagine what high school is going to be like. 

A Sweet New Job

I have been MIA for a long while.  Why? Because.....

• I started a new job in March
• The boys are very involved in The Boy Scouts of America
• I started running
• Life flies by and before you know it 9 months have passed

What I hope to be blogging about on a regular basis from now on......

• Running
• A venture that I hope will pay off
• More kid antidotes
• Our menu
• Life

I'm not entirely sure anyone actually reads this. But just for my own journaling needs I want to make my blog a more regular priority.

Fairwell 2010

The time has come to bid another year adieu.  So much has happened in 2010 I thought it would good to recap:

• January - J and I went to Grand Lake with some friends. 
• February - My sister Katie and her family moved back to CO after living for many years in NE.
• March - We spent all of our spare time house hunting and packing.
• April - We got a new puppy, Lectra Lux, bought a house (goodbye rental), and I turned 29.
• May - Moving, moving, moving, painting, moving, painting some more
• June - Camping Season Started. Woodland Park was a frequent destination
• July - A, E and I took a trip to South Dakota to visit some friends
• August - First airplane rides for A & E, we spend a fabulous week in Florida visiting Sea World, the beach and Disney World.  A started 5th Grade and E started 1st Grade.
• September - J & I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary, J turned 33, E turned 6. 
• October - A turned 11.  We celebrated Halloween with a 1st Annual Party @ my parents. 
• November - J got a BRAND NEW car. We celebrated Thanksgiving with J's family.
• December - Lots of fun celebrating the holidays with both sides of the family.

And looking foward to a new year I have a few resolutions/goals:

• Be more patient
• Get the basement completely cleaned up and organized
• Exercise regularly
• Pay off some more debt

So there you go, a look back and a look ahead.


I wish everyone that reads this a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2011.

Saturday - 11 year Milestone

This weekend was a busy one.  I wanted to have time to post on Saturday morning but it just didn't happen.  Friday morning started out with a rude awakening with melted ice cream in the kitchen thanks to a broken fridge. So Friday J and I got to go buy a new fridge and get it installed, oh the joy.  Saturday night was the boys' birthday party at my parents so all day was spent buying the groceries and presents and shopping. So this post is a few days late.


11 years ago Saturday J and I became parents. 11 years ago I was holding our bouncing baby boy, AJ, in my arms. Figuring out how to nurse him and swaddle him.  We have spent 11 years loving him and being loved. I cannot believe how the time has flown.  I can't believe, looking at him, that he was once in my womb. He is such an amazing person. In 2 years he will be a teenager, I guess that makes him a preteen now. Wow!  Just like I did for E, I am going to chronicle a few things I want to remember.

• A is now enrolled in band, he is learning the trumpet.
• As of 08.13.10 he was 59" tall
• He wears a men's 7 1/2 shoe
• Even though he is only 11 his pants are a 14 Slim
• A & E have adopted 2 snakes that are now named Scales and Tails
• Our neighbor Tyler is one of As's best friends. They are together all of the time. This is great as Tyler is A's age.
• A took donuts to school for his class treat.
• Although family tradition usually means the birthday person gets to choose dinner, since the party was on his actual birthday, the boys jointly decided on the party food. We had a veggie tray, a fruit tray, pig in the blanket, and buffalo chicken dip. Both boys had their own cake, A a regular chocolate one, E a GF/CF chocolate one.
• A is in 5th grade, and although his timeliness is lacking, he is doing well. Who can blame the kid though, math isn't nearly as exciting as riding his bicycle, catching crawdads and snakes, and just being a boy.
• The boys have both joined cub scouts.
• Our trip to Florida was exciting for A, he was able to ride every ride. He still talks about the Aerosmith roller coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios.

Life is good right now. We are all busy and happy. I am excited to look back in a year and see what else we have accomplished. 

6 years ago today......

we welcomed E.J. into this world. He weighed in at 7 lbs 6 1/2 oz.  Big blue eyes and reddish hair. He was perfect.  He is perfect. He is everything that a little boy should be. He looks up to his older brother, sometimes in irritation, mostly in admiration. He is funny, curious, ornery, moody, smart, inquisitive, brave, kind, loving and he is ours. Jeremy and I could not be more blessed with our family. Our 2 boys are the light of our lives. I am so excited to watch E continue to grow into the wonderful young man I know he will be.

A few highlights of the past year I'd like to remember:

• E started kindergarten when he was only 4 years old. He was the baby of the entire school but he fit right in. He loved Ms. Fritzler and eating lunch at school.
• E learned to ride the Honda 50cc that Grandpa bought. He rode an entire trail ride and with each crash he picked it up and got right back on.
• We took a family vacation to Florida, E loved roller coasters, his favorite was Space Mountain.
• 1st grade started at a new school, we continue to hear from his new teachers what a sweet, kind little boy E is.  He continues to meet and exceed all of the expectations for children his age.
• The boys "adopted" 2 snakes that they found in the canal along the walking path by our house. 
• E requested Fruity Pebble Krispie Treats to take to school for his birthday
• Dinner will be Chicken Jalapeno as it is family tradition the boys get to pick their favorite meal for their Birthday Dinner.
• We are having a dual birthday party next Saturday for both boys at my parents house, complete with bonfire and s'mores.