If you love a good book, this site is for you.

I have discovered a great site for any reader. http://www.bookreporter.com/ gives book reviews and more. You can register to be a reader of a soon to be published book and if you are chosen, they will send you an advanced copy of a book to review. All they ask is that you answer a few questions about the book. I was chosen and sent The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It is a very thought provoking book about the child of a Nazi commandant and what he saw through the prison fence.
Also, when you send in a book review in their Word of Mouth section, you are automatically entered in that weeks drawing. I got three free books in the mail from doing that. I like to go to their site and write a list of good books and then go to our local library's site and reserve new books. A lot of times, the books are still on order, but I go ahead and reserve them and usually get first dibs!

Happy Birthday to Us!

I sang those lines this morning to my son's voice mail, "Happy Birthday to Us, Happy Birthday to Us"

My gift is the blessing of you. Happy Birthday to us!

Twenty-five years ago today, I gave birth to my youngest, Ryan. I always tease both of the kids that I gave birth on their day, so it is my "birth" day too. Not bad to have three birthdays a year if you only age yourself on one of them.

Ryan and Jared are going to their German friend's Octoberfest today, so we will celebrate tomorrow with a cookout.

Happy Birthday Ryan~ Happy Birthday to both of us!

You can't send a duck to eagle school

If you have never visited Mac Anderson's website, I highly recommend it. Here is one of his inspirational videos. Watch it and enjoy.

http://www.eagleschoolmovie.com/

His website is www.simpletruths.com. You can sign up for his newsletter and you will get his new videos.

Ron Paul for President

Ok, I am not very political but candidate Ron Paul was called to my attention and I hope you will visit his web site and check out his beliefs on what is good for the USA. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/

I always give one of my brothers a hard time because he is not registered to vote. I told him that Dad fought for his right to vote and he needed to vote. He told me that Dad also fought for his right not to vote, if he didn't want too. Wow, I guess that is true too. We kids sure are opinionated! I guess you could say it is in our blood.

Our family is not the norm!

Seeing as how the boys in our family are stairstep in reverse, our family is not the norm; at least the boys are taller, the younger they are. The girls seem to all be about equal in height. I will have to find another reason to resent my siblings! Ha!
Scientists in the UK have discovered that having older siblings, particular brothers can stunt growth. Experts connect the height trend to the condition of the womb as well as the mother's health following her first pregnancy. In cases of families with more than three children, the younger siblings tend to be roughly an inch shorter than the average for their age. This research may come as cold comfort, but for those of you who have been looking for reasons to resent your older siblings, you can go ahead and add "diminutive stature" to your list of grievances. Remember, it's their fault you don't make enough money or can't get dates.

Tim posted a bridge on his blog, so I remembered this one that we went to in Taos. It is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. This bridge is the second-highest expansion bridge in the country at 650 feet. I have a fear of heights, but I did get out and walk to the middle, but I did not stay long. Mike is on the lookout in the middle of the bridge. He said when semi-trucks went over it you could see the metal beams sway! Yikes!

Joey and Kara at the rehearsal dinner for their friend's wedding. It was an outdoor setting at the Wildcatter in Graham, very similar to Bryan and Valerie's wedding~on a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley. The rain held off, but no one was prepared for the paraglider that showed up right behind the podium where the bride and groom were exchanging their vows. He was very noisy and very slow as he glided by. At first Kara, as maid of honor, saw him in the distance and thought maybe the groom had a surprise of a special banner, "Lyndsay and Michael forever" or something to that effect, but no, just a random flyby at a very inconvenient time. .....the best laid plans of mice and men!

Our vacation

Red River, the view from mountain behind our lodge

Official
Trout fishermen!

Taos, New Mexico

We found this old truck behind the Envision art gallery and thought the mountains framed it beautifully!

Enchanted Land! We just got back from New Mexico. We stayed in Red River and explored Taos too. We ate the best pizza at Old Tymers and awesome Mexican food at The Sundance in Red River. I highly recommend that you try both if you go to Red River. Mike and I tried our hand at trout fishing, waders and all! Mike caught about 12 or so and I caught 6, not bad for beginners. Even if you don't want to fish, I recommend that you just get waders and have some fun! It makes you feel like a kid again!

Fun weekend

We were invited to go with some friends out in the country, south of Windthorst. We had a blast 4-wheeling, fishing, and stargazing! I decided that I need a hammock! Here is the big catch that Mike got. He threw it back in though, so no fish fry on the horizon!