VEGAS Baby....

So, you know the saying... what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  I think I am going to embrace that philosophy for our latest trip....

(I know, you are SO disappointed!!  I can hear the crying now through my computer....  oh, okay, alright, enough!!  So we'll share just a LITTLE bit....)

We headed to Vegas Thursday night.  It was a good drive, with lots of time for Joe and I to talk and laugh.  (and yeah, so, um, I slept a little bit too... hey, it had been a busy week!)

Thursday evening was fairly uneventful, but we were up fairly early on Friday morning to head here for our skydiving adventure.  (For those of you who don't know, Joe asked to go skydiving for his  birthday.  He has decided that life is too short, and you should just do the things that you've always wanted to do.  Note things that 'he' wanted to do...)  Unfortunately, after suiting up and waiting for a little over an hour, we found out that the winds were TOO high and we were not going to be able to jump that day.  (this was disappointing, but also VERY reassuring because we knew that they were taking the whole thing very seriously and putting safety above all else!)  They asked us to come back the next day at 7:30 a.m. for another try....

Friday night we went and saw Love at the Mirage.  AMAZING.  Seriously, AMAZING.  I have NEVER seen anything like it.  The music was amazing, the show was amazing, the stage was amazing..... I was blown away.  We managed (at about 4 p.m. in the afternoon) to score FRONT ROW tickets to the 9:30 show.  I had SO much fun.... and we stayed up soooo late.

Saturday morning arrived very early!  But, we were off to try the skydiving thing AGAIN.  Thank goodness the wind was calm this time and we actually got to jump. 
Here's a photo of us pre-jump... (I look so AMAZINGLY calm....)

And here's the video of Joe's jump....

 

(No, we didn't buy my video.  Trust me, the videos were WAY expensive, and so we decided that just one would be okay.... plus, Joe had bought me front row tickets to Love the night before.... )


I have to admit that I was not that excited about this whole experience... I was going to be with Joe while he had this 'once in a lifetime' experience...  but in all honesty, it was pretty AMAZING.  I was not a fan of the free fall, but once that parachute opened and I was just drifting down... looking at the beautiful scenery... there is nothing like it.  If you have never done it... I would really suggest giving it a try!  (We need to give a shout out here to Vegas Extreme Skydiving, and our new BESTEST friends... Jake and Brad.  They took very good care of us.... and I don't think either of us have ever been "closer" to a strange man before...)

After skydiving, pretty much everything else seems a little, well.... boring.  We did some shopping, I played a few penny slots, and we spent some time by the pool.  We had a really good time Saturday night- we had a great dinner and then spent a few hours rocking it at the Bar at Times Square in the New York New York.  I am a HUGE fan of dueling piano bars, and this one is the BEST.  We had lots of fun (and... shh.. don't tell him I told you... but Joe actually DANCED with me!!)  Here's the one requisite shot of me all dressed up.... (sorry, no couple photos, we just didn't think to ask someone to take our picture!)

Sunday morning we enjoyed a buffet breakfast and then headed home.... back to reality....

It was a great trip and just what the doctor ordered... for both of us!  We needed to recharge our batteries, and this trip was just what we needed before the craziness of the last month of school hits.... now to look forward to our summer vacation in San Juan Capistrano!

Have a great one....
C

Happy Birthday Mr. Furedy

Mr. Furedy turned 37 on Sunday.

We were pretty low key with the birthday celebrating this year... the kids and I (and Grandma Paulette) took him to The Keg (a very favorite restaurant) for a quite yummy steak dinner on Saturday night.  His actual birthday was filled with a karate tournament for Colin, swimming, and taking a nap.  Oh, and folding laundry.  Poor guy!  But it was a good birthday none the less...

Mr. Furedy's 36th year was an eventful one.... from the beginning to the end.  It definitely had it's ups and it's downs, but in reflection, I think it was a pretty awesome year. Joe has always been a pretty easy going, reflective guy.  But I think this year has given him a new appreciation for  just enjoying this ride we call life by making the most of every day.  I know that this year we grew together as husband and wife, that Joe grew as a father, and we all learned a lot of lessons along the way. (oh, and Joe picked up a new, pretty cool scar too... I don't think he'll be forgetting year 36 anytime soon!)

Here's a few highlights from Year 36
(I know, another picture heavy post.  So sue me!).

Joe and Colin on his birthday, 2009.

 

Joe on our summer vacation in Colorado, white water rafting.

 

Joe and the kids at the Pointe South Mountain in August.

 

Joe in the hospital right before coming home- October.

 

Trademark Furedy Beard while recovering- October.

 

59th Annual Treasure Hunt- October.

 

New Year's Eve- Hanging with me during my recovery.

 

Magic Mountain with Colin- March.

 

Finally canyoneering again- March. 

(okay, this pic isn't from March, but hey, it's a pic of Joe in a canyon).

I look at these photos and I am amazed at the man that I see.  Even more amazed that I fell in love with him when he was 15 years old.  That was 22 years ago (just in case you couldn't do that math in your head).  And I love him more EVERY SINGLE DAY.  (I am not quite sure how that is possible, but I know it is true.  You'd think at some point there would be a limit or something... but not really.)

There is still more birthday celebrating to be done... Joe and I are heading off to Vegas this weekend, leaving our darling children (Sarcasm you say?  You hear sarcasm in that statement?) in the quite wonderful hands of their Grandma for a few days.  Should be a great trip... a chance to get away and reconnect.  (Some of you remember our last plan to get away and reconnect... remember that cruise we were going to take?  Well... we never quite got there, but Vegas... Vegas is going to be awesome.)

Happy Birthday Mr. Furedy.  Here's to year 37.  Thanks for spending the last 22 with me.  I am looking forward to year 23 with you....  I know it's going to be FABULOUS!
Night all...
C

"Dam" Good Camping

We spent this weekend- Friday night until Sunday afternoon- doing some 'dam' good camping near Apache Lake.  (Warning, this is picture heavy post.  Sorry.  Had to be done.)

I have to admit that I was less than excited about this camping trip.  We've had some pretty busy weeks lately between school, work, extra curricular activities, and Easter.  I also know that we have some really busy weeks ahead of us (our weekends are booked through May at this point and I know this isn't uncommon for a lot of families, but we've found our family needs some down time or people get crabby.  Mainly the momma.).  So... when Thursday night rolled around and I hadn't shopped, packed or even thought about this trip... I was less than thrilled (I think there were even some curse words muttered under my breath....)  But, this trip had been on the books for several months (ah, the joys of planning ahead), we had committed to Joe's brother and his wife that we were coming (and I had committed to bringing our share of the food, so we would have left them hanging without lunch goodies), and Joe and the kids were really excited (not that it takes too much to get our group excited about being outside), so I gathered my strength and got us ready to go....

We had the best time camping that we have had in a really long time.

First of all, we had an EXCELLENT camp site.  All the thanks go to Jason and Paige (Joe's brother and sister-in-law) who went up last weekend and scoped out a good spot.  This spot was just perfect.  It was away from the lake, so we weren't TOO close to the other campers (all of whom seemed to have pit bulls?  Seriously, there was like a pack of pit bulls at the lake.  We saw SEVERAL dog fights while we were there), but it was close enough to the lake that we could take a short walk and enjoy the lake fully.  When I say fully, I mean that we could crawl into the lake up to about our knees and then come out whimpering because it was SO COLD (I do have to brag that both Joe and I did get all the way in... for just a couple of short moments).  Our camp spot happened to be VERY close to a small stream that was running... so the kids had access to the water the entire time that we were there.  It also turned into a great science experiment (I know, seriously, can we do anything that ISN'T educational, but you gotta seize the opportunity while you can...) because the kids (with lots of support from Uncle Joe, Aunt Paige and Doug) spent a lot of time trying to dam (NOW you get the post title) and divert the water in the stream.  They sure learned the power of water.......

The weather was also PERFECT.  Seriously.  PERFECT. 

The next best thing was the company.  We really enjoy camping with Jason and Paige and their kiddos.  Although we are not exactly alike in terms of parenting style, there is enough significant overlap that the trip is enjoyable for all.  For this trip, we were also joined by Karen, Doug and Nadine- some friends of Jason and Paige.  Again, just great companions.  The kids all got along well and enjoyed each others company.  It was a good range of ages for the kids... everybody had somebody to play with... and if you got tired of the person you were playing with, there was someone else to explore with as well.

And then of course, there was the food ('cause what is camping without food?).  We divided up the food responsibility as per our usual... and it worked out great.  We had tons of great food to enjoy (and yes, for those of you who are wondering I did STAY on my diet, skipped the alcohol, and only had ONE diet Coke all weekend).  Paige does a great camping dinner... and we all enjoyed the fruits of her labor.  It was also nice to have three moms on the trip... so we could all help the kids get food, fix things, and have their needs met... which was a nice thing as well.

Our family left fairly early on Sunday... wrapped up the trip with a wonderful drive through the desert, a short hike at Fish Creek and lunch at the Canyon Lake Marina, which was a great end to a very wonderful weekend.

I am so glad I got my attitude in order and got my stuff together so we could go on this trip... now if some magic fairy could just arrive and take care of my laundry... the world would be a very happy place.  Hope you all had a wonderful Spring weekend where ever you are.....
C

Honoring Papa

**See, I'm getting caught up.  This should have been posted in mid-February.  I'll close the gaps eventually!**

Some of you who know me well know that I am very close to both of my parents.  I love them both dearly, they are a HUGE part of my kiddos lives, and I am proud to consider both of them among my best friends.  My parents are pretty different people- and I have taken pieces of each of them into my own personality.  This apple didn't fall too far from that tree..... (here's a photo of the parental units... just for reference... you can skip the comments about inheriting their looks too... I know! I know!)

When I think about my dad, I always think about his work ethic. As long as I can remember, my dad has worked.  And I know that this is true of most people- this is what dads do.  They work.  But I don't know if everybody defines work the way that my dad does.  See, it's not enough to just show up to work every day, according to the book of Ted.  You show up on time (or early), you work hard, you are thoughtful about the work you do, you search for ways to make the work better or more productive or smarter, you come home (usually after the time you were scheduled to go home) and you get up the next morning and you do it all again.  You treat your subordinates well, and never as subordinates.  You bring treats.  Lots of homemade treats (I just wish I had my mom to bake them for me too!).  You dress appropriately for your position, you present yourself professionally and you never ever EVER quit.

My dad has worked hard his WHOLE LIFE.  He enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 17 and served his country for 22 years.  During parts of the time when he was in the Air Force he worked two jobs (he worked at a gas station at night) to make ends meet.  My dad retired with the rank of Chief Master Sergeant- which is the top level for an enlisted man in the Air Force.  It is VERY rare for someone to achieve this rank in such a short period of time.  But my dad did.  After my dad left the Air Force, he went into the private industry- and he worked even harder.  Through all of this he continually made sacrifices so that he could provide for his family.  He worked hard, got promotions, got pay raises, and kept working even harder.

Then the lay-off came.  I don't know if it was a surprise to him, but it was a surprise to me.  Julia wasn't very old at the time, and my mom was watching her when I worked.  All of a sudden- my dad- the dad who had ALWAYS worked- wasn't working anymore.  But he approached that situation with the same determination that he had approached his career to that point.  At the same time, he got a huge gift... the opportunity to be at home for a little while AND bond with my Julia- which was just amazing to watch. (this is also the time that my 'dad' became 'Papa' and hasn't been called anything else since...)

The next few years brought several different jobs- some a better fit than others- and some with some very interesting schedules- but he finally ended up at a company where he was back working with airplanes and airplane parts.  Just his cup of tea.  And the old dad was back again.  Going in early, coming home late.  Thinking, suggesting, and fighting when there was a fight to be fought.

And then the time came.  Time to retire.  The man who was born to work- who taught me about working- from whom I've gained my personal work ethic- hung up his hat and called it a day.

He's now been officially retired for about six weeks.  I think it's going well.  But, I think the whole process is going to be a transition.  I think it might take a little while for him to find a comfortable place in life that doesn't revolve around working... but I think know he's going to love it.

See, in the end, I think that is why you do what my dad did.  Working and having a good work ethic is amazing.  It is challenging and you learn a lot by doing it.  The work is exhilarating, it's hard and it fills you up.  I know.  I'm following my dad's footsteps every step of the way.  But at the same time, I know that one day, my turn will come too.  And I know that I will enjoy my retirement.  Because I will know that I gave it my all everyday....

Here's a huge thank you to my dad.  Thanks for all you taught me- both on purpose and just through example.  I hope that you enjoy every moment of your retirement....
C

PS  This post is about my dad, but it isn't fair to NOT mention my mom in this post.  A LOT of what my dad was able to accomplish was made possible by my mom... who stayed home, raised us kids, fed him great meals, ironed his uniform, AND listened.  Every day.  She was his sounding board.  I do not remember a dinnertime at our household that didn't involve my mom and dad talking about his day at work.  She was there for him and was a huge part of what he accomplished.  Sometime soon I'll share some of the great stuff I learned from my mom too.....

Catching Up & Cora Jane

So it seems that once again, I have neglected my blog for OVER A MONTH.

Sometimes I just don't know where time goes... seriously... the month of March just passed me by.... and I have nothing to show for it except some wonderful memories.  And, I guess, that is the point of life eh?  To have wonderful memories....

But, I told myself that I would keep the blog so that I would remember the memories for years to come and so that my kids could go back some day and read about their mommy's (sometime) crazy thoughts (okay, always crazy thoughts) about all that went on in our house while they were growing up.

It's gonna take me awhile to catch up, but ONE of the reasons (I have to be truthful that some of the other reasons were because I was being kinda lazy and really liking sleeping more than anything else) that I haven't posted lately is because I just couldn't find the time to sit down and do a LONGGGGG post that would catch everybody up from the last time I posted.

So, rather than continue to procrastinate, I decided that I really could (since it is my blog and I can just make up the rules as I go along...) just do a few short posts that would close the gap of the month we will call Total Madness, aka March.

March brought lots of great and fun times to the Furedy household... and I promise to fill you in on those... Joe's first canyoneering trip, a great Spring Break in California, my latest and greatest adventures into the world of exercise and dieting... (oh, and I have some February stuff to fill you in on, like Papa's retirement and some other important days...)

But today, my post is about the newest member of our extended family.... Cora Jane.

Many of you know that I have a niece (Asher) who is the same age as Colin and a nephew (Gundry) who is 5.  I have posted about them before and how much I have enjoyed watching them grow and change... and what great friends they are to my kiddos- which I think is such an awesome thing.

And now, we have a new niece, who I am sure will quickly blend into the wonderful family mix of cousins!

Mike and Vanessa welcomed their beautiful daughter into their family at 9:33 in the evening on March 10th.  (what a cool birthdate 3-10-10  I think I'll actually be able to remember that one!) 

Cora Jane (AMAZING name isn't it?  I just love love love her name) is a beautiful young lady.  She's giving her mommy and daddy a real run for their money right now (if memory serves correctly this is what all babies do...) but I am sure that she'll have them trained (I know Julia and Colin worked hard to 'train' me) before we know it.

We got a chance to meet the darling girl on Saturday.  Here are a few photos.  Joe and I both enjoyed holding her and loving on her (and then giving her back to her parents to take home!).  Julia enjoyed holding her as well.  Colin, well... Colin might be interested when she can run around and communicate.  :)

Welcome to our family Cora Jane.  We are so happy that you arrived safely and are here for all of us to love and spoil.  Be a good baby and let your parents sleep at least a little bit tonight- okay?

Night all.  I'll be back soon (really this time... I promise!)
C

SuperBowl at the Furedy House

So I have a confession to make (are you prepared?  sitting down?).  We are probably the most un-American family out there because (I am warning you... you should sit down).... we do not watch the SuperBowl.  I know, I know.  You are now thinking that you need to stop reading this blog immediately and make sure that you delete your browser history just so no one knows that you EVER associated with our type.

Joe has never been that much into sports... and as for me... yeah.  We are lucky that I know the difference between a basketball and a football.  So, the desire to watch an entire game of football really isn't there.  We don't watch football at all during the regular season... so we don't much see the point of watching it after the regular season.  (In fact, Colin came home from school asking Joe and I who was playing in the SuperBowl this year and it took the two of us about 15 minutes to come up with the names of the teams...)

Then, there are the commercials.  And truthfully, those little gems DREW us in to the game for a couple of years.  See... since MOST normal (yeah, I know, again you cannot believe you are still reading this blog...) folks in our country DO watch the game... the commercials are SERIOUS water cooler fodder on Monday.  And you know, we were trying to keep our little non-sports secret (ha ha, until this darn blog post)  so we would watch the game for the commercials.  (Well, watch the game might be a little bit of an overstatement... we would play a game or do something else and just watch the commercials... then with the advent of TiVo, we learned to record the game and just fast forward to see the commercials... totally backwards from our normal behavior.)  But, over time, even this lost it's luster, and became not that important to us.  See... the radio stations, the news stations, and the Internet all FULLY cover the commercials... so you can actually skip watching them and STILL know what folks are talking about on Monday morning (usually you even know enough to participate in the conversation).

Now, we have given in a few times in the past few years... occasionally we get invited to a party and we usually go to that because it is fun and our kids have a great time (and I usually still don't watch the game... I mean seriously, I sit in the kitchen and eat.  Because there is NO better food than SuperBowl snacks).  We watched the year that the Cardinals were in the game (because seriously, we would have definately gotten kicked out of the country for missing the SuperBowl when the hometown team was playing...)  But, in general, we just don't watch.

So... what do we do?  Well... here's a little known secret (and again, I'm blowing it on the blog!).  You can get into basically ANY restaurant during the SuperBowl without waiting.  You know that little bistro down the street that usually has a two hour wait?  Yep, not during the Super Bowl.  The new BBQ place that has only been open for a month and you haven't even been able to get near the door... yep.. no wait during the SuperBowl!

We chose Red Lobster this year.  (I know, not TOO exciting, but...)  The Red Lobster down the street from our house usually has up to a 2 hour wait on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.  We have kids.  We really don't wait to go to restaurants... 'cause that would be insane.  I love Red Lobster when I am watching my caloric intake (because they have lots of grilled shrimp choices... which I can have!) and Miss Julia loves to eat there because they have crab legs on the kid's menu.  So... Red Lobster it was.  We walked right in, were seated right away, and got EXCELLENT service.  It was nice.  We lingered over dinner (hey, there was NOBODY waiting for our table...) and just had some great family time.  I think we'll plan ahead more next year... I need to write down those restaurants that we usually can't get into as the year goes on, 'cause we really couldn't think of them today when it dawned on us that our dining opportunity had arrived again.

Now... (if you are still reading....) the only issue is this... I believe that we are raising a son who is sports 'challenged' due to his parents lack of Americanism.  Anybody out there want to adopt Colin sometime so he can learn about football and be more of a part of society than his parents?  Thanks.  We appreciate your help!

I know this post is farewell to some of my followers.  Please know I loved having you stop by, and if you can ever forgive me, I would love to have you back.
Night all.
C

The.Black.Cloud.

So... some (okay, every stinkin' person who knows me or reads this darn blog) people might (okay, absolutely for sure) have noticed that the Furedy Family has had a bit (okay, one ginormous) black cloud hovering over our heads for the last six months or so....  four surgeries, two hospitalizations, one canceled cruise, two cases of strep, one case of pneumonia, one cracked tooth (that one hasn't even made the blog yet), two bouts of stomach bugs, one speeding ticket (oh yeah, that didn't make the blog either!), more hospital bills than you could count (how about over $150,000 in medical expenses... thank goodness for insurance... but if you think about 10%.... yikes!), and on and on and on.  Overall, I think we have handled this with some level (okay, just a little bit) of grace... I mean.... the kids were fed, clothed and loved during this whole experience, the house remained standing (although not always clean), and we managed to stay married.  :)  But, it has been a rough (okay, totally traumatic and CRAZY) six months and we are ready for it all to be over.....

And I am having true faith that it is OVER.  We have weathered this storm.  The cloud is passing (seriously, because if it doesn't, I'm not quite sure that we can hang on to any sort of grace...).  So, as always (okay, some of the time) after a, shall we call it 'experience', I try to reflect on what I have learned (better known as what slapped me in the face as I was going through the 'experience').  This time, since it was really my whole family, this post will try to reflect on what we (yes, that would be the 'royal' we) learned.

We learned that as a family, we are STRONG.  That we can face situations head on (well, maybe not head on, but we can still face them even if we are cowering a bit in the corner...).

We learned (again, 'cause seriously we have learned this lesson before) that we have an AMAZING family (okay, not all of them, sorry to say it but a few of these folks kinda let us down while this was all going on, but that is a learning too) and an AMAZING group of friends (and now, I'm talking about all of them... and even a few 'acquaintances') who stood by us.  Who comforted us.  Who fed us.  Who held our hands.  Who cried with us.  Who prayed with us.  Who LOVED us.  I even had a friend who just listened.  That's all.  I would just call her and she would just listen to me (not saying much at all).  And then when I was done she would tell me she loved me and that everything would be okay and we would hang up.  Amazing.  Beautiful. 

We learned that taking a deep breath is a very important skill.  And slowing down a bit might really be a good idea.  And that when you slow down... you do see more, experience more, and appreciate more the world that surrounds you.

Moving on to my learnings...
I learned (again) that Joe is a FANTASTIC dad.  He really does know how to care for our kids, to meet their needs, to feed them nutritious meals, and to help them with homework.  And maybe, just maybe I should back off a little bit and let him do that a little more often.

I learned that I really do love spending time puttering around my house.  And cooking.  And baking.  And stitching.  And reading.  And decorating.  And DIYing.  And blogging.  And I'd love to have more time to do that more often.  And maybe, just maybe, I'd like to be defined more by some of these things than by my career.  (and no, I'm not quitting my job.... but I think I need to redefine a little bit).

I learned that I want to be the kind of friend or family member that really reaches out.  REALLY reaches out when someone is struggling.  I learned how valuable it is to just be that friend who listens.  I learned that it really isn't annoying when you call someone who is having a bad time... and if they don't want to talk at that minute that you can leave a message on the phone... and it WILL matter to them later.  I learned that you do notice who calls you, who supports you, who prays for you.  And those people become more 'your people' because of it.

I have several dear friends who are really having a hard time right now.  Experiencing their own 'black cloud'.  For some of them it is a mini-cloud.... and for others it is a cloud that dwarfs the one that we faced.  And my heart aches for them.  ACHES.  But I learned... so I will be different for them.  I will do the things that others did for me.  And maybe, just maybe, that was what I was SUPPOSED to learn.

If you are the praying kind, can you keep our family in your prayers? (I'd just like the extra insurance that the cloud has passed...)  And keep those around me in your prayers?

And if you aren't the praying kind... just think good thoughts for all the folks you love.
Night all.  Here's to sunny skies.

C