Tis the Season!

Giving Thanks...

I am so thankful for THANKSGIVING. I absolutely LOVE to prepare every last little detail of Thanksgiving dinner. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who was willing to iron all the table linens for me!! I love the smell of the baking turkey, and coordinating every side dish so that everything is done and ready at just the right moment. A lot of people don't care for all the work and the leftovers, but I absolutely adore the process and relish every leftover. I loved that Brett could come down to spend Thanksgiving with us. I do not love that I was so busy enjoying everything about Thanksgiving I didn't think to take any pictures! The only pictures I took were the ones I grabbed just before Brett headed back to Alaska, when he was all decked out in Army gear.

Kate helped me get the lights set properly--the feather boa is for effect, and she thought the poinsettea was so beautiful we needed to take a shot of it too!Jessa calls Uncle Brett "Brandon".

Kate loved the hat and ended up keeping one.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Snow Angel: Kate was so excited for Halloween because it it the only day she gets to wear REAL lipstick. She loved getting all dressed up, and I even curled her hair for the first time ever; I had no idea she could sit there so patiently!

Our little ladybug--the cutest ever!

Kate made it to our neighbor's house before she zonked out. She had been so excited it was Halloween that she just couldn't take a nap! She slept through 2 houses, and then woke up for 2 more. We had every intention of making it in to the church trunk-or-treat, but we had a lot of fun visiting with the few people looking forward to the rare trick-or-treaters in these parts. At the last minute, I threw on Doug's turnouts and smeared black on my face to join in the costume fun.

Gearing-up for a Hipwell Halloween

How to prepare for a Hipwell Halloween:
Step 1: Get down the Hallween tote and try out all of its contents....

Step 2: Take a break for some bird hunting with friends Step 3: Have a ghoul and a goblin help bake up some festive cupcakes

Step 4: Sometime in the month impusle buy new dresses for the season at Costco

Step 5: When Halloween is getting REALLY close, invite a few people you normally don't do anything with for a Pumpkin-Carving family night.


Step 6: Proudly display your phenomenal pumpkin-carving skills until the pumpkins shrivel up and start to rot away--in true Halloween fashion.

Halloween has always been one of my favorites because I have a lot of great Halloween memories. BOO!

Something Light to Break the ice.

I am a creature of habit, and I just needed something "just for fun"to break the ice that has been thickening on my blog... Alyssa posted this on her blog and asked what's in your name...

T-Loved by everyone
I-Loves to laugh
F-People wild and crazy adore you
F-People wild and crazy adore you
A-Dead Sexy
N-Can kick ur butt
Y-Great kisser

A: Dead sexy
B: Loves people
C: Really easy to fall in love with
D: funny and sweet
E: Freakin Beautiful eyes
F: People wild and crazy adore you
G: Never let people tell you what to do
H: best smile
I : Loves to laugh
J: makes people laugh
K: Really silly
L: easy to fall in love w/
M: makes dating fun
N: Can kick ur butt
O: Has one of the best personalities ever
P: Popular with all types of people
Q: A hypocrite
R: good bf/gf
S: Lives life for fun
T: loved by everybody
U: gets blamed for everything
V: Not judgmental
W: Very broad minded
X: Never let people tell you what to do
Y: Great kisser
Z: Lives life for

In Loving Memory of Stormy Bodet

Stormy Bodet Edwards passed away peacefully in a green alfalfa field this month. She was 14 human years old. Stormy was born on an unknown date in or near Rexburg, Idaho in the fall of 1994. Of mixed ancestry, Stormy was saved from the fate that met her siblings by Cara Edwards, whom at the time was a student at Ricks College. Cara obtained the puppy with the intention of gifting it to her sister, and temporarily called the small puppy stormy, after the treacherous weather that hit the first night Stormy was in the care of her interim guardian. On Cara's next trip home to North Powder, OR she took the puppy to its intended owner as a birthday gift for Tiffany Edwards, a high school freshman. The name Stormy fit, and remained with her throughout her life. The timid little puppy soon found comfort in her new life and was known by all as a happy, sweet dog with personality. Even small children that were afraid of all other dogs couldn't help but love Stormy. Stormy's favorite pastime was running along with the four-wheeler at amazing speeds. She was often described as a greyhound at heart, and particulary loved to run through shallow water, splashing it up as she graced through. In 1997 Stormy moved with her family to Murphy, ID where she resided for the remainder of her life. Though her early days on the Idaho ranch were spent getting small puppies into trouble, she soon wisened up to her new surroundings after dozens of ticks had to be removed from her coat daily, and twice her owner had to spend entire evenings picking porcupine quills out of her face and mouth, where it appeared she tried to bite the porcupines. Once she got into a very substantial amount of rat poision, but was luckily able to pull through with veterinary assistance and medications. Stormy despised haircuts and baths, but loved to play and get brushed. During the last three years of her life, she particularly enjoyed playing with Kate and Jessa and digging under the chicken coop door at night to salvage table scraps the the chickens had not devoured before roosting for the night. In recent years, Stormy's age was obviously catching up with her. She lived a long, joyful life and was loved by all who knew her; she will be greatly missed. She is survived by her owner and immediate family, but was preceeded in death by Hercules Hipwell, her beloved cat brother. A small family graveside burial service was held at sunrise on Monday, September 8th 2008. Stormy's last photo: Running Toward Home

Little Country Cowgirls

Kate has always been a little cowgirl, but guess who has been pulling out the boots lately?....Jessa! It is not just the boots and hat though--you should see her fearlessly ride that spring-loaded rocking horse thing on the porch! YEE HAW! She stands up in those stirrups and gets bouncing and rocking so crazy all over the place that I am sure she is about to buck herself off. Kate is a pleasure rider; Jessa prefers broncs!This one captures Kate personality perfectly, and notice Jessa likes to always wear her hat crooked.

Sisters!

Not What I Expected

Every now and then, something really, really surprises me, just like this little "What Disney Princess are You Quiz" just did:

You Are Snow White!

Pure and trusting. You are a gentle soul who can get along with just about anyone. Everyone you meet instantly falls in love with you. How can they resist? You have a pure, lovable nature that's irresistable. Just don't trust everyone who comes across your path.

Naturally, I didn't believe a word of it, because that could hardly be true. So, I took it again and changed the one answer that I knew could have gone either way. Boom, just like:

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Now, true to self I am really curious about how exactly this quiz works, so I "View all possible quiz results", and this is what is says:

11%=Ariel-Headstrong and feisty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

11%=Cinderella-Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

11%=Belle-Intelligent and kind. Your beauty goes much further than your appearance. Also, you make judgements of people based on their personality and not their looks. Attaining all the knowledge that you can is one of your major goals in life, but you are also a person who can make things happen.

11%=Pocahontas (read above)

11%=Jasmine-Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

22%=Megara-Charming and witty. You are always the first person to come up with a wisecrack. Sure, you have an attitude, but that's why people love you. You keep them on their toes. Sometimes you can be misleading, but always end up doing the right thing for the people you love.

0%-Mulan, Aurora, Esmerelda.

I am left wondering--Who is Megara, and why, if I am 22% of both Snow White and Megara, does it default to Snow White?

So, naturally I run the same analysis on the Pocahontas results--again, 22% Pocahontas, 22% Megara. Does that mean really Megara is the description that fits me the most? Thoughts anyone? Which description do YOU think fits me the most? :) Now, Which Disney Princess Are You?

Salt Lake Break

Right after fair, the girls and I headed straight for SLC to see LaDonne, my best friend from college, who was in town from Philly, and to check out Dr. KaLynne's new condo. It was a great little break, just to be able to relax in the comfort of air conditioning and great company. Oh, and even watch a little Olympic swimming and gymnastics despite the fact that we boycotted it in my house since the Olympics were held in communist China, something we certainly don't support.
The girls loved feeding the geese in the park and walking down the wood chip trail. Kate was completely obsessed with LaDonne's zipper purse (it is one big zipper that zips around to form a purse). We went to the strangest sculpture garden on the face of the planet (my opinion of course, but you would certainly agree), enjoyed the beauty of Temple Square (notice the purse again below), ate at a Hawaii-inspired restaurant, and were able to splash around in the fountain at Gateway Plaza.

The extra topping on the pizza came when we were at The Pie waiting for our food, and I start to eye the temptingly delicious pizza at the table next to us. The steam rolling off it about sent me over the edge, and I think I really was about to reach over and grab a piece when I look up and the face of its owner snaps me back to reality. "Tom?" I questioned exactly how delusional my hunger was making me, but he turned at the sound of his name and with excitement in his voice responded, "Tiffany! What are you doing here?" Whew, I hadn't completely lost it, and it was great to catch up with another great friend from college. Tom (his real name is Thongphan Phanthavady, but apparently some people have a hard time with it?) was my chemistry lab partner in college, and I had even spent a day in the hospital feeding him red jell-o when he was too deliriously drugged up and injured to feed himself. He had sustained a bad neck injury when a car slammed into his little pickup from behind, during I can't remember which college year. The doctors hoped that it would heal on its own, but after what was probably 6 months in a neck brace, they had to do surgery. He was so worried at the time that the surgery would affect his range of motion and thus interfere with his plans to become a great surgeon or some other world-renowned doctor. The great news is that he did heal completely (thanks to my superior jell-o feeding and hospital sitting skills, I am sure) and that he is currently in his 3rd year of medical school. I had lost touch with him right after Kate was born, so I wasn't sure which route he had gone. He is going to be an ER doctor, which just made me so proud I could probably pass as his mother because, if I had been a doctor, the ER would be my first choice as well.

We had a nice time, and of course look anxiously forward to the next time we get to see LaDonne (and hopefully Ian too), because it is never often enough!

Fair-y Princess

By the time the Saturday market animal auction rolled around during fair week, the girls were finally tired of the fair, and Kate and I had to make a little compromise:Princess Dress? And, to make matters worse, the morning was FILLED with compliments on how nice she looked, and how under dressed the compliment-giver felt. Do people NEVER want me to wash that dress or what?

Jessa, on the other hand, was her normal, reasonable self, and made friends with the other kids playing in the dirt. My sweet little beautiful, perfect all-American girls.

It wasn't until I was getting ready to leave that I suddenly started laughing aloud as I realized it gave a whole new meaning to "Fairy" Princess. I have hysterically brilliant children, and it took me a whole half-a-day to figure it out!

Owyhee County Fair

We love our county fair, and since I was appointed by the County Commissioners to the Owyhee County Fair Board a few years ago, we go to fair at least 4 days during fair week. Kate and Jessa love to go because it is only under these hot, dusty, days-too-long conditions that mommy breaks down and buys them crazy things like ice cream and snow cones. Kate and Jessa had a fun time building veggie animals, and never tired of petting and looking at animals. They also enjoyed playing in the dirt and making new friends. I was overjoyed to learn that I swept the Professional Photography Division, receiving both the Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons, with a third photo receiving a blue ribbon as well! Yipee. For all you smart-allec friends and fam., there were a lot of other entrants, sheesh! It makes me particularly glad that as a fair board this year we decided to use a classier purple, white, and black ribbons instead of the traditional purple and white ribbon--I just might put those ribbons up on the studio wall!

My favorite Hawaii shot from last summer that I have HUGE above my computer (we're talking a 60x40 inch canvas here) was the Champion photograph, and the judge said that if the Professional division was allowed to be judged with the other divisions, it would have been Grand Champion. When people see the canvas version on the wall at home, they always ask, "Did YOU take THAT?" Which always makes me laugh because I am not sure if they think it is so great is is unbelievable, or if they are just surprised that even I get lucky every now and then. :)

At the last minute I decided to enter this photo of the Helm family from a session I did earlier this summer. It was Reserve Champion, and there are two things I would change about it--can you guess what they are?

10 Year Reunion

The next day after returning from Alaska, I hit the highway headed towards my high school Alma matter in Eastern Oregon for my 10 year high school reunion. It was phenomenal, and we were only missing 6 of our classmates! Over those 10 years, I had rarely and by accident seen a few of my classmates, so I really had no clue what the majority were up to, though I have always been horribly curious. It made for a very exciting weekend and a lot to talk about! After 10 years, nearly everyone looked similar, though apparently I must REALLY look the same because everyone kept telling me, "You look EXACTLY the same!" I think that must be an okay thing, but I couldn't help but wonder if it was because my killer current style (heavy sarcasm) keeps me looking young, or if it was because really, I am one of those people that have been trapped in the time warp of their high school years and that I look like I stepped right out of 1998 despite the fact that I decided to leave my plaid flannels at home in the closet and gave my colored denim Rockies to DI a few years ago. Also, the consensus is that I have the same quirky sense of humor, and probably even more unrealistic levels of energy than before....Wow, I have so much to be proud of! It was absolutely WONDERFUL.

I particularly enjoyed catching up and retelling old stories with Seb, Sara, and Brenna (pictured), whom I was so proud of when as freshmen or sophomores I finally convinced her to let go of inhibitions and jump off the second floor balcony in the gymnasium onto the high jump mat, only to be devastated when she injured her sternum in the process and had to make up a story to tell her parents. Learning their only child had been persuaded into jumping off the balcony would not have been a good thing for her parents to learn at the time, and my involvement, we were sure, would not help our friendship. Luckily it wasn't a major injury, but after that I never tried to convince anyone else to jump that didn't want too--though for some reason it really didn't seem to stop me from continuing the outrageous behavior. That high jump mat seems a lot smaller these days than I thought it was back then though.

At the school itself, not much has changed:

In case you can't identify this device, it is the sink in the upstairs girl's restroom. Pretty cool, hunh?

The Complete Alasksa

There is much I would have liked to post on Alaska, but just have not had the time. At this point I am so far behind I fear I will never catch up, so in case you want to see all the photos that could have potentially made it here, they can be viewed in 3 of my facebook albums. I made them open for everyone to see. Fishing to Hoonah: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48276&l=a9d7b&id=522096244 Alaska Finale: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48497&l=23f8b&id=522096244 The Pocket Cam Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48505&l=60cf8&id=522096244

In those albums you can see and read all about the great fishing, the pocket cam. incident, my first ice climbing excursion with my little bro for his birthday, and everything in between. Enjoy, because we sure did! Warning: You will want to go to Alaska.

Whales & Tails

Upon arrival in Alaska, we recommend dressing appropriately. This means a pair of ExtraTuff rain boots and a ratty old hooded sweatshirt will instatly have you looking like a native. Apparently, Carharts are a nice touch, and since Carharts are standard apparel for us anyway, we fit right in, and had people asking if we were from AK. Beaver hat, optional. As soon as we arrived in Juneau, we motored the boat towards Hoonah, out Icy Straight, where we were excited to do some Halibut fishing and see the native town. Juneau was still in our sights when we passed through a pod of whales, which were amazingly close and really put on a show! We saw many more whales on the trip, including Orcas, but they were never dancing around again quite like this! My favorite shot is already posted in Alaska At-last-a.
This guy was REALLY close to the boat--no zoom at all. When they were this close, Brandon would get terribly worried that they were going to hit the boat.

Kate and Jessa were TAGGED!

8 Things You May Not Know About Me.

Kate
1. I practically live in a swimsuit, regardless of the climate or whether or not swimming is something I will actually be doing anytime soon (we're even talking months here).
2. "Don't tell me what to do!" is a phrase I often use, even though it doesn't make my mom very happy. I learned it from "Uncle" Chad, who jokingly uses it ALL the time. That's what uncles are for.
3. I am a carnivore. All I want to eat is meat, and I like it medium-rare. Steak is my favorite, and yes I eat a whole one by myself, so don't even try to feed me one of those hotdogs!
4. I was born 2 weeks late. I like to do things at my own pace.
5. I have been all over Guatemala, hiking ruins, and parts of Honduras.
6. I can identify more African mammals than my mother, and she even has a biology degree!
7. I love to pitch horsehoes, and can cast my own fishing pole.
8. I make friends very easily wherever I go because I love to talk to everyone and dish out sweet, sincere compliments.

Jessa
1. No milk for me. I don't like it one bit.
2. I was born on my due date--Jan. 15th, less than 1 hour after my mom made it to the hospital. Whew. I guess she learned that when I mean business, I mean RIGHT NOW!
3. I am a happy, happy girl. Until I get frustrated. We are working on my patience, because I go from happy to frustrated instantaneously. You should see me attempt to tie my own shoelace, and I am only 1.5!
4. I am a jabberbox and have been babbling incomprehensables for over a year now.
5. I can sing my ABC's. Over. And over. And over. And over again.
6. You will rarely see me when I am not eating food. My parents call me the Lemur because I can consume fruit, and any food for that matter, nonstop.
7. I could sit outside and watch the chickens in the coop. All. Day. Long.
8. I am very neat and tidy. I love to help pick up trash or shoes, or put things back where they belong (I am trying to teach my sister, but normally I am picking up after her).

Thanks to Eden for the TAG! Cara (Josie, Cody, Allie, & Cash) and Hilary (Abby & Chloe) TAG you're it!

Alaska, At-last-a!

I have spent my lifetime dreaming of Alaska, imagining insanely amazing spectacles everywhere I turned--like this, for example:

you know, scenes like this:

I imagined wildlife THIS close:

an expected food this fresh, hunted and gathered by yours truly:

I fantasized about little towns like this:

and alpenglow on snow-covered mountains in the heat of summer!

The realist in me knew this place could only possibly exist in dreamland, and I was all but guaranteed the disappointment destined to accompany my quixotically high expectations. Someone please tell me how it is not only POSSIBLE, but that Alaska actually IS all I imagined, and MORE? Ahhh, just thinking about it now makes me relax and smile--my Alaska, At-last-a!

Bubba Louie Flys the Nest

On June 12th, my little brother Brett graduated from high school. I can remember when he was born, so surely this means I am now supposed to stop telling people my real age. Just to reinforce this, even though nearly a million pictures were taken (remember, this is MY camera, so I am not really exaggerating much), this is the only one I felt I looked decent enough in to actually post. I am generally not really self-conscious about this sort of thing, but I think the fact that I actually took that shirt from my grandmother's wardrobe that very morning was making me guiltily self-conscious. Really, I did. I am not joking one bit.

Here is the whole crew--the offspring of my wonderful parents: me, Brandon, Johnny, Brett (holding my Kate) April, & Cara. All my siblings were there to celebrate Brett's special day! It was a very special day, because for most of his school-years, we questioned the reality of this day...just kidding! Brett, I am ridiculously proud of you! And, being the over-achiever that this guy is, he also received his Eagle Scout award. Way to spread those wings and fly Bubba Louie! I finally got my Eagle Scout award too, even though my husband has been insisting for the last 11 years that it would be impossible since I am a GIRL and that Eagle's are for BOYscouts. Hah. I showed him! Brett surprised me with he honor of being his Eagle Scout Mentor, and I have a big shinny gold pin that you may see me showing off on occasion. According to the speech he gave at his Court of Honor, this means that I did an Eagle Project but he got all the credit for it. You gotta loooove this guy!

Here is an overjoyed Brett hugging beloved card-sharking, slot machine-dominating, bowling ball-throwing, Grandma Siemers. I love this woman so much, and if you know her, you know how wonderful she is, and that it is an honor to even touch her clothing, let alone actually wear an article of it.