Island Park with Friends!!

We went to my Dad's cabin with our friends and their families in July. We planned the excursion MONTHS in advance so everyone could arrange their schedules, get work off, plan, etc....

All in all we had 6 adults (Beka, Kent, Dave, Katie, Al and myself) and 5 kids (Tyse, Emmitt, Ollie, Lincoln, and Scout). Despite the long drive and packing involved, we had an awesome time.
Al and I pulled our boat up and the kids had a blast. Now whenever Katie or Beka mention to their kids that Al and Nikki are coming somewhere, they ask if we are bringing the boat. I guess we are now the "boat people". We surfed, wake boarded, and skied. The kids spent a lot of time swimming (even when the water was cold and their teeth were chattering so bad they couldn't talk).


We spent a day in Yellowstone park seeing Old Faithful and the other geysers in that area. Al and I are not very good at taking pictures. We just forget we have a camera and don't remember to take it out.

Now we all need to plan for a winter exhibition to the cabin...

San Antonio: Food, Friends, and Legal Nurse Conference

I went to San Antonio, TX in March for a legal nurse consulting conference. There were approximately 1,000 legal nurse consultants in attendance. It was rejuvenating and exciting. I came home with new ideas for my business and I was motivated once again.


I left on a Wednesday and did not come back until Monday evening. It gave me the opportunity to hang out with friends from college. I stayed at the Marriott Rivercenter hotel. The hotel sat right on the river walk. I checked in late to the hotel and because I checked in late, my room was "upgraded" at no cost to me. It was HUGE!!


I had a king sized bed, a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a 52 inch T.V. screen. Pretty soon the room was covered with my clothes!


Shelai drove from Dallas to spend the weekend with me! She is pregnant with her second baby and it was great for her to get away from home for a little break. We ate WAY too much and laughed until we almost wet our pants. Here we are eating at a Mexican Restaurant.

The restaurant was decorated with a lot of lights and streamers. It was very fun and the food rocked!

All over San Antonio there are skeletons representing the Day of the Dead. To be honest, I find it a little creepy!


It just happened to be the San Antonio Luminaria (arts festival) the weekend we were there. They had the streets downtown closed off and had multiple stages set-up with all different styles of music. We saw the San Antonio Three Tenors (who were pretty dang good!) The San Antonio Symphony, jazz groups, and rock and roll bands.

Here is a short clip of this awesome saxophone solo. I had difficulty figuring out how to use the new camera (as evident by this EXTREMELY short clip!)



They had fireworks at midnight. My camera was slow to shoot so I got a lot of black screen shots. But here are some of the ones that worked out...



We've decided to make attending the Luminaria an annual trip for us all. It gives us a good excuse to get together and play.

I also saw Kristina and her cute family! Kristina was a great host! She picked me up at the airport, let me stay at her house Sunday night, and took me back to the airport Monday afternoon. I'm going to steal some these pictures from Kristina's blog...

Here I am with Robert & Scott. They had to wear glasses like me.


Kristina and I have been friends for 13 years. That is a LONG time! I wish she lived closer! Robert actually took this picture. Pretty dang good if you ask me. :)


Kristina and I took the boys shopping and to lunch on my last day in Texas.


The boys liked to play with my hair. Let's face it, everybody likes to have their hair played with. I must say they did a good job. I didn't even have too many knots after they were done!


I suck at playing the Wii and had an age of 54 when I first tried it. Robert made my character Mii with a Hitler mustache - - I was super hot!

By the time I left, I had an age of 34 (at least that is what I remember).


I had so much fun and I'm looking forward to going back next year for Luminaria!

Thanks again Kristina, Ryan, Robert, Scott, and Shelai! You guys made this trip really fun and special!I look forward to seeing you all again real soon!