Totally Rad Oscars, Baby!!

We hosted our 20th Annual Oscar Party this weekend! I am not sure this is true... I'm not completely sure where the time went. In those 20 years we've had 3 kids, owned 2 houses & 2 dogs, and we're in our forties. In Oscar speak we've seen a lot of movies, come up with a lot of party themes ~ from a Pajama Party to a Chinese New Year, to a Lucky 13 Tailgater ~ and we've taken home the Oscar a few times ourselves. I have loved planning these parties!

 

I've always called myself a Closet Genius... I'm thinking Al agrees!



For a few years I've kicked around the idea of an 80's theme party. I finally decided the 20th anniversary would be just the right time. I was so pumped that Whitney asked me, "Ok, it's the day of the party? Are you sooo excited?" She knows that the day of something makes you even more crazy excited!

Here is how it all came together!

Reagan & Tennison used neon paints to splatter paint a table runner!!

 Didn't we all keep our Rubik's Cubes?

 

Framed family picture of the Cosby's - best show!

To the left is Kurt Cameron and Brooke Shields in the 80's.

*Note: table runner extraordinaire!

And our fine President... who Reagan isn't named after.

 

Neon glow sticks and splatter painted cassette tapes!

Reagan got me nice and crimped for the night!! Yep, saved that too.

 



 

Pretty sure there weren't iPhones in the 80's, Preppy Boy!!

I definitely look more like my 80's self than Scott did...

I'm not sure "preppy" made it to South fork!!

 

With the help of a shoulder padded blazer from my mom and accessories from our friend Donna,

I was looking the part from my crimped big hair down to my hot pink tights!

Solo cups were so 80's!

And the guests start to arrive!!! First we have our Rocker, Nikki!!

That guitar actually played 80's music!

No dweebs at this party! Only cute Preppy Boys!!

 

 Would we have been friends

in the 80's?

 An Izod polo and an off the shoulder sweater!!

80's food... yum!!

Depending on how they hold their candy cigarettes

tells you a little something about what they

smoked in the 80's...

just sayin'!

 

Back to the Future!!

We look GREAT!!

Thanks for indulging everyone ~ it was worth the wait!!

From the right, our original group includes Eric & Trena,

us, and Greg & Vicky. Our newcomers are

Jon & Nicole and Larry & Kendra.

What a surprise! The group snuck around and did a Lifetime Achievement Award for

Best Oscar Party Hostess... Scott got a supporting host award too!

They also made a slide show and gave us a gift basket for the movies.

What a great group. Looks like the fun is going to continue! 

 

It was RAD to the MAX!!

An AWESOME night had by all...

FER SHUR!!

 

Snow... and God's Thoughts

* To see the pictures better, click on the blue title to go to blog!

"I want to know God's thoughts - the rest are mere details." Albert Einstein

For weeks I have been getting updates from my brother and sister in MN. It's freezing there, literally... yes Reagan, literally. I joked once with Steve, "I don't think hell is under your state, it is so cold." So cold they cancelled school so much they are almost out of snow days. I have heard many a "you all in CO are such wimps" when we have snow or... cold days. Yes, a bit wimpy.

Yesterday it snowed and it felt like we were going to get a winter after all. This morning I took advantage of the scenery and took some shots...

Winter playground!

Icy barbed wire.

The tree reminds me of Frosted Mini Wheats...

the really frosted, super yummy ones.

Crystallized Branches

Breath Taking!

These two are buddies.

On my way home I tried to get a shot of the hazy mountain view...

 

~ Al in the snow ~

 

"I want to know God's thoughts - the rest are mere details." Albert Einstein

 

When He created snow, what was He thinking?

 

When He created seasons, what was He thinking?

 

The rest are details... What did He see us doing with the snow? Did he envision sledding or building snowmen? Did He know how much joy it would bring? Could He see it before He made it? Details...

 



 

Happy New Year!

One of my favorite friends from college, Amy Beth, sent me a Happy New Year email along with this photo...

This made my day!!

 



Speaking of New Years, we rang in the New Year with my parents and this crazy cat showed up! Um... I think Spidey needs a bigger outfit. Ouch.

 



 

While at their house the girls took LOTS of pictures in their basement ...

Sportin' Grandma J's hat!

 

What did Einstein do for New Year's all those years ago? Did he contemplate numbers and do some weird story problems with his friends for kicks? Or did he party like a rock star?

Rock on!!

 

I love that at 15, 13, and 9 my kids can still dress up, act silly and have fun in an unfinished basement. They can find Nana's old clothes and put on a fashion show, have a bumper pool competition, play games and laugh until they cry,and not once turn on the TV. Ending the night banging pots and pans and yelling HAPPY NEW YEAR! is one great way to ring in 2014!!



 



"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."
― Albert Einstein



The Tooth Fairy is Still Alive... and Santa Too!!

The Tooth Fairy was saved this year! On Tuesday Tennison told us he had a loose tooth. On Wednesday he came home with a goofy look on his face and then declared, "I lost my tooth." That night he was sitting at the kitchen table writing a note on an envelope to the Tooth Fairy...

"Dear Tooth fairy,
You are a great person. I love looking in the morning and finding some cash.
p.s. can I have your signature right here please (with an arrow pointing to a big circle) The tooth is inside. Love You!
from,
Tennison"

He was sitting next to Scott and casually asked him, "Are you the Tooth Fairy?" Somehow he quickly answered with an "I believe" kind of response. Scott said, "Should we go up and tell him?" Then he realized, if we tell him about the Tooth Fairy right before Christmas, that will potentially blow Santa. Nope, we aren't telling him... and off to bed we went.

Thursday morning I get out of the gym and see my phone has 5 texts from Scott. Here is the string of events...

6:28 a.m. Crap! We forgot Tooth fairy. He's so bummed. Trying to get something done to help get us through Christmas & Santa. I almost told him but I know his next question will be Santa.

6:42 a.m. Reagan saves the day through texting. Great story. Be ready. Santa has been saved.

Part of the problem was when Tennison got up, sad about the empty envelope, he went to take a shower (in our bathroom). If Scott had taken a break from shaving to fill the envelope he thinks Tennison would have caught on. So through a texting plea for help Reagan was able to grab some quarters and fill the envelope. She also grabbed a coin with a logo on it, gulp. It was for a golf course (a ball marker, not a quarter) so Tennison went to the website. He finds a blog on the site about "Meet me in Utopia". He took that as a message from the Tooth Fairy! How sweet, how innocent, how funny! So glad it all worked out.

Without Reagan, the fun of the Tooth Fairy & Santa could have been ruined. Thanks Reagan!
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"  - Albert Einstein

So glad Tennison still writes letters to the Tooth Fairy and still believes in Santa!

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."  - Albert Einstein

I think our imagination is just as important in our adulthood, as it is in our childhood! Long live Santa and the Tooth Fairy.

My Tree

It makes me feel special when people refer to the tree I blog about as my tree!! So many of us see this tree on a daily or weekly basis and love watching her seasonal changes. Last year a sign when up in the field in front of it letting us all know they'll be developing there soon. We're hoping it takes a long, long time.

Here is what I've seen lately...

 

And then her leaves started to fall...

 

 Such a beautiful scene!

Her neighboring tree friends!

 

 Winter is here and the snow is falling...

What will she look like next?

 

"What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the World."
― Albert Einstein