Paper Vs. Plastic

Need I say more???

Love to all....

Busy Weekend!

We are so excited to have such a fun, busy weekend ahead of us. Today we are going to see our wonderful friends, Colin & Carmen Murphy and their adorable daughter, Corin. Corin is two, and super cute & lots of fun! We are having a BBQ at their home in Broomfield. I am so looking forward to seeing them. Carmen and I just seem to get along great - we see eye to eye on so many things. I'm going to make a relish tray and a cold dip & chips to take along. Yum!
Tomorrow morning my dear friend, Jess is coming over for a few hours for breakfast. I am going to make her belgian waffles with berries! She is so excited about it! We talked yesterday and she was ready to eat them then. Haha! Jess is going through some big changes right now. She has moved to Boulder (from Ohio) to attend school at Naropa, a really amazing college out here. She has converted to Islam, and is studying Arabic, so that she can teach English as a second language to people in the United Arab Emirates. It is just fascinating to watch her - she is so committed to this new way of life. Very interesting! When we talked yesterday she is planning on making a trip to Italy this summer to meet a love interest from online. (He is from Iran, but has been living in Italy for a few years.) They met on a Muslim dating site. I can't knock it, because that is how Brian and I met! :D
Sunday evening we are going to Colorado Springs to visit Brian's brother's family - Brett & Annette and their children: Laura, Julia, & Brian. We haven't seen their new house yet, since they moved in April. It will be so great to catch up with them and see what their new life is like in the Springs. I am going to make my labor-intensive New York Style Cheesecake to take to their house for the BBQ.
As you can see, I will be doing a lot of cooking this weekend! How fun! I am really loving our kitchen, and all the wonderful wedding gifts that fill it. It is so great to have a well-stocked kitchen complete with lots of recipes from family & friends. I have really enjoyed experimenting with the culinary arts. Super fun!!
Well, I better get started... Have a great weekend!
Love to all....

An Eye For An Eye???

I was so shocked and appalled to hear about the shooting of Doctor George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas. He was shot to death in his own church on Sunday morning. How horrifying...
Dr. Tiller was well-known for being one of the few doctors in the US to perform late-term abortions for women. Apparently he was killed by an anti-abortion terrorist from Kansas. Dr. Tiller was shot in both arms in 1993 by another anti-abortion terrorist in his own clinic.
I am just outraged... It amazes me that a person who is so hell-bent pro-life can commit murder. How is this just? How can anyone believe that this is the solution? Isn't this just a complete hypocrisy? It shocks me that on top of all of this, there are anti-abortion activists out there that are pleased and happy about Dr. Tiller's tragic death. They are saying that he "deserved" this fate because of his life's work. It saddens me that people are being so heartless right now - especially considering that his wife, children & grandchildren are grieving right now. It just makes me sick that people are so silly and hypocritical. They cry for the unborn babies, but smile about the violent murder of a man who has helped women for years. People often forget that the majority of his late-term abortions were for women with medical conditions that were hurting them, and threatening the lives of the unborn babies. Not everyone has an abortion for a selfish reason. We all need to be more open-minded and loving. We all need to be more forgiving and understanding.
Does anyone feel the same way as I do???

Matters Of The Heart

My cardiologist called yesterday to give me the results of my cardiac stress-echo test from last Friday. Overall, my heart is in great shape. She said that the waves on my EKG were normal from rest to peak performance during exercise. The blood is pumping through my heart effectively. They found one little problem, but it sounds very minor. I have Mitral Valve Regurgitation, not to be confused with Mitral Valve Prolapse. Basically, my valve has a little leak, so a small amount of the blood that pumps through this valve tens of thousands of times per day is flowing backward. She said I was probably born with this defect, but it has never been detected until now. (Thanks to Grandma Byrdie's side of the family, I am sure.) I am supposed to have an echocardiogram every 2-3 years for the rest of my life, just to moniter the situation. I have a very acute case of MVR, but some people have it so severely that it can cause congestive heart failure (Again, just like Grandma Byrdie...). She also told me that this condition could NOT be the source of my chest pain for the past ten years. I need to go back to my primary care physician for further investigation.

Well, I have to admit as a very anxious person, this did kind of freak me out. Even though I am THRILLED to know that my heart is functioning properly (for the most part), I couldn't help but focus on the negative - the mitral regurgitation. I will never understand why I am one of those people that is wired to be nervous and worrysome all the time. I guess I get it honest though... my Grandma Mary Kathryn was just like this. It is very frustrating, though to be constantly worrying about everyone and everything. I would love to be one of those carefree women that just lets everything roll off her shoulders. *Sigh* Not in this lifetime.... :)

I am looking forward to another wonderful sunny day with Evan & Ryan. We had such a blast yesterday... We jumped on the trampoline for hours.... I broke one of the springs off. Whoops.... I guess it is time to lose a little weight, huh?? Haha... We also made an armpit fart band. I can't do it though, so I just listened and laughed along. Little boys are just so much fun... These two really bring out the kid in me.

Love to all...

My Precious Little Boys

No, I have not suddenly given birth to sons, but I have decided to start claiming Evan & Ryan as my own! :) (For anyone who doesn't know, these are the little boys that I nanny for...) I hadn't seen the boys since last Wednesday, as I only watch them Wednesdays-Fridays, and I was so surprised to see what they had made for me!

Lisa, their mother had told them about my cardiac stress test, which I just had on Friday. They decided to make me get-well cards! Isn't that so sweet?!?! It just melted my heart.... I have attached a few photos of the handmade cards here...

Evan's Card Translation: "Hi Emily! I hope you feel better and Lisa had her test on Thursday and I am sorry for your neck when you crashed. Your Friend, Evan" He placed a tiny seashell from the beach and a sweet tart candy in the little pocket he made on this card.

Ryan's Card Translation: "I hope you didn't feel bad when you had your heart test. Love, Ryan" Ryan made his with paper doilies and he glued sweet tarts and spree candies on the side. He said they were supposed to be in the shape of a flower. Awwwww.....

It is so clear why I love these boys so much. They are like family to me. I think of them as if they were my own nephews or cousins. It seems that I often have low days and don't feel too well, but as soon as I see Evan & Ryan I feel no pain. They lift me up, and make me feel so special... It's as if I forget about all of my aches and pains when I see there sweet little faces. I am truly so lucky.

Love to all....

Tummy-Aches & Little Boys

WOW.... I have had a stomach virus now for 6 days. Yes, 6 entire days. I am afraid to say that I am feeling better right now, because I have thought that before and it comes raging back. Yuck... Even Brian was sick for 3 of these 6 days, but he is 100% now. He is as healthy as a horse. Wish I could be that way...

I'm very excited, as this is my first week of summer with the boys, Evan & Ryan. Their last day of school was Thursday, and they have been able to spend Thursday through today at home with their mom & dad. I am watching them Tuesday-Friday this week. I am hoping to have a lot of fun days with them this summer. It is so fun to be with these little boys. They are just precious - so sweet and so loving. They are super creative and very active and curious. We have so many plans for this summer. I have attached some photos of them from the past couple weeks.

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow so I can jump on the trampoline with them! :)

Love to all...

Pike's Peak

More photos of Pike's Peak to enjoy....

Love to all!

Family Visit

Well, we had a wonderful time with my mom & sister. We couldn't believe how fast the four days went! Here's a recap of what we did while they were here.

Friday - We had breakfast at the Crowne Plaza, and hung out at home. After taking a much needed nap, the three of us girls went to Target to get groceries. We had dinner at home and watched Little House on the Prairie together. :)

Saturday - Mom, Katie & I had massages at 11am. We went to Golden and walked around the town. We had lunch at a fun little cafe called The Alley. Then we went up Lookout Mountain, which was pretty frightening.

Sunday - The four of us had breakfast at the golf course, then we headed down to Colorado Springs. We went up Pike's Peak, and I had a major panic attack. I even took a Xanax, and it didn't help. I'm pretty terrified of heights. We saw a cute little fox when we were about halfway up the 14,000 ft. mountain. Brian took some beautiful photos which I have attached to this post.

Monday - We went for a lovely walk in the morning, and the gals quickly realized how easy it is to get sunburn out here, as the sun is so much closer to us. We hung out at home and relaxed. It was great! I made them a wonderful home-cooked dinner, and we took naps. :) It was such a relaxing visit... well, other than Pike's Peak. Haha!