This time of year!!

Every May the topic turns to graduations and summer activities. Last weekend we did May the right way, eating by a fire, golf and attending graduation. My cousin JB graduated from high school on Saturday. It was an event. Before graduation dad and Colin got some quality golfing time in (both haven't really had a chance to do so in quite some time.) To there amazement they saw something completely out of the ordinary. They were on hole 7 when the heard a squeal and saw a man fly one direction on the highway, his motorcycle slide across the pavement and a deer fall dead on the road. Thank goodness the man was wearing a helmet and leathers............. he walked away from that one. They just had the most perfect timing to witness something like that.

JB..............post graduation!!!!

After graduation we caught up with some old friends like John Craig and my other cousin Josh. It was a wild evening at the Scott place. It included a big fire, lots of people, food and beer of course. Jason had a blast running around and wore down early. He just needed a quick nap before he was up and around again eating and talking. We started early so it was back to mom and dads at an early hour too.

Taking a break before he gets back to running around.

The next morning Colin and Dad felt the need to redeem themselves on the golf course, but to their dismay the scores didn't improve. At least they got to get out on the course. Though Colin was somewhat frustrated he was very happy and thankful to swing a club again. Once they got back to Mom and Dad's house, it was back to Casper for us. We made it home just in enough time to meet Sheena, Scott and William for an evening of games and food. Monday we spent the day recovering from the fun filled weekend. Overall....... it was a success. We had good company, food and good drinks. It was a nice break from yard work too. But, this week we are back to working on the yard and the house. I will post more pics when I get a chance. Sorry for the lack of them this post, I forgot my camera in Casper. Thanks JB for taking the two pics we do have. Have a great week getting back in the swing of things everyone.

A Day in His Shoes

Just like dad.

All of us wanted to be like our parents when we were young. For most of us that is deffinately something to strive for. Though, as young children we don't think of the responsibilities that parents have. There are the good times............and we all know there are tough times. We just take every day as it comes. I mention this because I have to acknowlege Colin's composure and strength when things get tough. Since December 2005 he has started a job in uranium (which he knew nothing about), he had to prove himself and learn everything at the same time; then his company was bought out. After that he had to start over on the proving himself thing. Friday the new company made a public release saying that they were in negotiations to sell out (AGAIN!!). They won't say what company might buy Energy Metals, all we know is the information in the public release which can be found on the EMC link I have to the right. So this brings me back to how composed Colin is. He is going through all of these transitions and then as soon as he starts to get into the swing of things..................everything is up in the air. We have to look at it like every time there is a buy out there is a new opportunity. I have to give kudos to Colin for being able to do that and deal with the speculation at the same time. I began to think of this when I saw Jason walking around in Colin's shirt. If kids just knew all of the difficult things that their parents went through.............they wouldn't really want to walk in their shoes for a day. Kids wouldn't want to grow up so fast if they only knew what came with it. Just wanted to share the news with everyone. Once we get answers I will let everyone know. Until then a new adventure awaits Colin and time will tell us the details. Have a great week everyone........................

Watching Grass Grow!!

Taking a break to color.

What a weekend it was. We put some finishing touches on the back yard and watered mud. I know that it takes a while for grass to come up, but watering mud gets old. I will get back to that soon. The patio took us a while to finish. Last week I went out every day to level the ground, pack it and put the pavers down. For those of you that haven't done it......It is about as much fun as well...................... watching grass grow. There isn't any excitement and it takes a long time.

The Patio.

As you can see from the picture we finally finished the bulk of the project. Now we have to finish sweeping sand into the cracks. This is a lot more fun than the last stage and a lot easier on the body. It was all worth it though. I love the patio and can't wait to have grass out back so that we can spend our days playing back there. It will be a blast.

Looking down from the garage door.

But last night there was a glimmer of hope.......... Green..................Yes......I saw green. It was some grass that poked out of the mud in the evening sun. I haven't felt so happy and relieved about something so silly for quite some time. I guess we have to have those days though. I will continue to show you all updates on the yard. We also planted 3 trees out back and 3 rose bushes out front. I will take some pics of those later when they look like more than sticks with a few leaves. Have a great week.....................................

7 days after planting!!!

Stuck

Before Jason got really mad.

It always starts out as fun and games, but it can turn dark in a blink of an eye. Jason has shown us this time and again. This time it was under the chair. This morning he thought it was a good day for a fort, but why build one when there is one provided to you. That is logical thinking, but the problem was that in Jason's youth he lacks the fort experience to understand size restrictions. So, the light bulb went off in his head telling him it was a great idea to go under the seat of the chair and play. It was all fun and games until he hit his head the first time. Yes, he hit his head many times in the course of this adventure. He tried to escape out the side, but there was a piece of the chair brace blocking his exit. This led to a full on breakdown. You may be wondering where I was during all of this. As you can see from the picture, I was an observer. I am one of those parents that believes in learning through experience. So, I let the struggle continue until it looked like he was actually going to injure himself. For those of you that are interested it was about 5 minutes before I had to intervene. He is a stuborn child that wasn't going to give in to a hunk of wood and screws. And he didn't. Now, when he walks by the chair he hits it for good measure. He has to show it who is the boss in this house.

When you don't have a hat, you must improvise.

I hope everyone is having a great week. As for you Cody, I hope that the rest of the birds live long enough to learn to fly, if there are any left. I will post updated pics of the yard soon, hopefully I will have the patio finished by then. It isn't a fun job, but it sure does look good. Until next time..............................................

Jason working on the yard.

"Professionals"

Planning

There are a lot of heroes in this tale of weekend warriors, so we must start by thanking everyone for their help. We couldn’t have gotten this done without Mom and Dad, our neighbors, and their friend Mike. Our yard would still be inhabitable if it weren’t for all of their help.

The terraces are being formed.

It all began on and unusually warm spring Friday at the Moody house. The Scott parents showed up at the house after a making the long journey from Meeteetse. Colin and Dad went and got the equipment right away. All of the needed tools were at the house by 4:00, so there was a lot of daylight that we just couldn’t see wasting. No one was sure where to start or what to do with the hill on the side of our yard. So, it all began with demo. That is the most fun anyway.

Hanging out with Grandma.

After tearing out the existing terraces, Dad and Colin began to create a system of new terraces. There was a lot of dirt moved, some of it was even moved multiple times, but the terraces were finished after 3 trips to Home Depot and a lot of sweat. I don’t think Colin will want to dig another post hole for a long time.

finished terraces

looking down our new steps.

That night was too much fun, so the next morning came fast. There was a lot more work to get done, so that couldn’t slow us down. Colin and Dad finished the terraces Saturday and Sunday (the days started to run together), at least down to the patio level. Then they built one more terrace on the other side of the yard. But, there was so much dirt that needed to be taken away it was going to be super expensive to take it to the dump and very time consuming too. So, I called around to find someone that could possibly need fill dirt. Finally in a moment of desperation I ran over to ask the neighbors if they knew anyone that would need some dirt. A friend of theirs, Mike, stepped forward and offered to take it. He used the trailer we rented and took 5-6 loads of dirt (we lost count) out to his house. He has some major holes out at his that need to be filled. It saved us so much time we can’t thank him enough. Then Dad put some of the dirt over the fence for the neighbors to use.

Jason even got in on the excitement of moving dirt. At first he was afraid of the skid steer , but after some persuasion from Mom and Colin he would ride in it. He even tried to take the controls over.

There is nothing like a pile of dirt.

major dirt moving.

Then we dug out under the deck and began to level with rakes. There was a lot of shovel work their, but with a lot of us working it went fast. Mom even got in on the shoveling. She can move some dirt in a short period of time. Some might say she is a shovel master.

Colin and I went to Home Depot and got some pavers for the patio on Sunday evening too. Those haven’t been installed yet, but our yard is a work in progress.

A good start at a pile.

This morning Dad and I brought the equipment back and then seeded and fertilized the yard. Hopefully it will come up fast. We can’t wait to have everyone over now. We now have a yard that isn’t full of garbage, dog poop, and debris. No one has to be afraid of it anymore. Thanks again everyone for your help. I will post pictures of the yard as we get more done too. If you want to see the true transformation you should look back at my older post labeled “How do people live like that?” It is a huge difference. Also, happy belated Mothers Day to you moms out there.

our new patio spot.

Helper

By popular demand (Maggie), here is a picture of Jason helping me clean up this morning. He loves to sweep. If the dogs were inside he could even use the broom to hit them. I truly believe that the broom is his favorite cleaning tool.

We are going to pick up the equipment to work on the back yard today so I will have some really good pictures of our progress next week. Before I go, I have to tell you about my good experience in Casper. Since Colin and I have moved to the East side of town we started to go to another liquor store. It has been the best place in the world. Sure, they don't always have the cheapest beer in town, but they do have the best service I have ever seen. When you first walk in someone always is there to greet you. Then they will answer any questions you have (the place is huge so we usually have to ask where something is). They always remember me and are super nice to Jason. Then when I leave they always help me out to the car, even if I only bought a bottle of wine. I have to say that it is the most wonderful service I have ever had in any town. So there are perks of living here in this town. Have a great weekend and Maggie, I will have some more helper pictures for you next week. Where are the ones of Glacier and you sitting at your bistro table?

When it rains it pours

The title says it all. I mentioned in my previous posting that we had a ton of moisture come down last weekend. Well we saw the consequences of that precipitation yesterday as the huge quantity of snow melted all at once. It was a mess all over town. There was water everywhere. Last night when Colin got home he went downstairs and discovered our gift from the storm. Water had come into our basement. Colin cleaned up roughly 2 gallons (we are lucky it wasn't more). Once again he had help from the little man. Jason just thought we had a new indoor pool. He was very happy until there was no more water to splash in. Needless to say, we have some work to do downstairs. I hope the rest of you are doing well. I will hopefully have a great post to show all of the work we are doing on the yard coming very soon. Enjoy!!!

We might be Moody's, but we aren't moody!!!

The best helper in the world.

So many of my posts include info about Jason and different happenings in our lives. For something new we have a big update on another branch of the Moody family. On Thursday a new Moody was born, not in Casper but in Powell. Aaron and Chris welcomed a new daughter, Lea. We don't have any pictures yet, but baby and mom are well and were able to go home Saturday. Congrats Aaron and Chris!!!

In other news we broke a snowfall record for Casper on Saturday. We got 1 foot of snow and a lot of rain. The snowfall was our record, but in 30 hours we got 2 inches of moisture. It was a slick mess, but amazing to see. There was slush falling from the sky. The three of us stayed inside, colored with crayons, played legos and ate spaghetti. It was a fun day. Jason helps cook and clean too. The dogs were tired of us by the end of the weekend though and are ready to get back to their regular sleep regiment.

Air Control

Now that is a full belly!!

We are finally getting back in the swing of things here in Casper. The week has calmed down considerably. Colin is now taking another pickup to work and our days are filled with laughing at Jason's crazy antics. Just to give you an idea of the types of things he does here is a really good moment to put down in the books.



Colin and I don't know our neighbors all that well, but talk to them frequently in passing. It is a nice relationship and we know that if we need anything we can ask for help and any one of them would graciously agree. Our older neighbors (in their early 70's) had a phone problem on Wednesday morning. So, Kathy came over to use our phone to get someone to fix the problem. She sat down on our couch so Jason decided to go over and sit next to her. He climbed up like a big boy. Then he looked at her laughed, grunted and farted super loud. I tried to keep a straight face and say excuse you Jason, but then she said "My kids never did anything like that." I busted up. And Jason pushed another toot out, grunts and all. She was mortified and I couldn't stop laughing. It wouldn't have been so funny if she didn't have such a strong reaction to the situation, but what can I say, fart jokes never get old.



Have a wonderful weekend everyone and enjoy the moisture we are supposed to get. It should be pretty impressive here (2 inches of rain is expected by Sunday). Enjoy!!!!

Thank God!!!!

I really don't know how to start this post in any other way than to say that we should all count our blessings every second of every day. Last night we were reminded this..........

On Monday Colin had new tires put on his work pickup. He had it done at a shop in Douglas. On his way home of course he had to drive on the Interstate. Then yesterday he made the trip to work past Glenrock..... Once again on the Interstate. Last night he was talking to me when he was driving home, on the Interstate again. His pickup started to shake so he thought the tires were out of ballance. This would make the most sense since just had new tires put on. He told me he would get that fixed this week. Then he heared a clunking sound as he got off of the Interstate. This was strange, but there is so much wrong with the pickup he figured he would look it over when he arrived at our house and he had to get it into the shop anyway (he was about 5 minutes at the most from our house). We got off of the phone at that point so that I could finish dinner. He was less than 5 minutes from our house so I didn't have much time. Then about 3 minutes later I got another call from him......................... He wanted me to look in the phone book for a tow truck. My heart dropped. It turns out that he was making a turn at a stop light when his WHEEL FELL OFF!!!!!!!!!! If you think you mis read you didn't the wheel actually came right off. Some of the lug bolts sheered and the wheel flew off grazing a pickup that was parked at the stop light. It then rolled a long ways into an empty lot. Colin kept his cool and control of the pickup and proceeded to pull up on the sidewalk. There is no place to park at that particular intersection but he was able to get out of everyones way. It is just amazing and a blessing that the wheel didn't fall off when he was going 75mph on the Interstate. He put around 120 miles on those new tires before this happened. If it would have happened anywhere else it could have been much worse. It could have been much worse as it was. The wheel could have smashed into another car or Colin could have lost control. There was someone looking out for Colin last night and we couldn't be more thankful for that. It offered some amazing pictures that are on my cell because I didn't have the camera. So, I will show all of you pics when we are in person. It was the strangest thing to see. I can't imagine what it was like for Colin to be driving and have that happen. So, just tell everyone you know how much to care about them because you never know when some freak accident will happen. We are counting our blessings and I will never let Colin or Jason out of my sight without telling them how much I love them.

Blonde Jokes

Before I get down to one of the funniest blonde jokes I have ever heared I have to share a pic of Jason playing in the water. He loves the water even though it is super cold. Here is him helping me water flowers (more water got on him than the flowers.)



Now for the blonde joke. But I want everyone to know that I do know that blondes can be very smart, my sis proves that a thousand times over. So...... Here Goes!!!

The Rabbit and the Blonde

A man is driving along a highway and sees a rabbit jump out across the middle of the road. He swerves to avoid hitting it, but unfortunately the rabbit jumps right in front of the car. The driver, a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulls over and gets out to see what has become of the rabbit. Much to his dismay, the rabbit is dead. The driver feels so awful that he begins to cry. A beautiful blonde woman driving down the highway sees a man crying on the side of the road and pulls over. She steps out of the car and asks the man what's wrong. " I feel terrible," he explains, "I accidentally hit this rabbit and killed it." The blonde says, "Don't worry." She runs to her car and pulls out a spray can. She walks over to the limp, dead rabbit, bends down,and sprays the contents onto the rabbit. The rabbit jumps up, waves its paw at the two of them and hops off down the road. Ten feet away the rabbit stops, turns around and waves again, he hops down the road another 10 feet, turns and waves, hops another ten feet, turns and waves, and repeats this again and again and again,until he hops out of sight. The man is astonished. He runs over to the woman and demands, What is in that can? What did you spray on that rabbit?" The woman turns the can around so that the man can read the label. It says... Are you ready for this?) This is bad!) (OK, here it is) It says, "Hair Spray" - Restores life to dead hair, and adds a permanent wave."

HA! HA! HA! HA! Have a great day and I will post more soon.