Softball is so very fun!

We actually won our softball game this week. Okay, so that isn't too surprising, we do win on occasion. It was a fun game. The team we played is always fun to play against because they are nice. Next Tuesday will not be as fun because they are not as nice and they slaughter us. Oh well! It will be my last game and that makes me really sad! *SIGH*

You should thank my dad for taking the wonderful pictures of me and my teammates playing softball. He did not want to take them but was a good sport about it in the end.

Ever since I have been blogging, I have not been writing in my journal as much. That is a sad thing. I guess I am just going to have to take all the blogs from the summer, print them, and paste them in my journal. Weird.

This week has been a good one and has gone way too fast. I only have one full week here at home before I head back to Utah. This is all very sad to me. But I do miss my friends out there too...I just don't miss my job enough to come back just yet!

I bowled twice this week. Four games Wednesday and five Thursday. It only costs one dollar to go on Wednesdays and 50 cents on Thursdays. A very good deal! I feel like I am not getting any better at bowling, I am just staying the same. Is it really possible to only get so good at something, even if you practice a lot? I hope not, one day I want to be on the professional tour.

I have also read a lot this week. I finished the third book of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. It is very good. I am taking a break before reading the fourth one to finish Harry Potter. I am over half way through right now and that is good. My friend, Janette, will be very happy when I am done because then we can discuss it. She is funny. I called her last week and she was so quiet as we talked....I could sense something was up so I asked her what she was doing and she said that she was only 100 pages from the end and that I had interrupted her. I let her go...it was funny though how I was totally bothering her by calling...she did not have to answer!

Tonight, my parents and I are heading to Green Bay to visit family one last time before I leave. The big reason we are going is because my cousin, Corey, is getting married. I am not so excited about the wedding stuff, but I am excited to see all my family. I will get to go to dinner with my 81 year old grandma tonight...which quite possibly could be the highlight of the weekend. Sure do love Grandma Huven!

Well, you all have a fabulous weekend....and email me for Pete's sake!
Word Homies!(Tricia I hope one day you read my blog and see this!)

Summer Winding Down and Still Having Fun!

Well, I would like to just say thank you to everybody who is reading my blog these days. I actually have a good size fan base now(haha). I almost feel like a rock star! It is weird because I sometimes read famous people's blogs. It is like I am friends with them but I am not. I really need to get myself a life, don't I? I think I have spent about 20 hours this week watching various videos on Youtube. I have almost watched all of the Kelly Clarkson ones. I am really on a KC kick. I listen to her new album all the time. IT is awesome! I do not know why I am so addicted to her right now. I just think that she is awesome and her new music really hits a great cord with me right now. I bet one day I will be so sick of the album that I will throw it away. Okay maybe not!

We are done with Rebecca patrol. It is kinda quiet around here now. I picked her up from camp earlier this week and had a plan to go for a short walk and then do beads(see pictures). She told me she didn't want to bead and that she didn't know how....which was very funny to me because she has hundreds of them at her house that she has made! I told her that she then would have to come up with a plan for the hour we had between being done with camp and when grandma came home. She couldn't come up with anything so we beaded anyway. I really am a teacher...my teacher vocab always comes out when dealing with any kid!

I went to the Merrill Fair with a bunch of my Wausau friends on Friday. It was fun. I think the food was definitely the highlight(besides the company, of course). I ate fried cheese curds, corn and an Elephant Ear. (Not a real elephant's ear of course...fried scone-like bread with cinnamon-sugar on top....mmmm mmmmm good!) We basically just ate and saw a few of the animals. Kim's little boy Ty liked the tractors the best and the geese that were about as tall as he is! My friend, Marla had to work the night shift that night and I need to be to the Harry Potter Party in Rhinelander so we left before everybody else.

The Harry Potter Party was awesome as always. It was kinda sad to think it would be the last Harry Potter Party, but it was good. My cousin, Shannon and my Aunt Linda came for the special night. We ate some cookies and made hats as we waited for midnight when we could get the books. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long because we got there after eleven. It was cool to see all the people dressed up and having fun! My mom and Shannon stood in a long line to get our three books just after midnight. I looked at the books on a shelf through the window and was in awe at how many new Harry Potter books there were there. I have read the first two chapters so far and it looks like it is going to be a good read so far! I am so slow at reading the Harry Potter books, I may not be done before Thanksgiving seeing it is over 700 pages long. It is also going to be difficult for me because I am addicted to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series right now. I guess I will just read them all at the same time. That is a weird thing for me!

It is fun to have family here at the house right now. My cousin brought all of her family which consists of her husband, Paul, daughter, Gabby, and son, Thomas. Gabby is two and Thomas is one. Thomas is so very cute and funny. I like to teach him new things...like pound it...he will pound your fist if you put it out for him. I taught him that last month and he remembers. I love it. My Uncle Tom and Aunt Linda are also here. I love seeing all of my family.

Summer is going too fast. I will have to enjoy my last few weeks to the fullest, as all of you should! ;)

Playing Auntie and visiting friends!

Well, I have had a great week. Well, except for the losing of a softball game 12-0, that is!

Wednesday I headed to Madison, WI to play auntie for a few days for my niece and two nephews. I did this out of the kindness of my heart so my sister could go to Disney World without any kids and only her husband. It wasn't too much of a sacrifice because I believe she, of all people in the world, deserves a break. It also wasn't that hard of a job. We basically lounged around in the mornings and then Kristopher and I would take Elijah and Rebecca to camp for the rest of the afternoon. It was really nice to be able to spend one on one time with Kris. He and I went to Transformers the first night I was there. Then the four of us went to Harry Potter the next night. It was fun.

Rebecca and I headed back to Rhinelander because I had planned to have some friends come up for dinner and games. Kim, Jeanette, and Marla all came up to visit us in the Northwoods. It was a good time. We ate some great steak(I really love coming home and being fed well) and then played Ticket To Ride. (A fabulously fun game!)

Saturday, I traveled back down to Wausau and hung out with my friend Morgan, her husband and their little guy, Henry. We first visited the Mcbains from our home ward(which is a Mormon congragation for those of you who aren't familiar with Mormon vocabulary!). It was fun. Then we went to eat at The Mine Company(it is now my favorite place to go in Wausau for food!) and then went to ice cream at Briq's. Maybe all this great food is the reason I am not losing the weight I wanted to this summer! I guess it is worth it!

Today I went to church. I do have so say that it is an adventure going to the Rhinelander Ward, but I am getting used to it. Of course, I am getting used to it just in time to shortly go back to Utah. Oh well. They are good people and church is church, no matter where I go. That is a big draw to me about my church!

Well, not much else going on here. I have read two good books this summer. Night, and Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Very good books. I have also stared The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Very good as well. I like reading. Did you know that the motion of the eyes going back and forth across the page stimulates the memory part of your brain? This explains why people who read often retain information better(this is why my favorite librarian remembers EVERYTHING!).

Later,
A

Demo Derby Video

Well...I mastered the video aspect of the blog. I hope you enjoy this white trash event as much as I did. Demo Derbies are one of my favorite things! Peace!

Check out my Slide Show!

Well, I think I finally figured out my blog picture dilemmas thanks to watching my other friend's blogs. (Thanks Mel!) Here are some pictures this last weekend. I have decided that being an aunt can be exhausting work sometimes. But I sure do love those little buggers. There is Elijah sleeping on the floor of my room. He was there when I came home from the demolition derby on Saturday. I guess he had gotten into a bit of trouble that night and was a sad boy. Luckily, I can help him feel better sometimes. I think I freaked him out when I came home and turned the light on, but he goes back to sleep very fast. I liked hearing his little snores throughout the night!

The demolition derby was fabulous as always. I went with Kim, my friend from high school, and her family. Her little boy Ty is one of my favorite little people. He is just so cute and so happy all the time. We had some great food from the park and enjoyed the show. That orange car was my favorite because its back end literally became the back seat. The back wheels didn't even touch the ground anymore. It was very amusing.

Yesterday, was low key and today was more of that. I went biking and then finished season five of 24. You all should really get addicted like me, then we all can go to 24aholics together! :) Great ending as always!

I cleaned my room as well. I know you are thinking...wow, how can one person have so much fun in one day? I am kinda glad my life is boring. It makes me appreciate my other life in Provo more. And when I am in Provo I appreciate this life more! I like my life in general, I guess!

Tomorrow, I am off to play softball again and then Wednesday I am off to Madison to be on kid patrol while my sister goes to Disney World. I think she is definitely getting the better end of that deal!

Well, I hope all is well. I am going to try to figure out how to post videos on here too. So, come back sometime to see the minute and a half video I have of the derby. It is way cool!

Later,
A

Happy Birthday.....AMERICA!

Some of the pictures come from the 4th of July Celebration we had at the Koehne Farm in Little Suamico, WI last weekend. Actually, all the pictures come from there except the first one that is from the Rhinelander parade. That was a cool looking Fife band eh? Then my dad is lighting a firecracker on my grandparent's grave. Kinda a weird family tradition but my grandfather loved the 4th of July. He also loved to wake us all up at 5 in the morning by putting firecrackers off on the windows of our bedrooms. So, we honor his tradition each year by going and remembering him at the cemetery. It was a fun little trip because my nephew, Elijah, asked lots of questions about death and about our family. There are quite a few of my relatives buried in the Little Suamico Cemetery. Then there is a picture of my new friend Sal(as in Salisbury Steak). He is a calf on the farm, who enjoys to suck fingers. I forgot what it was like to have a calf suck on your fingers so I stuck basically my whole hand in his mouth. It was fun and disgusting all at the same time...Sal liked it though. The next pic is of a great full moon as pictured from a lawn chair as I enjoyed a great bonfire. Then the last two pictures are of my niece, Rebecca, and nephew, Elijah enjoying the farm animals. The first is of them feeding the calf and then Rebecca is enjoying a organic chicken. She really wanted to bring one home. I don't think any of those chickens would like city life in Madison!

It has been a very laid back kinda day. We all slept in and then went to the parade at 11am. After that, we came home and ate sandwiches for lunch. Then my sister, mom, niece and I went to Hodag Park for what was supposed to be a flea market. There were only three booths set up and it started to rain so we didn't miss much by leaving before we got drenched. Tonight, we plan on having a BBQ and then watching the fireworks. A low key kinda 4th is a good way to spend it, I think!

Do not go and see "License to Wed." It was done in very bad taste and was really stupid. I only went to see John Krasinski...and he is cute in it but pretty much I thought it was a waste of money...good thing I didn't pay for it...Thanks mom!

It is good to have my sister in town. We went for a walk on Monday and have done little errands together quite a bit. She is funny and I like her. Funny how you always like your siblings better when you are adults. We plan on going on a shopping trip on Friday.

Friday, Andi's family will come for the weekend so it will be a zoo at this house. I will escape for the night on Saturday to go to a demolition derby in Wausau with a bunch of friends. It is a tradition for us.

I feel like a slug lately because all I seem to do is watch tv, cruise the internet, and sleep. I really need to start getting more written in my novel and do a bit of planning for the upcoming school year. I wish I had more motivation. I am becoming a victim of summer lazy disease!

Well, I hope everybody has a fantastic 4th. Be careful with those fireworks and be safe!

Adios,
Alice