Oh, I love music! I love how I can hear a song & it takes me to a certain time, to a place, to memories of great friends & great times!! I'd say I like most music, but definitely have my favorites! I love what we used to call heavy metal, better known as 80's metal. I also really love some newer music, not sure what the genre is, but I'd say heavy rock. Some of my all time favorite bands: KISS, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, & Cinderella. Some of my newer favorites: Nickelback, Default, Disturbed, Submersed & Theory of a Deadman. Live music- Concerts is one of D.J. & my favorite things to do. To see the band and hear it live- the guitars, drums, lyrics-Love it!! Hearing a certain song can take me back in time. To hear some Guns N Roses or Skid Row takes me back to high school. Hearing "Live Wire" by Motley Crue takes me to Lake Powell & dancing. Quite a few songs take me to Denver at '92s- we played the jukebox all the time & had our favorites we'd play over & over- one of my favorites: Bon Jovi's "Older"- I'm not old, just older. (above picture is of me & D.J. at a Bon Jovi concert last November where we had front row center tickets- can't get any better than that! My how our life has changed!)
In 2001 we moved from Grand Jct, Colorado over to Denver & lived in Denver for 3 years. I'd like to say "Thanks" 
to the girlfriends I was lucky enough to meet in Denver. (Traci, one of my best friends from high school also lived in Denver) You guys are awesome. We had some great dinners at "OTB" & then over to '92s for a couple of beverages & listening to the jukebox! I just hear a certain song & it takes me back!! Oh, we had some good times!! I can't think about you guys without smiling. Thanks so much for keeping me company while D.J. went back to school. I should also give a shout out to "'92's" & Sandy for always keeping the nights fun. 
It was also in Denver where I started at Archiver's- The Photo Memory Store (Scrapbooking), where I met Noelle, who started as my boss & became a great friend. I appreciate everything Noelle- you are a great mentor to me & a great friend. We love & miss you guys! (Top left: Cindy Lou Hoo, Lora, Traci, T, me & Katie. Right: Sandy & D.J.- Sandy is a bartender @ 92s & she just loves D.J.! Bottom left: Noelle & me)
One month after D.J. & I were married we moved to Grand Junction, Colorado and we lived there for 3 years. During those 3 years we had some of the funnest (I know that isn't a word, but it just fits) times ever! I'd like to thank the awesome people we met while living in Colorado, I love that we still keep in touch & I hope we do forever. Some of my fondest memories come from our trips to Lake Powell-- It's just BEAUTIFUL there, waking up in the mornings on a houseboat with the water just like glass- Thanks Julie & B!! I'd really love someday if we could all take a trip there & stay on a houseboat for a week. We also loved taking motorcycle rides up thru the mountains with Brook & Shonna... it's always more fun to go on a ride with other people & I love trying to look tough with Shonna!
I have to say I feel that I have been blessed with the best girlfriends throughout my life. I have been very lucky to meet some great people through the years. But, some of my best friends have honestly been my best friends forever--from grade school. Yes, grade school and I mean kindergarten! I think that is a rare treat & I'm very grateful for their friendship. I have always said it was one of the best things about living in a small town & going to a small school. 
You meet 
Yeah, we're moving up..... we tried some baby rice cereal for the first time today & I have to say I think everything went great! Here is everyone ready to go with bibs on! We don't have high chairs yet, so we put them in their car seats & sat them on the table. 
Austen did a great job- just exactly what we expected. He's been looking like he's ready for more than just his bottle. Here, he's giggling more than eating! 
Caitlen, was the surprise of the morning, she did a great job! Caitlen has quite a long tongue & likes to play with her tongue, so we weren't sure if she'd get anything down to her tummy, but she did great!! Probably got the most cereal actually eaten. She's ready for another bite. 
Brooklen, was a riot, she made the sour face with each bite. Looks like we are playing more than eating, but that's what makes it fun!
Then later in the afternoon D.J. took some pictures of the kids playing. In the picture above you can almost hear Austen giggling. The picture to the left: look how great they are doing pushing themselves up, soon they'll be on the move, crawling all over! We'll really be in trouble when they figure out they have us out numbered!
Coke collection. It started with just a few items around my bedroom, then when I got my own home... first it was in Cedar Rapids where we decorated a dining room (not a formal dining room, of course). Boy, was that fun to just decorate a whole room with my Coke stuff! Then when we were in Grand Jct, Colorado I decorated my kitchen, it was also in my kitchen in our rental home in Denver. When we bought a house in Denver we moved all the Coke stuff up to the spare bedroom. Here in West Des Moines it remained in the spare bedroom until just a couple of weeks ago.... now it is all in boxes! Yes, it's all in boxes, the "Coke" bedroom will become the "girls" room. My Coke collection will have to remain packed up until we can refinish the basement and then I can redecorate the basement with Coke! Coke Lore: Most people can agree on what Santa Clause looks like--- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola advertising actually helped shape this modern day image of Santa.
I love the smell of Johnson's Baby Lotion. I have always liked the smell, but now I just love it! I love how my babies smell after a bath! I'm sure it's a scent that from now on will remind me of when my babies were babies, so I'm trying to enjoy every minute! I usually dislike most of bath night- it's kind of difficult with 3 babies- I usually undress the 1st baby, hand the 1st naked baby to D.J. who washes him up, in the meantime I undress the 2nd baby & entertain the 3rd, then I get the 1st baby, dry him off, hand the 2nd naked baby to D.J., undress the 3rd baby & lotion up & dress the 1st baby. Then get the 2nd baby from the bath, hand D.J. the 3rd naked baby, dry, lotion & dress the 2nd, then get the 3rd baby, dry, lotion her up & dress her! 
Well, last night instead of dressing them right away we let them lay around naked- oh, they were so cute I had to get a couple of pictures, but of course by the time I got the camera Brooklen was ready to be dressed & eat.
