Island Park, ID Weekend Getaway

This past weekend our family went to Jeff & Tami Harris's cabin with their family & with Blair & Jenny Howe & kids. It was a great time! We all rented snowmobiles & boy, were they worth it!! The kids thought they were the greatest inventions ever! Drew, Colby, & Jody all got to drive them by themselves. Even Sadie thought they were so much fun. She was quite the adrenaline junkie- screaming for her daddy to "go faster, go faster"! The kids all enjoyed sledding & playing in the tons & tons of snow that was up there. The men all took a couple hours to themselves & went on a "big boy" ride. Cam hadn't snowmobiled for such a long time. He used to go all the time & loves to do so. You could tell he's really missed it! Needless to say, with my broken leg I was pretty limited in what I could do. Basically, my weekend was spent watching the kids play out the window- wishing I could join in the fun! However, I really enjoyed snuggling with Tami's cute new baby boy, Cole. He's the cutest little guy & I loved kissing on him!! It was great to chat with our friends & spend time just hanging out. OH- I can't forget to mention how much fun my whole family had playing with their WII. They played baseball, boxing, pool, tennis, golf, & whatever else there was available! They couldn't get enough of it! It was cute to watch! The boys (men & young ones!) were the worst. Smack-talking competitors are what they are!! All in all- it was a fun weekend & we really enjoyed the family time shared with our friends!

One Lucky "Unlucky" Girl!

Sorry if the title is a bit confusing! Let me attempt to explain. This past Wed., I was playing indoor soccer with the ladies. I went for a 50/50 ball at the same time as another girl. We kicked the ball (hard!) at the same time. I'm not sure exactly what happened- but just knew that it was an explosion of pain. Wow it hurt! So, after some tears and a few choice words (Potty Mouth I am), the goal keeper literally scooped me up & effortlessly carried me off the field. I felt bad that I didn't even know her name! Sweet Amber helped me home, where my ankle continued to swell & throb with pain. She took me up to the doctor & patiently waited with me & both of our restless toddlers. Bad news- it was broken! Options of surgery for a quicker recovery & sure stability or 8-10 weeks with a cast didn't sound too appealing! Meanwhile- my sweet husband was in Sacramento for an auction. He caught an earlier flight home to take care of my sorry butt. Many of you know that the Winquist family is somewhat notorious for breaks & bruises. Cam just his 2nd ACL surgery in Nov. (right leg this time!) & Drew broke his scapula (wrist) while snowboarding the day after Christmas. The previous year included Cam breaking his ankle (also playing indoor soccer) & Drew breaking his collarbone. (We really should check into a "repeat customer discount" at the hospital!) Thankfully, I've got some of the best friends in the world!! They brought me flowers, helped me get my meds, made my family dinner, & ran my kids around to their many activities!! They just jumped in & helped without any hesitation!! What would I do without them? That's where the "UNLUCKY" part comes in!! My poor husband didn't quite get the romantic Valentine's night he & I were both hoping for! He did a scavenger hunt with his buddies while I & their wives waited at Corbin's Grille. That night was quite unlucky also! A minor "mix-up" with the clues & gifts was nothing compared to the EXTREMELY long wait at dinner. (3 hrs. is just ridiculous when you have reservations!) It's a good thing Cam & I have true love to carry us through those little unexpected bumps! I'm truly LUCKY to have the terrific husband that I do! He's been so great this weekend. My dad's mother passed away & it was her funeral on Sat. Cam was so patient & helpful during the whole thing. It was great to see all my dad's family & to have my kids witness all the traditions of a Tongan funeral & burial! Cam really earned some serious points today! I was really sore from being up for sooo long yesterday & moving all over the place. So he babied me today! He's been there at my side getting me stuff before I could even ask for it! He made the best pot roast w/potatoes & carrots & yummy rolls. Dinner in bed from the gorgeous man who then cleans it all up just reminds me of how much I am still in love with him! After all these years, he still makes my toes tingle & brings a smile to my face!! HOW LUCKY CAN I GET?? Oh yeah- I almost forgot- he got me tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert for Valentine's! We're going with Jeff & Tami Harris. I'm so excited to go!! Anyways- sorry, this post has gone on forever!! Can you all tell I'm incredibly bored sitting in this bed?! Elevation + ice + rest= Boredom! This "unlucky" girl thanks all of you great friends & family for making me one of the "luckiest" girls I know!!

Pretty sad...

I think it probably speaks volumes that my 9 yr. old has her own blog & yet I've managed thus far to avoid creating one of my own! It's due to the fact that the whole concept of the blogging world intimidates me! I really do enjoy reading all my friend's blogs so I thought that I'd quit avoiding this "scary" task! (Jody is currently supervising my progress!) Where do people even start when beginning one of these?? Maybe I'll give you a quick summary of the past year or so & then I'll attempt to update as we go!! Cam has put his ADD to good use the past few years by deciding to try a little of this & a little of that! He does cars still & has really done well in the real estate world in the recent past! He loves coaching the boys soccer team at Bountiful High. They're incredibly entertaining to spend time with! I would love to say I'm a "stay-at-home" mom but I just don't know if that description quite fits! I haven't "stayed" in one place for too long ever since giving birth to my 1st child! It's more like constant, frantic movement!! Running children to & from football, soccer, basketball, scouts, YM, dance, gymnastics, achievement days, play dates, and anywhere else their little hearts desire monopolizes my time! I do enjoy it though! I find that I feel OLDER now that I'm in my 30's! I spent the day of my 30th birthday running my 3rd marathon. (Somehow I must've thought that running 26.2 miles would take me further away from old age!) I try to tell myself that the best is yet to come & I believe it is! I miss my kids being babies & snuggling with me all day- but the relationships I have with my teenagers are surprisingly terrific!! To have mature conversations & see how they are maturing & discovering themselves is so great! To be honest though- I'm not so fond of them being as tall as I am! We've spent the past year going camping to Bear Lake, Downata & Lava Hot Springs, going to soccer tournaments in Vegas & Denver, visiting my dad in Hawaii (my kids loved the ocean & beg to move there!), & spending time with family & friends in Deer Valley, Park City, St. George, Lake Powell, & cruising the Caribbean! Any given day in the summer you could find our family at Cherry Hills soaking up the sun. (Do you notice the reoccuring "sun", "beach", & "warm weather" theme? Makes you wonder why we choose to live in Utah, doesn't it?!) Our lives have been non-stop & show no signs of slowing down anytime soon! I'll leave you all with that for now (although I probably lost you many, many sentences ago!)