Cards

Okay just a quick FYI.. You may or may not receive a card from me this year. One of my goals was not to stress out this year and I am doing a great job so far. my parents are coming out today for 2 weeks i cannot wait. i have allot planned with parties and Christmas ships and what not but already plan to do what we really want to do and not feel obligated. my shopping is all done thanks to Dax.. Thanks honey. sometimes his traveling comes in handy. we have our tree, it's almost decorated. the house is clean and decorated, i got the outside lights up, i ran 30 miles this week, i got cookies made for an exchanged, i planned a beach weekend. i have to say life is pretty good.. but as for cards you'll just have to wait and see.. if they don't make it out you can always check on me here.. hee hee. i almost feel like i don't have to do a holiday letter.. but a nice picture card would be cool... well off to Jake's game and then to the airport.. YEAH!!!! oh and i have to tell you about Tanner's Myth Busters adventure he had Friday.. waiting on pictures from my friend, then i can tell you all about it. remember i have about 4 blogs back i did in one day.. it was a fun thanksgiving week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

YES, WE STAYED IN OUR PJ'S ALL DAY!!!

To me hehehe. the Big 39.. Last Sat. we went to the melting pot for dinner. We figured maybe we should do my birthday 1st(before the holiday craziness) because typically i am pretty sick of eating and food by the time the 30th rolls around. My birthday was just the way i wanted it. Got up, went for a 10 mile run up in the hills with Dee Anna and Lisa. came home took a bath.

You know I have the most amazing boys in this house. the boys had decorated the house while i was gone and made me my favorite breakfast of chorizo and eggs. They both made me homemade cards and a homemade neckless from Tanner. I got a good book some fun money. AND my Garmen GPS arm band that will tell me everything from how fast i am running, and how far my pace at all times throughout my run, my milage my calories. a final run down on my run and sets me up to make goals for myself etc etc. you name it it does it. even tell me where to go if i get lost... It will do the same for when i am biking too I LOVE IT. I am pretty stoked.
spent the rest of the day playing mexican trains and watching movies. it was a great day exactly the way i wanted to spend it..

ZOO Lights

Cocoa fix..
After getting the tree home and in the stand we ate some chicken pot pie and then ventured out to the zoo for the zoo lights. we go every year again we try to make it Friday after thanksgiving. Every year it's the same but always so much fun. This year they had a few new lights.

Pigs flying my favorite
Lights are my favorite this time of the year.(I'll probably post a zoo trip 2-3 times this year. (just like those pumpkin patches) I would love to go all out at my home and have at our old house but when we moved into the house we are in now, it sits extremely high. higher then you would think, making it very difficult to get up there. we thought of paying some one not even sure if someone would do it but i have a hard time justifying it. we did ask these landscapers who also do gutters and they said NO! so sadly we do the bare minimal at the Boyle house. few icicles and over the doorway. our next house we'll keep that in mind.. hehe.

Getting our Tree

Instead of Black Friday Our Post Thanksgiving Tradition is that we get our tree if not Friday sometime during the weekend. Because Dax has another trip planned we wanted to be sure we went.
We always have to get the biggest tree, we go to the same farm we have went to since moving here. we always spend a good 1 1.5 hour looking for the biggest and fattest Doug Fir. (no nobles here)

this was my fave even with the bunny ears. The one we got we were sure was the biggest one yet in the 15 years we have cut our xmas tree, when we got it home it looked as big as last years, sure smells good. i do the lights and the boys deco. i still do gold ribbon and beads even though the past few years i have been tempted to go the blue silver route with the tree and the rest of the house. maybe gold will be back in style next year. tee hee

Random Pictures

Thanks giving Day

Tanner's 13th Birthday Can't beat Mint Ice cream Cake and Guitar hero

Couple of our Rocket adventure
It really did work but only once:(
Sniper

Tanner sparring (he's in the Red)
Breaking a board

Doing his Form. ( he tests for his blue belt/black stripe December 19th)

Leftovers

I made my two favorite things with Turkey leftovers.. Homemade pot pie. and Today Chicken wild rice soup.. YUM! waiting for pictures to upload so thought I'd share a tid bit with you. Not sure if i have enough to make my dumplings may have to wait until my folks come out and we make another turkey. I thought i may make beef Shepard's pie since i have a ton of potatoes left..

HAPPY THANKGIVING ALL

Wow, allot has happened in the last week, Dax is off shopping right now so I thought I needed to get caught up on the blogging. This is the time of the year I start falling behind again. I hope to post some pictures as well. Last Sa. we had our typical basketball game schedule for Jake and at the same time Tanner had a Tae Kwon Do Tournament. I took on Jake's game and Dax went to Tanner's Tournament. I got to the competition just in time for Tanner's sparring. he took first. he took second in forms and board breaking. Then Sat night we went to dinner with some friends for my early birthday(It's this Sunday) We went to Melting Pot. That was the start of my bad eating for the week let me tell you. I really do not remember eating so much in one sitting. My goal for the week was to put in extra running miles to make up for all the food I plan to eat. Dax is usually either working from home or off Thanksgiving week so all we do is eat eat eat. We took advantage of the gorgeous weather Sunday and went to the field to play with the dog and finally let Jake play with his rocket, I actually got it on video and it was funny you can hear me shrieking when it actually took off. we ran into a couple obstacles while setting up and i didn't think it was going to work. This week was such a short week while Dax worked i got things done here. got the xmas stuff out to get ready to decorate did some baking. Tanner turned 13 on Tuesday so we went to his favorite place to eat and had a small birthday for him here. he is going to have a friend b-day next week after the holiday. he was happy to get the new guitar hero for the Wii and already finished the game. he got money a pretty cool book from his Grandma and more money and Lego's. We had his favorite ice cream cake so for my officially teenager he seemed pretty happy. I just found out that the school had gotten a grant and he is excited about some new after school activities that isn't just sports. i am too i never want my kids to rely just on sports to get them places.. grades and other interests are good too so i am pretty happy. he wants to do the finance class in Jan. and his friend is starting a juggling club. i would still love to See a debate club going as well. Wed. was a baking day and seeing my friends new preemie baby who just got home in time for the holiday. we choose to stay at home and just have us for Thursday, with Dax being on call we thought it would be the easiest plus with him being gone so long i wanted to just be us four. I make the pies and Carmel rolls the night before. i start Thursday am with a traditional track run. this year we did one hour of 200/100 meter sprints. (Friday my obliques we so sore) it gets me motivate to cook stress free so it was worth the pain. we always play games on thank giving watch football wear our jerseys the whole thing. Dax loves working on a puzzle as i cook. i made everything homemade as usual and still went all out. i did do a 12 pound bird this year and it still turned out great. i have yet to get a dry bird but i am sure my day will come LOL. I ate so much this week already that i swear my stomach was out a foot..The boys all did the dishes and we enjoyed the rest of the night watching movies.
So Friday comes and i am a ANTI Black FRIDAY PERSON, i have never gone and wont. i feel it takes away from the whole meaning of the holidays. we are into the whole Christmas thing but the gift part we are not. we do do gifts but typically we buy when we need it during the year so we make it for the kids mostly and every year we shop for other families that are less fortunate. we've been blessed through the years and especially this year we see were even more blessed. i know allot of it was from hard work and planning but i also know bad things happen to good people and our goal this year is to focus on the less fortunate. anyway reading the news online about the walmart worker that was stampede just ticked me off. people basically murdered a man to save a few bucks. it just confirms my feelings on black Friday.

Okay off my soap box i'll stop. you know i cannot help myself. but i do think people really forget what xmas is about.

plus sales are going to be crazy all month with the economic crises. now it didn't stop us from shopping a little after 11am. we got some hard drive stuff for the computer. there is no way i am getting up early unless it for a early run LOL!!! So it's Sat. now i think i am caught up. it's my last day as a 38 year old. i may not look it but i feel 29. it's been a good year, allot of growing and learning and i feel we are closer as ever as a family. I feel i am more fit then when i was in my top form many many years ago. i feel i have a good balance in my life. i look forward to my final year as a 30 something. i only see good things for myself as well as my family...
today i get to get my tree. we still cut a fresh one every year. we got all the fall stuff put a way and the Xmas stuff out. it takes a week for me to decorate. tonight it's our traditional zoo lights we are taking our friends with us being they have never been should be a fun day/night. well that's my weekly update hop fully post some photos soon..HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT THANKSGIVING with the ones they love. we all have allot to be thankful for,