Christmas Eve

We woke this morning to some beautiful snow falling. I am really, really excited that it will be a white Christmas.

Heath was able to take part in some early morning shoveling.

Then, on top of all of that--the sun came out and we actually saw blue sky. This would be the first time since we arrived on Saturday.

Layne and her cousin Taylor were able to do a little outdoor activity. They did some sledding and then tried to ambush cousin Greg (who arrived from Arizona today--he is really cold). I think they lost--they had snow in their hoods.

As soon as Layne gets done with her movie, we will open a few gifts--then off to bed. Tomorrow will be busy, with lots of stops to make--but it will be wonderful to spend the time with family.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday--enjoy and relax!!

Tori

Friends and Family

So, we had our wonderful gathering at Smokey Row on Sunday afternoon. I will admit that I thought 4 hours was going to be a long time, but it went so fast. We had so many stop in to see us--it was wonderful. In the end, I am sure four hours was not enough. Below is a photo of some of our visitors.I did drop the ball a little and realized that I had personally forgotten to let some of the girls from my 12U team know about our little reunion. But, we got some numbers and made some calls--Gabi and Jillian were able to make it and that made Layne very happy. That team that I had for two seasons is very special to me--they were a wonderful group and accomplished so much together. They have really cool GOLD necklaces to show for it!!

(Side note: I got my hair cut again!!)

A new and updated photo of Nicki and Heath--thanks again Nicki, you did a wonderful job getting so many Fusion alum together.

Layne and her old teammates, together again. It took them about 1 minute to warm up and then they didn't stop talking!!

I am not sure who I turned the camera over to for this blurry photo--but you know who you are...... Some of the best Fusion coaching staff represented in this photo!!

We left Pella on Sunday night and headed for Newton and my sister's house. It was a balmy -100 degrees below zero (or it felt like it) outside and the snow was blowing sideways. Anyway, we picked up my nephew, Hayes, and then my mom and had a slumber party at my grandparent's house. Below is Hayes wearing my Uggs--on the wrong feet. He is quite a kid--maybe I will try to get some live footage to post, it will be worth it.

On Monday, we braved the mall and a few stores in Des Moines. Every year I tell myself to get the shopping done early and every year I forget. I really hate the crowds of holiday shopping!! We had Hayes with us--it has been some years since we did any shopping with a toddler and you really don't get to shop much. We did go inside every ice fishing tent they were selling at Scheels.

Last night Layne spent some time going through grandma's old jewelry and things. She came up with some interesting glasses for her and Pedro!! Pedro looks very smart in the photo.

Today (12/23), we had lunch in Pella with Krystal--another former Fusion player of ours. She was actually on the last Fusion team Heath coached. It was a great lunch with lots of laughing......

It seems there is another photo of Heath and Krystal in this same pose and we wanted to update that photo also.

So, it is only Tuesday evening and we have had the pleasure of seeing so many already. We are going back over to Pella this evening for dinner--mostly with the Fusion adult players. I promise to take more photos and TRY to get on here again tomorrow.

I know it has been a hectic few days for us--but I will never regret taking the time to spend with family and friends.

Tori

Smokey Row

We will be having a small reunion/gathering at Smokey Row in Pella on December 21. We wanted to try and see as many people as we could while we are back in Iowa and with the help of a wonderful friend/former Fusion player, Nicki Bogaard--we have this plan. We will be at Smokey Row in Pella from noon until 4ish. Please stop in at any time. You may also want to call first if the weather is bad. 719-494-6629 (my cell) or 719-433-3802 (Heath's Cell)

We hope to see you on Sunday.

Tori, Heath and Layne

Holiday Parties

Last Thursday was our USA Volleyball staff holiday party. It was a wonderful (cold) evening and we had a lot of fun. It is fun to dress up and go out for the evening. This photo by Bill Kauffman! :)

The photos below is me with several of the girls I work with--they are great!!

I am just throwing this one in--I caught Layne reading and Pedro snuggling up behind her. She has been reading the Twilight series and I hardly even see her in the evenings. She just started the 4th book and I am glad she will be done soon--I miss her.

Sunday we headed to Westcliffe to the annual girls cookie party at Theresa Pingel's mountain house. It is really beautiful there--so peaceful and quiet. We enjoyed some great food, decorated some awesome cookies and had a little gift exchange.

This is Adrienne (she works with Heath) and I had to get a photo of her gingerbread snowman. She claims he has on a hat, but I totally think it was a toupee.

Me and Babs!!

My other favorite cookie of the day--Barbara's gingerbread man and his expression, it's like he knows he will get eaten!!

We are getting ready for some winter weather tonight (12/8/08) and we are hoping for a snow day or a delay would be nice. No matter what happens tomorrow, it will be gone by Wednesday.

The Perfect Holiday Card Photo

So, we spent a few hours during our Thanksgiving break trying to get the perfect photos for our Christmas card. These are some of the rejects............... Enjoy!!

Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I loved having a few days off--it was amazing. I wanted to share a few photos (I actually didn't take one picture when everyone was over). These few photos will show the set table (thanks Layne) and some AFTER shots of the freshly painted main floor.


This is our TV/family room and the kitchen is located right behind. Very nice and open--I don't feel so left out when making meals and the other two are watching TV. (Heath is going to give me some crap for that comment--he actually does a good bit of cooking.) Can you find Pedro in the photo below??? :)

This is a good shot of the table set for Thanksgiving dinner and our trusty piano in the background.

This would be me during my Thanksgiving day meal preparation--yes I was pooped. So, the kitchen will be our next project and I can't wait. We plan to tile the floor, paint and get new counter tops and appliances (eventually).

Sorry that I didn't get more photos of the day. I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to do a little relaxing or shopping--whichever you prefer.

Tori

Leaves, paint and noodles

Yes, I know, it has been a few weeks and I apologize. It has been two weeks because of pictures two and three. We have also been very busy in general--the club season has begun and that means two practices a week. Work has also been busy for both Heath and I, so we are very THANKFUL for the next few days off. It is much needed.

I will begin with a cute photo of Heath and Layne--we did a little yard clean up and I like this photo of the two of them.

Then, of course, the reason for my two week disappearance. We decided to start painting the main level of our house. As you can see, in this stupid modern layout, we have some vaulted ceilings. They required a very tall ladder. All I can say is that it looks great and I am SOOO happy to be done. I am still tired!! I will get some before and after photos up soon.

Heath has finally gotten tired of our unwillingness to go on a hike everyday. Well, I guess he doesn't want to go everyday but it feels like it. Last Sunday he got up early and took Sully on a hike. There was a moment, according to Heath, that he thought Sully was a goner. They came up on a cliff and there were deer at the bottom and Sully just went over the edge. I am happy to say that Sully only had a small cut on his lip. He sure was tired when they got home.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and tonight we are doing some cooking. We are having about 4 others over tomorrow and have a lot to do. All I know is that I really appreciate my grandma and mom for all the dinners they prepared. I do enjoy all of it but it is exhausting. I plan to document the entire day for you. You can hardly tell, but I am showing off my noodles!!! They were delicious

I want to wish all of you a wonderful day and I hope you are all able to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. Don't forget to eat lots of Turkey.

I am so tired and I just hope most of this makes sense when I reread it tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

No More Expander

Last Friday was a very happy day for Layne. She was able to have her expander removed. If you go back to one of my first blogs, I have photos of the contraption they put in her mouth to move things around and make room. It really was a long year of crazy slurping sounds when she ate and hours after. We are all happier. And, once again she is so happy with me for posting these photos!!

Besides the removal of the expander, she got two more brakes on her eye teeth. They are hoping to pull them down a little faster. I hope it works--they have been sitting there for three years (the eye teeth).

A few other family updates. My grandpa was able to go home from the hospital last Friday. He is doing great and starting to walk without assistance. I have talked to him on the phone several times and he does sound great. Jessica (my sister) had this photo on facebook and I thought I would use it for this update. I think he looks great and like trouble--that is a good sign. Love you gramps!!


Jessica also had a few pictures that I just wanted to share. This is Hayes (my nephew) and his Halloween pumpkin. Too funny!!

Hayes celebrated his 3rd birthday last Sunday and he got this cool Jeep. I just hope he doesn't run it into the pond and Scotty has to go in after him--it would be cold!! Anyway, this is Hayes with his baby sister Camrin and it is just adorable.

I have no deep thoughts to end today's blog--just have a fabulous day. Oh, wait.... I did see this quote in a magazine last night and I really liked it--I will end with it. :)

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

Mermaids and Monsters

Like I mentioned in my last blog, we did make a trip to Iowa over the weekend. Not a pleasure trip for sure, it was very hard and emotional. I am happy to say that I talked to Gordon on the phone today and he sounds great. I have full confidence that he will make a full recovery--he is tough and stubborn. I am not going to go into the details, but you are more than welcome to email me to talk about it. tori.hoke@gmail.com or better yet (if you know Gordon) send him an email, my grandma would gladly print it and take it to him. jghayes@mchsi.com



So, when things like this happen we all probably go through the same emotions--why?, it's not fair!, I should do more!, why didn't I call more?, why don't I say more?, etc.... When someone dies we wish we had one more moment with them or when something like a stoke or serious illness happens we wish for this or that. Well, I urge you to take the time you have right now and use it. Don't wait for something to happen to make you realize what you need to do or what you should be doing already. Make the call, send the email, make the drive--we all have those people in our lives. Don't wait. The dirty laundry will be there when you get back, the messy house doesn't care how long it is messy........... Sometimes (or most of the time) we get so caught up in LIFE and all the things that we think we need to do--the non important things that mean absolutely nothing in the end. People mean the most to us and too often they are the things we neglect most.

I challenge you to do it--drop what you are doing and make that call you have been saying you would. You won't regret it, that is for sure, and it might even make the rest of your day better. I would love to hear how it goes.



The focus of the trip was grandpa, but we did get to see some family and that was nice. We also got to spend Beggar's Night with Hayes and Camrin. We also had a nice surprise and got to see Kim and Kendra Higginbotham and the kids--that was wonderful.



Below is me with my niece, Camrin the mermaid--look at those cheeks. She may end up beating Layne for the most chub?!!

Hayes was Sully from Monster's Inc--unfortunately is was unseasonably warm that night.

He looks like he might have just gotten caught doing something he shouldn't?!

Layne was invited to a Halloween party with some of her friends from Iowa. She had a plan to go as Glenda the good witch from The Wizard of Oz--in the end, she decided against it. I did have to take a photo because this may be the only time I get to see her in a pink dress.

Hayes was very entertaining at the hospital (although this particular shot wasn't all Hayes' doing)--he kept the mood light. He is also just as ornery as his grandpa Gordon and the name sure does fit.

We also had a wonderful visit with Dana, Erica, Jeff and Lori. Here, it seems, the girls are getting kinda silly. Dana kind of looks like her dad in this photo.


The drive is terribly brutal, not too much to look at across Nebraska or Kansas (we try to mix it up and go different ways). So, when we hit some windmill farms, it was exciting. Really, it is cool and it is actually exciting to see that we really might find great clean ways to produce energy. And they are huge!!

Remember your challenge and if you don't make a call, at least tell someone you love them or just give a hug!!

Tori :)