HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY!

This weekend was Dave's birthday, and I always like to take a moment to tell some kind of funny or romantic story about this man I am married to. Dave and I were talking, and he said, "Wow, I can't believe I am 33!" I told him that I thought 33 is the perfect age. You wouldn't want to be 22 again (who wants to repeat medical school?) and 44 seems way too old! 33 is a great place to be!
So, tonight I am going to confess something about my husband that is a major turn on for me. You would never guess. I am not going to talk about his dashing good looks, his witty sense of humor or his "rock hard legs"! (A doctor at work spoke those words to him last week. We had to laugh about it.)
Something that turns me on about David Orme is his: SPEED! Do you know that Dave is pretty much the fastest man on the planet?! Ok, maybe that is going too far, ("I'll tell you when you've gone too far..." name the movie) but have you seen Dave on a soccer field or basket ball court? When Dave and I were dating, this was a huge turn on to watch him bolt from one side of the field to the other in .002 seconds! He is an ANIMAL out there!

In fact, the first night Dave and I "hung out" with a group of friends we played capture the flag. I vividly remember getting the flag and running as fast as my little legs could carry me. No one was going to stop me. I was busting it as hard as I could when all of a sudden, in a flash from no where, Dave caught me. I couldn't even see who he was because of that amazing speed I am talking about! (I still remember what shirt Dave was wearing that night. It was his black "Wallflowers" shirt.) Hmm...do you think I liked him? It only took 6 months of staring at each other before he finally called me! Anyway, now, at 33, he may have lost a little speed, but he has still got it baby! I love having a fit husband whose passion for sports will never die!

Happy Birthday Honey!

33 is going to be a great year!

A dream fulfulled this weekend!

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my mom and sister coming to visit. There were many highlights of the time spent together. But, I must say, there was one event that topped it off for me. First of all, let it be known that I LOVE fairy tales. I love stories about beautiful princesses, strong and courageous princes, far away castles, witches, dragons, true love kisses, and happily ever afters! Can you guess what movie I saw this weekend?! I am being 100% honest when I say that Rapunzel was always, without a doubt, my FAVORITE fairytale for as long as I can remember. I had my own books and movies (Fairytale Theater) of Rapunzel and I would dream of being her. I would make up plays with the neighbors and let down my "rope hair" from our play house for my prince to climb up. I have been waiting for Disney to make this movie for 25 years!!! This weekend my child hood dream was fulfilled! And....I loved every second of it! Seriously. "Tangled" was fun, magical, great songs, humor, awesome characters, and on and on. Maddie and I sat with a smile glued to our faces the entire movie. So, this post is dedicated to how great it is to be a little girl and dream anything our heart may desire!

These pictures were taken a while back when Maddie told me that she wanted to have a "dance party" for just girls. They were so cute all dancing around the stage. I couldn't resist joining in for a few numbers. Maddie sure has some cute friends!

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

There are always a million things I would like to blog about, but who has the time, honestly?! I feel grateful for so many things in my life. I could make a giant list, but I am just going to say a few things that come to mind.
1. I am grateful for YOU for being my friend, checking out my blog from time to time, keeping up with me even when we do not see each other often. Thank you, who ever you are for the memories and good times we have had together. I value my friendships so much! YOU are a very special person in my life.
2. I feel so grateful for my health, and for the health of my family. There is not one day that goes by that I don't thank God for my health and body. It is such a blessing that Tyler has not had any health issues. We do not realize how fortunate we are. If I could choose between being poor and healthy, or rich and unhealthy, I know what I would pick.
3. I am grateful for this beautiful world. I love the changing seasons. I love the excitement of snow on its way. I love to stop and admire all the many wonders all around me. Thank you God for giving me such great joy to live in a beautiful world.
4. I am grateful for my core beliefs. This goes beyond what I have been taught at church or by my parents. I hold these beliefs and truths as the most sacred knowledge I will ever possess. My beliefs influence every decision I make from day to day. These truths bring me more light and joy and gratitude than anything else. I have hope for my life and the life of my children because of these core beliefs. They will never change.
5. I am grateful for all my family. I am talking about my ancestors who lived before. I learn about them and know that I have their courageous blood running through my veins. I love these people whom I shall meet one day. I am excited for that reunion. I admire my heritage greatly. Family is the most important thing for me. I love the Orme family, the Graham family, the Fowler family, the Poulsen family, the Nebeker family, and very most of all I love these 4 people in the pictures below. They are my life and my greatest joy.

Let us all remember that Thanksgiving is a day of Thanksgiving! (Not merely a "Turkey Day"!)

Handsome boys don't you think?

Tyler is doing his "sad" face. He does this all the time when he just wants a hug. He puts his hands up to his face, comes towards you with a little moan, and just wants to be squeezed tight. It's precious!

Maddie is such a beauty! She is happy nearly 100% of the time. We love her to pieces!

Kristine the comedian!

Ha, ha, ha. Not at all. When ever I have attempted to tell a "really funny" joke, I either do one of two things: 1) Forget a key part of the joke and mess the whole thing up, or 2) Start laughing so hard at my own joke that I can't get through it and I obviously think it is funnier than the person listening. So about a year ago my husband said, "Kristine, I think you are good at a lot of things and could do just about anything you want in life, however, you would be the worst comedian in the entire world!" I totally started laughing in agreement. So true.
Last weekend I came to another realization of another profession I would not dare attempt. I was in my first Indianapolis Symphonic Choir concert last week and I am completely in awe of our conductor, Eric Stark. Now, to someone like Dave (I am not trying to bad mouth my husband, I am just showing the opinion of a non music person), he thinks a conductors job looks like a piece of cake. You just wave your hands around and that's it. (his words) I look at what a chorus master/artistic director does and can not possibly understand how he can remember every little detail of the music for each voice part. Leading 160 singers is not an easy task. Especially when you are singing 90 minutes of Rachmaninoff in Russian. We performed Rachmaninoff's "Vespers" also called, " All Night Vigil." It is glorious music that is considered the pinnacle of Rachmaninoff's sacred choral works. It was a joy and an honor to sing, although even after a week without singing, my voice still has not recovered. That shows how "out of shape" my voice is.
The thing that has blown me away the most about our conductor is I keep waiting for him to blow up and lose it at someone in the choir, and he doesn't! In fact a woman who has been in the choir for 10 years says she has never seen him be rude, offensive or lose his cool at anyone in the 10 years she has been singing for him. That astounds me!!! I thought it was a given for every conductor to lose it when the tension gets high. I have vivid memories with just about every music teacher I have ever had losing their cool and yelling at the singers when the pressure is on. I don't want to name any names, but I had professors fall to the floor and kick their legs in the air, shoes were thrown, vulgar language was used to threaten, hair was ripped out, and faces turned so purple I thought steam would shoot out the ears. That is just how a great number of music people are....it's scary! Sometimes when I sing and I mess up the counting, I see Dr. _____ from the U of U with his face an inch from mine screaming the words, "COUNT! Can't you COUNT!!!"
With all that said, I feel privileged to be singing for such a talented, respectful and kind man who truly loves what he is doing. It is fun to be in a whole new group of singers. It feels good to be doing some real singing. By real singing, I mean, I love to be able to use my soprano voice in the way it has been trained. I can sing as high and as loud as I want. (I can't really do that at church...)
Our next performance is the "Festival of Carols" on December 4th and 5th. I love Christmas music! The following weekend, the Orme fam will be driving to Utah. We can't wait!
Below are a few pictures from last month at a pumpkin farm we went to. I guess the animals were the highlight for our kids.

HALLOWEEN FUN!!!

Bird watching with Geoff and Lynnette

Thank you Geoff and Lynnette for visiting us last week. The kids had such a great time. They are overlooking Eagle Creek reservoir.

This is just moments before Tyler ripped a page out of the bird book. He always looks so innocent, even when guilty!
Grandma Netty and Maddie really hit it off on this trip. Maddie loves all the extra attention from visitors!
Thanks Geoff for trekking all the way out here.
With Halloween almost over, we are on the count down for Thanksgiving with my mom and Kate. It will be my first Thanksgiving dinner at my home. Bring on the mashed potatoes Kate!
And yes, we will be coming to Utah for Christmas! It looks like we will once again drive across the country with the whole family (minus Tucker). Dave has to be back to work by New Year's.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from the Orme's!

P.S. If you want to see how the Down Syndrome walk went for Tyler last weekend, click on my sister-in-laws blog and scroll down to the October 25th post. SO CUTE!

http://jessiejamesandtheoutlaws.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This weekend I went on a whirlwind trip to Utah to join in the celebration of my grandma's 80th birthday! Some of her nicknames include, "Colleen the Queen," "Coke," "Grandma Boo," and "The witch on Connor street." I love my grandma. It was a wonderful weekend! We started the festivities at the pancake house on Friday morning. I don't know what was up with Kate and I, but for some reason we were laughing at anything and everything.

(I have this really obnoxious side that only gets unleashed around my family.)
My grandma married Garn in the last couple years after her husband LaVere died. They are very sweet and happy together as you can see. What would we all do without Dan and Cort? They seem to be the glue in our family at times.
I love hearing as much as I can about everything Dan is doing with Bluehouse. It won't be long before I am on a pair. Ski season can't come quick enough.
Kate and Grandma Ann.
It is so special to spend time with grandparents!

Lindsey, Grandma June, Grandma Graham and I also had a lovely breakfast on Saturday morning. We need to do that more often!

I spent the most time with my mom this weekend and I loved every minute of it!!! Thanks mom for being so wonderful and insisting that I not be left out of the family party!

My mom and her brother Stuart pulled off a great party for my grandma at the Lion House. Stuart was the spokesman for the evening and got everyone involved in sharing fun stories and memories of grandma.

The picture was scaring me the whole night! Then, I found out at the end that it is a picture of Brigham Young as a child. I still think it is an angry little girl. Ha,ha!

Ginny is the daughter of LaVere. We love spending the holidays with their family!

Stuart, Alice, Tommy and his new finance. (I obviously can't remember her name, although these two were like magnets the whole night. It was physically impossible for them to not be touching, or rather, stuck together, at all times!) I love it!

Grandma and I.

I love being the oldest of the grand kids. I got a lot of special perks with grandma as a kid.

She looks pretty amazing for 80 don't you think?

Here was the first musical number of the night. They were great!

Dang it, I forgot to get a picture of Dan playing his guitar while Kate and I sang.

It was pretty awesome if I don't say so.....

Grandma and Garn had a great time.

We all took turns reading from the book we made her. Lot's of fun memories!

There were even tears being shed. (See Kate, I have this picture to prove it!)

Four lovely ladies.

(I couldn't pull Cort away from her conversation to join us for the picture.)

And the loveliest of all...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!!!

My tribute to Boo~

Sometimes I wonder where my deep rooted love for Halloween originates. Hmmm....I think I know where. From my earliest memories of Halloween, I remember my grandma coming over to our house with her big bag of make up and accessories. I sat there patiently as she worked her magic. Before long, I felt like I had been transformed into a real gypsy, or Jeanie, or french maid, or punk rocker, or best of all, my favorite costume, a witch.

I loved and still do love dressing up, and I believe a large part of this is because of grandma's special influence. Putting make up on a 10 year old girl may not seem like a big deal, but to me at that time, it meant everything. I think grandma and I have a common bond when it comes to theatrical expression, drama and fantasy. That is where our creative side comes to life. Thank you grandma for your magic touch, your fashion expertise, and your ability to make a young girl feel stunning!

Grandma has always made Halloween and the other holidays a memorable event. Whether it be carving pumpkins on the grass in her back yard, or searching for Easter eggs in her "forest", or dancing in front of the fire in our new pajamas on Christmas Eve; each memory is treasured. I know when I spent all those early years with grandma, I felt that she was irreplaceable. I wanted to be just like her in every way. When I think back to those days, I see her big smile with bright red lipstick. I feel her strong embrace and kisses. I hear her joyous laughter and silly expressions, such as, "I'll love you and leave you." I even smell the fresh and fragrant flowers in her back yard and the mouth watering aroma of her Sunday dinners.

Grandma, I could go on and on. I think everyone in the world should have a grandma just like you. There is no doubt the world would be a better place. Grandma, I believe you truly are a "Queen". Always know how much I love you.
Love, Kristine

David's tribute~

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Grandma has to be her amazing generosity. From the first time we met, she was always opening up her house to me. Up on old Connor street, Kristine and I invaded her living room to watch romantic movies and Grandma just rolled out the red carpet. So often in young love you worry about how you’re received with the new family, and with Grandma Boo, she received me with open arms from the beginning. Kristine and I spent so much time up at that house, walking in the backyard, eating in that incredible dining room, playing dress up in the basement—yes 18year olds can play dress up. No one in Kristine’s family made me feel so welcome than Grandma Boo. Not to mention all the incredible food she’d provide.
That leads me to another engaging memory about Grandma, her wonderful parties and gatherings. Christmas at Grandma’s was always a birthplace for memories. She would cook anything and everything that could be associated with Christmas--placemats were so fun and festive, delightful glasses, desserts galore, my family still watches the video footage we have of our times at Grandma’s house. And of course, the caroling she would always have to push and prod us to do, only to have it turn out to be the biggest memory of the night.
Intertwined with all of those memories, is found her fun and alluring character. She always has fun and festive outfits, trinkets and decorations around the house, and of course, always a big smile. Grandma seems to be happy whenever I see her. Plus, she is always so thoughtful about my children, and loves to just watch them run around.
Another obvious memory I have about Grandma, is St. George, Utah. I guess just the whole city makes me think about Grandma. All growing up St. George was like this mystical trip my family would go to once in awhile. Then, once I became a part of Kristine’s family, we would be in St. George all the time. We spent so much time in the house with Grandma. We would find any excuse to make it down there, and she always made it available to us. She took us to movies down there, showed us the good restaurants, I remember her teaching me a short cut around the bluff. She may not remember, but she even helped out when my car broke down while we were driving through. It has always been such a happy and fun place for Kristine and me, and Grandma Boo’s presence is always felt down there.
Thank you Grandma for all of the amazing memories, and for being the incredible, loving, thoughtful and generous Grandma that you are. I hope you have an equally incredible Birthday and I’m sorry my family can’t be there to share it with you.
Love,
David