A Look Back....2006 Moments.....Part 1

John and Audra....fixin to leave on a date.

Easter 2006. It was a community-wide, morning service....and the temps were a bit cold, but it was wonderful..... Celebrating the resurrection of Christ as the sun climbed up and over the horizon.

Cassi's, Junior year in track.... She and the team did wonderful, qualifying for the State Meet in a relay race.

The highlight, trip of the year was a week-long excursion to the Grand Canyon. It was awesome. Pictures just can't show the awesomeness of the views, but here is a pic of me and the kiddos.

A Look Back....2006 Moments.....Part 2

2006 was about finishing our basement.
Adding another 1,000 square feet to the house. We are about a month away from finishing.... It was a family project and we have done it all. It will include a family room, the boy's bedroom and bath and my office.

Tyler Dalton (#48)....as the Middle Linebacker.... He was an outstanding leader, pushing his 8th grade team to a winning season.

Cassi (#2) had an awesome Senior year. This is a wonderful pic of her pounding the ball through two defenders from the #8 Team in the nation. Notice....the girl has jump!!!! Those two girls are 6'2" and 6'3" and she hit right between them.

Unfortunately, 2006 was the year for Velma's homecoming.... This is a pic of those of us who could break away for her funeral.

The shooting range was a big part of 2006. Everyone, Cassi, Katie, Bryce, Tyler and Audra....shot and learned the ways of the marksman.

A Look Back....2006 Moments.....Part 3

This will be the first of three posts, showing pics of 2006 and descriptions of the photos. It was an awesome year. Great family activites....abounded!!!!

In the month of October, the boys and I hunted hard for Elk. The first weekend of the hunt, I solo-backpacked up in the mountains, south of Gunnison. I saw a massive Mule Deer Buck, but it didn't do me a bit of good...holding a Bull Elk license. The next weekend, the boys and I hunted two hard days, but came up short. Regardless, it was awesome dad/son time.



Bryce had a great season. As a sophomore, he eventually earned a starting postion on the Varsity team.


Audra and I had a great week in Hawaii. It was a time of relaxation and rest, as well as a wonderful time to tour Oahu and Pearl Harbour. 5 days of wonderful, beachside fun.



The snows in 2006 have been the best yet. We have over 5 feet in total accumulations and the count is continuing.... 60+ inches by the end of December is amazing and we are enjoying the fun. Here is Cassi...as she explores the snow tunnels that her brothers sculpted.

This is a pic of all of us eating lunch at Breckenridge after a good, hard morning of skiing. We have had 9 days on the slopes to date and plan to hit our 30 day goal before the end of April.

Cassi's New Ride

What does a guy do when he is totally tired of being cooped up in the house because of a driving snow storm.....well heck, he goes car shopping. Unless he can get up to the slopes....and that ain't happen'in until Saturday or Sunday.

You know, it is actually nice to be the only customer in a car dealership.....you are treated like royalty and they are willing to give you a cranking deal. This happens when the wind is blowing 30-50 mph and there are whiteout conditions.

Cassi's new ride........

A Toyota Yaris Sedan in Flint Mica.

We totally surprised her, bringing it home without her having a clue. She squeeked like a field mouse when she first saw it.

We had to pull the car into the garage, due to the 50 mph winds and the driving snow.

Thankfully, the little car plowed through the snow and wind on the drive home. I am very pleased with our purchase in terms of Cassi having something that drives well in inclimate conditions and is very safe.

Relaxing Day.....The Game of 42

The boys playing their PSP's and Audra reading a book.



Complements of the the horrible performance of the Cowboys, we where motivated to do other things......

I taught the kiddos the domino game of 42. We played several games and by the end, they were pretty darn good.


It has been a wonderful Christmas Day. Audra's meal was absolutely outstanding!!!!

Christmas Celebration

Cassi with her DB wallet. She is a happy girl!

The Christmas Celebration has been wonderful. We had a white Christmas Eve with new snow to add to all the deep drifts. The back yard still has 2'-3' of snow across its width. You would have witnessed that new snow if you saw the Broncos game on Sunday afternoon....it was snowing up at Denver as well.

Audra treated me to a Wooden Tool Chest that I had been eyeing for the past year. I really wanted this guy to organize and keep all my ammo reloading equipment in good shape.

We started our Christmas Eve Party at 8pm, just after Cassi returned home from work. (She is working at Holister.) Party foods followed by watching "The Christmas Story" on TV followed by the reading of Luke Ch. 2 and off to bed we went....Yes, thank God we are not having to put together Children's Christmas presents until 2am.

Christmas day began at 7am, when Audra and I woke up. Amazingly, the kids were still asleep. Katie was the first to wake up. Everyone tromped downstairs and we assumed our positions on the couches to enjoy the stockings and presents.... Below are some pics.....


One of the presents for the kids was Snowboarding Edition Monopoly. You actually purchase resort properties and charge for lift tickets.

I suppose at some point in life, parents realize they are giving gifts to their children that are not purchased from the toy store. This was my revelation this year....Our kids are really growing up based upon what was wrapped and under the tree.

Here is Bryce with his new set of Black Rims for his Jeep Wrangler.





A pic of the kids and Laney on Christmas Eve.









Audra with one of her gifts. I knew she wanted a Broncos Jersey, but didn't realize what I had done.....I had created a monster. When she pulled on the new Jay Cutler Jersey, she became a Radical Fan!!!!

This afternoon, around 2pm we will enjoy Audra's Christmas Dinner. We have a Ham and all the fixins. The kids are just lying around, enjoying their presents while Audra cooks and I build this Blog. We will continue to Veg out this afternoon, watching the Cowboys Game.