Casa Bonita

On Saturday we went to CASA BONITA in Denver, to ‘taste the magic of Mexico.’ For everyone who hasn’t been to this entertaining adventure you are missing out. Casa Bonita is a mixture of indoor waterfalls and caves sporting cliff divers, cowboy shootouts, gorilla masquerades, pirate attacks and much more. There are magician magic shows, puppet shows, piñata parties, arcade rooms, mariachi bands, and even a haunted dragon cave. And to top it off there is mediocre lunch room food and endless all you can eat homemade sopaipillas with honey. It is hours of over stimulation and overindulgent eating topped with sticky honey. It is perfection to a child, humorous to a teenager and entertaining to an adult- fun for every age!!

Leach Field Update

Our septic tank is in (yay for minimal sewage) and we are now working on getting the septic/leach field (overflow) put in and working. This is causing a lot of stress and grunting at the Newson household because this is the project that required ripping out the garden and trees, moving tons of dirt and bringing in an equal amount of sand, and turning our once beautiful peaceful yard into a construction site.

The leach field is roughly a 100x30 feet wide, 3 feet deep field (the neighbors have started to call- asking if we were putting in a pool) comprised of intricate layering systems to filter out the overflow waist fluid, clean it and distribute it back into the natural ground water (yum). Currently they have moved the dirt/mud out of the field and made various mounds throughout the yard and have filled the field with truck loads of sand (we have a dinosaur sized sandbox in the back yard). Right now the work is up to the construction guys and so we are just sitting watching them demolish the back yard, feeling kind of useless. But hopefully next week they will be done and we will get to start putting things back together!

The Beach

Charlotte and I got to go up to Denver and spend a day with Erica and Alice, and while there we did one of Alice’s new favorite things- went to “the beach”. Since visiting Andrea in California “the beach” and “water” have taken precedence over everything in Alice’s life- even over “the park” and “swing.” So we went to the local reservoir to swim. This was also an exciting trip because it was Charlotte’s first time in the water since her mission (since 2006) and she was jazzed to get back into her deep “beach” California bum roots. So we got all ready and went to the reservoir…
the only swimmers- oh well
a strong and chilling wind- no problem
water that was 2 feet of snow, just yesterday- could be problematic!

It was freezing. Alice would run into the water up to her calves then begin to cry screaming, “Cold, cold, cold!” We would quickly bring her to shore and wrap her in a towel for about 20 seconds until she received the feeling in her legs and then she would go back out, just to repeat the scene. This reoccurred over and over for about 10 minutes before she decided that the water was not getting any warmer.

I only ventured in the water once, to my calves and decided that I had experienced the snow storm two weeks earlier and did not need to experience it again. Charlotte however was thirsty for the water and decided to dive into the water. As she hit the water her life flashed before her eyes as her lungs went frozen and emptied. She came up gasping, in shock and BRIGHT pink.

Overall we had a fun time at “the beach!”

Strikes and Stiches!

Today we went down to Denver to see Andrew play baseball. He is on a team called the Bull Dogs and they are really good and very cute to watch. It was so much fun to see Andrew play and he even got awarded the “Gold Glove Award” for a great play he made at the beginning of the game.

Towards the middle of the game Mylie ran face first into the side of the bleachers and cut her face pretty bad. As we headed home they were all on their way to the emergency room to get stiches on her forehead (over her eye brow). She is so brave.

It was fun to see everyone and to watch Andrew play!! He did great!!

Easter Sunday

Ben, Rachel and I have all been getting up at 8:00 am every Saturday morning for the last month to go and practice for the Stake Easter Devotional. This Saturday we had a long dress rehearsal and we had an extra ward rehearsal (Brea was at the church for choir practice and various meetings from 8 till 3:30-yikes).

On Easter Sunday we got to perform and it all became worth it. The ward choir performance and Easter Devotional both turned out great. Rachel has a solo in the Easter Devotional and she did great. It was a great musical presentation and a wonderfully spiritual Easter Sunday.




The Easter Bunny brought us all some bunny chips!!

Great Gooshy Husband Story

Today Ben brought me in an Easter egg with a clue in it and told me to follow the clues. I followed the intricate weave of clues leading to eggs all throughout the house that lead to a special gift from Ben. He got me shorts, which seems like just a normal thing, but he went through the trouble of find out my size, going to the store and thinking about what I would like. Although many wives would be mortified if their husbands bought them cloths, I am not. First because Ben has good taste, but also because this is one of the most thoughtful things he could have done. It showed that he was really thinking about ME and that he loves me. He is an amazingly perfect husband!!

An Adventurous Fun Day!

Andrew is on Spring Break and so he and Mylie came down to spend a few days at Nana and Grandpa’s house. Yesterday I went over to hang out and play with them- and we had some fun. We walked to pick Grandpa up from work and on the way back we saw a lot of exciting things. We saw a big horned owl (with a rotating head), we walked through a swamp, we found perfect walking sticks and we saw fox holes. But the two coolest things about our walk were that we caught a snake and Andrew even held it, and Mylie touched it. It was slippery, but not too slimy. And we also got to swing across the river on rope swings. They were nervous at first, but they really enjoyed it.
















In the afternoon we went to the Longmont Rec Center and went swimming. Right after we got there they closed all the pools, except the lazy river, for swimming lessons. The kids are like little fish and they love to swim- so we spent almost two hours in the lazy river. The kids dove to the bottom to get things and we played bumper cars with the inner tubes. Afterward the kids got to climb on the rock wall. They each climbed up three times and they weren’t even scared! They were like little monkey’s they got up really fast and really enjoyed it!
























After the Rec Center we went back to Nana and Grandpa’s house and met up with Uncle Ben (who got off of work) and we had pizza for dinner. It was such a fun day! When the kids went to bed we realized that we are not young anymore and we are EXHAUSTED. After trudging through a swamp, spotting owls, catching snakes, swinging over rivers, swimming for two hours and playing inner tube bumper cars- I am warn out!! What an adventurous fun day!!

Let It Snow!- Colorado Style

The amazing thing about Colorado is the weather- I love Colorado weather!! Colorado has all four seasons and dang beautiful ones at that; however we do have a mild winter...until March. Every March (almost always inevitably falling on spring break) Coloradoans hunker down for their “Snowstorm of the Century.” In 1994, at the age of 7 I remember standing up to my waist in snow, as my older siblings helped dig out the driveway. In 2002, at the age of 15 I remember digging out the driveway and helping to chop down the tree in the front yard (which collapsed, narrowly missing our roof).

This year the excitement of the “8 inches of snowfall” rang through the state some bought snow shovels and some scoffed with doubt. However on March 26 we got our snow storm! Work was cancelled for many, school was already cancelled (because yes, it is spring break) and many stayed at home with hot cocoa and American Idol. It came down from 6 am to 6 am, a hard wet snow, dropping more than a foot at our front door.

However, the most glorious part of Colorado is to come. The following day we awoke to a sun filled morning. The roads were plowed and…it is true…dry! (No icy, snow covered, slush for months- Goodbye Rexburg!) The lawns, trees and rooftops were beautifully white, yet we had a safe (warm) drive to work. The mountains were gleaming beautifully under their new snow cover and all was watered, fresh and new.
Colorado is a beautiful place to live!




























Look at how thick the snow is on Chelupa's car!






















This is the trusted hand-measurement in the morning on the first day- we still have a day of snowing left. It was really thick













I was trying to shovel- with no avail.

Locked Doors and Broken Windows...

I am driving Mom & Dad’s red car (the car of my youth- memories *sigh) this week so that I can get to and from work more easily. My eyes have more fully been opened to the reasons that you get teenagers OLD cars as I see how horribly Michael and I treated and destroyed that poor Ford Escort.

Anyway, I went to fill the car with gas and I locked the keys in the car. Luckily it was a semi warm day and I had one of the windows rolled down an inch. I got a hanger from the gas station tenant (which means I am not the only person this air headed) and tried sticking it through the open window to somehow pull open the handle, since there are no automatic door locks to push (in this old car). I proceeded to drop the hanger INTO the car.

In frustration I pulled the glass of the window off of its normal seal (probably breaking the window- sorry dad), enough to squeeze my arm in and open the door. I popped the glass back in place (window still goes up and down- so not broken…badly) and went on my way.

So far, since I got my license back, I have not had good car luck!!

St Patties Family Get- Together

Yesterday we had a Stones family get-together to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (hence the green hair- from the parade in Denver) and the latest family birthdays- Aaron’s (Feb 21) Alice’s (Feb 13) and Sean’s (March 17). We met at Erica’s house and had homemade Corned Beef and Cabbage, with potatoes, with a delicious chocolate rainbow cake and ice cream. It was wonderful to see family and be encircled with the joy of childhood. We played boci ball in the backyard and eventually ended up at the park playing baseball- with the entire family joining in on the fun.

I love families and the joy they bring into our lives!!

Driving to the Shower

I got my drivers license back after a 6 month absences and have had no accidents, tickets or near death incidents. However on Friday I got VERY lost out near Loveland, CO going to Amy Gibson’s Baby Shower and had a 45 minute driving detour. It was a reminder of every stress that accompanies driving and temperamental cars- with high way driving, nearly running out of gas, the setting sun in your eyes and nothing on the radio.

The red line on the following map is the crazy unexpected detour that I took in order to make it to point A.

















However I made it to the shower, better late then never, and enjoyed seeing Amy (beautifully pregnant) and wishing her well on her pregnancy. We are so happy for her and so excited to see the newest addition to the Gibson family!!

Dance Internship

I got a dance internship at Booth's Ballroom Dance Studio in Denver. It is an unpaid internship and I am going to basically be shadowing any and all of the instructors and see their teaching techniques and will also see how a large dance studio is run and organized.

I started yesterday and I am still a little iffy on what I should do. Because I am not getting paid, they are okay if I just stand around… which is not the kind of thing I like to do “at work.” But I will hopefully find my footing and get more comfortable with things.

Nissi’s

Last night, Ben went (with his Mom and Rachel) to Nissi’s, a restaurant/music club. They heard Eric Forsyth, a guy in our ward (and who we know from school) perform and said it was great. They stayed to hear the other performances and said it was a great atmosphere and Ben said it would be a really fun “date spot.”

Free Steak Dinner

Ben took a survey over the phone for the Fire Department and his name got put into a drawing for a ‘Promotional’ Free Steak Dinner and he was chosen. So we got to go to a Free Steak Dinner (with friends, so Mom came with us) at Magnolia. While we waited for our food a man taught us about fire safety and the proper care and maintenance of fire extinguishers and fire alarms in our homes. It was very educational and informative and….it was free.
Ben and I thought it was funny because we were BY FAR the youngest people there!!

Final Cake

I finished my cake decorating class and here is a picture of the final cake. (Well I can’t find batteries for my camera- so I will get a picture off when I find them.)
After we finished the class Nedra had to do the food for a post funeral luncheon and so Rachel and I decorated all the cupcakes with mini roses. It was fun to see all that we had learnt come to use in a ‘real life’ experience. (Pictures of cupcakes to come!)