Another weekend ride with Mr. Smith!

Oh Adventure...

I just love you SO!

November 9, 2013

It was a beautiful Saturday.

Hardly a cloud in the sky.

No Wind.

It was 52 degrees by noon.
It was the perfect kind of a day for a ride on the motorbike.

While I dreamed of going out and enjoying a ride with my favorite guy, I just didn't know if it would come to fruition.  With our oldest son Jade getting the opportunity to work and earn money that morning, and school projects that required our assistance...  Also, the fact that Mr. Smith had to go on a camp-out with his Scouts on Friday night and didn't get back until mid-morning and then we had to unpack and get all of the gear put away, it just didn't seem like there was going to be an opportunity to take advantage of such a gorgeous afternoon.

HOWEVER, at 2:30 pm, our boys told us we should head out on a much needed date that we had missed due to the previous night's camp-out.
So, Mr. Smith and I got all bundled up in warm clothes,
grabbed our bright red helmets
  (still have yet to purchase some modern helmets but we have all winter to shop),
and warm gloves and we headed out to enjoy the last 2-1/2 hours of sunshine!

 We headed up Pole Line road and followed the hilly and windy road as it meandered along the Rexburg bench for a ways. 

Since we were hungry, we decided to eventually turn north and loop back into town enjoying the scenery along the way.

 We then drove into Rexburg 
and enjoyed a yummy lunch of burgers and fries.

After our bellies were stuffed, we  headed back up Pole Line road and took some back roads on the Rexburg bench that landed us in the Targhee National Forest.

 Gorgeous quaking aspens and pines...

A little bit of SNOW...

 We ended up coming across this old ran down house and grain silos that made the perfect backdrop for some interesting photos. 

LOVE, LOVE , LOVE!!!

"Oh Darling,

Let's be Adventurers together!"

 Tracy humored me and drove a ways down the road so I could snap some interesting photos through the window frames of the run down old farm house.

Oh good!  He's coming back for me!  

Phew!

"Honey, I'm home!"

 This is Kimmie's Shadow
 doing the "I Love You" sign!

I LOVE how the shadow is red 
and how my legs look like I'm wearing striped witch tights!

It's looking quite desolate 
in some of the fields this time of year!

 The time went by too fast 
and it is sad to get back on and start heading for home.

 I spy a shadow of a couple
 truly enjoying their ride!

At this point we are

trying to make it back before the sun sets entirely, 

because it is REALLY cooling off 
and we are starting to get a little bit chilly!  
It was a short 50 miles or so but a wonderful ride none-the-less!

Oh, I could truly just ride off into the sunset with this wonderful man and enjoy adventure after adventure together!

Someday, our kids will be raised,
we'll have more TIME to get out and do those things we're most passionate about,
but, until then,
we'll just keep enjoying whatever rides we can squeeze in on the good weather days
and try to create as many wonderful memories with our boys that we can,
before they grow any bigger!

"LIFE is either a daring adventure,
or nothing at all!"
Helen Keller

We've got to do our best to make the most of it 
and live it to the FULLEST!!

You can learn a lot from kids...

I love my job!

I feel so grateful that I get to be the lucky one to be teaching kids PE and doing my best to motivate them to enjoy being physically active!  

However, the more I am with my PE kids, the more I realize that they are teaching me, maybe more than I'm teaching them. 

September 18th and 19th 

was one of the most dreaded day for my PE kids... 

the day they had to do the MILE Run!

Who knew that motivating kids to run the mile, was as easy 

as rewarding them with an Otter Pop after they ran!! 

2nd grade Boy: 

"Teacher, that was SO hard, but, this Popsicle was so worth it" 

Best idea ever!

I sure do LOVE my job and all of the sweet kids I get to work with! 

Well, that wasn't the only thing I learned those two days in September.

I saw kids all on their own who completed the mile run 

way ahead of their class mates, RUN out 

and run the last little bit with the kids

 that were coming in last, while

"Cheering" them on and telling them, "You can do it"!

The fifth graders even ran out and cheered on and ran with their teacher who was 8th months pregnant while she finished the last few hundred yards of running!

 It touched my heart.

It made me feel SO proud that I get to work with so many amazing inspiring kids! 

The most touching moment of all, that brought me and the student aid to tears, was when my 3rd grade class in Parker ran their mile.

There is a sweet girl that is deaf and can only speak through sign language. 

She also has some physical disabilities and coordination challenges that make it difficult to run. 

However, she NEVER wants to NOT participate and whatever the kids are doing, she gives it her best shot and has so much determination to "do it'!

SO, the whole entire class finished their run and she still had 3/4 of a lap to go. 

All on their own, the entire class ran out to her and ran with her to the finish line.

I couldn't control my emotions I was touched. 

I'm just glad I remembered to pull out my phone and snap some priceless photos! 

Adorable... Priceless! 

How many times do we as adults run out to help people when they are struggling.

Do we sometimes think:

 "Oh someone else will do it." 

"I don't have time for that today."

Well, children are amazing and sweet and kind 

and they teach us, that when someone is having a hard time, 

you go out and be that friend and encouragement 

that they need to finish the race, 

or, accomplish the task that they are struggling with!  

As a mom with a son that is challenged with his running abilities, I've been greatly touched by all of the people that have yelled the following at the sidelines at Jade's Track and Cross Country meets:

 "You can do it Jade!"

"Jade, you're doing awesome"! 

"You Finished, Great Job"!

So grateful for all of the wonderful people in my life that have been so encouraging to my son!

So grateful that my every Tuesday and Wednesday I get to work with so many great kids, with big, kind and caring hearts!

SO grateful for an abundance of inspiring people both young and old that truly teach me what life is all about!

Family... at the very top of my gratitude list!

"The love of a family 

is life's greatest blessing!"  

November...

A month where we take time to reflect on all of 

the blessings and wonderful things we have in our lives!  

As I start out my month of gratitude I can't help but reflect on the greatest blessing of all in my life; that of my amazing, awesome, crazy and FUN family and home life!

Tracy and I just got done celebrating birthdays a week ago.

10-20-13... Kimmie turned 43

10-22-13... Tracy turned 45

My mother-in-law must have been inspired to give me this card,

 because that is exactly what I told my family I wanted. 

All I wanted for my birthday was to go for a drive to see the fall colors, enjoy the sunshine with my favorite people and take a photo of us along the river... and that is exactly what I got!
SO, we loaded up in the car and drove to Parker, Idaho to see the beauty.

October 20, 2013

Me and my three favorite guys in a beautiful spot!  

My only other request was that I wanted to go on a ride on our motorcycle with my HOT and awesome hubby!  

Tracy's birthday had some FUN surprises! 

 Only the best for my birthday hubby 

and no birthday would be complete without

 German Chocolate Cake... 

a tradition that Tracy has had since he was just a wee boy!

"Happy Birthday Dear Tracy, Dad...

Happy Birthday to you"!!

Such a priceless sweet card from my Ethan...

After enjoying Cake and Ice Cream 

I went and changed into a cute black dress 

and took Tracy into the living room where there were 45 candles lit on top of our piano and I played 

 Prelude in E Minor by Chopin for him!  

He was amazed and shocked 

as he had no idea he was getting this kind of a surprise.

I think my kids were just as excited as Tracy was, as they knew about this special night I had planned  for Tracy for the past month and I'm just grateful that we were able to pull it off!

(read about his reactions here)

 (this was Ethan's favorite photo that Tracy took)

I sat and played it probably 6 or 7 times 

while Tracy relaxed on the couch. 

It was a heavenly and wonderful moment in time!

I found this sweet note from Ethan on my pillow 

when we went to bed that night! 

I learned something new today...

That I have a "BOMBASTIC" personality!  

It just made me melt!

I love my family so much!

I especially LOVE this handsome and amazing man, 

more than words can express and not only do I love that I am married to him, 

I love that we get to enjoy our birthday celebrations together each year!

I'm definitely the richest most blessed woman in the world 

and it's not because I have a big house, fancy cars, jewels or gold, but because I have this amazing man by my side every step of the way, who shows me love daily, is always doing thoughtful acts of kindness and brings love, laughter, joy, happy memories and smiles to each and every day!

Say YES to Living Life!!

A Wise Man said the following 
over this past weekend:   

October 27th, 2013
"I'm sure I annoy some of you to no end when I get mushy. I'm really sorry for that! I was just awake still... and pondering the following question. What is it about my sweetheart Kimberly that is so amazingly beautiful and sexy and desirable about her, to me (even after nearly a quarter of a century together)? As I really think about it, it has very little to do with her face and body although I find both to be very attractive. If I really dig into my brain and try to figure it out, something stands "head and shoulders" above everything else... even higher than her great sense of humor and her wonderfully complex intelligence. 
What is so very attractive to me, is the way she ALWAYS says 
"YES" to LIVING LIFE! 
She has such a contagious excitement about trying things and enjoying adventures of all kinds. She is most definitely a "Tigger" and not an "Eeyore" and she makes life in our home so FUN! 
Life is good! It's also short... 
if you find yourself saying "no" to everything, 
turn it around and start saying "yes" before it is too late!"

Life is overwhelming with SO much love and excitement right now, I don't even know where to begin!  
Tracy and I have been married for 23 and half a years and the love, passion and adventure just gets better and better... 
Every. Single. Day! 

My sweet husband had to go on a camp-out with his Scouts on Friday night and didn't get home until about 10:00 Saturday morning. We both noticed that the forecast starting on Monday had rain, cold and SNOW in it!  We still hadn't really taken our new (to us) purchase, out on a REAL ride that wasn't just driving around the country roads near us.

SO, we decided to SEIZE the moment 
even though we don't have COOL, modern full face helmets, or, armored riding gear,
we used what we had, got all suited up in multi-layers, threw on a bag on the back with water and misc. emergency items and decided to head for Swan Valley to see the last of the Fall colors!

We took a ride on our bike that we have gone on dozens and dozens of times in the car. 
It felt like we were driving a new stretch of road, because life on a motorcycle is MUCH different than a car.  When you're in a car, it's like you're watching a television screen as the scenery passes on by.
On a motorcycle you are PART of the whole experience...
you feel every temperature change,
smell every smell,
you're right up close and personal with every part of the drive,
as the road whizzes by just six inches below your feet.

The exhilarating feeling of riding on a motorcycle is addictive 
and you just want to keep riding and riding!

Jade snapped some photos as we were driving off...
He did a great job with them!   

 My handsome Tracy...
Gorgeous turn-out when we got to Swan Valley.

At this point of our ride we had to make a decision.
Do we head around Palisades Lake, or, head over Pine Creek Pass to Victor, Idaho?
We decided to take the Pine Creek Pass route.
SO glad we did.
The roads were curvy and SO much fun to lean into...
(we were leaning into the corners a little too much when Tracy notice the toe of his boot scrape the asphalt several times!)
There were still gorgeous trees with vibrant colors
AND 
the closer we go to Victor, we had a great view of the Teton Mountain Range.

We decided that since Jackson Hole, Wyoming was only another 23 miles, we would venture up Teton Pass and go and eat lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant.

SNOW at the top of the pass!  

We made it to Jackson! 

Famous Elk Antler Arch!  
 YES, we may have OLD helmets, but, I think they're pretty COOL myself! 
(someday in the not to far off future, we'll be sporting some new full face modern helmets, until then, these will do!)

I SPY...

the most HOT, and HANDSOME man 

that I know!

 I still can't believe this is me!
Losing 30 pounds has changed 
my whole appearance and confidence.
It is SO wonderful to feel pretty again! 

Tracy's comment about this photo:
"I love this place and I love this woman"!
(those words make my heart go pitter-patter)

Delicious lunch of Nachos at
 "The Merry Piglets Mexican Cafe"

Perfect Saturday...
No wind, blue skies, 59 degrees, gorgeous colors 
and best part of all...
 I got to enjoy every moment of it 
with this handsome, sweetheart of a guy! 
Sad to gear back up and head back towards home!  

GIANT leaf we found in the park, 
where we enjoyed a few moments of sunshine.

 Love those mountains...
Teton Mountain Range from the bend before 
Jackson Hole, Wyoming 

Our V-Strom in front of the FAMOUS 

"SPUD" Drive-in Theater

(in a car, we've never had the need to stop and take a photo, however, I'm excited to document all of the COOL places our V-Strom has been!)

 My favorite hubby and my favorite mountains!

 Teton Scenic Look-out...
What a gorgeous spot!

AND, we went out again on Sunday morning...
ran into Rexburg to grab some limes and some produce at the grocery store and then took the long way back home and enjoyed more colors along the country roads! 

It's going to be hard to go through the winter and have to look longingly at our motorbike and want to be out riding it!
With both of our adventurous spirits, 
we're definitely NOT going to let the cold weather stop us from enjoying a few winter rides. 
As long as there is DRY roads, 
we'll just bundle up and off we'll go!

ADVENTURE and FUN...

I'm sure glad my life is abundant in both of these! 
However, I do have a confession to make:
******   ******   ******
" Mr. Smith,
YOU are my Greatest Adventure!"