Thanksgiving 2009

This year we spent Thanksgiving at my family's in York. Ben's mom and brother were able to come also. We had the actual dinner over at my sister Kambrah's house. We had so much food and pies, we still had at least 4 pies that never even got cut. It was pretty cold back home which was nice for a change. The day after, we all got up and went to Cowboy Christmas in Safford, which is basically where there are a bunch of homemade things for sale. This has become somewhat of a tradition going to Cowboy Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Ben and his family came back to Chandler after we were done in Safford, while I stayed until Sunday. I always hate leaving, but at the same time, it is always good to sleep in your own bed. I wish I could live closer, but that probably will never happen. I am glad we got to spend the time there for Thanksgiving, because for Christmas this year we will be going up to Dallas to spend time with Ben's family. I wish everyone lived in the same area so we could spend more time with our family!

Trick-Or-Treat Smell My Feet!!!

This year Arcel, Kambrah and the boys were able to come up to Chandler and go trick-or-treating. Ote was Wyatt Earp and Oren was Doc Holiday. Everyone kept commenting on how good they looked. They got plenty of candy. When they got tired of walking around the neighborhood, Kambrah made us all go to a haunted house. I don't think I have ever been that scared in my whole life. I was screaming and I really thought I was having a heart attack. Ben hit his head on a tree because we were running so fast to try to escape. Dead people were chasing us with chainsaws and there were people hanging in the air. Oren didn't even say a word the whole time and Ote was shaking. All I can say is never again....I do not like to feel like I am about to be murdered...Last but not least here is a pic of our pumpkins.

Intel 5K

My hubby Ben, his brother Peter and a bunch of other Intel employees ran in the annual Intel 5K/10K....This was the first race for Ben and basically he was pumped prior to the race, and now he said he will never run a 5K again...hahaha...He was tired but did a great job! And I can guarantee he will run in it next year....That is just how he is..I was able to hang out with Selma and Perla while we watched our husbands run...What a great day! I think next year I am going to walk the 5K...I think that is enough for me! Here is a picture of Ben and his brother Peter stretching before the race, Ben nervously waiting before the race actually started, and him and Peter running in the race. Great Job Ben and all you people who are actually crazy enough to run in something like this! :)

More fair pics...

Here are a few more fair pics I just wanted to post. My dad is eating a mango in one. Two of my nephews Oren Allsup and Brody Waters are holding a rabbit that Oren showed. And one is of my mom, my two sisters, and I sitting in the stands after the sale. I also did not get a pic of my oldest niece Chelsea or my nephew Kade. They never let me get any pics of them! I also wanted to share that Ote and Kade both threw up from riding rides....Just another reason I don't ride them!!!

All around Champion!

My 6 year old nephew Ote Allsup won a saddle for Greenlee County all around champion in his age group. He also got another belt buckle to add to his collection. He is extremely good for his age in the rodeo department. He also shows rabbits in the fair!

Allsup's roping

My sister Kambrah and her husband Arcel rope a lot in the rodeos. This year at the fair was no different. Arcel is in the white hat. I was able to watch them and take some pics of them in action. They do a great job in the rodeos!

Cassidy showing her animals at the fair!

This was the first year my 10 year old niece Cassidy showed animals in the Duncan Fair. She showed a pig and a lamb and did so good. She won Grand Champion for her class in showmanship and also won Grand Champion Round Robin, which is where you have to show not only your animals, but a steer and a goat. She did an awesome job showing all of the animals. Great job Cass!!!!

Graniello Family comes to visit!

Ben's family decided they would come up and visit us in Arizona. His grandparents are from El Salvador, where they live and own a coffee plantation. Ben's dad, stepmom, and little brothers drove with them from Houston, where they live. They have been staying with us since Sat. and will be here all week. I am glad they got to come visit. I just need to learn some more spanish! More pics to come...

Marcia & Molly come to visit...

Last weekend, Ben's mom and sister flew in from the Dallas area for a short weekend visit. We had a great time and decided that we wanted to take some pics before they left. It is not very often Ben's siblings are all together since they live so far away. I think they came out pretty good. I really need an editing program though...:( Does anyone know of a good editing program for MAC computers????

Norene Mortensen

Today, I found out that Norene Mortensen tragically passed away in a car accident. She was killed instantly and I am hoping she didn't even have a chance to feel any pain. I remember her as always having a smile and being a jokester. She was an awesome lady to everyone who knew her. I just can't believe that she is gone. She was too young to die and especially like this. I swear she probably didn't even have an enemy. I just don't know what her family is going to do without her. Please pray for her family and help them get through this awful time. You will be greatly missed by so many Norene :(

Brody's Birthday!

My nephew Brody Waters will be 4 years old tomorrow. We celebrated his birthday on Sat. at the Duncan Swimming pool. We all had a great time and Brody loved swimming. Some of his cousins were able to come and Brody gots lots of cool things. He is so cute. He was scared of the baby pool but not the big pool. haha...kids are funny!

These are just a couple of pics I took of my sister Kambrah and her husband Arcel & their two boys. I think they came out really cute. They were taken at her house in York on Sunday. The boys did pretty well. They didn't quite understand what we were even doing. Ote actually asked if they were going to a wedding. haha..

Our soon to be home!

Well I just wanted to post a pic of our home that we will be closing on 7/30. We are getting a little excited and I am trying to start the packing process. Hopefully we will get all moved in and love our house. There is a courtyard in the front of the house, but we will have to build a wall that connects to the wall for the yard and the stone front. Hopefully it won't take too long to get that built. It is a cute little house that will be great for us for a while! I will keep you posted and show more pics when we get all moved in!

My husband

I just wanted to tell you how great my husband is. He works extremely hard every day of the week and wins these awards called kudos a lot. So my birthday was on the 6th and he won some awards. Well instead of spending the money on himself, like he should have, he gave them to me. They were worth $175.00 which is a lot of money to me. I am a tight wad! I can't help it but I feel bad spending money. I swear I look like a homeless girl most of the time. I think some of it has to do with that I wear scrubs 5 days of the week. Anyways, he wanted me to buy some clothes with the money, so we went to Banana Republic and J. Crew and got tons of cute shirts and pants. I really needed some clothes because I still have stuff from junior high. SAD, I know. Ben always thinks of me before he buys something for himself. I am so glad I found him. If you have never met Ben, he is really one of the nicest people I know. When I want to gossip, he gets mad at me and tells me that I shouldn't talk about people like that. I swear he has no enemies. I love him and I want him to know that NO, I did not marry you for your money! haha...He probably married me for my little paycheck! I love you Benny!

4th of July Celebrations!!!

This 4th of July was a little bit different than our usual trip to Duncan. All of my siblings were in different areas so we went up to Springerville. We met up with my mom, dad, Kambrah, Arcel and the boys. When we first got there, we watched the parade, which was actually really good. Then we headed down to Reserve and watched Ote and Kambrah in the rodeo. I actually got some really good pics there. Ote was able to win the sheep riding and the barrels for his age group. He is probably going to be really good someday. After the rodeo, we went and ate dinner at Los Dos Molinos, which I will never eat at again. The people were so rude, in a hurry, and the food wasn't that great. We then went to watch the fireworks in Springerville. We were able to drive right into the airport on top of the mountain and just kind of get away from everyone. The fireworks turned out to be really good. I was pretty surprised. We were so exhausted, nobody made it to the dance. The next day, we watched Arcel rope in the pasture roping and then we went over to the park and played some volleyball. The only thing we wished was that all of our families could be together for the 4th. We had a great time up in Springerville and hope everyone's 4th of July was great!

My Birthday!

Today is my birthday....I don't know if I am excited or not...I turned 25 and now that means 5 more years until 30, or 25 more years until I am 50?!?!!! Crazy how fast time goes by. My brother Brent and his family are in town so we are going to go eat tonight, so that should be pretty fun. I am going to bake myself a cake. I know it seems sad that I am baking my own cake, but Ben doesn't have time because he is at work all day and I am off half-day. And plus, I really want to eat some german chocolate cake :) Anyways, I am now officially 25 and don't want to be. Why can't I be 18 again???? :( I think from this day forward I am not going to have any more birthdays!

And p.s.....don't look at the wrinkles by my eyes....That is what happens when you get old!

Happy Father's Day!!!!

I want to wish everyone a happy father's day. My dad is an awesome dad. He has always worked hard in life, but wanted even more for his kids. He was always around us and taught us so much. I can really appreciate him so much. I love him and just wish I could see him and my mom more often. Thanks for everything dad!

Blue, AZ

My family has a cattle ranch on the Blue, which is in the White Mountains. As a kid, I used to go up every weekend with my family. It is really like my second home. I wish that I was able to go up more often, but with work and all, it seems to be hard. We have been able to go up 2 times this year, which has been great! My family branded calves while we were up there. I miss it so much and every time I go, I don't want to leave. My dad still goes at least every weekend, but now that he is retired, he goes during the week as well. Here are some pics of the ranch and the fun stuff we got to do. The first pic is actual Indian hand prints on a big rock up on the Blue. The 2nd one is of my dad riding to find some cows(what he does best). The 3rd one is of my dad and Arcel branding calves. The 4th one is of my mom and Kambrah helping out with branding. The 5th one is the actual ranch house. And last but not least, the road (turkey creek) heading to the ranch.

Infertility....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ

Chelsea Graduated!!!

My oldest niece Chelsea graduated last week from 8th grade!!!! Hooray!!! She looked soooo cute and so much older...I hate that she is growing up!!! That means I am getting older too..haha...Anyways, I know she will have a blast in high school, but I don't want her to have too much of a blast...She still seems little to me :( I am going to keep my eye on her because she is too cute and I know a lot of boys will be after her!! I love you Chels and please be good in high school so I don't have to worry too much :)

GIMP...

Here are some pics that I just learned how to edit. I know...they all look the same....That is really the only thing I know how to edit. And Ben has to tell me step by step how to do it...how sad! Maybe someday I will learn something new...Anyways, hope you like them. The first one is my nephew Ote up at the ranch for Easter. The second one is Ote's little brother Oren posing in his underwear at our house. (He never has clothes on...He is a nudest.) The third one is of me in Napa at Mondavi Vineyards on our honeymoon last year. And last but not least is my niece Chelsea who will be graduating 8th grade this month. She is soooo cute! Let me know what you think about them!

We should get Married...

Kari
&
Benjamin

96% Compatible

♥ Kari and Benjamin have been romantically-together for a long time. That alone demonstrates a degree of compatibility. Their shared faith will help form a bond between them. They both abstain from drinking, so that helps compatibility. Both are also sports fans, and that can bring people together. Their astrological signs are in harmony, which is a plus. They share a favorite season, and that is good. Their common love of animals is another good thing. And their views on children are similar. Overall, Kari and Benjamin are highly compatible. They are capable of having a beautiful relationship together. ♥

Discover Your Dating Compatibility

Red Hill Road

We were able to go to the ranch for Easter again this year. Ben is starting to really enjoy it now and we are going to try to go back in the summer for branding. This is one of the roads that you can go on to get there. It is called Red Hill Road and you probably can tell why. I will try to post many more pictures if I can just figure out how to do more than three at a time!