Lui Adventures

Chatfield Camping June 2009

2009-06-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last week-end we went camping out at Chatfield Reservoir. The water was a little cold, but that didn't stop anybody from getting in and having a great time. My sister (Stephanie), her husband (Dustin), and their son (Joe) joined in on the fun.

Micah playing in the tube

Mikayla and Micah enjoying a tube ride...nice and slow

Look! No hands!Mikayla and Stephanie

Mikayla couldn't get enough of playing cards

This was Joe's first camping and boating trip

Kaleo was thrilled that everything ran so smoothly for our first outing this season.

The kids enjoyed riding their bikes all over the campground...until Mikayla ran over a thorn. She got quite the workout pedaling back to camp with a flat front tire. S'more time!

We woke up the next morning to a bunch of hot air balloons taking off.
Ready to launch again!

Disney Cruise May 2009

2009-06-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays 2008

2009-01-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

Mikayla (8) and Micah (3)

We love you Grandpa

2008-12-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

We lost my grandmother the end of September and about two months later my grandfather decided it was time to join her. It seems they wanted to spend the holidays together. What true love! We love you grandma and grandpa! Rest in peace.

George Allen Dahmen 1922 ~ 2008 On Sunday, December 7, 2008, George Allen Dahmen, 86, left us to join the love of his life, Dolores. He was born on October 7, 1922 in Uniontown, Washington, the first of four children to Frank and Lucy Dahmen. George married Dolores Theresa Suchy on January 25, 1947. They were married for 61 years until she passed away on September 27, 2008. Together they raised six children in Spokane, Washington and Salt Lake City, UT. George served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He retired from Chevron Oil after 35 years and traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada for too many years to count. He especially loved salmon fishing in Alaska, woodworking and living in Surprise, Arizona during the Salt Lake winters. He was a man of great faith and a devout member of St. John the Baptist Parish in Draper. Survived by two daughters and three sons, Sue (Ernie) Daigle, Tom (Lis) Dahmen, LuAnn (Steve) Culligan, Bruce (Debbie) Dahmen and John (Wendy) Dahmen, 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, brother Roy of Spokane, WA. Preceded in death by his parents, his wife, daughter Carol, sister Adelle and brother Bob. A Funeral mass will be celebrated Friday 9:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 300 East 11800 South in Draper. Entombment Mt. Calvary Cemetery 4th Ave. & T Street. Funeral Director's Neil O'Donnell & Sons. We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Kathy at Good Shepard Hospice, Dr. John Luras, Dr. Richard Frame and everyone at Utah Cancer Specialists, especially Tina. In lieu of flowers please make contributions to the American Cancer Society; please call (801) 483-1500. Thanks Dad. You gave us more than life; you gave us a way of life. So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away the tears; remember they're spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

"CRASH" - My brush with fame

2008-11-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

Starz has a new original series called "Crash." We had a launch party at work where a couple of the celebrities made an appearance. Here I am with Brian Tee, better known for his work in "The Fast and the Furious," and Jocko Sims, who was in "Dreamgirls," "Jarhead," and several TV shows including one of my favorites, "Private Practice." If only I could get Starz to do a series with Josh Duhamel or Brad Pitt!!!

(Left to right: Jocko Sims, Mandie, Amy, Brian Tee, and me)

Copper Mountain

2008-11-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Our friends, the Farrell's, have a great condo up at Copper Mountain. Since the husbands were planning a hunting week-end, Cindy and I decided to take the kids and spend the week-end up in the mountains. The weather was awesome and we had a wonderful time. Thanks Cindy!

Ready to hit the hot tub!

The kids didn't want to leave, but they enjoyed the ride to the car!

Happy Halloween 2008

2008-11-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Carving pumkins...Micah went for a shape-themed face, while Mikayla chose Ivan Chorblood.

This year Mikayla was a Dark Angel and Micah was the cutest little skeleton I've ever seen.
The kids started their trick-or-treating at my work, Starz, where they filled their buckets with tons of candy.

Micah found "Mike" from Monster's Inc in one of the haunted houses.

After trick-or-treating at Starz, we had everybody over for food, drinks, and trick-or-treating in the hood. Look how cute all the little ones look.The moms get a little party of their own when the dads take the kids to get some goodies. From left to right we have rock-star Cindy, Kelly, me, Jen R, Suz, Stephanie, and Becky.
It looks like the wagon was used as a cooler while they went from door-to-door. Luckily all children we accounted for when they made it back home!

In loving memory of my Grandma

2008-10-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

The memory of my grandmother inspires me to be a better wife and mother. She was a wonderful woman with old-fashioned class and a huge heart. She had a love for crafts and was great at baking. She had a tradition of making several different kinds of candies and cookies during the holidays that I am proud to continue with my own children. She will never be forgotten. We love you and miss you Grandma. Dolores Teresa Dahmen 1925 ~ 2008 Dolores T. Dahmen died September 27, 2008.Born to Joseph and Anne Suchy July 10, 1925 in Urbank, Minnesota. She married George Dahmen January 25, 1947. She was a very devout catholic and member of St. John the Baptist parish. She is survived by her husband and their children Sue (Ernie) Daigle, Tom (Lis) Dahmen, LuAnn (Steve) Culligan, Bruce (Debbie) Dahmen and John (Wendy) Dahmen. Sisters Olivia Klimek, Midge Benzinger. 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren A Funeral Mass will be celebrated Tues. 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 300 E. 11800 S. Draper, UT. Friends may call from 10-11 a.m. also at the church. Committal Mt. Calvary Cemetery 4th Ave. & T Street. Director's Neil O'Donnell & Sons. The family would like to thank Sunrise Assisted Living Center and Good Shepherd Hospice for their excellent care given. In lieu of flowers please make contributions to Alzheimer's Association 855 East 4800 South Suite 100 SLC, UT. 84107.

Disneyland & Sea World

2008-10-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

For Micah's 3rd birthday and our 11th wedding anniversary, we took a family trip to California. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time at Disneyland and Sea World. Micah was a trooper; going on every ride he was tall enough for including Matterhorn Mountain! While he would take his afternoon naps, Kaleo and I would take turns with Mikayla on all of the big rides. We can't wait to do it again!

Micah turns 3!

2008-10-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Micah turned 3 in September and he had a fun birthday party with his friends at My Gym. Here are a few pictures from his celebration.

Thanks everybody for all of my wonderful presents!

A Rising Tennis Star

2008-08-26T11:34:00.000-07:00

Micah now takes tennis lessons on Saturday mornings at a facility called Drop Shots.

Here he is all set up for a powerful forehand.Look at that concentration! Good eye on the ball Micah!

Nice follow-through. We have a tennis champion in the making.

Micah sets the pace for the obstacle course...

and finishes the lesson with a cone stacking game.

Kaleo Loves His Job

2008-08-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Army does practice flights over the Sunflower Redevelopment Property that Kaleo manages in Kansas City. Last week he was invited to go along for a ride in a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter to get a different view of the 9,065 Acres that he calls home during the week.

Dance Team Results

2008-08-11T09:07:00.001-07:00

This past week-end Mikayla auditioned to be on one of the competitive elite teams at the Colorado School of Dance. Results are in and she is now a dancer on the Elite Rubies team. She skipped an entire level from the team she was on last year! Mikayla, we are so proud of you. Keep up the great work!!!

3RD Grade

2008-07-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Mikayla's first day of 3rd Grade in Mr. Allen's class. She's starting the school year off with no front teeth! Time is going by fast because I remember very clearly watching her go through the front doors of the school on her first day of kindergarten.

Here's Micah wishing his sister a good day. He'll be going with her soon enough.

North Sterling Reservoir: July 25th-27th

2008-07-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last week-end was the last week-end before Mikayla had to go back to school. We planned a camping trip with 5 other families up at North Sterling Reservoir. Friday we set up camp and then launched the boat for a great afternoon of tubing, skiing, and wake-boarding. Shortly after we pulled the boat out of the water and returned to our camp site, the sky turned black and the clouds started swirling. It was a long, scary night of high winds and pouring rain/hail. The next morning we were thankful to see the sun and get everything dried up.

All packed and ready to go!

Micah played some baseball with dad while he waited for Mikayla to get out of bed.

The sun was so bright he couldn't see where he hit the ball.

Jen Reid and Cindy Farrell

Travis is anxious to learn how to wake-board.

One more try and I'm sure he'll have it... "What now!?"
I think he's got it!
Mikayla and Grant

Craig Bradshaw

The Farrell boat

Victoria and Ella

Mikayla, Ella, and Ashley - Wait 'til these girls are teenagers!

Morgan and Ashley

Grant and Micah

Mikayla and Ella enjoying a wild tube ride.

Little buddies - Garrett and Micah

Ashley Jen Reid took this picture of Micah. I told her that he never likes to smile for the camera, but

he must like her cause it looks like he gave in.

Grant, Kaleo, and Micah

The beach set-up
Micah enjoying a nice nap in the boat while everybody else is playing on the beach. The ladies

Ella, Mikayla, and Taylor

Should I mention that the name of the game they're playing is called TROUBLE? Watch out!

The Farrell and Thompson boats

Mikayla told us that she wanted to learn to water-ski. We bought the skis thinking that she'd probably change her mind once we were out on the water. She had no fear and nothing but determination. Before long she was up and going...

and going...

and going! Even having her hold the rope with one hand, she wasn't going to fall. We had to stop to make her fall and get back in the boat. Way to go Mikayla!!!

Mikayla's friend , Ella, also gave a good effort at trying to ski. We'll get you up next time Ella.

Then it was my turn to take advantage of some of the nice water. By the way, thanks Jen R for the pictures...they're always hard to get when one of us is driving the boat and the other is in the water!

On the last day, our fuel gauge was stuck and we ran out of gas. Luckily we were boating with friends and the Farrell's did an awesome job towing us into the gas dock. We told them that we owed them one, but little did we know that we'd be repaying the favor that same afternoon! Here's us towing the Farrell boat in after their fuel pump went out. Time to just sit back, relax, and have a cold one! We started the week-end with some rough weather, but look how beautiful it turned out by the end of the week-end.

Chatfield: July 18th-19th

2008-07-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Chatfield Reservoir is a lake we like to visit on the week-ends because it's so close to home. We usually spend the day with the anchor down, listening to music, eating lunch, and playing in the water. The kids love it.

Mikayla and Micah playing in Le Tube

"Look mom, no hands!"
The pageant wave

Micah keeping an eye on his sister while she rides in the tube.

There's a waiting line to get out of the water

All that climbing in and out of the boat can really wear you out.

Mikayla and Kaleo racing to Mr. Turtle

Looks like Mikayla won!

Ending the day with some Daddy/Daughter bonding time.

Let's Go Fishing - July 13, 2008

2008-07-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

We recently took the kids shopping for fishing gear. Then of course they needed to try out their new poles. We went out to Cherry Creek and fished off the shore. Even though the fish weren't biting, the kids had a blast. Mikayla has quite the casting arm and Micah loved to reel the line back in.

Mikayla, getting ready to cast...

...and reel back in.

Didn't take long for Micah to figure things out.

So excited!

Should I tell her there's a wave coming in?
Too late...wet bottom!

Kaleo and Micah I think fishing might be a great sport to teach kids patience. Micah would have fished all day if we let him.

"Where are the fish?"

Big Sis and Little Bro

Micah showing Mikayla how to use his pole.

Kaleo tried to prove that there really were fish in the lake.

Little sandy feet.

4th of July

2008-07-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! We spent the 4th on the boat out at Chatfield Reservoir with my parents, my brother, and nephew. Unfortunately I forgot the camera, but we had a great day of skiing, swimming, and relaxing. That evening we had a neighborhood firework show...or shall I say battle. The neighbors would set off their massive fireworks and Kaleo would respond with something bigger and better. Kaleo, my brother, and Neil (our neighbor) would try to synchronize the lighting of fuses to send off quite a display in the sky. Fortunately after watching them scramble to get out of the way, none of the tubes tipped over and shot at the spectators.

Mikayla and Micah enjoyed dancing with fire.

Mikayla trying to scare the smoke away..."I hate rabbits!" (Don't even ask)

We learned that Micah is quite a pyro...he scares me. Like father; like son

St. George, UT June 26th-28th

2008-07-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Instead of driving straight home from Las Vegas, we stayed a couple days with my parents in St. George, UT. My brother and his family drove up from Phoenix and my sister had flown in earlier in the week from Denver with Joseph. My parents recently bought a new side-by-side quad, so we all brought our ATV's to do some riding. We found a great spot, but I don't think the cows were too happy with us.

My dad in his new toy, the Polaris RZR My nephew, Adam, enjoying his last ride on his motorcycle...we ended up buying it from him for Micah. Micah likes to look at it and start it up, but I think it will be Mikayla who gets to learn how to ride it first.My brother, Mike, waiting for everybody to catch up.

My brother's wife, Kaity

Mikayla's ready to do some riding!

What a stud!

My poor mom puts her fate in my dad's hands.

Dad and Mikayla racing back

Micah, making sure he keeps the cows in sight at all times.

Mikayla's the first to return...

but she's off again!

Dance Team Nationals - June 23rd-26th Las Vegas

2008-07-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

Mikayla was on a competion dance team this year, the Razzle Dazzles. They competed at the National Encore Dance Competition in Las Vegas. Her team competed with three dances and she also competed in a tap trio and a lyrical duet. It was a great vacation for the whole family.

On Monday we checked into The Planet Hollywood which was just around the corner from the convention center where the competition was being held.

Micah and Mikayla on the Red Carpet
We even had a view of Paris!

Tuesday was competition day for Mikayla. Her team performed a jazz routine called "Let's Get Together" in which Mikayla was great at shaking those little hips.
Mikayla, Dalton, and Rebecca with Coach Lisa before performing their trio, "Jailhouse Rock."

Bella and Mikayla received another platinum award for their adorable duet, "No One."

Duet and Trio award winners from The Colorado School of Dance.

Micah had the best seat in the house for this long day.

Wednesday started out as a relaxing day at the pool.

During this trip Micah learned how to swim using arm floats.

Mikayla enjoying the pool The Senior Razzles won competition money and were able to spend their winnings on a limo ride down the strip.

Having a toast with champagne glasses filled with M&M's. Senior Razzles outside of Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden at the Mirage.

Mom and Mikayla Ice cream was a well-appreciated treat after walking through the garden in 107 degree heat.
Taylor, Mikayla, and Torey in their matching tanks.
Dad and Mikayla
Micah and Dad waiting for the water-fountain show at the Bellagio.

In the mall, the floors were so shiny that Micah would see the reflection and not dare to walk. He thought he was going to fall into the floor. I'm not sure what kind of phobia this is, but it was hysterical.

Mikayla and Micah waiting for the thunderstorm show in the mall.

Thursday was our last day in Vegas. We spent the day visiting the nearby casinos and shops. The kid's favorites were M&M World, the lions at MGM, and the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay.

Kaleo and the kids pet the stingrays at the Shark Reef...I was happy just watching! Of course Micah found some cool motorcycles.

The M&M race car at M&M World Before leaving town, we ate at a restaurant called Dick's. The name says it all...they're known for being very rude. Our waitress made these hats for the kids.

Mikayla: "I fart in the tub"

Micah: "I eat my boogers"

Father's Day 2008

2008-07-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

On the morning of Father's Day, we went golfing with the Farrell's, Reid's, and Bradshaw's. It was an easy Par 3 at South Suburban and we all had a great time.

Happy Father's Day to our wonderful husbands and fathers.

Greg, Kaleo, Craig, and Travis

The lucky ladies:

Jen, Jen, Kelly, and CindyKaleo and Greg playing with their clubs

Watkins Race Track

2008-06-03T11:40:00.001-07:00

June 1, 2008: We went out to Watkins Race Track with the Bradshaws and the Farrells. 3 big Fords and a trailer full of quads. We had a blast! The kids are getting really comfortable racing over the jumps.

Grant getting ready to ride.

Mia following Taylor's lead. Craig leading the pack. Cindy showing her skills.

Cindy, Jen, and Kelly

Mikayla leading Greg and Renner

Kaleo tuning up his bike.

"You coming Dad?"