02.27.2011: Snow Day in Phoenix

Sunday, I woke up not feeling too great....definitely a cold coming on from the change in temps outside. We spent most of the day laying around the house, me taking cold meds. Then we heard on the news that it had snowed in Cave Creek....which is literally a 15 min drive from our house. So, Vince wanted to take a little road trip late in the afternoon....mostly just to get out of the house. It had been freezing all morning, and rained all night the night before. So, we took a drive....and actually found some amazing snow!!! It was everywhere!!! So, we drove to this little golf course that was closed due to all the snow on it....parked on the side of the road...climbed thru the fence.....walked around in it...threw some snowballs at each other, and even built a little snowman!! We even brought the little guy home with us....he didn't make it all the way, but he sure had a great ride!!! :)

See the golf pin at the top of the hill??

We weren't the only ones! It was actually a lot more snow than I expected....I thought we would just see some patches from the road...had no idea it was going to be this much!! Our little buddy!!

Vince and his new friend...

Cruising in style...loving the view!

We weren't out there long, but what a GREAT treat for us!!! It was late and the sun was about to go down...but we were soooo glad it we decided to go for a little drive. Wished we could have had all the kids with us....but it was too late to try to round them up. Boooo :(

02.26.2011: Football and Seafood Gumbo

Saturday we got up and went to Andrew's last football game. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics...but Andrew did get a kickoff, got the ball, and ran with it!! He did really good and had a blast! It was a bit chilly though...nice day for us in Feb! Andrew had lots of fun playing flag football....and improved so much throughout the season! While we were at the game, Vince and I were talking to Olivia about the wonders of being able to buy fresh seafood....and how we couldn't find a place here in AZ. So on the way home, we started seeking out a fresh seafood place in Phoenix....yes, an oxymoron being in the middle of the desert & all...oh well....you would think there would be SOMEPLACE that ships it in fresh. Well, we couldn't find one! But, not being able to get off the seafood kick, we decided we just HAD to make fresh seafood gumbo for dinner tonight. Never having made it before, I did a little research online...and created my own recipe with the best of all recipes that I found. Since our favs are king crab legs, lobster and shrimp...those were must-have ingredients. And of course the veggies and smoked sausage as well. So, I began my concoction....and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!

I had never made it before, and hope that I don't ever forget this recipe! It was prob in my top 5...ok, maybe 3 of all-time best meals I have made. The taste was truly undescribable....amazing doesn't due it justice. Yes, I will be bragging about this one for months & months to come!!! We had leftovers for 2 days...and all I have to say is WOW. I will be recreating this little piece of heaven again soon....I hope!!

02.19.2011: Brianna Turns 5...Going on 15!!!

Can you believe that Brianna is already 5 years old??? Where is the time going?? I swear just the other day she was being born!! Doesn't help that she acts grown too!! We all had a little birthday party for her at Brent & Alisa's house. Olivia was in town...and Mom & Dad drove out for the weekend to celebrate. Brianna saw a picture of a rainbow cake in a magazine and decided that she wanted a rainbow party....so rainbow is what she got!! Alisa did a great job on the cake (see the inside layers later down in this post)!!! Brianna was star of the party...and I think she had a great day!!

The pony & rainbow cake

Birthday girl... Boys are always in the kitchen snacking!

Brent grilling some dogs...that's a LOT of dogs!

Guys watching the kiddos playing in the yard.

Makayla & Brianna

See...guys still in the kitchen snacking!

Girls dinner table....no boys allowed!

Boys dinner table....wishing they could hang out with the girls :)

Vince and I got her this Wii dance game....since we knew her & Andrew wanted it. She was soooo excited to open it! Said it was JUST what she always wanted! :)

PILLOW PET!!! Think this was from Andrew :)

The suspense...

Ray & Lois brought the kids some little gifts they got at the museum. The boys got this little spiiner tops that make noise & let off crazy lights...very cool...they liked dancing around it as it spun!

She even blows out candles pretty :)

See....amazeballs cake!!! Gorgeous!

Very happy birthday girl!!!! She had a GREAT evening!!

02.13.2011: Headed Back to AZ

After a great action-packed weekend, on Sunday, it was time for us to pack up the troops and head back to AZ. Mom, Dad, Ray, Lois, Vince and I went out to brunch at El Torito. Of course the all-you-can-eat buffett had us all stuffed, and our bellies ready for a nice long drive home. Thank goodness Vince was the driver :)

Before we headed out of town, we went over to Gramma & Papa's to say goodbye. You could tell the brothers had a great weekend with each other!! Vince and I were glad to be able to bring Ray & Lois out to Cali with us....they were truly a pleasure to ride with!! Already looking forward to doing it again next year when they are in AZ for the winter. Ray and Vince talked non-stop in the front seats...and Lois & chatted in the back. I got to hear more stories about Gramma & Papa "The Early Years" than I ever had before. Also, got to get caught up on all the other Riedman family gossip, as Ray & Lois really keep in touch with all the family back in ND & Minnesota. It was a GREAT trip & great weekend!!

02.12.2011: Family Dinner with the Riedmans

Gramma & Papa, Shelly & her boys and their families, and Tina all came over to Mom & Dad's house to visit with Ray & Lois and have dinner together. We had a great time catching up, listening to everyone tell stories about Papa & Ray growing up....listening to Ray keep calling Papa Jim :) I think everyone had a blast!! Papa looked better than we had seen him in a long time...enjoyed socializing with Ray....and thanked Vince and I a million times for bringing his brother out to visit him. He truly had a great time with him.

Still hard to get a picture of Papa without him putting his hand in front of his face. Little did we know...he was ahead of the times....perfecting the paparrazzi pose!!! Now, it is popular! Who knew Papa was so trendy! :)

A normal pic too...

After dinner, we went in the house and watched some old movies that Shelly had brought of their trip out to North Dakota to visit Ray & Lois, Father John, MaryAnn & Kent, Gramma Lynne...and Gramma & Papa's old homes they grew up in. They went to both of their childhood farms....saw where the old schoolhouse was....the old family cemetery....where Papa had to walk 10 miles in the snow uphill both ways to get to school, etc.....it was pretty cool watching the videos. Someday I would like to go back to ND to see some of our family history there. I love history anyways and am soooo interested in learning more about my own. Someday....

02.12.2011: A Day At The Beach....

Ray and Lois were staying with Mom and Dad for the weekend....and had a few hours before the family dinner that night....so they all drove down to Newport so Ray & Lois could see the ocean. It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day!! We were still over at Christina's so they had breakfast near the pier...walked around a little, then came over to Christina's place for a little bit. It was such an amazing day that I am sure they wished they could have just laid on the beach all day! But, they had to get back to get ready for the dinner!!

Ray checking out the fishing...

Ray & Lois... Ray, Dad & Lois...

Vince and I stayed in Newport for the afternoon to hang out with Christina, Lex, and Justice a little more. We ended up sitting on the beach for a bit...Lex and Justice kicked the soccer ball around in the sand...the rest of us had margaritas and enjoyed the view. For such an amazing day, we were bummed we didn't bring swimsuits. Shoot, I didn't even have shorts....wasn't expecting sun all weekend!! The Cali coast was gorgeous though....lots of people out getting the benefit of an early start on their tans!! We stayed out there for a little while, then headed back to Riverside for the dinner with the family. Lex needed some alone time anyways to study for his boards coming up...so it worked out well!

Fully clothed beach people...we used to make fun of those people growing up...obviously not from around here....next time we will be better prepared!

Will someone please come play with me??

Grandad & grandson moment....searching for shells

Standard shot...

02.12.2011: Bloody Marys & Breakfast Burritos

Sat morning, Vince and I woke up early and went for a walk on the beach....ya, I could get used to that!! Why no pictures? To just torture myself later....no thanks. My memory will have to be good enough this time. Later in the morning, Christina & Lex wanted to take us out to a hearty breakfast. We ended up going to a little place called Three-Thirty-Three (333) right on the balboa bay. They had a major bloody mary bar where you could create your own concoction! It was amazing...they should have given us our own pitchers instead of glasses...with all the "salad" we put in them, they needed their own pitcher! So good!! Oh, and for breakfast, they also do a "build-your-own" breakfast burrito. There were lists of items that you can put in your burrito....again, amazing! And they were HUGE. YUM!

My beautiful bloody....