we did and we won!!!!

i am so excited!!

afterwards----



our trohpy!! kind of nasty looking!!



when i dipped my prom queen!!!

i look so nervous!!! this is the pic that was in the fargo forum!!

my beautiful date!!!

i stil can not believe we did it!! we fell for a lack of a better word in the the freezing cold water in the middle of a cold MN winter!!!!

the polar plunge for the boys and girls club of detroit lakes mn was on saturday!!! Ron a friend of ours from here (well recenlty moved to fargo) was such a great partner!!! he dressed in a purple 90's prom dress, necklaces, bracelets, purple and whilte striped tights, a head band and a pink boa!!! now who could not love this man!??!?! he is single too!!! anywho i digress!!
we went as prom king and queen, he obviously the queen and me the king in my retro blue pants, bow tie, and suspenders with my hat!!! we did a little dance and then i dipped him --and we fell back in to the water!! the water was about 33degrees!! we even ended up winning the costume contest!! we have a trophy (traveling trophy) and $100!!! we had so much fun--he promised me he would be my plunge partner for life!!!!

here are some highlights!!

it is on like donkey kong!!!!

it is official---
t minus 3 hours i am jumping into the COLD detroit lake!!! i do not know who decided this was a good fundraiser but i am sure excited about it!!!
pictures to come!!!

i miss summer!!!

postponed

the DL boys and girls club polar plunge has been rescheduled... the forecast for tomorrow is 15 below with 50mph wind!! :) yikes stripes! anywho last night one of my girlfriends and i decided to take the challenge and do it!! the water is only about 39 degrees and who knows what the air temp will be but i am guessing not much better than 20!!! :) we are dressing up and you will see pics next weekend! :)
this soudns so dorky but true--we are headed to a bonspeil (A bonspiel is a curling tournament, traditionally held outdoors on a frozen freshwater loch. The word comes from the Scots language [1] and means league (or alliance or household) match (or game).
it is not going to be outdoors THANK GOD!! if it was i am not sure i would be going tonite!
but that is our fun for the night!! :) drew decided not to play but a bunhc of our friends are--so we are going for support. I guess the canadians that come are pretty good and entertaining to watch!!! :)

more....

today 2.7.08

nothing to say but some fun pages to post from camp--i got done more this year in one day that i did all last year the whole weeekend!!!

this made my day--maybe week or even month!!!

http://scrapjacked.blogspot.com/2008/01/gmacjack-winnerambarker.html
check out this link!!
i won scrapajcked this month!!
this is one of my very favorite websites!
twice a month these amazing group of women--jack someones scraobook layout and then make their own version. we the blog stalkers then do our version! it is such an inspirational place to get ideas! they then pick a winner--and we get fun prizes in the mail.
i just got home from scrapbook camp and went on the site and say i won! i ran downstairs with my labtop to show drew--- he thinks i am nuts! but anywho i am so excited!!!!

a few pics....

me and my nephew cooper!!! isnt he the cutest?!?!?! i bribed him to hang out with me with that popsicle!! it worked!

my adorable niece kobey and her friend adrian--or and she says A-D-R-I-A-N--everytime i meet her she tells me how to spell it!

off to scrapbook camp!

so excited for 5pm to get here! the girls are coming to pick me up and we are off to brainerd-to sugar leaf retreat! this is our third year going to this camp! it is so great! big tables, massage chair, great kitchen and just so cozy!!! so exicted to go back!

cold cold cold

i was so hoping wishing and praying for a minnesota vacation day! (ie-a day where it is so cold, windy and snowing so hard we do not leave home-this only happens in the midwest)
it was -44 degrees below today with the wind chill.... now with that temp we all should stay inside--but we do not get that vacation day--- WE ARE CRAZY!!!!
well even though i know my minnesota vacation day will not come now tomorrow--i can still pray for some of that snow to come our way! i would love to lay on the couch most of the day watch lifetime movies which always end the same way (but i still love them) and i always sit in suspense!

had a great weekend @ the birdwells! got to watch this kids (got to be mimi)-work on our spoiled rotten line book-help mandy with a photo shoot-cosco shopping-passed my first song on guitar hero-beat my brother in law in wii bowling (he takes it so seriously) i love beating him! but a highlight of the trip was a having a 7 hour lunchwhich then turned into dinner too with my sister! who could of thought you can sit down for lunch and not leave until they close! there are not many people i could sit with all day (@ a bistro) and have nothing to talk about for the first 10 minutes b/c we are both so tired and hungry and then end up staying all day!! we had so much fun though! she is truly my best friend--i could not ask for a better sister and friend! love her! thanks mandy!

Scrapjacked!

this was a great scrapjack Gretchen!

so much fun!

can not wait for the next one! this really gets me motivated to get some scrapping done!

TGIF

i love fridays! today especially b/c i am still @ home in my pj's-- not trying to be lazy but i have a conference call and i am waiting to leave until after!! so yes i will work!

we are staying home again this weekend-then for the next months it feels like we will be constantly gone.... i have scrap camp, a weekend @ the birdwells. drew has 2 weekends of fishing one in brainerd and one in lake of the woods!! so we need to stay home and relax!

i think tonite we are going to go to JUNO-- i can not wait to see it! some of our friends said it was great-- and even sam the husbnad said it was good so i think that made drew feel better about going!

stay warm all! wind chill advisory today!! yikes i think i would rather lay by the fireplace all day!

i love this pics---they make me smile!!

jake and oliver watching the birds @ mom and dad's-- they sat there for ever!!! so cute

me and lisa @ her wedding in Sept!!! love this picture--she was a gorgeous bride!!!

some random layouts!

sitting @ home tonite with my hubby---trying to get some scrapping done....but instead of finishing a page i just look @ stuff--start a page and then start a new one.. we have camp in 3 weeks--so i gotta start getting organized....

last night my dad came to stay---he met me @ bowling. so her got to drink beer and hang out with us girls all night!! we had so much fun!!! we only one the last game--we were close on the other 2--it would have been so great to win b/c we were playing the ******'s --- they are so mean to us and well to everyone else too!! but so glad came to stay--it is always good to have him around! we got some more shelves installed in our pantry and in one closet too---now we can get organized! thanks dad!! love you!

JessJack

Loved this Jack!! Jessica's work rocks!!!

all of the layouts have been so fun!

happy new year

back to work we went.....so glad the weekend is here already!!
looking forward to my next vacation already!!!

we had a great vacation..i was off for 2.5 weeks.. there is nothing better than that!

the first couple of days we were home and then (skipped a wedding the friday b/f xmas) then headed to mom and dads on the farm from sat till tuesday christmas morning!!!

there is nothing better than being home on the farm with the whole family---sleep in my own bed again..... well actaully that is not how it went this time..

the first night we were the only ones home so far so we got my room....

sunday niight we got the loft living room.... i slept on a blowup and drew on a couch and soon after i was on the other couch.. my bed deflated... then the last night we got a room again... i ave decided we need to have triplets so we then are in first with the most kids and we would get a room..... not sure if that is the way it would actaully work--the would have to get some more cribs in the baby room--i do not know if they are up for that?

anywho....

then chrsitmas day we headed off to drews aunt and uncles in north fargo. we spent the day there with this whole family-- played games (no one will ever forget hummdinger now) and then we went back to his parents for the barker family christmas. so all 6 of us were together for the night.
it all went to fast. we wait and wait all year for chsritmas and then it comes and goes like nothing... i guess that is what happens every year though!

celebreated new years w/all of our friends from here in DL----a great party and a great excuse for sleeping the whole next day!

i almost forgot----i had a huge project on vacation-- i painted our basement..... the waynes (?) coating, ceilings and walls.....
what a project... it took we 3 whole days but it was so worth it-- it looks so much better!

simple scrapbooks

This month in simple scrapbooks they had the winners or the SKINNY COW contests--- they only put in first prize--so they did not publish us second place winners---but it was cool to see the winners in there!!! maybe next time!

us

we had a little christmas last night!! we tried to take a pic with all 4 of us on the timer!! this is the best we could get!! asia and bailey were both frieking out! in this pic it looks like bailey is about to attack drew!! it was a riot!

love our xmas card

mandy took some great pics for us--and then designed our christmas card!!! i loved it so much i thought i should post it!!!

got a lot done this weekend!!!

stayed home all weekend-- got so much done

made caramels!!! even found a pressurer cooker @ the thrift store!!! (3 batches) one is in the garbage!!! what a project-- mom told me it was a process but i did it anywho!!!

made 3 batches of buns!

wrapped all of the presents
cleaned the house!!!

caught up on all of my tivo'd shows!

took a nap

sewed---for spoiled rotten

i think that might be it!

oh went grocery shopping too!! twice even

got a ton of pics of the cats!! i know you all would rather see pics of a baby or cute kids but this is all you get from us!! they sure are cute though arent they!?!??!

drew went snowmobiling saturday with a couple of other guys from DL--would have been a perfect day but the clutch went out on his ride @ about 3--- so now more than 45 miles down... good thing they guy riding my sled had to go to a christmas party so drew jumped on that one! they had a great time and did not get in till 11pm!!! :)

friday he also went fishing here out on the lake--caught one walleye! :) i did not see it so i can not confirm how big it actauly was or even if he caught one?!?!?!

2 more days of work for me!! yipee-- i love vacation!

the weekend b/f with jay & tracy!

our night with jay and tracy!! this is our self pic of our serious face!!! :) we had so much fun in the Chester with them!!! Hope to see them both real soon again!

weekend w/the buzicks--GO SIOUX!!!

We spent friday night @ the SIOUX hockey game with our friends the buzicks!!! we had a great time watching the sioux beat te GOPHERS!!! it was a good game--well the 3rd period was...
after the game--we went back to the buzicks and celebrated our annual christmas together with presents and games!!! we always have such a good time when we four are together!

Scrapjacked!!!!

Loved this jack! here is my take on this--

this is my adorable niece miss jayden!! god i love this girl!!!

the pics are by mandy birdwell photography!! (my sister) she is an amazing photographer!! and the mother of miss j!!

a page

watched desperate housewives-----yikes!!! i am so confused--that many people could not have died in one show----i want it to be next sunday!!!

there is no place like home...

we are home again from our 5 day adventure.
wednesday we left for alexandria and stayed over @ the holiday inn---thursday i worked in alex and had a lunch in sauk centre-- drew worked form the hotel and then hung out @ a coffee shop when i was @ my lunch-- what a trooper--he was there for 2.5 hours!! :) oops
then thursday we left for mnpls and stayed @ the birdwell hotel-it was so strange being there w/o them!! strangely quiet---so much more fun with the kids to run after!!! friday when drew was done with his appts and i was done @ home goods (gosh i love that store) we left for Rochester--our friend jay lives there!!! went out to eat with him/tracy and two of our other friends that live there!! with the storm coming in we left early sat morning for mason city---the rodes were not too bad---we got lucky since we left so early!
got to our hotel and took much needed naps! then off to the wedding!! w/the ice storm about half of the guests came!! we had a great time though! it was @ the SURF-where buddy holly palyed his last conert b/f he flew out and was killed---there is a big dedication to him and all of the others that have played there!! so neat!
today we left early again and got to the cities on the ice---
met the birdwells in alex @ caribu----got to play with the kids--they were needing some energy exerted!! i think we got that acomplished!!! :) mimi is good for one thing!
so now we are home-
asia and bailey are so HAPPY!!!!---
drew is out blowing the driveway--he could not wait to get that done!! he just loves doing that! not exactly sure why but as long as i do not have to do it i am ok!!! :)
well----
so glad to be home!
have some fun pics to put up!!
gotta go get my xmas cards addressed-- love them so much i can not wait to send them!!
love