Brad Paisley with pictures y'all

This was on our way out from lunch at Joe's Crab Shack
Here we are tailgating with our mug root beer ;)


I have been to a lot of concerts in my life….a lot! Brian is a country fan so I bought tickets to go to Brad Paisley last weekend. I sheepishly enjoy country music. I scarcely vocalize that point, and I almost never listen to it. Still, I like country and at one point owned a significant amount of it (right before all my cds were stolen). At any rate, I went to this concert because I knew Brian would enjoy it and I figured it would be entertaining at the very least. Oh contraire, my friends, contraire. This concert was beyond entertaining! Walk with me a moment and I will try to do justice to this experience. We arrived to the parking lot 3 hours early….that’s right, 3 hours! We were supposed to go on a boat ride in Sac, but I never found the location so we went to sleeptrain amphitheater early with high hopes of finding something, anything to do. Instead we drove around for an hour and then joined the tailgaters. When we first pulled up I was stifling my laughs as the parking lot resembled EVERYTHING I would have stereotypically ascribed to this joyous occasion, right down to the red neck hot tub (on the bed of a pick up truck). There were countless cowboy hats, boots, wranglers, jean skirts, and the entire parking lot appeared as if flannel plaid had thrown up on it. Seriously, I was thinking that I should have worn my plaid dress or something in order to fit in with the crowd. There was Coors and Budweiser as far as the eye could see with the majority of the recipients sporting lips bulging with Copenhagen. There were any number of trucks, 4 wheel drive vehicles, and bumper stickers. Additionally, the tailgaters had little grills out BBQ-ing away as they waited for doors to open. I was immediately surprised at the amount of people there. Some 15,000 people showed up to watch Brad Paisley. Brian informed me that Brad is HUGE which I now believe. Initially I couldn’t suppress pangs of hilarity as I listened to bits of conversations and watched in horror as drunks yee-hawed. But then we entered the amphitheater, and everything changed. From Jimmy Wayne (the opener) to the grand finale, I was swept away. As you know, country music is based on story songs. It is one of the few genres that listeners can deduct what is going on just by listening to the lyrics. Because of this, I felt as if I was privy to the intimate details of the lives of these musicians for several hours before I was forced to reclaim my own life and mind. It. was. Intoxicating. I didn’t know a single song Brad performed, but by the time I left, I knew him, well enough to call him Brad :) I watched, jaw dropped, as he grew from a precocious child to a furtive teenager. Through song, he enlightened me on his vulnerabilities and dreams, his goals and desires, and then…his future. I wiped tears away as he proposed to his wife and hurled me into a new dimension with the birth of his child. He lugged me along to feel the spirituality of fishing, and the hilarity in trying to stifle a boy’s desires. He supported me while he sang about the poignancy of technology and the beauty of surprise; the challenges that come with scientific advances as well as the overpowering strength of biology. Through him, I felt pride and dismay for our country. He evoked pity and embarrassment while simultaneously encouraging congratulatory sentiments for the girls of his youth. His last song, dedicated to alcohol, made me miss, (if I’m really being honest) for a split second, the familiarity of intoxication. He was believable, real, and at the end of three hours of music, he was my friend. I can’t say that I’ve ever felt that way after a concert before. There’s something so different about a country concert. I’m converted! So if anybody has the opportunity to check out a chicken kickin’ boot stompin’ bull ridin’ show… do it! You won’t be sorry!

I'm pretty sure that I don't have enough pictures of Xiana...

For Garrett's birthday we went to sushi at a place that just happened to be right next to ChuckECheese so... we made a little pit stop before we went home. Here is Xiana driving Bob around town.
The kids at Brian's house last week when he had an impromptu BBQ. The food was delicious and the company was great!

Garrett requested a pie instead of cake this year which I found to be thoroughly disappointing as I hate the seeds in berries. I tried to get Xiana on my team and regularly told her how sad it was that we weren't having birthday cake. In the end though, I think she's sold on the pie idea!
She loved it!
Yesterday Xiana came up to me and said, "mommy back hurt" and proceeded to rub my back (I'm really trying to teach her) after which she said, "mommy back feel better!" Later she pulled a leaf off of the plant and held it like a microphone while she sang her abc's. That kid is a riot! Today I was bonking her with a balloon and she got a very serious expression on her face and said, "hey, be nice!" Words to live by I tell you!

Hot air Balloons

Yet another of my childhood memories is the hot air balloon races (well, teenager and adult memories too...but those are different:) In my mind it was sooo early and soo dark and sooo cold when we dared venture to dawn patrol. This year it was still sooo early (particularly since we didn't go to bed till after midnight and then had to wake before 5) and soo dark, but not so much cold. In fact, by the time the sun rose, we had to get our of our sweatshirts fast! Xiana was so cheerful when I woke her saying, "hot air baawoons" as I had prepped her throughout the week. Once we got there, she got a little cranky, but all in all did great considering her serious lack of sleep. Mom and dad were brave enough to join us on this adventure, and I think they're glad they did. Brian's brother and niece also came making this truly a family affair! We filled up on danishes and milk and sat on the grass as we watched the fire-filled balloons enter the sky. It was beautiful!
In my memory there were more than 4 for dawn patrol and they stayed up much longer.... but memory is a tricky thing!
This is blurry, but it's the only shot I got of all four of them being lit up.
One of the most awesome things about this event is that it's free. 50,000 people come enjoy the festivities (which is only half as many as the rib cook off which illustrates peoples' priorities) Mom and dad looking very alert!
The girls were very excited running around the grass exclaiming about the balloons.
This was the first balloon near us to get filled up. It's really fascinating watching as all the balloons slowly raise from a sea of parachutes to genuine hot air balloons.
Going...going..going...
and lift off!!!!

We were fortunate enough to get a spot right next to the headliner...the energizer bunny! You can't imagine how immense this balloon is until you are right next to it. It is taller than the statue of liberty. A cheer goes through the crowd when the bunny begins to lift....it's intense!
Additionally, the bunny has a fan club of sorts. People everywhere were wearing those bunny ears. Pretty funny.
Tony the Tiger is another key feature. Xiana exclaimed "lion... tiger!"
This is right when the bunny lifted. It still had a ton of hanging balloon. It just kept growing and growing and growing.
Brian captured the wells Fargo bees holding hands. They were pretty neat and also gargantuan.
As the balloons lifted in the air, Xiana waved ecstatically yelling "hi...bye..hi..bye" Whenever someone would wave in her general direction she would get so pleased. "Guys wave mommy!"
There were something like 150 balloons that went up that day....astonishing.
There's the energizer in all his glory! So apparently it is not a race to get somewhere, instead the goal is to drop a sand bag on a target. Whoever gets their bag the closest to the target wins. The funny thing is that in all my years of attending this event, I have never once heard who the winner was. One year, when I was a kid, a balloon landed in our cul-de-sac. That was pretty exciting. This year, as we were walking back to the car, we saw a balloon land in the street in a near-by neighborhood. People were running out of their houses excitedly in their robes. I bet that in those parts, they get a few balloons in their streets every year.
Later that afternoon we went to Pyramid lake....for the first and last time. Don't let this picture of Xiana and I frolicking in the water fool you. That was the farthest we made it out into the water! There was algae as thick as mud from the top to the bottom of the water as far as the eye can see. It.was.disgusting. I tried to stomach through it and just take the plunge... but I couldn't. And you all know that if I couldn't go swimming, nobody can! So, we hung out in the back of the truck while Brian caught up on some zzzzz and Xiana and I sang songs and hung out. It was very relaxing and much needed after a sleepless night and morning.



Xiana was all tuckered out on the way home. She slept as Brian took us off road to look at antelope and deer. There were so many of them it was remarkable. With the naked eye, I would never in a million years see the animals, but Brian can spot them anywhere. It is a cultivated talent I'm sure :) We regularly have conversations that go something like this:
Brian: Do you see those deer...8, 9, 10 of them?
me: no where?
Brian: right there under the (fill in blank) by the (fill in blank) or doing (fill in blank)
(not joking...when I can't even see the darned things, he can tell me what they're doing and give me a physical description)
me: I don't see anything
Brian: (handing me the binoculars) right there!
me: Wow... there they all are.

It really is amazing that he can see them. And he is always right... even if I disbelieve him... they are always there.

Hiking

Yet another perk of living in Sparks.... you can go hiking virtually in your backyard. In Vegas Sarah and I would make a day of it when we went on a hike. Here, Brian and I have been able to head out AFTER he gets off work (4:30) and still make it back in time for dinner. It's awesome! We've gone on a few (very modest) hikes this week, much to my amusement. I love hiking. It's hunting season, and my new beau is a hunter (I know right!?) so he prepares for the season by hiking. The other day he said, "thanks for going hiking with me" to which I responded, "oh you're welcome," in a tone that indicated I was doing something so very generous for him. Talk about a win-win situation! I get to go hiking and I get brownie points for doing it. Seriously though, it is really wonderful and the weather is cooling down which is perfect for the hills. Also, there are about a baazillion trails around here: close, far, short, long, whatever?! I'm looking forward to lots more, and to having someone to go on the "lots more" with.




Brian let Xiana drive on the way out which she, of course, relished in. At first I objected, but he insisted that it is okay in the mountains. The problem now is that every time we get in the car Xiana demands, "I drive!" She was really cute though and we emphatically told her what a great driver she was to which she responded, "yeah."

Here we are another day... not a great pic...I don't know why I included it...I also don't know why I feel the need to keep it.... or to write about it...stream of consciousness I guess.

Virginia City

As I child, I went to Virginia City all the time and have many a fond memory of the place. But I must say, all things are more enchanting when you take your children to them. Suddenly, the window shopping and tourist traps become novelties that you just can't live without. First, we went on a train ride. It probably wasn't the best idea to bring the stroller to this particular part of the day as there were several flights of stairs, but we managed.



On the train we sat across from a couple from Canada. Apparently they are loaded because they talked about all the states... as in all 50 of them, and several other countries that they have visited recently. They were so nice and remarked several times that of all the places they have been, people here are the friendliest. Xiana was a bit of a pill on the ride, though I'm sure she enjoyed herself. She kept saying, "airplane."
After the train ride, we rushed up to the street for the parade. Don't get too excited... it was mainly just cars and businesses, but fortunately, we didn't miss out on this gem...
His name is Stinky, and he has a Mrs. Stinky who matches, though we missed the photo op. They held hands and marched in the parade. Then there was a civil war reenactment that was very loud and exciting. We went ahead of the hordes of people and ordered our food right before the battle ended allowing us to make it out of there almost before Xiana's meltdown.
A trip to Virginia city isn't complete without going to jail...
And often getting a newspaper with the gory details of your arrest. There is a place that prints old newspapers with hilarious headlines and inserted names.... but we didn't make it.... it was nap time.
We did get ice cream which is another must when you head the 30 minutes up the mountain to the good old miner town. Then we went to Davis Creek, the park, Sheils, the water fountains at Legends, the grocery store, and then made dinner. It was a FUN FILLED day!

Kids say the darnedest things!

Like:

• (While clearing her throat like Grandpa does in the mornings) "I copying grandpa mommy"
• Eva hurt herself and was crying. In a panic, Xiana said, "Eva crying mommy, I kiss Eva!" She then proceeded to find Eva's blankie and bring it to her accompanied by a sweet kiss.
• I asked Xiana where she got her runny nose from and she replied, "umm, in Reno."
• Brian asked her how long she napped for. She promptly told him, "two minutes" demonstrating her grasp of the correct terminology to use to answer a question of that nature.
• Her bed time is 8:30 so no matter what time it is, if you ask her it is, "eight firty"
• After petting the deer in Brian's garage one night, Xiana included in her bedtime prayers "thank you for deer." I laughed so hard she now includes that in all her prayers. Another night she was repeating after me for her prayers. It went something like this:
  

me: thank you for mama
Xiana: thank you for Brian
me: thank you for grandma and grandpa
Xiana: thank you for Brian
me: thank you for Garrett
Xiana: thank you for Brian
and, well, you get the point.

• She is really getting a handle on her prepositions and tells me all the time, " I under, I over, I inside, I out, etc etc.
• I previously wrote about how she has mastered the use of possessives by adding the s sound to the end of the noun. Following that grammatical rule, she has taken to calling things "mine's." It is adorable!
• While climbing over me again and again she told me, "scuse me mommy."
• During church she said, "I burped!" and laughed. Then, and without provocation, "Brian burp!" This was, of course, during the sacrament so it was extra quiet. She would not be dissuaded either until I finally agreed, yes, you're right (despite the fact that she wasn't)
• My uncle Wes and aunt Merna came out for a brief visit and at the end of the evening Xiana climbed onto my aunt's lap and said, "hi moyerna" much to our surprise!
• She brought me her book titled "I am a child of God" and said, "read child of God" She then sang the entire song in a really high voice. I almost cried!
• After going to the hot air balloon races she told me all day, "mommy biiiig baloons!"
  
• And finally, Xiana is using her potty all the time now. I haven't done a thing and I still put her in diapers, but several times a day she says, "diaper off" and then she does her thing...even #2! She is growing so fast and she is such a pleasure!
  

I love Sparks!

It's no secret that I always wanted to end up back in my home town of Sparks, but there's nothing quite like being away for four years to really make you appreciate a place. There are so many things to do here. Seriously, you never run out with the mountains, river, lakes, and events, there is a myriad of choices. Last week (or maybe two weeks ago, but we won't talk about the blog slacking that's been going on) we went to a Reno Aces game. It was really fun, but the best part was watching Xiana. Apparently baseball is in her blood because she never stopped cheering the entire game. She squealed with delight whenever the mascot came near. She stood up and yelled, "hi guy" repetitively. Also, there was a few guys in front of us that were trying to distract the pitcher by yelling, "fooooourty eighhhhhht" in low voices which she immediately started mimicking. She bummed peanuts off of the guys behind us and managed to eat a couple dozen. She went strong until 10:30 when it ended. She was so exhausted and was laying her head on my lap while still clapping her hands. She has so much spirit.
Next comes the rib cook off. For those of you who don't know, this is the single most gluttonous event in the world. In fact, the paper said that over the weekend 2 tons of ribs are consumed in Sparks, NV. Pretty disgusting right? Well, it is if you look at it that way, but if you just go and try all kinds of ribs and sauces, you won't think it's disgusting until at least your 4th rack.
Nicholas loves this even so much that he and his family drove from the bay area, stayed the night, and then turned around and went right back. They are die hard!
In addition to all the ribs we consumed, we also needed snow cones, onion rings, funnel cakes, and fried zucchini.
So, Xiana is TINY and will probably not be tall enough to ride carnival rides until she is 12. Fortunately for us, as long as an adult rides with her, they aren't running a very tight ship at this particular carnival. Riding the dragon and spinning as fast as we could with all of Nic and Karla's kids and Xiana was probably the highlight of my day. We went so fast and I'm pretty sure not one of us stopped giggling and screaming the entire time.
An added bonus was that since I HAD to ride with her, nobody charged me for the rides (which is so awesome because I really wanted to go on them!)
Xiana is fearless and such a big girl. The whole time we rode she yelled, "hey guys, look at me, I flying!"
To finish off an eventful day, we had to let the kids play in the fountains...
Even if it was a little cold....
Jared doesn't seem to mind a bit...

except when he found himself in the middle of the fountains right when they turned on. There was a moment of panic, but never fear... daddy to the rescue!