Four Months have past...time to update!!!

 Brian and Amanda's house

This is a house that my friend, Amanda, and her husband have been building. They cut all the logs and shaved them, laid the foundation, chinked it, did everything themselves! I helped with the painting - Whoo Hoo!! Just wanted to include some pictures of their house cause I think it is adorable!

This is their sole source of heat...Brian's dad rigged something up so that they can turn a fan on and the heat from the woodstove will circulate through the heat ducts to the rest of the house. Ingenious, if I do say so myself!

This is the outside - they did something to the logs to make it look gray and weathered. This isn't a very good picture but when you look at their home it looks as if it's been there a hundred years.

Denver Stock Show - January '08

I went down to Denver for a Doctor's appointment in January and it happened to be right at the time of the Denver Stock Show!! How convenient was that!! Actually my doctor's visit was intentionally made at that time because of the Denver Stock Show! Okay anyway, here's a few pics of Dancing with the Horses.

Zorro came to visit us...

As did Roy Rogers and Trigger...

The theme of this years' Dancing with the Horses was the Friesian Horse. Here's a gal riding side saddle on a Friesian stallion.

This is the Moonlight Ride on the Moorlands in Ireland - apparently, as the legend was told, this girl wanted to get married but her father turned down man after man because they were not good enough, or rich enough, or intelligent enough. And so, for years this girl would go out on her white stallion on the moors in Ireland and ride in the Moonlight - waiting, waiting, waiting... In fact, as the legend goes, she is still waiting....

This is why I always enjoy my moonlight rides on my white steed, Kipp!!! hahaha!!! Still waiting...

My song that I sing while I ride in the moonlight is, "Do not pass me by, O Gentle Savior!!"  

Some pretty cool tricks!!

They had some incredible reining expos! This palomino was one of my favorites! There was a lady also on a horse and together they rode some freestyle reining to the song "I can do anything better than you - no you can't - yes I can." So whatever the man did, the girl on her horse did better and so forth! It was pretty cool!

Kara Lee and me!

Other fun times in Denver...

Shocking evidence that ones' brother does occasionally help out with his children's rather personal needs!! Way to go Paul!!! I especially enjoyed taking pictures while watching him 'gross out!' Did I offer to help?!?! Hee hee!! Whatever!!

Paul, Lindsay and I got together with the Olson gals at Claim Jumpers. We ordered desert....

MASSIVE Deserts!!! Deserts that add 20 lbs to your figure just by looking at the picture!! Wow!! They were huge!!!

Here is Marissa - entertaining herself!

My little Mousekins!!! What a cutey!! Takes after her Aunt Tee Tee for sure!! Especially the little pink bow on the top of her head!

Olivia found a very good way to entertain Marissa...CHOCOLATE!!! 

Pics of my nieces!!

     Lilly the Kid,

  Marissa

  & Olivia

Windstorms and hunting...

Winter hit with a force and a gale of 120 mph that blew our neighbors roof off his house and into our yard!! That morning we were heading up on Carter mountain to hunt some elk. Dad actually turned his alarm clock off cause the wind was so strong that night.

But, the next morning was beautiful and we headed out...

No luck with any elk, but we did become professional tree removers after our windstorm. We moved 7 or 8 trees and had to saw through quite a few of them with dad's hand saw. I felt like an old-time logger - Dad had other comments on the situation!! 

It started to snow and the only thing I shot that day were pictures!! We went home and had Burger King for lunch!

Finally...we saw some cow elk - as the picture definitely shows!! I shot her at about 300 yards, downhill, with the wind blowing (imagine that!) I shot this elk first but saw a puff of dirt behind her and thought I'd missed so I aimed at again and shot at 3 more elk. Dad finally called down from the hill, "I think you got one!" She was my first one that I'd shot at. Apparently, she humped up and turned the opposite direction from the other elk. Then she laid down...and a snow squall hit. We couldn't see a thing - hardly 10 feet in front of us!! So we started down the hill toward my elk - she was still alive and we thought she might get up and run off. But, Annie Oakley aim here, shot her dead center in the chest and she had no lung capacity. She was slowly dying. I shot her through the back of the head and she died!! ('Scuse the gruesomeness!!! )

Happiness is a warm gut pile and Popsy playing in it instead of me!!! I built a fire and cooked hotdogs instead!!

The next day, a friend of dad's said he would help haul my elk out with his mules. He had a horse all saddled for Dad and this nice little string of mules!

Kipp's main job was to oversee everything and make sure they were doing it right! He was satisfied!!

Heading out with my first elk!

Some more goin's on in Tiff's life...over the summer

In tribute to my trusty, faithful little dog. Cricket had to be put down in August due to some complications. I'm sure she is now running around the fields of doggy-heaven chasing the bunnies, hunting tweety-birds and eating all the people food she wants!! She was 12 years old and I miss her terribly!! She was just part of the family! This is her at Yellowtail Resevoir this summer. I think she was checking out the cookie Dad was eating!! What a dog!!!

My friend, Claire Beth, and I rode into Kerwin, WY in August. Kerwin is an old abandoned mine. We had a great time!! Picked wild raspberries, rode 9 miles or so, scared ourselves spitless of imaginary bears and just had a jolly time together! 

Kerwin, WY

At the Denver Zoo. Olivia and her uncle Timmy were having a great time together!

Lindsay's brothers and sisters at the zoo.

A beautiful fall day in October.

At the Nile Rodeo. Billings, MT.

Early summer ride with Kipp and Arlie! This was the longest Arlie had ever carried a saddle and she did great!! Hopefully next summer I'll be in her saddle!

A typical after-the-ride thing for Kipp! I think this time he was worth $2500. Everytime he rolls completely over once, he's worth $500.

This was a quilt I made for Marissa - Paul and Lindsay's little girl. It's not quilted in this picture, but it was soon to be!

Finally...some updates...

The Elliott's in Ukraine!!! Mom, Dad and I went for a 3 week trip to Ukraine in September. What an awesome trip and such good times with Jason and Anya and my newest niece, Lilly.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful!! We drove this road a number of times to and from different touristy destinations. What a trip!! Up and down hills, over, through and around pot holes the size of your front tire or bigger, into the opposite lane of traffic to pass a slower vehicle (with buses and cars coming straight at you, it was a little nerve racking for some of us!!! Grandma!!! ), and around curves that were supposed to maybe be 20 mile an hour curves, but of course, 55 or faster was adequate. Whew!!! It was awesome drive, but I was certainly always glad to arrive where we were going!!! Jason did an excellent job driving and we didn't get in any accidents!

Lunch break!! This was near some wine vineyards with the Black Sea spread all around us. In case I sound repetitious, it was Beautiful!!!

One of the views from our lunch spot. This mountain is called Bare (or Bear) mountain.

Grape vineyards were everywhere! On hillsides, and mountains. And they were in season!! Sweet, juicy, delicious...

Here we are at the Black Sea. We asked Anya's brother-in-law why it was called "Black". He told us that it is covered with coal at the bottom and when the wind blows and rocks the water, the black silt comes up to the top and makes the sea look black.

This is the Sudak Fortress. It was built around the 12 or 13th century and was used as a trading station. It was occupied by numerous different people groups and was a perfect strategically places fortress. The sea surrounds it on three sides.

My!! Are we worried?!?! Is Mommy going to drop me?? Am I pooping??

This was how little miss trooper Lilly got around on our many adventures!!

One mode of transportation in Ukraine!

Ummmm...not quite sure what we're doing here....need I make suggestions? Okay, taking a leak? Simply curious? Do I fit in the hole? Is my construction-detailed mind springing to life here?

A typical Babushka selling flowers outside a large cemetery.

Papa and Momma with Lilly.

Downtown Kiev. It was weird going from the countryside of Ukraine to the city. You from cute little homes with sheep, cattle and chickens grazing out side to clean, neat, arcitectural buildings. Once again, it was beautiful!! This was following a 16 hour train ride - ugh!!

Okay, different country now!! We stopped in New York City on the trip home and took a ferry ride right at sunset.

We also stopped in Vermont to visit my grandparents. This is the mountain where Dad proposed to Mom!! That's why my dear father has a hankie to his eyes!

We visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT. This is where the Sound of Music family came after they left Austria during WWII. Some of the family still lives and farms in Vermont.

The colors were reaching their peak when we were there in October. Gorgeous!!