The "Us" Update...

It is Fall of 2010 and we are happy to be documenting our family's life in a more organized way... the regular stuff and the not-so-regular. We are currently living in Sandy, Utah where the mountains are 2 minutes away and allow us many opportunities to make quick escapes. In the summer we hike, camp and fish... in the winter we ski, some of us winter camp and the rest of us ski some more and travel other places when we can. We have lived in Alaska, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado and love our present proximity to beautiful mountains, some family and good friends. Collectively, some of our common interests are the outdoors, a love of the game of soccer, music (singing, playing and listening), learning, and we all get very excited about the possibilities of travel.

Caden is 12 and rapidly becoming a teenager. He is kind and a peacemaker. He is driven academically and loves to read and play soccer. He loves to ski and fish and really to do anything outdoors. Caden also plays the violin.

Reed is 10 and loves to be creative. He hates to throw anything away and is sure you can make something useful out of almost anything. He plays soccer and the piano. Most babies and animals are calm around Reed... he seems to have a sixth-sense with them and it is fun to watch.

Eliza is 7 and is rapidly becoming a teenager ( oh! wait... she is only 7... but would love to be 16) She is task-oriented and can be counted on to remember the minutest detail from any situation over a year ago. She plays soccer, the piano and CEO of the Stewart household.

Casey is a kind and generous father. He is a Senior Planner for Salt Lake City and loves to gear up for outdoor adventures. His biggest complaint is that there isn't more time for this and we are continually trying to simplify our lives in order to have more time to travel and play. Much easier said than done.

And I... Krisa, love to examine continually what life is presenting to me and what I need to do about it. I love music, creating new things, the outdoors and good conversation. I love to teach my kids and have thought-provoking discussions with them ( that go both ways), I love trying to figure out ways to be more flexible and go with the flow, and truly my greatest joy is experiencing life with the people that are in my own. I developed a business a year ago that is still in phase one... www.thesavvysak.com. These "ring totes" are in several stores as well as the hands of good friends and family. My ultimate goal is to sell the bags with customized quotes and designs on them. This will be phase two.

Fall 2010, Fishing in the Uintahs, Soccer, Friend's visit, etc.

If there is one thing about living in Utah that is unbeatable... it is the amazing proximity to the mountains and opportunity for supreme recreating. We took a quick day trip to the Uintah mountain range for some 4 -wheeling and fishing. Other events... good friends both lose both front teeth, early morning soccer games ( just look at those half-closed eyes), dressing up like princesses and a visit from our good friends The Hughes.

Our Summer Adventures/ Denver

After visiting Fort Collins we had some calm, relaxing time visiting with Grammy and Papa, Kari, Steve, Conner and Olivia. We played cards and swam and shopped and ate! We celebrated cousin Conner's 11th Birthday and I spent a day painting and re-decorating my niece Olivia's room as an early birthday present (the picture is of the mural we were painting over and I painted for her when she was 6). We also spent a night with Grandpa and P.J. and played a game of RISK on the deck with an electric lamp for light. While there... our car had major issues and we were so grateful for Grammy and Papa's taxiing efforts and gracious hospitality. Casey and I also had a getaway to Estes Park for a couple of days to celebrate 15 years of marriage... Loved it!

Arapahoe High School Class of 1990 Reunion/ Mt. Evans

The finale of our Colorado vacation was my 20 year High school reunion. It started with 4 friends in a condo at Frisco, Colorado. We had a great time reminiscing, going to dinner and staying up late chatting. While I was away... Casey took the kids up to Mount Evans. The next night was a gathering at The Ritz Carlton in a friend's suite and then heading to Lodos bar where the core of our 1990 High school class met up. I was the designated driver for our group and got home at 3 a.m. ( A little exhausting for this "usually goes to bed by 10" mother of 3, considering I had another event to attend at 10 a.m. in the morning.) We met up at 10 a.m. for a High school tour with my former principal ( which was a highlight and totally fascinating i.e. remodels, goals for the school and the fact that the principal looked better than he did 20 years ago) and then headed to Cherry Knolls Park for a BBQ. That night we had a nicer fare at The Lobby restaurant downtown, complete with a slide show of High school pics and music for dancing. Exhausted... we headed to our new home in Utah the following morning. I think recovery took 2 weeks :) just in time for school to start.

Our Summer Adventures/ Ella's 1st Birthday and Fort Collins

The day after returning to Grammy and Papa's from Leadville, we headed to cousin Ella's first birthday party. We hadn't seen her in a few months and were totally absorbed by her. She unwrapped gifts with ease and ate cake with everyone watching. Then... she sat in her pool and played while everyone sat around her and watched. She was totally content the entire time... awww sweet Ella!

In Mid-July we headed to our old hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado for 4 days. We stayed in the Everett's barn, loved visiting with friends, playing croquet, eating at Hu Hot, watching the fox get comfortable on the neighbors house and attending a Pioneer picnic where we got to see lots of old friends! We even sold our lot of land that had been for sale for two years while we were in town!