Travel Anticipation and Excitement! Sidebar; An Interview too!

I'm up way too early, partly because of a growling stomach. I cannot sleep when I am so hungry. Also because I will soon be traveling. So you combine the two and it's very hard for me to get back to sleep so I thought I would blog while I am getting some sustenance (like that Manda?) ;) I had to through that in for my little sister since I put that on fb the other day and she just loved that I said sustenance. =)

Anyway, traveling you ask? Well, a dear friend of mine that I have had since preschool is moving away from Colorado soon. We will no longer live in the same town much less the same state by the end of July! It will be an adjustment and sad that we won't get to see each other whenever we want but I am also so excited for her. The accounting firm she's worked for the last few years has business in Denver and Atlanta. A few months ago she found out that they will be closing the Denver offices so she decided to let them know that if they had a position for her in Atlanta that she would be willing to transfer. Well, thankfully, especially in this job market right now she can keep her same job, it will just be in a whole different state!

So recently she offered me the opportunity to be able to meet her out there during a training week she has to do before she moves so that way she would have a friend (her Mom couldn't make it) to help her find a place to live. Thanks to her company paying for everything as well as my wonderful hubby and in-laws taking care of the boys, I am able to fly out there this afternoon and spend the weekend with her apartment hunting! I am so excited that I get to go help her and see her new city, especially because I have no idea when I will be able to visit her once she is settled.

The stress of not knowing what our future holds when jobs are uncertain these days and your spouse is in great need of one is starting to get to me. I'm doing the best I can with the positive attitude God graced me with but it can still be a challenge. But what would life be like if we didn't have those, boring I'm sure. Anyway, we do have some good news on the job front. Dave has an interview for a position he wasn't even sure would be a fit for him. The speaker at his last networking meeting is looking for someone to put in a sales position. Dave thought, 'Oh, that doesn't sound like a fit for me' so he didn't outright apply for it. Well, after the guy did his schpeal Dave went and talked to him because while he was working as an assistant with Northwestern Mutual he had talked to this guy over the phone since he was one of his employers insurance clients and just wanted to say hi. Well the guy remembered Dave and told him he should send him his resume since he had worked at Northwestern Dave would be the type of person he was looking for! Well, we'll see what happens. Dave and I are both hopeful of course, but we have learned not to get them too high. We're also a bit leary of it possibly being a high commision paying job. We'll cross that road when we come to it. His interview is Wednesday so please keep him in your thoughts! We'll let you know once we know anything. Take care and have a great weekend everyone!

Our Eli Pie is no longer a preschooler! Yay and sniff, but mostly yay!

Well, I know it's been two weeks tomorrow that this happened but with so much to blog for a change I'm doing everything in the order it happened. You could call that OCD tendencies of mine if you like, I do. ;) Anyway, here's Brendan on his last day of preschool May 28th. His teacher Cindi had a cute little ceremony for him. He was the only one in his class this year that's moving on to Kindergarten so it was all about Brendan!

Kindergarten here I come!

We still haven't heard from Kruse which we choiced into and he is the very next on the waiting list which has been the case since February. So as of right now he is going to O'Dea which is our neighborhood school and core knowledge. We really like both schools but I have found myself wishing and hoping for Kruse to call, mostly because we already know a good handful of kids that go there including a couple who used to go to preschool with Brendan and will also be in K this year. As well as our neighbor friends two little girls go there and they love it! Maybe sometime this summer we will get the call and if not then O'Dea is what's meant to be, it's not in our hands until we get a call.

Brendan with his other classmates and preschool teacher Cindi!

A Spontaneous Date with my Hubby!

Our impromptu concert date night thanks to Dave and 93.3 in Denver! When I was still in Pueblo on Sunday, May 24th little did I know Dave had entered a contest on a whim when he was listening to a rock station based in Denver! All he had to do was text Gwen to a number that 93.3 FM gave out on the air and he was in a drawing for free concert tickets to The No Doubt concert with Paramore opening for them. Well, Dave answers his phone Tuesday morning, the 26th and is getting more and more excited as he is talking to someone on the other end. Now, for those of you who know Dave has been unemployed since last November and has been plugging away on the job hunt, you might be like me and think, "Yay, he's finally got another interview, yay, yay, yay". Well, obviously that was not the case and I did proceed to give him great grief for it the rest of the day. Thankfully, Grandma Joyce was able to watch the boys for us that Wednesday night so we could go down to Denver and enjoy a concert date courtesy of 93.3 FM and Dave just figuring he had nothing to lose by trying! We've never won concert tickets before so it was quite the treat and we had loads of fun!

Memorial Day

Okay, I know Memorial Day was a little over a week ago and I wanted to post this then but obviously that did not happen. I've always known that Memorial Day was set up as a day to remember fallen soldiers who have given their lives for our country and each year I do think of them even more than normal because of it and greatly appreciate their sacrifice. I hope this does not make anyone think I'm trying to lessen the meaning of soldiers and what they do for us and our country but just to share with you what it means to me. As I get older Memorial Day means even more to me as I also see it as a day to remember everyone who has passed away, whether a close part of my life or not!
A year ago it came to mean more to me and I would like to share with you why because it is what prompted me to even start this blog. Kim and her husband Gary did not serve their country in the military sense but they did have big hearts and were very loved by their family and friends. Kim and I were acquaintances in high school, we both sat by each other in Chemistry and were in Les Jongluers choir together. We weren't best friends and lost touch after high school but were able to reconnect at our 10 year reunion in 2007. We had been emailing on occasion and I had checked out her blog a couple times. It had been a couple months since I last got in touch with her and she had been on my mind more than usual when my friend Shannon asked me if I had heard yet what happened and then informed me that Kim and her husband had been killed by a tornado in Kansas while on their way to visit family for the Memorial Day weekend! They were traveling late at night on Friday the 23rd when they hit a big storm, unfortunately they probably had no idea until it was too late that they were actually right in the path of the tornado that would claim their lives. From what I remember reading in one of the articles was that they had even done the right thing by stopping on the side of the road to wait out the storm. Hearing about that hit me a little more than normal because she was my age and what happened really could happen to any of us! So I just wanted to share and let you all know about Kim and that she is the reason I started blogging. That way we could be more accessible to our family and friends as a great way of keeping up-to-date with us and also as a way for me to remember a dear classmate and re-newed friend.


Clockwise from top left; Shannon,
Audrey, Kim, myself


Myself and Kim
(these pics are from our HS reunion)

Happy Birthday Dad and Congratulations to my younger but certainly no longer little brother Keith!

Our most recent trip down to Pueblo was certainly a fun-filled and busy one! It's hard to believe that was already a week and a half ago. May 22nd was my Dad's birthday and May 23rd was Keith's graduation from Pueblo County High School. If anyone wonders where my hubby is in these pics it's because he's had to stay home. =( Dave has only been able to come down to Pueblo for one day in the last year or year and a half (I can't even remember) which is a big bummer and we all miss him when he's not with us to visit family but hopefully we can change that real soon! At least the boys and I got to spend time with my Dad, stepmom Sue, brothers, sister and a few Aunts, Uncles and cousins! We got to spend two days in a row with them, helped with preparations for Keith's party as well as visit and ate good food with everyone. The boys also got to play in a kiddie pool on Friday which they really enjoyed but I spaced the camera for that. My brother Jon made some yummy Salmon for our Dad's birthday with brown sugar and dijon mustard (with or without honey, I can't remember) and grilled it. I'm going to try and duplicate that one the next chance I get! And my sister Amanda made the yummy pinwheels that she is so good at for Keith's party. I had the chance to write that recipe down and didn't even think of it until later. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have more chances. Unfortunately just as we (10 of us!) were all about ready to eat Dad's b-day dinner out on the deck a downpour started so we all dashed inside. Thankfully for Keith's graduation and party the rain barely stayed away so all of us and his many guests were able to stay outside, it was a beautiful day! The boys definitely slept well each of those nights and after we left Saturday night Brendan was already asking when he would get to see Jon's girlfriend Emily again. This was the first time the boys and I were able to meet her and Brendan developed a quick crush on Emily! I have about 4 or 5 pics of her that he took himself. Both the boys had a good time getting her to play with them! Brendan, Carter and I all had a really good time with everyonw and look forward to when we get to come again, I'm hoping for very shortly after the 4th of July. I just couldn't stand to be without Dave on our anniversary, sorry Keith. Maybe we can spend a different 4th of July with our family in Pueblo when Dave is able to make it down with us! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pics. Be posting again real soon! ;)


The Birthday Man! :)


The High School Graduate with his proud older sister Alyssa! :)

Carter, Alyssa and Emily

My brother Jon and his girlfriend Emily

My sister Amanda and our Dad

Brendan, Grandma Sue, Pop and Carter

Keith and his class; Keith receiving his silver cord, good job bro!

Nice glasses Keith! Keith receiving his actual diploma!

Uncle Mark and Carter
(he took anxious boy for a
walk for me) Thanks Mark!

Later, I also had to take mister

antsy pants for another one.

Brendan did really good even

though he did keep changing who

he sat next to. Hopefully in three

years for my sisters graduation

they'll both be really good!

Carter took this pic of the cute couple

Family hanging out at the graduation party!

Survival and Tracking

Back near the middle of May Dave heard about a free event that might be good to take the boys to. The Larimer County Search and Rescue had an Open House with different things to do and learn. I wasn't in the best mood to be going out that day but am so thankful and glad that we did.




While the boys got to see the medevac helicopter as well as do a couple fun activities the main thing we walked away with was tips and tools from a video and presentation by search and rescue volunteers to help us and our family in case any of us ever get lost hiking in the wilderness. Of course we pray that we will never have to use them but I am so happy we learned some great things since we do like to go to the mountains whenever we can. And we will implement them and go over them with the boys every time we go out hiking, camping or day trips to picnic!

To blog or not to blog? That is the first question. The second is...Should we take the invites away?

Well, I know for sure that after this post I will not be sending posts to anyone's email. All of my currently 10 readers who have accepted my invites to read our blog, plus a few of you who have not signed up because I sent them to your emails will be getting this sent to your email for the first and/or last time. This post is so that I can tell everyone at the same time what will happen with our blog.
I'm going to change things for a few reasons. First, I currently have only one friend who actually comes to our blog to read it and she is the only one who has checked out the actual page at all in almost the last month which I know thanks to sitemeter which she referred to me. Of course I have not even posted anything for a month and yet she consistently checks to see if I've posted anything new even though I only remember to check her blog a few times a month. You know who you are and I thank you so much for being my one follower! I do hope that changes though and that we will get more followers. If you're wondering how to be a follower all you have to do is go to our blog and on the right hand side scroll down to where there is a box titled Followers. Click on Follow and it will take you through the steps necessary to become one of our followers. I might just chuck this whole blog if I knew no one was reading it which brings me to another reason for change. I know a few more of you would actually like to read it to see what our family has been up to but haven't for different reasons. So, I thought since I have a way to keep track of who's reading our blog that I would take the invites away for awhile. If it looks like people we don't know are reading it then I will bring the invites back to protect our family from creepos living somewhere that I know I don't have friends or relatives. I hope that does not happen because I would hate to waste your time if you have to re-sign up all over again. I at least have every other protection I can without the invites set up, our blog doesn't go through the scroll on blogger and I have sitemeter too. If anyone knows of anything else I can do short of invites to further protect our blog from unwanted readers please let me know. Thank you all for your understanding! I have a number of things I want to post and I will be posting those new things in the next couple of days or so in order of which they happened, so please come check on us soon! Thanks everyone for your interest, I know we're not the most exciting people to read about but we do appreciate that you have read in the past and look forward to you reading about us in the future!



Love to you all! McCall Family :)



p.s. I am only able to email ten people so I had to leave a few of you off. If you did not get this in your email it is because I know there is a good chance you will get wind of my change from checking facebook and/or you are our follower.