Move over Tim "the tool man" Taylor.....

Brian and I decided that we were sick and tired of the cold so we stayed in side and tackled our basement. Our first home improvement project! This is the before..... This is the after!!! wow!!!.....................................

We also put a ceiling fan in our bedroom!
And put a mantel in the hallway with a mirror.....
We couldn't of done it without out the help of our friends Ben & Jenna! Ben helped us with the finishing work (molding) and Jenna assisted me in carpet tile! Thanks guys! It was a fun weekend!

Iditarod here we come....

Today Brian & I took a leasurly drive up to Boyne Highlands to do a "once in a lifetime" adventure...sled dog adventure with the Iditarod racing team! See the pictures below!



This team will be led by Jake Berkowitz (our musher today) and will be leaving for Alaska in 3 days to race the Iditarod! It was SO cool talking to Jake about all he and the dogs have to go through. You can check out the race at http://www.iditarod.com/ , learn more about it and track Jake's progress along the 1150 mile race, which starts March 1st! Brian and I had so much fun! Brian's favorite dog was Dash (he is in the picture above-the black one on the right) and mine was Superior (the big orange one-he was the biggest dog) both will be racing with Jake, along with 14 other dogs. Now we are relaxing, eating some white chicken chili I made and preparing for the snow storm we are about to get tonight, 10-12 inches w/ice expected! wowsers! happy snowy weekend! Love, Katie

Slip Sliding Away

So yesterday I rear-ended a car leaving work. We had about 6 inches of snow on the ground, all on top of ice. I wasn't speeding; I wasn't on my cell phone; I was paying attention. I was unlucky though. My slow speed was not slow enough. Before I knew it I was sliding helplessly toward the stopped car in front of me and then CRUNCH! On Valentine's Day nonetheless. The good news...No injuries. In fact, no damage to his car. However, my trusty Buick Regal needs a face lift to get back to perfection.

I look at this as my official christening as a Traverse City resident. I guess you know you live in Northern Michigan when you tell people about your accident and they proceed to talk to you for 15 minutes about their countless rear-end jobs, 360 degree spinouts, and "ice-capades."

I'll chalk this one up to Old Man Winter, who seems to be a bitter, bitter man this year. Then again, I hear the same old line everyday up here: "this is nothing." Perspective is everything I guess. And, from my perspective, this is something and I am ready for Spring. Nonetheless, I guess this is the price I pay to live in what many call "God's Country" for three months out of the year. Just like my deductable, winters up north are costly!

Making New Friends....

A bunch of us took "our" dogs for a snowy hike on Saturday! Webster made some new friends! I say "our" because they were all our parents dogs..hehe!


Webster with his sister and brother-in-law who are kind enough to watch him while his parents are in Hawaii!!!