Top 10 of 2009 with BONUS

Wow, it has been more than too long since I have blogged! I was gonna try to fill in the gap since October, but decided to just fast forward and give you a Top 10 of 2009.

But, as you can see.....there was no way I could narrow it down to just 10 so you are getting a bonus....wow I can actually hear the applause!

so without further ado....

Jaden kicks off 2009!

Happy Birthday, Shannon! And this is the day Jaden made her "Soon-to-be Big Sister" announcement!

A new addition to the Bisque It family!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Teders!

Jaden loves being outside...and a walk with Ellie makes them both happy!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jaden!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Family Fun at the Indy Wine Festival!


One of our Miss J Mondays....splish splash at the Y!



Christmas in July...whenever the Ridenour clan gets together its always a fun time!

Happy Birthday, Max! And what a birthday it was.....celebrating the big 100 pounds lost!

Welcome to our world Taylor Maxine!


Taylor's first trip to Bisque It!


Happy Birthday, Shane-O!

Fort 4 Fitness...the start of a family tradition.

Hocking Hills, Ohio....one of our best vacations!

Walk for Riley...we added a couple more family members to the race.

BEE-utiful granddaughters!


Our annual trip to downtown Fort Wayne for the lighting of Santa!


Happy Birthday, Mike!


Gramma Pat spending time with Taylor at Bartels Christmas!

Christmas morning!

Taylor is just loving the Christmas Spirit!

There you have it....what a FABULOUS year it has been!

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions, but......I will bend the rule a bit and just say.....I will TRY to blog on a little more regular basis in 2010.

Wishing everyone the best in 2010!

A vacation with lots of R&R

Max and I spent 5 days in the Hocking Hills of Southern Ohio.

This was one of the most relaxing vacations we have had. The pictures speak for themselves on how beautiful the area is. We went the first week of October which was about 2 weeks early for all the fall colors, but the trade off was the State Park was not busy! We hiked through different caves, trails, and walks each day and maybe saw 3 other couples at the most on any given time. Two weeks later and we wouldn't have been able to get the pictures or enjoy the scenery without crowds of people.....for us, a good trade off!

Our cabin was set way back in the hills.....a 3 mile drive down and up and around a one lane road with drops on either side. I always wondered what we were gonna do if we met up with another car....fortunately we didn't.

As you can see the cabin was VERY nice! It had a gas grill and hot tub on the back deck, satellite tv in all 3 rooms, and a well furnished kitchen. In fact, they included a blender so we thought we would show our appreciation and whip up some margaritas! We ran into a slight road bump when we went to buy the fixin's and found out we were in a "dry township" The lady at the Wal-mart checkout was happy to provide us with details on the closest place for alcohol! And who said Wal-mart associates weren't helpful AND knowledgeable!

The following pictures show some of the trails we walked through the State Park. We sure got a good workout walking down into the hollers and then the climb back out. The only part I didn't like was walking along the rim of the caves....only did that in one area and from there is was get me down to the bottom! And of course the beauty could best be seen while walking along the paths at the bottom. (Especially since I wasn't about to look down when walking the rim.)

Because there weren't any other hikers around, I was able to get a few shots of both of us by putting my camera on a rock, setting the timer, and making a mad dash to Max's side for that perfect pictures. We became pretty good at it too!

If you are looking for a vacation where you can truly relax....we highly recommend Hocking Hills. As with scenery pictures they never do the place justice, but these give you an idea of how quiet, peaceful and secluded the area is. We will definitely return to the area....and hopefully next year get a bigger cabin and bring along the family!

One last thought, Things we were happy NOT to find in Hocking Hills:

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Miniature Golf on every corner

Bargain T-shirt shops

Homemade fudge shop

Native souvenirs made in China

Go-Cart rides

Bungee jumps off cranes

As you probably guessed, we are done with the Gatlinburg trips....we just don't take to the tourist traps anymore.

Fort 4 Fitness

If you live in or near Fort Wayne I am sure you heard about the 2nd Annual Fort 4 Fitness.
My brother, my dad, Max, and I participated in the 4 mile walk/run in September.
We set a good walking pace for the first 3.9 miles, at 4mph.
The final 10th we ran across the finish line together!
It was a lot of fun.....even if we did have to be in downtown Fort Wayne at 7 a.m.!!

Here we are in our starting corral with 4996 other walkers and runners.

This is after the first turn....the pack is still heavy with walkers and runners. After about 1 mile the pack split, some went off on the 1/2 marathon.

Here we are coming into Parkview Stadium in downtown Fort Wayne! Now I know what the Olympians feel like entering the stadium at the Opening Ceremony.

(I know, not even close, but let me dream..hehe)

Overall the event was a great experience and we are looking forward to participating in it again next year. We are already recruiting for our "team"! Want to join us? :)

I don't know if this link will work, but give it a try and see the Official Finish!

http://www.backprint.com/view_user_event.asp?PID=bp%18yG&EVENTID=56939&BIB=6665&S=230&PWD=

Taylor made

Taylor Maxine

September 9, 2009

5:02 p.m.

8 lbs. 1 oz.

22 inches

1 hour old....and I fell in love all over again!

It didn't take Jaden long to fall in love with her little sister!

The beginning of some great Gramma J time!

Splishin' and a Splashin'

A couple of weeks ago, (August 11, 2009)

I took Jaden to the Y's Splash Park.

OH MY GOODNESS....she had a BLAST!!!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Better than a Silver Spoon

She wasn't born with a "silver spoon in her mouth"!

That just wouldn't be good enough for our Miss J............

She was born with a PAINTBRUSH in her hand.....and just look what a little artist she is evolving into!

1 day old

Her first experience with a paintbrush.

(and each month after this she had her handprint done.)

Once she was able to sit up and get down to business, there was no stopping her:

1 year old

Painting a Mother's Day present for her mom!

1 1/2 years old

An "I wanna paint day"

She painted wall hangings for us!

Christmas '08

She made Christmas ornaments for everyone!

December 2008

Painting her favorite character "George" with her subject watching.

January 2009

Painting with her cousins Olivia and Evan

A kleenex box for Gramma J

January 2009

Painting with her friend Hannah.

Finishing up her Kleenex box.

March 2009 (almost 2 years old)

"Painting Date" with cousins Ava and Jack.

July 2009

Her first "Bisque It Kids Camp"

As you can see, she is going to be some artist! And I am sure she will teach her sister the art of pottery painting!

Hope you enjoyed the little art show.
I could have called this "Flashback Friday", but it isn't Friday.
I wanted to call it "Miss J Monday", but yeah, it isn't Monday.
So, lets just call it FUN!!!