End of Summer in Winter Park

To celebrate the end of summer we took the kids up to Winter Park, Co and stayed over night. Winter Park is about an hour and a half from our home and we wanted to go do something fun. We bought a day pass and rode the alpine slide about 6 or 7 times. (The photo is of us at the top of the slide waiting to go down.)

On about our fifth time up the mountain, T dropped his shoe off the ski lift. He learned a good lesson about tying his shoes TIGHT. Luckily one of the workers hiked down the mountain and found it but not before he had to take a couple of runs down the slide with only one shoe.

We also did mini golf, trampolines, zip line, bouncy castle, human maze, ate lunch, and of course the alpine slide.

John decided to get on the trampoline and show us some back flips. I think he realized that he's not as young as he once was. After doing a few of these back flips he was sick to his stomach and had to get off.

Here are a few more random shots.


Riding the lift up to the slide.














E and T on a ride that made me and John want to puke just watching them.














John and T navigate the human maze.

Yours, Mine and Ours

One of the challenges I’ve had in being married is learning how to label things that were once mine and once his as “ours.” John seems to have a better handle on this than I do. Last night I said, “Thank you for watering my basil plant” and he said, “OUR basil plant.” I guess I did buy the plant with OUR money that is in OUR checking account, which has taken some getting used to.

At first I felt like a two year old trying to identify everything as “mine.” (“Be careful with MY blender”, “Let me get on MY computer”, “Hey, that’s MY dental floss.” You get the point.)

Combining bank accounts was not terribly hard. I just had to get used to another person spending money out of it because I was used to knowing what MY expenses were and tracking MY money. I now use OUR banking account with OUR money to buy OUR groceries and put gas in OUR cars. This is a big step because there was a time when I had a hard time disclosing what was in MY 401K to John.

Slowly but surely I am learning to share. Our living room has two couches crammed into it (because there was nowhere else to put MY couch since HIS was already there) that are now OUR couches. So we’ve combined bank accounts, furniture, assets, etc.

Last night, however, I discovered one thing that I think we are better off keeping separate—gym memberships. I went with John on a guest pass to HIS gym. He put me through a series of workouts that left me walking hunched over, on the verge of swearing, and incoherently mumbling about wanting of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Thank you very much but I think I will continue to go to MY gym and do MY workouts and let him go to HIS gym and torture HIMself.

This blog is back!

Wow how my life has changed since I gave up on the blog.

I don't know that I would call my life boring anymore. Maybe routine, but not boring. I am now a wife, a step-mom and I am constantly surprised at what hard work that is. I've heard it said that no one asks men how they manage to balance work and family, but they are always asking women. After 5 months of trying to balance work and family, I can honestly say that I have no idea. How's that for a deep thought?

I really need an outlet (more than Facebook) for the funny things that happen daily and my observations about the challenges of step-parenting, getting married when you are OLD, and life in general. Then I realized, "Hey wait a minute...I used to have a blog! Why not start it up again?"

So here goes!

I am the worst blogger ever

So I kind of gave up on the blog. It takes so long to upload photos and at some point, I will do it. I am posting photos and updates on Facebook everyday. Hopefully you will see something here soon.

Albania really DOES border the Adriatic

Thanks to the tv show Cheers I already knew this but now I have seen it myself!

I arrived in Tirana on Thursday around midnight and I was so tired from the 24 hour trip. I met my partner Gernot Eberle from Austria the next morning. We were both thrilled to be going to Durres. All the other LTOs, when they found out where we were going, said, "Oh! We were hoping for Durres." I told them that one of the areas by the sea was mine before I even stepped foot in the country because 2 years ago I was in Kukes freezing my butt off during the winter with no electricity. The Deputy Head of Mission kept his promise when he sent me here.

Gernot actually lives in California with his wife who is American. Basically he acts and talks like someone from California so it feels like I'm with an American anyway. Right now we are in a hotel for a few days but our driver and interpreter are going to help us find an apartment. The hotel rooms are really small and we will go nuts if we have to stay here for 7 weeks. Besides, we are both healthy eaters (him more than me) and we want to be able to cook our own food.

It's pretty hot and humid here and that makes my hair do weird things. I'm definitely getting good use of my insect repelant and sunscreen. It was very wise to bring both.

Last night before we all got deployed, all the LTOs got together for dinner. It was fantastic--kabobs, grilled veggies, lots of fresh salads, cheese galore, and bread. The cheese here is so good. I think it's feta cheese but it is very salty and I love it. Tonight I had fried cheese which I was introduced to last time I was here. (Did I say I was a healthy eater? Well, all except the fried cheese.)

My driver and interpreter are going to help me get to church tomorrow. We have Sundays off (at least until right before the election) so I am going to attend each week if possible. The first actual LDS meeting house was built in Durres so I can't wait to see it.

We start really working and meeting with the local government officials on Monday. I am anxious to get started.

Two weeks of parties

I'm leaving for Albania today and what have I been doing for the last 2 weeks? Partying of course! Here are photos from some of the highlights:

Amy, Rob and Christy celebrating Rob's birthday and Amy's going away. We went Lindy Hopping at the Turnverein and then out for Japanese food.














Amy and Evan



















Renee' and Mauricio














I also went to a coop warming party for some chickens who were getting some fancy new digs. This is Elaine placing the chickens in their new home because they wouldn't go voluntarily.














Maci, Renee', Jason and Theresa at the coop warming party.














I also went to a Colorado Rapids game. It was my first Major League Soccer game. They played Real Salt Lake. The Rapids won 2-0 and Dave had a fun time explaining the game to me. :)














The crowd was pretty sparse because it was freezing cold and raining.














My birthday was Monday, May 4 so I made a Barbie cake for myself to take to work.














Had a fun weekend with the family celebrating my birthday and Mother's Day. This is what Megan would call the "silly picture." Melissa, Tony, Mom, Grandma, Kimball, Amy and Logan.














Amy and my boys--Ethan, Sagan and Mason.














Last but not least...one more night of ballroom with my incredibly awesome and cool dance partner John.














My ballroom dance friends: Angie, Carlene and John













Next post will be from Albania!!!!

One week to go

I got my itinerary for Albania and I leave a week from today--Wednesday, May 13th. I had a great birthday on Monday and a great weekend of fun things going on. I'll post photos later.

I have so much to get done before I leave. I am taking a very quick trip to Utah this weekend to say goodbye to the family before I go. I have to wrap up my work stuff, seminary, pack and clean before Wednesday AND be gone this weekend. Not sure how it's going to come together but it's going to have to.

More weekend fun

I had a great weekend and got tons of stuff done to get ready for my trip. Saturday night I went to a singles dance and for the first time in my life I actually had SOOOOOO much fun. There are a few of us middle singles who have been ballroom dancing together twice a week for the last 2 months. So we all know each other and now we can tear up the dance floor. We danced from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. straight. My feet were killing me and my cheeks hurt from smiling. Never thought I'd hear myself say that I had a BLAST at a church dance.

After the dance a bunch of us went to Denny's to eat. I got home about 2:00 a.m. which meant I got all of 4 hours of sleep since my body wakes me up early anyway. Here are some photos.

The group who went out after the dance. I don't even know half these people.













John, Amy, Mike, Angie

Albania--Third time's a charm

So I am headed back to Albania for the 3rd time. I'll be going as a Long Term Observer and doing the same thing I did 2 years ago--observing the overall elections preparations. I'll be leaving on May 13th and returning to Denver on July 7th. (This is not part of my Foreign Service assignment. It's totally separate.)

All indications I am getting from the Foreign Service are that I will be reporting to Washington DC in either August or September. They can't say for sure (and it could be later) but I'm hoping to just come back here and pack up and spend some time in Utah before I go.

I attempted to quit my job yesterday but they asked me to take an unpaid leave of absence and come back. I agreed but I think it's really stupid. They are really freaked out right now but I think after they live without me for 2 months, they will be fine. I told them I might only come back for 2 or 3 days but I guess it's job security...

So this is why I closed my blog. I will post Foreign Service details here from now on. Stayed tuned...it's a roller coaster ride!

Fun times

I've had a couple of fun nights lately.

Monday night our middle singles group went ballroom dancing again. I've been learning the night club two step the past month and I don't really enjoy it that much but it is something. I really love being with this group of friends.

Here we all are: L-R Carlene, Angie, John, Kristen, Amy, Charles, Joan. Bret is standing.













Tonight I got to go to a really cool thing that my stake put on. All the graduating seminary students (seniors) got to honor one of their high school teachers at a "Teacher Appreciation Night." Our stake public affairs committee put it on. It was a great evening.

I have one graduating senior in my seminary class. Albertine paid tribute to her Multi-media Arts teacher Mr. Sheppler. It was cute because she got all choked up giving her tribute. It was a neat event for the students and great for the teachers to be in our church to see what we do. Our stake president gave a talk on how much we value education.

Mr. Sheppler (Albertine's teacher), Albertine, Brother Lambert (from Albertine's ward) and Bishop Romney













Albertine and Sister Naccarato














Albertine is the only member of the LDS church in her family. She and her dad are from Liberia and Albertine joined the church at age 14. When she graduates she will have her 2 year seminary certificate and she's headed off to CU Boulder for college in the fall. I am so proud of her.

Old friends are the best

This week I had the chance to reconnect with some old friends.

On Tuesday night I got to see my friend Danette Odenbach (and her boyfriend Dan) from North Dakota. Danette works elections in North Dakota and we met many years ago through the National Association of State Election Directors. Danette was in town for an elections meeting that was going on here this week. It was fun to catch up with her and reminisce about the good old days.













On Thursday and Friday I attended an Election Center Conference here in Denver and got to catch up with many elections friends I have known through the years. I got to see Doug Lewis who heads the Election Center, Tom Wilkey from New York and Gary Smith from Forsyth County, Georgia. It is great to see people who were instrumental in my elections career. These people really encouraged me and supported me the whole time I was Elections Director in Utah and I am so glad I still get to see them periodically.

My dear friend Sara West was also in town but not for the elections conference. Sara and I worked together for many years in the Utah Elections Office. She is from Denver so she was here visiting her dad. She and her husband and 3 kids now live in San Diego. We had planned to get together on Friday night but had to cancel because the roads were so bad. I met her this morning before church and we chatted for awhile. I miss Sara!

Doors Sort of Open Denver

On Friday and Saturday we were having lovely spring weather--a blizzard. Too bad it happened the weekend of my favorite event--Doors Open Denver. The event went on but people really stayed away. It snowed all morning and around noon it turned into drizzling rain.

This year I signed up to work at the Zang Mansion which is one of the historic homes in Denver. It was built in 1903 and it's pretty much the same style as the Utah Governor's Mansion with parlors, dining rooms and a ballroom on the 3rd floor. Everything in the home is original because it's only had 2 other owners besides the Zangs who built it originally. I found out when talking to the current owner that the second owner was the LDS Church. The mansion was owned by the Church for many years and was used as the mission home for the Denver Colorado Mission. Who knew?

Anyway, the owner was on hand to answer questions and he also fed me a peanut butter sandwich. We had 93 people come through in 3 hours time, which was pretty dismal turnout. The event continues tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be good so hopefully people will turn out tomorrow.

Here is a photo of me in the entry way. All the woodwork and the stained glass window is original to the home.

Good News!

Maybe the black cloud that has been following me around is finally going away.

My security clearance is finally complete. I got an email on Tuesday morning. It is such a relief to have that done. I talked to the registrar at the Department of State and it does take a few more weeks before all the final paper work is done. Needless to say I am still not on the "list" of hires just yet but I am getting closer.

I also received word from my insurance company that the car accident is settled and it wasn't my fault. I knew that anyway, but I still had to pay upfront until they could prove it. So I am getting my $500 deductible refunded.

I still haven't closed my blog only because I haven't had the time or energy. I am still trying to recover from my illness. Unfortunately it turned into a sinus infection and I've been on antibiotics for a week now trying to kill it. I am feeling better and things are looking up!

This blog will go private

Not that I really have anything interesting to say on this blog...but events in my life with my career have made it necessary to close this blog to invited readers only.

I really don't mind giving people access, even if I don't really know you that well, so please email me if you want me to add you to the list. I'll most likely make this blog private next weekend.

I'm sure you won't miss much because my life is really quite boring. The problem is that it's about to get not boring (hopefully) and, well, I'll explain later.

Amy

amynaccar@yahoo.com

I should never leave my house again

Do you know what this is? Yeah, that's right. It's a donut tire. If you can't handle another story about my bad luck with cars, do not read any further!













I've been holed up in my house since Wednesday afternoon with this monster of a cold. Normally I bounce back pretty fast but this one is a doozy and I have just been knocked flat on my butt.

This morning I needed more cough medicine and even though people have offered to get it and bring it to me, NOOOOOOO, I'm too stubborn and have to do it myself. So this morning I went to drive to Albertsons which is literally 3 blocks from my house. I ran over a curb and could tell something was wrong. I pulled into a park and sure enough, my back tire was flat.

All I could do was laugh. I was standing there in my sweats coughing uncontrollably and blowing my nose. Some good Samaritan named Leo stopped and put the spare on my car.

Earlier in the day, my sister posted this comment on my Facebook page: "maybe you could get in your car and go for a drive, then something bad might happen to your car and it would take your mind off your sickness! Sure love ya"

She had no idea that it would really happen. Yes, my mind is off my sickness because I now have to worry about a tire. However, as much as I wanted to run right out and get it fixed, the flesh is way too weak. It's not like I'm going anywhere this weekend since I'm stuck in bed with this crap! I'll have to deal with it on Monday when things are back to normal.

I just got my car back on Wednesday after it was in the shop for 10 days after the wreck.

Let this be a warning to all of you! Stay away from me because I am a walking catastrophe! When does my run of good luck start?

More of Sagan

I'm finally getting around to posting this cute video of Mr. Sagan Man on his first birthday. Such a happy boy!

And then we have the crew of Helpy Helpertons...

Kleenex Wasteland

I have come down with a brutal head cold that came out of nowhere on Wednesday morning. I felt fine Tuesday night and had no idea I was about to get slammed.

I didn't sleep well last night because I swear I was blowing my nose every 20 minutes. Apparently when I was done with the Kleenex I would pitch it off the side of my bed and grab a new one. This was what my floor looked like this morning. Amazingly they all landed in roughly the same spot. What exactly does this say about my pitching arm?

Sweet Sagan turns ONE!

I went to SLC this past weekend because it was Sagan's first birthday party. He is the happiest kid you have ever seen in your life!














We also got some good photos of the family.













And the Naccarato siblings.














So here is what I did on my whirlwind weekend in Utah:

--Left Denver in a blizzard
--Had a sleepover, a dance party and a game night with Tony and family
--Went on a Utah Heritage Foundation Home Tour and ate at Cucina with mom
--Had a nap
--Loved the birthday party
--Slept in on Sunday
--Went to church with mom
--Had dinner with Joel Macey and family, Ben and grandma Macey for Joel's birthday
--Left Salt Lake in a blizzard

Spring Blizzard

Our wonderful 70 degree winter/spring was rudely interrupted by a major blizzard today.














This photo is right outside my door and it really doesn't due justice to what was going on. For example, you can't tell that the roads are a sheet of ice and you can't tell that the wind is blowing the snowflakes horizontally.

Pretty much the entire city (schools, govt, libraries, shops, etc.) shut down. They closed Arapahoe County at 2:00 but those of us who live farthest away got to leave earlier. I left work at a little after 12:30 and got home at 3:30.

Growing up in Utah I could never figure out how snow could cripple an entire city. After living here, I can see why it does. The wind up here at this elevation on the top of the mountains is fierce. The snow in and of itself would be fine but add the wind and you get iced roads and blinding snow. It's supposed to continue snowing all night. The county is not opening until 10:00 so I also get to sleep in!

Snow days were much more fun when I was a kid. You got out of school and could play in the snow all day. It wasn't so much fun white knuckle driving in my rental car that I was so paranoid I would wreck. THAT would be all I needed to top off this week.

Ballroom Dancing

We have quite a little group of dancers coming to our Middle Singles Ballroom Dancing night. We go to the Denver Turnverein which is the same place I salsa dance on Wednesdays.

On Monday nights they do all types of ballroom and each of us knows something a little bit different. I'm more of the salsa/cha-cha person, some are more into swing, some are into traditional ballroom (waltz, etc.) and others are beginners. It's great because we can all learn from each other.

Back row: Carol, Charles, Amy, John, James
Front row: Carlene, Kristen, Kevin














John is my favorite student and I am his favorite teacher :)














Carlene with the guys: James, Kevin and Charles. Two words for guys who can dance YUM-MY!