Arise, and soar with the sun's new-born rays

Make Each Day A Story Worth Telling

There is nothing so simple, and beautiful as the rising sun in the valley. This sky has a story all of it's own . Looking at it, a feeling of peace and belonging encompasses my soul and I know that this is where I am suppose to be. As if this evening sky was painted just for me, so personal an unique. I feel as though I could be those birds soaring high above the trees. It is a feeling that I cannot translate into words, it's deeper than just an emotion, a knowledge perhaps. A calm rushes over me like the waves that crash onto the beach. Too often I find myself caught up in this whirl wind that we call life and I forget to be still, to listen, to feel. It is skies and moments like these that reminds me of what is important and makes me feel free.

Masquerade, Paper Faces on Parade!

Once upon a time, in a land known as Las Vegas, a party was held. All were invited throughout the land. There were gowns, suits, masks and laughter. The rest, as they say, is history.

We started out our evening with a banquet held at Buca di Beppo. It was fabulous as always! We then whisked away to the strip to take some pictures.

The Party

The Gentlemen
(Nate, Ryan, Jakob, David, Bill)

Some member of the casino security flagged us within matter of 5 minutes, masks are not permitted within the casino. So we got creative.

First and only jump of the evening. That is what we call talent!

I have been swept off my feet by my prince.

We then came back to are humble court for a Sundae bar. We had such a wonderful evening! A huge thank you to all whom attended and to our beautiful photographer JOA photography.

An Act of Boredom

What happens after Mom Tobler and I search five different stores for white fabric with half inch red polka dots with no luck? (I mean seriously, how is it that not one store had it?!? It's a basic print, or so I thought! Okay that's a lie Wal-Mart had 2 yards... which obviously wasn't enough! This calls for drastic measures.. I'm calling Canada!) Anyways, back to the question... the answer, you find something else to do. After all we can not have D.I.L.T (daughter in law training) and not have anything to show for it. In this case, Jakob and I were hosting a masquerade the following evening and I wanted to dip the waffle cones in chocolate.

While the chocolate was melting Mom, started to think. A basket just simply would not do.. she envisioned a waffle cone tree. You know the kind made of wire and it holds the cones? So we wandered into garage and found an old broken shovel handle, perfect. We grabbed the saw and Mom started cutting. Allow me to draw your attention to the safety glasses on her "head" and her cutting technique. Regardless, we got the job done!

We then screwed a muscle milk lid to the bottom and drilled some holes in it for the wire. I went home, cut the wire and spray painted it black. Is it perfect? No. Will I ever use it again? Probably not but it just goes to show being a hoarder + imagination + laughter = some fun times.

Strike!

My Wednesday was a little dull, go to class, take an open book test that the teacher gave us all of the answers to, go to Cheesecake Cafe for a Young Women's "Camp" meeting where I FINALLY got caught up and felt like I'm once again in the camp race, and then I came home to an empty house. At 7:00 I got a phone call from the crew saying it was bowling time and the excitement began.

I will have everyone know that in Canada we have five pin bowling and it is with a ball the size of a shot put. If you want 10 pin you have to hunt for it. The first time I ever went 10 pin bowling I broke 100 (yes it was a big deal!) and beat Dukas who said he was "kind of a big deal." Now, I can't hit the pins even if I try with all of my might. Soooooo we decided to take pictures, and got yelled at for "flashing" the other bowlers. Apparently they take bowling pretty seriously. I found this "dance" setting however and though the picture aren't the best quality it took non blurred photos without a flash. Perfect!

The men in our circle of friends are sort of like peacocks, they flex their muscles and wrestle each other to attract their mate.

I love getting together with the group. We always have a good time no matter what we're doing. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends who I know will be there for Jakob and I no matter what. We are truly blessed.

One Step at A Time

After staying up late parting the night away the night before, let's simply say I was rather tired come Thursday morning, however hiking day is hiking day so off we went. Expecting some serious wind, once again, I came prepared but alas there was only a light breeze and the beautiful sunshine gleaming from above. It doesn't get any better than that.

After getting lost not once but twice on the Keystone thrust hike Mom Tobler now researches what we should expect to see on our hike in an attempt to keep us on track. Does it work? Perhaps. In her research she found that we should come across an old cabin... so we found a cement foundation with old tile? Maybe once upon a time it was a cabin. Needless to say we were slightly disappointed but on we hiked toward the springs. With hopes that we would find more water like last week.

Yup, that's water alright and look how crystal clear it is! Beautiful! In the review that Mom read it said to continue on past the dam, so on we hiked.

As one might guess it was worth it. This little mini water fall was adorable. I have always loved the sound of running water, trickling, falling, waves crashing up on the beach. It fascinates me, something so simple that we cannot live without. Sometimes I think we take it for granted which is why I love stumbling across these natural treasures. It reminds me of how truly beautiful this world is and to enjoy the smallest things in life.

This shot was taken by Mom Tobler. She is quite dedicated to finding the perfect angle when taking pictures. I applaud her! I simply do not think I'm the dedicated, perhaps I would be if I didn't know that Mom would get such good shots. After all she takes about 100 with hopes that at least one captured the moment. That's commitment right there.

Here's an example of the dedication she has. Laying in the water and everything.

It was at about this point that we had decided to turn around only to find out that we hadn't even seen the real cabin yet!! We also missed out on an amazing view apparently! So we will have to hike La Madre Springs again someday. Just one more adventure awaiting us. Speaking of pending adventures, I get to cross something off of my bucket list!! We are going to go camping with Mom and Dad Tobler in the GRAND CANYON!!! I am soooooooo excited!!!

April Flurries Bring May Flowers?

No, that's not right! Especially here in Vegas. On Saturday while attending an Easter party for work it snowed. Snow in April in Vegas, I know the end of the world is coming. Global warming, yeah right! I was dressed in my new clown costume and people asked me if I was freezing, normally, yes, I would have been, but my Canuck roots kicked in from somewhere deep down inside of me and it wasn't that bad. Throughout the duration of that party it snowed twice, rained once and then the sun came out. At least we had a shelter to hide under. What happened to spring?!

Wind Warning?

After a three week break Mom Tobler and I were itching for an adventure. This weeks destination: Calico Tanks. The sun was shining and despite the looming wind warning there was only a moderate breeze at my place (15 minutes from the canyon) so off we went.

ALERTS for Clark County

Severe weather alert : High Wind Warning

When I heard Mom say wind warning I had no idea this is what she meant. The wind was so powerful it blew me over a time or two. Literally blew me over. It was racing by my face so fast I couldn't breathe unless I turned around. Needless to say I wasn't planning on climbing out on any high ledges.

I'd have to say that this was both mine and Mom's favorite hike. It was beautiful and scenically diverse the entire way through. With every turn you felt as if this was your own private exploration. There were several stair cases (and we all know how I feel about rock staircases) it was just perfect!

One beautiful example of said staircase. So magical!

I still got stuck a couple of times. Mom would swear I'm part mountain goat, I would more or less simply call it stupidity. On second thought mountain goat sounds better. Thank heavens the drop was only 3 feet. :)

Despite all of the crazy wind blowing dust and sand into my contacts we made it and boy it was worth it. A stunning pond! Water in the desert = a miracle in itself.

Wind + water = cold wet water being blown into your face. Suddenly this beautiful miracle was on it's way to making my list of dislikes. Thankfully we found refuge from the wind in a cave. When it's nicer we'll hike to the tanks again and I'll take a better picture. The ones we got simply did not do this view justice.

We did find these random shoes. It makes you wonder what their story is.

OH! I think I figured it out. I'm sure mine will be right there next to those ones someday. Even with the wind this hike was stunning!! I can't wait to do it again in nicer weather!

Just Clowning Around

Since I made my elf dress back in November, I decided that I wanted to make a clown dress as well. After all my clown pants have seen better days! The only problem was trying to find a dress that wasn't too form fitting and could be made to have several different colors. While doing a party with a coworker, she was wearing the perfect dress! I took pictures of it and showed it to Mom Tobler and the process began.

I finished this beauty within a week. It involved several trips to JoAnn's for extra supplies. We took several aspects from multiple patterns to get exactly what I was looking for. The hardest part however was trying to make it look "clown like", yet keep it from being too overwhelming with different patterns. I decided I wanted a "polka dot" theme and we ran with it. I LOVE the bloomers underneath! They add so much to the look of the costume. Plus then I don't have to worry about my dress flying up!

To, me it's the little details that make this dress. We added rickrack around all of the edges and let me tell you it made all of the difference. We also put an elastic in the arm so I could wear layers underneath in the winter.

Since we were having a pre made bow, we needed a way for me to attach the sash to the dress. We decided on attaching Velcro on the end of the belt and on the inside of the yellow front. That way it is quick and easy to attach. When you are racing from party to party, you need your costumes to be quick and easy to get into!

For the tie Mom Tobler envisioned a massive bow so that's what we did. I absolutely love the black pattern fabric. It brought me back to my teenage years! (My room was painted lime green and blue.) The bow was pre made and attached to the center of the belt so it would stay crisp. I love it!!

I am sooooo pleased with the end result! It was a struggle for me to wear a mass amount of pink but I love how it all came together. Plus, did you notice my pink shoes? Adorable! Perhaps I'm opeing up to the colour. My next project is yet to be determined. I think I am going to put a hold on my sailor dress for now. We'll see...