WOW! has it been an interesting 3 weeks for the Cowling family. Lizzy and I got a chance to go to Arizona for my sister's birthday (thanks Mary!) We had so much fun. Lizzy adored her cousins and especially the chance to play outside and go for walks. (Rexburg winters are hard for her.) Lizzy really warmed up to her grandpa and as always, loved seeing her grandma. The trip was interesting to say the least though. We noticed a few days before that my back tires were bald, so driving to SLC to catch our flight was out of the question. So, Liz and I took the shuttle, which was an experience in itself. It made the trip longer but more fun, because Liz and I could play together. Both on the way there and the way back we had really scary weather though, so I am glad that I was not driving with a one-year old and bald tires by myself.

The reason why Steve didn't come with us (apart from school) is that he had an ACMS competition in Reno. He was part of a LEED group (basically green building and all that jazz). The competition lasted for most of the time that Liz and I were gone, so that workd out nicely. Steve did well in the competition, but he competed in one of the largest and most competitive categories, so they didn't place. He had lots of different companies that wanted to speak with him and that were impressed with him though, so it was a trip well spent.

Both Steve and I got home late, late at night on Valentine's day (ya, lousy valentines day, but nobody's fault) and promptly tried to sleep for 24 hours straight. Lizzy would not allow it, however. Both Liz and I came home with a bad cold and Liz has been miserable all week, not to mention that she is cutting her first eye tooth. Yikes! We are just grateful that Steve seems to be healthy and strong, and both Liz and I are feeling pretty good again. Liz is trying to make up for lost time though and has run around all day like a crazy person. She has discovered her cowboy boots and wants to wear them constantly. Then she runs across the kitchen floor to hear them clippety clap. It is pretty cute.

So that is the update! Life is going well and we are happy to all be under the same roof again. Steve is studying like a mad man for his LEED accreditation test that he wants to take in one month, so feel free to call as I will be a 'widow' for the next 4 weeks!