Linda Rokos Watts

The leaves are changing and the weather has been incredible, so what better way to get to dinner then ride our bikes. We did a date night last night, Troy Stella and I at the Coyote Grill here in Waterville. Such a lovely evening......  Stella cruisin right outside our place.   Troy and Stella racing to the end. If you look at Troy's left leg he still has his compression sock on from his surgery last Friday. Today we went in for his post-op appointment and Dr. O'Neil gave him the thumbs up to go 100% in everything he does. Woo hoo!!! Thank you Dr. O'Neil!  The ride home was a bit dark. There was no moon but the stars were bright and the air was crisp. It was an awesome way to end a great day.  Packing up our house today and tomorrow so we can move on Friday....WOO HOO. We're so excited to get into our new place. Will post pics of the new place soon!  Love and Gratitude.....

Today Troy and I took a trip to Waterbury, Vermont to visit with PJ Dewey, the owner of Race Stock Sports and boot builder extraordinaire. His shop is IMPRESSIVE to say the least.  PJ at work...this guy knows a thing or two about the ski racing world. Before opening up this killer shop he was a service tech for the US Ski Team for Lange.  SO much cool schwag.  Skis lined wall to wall. His stock of race gear is impressive.  Every boys "wet dream" of a machine shop.  Where the magic happens.  www.racestocksports.com  CHECK IT OUT After grabbing a quick lunch we made the 2 hour drive back home. 4 hours of driving in Vermont and New Hampshire while the leaves are changing....I couldn't ask for a better day.  We got home just in time for Stella to get out of school and get her to swim team practice.  T-minus, 4 days till we move into our new place....WOO HOO!!!! Much love and Gratitude...

One of Stella's buddies was in town square this morning with her new puppy. We were all pretty smitten with Nala to say the least. Of course that opened to door to a family discussion of all of us wanting to have a family doggie. Unfortunately we came to the same conclusion we always do......we travel too much to justify  getting a doggie (as much as we all want one). It wouldn't be fair to leave the doggie for weeks at a time while we travel. Maybe someday.....until then..... Three week old Nala.  I have a feeling this wont be the end of our discussion on getting a family dog.  :) Much LoVe

We spent all morning out and about in Wateville. There are so many colors everywhere and we're not even at peak season yet.  A shot from town square. The entire valley is exploding with color. So many beautiful colors EVERYWHERE...  Love this place. Stella and I trying to be serious. Love this little one.  Sending out much Sunday LoVe

With Troy all laid up with his knee, Stella and I joined her friend Olivia and her mom for a girls movie outing. We stocked Troy up with lots of snacks and with football on I had a feeling he'd be fine for a few hours on his own.  ;)     We drove over the Frankonian Notch and into Littleton. Love my IPhone cause it takes awesome pictures. This is the Frankonian Notch at 80 mph.  We went and saw Dolphin....a must see. It was a great story and the girls LOVED it.  Excited for some family fun tomorrow.  *Much LoVe*

While Troy was in Chile in August, he took a bit of a digger. Luckily it could have been A LOT worse!!! A torn medial meniscus.  Dr. O'neil did an awesome job and Troy was in and out of there in a jiffy. Sending out so much gratitude for good health.  Much love! 

I'm Grateful for (in no particular order): Stella, white straight teeth, Troy, sashimi, Foreign-ers,  mom and dad,  having clean laundry, Taylor, Jordan,  skiing, PBR, breakfast food, Sunday Fundays, people with a good sense of humor, passion and compassion, firm handshakes, Boulder, snow, SUVs, creating, blank canvas, forgiveness, flagstone, modesty, kisses, FAMILY, dreams, silvovice, Waterville Valley, movies that make you think, perezhilton.com, dancing, my Babi, a chicken named Ricky Bobbi, my brother and his other, building, photography, hardwood floors, bruises, family, bff's (Mollie), writing letters, happy hour, friends, my past mistakes, 8 baby chicks,  my job, tuna salad, people that say "soda" instead of pop, Carhartt overalls, suntans, fresh air, laughing till I'm blue in the face, chocolate cake, snuggling, scars, LOVE, a good glass of wine, dharma and karma, pictures, Brno, memories, back porch shoot offs, sunshine, scarves, OUR HOME. image of...

The exact time of the Autumn Equinox is September 23, 2011 at 3:09 am UTC but if you are in the US on the east coast then it will occur on the evening of September 22nd according to timeandate.com. The Autumn equinox signals the beginning of Fall. It is the point where there is exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at the equator. The daylight hours are dwindling and will continue to do so until we reach the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and the start of winter. In ancient times, the Autumn Equinox was cause for a variety of pagan festivals, among them the celebration of the birth of Mabon, the son of Mordon, the Goddess of the earth. It is also a time to celebrate with a variety of Fall and Harvest Festivals. People enjoy fall festivals as they sense the closure of a great summer season and the coming of a long winter. The fall festivals are the last of the outdoor events until spring. Just getting there is half the fun as you drive thro...

It's that time of year again for fall soccer. Stella is playing with a new team this year in Campton. She's always only, ever played on an all girls team but not this year......it's been a bit of an adjustment but I think she's pretty happy. Today was her first full team practice. Unfortunately my camera died about 5 pictures into practice so my selection is limited, but lucky for me there are A LOT more practices to come.  Funny story: the little boy in the brown shirt got schooled by Stella a few too many times today, he got pretty frustrated and he flipped her off behind her back but all the parents saw it. I think he got in a "little" bit of trouble after practice! Go Stella GO!!!!  I was getting "the look" from Stella once I pulled out the camera and started shooting. I am "that" parent on the sideline snapping away. Ha! Poor thing.  :) Sending out MUCH love...

This will be hanging in our new home.... Purchased on Etsy .  Much Love..

Stella has been spending a lot of time in the water (what's new) and with help from Anne (coach extraordinaire), she is becoming faster and faster. Olivia (her teammate) has been pushing her, which has proven really great for Stella. When she has someone pacing her in the pool she can really kick some booty.   Her hour and a half pool work outs, plus another 1/2 hour of post hot-tub / play time she's comin home one TIRED and hungry girl. Getting stronger and stronger.  Olivia is fast off the blocks but Stella is getting closer and closer. Fishy  Anne breaking it down for the girls. She rocks.  Sending out much Monday LoVe....

*SKIDA* www.skidasport.com CHECK THEM OUT..... A local company started in 2007 by a student from Burke Academy (Troy's almamater) and where Jordan currently goes to school. It's made of fleece and lycra and makes for the *PeRfEcT* ski accessory and better yet, it's made by skiers for skiers! LOVE this!    Love all the colors and prints.  These are going to be great gifts this winter!  I'm always trying to support local businesses but this one (to me) is a no-brain-er.  Guess what I'm getting all three girls (Stella, Taylor and Jordan)....and maybe one for me! :)  Much love...

Last night we got home late in the evening from a WONDERFUL dinner in Burke. It was (is) parents weekend at Burke Academy and we had the opportunity to have dinner with Jordan and three other families with kids at the academy. It was a hoot! We dropped Jordan off at the dorms and busted a move home. Stella was still in Waterville having a sleepover with one of her best buddies from school. We woke early this morning went and picked Stella up (still in her pj's) and headed down to Nashua to watch Taylor in her cross county meet.   How cute is she?!?! Taylor on the far right with a great smile on her face.   The starting line up.  I have NEVER been a runner and probably never will be but I have so much respect and admiration for people that can just hit the pavement and go.....Taylor "digging in" up the hill about 200 yards from the finish. She kicked some major booty to say the least.  *LoVe* Stella had a great time too, she ...

It's slowly creeping in the air. The mornings are getting much cooler, the leaves are slowly changing. Snow is coming. Okay, so maybe this is a *little* premature but I can't wait to dive into winter. Winter means snow, and snow means skiing! YES!!!   Can't wait to get the group of kids I'll be coaching this year and shred around the mountain with them!  I took this pic in Hood this summer. I can't wait for endless groomers.  Stella, Troy and I will be in Colorado almost all of November. Troy and I will be coaching a few early season camps at Copper but more importantly we'll get to spend a little time with both our families. Yippee!!  We're pretty excited to say the least.  Much love...

With school back in session, so starts swim team. Stella was so excited to get back in the pool and start really swimming again. This year she is being coached by Mrs. Anne (a former Olympian), and swimming with one of her school mates Olivia. Olivia is a kick ass, fast swimmer, who's been working with Mrs. Anne for years so Stella has had her work cut out for her, chasing her around the pool but having a blast.  We're finally getting settled into a routine with school, sports, homework and fun. Stella's loving her new school and kicking some booty. Ahhhhhh, life is good.  Sending out much Thursday love.... 

In town square, sipping on a beer, ipading, sitting next to my love, Stella running around with her buddies. This is what a BLISSFUL Sunday looks like in the Watts family.  Open container law....one of the really great things about Waterville Valley! You can walk anywhere in the valley with a beer, glass of wine or a really anything you'd like for that matter!  Wishing every one a wonderful Sunday.  Much *LoVe*

Another great thing about Waterville Valley is the great skate park it has.   Stella and her school buddy Olivia.  Cruisin in the pipe.  Olivia's father owns a skate shop so Olivia is a great little skater. Stella is taking some tips from her and kicking some booty. Goofing off on my long board.  Ahhhh what a great Sunday fun-day!  Now it's time for some FOOOOOOTBAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! Much love...

It's Taylor's Birthday today and although we don't get to spend it with her, we are sending her sooooo much love and happiness on this special day!!!  Happy sweet 16 Taylor! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday DEAR TAYLOR......HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU !!!!!!  Much love....

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy   Wikipedia : G ratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions,[1] and has been considered extensively by moral philosophers such as Adam Smith.[2] The systematic study of gratitude within psychology only began around the year 2000, possibly because psychology has traditionally been focused more on understanding distress rather than understanding positive emotions. However, with the advent of the positive psychology movement,[3] gratitude has become a mainstream focus of psychological research.[4] The study of gratitude within psychology has focused on the understanding of the short term experience of the emotion of gratitude (state gratitude...