Cronquist’s Blog

Welcome to our updated website!  With adventures ahead, we are planning on being much more communicative with this new site.  We also are using this blog format to encourage your communication with us!

We have also posted hundreds of our photos on our Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cronquist/.  You can also just click on the Flickr icon on our website and it will take you there.

 So what’s been going on lately? 

 Tarah and I recently returned from an amazing wedding in Colorado Springs.  My sister Dani and her husband Mike were married on Oct. 21st.  It was an outdoor wedding and yes, it was cold. . .but the location was hot!  We were at a lodge located in the shadow of the rocky mountains overlooking Colorado Springs.  With flaming torches burning mounted on the railing of the deck, you felt like you were at a royal event.  And we were! 
The Ceremony included tears, laughter and reflection and concluded with beautiful doves.  The doves were a special surprise for Dani from Mike and I must say that it was a nice touch.
The reception was a truly a party!  Dad gave a memorable and tear jerking job of his speech, we were all very proud of him.  Nick and I also did our part by taking the mic to welcome Mike into our family.  Meanwhile, the Kautz family did the job of representin’ on the dance floor.  Can you say “DangerZone?”
Tarah and I also had the great fortune of staying at the Broadmoor with my parents and family.  It was awesome and our rooms and service were ridiculous.  Dani and Mike both work at the Broadmoor and it is a first class organization and as you can imagine Dani and Mike fit right in there. 
Congratulations to Dani and Mike!

Tarah and I have also welcomed another addition to our household. . .enter Little Bootie.

“Bootie?” you say?  Yes, our adorable puppy pug has one white “bootie” on her left foot.  It is truly fitting when you see the pup in person, her “lil’ bootie” stands out.  She is a very personable puppy that loves to snuggle, snort and snot–Tarah’s ideal dog.
 Tarah and I also recently celebrated our “One Year Anniversary.”  Avoiding all wind and rain, we decided to have a nice dinner out and I surprised Tarah with tickets for four at the Rolling Stones concert at Qwest Field.  You must know that Dave Mathews Band opened for the Stones, making this a must attend event.

Well that’s it for now.  I hope to hear from some of you and this will be a place for friend and family banter.

If blogging is good for anything, its at least good for the blogger.  Nobody else may care about my 1978 Chevy Scottsdale Stepside, but I do and this is. . .my space?

So, the rumors are true!  After basically 3 years of sitting in the driveway and the garage–becoming a “condo for mice”–my ol’ Chevrolet is on the road again.  I must thank my wife for this dream come true, because she knew how important this truck is to me and that it didn’t deserve its terrible neglect. 

What happened you ask?  Well approximately 3 years ago I was having problems with my rear axel and soon it “blew out.”  I was forced to rebuild it and then shortly thereafter the rebuild “blew out.”  At the time I was unemployed and looking for work, so money was tight and then I learned how rare my 3:73 rearend really was. 

So it was going to be costly and timely to replace the rearend, so I wound up working on other things.  Then, about 3 months ago I decided that “enough was enough,” the truck was either going to rot or I was going to have to do something.  Well with an open hood and an open mind I begin asking questions about the rearend and how I should begin to restart this engine that hadn’t turned over in 2+ years.  This is where I believe God came to my aid.  My neighbor Jim actually owns his own auto shop and tow company.  He saw me struggling under the hood trying to install a new gas pump and it was there that the end was in sight.  Jim mapped out a plan and within a weekend the engine was running.  It smelled so good when the exhaust started pouring out of the exhaust pipes.  There is nothing quite like a gasoline burning Chevy 350–or a 383 in this case.  I soon noticed that we had quite the water leak.  It was then Jim said that he needed to take it up to his shop and replace the freeze plug that had blown out.

I then purchased a new rearend and brought to Jim’s shop and by Sept. 30th it was ready for pick up.  I love driving it around.  It is so much fun and it brings back so many good memories.  I am so grateful to have it and be able to drive it.  Call me sentimental.