Lately

I've been spending my time doing other things than sitting in front of the computer. It's been nice...refreshing to really enjoy some other things in life than checking email, returning email, blogging, trying to find good deals, etc. So, here's what September has been for me.

Canning salsa and pickling jalapenos and cucumbers.

Thank you Jer and Janell for sharing your bountiful Colorado harvest.

Reading.

Making loaves and loaves and loaves of zucchini bread.

Most of which are now almost gone thanks to the big man, RK.

Grouse hunting with my boys.

Going to the Temple.

More canning...this time tomato juice.

Reading some more.
Great book, especially if you want to know more about WYO and Pinedale in particular.

Spending time with the YW in our ward.

Taking care of Bridger while he had the flu.

Recovering from the flu...yuck!

Now, I'm just cleaning up from this month adventures and catching up since the ol' bug finally left. Hope you all had a good month!

Number 5

Last weekend we took a road trip to Kemmerer/Logan/Randolph to celebrate Rusty's youngest brother getting married. It was a beautiful day at the Logan temple and Andrew and Stephanie couldn't have been happier! Congrats to the new couple!

This was the last of Paul and Laurie's five children to get married. I'm sure it was a bitter sweet day for them...their baby was getting married and leaving but it was the 5th temple sealing they've attended for their children. Pretty amazing to have all 5 kids make it to the temple. Maybe one day I can grow up and be as amazing as they are!!

Derby

This weekend our ward hosted a Mother/Son Fishing Derby. We didn't do much fishing, but we enjoyed the sandy beach and icy water of Willow lake and I have to admit that I really had a great time! Our ward is so diverse, we have SO many young families moving in. I look at these young moms as the "mothers" in our ward. But it was really fun to see the other "mothers" of the ward bring their sons, who are grown, and enjoy a day with their big boys. It made me hope that one day I can do this again with my Bridger, and he can be the big boy taking care of me. It also helped me realize I need to enjoy these days that I have left with him as a little boy, for they only come once.

Highlights

Since the 4th of July has come and gone, I just want to share a few of the highlights from our FUN weekend!!

Meeting Elder & Sister Kaiser (Grandma & Grandpa), Aunt Amy, Uncle Casey, and Cousins!!! in Lander, WY for one of the best ice cream/watermelon/fireworks shows I've ever seen...plus it was all free!!!

Loving the ice cream cone Grandma & Grandpa scooped for me.

Having front row seats for an amazing fireworks show...way to go Dr. Bills. If you ever have a chance to make up this way over the 4th, Lander is the place to be. This guy puts on this fireworks show all by himself, and it's better than anywhere I've ever been, even Stadium of Fire.

Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa on their P-day.

Walking on the original Mormon Pioneer Trail.

Catching a horny-toad with my cousin Caden.

Listening to handcart stories in the grass (actually playing with Chase while everyone else listened).

Watching dad catch a fish.



Playing with cousins in an original early 1900's ranch school house.

Taking a trek with the family and enjoying a little snooze in the handcart.

Escaping the relentless mosquitoes at the Willie Center and cooling off at the Lander park.

Listening to Grandma & Grandpa share the pioneer story of Ephraim Hanks and Thisbee Reed. Aren't they so cute in their costumes!?!

We had a wonderful time with the Kaiser's over the 4th. Although we were plagued by mosquitoes, it was an amazing trip to spend together as a family.

New Addition...

I'd like to announce that our little Snow College family has a new addition! Rusty's roommate and one of our greatest friends ever, Yuji Nakayama, had a baby boy named Togo. Yuji also shared news that this sweet little baby was born with Down Syndrome. This seem like such a challenge to me, but as I've struggled with this news I know that no better person could be given this little child. Yuji is the BEST person we have ever known. He was attending college here in the United States and found the gospel. He pursued the discussions and chose to be baptized. This decision was probably one of his happiest moments ever, but also most difficult knowing his family in Japan would not approve. He has been a wonderful example to us of what a true missionary is. He returned to Japan and became completely involved in his branch there. He found a beautiful Japanese girl and was married in the temple. He has had several callings and served through many difficult trials in his life. There is no one better than this guy!! In fact when Bridger was born, I joked that one day Bridger would serve his mission in Japan, under the direction of Mission President Nakayama. We love Yuji and feel blessed that he has been a part of our life. Congrats to one of our favorite people in the world...we love you and hope one day to visit, laugh, and share old memories with you again!!

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

We were blessed this past weekend to spend some time with Rusty's mom and dad, Laurie & Paul, before they leave on their mission. They have been called to serve in the South Dakota, Rapid City Mission, assigned to serve at Six Crossing. This is part of the Mormon Handcart Visitor's Sites and Martin's Cove. They will be serving there for 6 months, helping with visitors centers and pioneer treks. We are so excited for them to share their testimony of the gospel with others while they serve the Lord. They will be the perfect missionaries because they possess the qualities we should all be working on improving in our lives; humility, kindness, obedience, patience, and service. Paul and Laurie are some of the greatest people I've ever known, and I feel blessed to be part of their family. Thank you for your love. Bridger will miss his "Mas" and "Papa" but he will always have their example of service to the Lord and sacrifice for what is most important. Good luck, you will do wonderful!!

Not So Sunny Get Away

So for the past few weeks I have been waiting and counting down until my trip to Salt Lake. I kept saying, "Once I get to Salt Lake and spend a few days with family and enjoy a little sun and warmer weather, everything will be better." Well, I guess that sun wasn't in the cards for me this trip to Salt Lake, but I still had a great time.


I was able to spend time with my family, celebrate a birthday and Whitt's upcoming wedding. We hit a couple of favorite places to eat, Astro Burger and Italian Village, which always makes me happy!! I was also able to go to two of my favorite semi annual events, the Making Memories warehouse sale and the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference, with my in-laws Paul and Laurie. It was great to go to Conference, feel the spirit, and listen to the words of the prophet. I think my 2 favorite talks that session were Pres. Packer's and Pres. Monson's, take time to read them if you didn't get to listen.


I also had some business that needed to be taken care of while in Utah; Bridger got tubes put in his ears. That ended up being an all day event, and probably something that I should block out of my memory FOREVER!! I guess I need to be happy that I won't be taking him to the doctor anymore for those darn ear infections. Oh, we also attempted having Bridger's 2 year old pictures taken, yeah right!! That kid can't sit still for more the 1/2 a second, so we ended up with only 1 good picture and another that just had to do!

Rusty came to Salt Lake unexpectedly to spend a few days with us. He said he missed us, but I'm sure he just really wanted to hang out with Bridger and spend some time at Cabela's. It was so helpful to have him there to take care of Bridger while I enjoyed the bridal shower and General Conference, thanks hun, you are a super daddy!

Last of all I got to enjoy my mom's new kitchen. Mom had her kitchen remodeled during the month of March. It was fun to see how happy she was with her new cabinets, slate floor, built-in dishwasher, and biggest highlight of the kitchen, lots of electrical outlets!! I helped her unpack a lot of her dishes, pots, pans, and food that had been stored away for a month. It's amazing how many cooking supplies a woman can have, especially when she doesn't even cook!!

Overall, it was a good trip but I was happy to come home. It seems like when I finally make it to Salt Lake I am overbooked with family events, doctor appointments, pictures, and shopping (because there in NONE here) that I am so exhausted and I don't get to see all you good friends that live there too. Sorry, maybe one day I'll come to Salt Lake with nothing on the agenda...probably not, but we can wish for things anyway!!

Full of Thanks

As this week is Thanksgiving, I've been reflecting on things I'm grateful for. Here's my list of a few blessings I am thankful to have in my life.

1. My Boys...
I'm thankful for Rusty and Bridger because they bring such joy and adventure to my life. If I didn't have them, my life would be just like any other average life, but because of them I have memories unlike any other. Thanks men, we have lots of living left to do!!



2. My Family...
I'm thankful for a mom who takes care of me, even though I'm out of the house and far away. I often get small packages with things my mom thinks would be helpful for "her little girl". I love you mom!


I'm thankful for my brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. I know that when I go home and see my family that I will always be accepted, no matter what. I love going home because I always find true happiness with my fam. Thanks guys!!






I'm thankful for the Kaisers. This family is a truly GREAT bunch. They have taken me in and treated me like gold since day 1. We have lots of great memories and fun times together, thank you.



3. My Religion
I'm thankful to have a Heavenly Father who loves me and has given his Son for me. I'm thankful for the priesthood, the temple, the Book of Mormon, prayer, repentance, Visiting Teaching, the Holy Ghost, and everything else about the Gospel. I wouldn't be the person I am today without the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a blessing.


4. The Small Things...
I'm thankful for the small things in my life too. Like the beautiful sunrises I see each morning out my window, my dishwasher, reading books with my little boy, eating ice cream with Rusty, taking a drive to see the beautiful world we live in. These are just a few of the simple things in my life that I love each day.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy your great Thanksgiving dinner, and take a second to remember how blessed we are.

For Some May Push, and Some May Pull

Since we are leaving Rawlins in 2 weeks I decided we better get in gear and hit all the hot spots we haven't made it to in the past 16 months. The first on our checklist was Martin's Cove. We hopped in the ol' Saturn and headed north. It was a warm day here in Wyoming so we left late in the afternoon. We took a quick tour of the Visitor's Center and then checked out a handcart. We loaded our water, backpack, books, camera, and Bridger into the handcart and headed for the trail.

Bridger was a great traveler. He just hung out in the cart and read his books. About a half mile up the trail Rusty told me to hop in with Bridger to see what it was like with more weight in the cart. It was kind of fun to get a ride from Rusty but it sure was loud.

We made it to the cove where the rescuers took the stranded and weary saints. It was beautiful that night, all green with grasses and trees, but as I thought about what it would have been like that early November day I couldn't imagine the pain, hunger, and sorrow those people felt.

This simple road trip gave me a new perspective on life. I have been so wrapped up in selling our house, figuring out what to store for 3 months, what to keep with us for 3 months, and dreaming about the new house we will be moving into, that I've forgotten I'm lucky enough to even have these blessings. Those pioneer women didn't have a choice of what to take; they took a change of clothes, a mending kit, the Book of Mormon, and a plate with utensils and that's about it!! They didn't know where they were going and they most certainly didn't have a house ready for them when they got to the end of their trip. This humbling experience changed my state of mind and will stay with me forever...I am thankful to have so many blessings in my life.