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!

Finally

We finally made it camping this summer. We've been so busy with house projects and then the fire that we haven't really been out to enjoy one of our favorite summer activities. We had a great time eating tin foil dinners and banana boats, seeing some wildlife, catching a couple fish, and sitting around the campfire despite the rain.






The best part of the weekend was berry picking. The raspberries were in full bloom and we couldn't resist stopping at every bush we saw to pick some delicious little treats. I was amazed at how many berries there were. Here's a shot of just one of the bushes.



We picked and picked and picked and came home with so many berries I had to freeze some because we couldn't use them all.





We had a great time this weekend and Sunday afternoon we reaped the benefits of all our picking with delicious raspberry shakes!!

Catch a fish

That's what B says when he wants to go to a lake and have Rusty catch a fish. Well, we entertained his little wish last Saturday and took the boat out.

Bridger loves everything about fishing; the fishing poles, the tackle, the net, the boat, but the fish...not so much. He was so scared when Rusty caught a fish I was worried he was going to jump out of the boat! I guess he'll learn the slimy little things can't really do much harm.

This little guys is so lucky to have a daddy to take him out and enjoy the outdoors. They are going to have some big adventure together!!

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.

Happy Anniversary

I want to wish my in-laws, Paul and Laurie Kaiser, and very Happy Anniversary today!! They have been married for 34 years today. These are some of the greatest people you will ever know, I feel so lucky to have them for in-laws. Check out how cool they are on their mission...aren't they just so fun! We will be visiting them on their mission next weekend, and I can't wait to have them share their incredible mission experiences with us. Congratulations to Paul and Laurie, what wonderful lives they lead and what wonderful examples they are to us.

Shrooms

This is one of the times of the year that Rusty lives for...mushroom season. Here in sage brush hills of Pinedale, there is a 2-3 week time frame when wild mushrooms sprout up in bunches and bunches. Now these aren't the wild mushrooms that you may be thinking of...giving you some psychedelic high or killing you dead on the spot...these are mushrooms that are fresh, healthy, and delicious (if you are a mushroom lover).










When I first met Rusty and we went looking for mushrooms the very first time, I remember thinking of the toadstools that would come up in the grass of my front yard growing up. Mom warned me and warned me not to touch or eat those things. They were always fascinating to me, how they would sprout up over night...but nothing I would go searching the yard for. Well, now here I am, married to the MOST OUTDOORSY MAN IN THE WORLD, and I'm walking the hills looking for the special shine of his beloved mushrooms.








Saturday we hit the mushrooms in full bloom, (or whatever you call it) and we hit the jackpot. We probably collected between 50-60 mushrooms and filled 2 grocery bags!! Rusty was thrilled and couldn't wait to get home. We washed, chopped, and sauteed the mushrooms; freezing them for later. Now Rusty can have mushrooms on everything he eats; hamburgers, steaks, pizza, spaghetti, etc, etc.








Now, many of you are going to read this, and think we're crazy, you would never do that!! But when you marry someone like Rusty you learn there is a whole new world out there just waiting for you to discover it, and that's the beauty of life, now isn't it!!

Books, Books, Books

So I had my second Usborne books show today. It went really well and I had a great time!! Lots of nice moms and kiddos showed up from all over the area; Daniel, Cora, Pinedale, Barger and Boulder. We had books to look at, food to eat, and pictures to color. It got a little crazy with kids running, people asking questions, and me trying to use a calculator as mach 10, but it was a good learning experience. I think I am really going to enjoy doing this, not only because I make money, but because it is so wonderful to see other mom's believe in the importance of reading with their children. What better gift to give a kid than the gift of reading?! Thanks to Rusty for helping me out today and being such a good husband and dad and thanks all the good people around here who has been so supportive of my little adventure!!

P.S.
If anyone is still interested in ordering books online check out my eShow.

Cubs

Okay, this post isn't about the Chicago Cubs, even though that would make my mom and Jessie very happy, but it is a follow up to an earlier post. I only had a few guesses as to what was hiding in the picture that Rusty took the other day, and surprisingly Kristin was kind of right!! What you were all looking at was a mountain lion cub. The little babe was perched on the dead tree, almost dead center of the picture.









Here is a different close up shot. Check out the eyes glowing and the little nose. Isn't it so cute!! Rusty was able to see twin cubs, but no mother. I'm sure the mother was close by, watching her little ones, but Rusty wasn't able to catch a glimpse.








I feel so blessed to live in one of the most beautiful and amazing places around. There is not a day that goes by that I do not see wildlife of some kind; deer, moose, antelope, elk, golden eagles, bald eagles, anything!! Most of you city folks only hear/read about these beautiful creatures that Heavenly Father has created, I get to see the majesty of his creation on a daily basis. What an amazing blessing. Thanks hun for dragging me to WYO, it really is an adventure!

Do You See What I See?

No, this isn't a post about the beloved Christmas carol...even though it's still so cold here in Pinedale it could be December!! Actually, I want to see if you have as good an eye for wildlife as my hubby, Rusty. He was out in the field the other day and spotted an little critter running around. This is the picture he had me look at first...can you see what he saw?





Take a look and leave a post. I will give the answer in a couple of days, with a better picture of what he saw! Good luck guessing!

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!!

Slush

Isn't slush just about one of the dirtiest, yuckiest things in the world? I mean, think of all the gross things in it; dirt, oil, gas, and who knows what else!! But I have to admit that I am THRILLED to see slush the past few days. January and early February were nasty in Wyoming. There were days that Pinedale didn't get into the double digits, and to make things worse it was -30 at night...whoa!! Then on top of the cold is the wind, it just drifts the snow and makes it near impossible to drive. So, when I saw 32 degrees on the bank's billboard the other day...I was in heaven. I walked through inches of slush into the grocery store with only a long sleeve shirt on, and was HAPPY!! So for all of you out there trudging through the slush today, just remember we are one day closer to spring!!

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Today sure looked like a nice day out. So after lunch I got Bridger ready for a little outside time to get his energy out. Well, I quickly realized that today was not the day to be outside...take a look.


After his slide fell over 3 times and his ball went rolling 50 feet down the way, I decided to come inside. Ohhhh, life in WYO.

TURKEY LURKEY

OK, Justin, this is for you!!

If you're not interested in hunting stories or pictures go ahead and skip this post...sorry. This weekend we made a state-wide road trip to Aladdin, Wyoming for some deer and turkey hunting. It was a LONG DRIVE, 10 hours, filled with Rusty quoting lines from "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Cowboys". Now, I love Rusty, but you can only take so much when it comes to Robert Redford and John Wayne impressions!! The only compensation for all the movie lines was the beautiful scenery we saw along the way.



The town of Aladdin is like something out of a book. It's population is 15, FIFTEEN!!! The only buildings there are a Post Office/Bar/General Store (all in one building) and a small motel. Inside the store it was like "Little House on the Prairie", it had everything you needed, even candy in big ol' barrels, (I could just see Half Pint asking Pa for some candy). It was fun to take a look inside and we bought Bridger a "wooden nickel" for a little souvenir.

Now, my expectations for this hunt were not too high considering my last 2 turkey hunts and the disappointments I had with them. Some people may say that turkeys are dumb, but I would have to disagree. These birds are pretty smart and won't let you get near them. Hunting these little guys is more difficult than you could imagine. To make a long story short, me and Rusty hid in the trees while his little brother Andrew pushed the turkeys right to us. It was amazing, almost like a cartoon, with the turkeys running down the hill, their heads bobbing up and down!! They came right to us, I stood up, aimed the shotgun, and with one shot I got my turkey!! It was amazing, sort of a miracle. I was so happy and Rusty was so proud of me!




Now, hunting really isn't my thing; I got my Hunter's Safety a couple of years ago because Rusty really wanted me to. Even though I go bird hunting reluctantly with Rusty every year, I always have fun and find myself growing a bit as I do something out of my comfort zone. Thanks for all you do hun, I love ya!