I never thought I'd love snow this much!

We're back.... finally!

Here's the quick rundown of our vacation:

Sunday- night Fred's parents drove us to the airport. We almost missed our first flight because we were being spacey- luckily they were barely closing the door and let us on! :} Then in Philly a plane slid off the runway and our flight from Philly to Miami was delayed 5 hours. Did I mention I hate flying? We finally made it to the hotel Mom D. reserved for us at 2am.

Monday- we went to the port and that's where the never ending tipping began- tip the taxi driver, tip the Port worker that took our bags for us, tip the cruise workers, tip restaurant waiters, I felt like I was giving out our money left & right! We checked into our room then looked around the ship a little. At dinner that night the other couple that was assigned to our table threw a fit because it was "a special occassion" and they wanted their own table, so they sat somewhere else. For 3 nights Fred & I had a table to ourselves.

Tuesday-Our first stop was in Nassau. Fred & I went on a catamaran & snorkeling tour. The water was FREEZING! Fred laughed because he said he could hear me squealing even after I went under water. (Yes, I'm a wuss.) That night was a dress-up night at dinner. They have these photographers come around and take your picture and the first night we told him we didn't want a picture so the next night he didn't even stop at our table. :}



Wednesday - We spent the day at Half Moon Cay, it seemed like a private island that Carnival owns. We kayaked around the bay, which was a lot of fun. Fred & I had a little plastic kayak that wasn't as easy to manuver & very tipsy, but we managed to stay dry! We saw a starfish on our ride that was easily 12 inches across and the water is so clear - I wish I would've had my camera but didn't dare take it out on the water with us. The 2nd half of the day we spent laying out on the beach. Fred ventured out to play in the waves, but I stayed where it was warm. Since the cruise ship didn't come all the way in we had to take a tender boat into the island- thankfully they hosted a bbq on the island. That night the water got kind of rough. I was already a little motion sick from the boat in general- whoever said you can't feel the boat very much lied!

Thursday - The rough water made it so we ported late in Grand Turk. As soon as we got off the boat it started raining. We had to wait a little while for our shore excursion but it was worth it! We took a dune buggy around the little island, up to a light house, and saw some beautiful views. I drove the last little bit, after it was done raining and didn't do a very good job of dodging the puddles. You're supposed to get muddy though right?

Friday - Was a day at sea and surprisingly the day I felt best on the boat. But I was disappointed with the activities they had planned for the day. Fred & I played shuffleboard & mini-golfed, watched the hairy chest competition, took a nap & packed.

Saturday - I woke up early to try to see at least one sunrise. (As soon as I got off the boat I was fine. Fred had sea legs for the next 2 days.) After we docked Fred & I took a taxi to pick up our rental car. Probably the most random day at the rental car place ever. 1st - Fred's driver's license was expired! (So I had to drive.) 2nd - they were out of maps! 3rd - there was a lady in there wearing a silver velour track suit & 5 inch gold heart shaped earrings. She was upset that they had rented her a car without automatic locks. All we could gather is that she had locked herself our of the car and missed a funeral. The best part was when she said "Do I look like I dress like this? I look like I'm 24!" The rental guy asked "How old are you?" Hilarious!

We managed to tour Miami only turning around once! I love road trips with Fred--- even if I have to drive because he didn't renew his license. :} First we went to the Gator park- so redneck & SO fun! We road an air boat around the everglades looking for alligators. The tour guide was funny - telling us that if a gator jumps in the boat, wave a $20 and that'll get him to stop laughing and jump down from his stand to throw it out.

After the boat ride they have a little animal show. The guy had me give my camera to Fred and take a picture of me kissing a toad. I look terrified! After Fred took a picture the guide said, "There, now you have a before and after picture."

Next we went to Coral Castle. Ed, the guy who built it was left the night before his wedding and was so broken hearted that he bought this piece of land and started quarrying coral and building a castle with rooms that he and his "Sweet Sixteen" would have lived in. There is a perfectly heart shaped table that weighs 5,000 lbs!

By 3pm we were starting to get really tired, but I figured we only had one day in Miami, let's see everything, so we drove out to the Everglades. About 10 minutes into the park I decided I was too exhausted so we went back to the hotel by Miami Beach. We checked into one of the most run-down hotels that smelled awful! Not our room luckily- just the hallways. We got dinner & walked around then went to bed.

Sunday - We walked along the beach for a little while then packed our bags and headed to the airport. Which is a whole other story---- 2 days later, at 12:05am we landed in Utah! I've never been so happy to see snow!

All we want for Christmas...

Is a cruise to the Bahamas!
Fred has worked really hard this semester going to school all day- literally by the time he does class & 3 1/2 hour labs for Genetics & Organic Chemistry. He has a crazy sleep schedule then works at night - never really seeing the sun. He's been awesome about studying and being awake when I want to do things. We couldn't think of anything we wanted for Christmas - he doesn't have time to play with all of the tools he usually gets and if we end up moving for Medical school we didn't want to have to pack even more..... so why not a vacation?!
We leave in the morning but it doesn't seem real! A few days in Miami & 5 nights on the boat. We're excited to just be away from everything!
I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post when we get back.
Happy Tanning!

Geocaching Nerds

We started the Thanksgiving break with family pictures since my sister's family was out from Colorado. They turned out pretty good and you can't even tell there was drama, can you? Nothing fancy since there are so many of us, but mom loves to have a picture of everyone together.

Fred went home and slept since he'd worked the night before. I made curry cauliflower for dinner at Gram's. Nothing too exciting, just dinner with the extended family. Fred slept after dinner and I went to visit my family for a little while.

The next day I went with my sister Nashaela & Paul, my sister Janae & 3 of her kids to ride the frontrunner train to Ogden. $9 for a round trip!!!! That's outrageous! But, we had told the kids we would let them ride the train... luckily there was a family pass. We stopped in Ogden at the Union Pacific Station to see their museums. They have a car museum, small art gallery, a train museum, and gun museum all for just $5 - so I felt a little bit better about the cost of the ride out there.

Fred of course had just gotten off work so he stayed home to sleep, then met us at my parents' house for Thanksgiving leftovers.

I had tried to think of something fun we could do together that would entertain both kids & adults and thought of Geocaching. At Thanksgiving dinner I had my Awesome (very techy) bro-in-law show me how to use the Geocaching website.

After everyone was stuffed, we headed out with 4 GPS's and 2 pages of waypoints to look for treasures. The first one was just at the local park. We found the basic area where our GPS's said to go but still couldn't find the box. I ended up calling Jeremy to have him tell us where it was. Then we tried another one. When we got to a point we thought it would be & couldn't find it my niece said "You should call him again." :} We kept looking and were able to find 2 more before it was too dark.

Kind of a nerdy game, but fun..... For those of you who don't know what Geocaching is: People have hidden log books & some little toys in containers around the world (there are seriously millions). On the geocaching.com website it provides the coordinates you can enter in a GPS to lead you to them. They're usually hidden in shrubs so you have to actually look a little bit. They have different levels of difficulty & different sizes of containers.

It turned out to be really fun for both the adults & kids!

We ended the evening back at mom's house. Her cousin was over visiting and we asked what was planned for dinner. Then while mom was out of the room we voted on pizza & left to get it before she knew what happened!

We played games & the Nintendo WII for the rest of the evening.

Judging from the look on dad's face... he won. :}

Jasper's surgery

I went outside one morning and Jasper was sitting in the flower bed (ours). He's found a place behind a rosebush that he's nestled into. His neck looked like he had cleaned it recently, the fur was wet & matted. I picked him up to look at him and saw a gaping hole in his neck!

Of course I was running late to work and it wasn't bleeding so I put him down and hoped he's be okay until I got home to take him to the vet. I didn't call for an appointment, I figured the wound justified walking in. They still acted put out by it, but fit him in.

The whole visit was humorous. I'm not over protective of my cat, he lives outside, even in the snow, he has a little house to stay warm in & food & water everyday. The vet assistant took him back, shaved his neck, the doctor looked at it, the whole time I'm sitting out in the lobby looking ridiculously bored.

Side note.... I used to work at that very Animal Hospital- for my uncle. So I was bugged that they made me sit in the lobby. I know that they're not "hurting" the animals when they shave them and the cat is meowing really loud.

So, the assistant comes back out, SITS by me and says "We'll need to sedate him." Like it's going to be the end of the world. The doctor didn't have time to do it that night so did I want to bring him back in the morning? I told her I work in Salt Lake.... She said Jasper could spend the night, no extra charge, just some people didn't like to leave their pets. I said "That's fine, my husband will pick him up tomorrow." :} Wow I sound unattached to my pet! But I really did miss him that night.

They called the next day to let me know "The surgery went well, he's resting comfortably."

His neck looked really gross with the tube & stitches so the sore could drain. He got to live inside for the week which I'm sure he loved.

A week later, Fred took him in to get his stitches out. I was afraid he had scratched the area too much, but it's healed fine. All that's left is one tiny spot & hopefully his fur grows back quickly!

Things I crave...

I've realized over the past couple of weeks that there are things I like, things I enjoy doing, and then there are things I CRAVE!
1) Time with my husband. (This was actually the 4th thing I thought of, but I didn't want him to be offended.) :}
2) Chocolate Chunky Chocolate Ice Cream
3) Watching Hockey Games.... seriously, it's an addiction!
4) Using coupons at craft stores- I can't buy anything unless it's on sale and if I have a coupon, I'll go to the craft store even though I don't NEED anything, just so I can use it.
5) Bare feet!!!!!! Nothing really needs to be added to this- I hate shoes! Not just shoes, shoes AND socks.
6) Pictures. I take my camera almost everywhere. I don't know how many times I've made Fred carry it around "just incase" I want to take a picture.
7) Stress.... I don't think I crave it, I think that it comes searching for me.
8) Lists, lists, and more lists. Shopping lists, to-do lists, packing lists,....

Pumpkin Walk.... it's tradition!

Fred & I started going to the Logan Pumpkin Walk when we were dating- actually I think it was one of 5 Student Ward FHE's that I went to. The first time we went the line was forever long and it was freezing... nothing's changed yet we've made it a tradition to go every year since.

It's held every year in October the weekend before Halloween. Different people from the community put together a scene using pumpkins (& squash) - for almost everything. This year was a little warmer as we walked around the field. They had some fun scenes.

Everything was fine until we got to the end of the trail where you go into a building with that has a funny scene & the really detailed carved pumpkins. Obviously the line is going to back up as people wait their turn to look closely. They also have a witch sitting in a chair for kids to talk to and they hand out a little snack (generally hard cookies). Then you get the annoying people that think they're "too good" to stand in line and go in the Exit of the building - making the wait for those of us who can read signs such as "Enter" and "Exit" even longer. It's a good thing the scene was funny and worth the wait.

(It's a scene with Obama in a crib with a sign that says "Too Young" and McCain in a rocking chair wearing a "I like Ike" pin.)

We stopped and picked up cinnamon rolls and ate them with Hot Chocolate at Crystal's (my little sister) apartment. It was fun to visit her, but I DO NOT wish I was back in college... studying, roommates, living near campus, parking lots with idiots.....Married life is the life for me! Not to mention the guy that lives above her that sounded like he counting out how many paces long his apartment was!

Friday night Drag......

Friday night was a riot! Fred's co-worker Robbie was performing in a drag show. Fred got the evening off to go, at first I was bugged he was using a vacation day for a Drag show, but it was pretty entertaining.

We showed up at the Paper Moon (Lesbian Bar) around 9pm. We thought we were a little early, but it was already starting to get crowded. There was a great little bench along the right side of the stage so I hurried to save it for us while Fred grabbed us sodas. We could not have looked any more straight if we tried!!!!! :}

There was so much to look at- I don't mean that in a derrogatory way- yes I'm a little naive when it comes to bars, then throw in some Drag Queens and I am all about the people watching! I have to say when Robbie came out to mingle he looked great! He was in some dress pants & a form fitting red shirt & heels- completely accessorized down to the Betty Boop purse he was carrying. He walks better than I do in heels!

Fred's other co-workers showed up about 15 minutes later and sat across the stage from us. I was impressed at how many people came to support (mock?) Robbie - at least 20 people just to see him perform.

The show started off with this rather large bald wo-Man in a very short dress performing. Followed by a couple of other odd performances - including a dracula song by a female couple, & a fire show by another. It was fun to watch the performers acknowledge each person that put a tip in the pitcher at the corner of the stage.

About 1/2 way through the show they announced "Kylee" and out comes Robbie in this great black dress. (During the mingling all the other performers were already in their sparkly outfits. I had hoped Robbie had a different outfit for performing.

SHe performed to "Girls Just Wannna Have Fun". It was AWESOME! Very impressive that guys can dance that well in heels!

The reigning "Princess" performed last and I have to say I saw more of a man in girl clothes than I've ever wanted to! I really wasn't that impressed with his performance- obviously "Kylee's" was the best.

He changed into street clothes before we could get a picture with him, but he still had most of his makeup on. I chatted for a minute with Fred's friends while Fred went to close our tab. While he was standing at the bar an older lady kept looking at him, leaning over to look at his hand. Finally he put his left hand flat on the bar and she looked away.

The other funny thing that happened was this short, older bald guy was walking around in a devil costume- Fred looks at him for a minute then says "I know that guy..... from the Army!" (Don't Ask Don't Tell, huh?)

The worst part of the whole night was the smoke. Ughhh! The smell on my clothes the whole drive home was awful! The 2nd bad part is that we had agreed to help Robbie & Jedidiah move into their new house this morning at 8am (It wasn't that bad at all - just early)! Robbie showed up at IHOP for breakfast with a little eye makeup still on. :}

2008 Orange Family Fall Picnic

2008 Family Summer Picnic!

It was actually the opening day of the Deer Hunt...... but all we saw was:

1 Squirrel

2 Chipmunks

6 Doe

4 Elk

38 Family members

I got up around 6am to get everything packed and our lunch ready. Fred got off work around 7am, sped home, put the tailgate on the truck and we were off! Definitely not as early as we would normally leave, but when we got to the family ranch everyone was still down by the big barn. They put the cows in the lower pasture and had to shoe a horse & work on a couple of calves since "Doc" (Uncle Marr) was there. Finally after a group prayer for safety we loaded the trucks.

We always take 3 trucks and usually 8 horses, but only 6 yesterday. I never decide what truck to jump in until I see where all the noisey kids are going. Most of the time we're lucky and pick a truck that ends up with the older cousins. This year it was Fred & I, Lauralee, Crystal, Nathan & his 2 boys, & Collin & his 2 girls. They were pretty well behaved until they started singing "This is the song that never ends..." They were pretty good about being quite whenever we stopped to sit on a point though.

We hunt the same direction every year, behind the ranch house, across the fish pond, up straight up, stop for lunch, then 2 more points and finally down to "The Bowl". Around that time the kids are done with any thought of being quite and if it hasn't been a productive year, the guys turn to the radio to start listening to the football games. I do love the way we hunt though. The horses wait while the trucks drive around into position - only spreading out to 3 or 4 points so we know where everyone is. Then the horses brush through the trees trying to scare any deer up. I just don't think there were any deer to scare this year!

I found these great tri-leg stools for $4 - they made fun of me for the first 2 years, because I'd carry them out on the points with me to have a seat, but now they're all jealous! They're easy to carry and make sitting on the points great! It was fun to see the kids sit on sage brush - oh to be young again! Lunch time was the best, Fred & I had seats! As soon as we left they were taken though. (Picture at the top)

Sometimes it feels like the whole reason we go on the deer hunt is for the picnic. Everyone wants to see what everyone else brought, there's some trading and people are pretty good about sharing treats. Then of course there's the second round of treats that you stick in your pockets for the second half of the day. It's fun to see everyone gather in their little family groups to see what mom or grandma packed.

Even though it wasn't a productive hunt, I have to say that the weather could not have been any more perfect! It was fun to sit on a few different points that I hadn't sat on before. Only a few moments of annoyance with one Uncle that doesn't know how to use the walkie-talkies.... :} & my face is only slightly sunburned!

Hopefully Fred gets a chance to go up early Monday morning with Christopher & my dad- I think they'll be more successful with a smaller, earlier hunt.

(Fred & Cousin Mylind riding back down to the barn.)

Cold October Weekend

This post isn't a rant, it's more of a brag of how great our life is, even if it is busy!

Friday night: A Scentsy Party at Charlee's - It was fun to smell the dozens of different candle scents, but when I walked outside it felt like I was still smelling them! I love the cinnamon spicy smells in the house during Christmas!

(Pierce helping Nannie smell the candles)

Saturday morning:

* Breakfast with the In-Laws at Denny's - it's a weekly tradition that we love. It's fun to catch up with how everyone's week went and what's coming up. We don't get a chance to go very often because of Fred's work schedule, but I love chatting with the family.

* Ogden Temple trip with the Hubby. It's always nice to go inside and enjoy a distraction from the world. I had been stressed before we went, it was nice to go even for 30 minutes to work on some family names. Within 2 hours of arriving home everything I had been stressed about worked itself out!

* We picked Grapes in the FREEZING cold rain trying to get them all in before it snowed. It was a good thing because it snowed that night!

* Made 9 bottles of Grape Juice while Fred slept. Fred really enjoys the White grape juice. I like the darker grapes. I can't believe how many grapes we got! This is the first year that we've trimmed the vines back like you're supposed to and we thought maybe we had trimmed them too much for them to grow this year. We're excited about all the food storage we've been able to work on this year!

My mom found a great recipe for Lime Rickey's that I can't wait to take to parties using our fresh grape juice!

* Charlee, Jeremy, Pierce & Kolbee came over for a soup dinner! I can't believe we live so close to them and never take the time to do stuff together, but I know between Charlee's schedule, Fred's schedule we don't get a chance. We had so much fun having them over though I'm going to try to plan something at least every other month with them.

(Pierce thought the grapes were good enough to eat by the handful!)

Sunday Morning:

* Our Nephew Kaysen Abram Lyons was blessed in Church.

Family dinners are awesome! I ate way more than I should have! There was a pretty good turn out even in the snow.

He's finally starting to chub up a little & he loved smiling at Uncle Fred he even laughed at him!

* Finally, we drove to Heber to visit Rachel, Paul, Katie & Matthew for a hike in the beautiful fall colors!

We always have a good time hanging out with them. It was snowing at our house, but the weather cleared as we drove and by the time we got to Heber there wasn't any snow on the ground. It was slightly chilly, but as we hiked it warmed up really fast. It was the perfect Sunday afternoon watching the kids run with the dogs & chatting with Rachel & Paul.

We had some salsa & lemon bars back at the house while we played a new game "Would You Rather..." We didn't get a chance to watch the movie we planned to, but we'll have to make another evening out of it! I love how our pictures turned out and I can't wait to get them scrapbooked!

I took Monday off and it's been so nice to relax---- kind of!

We slept in & Fred made omeletts for breakfast. I made more grape juice while he went to class. Now he's waiting--- Not so patiently for me to finish this so we can go to a movie!

It's been so nice to be home for a day with him- even if he is a little "pestly"!

Clearly Rocky doesn't live North of SL....

Because if he did, WE WOULD HAVE HAD THE LEGACY HIGHWAY SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monday, Sept. 15, 2008 was my first day driving on I-15 after the Legacy Hwy opened! I don't think I've ever smiled so much while driving home during rush hour. I have to admit I sped.... but who wouldn't after driving at 5 mph for the past 5 years of their life. It makes me love my job again being able to have a 35 minute commute rather than a 90 minute commute.
I even gave the Legacy Hwy a try Tuesday morning on my way out to a client's office. I have to say, I'm not a big fan of it for day to day commuting. The speed limit is 55 mph- no one was following it, but in general it just seemed like a "Sunday Drive" type of a road for me.
Thanks to all those that have moved from I-15 to Legacy though! :}

I thought I'd try blogging after a relative of mine died and while trying to find her obituary online I found her granddaughter's blog. Her granddaughter lives out of state and it made me think having a blog would be a great way to keep in touch with my family after we move out of state. Hopefully in a little over a year we'll be moving out of state for my husband to go to school. I can handle the "gazillion" years of school he has left as long as it's on the West Coast, but as far east as Missouri - I'm a country girl and I have to have mountains!
I've always been close to my family, but lately.... I wouldn't mind if they all had blogs that I could just check once a month and see what's going on with them, without all the family drama!