RAFTING

Mike and I went rafting down the Hoe Back in Wyoming with Caryn and Ty and some of their friends from their ward. I was kind of nervous to go over the level 3 rapids but it ended up being better than ok. It was TONS of fun. The first chance Mike got he shoved me into the water. Luckily, in his attempts he fell in too. We were both shocked about the temperature of the water but since it was so HOT it felt good.

While going over the rapids, Mike was the only one to fall into the water. I didn't see it happen but those that did say it looked like he did it on purpose. He claims it was from being so greasy from the sunscreen. (My White and Pasty Boy!!!)

This is where we stopped for a break. A break was desperately needed since most of our butts and legs were sore. Most of the boys took advantage of jumping off the rocks.

Mike jumping in

Shortly after we got out. There was a debate whether or not to go over the rapids again. Most didn't have a preference but since one spoke up saying he wanted to go again we all agreed to go. All we had was a truck and instead of deflating our raft just to inflate it again we put it on top of the truck. This was some tricky business. The raft was huge and was bigger than the truck. We managed to find a way to put it on top. Then, we squeezed 8 people into the truck. We carefully started our journey to our drop in point. Mike sat in the middle up front and his job was to hold the rope so that the raft wouldn't fly off the top. We passed a lot of cars and we got a lot of reactions. We had several people point and laugh. I admit it was hysterical. Stay posted for pictures (they're on my friend's camera and she hasn't emailed them yet.)

We got dropped off and then the boys went to go get the vehicles so we would have something when we got out. We didn't realize it would take them so long. While they were gone there was a discussion of how late it was getting. The mom's were getting paranoid about going again because of their babysitters. They started to deflate the raft and cleaning up. Let's say when Ben came back he was somewhat disappointed but handled it well. Good thing we left because it was after 9:00 when we arrived home.

The ride home was fun. We decided the van was the girl vehicle and the truck was the boy vehicle. That was a good way to get to know each other better. We stopped in Swan Valley for a square icecream cone. We were all so exhausted that we didn't stay long. Only one thing was on our mind; Home!

Going to Utah

I love being married and love not having kids. This is why...Mike and I, on the spur of the moment, decided we wanted to go down to Utah to visit his parents. Mike mentioned it to me Saturday night and then an hour later we were prepared to leave. Mike called his parents letting them know of our plans and then his dad immediately called and reserved us a hotel. We left Sunday afternoon and were there when they got out of church. We had dinner with them and talked for a while. We then had to play Settler of Catan. By the time the game was over we were all so exhausted and then headed off to bed.

The next morning Mike and I made a trip to Provo and saw my old roommate DeAnna. I was super excited to see her since I hadn't seen in her in about 2 years. We had a lovely visit and then we headed off toward Seven Peaks. Of course, it was an arm and a leg to get in. What we didn't realize was that it was a tube park more than a water park. After paying a fortune to get in you then had to pay extra if you wanted to rent a tube to go on some of the slides. Mike and I entertained ourselves well enough that we didn't think it was worth it to rent a tube. Oh, and to just rent a locker it was $6.00. The car worked better and was a lot less expensive. On our way to the apartment we made our first appearance inside of IKEA. It was more than we had ever hoped for.

Mike in Ikea

After Seven Peaks we went out to dinner with his parents to Pei Wei. We tried several Asain dishes and for the most part was impressed. We then went on a drive and looked at President Hinckley's grave. We saw a lot of other apostles, church members, and family members that were also buried in that cemetary. We looked and looked for the angel that was in the book The Christmas Box by Paul Richard Evans but didn't have any luck. We went back to the apartment and then played the train game.

The next day (Tues. morning) Mike and I stayed at the hotel until it was time to check out. We went for an early morning swim since we didn't have time any other day to get in. We then parked at his parents' apartment and walked to the Church Office Builidng. His mom pre-registered us to go on the 12th floor to see where they work and what they do. Unfortunately, Mike and I both forgot our drivers license. Mike about had a heart attack when he realized it was missing from his wallet. Instead of going back to the car to look for our misplaced item we went and had lunch. The cafeteria was super busy and fast paced. If you didn't know what you wanted or just stood still for a moment while deciding, you got ran over. We met a lot of his parents' friends and/or work companions.

Beautiful flowers on Temple Square

Karen was able to work her magic and got us past the security systems regardless that we forgot our drivers license. We saw their cubicles and got the tour of their mission. We then went up to the 26th floor and saw an amazing view the surrounding area. We walked around Temple Square, visited the Beehive House (Brigham Young's house), looked at the hole (construction of the new mall near Temple Square), and went inside a few of the buildings. We went back with his mom to and chilled while his dad finished up some work at the Church Office Building. Afterward, we went out to eat at Wendy's and then started our journey home. We had to stop and get a 7/11 slurpee and then stopped in Pocatello to say hi to my sister Karalee and her family.

The Beehive House

Stick Pull

I don't know how many of you have tried stick pull before but I have found it an extremely fun game, especially to watch. This game was Joseph Smith's favorite game and he was really good at it. As you can see in the picture you have a stick where you each put your hands on. One person hands are on the outside and the other person hands are on the inside. Well, you just then pull until someone gives.

We were at Nate and Nashina's when we played this game. I won my first game but the next two I lost. What can I say? The person in the picture is a lot stronger than I am.

Comparison Pictures

As most of you know our house was a disaster when we first bought it. It took a month to clean it up and to also update it. We finished most everything inside of the house last year but this year our big concentration was our yard. We fixed our front last year because we didn't want to be embarrassed. I took some pictures in April and then again in August to see our progress. This is our latest upgrade.

Before

After

Our Garden

BeforeAfter

You notice in the "After" picture our garden is twice the size than in the "Before" picture. My mom gave me some strawberries and not knowing where to put them I had to extend it. I had already planted on the other side. Unfortunately, I had to replant since it had snowed and most of my plants died. There are a few that survived and are growing in the wrong place. For example, two squash plants survived and are growing in my rows of beans. Oh well, they're both alive, healthy, and producing.

I know our garden is small but we're still proud of it. This is our first year having one and we love it. It's so nice to be able to go out in the garden and eat fresh produce and to have vegetables on hand for dinner or other things.

The Chukars Game

Mike and I had the opportunity to go to the Chukars Game two times this week. We went on Tues. because it was BYU-Idaho Alumni night. I invited a co-worker and his wife and then we met up with Tim and Amelia and their group.

Nothing too exciting happened that night. I'll share something most of us found funny. (It might be one of those things you had to be there for.) There was a group down below us having a company party and Tim kept wanting some soda. He's trying to scheme a way to get some. This went on for most of the game. Tim all of a sudden realizes that Mike's sister Joy is down there and he was like, "Mike! Your sister has been down there the whole time! Tell her to get me some soda." Unfortunately, we didn't see Joy for the rest of the game. Tim was very distraught and had to go get his own beverage from the concessions.

Co-worker Les and his wife Laura

The next time we went was on Thursday. We were able to take advantage of Artic Circle giving away free tickets. This time our group consisted of Nate and Nashina, Caryn and Tyler, Erin and Val, and of course us. We saw a lot of other friends. We had a lot of fun and was glad for all that was able to join us.