Whew! What a weekend!!

It was Flaming Gorge Days here in Wyoming...and we have lived here for 6 years and have never gone...I know. So we decided to go. Friday night was a concert with Chris Young and Rodney Adkins. So much fun. We went with Julie and our almost brother-in-law Chris. Crazy.

This is Chris Young Jammin... Didnt want to haul my camera around so this was with Marcus' phone. It works.


Saturday, we went to breakfast at Sante Fe (YUM) and then took the kids over to Green River to see what Flaming Gorge days were all about. There was a lot of booths and some blow-up slides and obstacle courses for the kids. And a REALLY cool spray park we are going to have to go back to.

We also decided to go to the rock concert Saturday night. Who was playing you ask...BRET MICHAELS! I know, whatever eh? Some local band opened, the Dakkan (I have no idea who they are) and then Mr Bret Michaels himself. We took a lot more people. Sam, Chris and some guys from work and of course Julz ;o) It was crazy the different crowds between the two concerts. I could have laughed at drunk people all night. Oh, I did. There was a couple making out on the ground (probably drunk too) and this lady tripped over them. Hilarious. Anyways, Bret Michaels is filming yet another Rock of Love show...This one is something like The Big Rockin Tour Bus of Love, and we will be on the first episode. Well not personally, but our concert. Ladies were throwing bras on stage. Insane. And all his Rock of Love girls were dancing on stage. It was great. I am glad we decided to go.

Since we didn't get home until 1 am, you would think we would stay home Sunday. Nope. We went to Flaming Gorge. It was BEAUTIFUL! I am so glad we went, we really did talk about staying in bed all day. The water was warm enough to swim in. One of Julies friends were out there and we borrowed his Water Weenie or Banana Tube, whatever you call it...the kids had a blast. Of course, my camera was dead by then. So sad.

Julz getting ready to wakeboard.


Marissa. She did get in the water, but it was a little cold for her taste.


Marcus helping Marissa into the water for about .5 seconds. Then she was done.


Marcus wakeboarding. Whew.


Needless to say, I am pooped. Want to crawl back into bed for at least 4 days. I wish. Now we get to get ready for camping over the 4th. Going to be a blast!!

Then and Now Tag...

20 Years ago...
1. I was almost 8 years old.
2. Still loved to pay house. For my 8th birthday I got Cabbage Patch TWINS! Ultimate Heaven.
3. I am sure I was fighting with Brenda over whose fence it was that divided our houses. Lol, I dont think that was ever resolved...

10 Years ago...
1. I was 7 1/2 months pregnant with McKenna.
2. I had just returned from Bear Lake and while I was there got massive sunburn/sunstroke...I was passing out in the shower...not good.
3. Hmmm, I had just graduated from high school and we were getting ready to move to Cedar City.

5 Years ago...
1. We had been living in Rock Springs for about a year. Moved here July 4th weekend '02
2. Brady had just turned 1 and Kenna was almost 5.
3. What else...I dont know. 2003 must not have been too exciting.

3 Years ago...
1. We had been living in our first house for about 7 months.
2. Marcus had been with Simon's Petroleum for almost a year.
3. We bought our boat!!!

1 Year ago...
1. We were remodeling our kitchen. Ugh. Love it, but take my advice and NOT do it during the summer....
2. Gained about 10 pounds because we were remodeling the kitchen and had to eat out a lot.
3. Went on a Harley Ride and a Bon Jovi Concert. Whoo!!

So far this year...
1. I have gone to Bear Lake...twice.
2. Have been working out hard for Cancun...wish I saw some results!! Freak!!
3.I have found friends that I had lost for years and years.

Yesterday I...
1. Had the kids do their new summer chores. Went surprisingly well.
2. Finished reading The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen and started and finished Unspoken by Lisa Jackson. Both were really good...it was one of those days.
3. Took the kids to the waterpark until it started to rain.

Today I...
1. Ran.
2. Went to Kung Fu Panda...only to have it end after 30 minutes.What? I thought it started at 12:40 but when I bought the tickets I got them for the 2:05 show. So we went to Taco Time and came back to the theater to watch it again. Cute though.
3. Had my brother Coltin come jump my car...a door was left open last night. Uggh.

Tomorrow I...
1. Am taking the kids to the summer movies, Alvin and the Chipmunks which I don't think I can watch ONE more time which is why we went to Kung Fu Panda today, but Marissa heard Chipmunks in theater 1 and now is convinced we need to go see it tomorrow.
2. Running again.
3. Doing laundry.

In the next year I...
1. Hope to lose all my freaking weight. I am trying people!
2. Hope to go on a cruise this fall....Hope is the keyword.
3. Be more consistent and organized....

TAG...Kami...AnnMarie...and Tara. Get busy ladies..

What a Difference a Week Makes!!

Seriously! Huge Ginormous difference from a week ago... Insane. It was absolutely gorgeous! We spent all day long at the beach on Saturday. Marcus wasn't able to come because of work, and we totally owe him because we rented jet skis without him. It was freaking awesome. Mom, dad, Teresa, Julie and her kids and me and our kids were there. It was a lot of fun and NO DRAMA!! Imagine that!

Kenna the Mermaid on the beach. Courtesy of Teresa...

Matthew without a body. AAAHHHH!!!

Teresa and how she looked most of the weekend. I swear that girl is never without a book! Not that I can blame her, but at least I didn't finish mine, LOL...

Brady as "Squidward" or an Octopus. How sweet. Such a nerd.

Julie, Kenna and Mallory, getting ready to go out on the Jet Ski. Freakin awesome. That is all I have to say.

My cute dad, Teresa and Marissa. They got flying. I wouldn't be surprised if dad has one soon. He had a blast!!! Soo much fun.

Little Miss Marissa having fun in the sun....only one to get burnt was me...behind my knees dang it!! I thought I was doing so good too!!!

Dad, Mom and Kenna, they found their anchor that broke last week in that awful storm. It was right where they left it, buried in the sand. Dad was glad...it is a good anchor, at least their boat didn't float away!

The pool right after the lake. Matthew doing his awesome moves; a flip into the pool!

Kenna "teaching" Brady how to swim. Notice he is underwater. Poor kid. Good thing he could reach the side Lol. Kenna really did a good job with him. He thought he was pretty cool.

Miniature golfing before we left this morning (I was missing my Marcus). Marissa was too funny, she would line it right up for the shot....and miss.

McKenna and Mallory....they almost look alike...weird. They are the best of friends. Love them.

Bubby waiting for his turn.

I cannot tell you the difference the week made! We absolutely wish that Marcus and Coltin and Grampy could have stayed with us. It was awesome weather....I cant wait for boating at the Gorge next weekend. ... and jet skis next time at Bear Lake with Marcus..... Kenna and Brady AND Marissa completely take after their dad when it comes to driving jet skis...holy moly!! Talk about hitting the gas after the buoys!! WEEE-HAAWWW!!!

Sigh... :(

So my extremely beautiful sister-in-law Samantha (Sam) and her fiance Chris have been living with us since January. They moved out today!! I am so sad. Their room is so bare...it is really depressing. And the house is much too quiet. Chris and Marcus would stay up chatting about work (of course) for hours..

I am so excited for them though. They are getting married September 12, 2008 and are seriously perfect for each other. The kids are SO excited to go to their house for sleepovers...so am I (wink)...Lol. They are so great with our kids, I cant wait for them to have babies of their own for us to squeeze.

Vacation = Relaxation, Right???

Gonna be a long one...you have been warned!

We went to my mom and dads condo/timeshare at Bear Lake this week. We left on the 6th and got home today. It was a very eventful week...not a dull moment, that is for sure.

Started out with Kenna hyperventilating in the car on the way there. She was feeling sick to her stomach and wigged. It was so bad she was posturing, her hands were like cramped up, which freaked her out even more...causing her to hyperventilate even more. We got her calmed down and that helped a lot. How scary though.

We went down to the beach to check out the water, which of course was FREEZING, beyond freezing really. Ridiculous. What does Coltin do? Dive in. Retard.

Coltin and our friend's son, Matthew. At least the pool was warm.


Coltin and Mallory doing "Cheerleading" moves.


Our first night there all three of our kids were puking their guts out. Not cool. Mom had those motion sickness patches that go behind your ear with her, so Kenna and Brady each got one. Nice. A great start.

The next day we took the boats out on the water. Fun. Freezing. Fabulous. We were on the water for about 5 minutes when dad's boat stalls. Of course. We towed them back to beach.

Coltin and his friend Latesha. She is so cute. Not sure what Coltin is doing. He is a nerd.


Dad helping with the towing efforts. Mom and dad went and bought matching Coast Guard Yellow Bear Lake hoodies. Nice. What is that Jeff Foxworthy says about couples in matching clothes??? Hmmm. But it was cute.


Sunday....a great day for miniature golfing. Here is Coltin and our friend Julie...


Marissa was concentrating SO hard, her little tongue was hanging out of her mouth the entire time we were there. Too cute. Marcus and Coltin had a bet on their scores golfing. Loser had to jump into the lake from the boat. Marcus lost....bad.


Monday was BEAUTIFUL! I have the sunburn to prove it ;) Jeff and Breezy had brought the part for the boat, so both were up and running. We cruised around and ended up at this fun beach. It was the beach Jed built his "house" the last time we were there...4 years ago. Alas, it was no longer standing, but we did find the remains.


Miss Marissa playin in the 'ponds'. They were really pretty warm.


Kenna, pouting. Marcus sat her down in the water and she about flipped. Such drama.


Marcus after his dive of shame. That water is freezing people!!


Kenna and Marissa.


Marcus and Rissa. She would throw sand on him and him on her. Then would wash it off...


All the sand on Marcus led to this..courtesy of Coltin and Kenna. Complete with shell nipples.


Since Monday was so beautiful, we anchored our boat on the beach. Marcus woke up and went to check on the boats and ours wasn't there. It was out past the buoys. Nice. Waves..Holy moly. Bear Lake can get crazy waves. Jeff took Marcus to our boat on dads. Marcus headed to the Marina and Jeff took the truck and trailer to meet him. About 20 minutes later, Marcus shows up in the condo. The waves were so bad and coming over the top of the boat that he put a life jacket on and came back. That he was freaked out enough to put the jacket on and come back is insane. He said there was like a foot of water in the bottom of the boat. That can never be good.

Remember how blue the sky was the day before? Crazy.


We were trying to put the boat on the trailer from the beach. Bear Lake is really shallow, so it wasn't as easy as we thought. While we were trying a guy from the resort came down and said that there is a $1000 fine for having personal vehicles on the beach. Of course there is.


Resort guy called the tractor guy and he was able to get up out. The boat was so full of water. The boys were in the water for at least 2 hours. Waves crashing against their heads. Bad, bad news. They were soo cold. It was awful. We didn't get fined, thank goodness, just had to pay tractor guy $50. Whew.


The water inside the boat. Insane.


After getting ours out, they still had to get mom and dads out. Resort guy said that 3 boats capsized in that area last year. Nuts! That water is like 7 feet deep at the buoys. Those waves are crazy-wicked.

Wednesday we went to camp Minitonka. Fun. What the hell were we thinking going to a cave that is 40 year round when it was snowing!!! It is JUNE! Freak.

Brady was completely freaked out the whole time. Coltin had convinced him that the Bear Lake monster lives there when he is not in the water. What a sweetheart that Coltin is. Lol.


Keep in mind that McKenna is still sick...thank goodness mostly during the night, so she was still able to have fun.

We went to the pool at the resort. Coltin was inspired and thought that he would dive, yes my 6'2" brother dove thru a tube into a 6' pool. You can guess the outcome. He come out of the water, after blacking out for a second, holding his face. He asks one of the ladies if there is blood. "Oh Yes" was her reply.

Marcus and I took him to Montpelier ID to the hospital. He was hurting, but didn't fail to hit on the nurse. "How you doin?" (Think Joey from Friends.) He has a concussion, his forehead taped up, a hole thru his lip and the doctor said his nose wasn't broken, just bent. What??

We were trying to come up with a new nickname for him. Since his cut on his forehead was jagged, we were thinking something along the Harry Potter line... Jed called and talked to Marcus. When Marcus got off the phone, he told Coltin that Jed said he was a Dumb Ass. The nurse said, "Maybe his nickname should be Harry Ass". I about died laughing. I was crying. Loved Nurse Andrea. She was hilarious.

Right before we left. Ignore the shadow, I was hurrying. Notice his "bent" nose. It is so broken, that doctor was crazy.


At the playground on Thursday.


Marcus and Marissa on the swings. Love.


Marissa. She is too funny. Such a poser.


So between boats breaking, kids puking, boats nearly sinking, hypothermia, a concussion, boats floating away, hyperventilating, snow and some more puking, we really did have a great time. In fact, we are going again next weekend. Are we crazy??

Graduation and AWESOME Races

Okay... Saturday was my little brother Coltin's graduation from high school. He seriously didn't know if he was officially going to be able to walk until the day before! Hello SENIORitis! Such a pain. It short and sweet and we had beautiful weather. FINALLY. I guess at Rock Springs High, there is a tradition of blow-up toys to bounce around during the ceremony. Not only beach balls people, we are talking HUGE whales, a palm tree, a monkey, a sheep, many balls, beer cans and bottles...tons of stuff. It was pretty funny.

Rock Springs High Class of 2008!! We were talking that my graduation was 10 years ago and dads 30! Insane. Notice the palm tree. It was huge.


Jed and Miss Marissa.


The whole family - Breezy who was with her new nephew in Alabama. =(


I don't think mom could have been more excited for this moment! She says she only has one left. Teresa will be a freshman this fall! Weird.


In the first grade, Coltin's teacher had them put together a time capsule. Really cool. There were things like a piece of yarn that was as tall as he was in first grade. A letter written to him by mom & dad and all the siblings. A letter/booklet to himself telling who his friends were at the time and what he wanted to be when he grew up. Some random "treasures" like a arrowhead necklace and some pictures of him. There is also a cassette tape! We still don't know what is on it because no one has one anymore. We did find a fisher price one at mom's but had no batteries. What do you do. Kenna is putting one together now. Great idea!



After graduation and Bonsai; me, Marcus, Jed, Chelsea, Coltin and his friend Mike went to SLC for the Superbike Races in Toolle that we had tickets to Sunday. Awesome! It really is incredible the speeds these guys get to. The top speed was 184.4 mph on one of the straight-a-ways. Insane. Those corners...geesh. Knees were dragging. It was awesome!! Hope to go back next year.

Chels, Jed, Marcus, Coltin and Mike watching the races.


Zoom!


These were on the straight-a-way. These guys were hauling. There were quite a few wrecks and they would get up and walk away. Incredible.


All the bikes people rode to the races. There were TONS!


K-this guy seriously walked around like this all day!! He had a fanny pack on butt (ha ha) his shorts were sagging. Ew.


There were some stunt bikers doing a show in the Padlock. He was popping a wheelie and then let himself drag behind the bike. Crazy guy.


Some more stunts.


Jed and Chelsea watching the races.


It seriously was SOO much fun. Great to be able to hang with some of the siblings...it was a complete riot. I think Marcus was in 7th heaven and is going to be bugging me for a bike again. Hmm....would be a blast. I miss it. We stayed downtown and that was one of the funnest things ever. Walking to Squatters, Coltin jumped on one of the metal bicycle structure thingy and started to "pedal". Then the raptor walk (think Jurassic Park, yes the dinosaurs in the kitchen)...oh goodness, that kid is a riot! Too fun. Can't wait to hang with them again...next stop Cancun!!