Lake Powell - Sept 2010

We were so lucky to get in a second Lake Powell trip this year. This trip was a little different. It was our first trip with friends, not family. It was a great little end of summer getaway! I have to say that Lake Powell in September may be my favorite time! The water was amazing, and although chilly in the night/mornings, the weather was beautiful!

Calie and Dave put together a great group of people! It was so fun to meet a few new couples, and I was so excited how well everyone got along with one another!

Billy was in heaven because he actually got to go fishing! We don't usually get much fishing in on our July trip, so he was so glad he final got to on this one! They did really well, and we even ate fish for dinner one night!

I was finally able to get up on the wakeboard after seriously 3 years of trying! I don't know what my deal was before because I was able to get up on only my 2nd or 3rd try this time! I credit Jared's advice of telling me to lean back...I seriously don't think I have ever leaned back before! Haha! I surprisingly got up on the wake surf as well! I have to say I was pretty proud of myself :)

(Don't mind my face, I was concentrating really hard!)

It was so much fun hanging out with this crazy fun group of girls! There was fist pumping, foot pumping, boat dancing, and fun times that sure took a few of us out of our shells!

We hiked up to the Defiance House Indian ruins for the first time which was a fun experience (and a great photo op!)
The guys entertained us all with a pretty competitive game of 500!
I saw my first ever actual roadrunner! I've only ever seen the cartoon version!
It was sure an amazing time! We couldn't have asked for better weather, better water or better company! A huge thank you out to Calie and Dave for such a wonderful trip! So to Lake Powell I say, thanks for the great times in 2010....until next year my sweet escape!

What could be greater? JOHN MAYER 2010

I had the awesome opportunity to see John Mayer for the 4th time last night! However, this time was different...I could see the whites of his eyes from the fourth row....the closest I've ever seen him! My bosses' daughter, Stephanie, was awesome and got me pre-sale tickets so we were able to get incredible seats!
Anyone who knows me, knows that I could listen to John Mayer all day everyday (and sometimes I do :) While I actually think he is somewhat obnoxious in all of his media hoopla, his music is inspiring to me. In a time when I feel that lyrics and music are just going down hill.. (with lyrics like, "I wanna be a billionaire so fricken bad..") It is so refreshing to listen to his meaningful lyrics, and incredible guitar skills.

He still pulls crazy faces, which is pretty hilarious to watch, but I personally think it shows his passion for what he is doing.

I was able to get some great video of a few of my favorite songs!

It was great girls night out with Calie, Katie, Cassi, Britney & Monica!

Girls weekend out!

I was lucky enough to have a much needed girls weekend this past weekend! My mom was taking my nephew on a short trip to Vegas before school starts so I thought I would take the girls for a girls night! We had such a blast! I picked up the girls on Friday night and Billy & I took them to Pizza Factory for dinner. They loved being able to make their own salads! After dinner we took them to "the farm" (aka Billy's parent's house) We took them out to see the buffalo, and their draft horse that I swear is as big as an elephant!

So when we got home they were both pretty ready for a bath and they LOVE our bathtub because of all the jets! So I let them get in and they were pretty hilarious!

Bubble Beards

Next on our agenda was getting ready for bed...this is where Cierra said she wanted to sleep:

Luckily I talked her out of it, and they ended up here! It looked a lot more comfortable than the bed I made for myself on the couch!

The next morning we got up early to go see the Santaquin Parade! The girls were pretty funny...I was excited to do their hair all cute but when it came down to it they both said that they wanted their hair like mine. So we ended up with headbands and straight hair, but I think they looked adorable!

They both wanted a pic with Toby...poor dog, he's not use to having little kids around and he was a little nervous and annoyed most of the time!

By the time we got to the parade they were so sick of me taking their picture as you can see here:

They ended up with a ton of candy, and I was lucky enough to hang out with Candice and Swayzee at least for a bit!

After the parade we hit the park to look around at the booths and play on the bouncing toys, and then lunch at Micky D's! I was certainly exhausted by the end of the day!

But the girl's weekend didn't end there...

That night I got to go up to Salt Lake and get together with Cassi and some friends to see The Spazmatics...an awesome 80's cover band that dress up like Revenge of the Nerds! They were so fun to watch, and played some great music! We all had a blast! Me and my Favorite chicaCassi, Jen, Me, Jenn & BrittanyCassi, Jenn & Me

An Amazing Night!

So first off I just have to say this girl is one of my favorites! I always have a blast when we hang out! I'm so lucky to have such a fun, exciting, and incredible best friend!

Tuesday we went to the Britney Spears/Pussycat Dolls concert! I have to admit to everyone that Britney Spears has always been my guilty pleasure! There is just something about her music that makes me want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs! I know she is a crazy psychopath that probably doesn't deserve the fame, but what can I say....I love her music! Unfortunately I was a dufus and didn't take my camera, but I got a few crappy pics with my phone.

Our seats were amazing...4th row nearly center. It was definitely in my top 3 favorite concerts! She puts on such a great show, even if she is most likely lip syncing the entire time! But honestly, my opinions is that if she was really singing then it would have sucked! All that huffing and puffing from all the dancing and running around she does!

Anywhos...it was an awesome night with Cassi, and I'm so glad that she loves to go do these fun crazy things with me!

Happy Birthday Cassi!

Today marks a special occasion...the 26th birthday of my best friend, Cassi Matthews! Here are just a few things that make this awesome chica one of the greatest on earth and a few pics of us through the ages!

*She is the kind of girl that makes for a lifetime friend...you know one of those that even when you don't speak to them forever, you can still sit down and carry on like no time has passed!

*She is always available whether I need someone to cry to, laugh with or just BS about stuff! I know that regardless of where she is, if I need her she will be there!

*She loves to do silly off the wall things with me! One of my favorite times was singing karaoke at Atchafalaya, where we almost got in a fight, because apparently some girl didn't like us! Although, to this day, neither of us know what we did to provoke it!

*We have an uncanny ability to talk hollywood trash for hours!

*We read each others minds. Or maybe its just that we think so much alike! I will be grabbing my phone to text her something and 'voila' I have a text from her saying the same thing!

*She is my concert buddy! Together we have seen John Mayer 3 times, Sheryl Crow 2 times (well sort of..we didn't actually go together to the second one, but we were both there texting each other throughout!), Green Day, and a plethora of other awesome bands! Although I love going to concerts regardless of who I am with, they are always funnest with her! (**wink, wink Cas!)
*She shares my love for Baja Cantina...so I know that whenever I have a craving for it, I can call her up and she will make the long drive with me just to have dinner!

*Finally, I know that regardless of where we are in our lives, regardless of what crazy things might happen, and regardless of whether she likes it or not, I know we will always be best friends!

I had the opportunity to celebrate with her at her suprise party on Saturday! Thanks to John (her man) for putting it together, it was a great time! I forgot my camera, but I took this pic with my camera phone, that's why it sucks so bad!)

Cassi blowing out the candles on her cake!

P.S. Cassi-don't kill me for putting these pics on! I went through all my old ones and was laughing so hard at what dorks we were and I only put the ones that wouldn't totally embarass us!

This is what summer is all about!

JOE'S VALLEY
Over the past week we have been lucky enough to enjoy some camping! Last weekend we went to Joe's Valley with Dave and Calie and stayed at Calie's parent's cabin. In the day and a half we were there we were able to squeeze a little bit of everything in! We enjoyed some time on the boat, did a little four wheelin' and the guys went scouting for the big hunt!

The guys playing in the snow

The perfect Christmas card photo of all of us :)

A view from about the highest point we rode on the four wheelers

The girls chillin on the boat

A big thanks to Dave and Calie for making it an awesome weekend, and thanks to Calie's parents for letting us stay up at their cabin, and for dinner Sunday!

PAUNSAUGUNT

Then after just a couple days back home, we set off on Wednesday to go camping with my family and some family friends down in Paunsaugunt. I've heard all the hype about this place, and about all the huge deer you can see everywhere, so I was really excited to go down. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed! We got to see alot of deer, elk, turkeys and antelope...and even some we called Deeralopes (Just as they sound..deer that look a little like antelope, and antelope that seem to resemble deer)

Another awesome thing about this place is that you can ride your four wheelers anywhere. We went on plenty of fun trails and got to see alot of amazing scenery!

Me and Jarrett

On the wheeler

Me and the Hubby

My dad


We did get a little bit of fishing in at Tropic Reservoir; however, we didn't catch much. The average fish we were catching were about 7 inches.

Jarrett and My Dad

One day while we were down there we took the short trip down the road to go see Bryce Canyon. I was a little leery about venturing down into the canyon because the only memory I have of Bryce Canyon was when I was about 9 years old and we set off down into the canyon and a giant storm came through causing flash floods and we had to have the rangers come down and rescue us. But it was a beautiful day, and so we set out. It was the first time my nephew Jarrett had been there and as we went down the trail into the canyon he kept saying, "Guys! This is going to be so awesome!" We loved going down, but coming back up was hard! I was really wishing there was an elevator at the bottom like Paul had said! But after the trek was over, it was well worth it!

Jarrett at Bryce Canyon

The gang under the ledge where I got trapped when I was younger

The only thing I didn't enjoy about this trip was the first night...I think it might have dipped below freezing !IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER! It was way to cold at night to be sleeping in a tent, but the second night we bundled up with our wool socks and stayed a little warmer!

Jarrett, Dominique and Keagan letting the minnows nibble thier toes!
There was never a shortage of laughter and fun on this trip! Whether it was while out looking for the deer that turned out to be rocks and stumps, the chipmunk that was thought to be a scorpion or searching for the lone yellow flower on the side of the road that Gale swears she saw, it was all a good time! Thank you to everyone who went with us and made yummy meals! Thanks to my parents for taking us on this fun trip!