why my mom is so darn awesome....

She once slapped a girl in the face for saying something rude about me.

Booyah!

And because today is her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!  Love ya lots!

thinking back . . .

Four years ago today Curtis and I were in a terrible car accident.

You've heard the details before, I know.  But I can't help but reflect back on that day.

A car came into our lane and we collided head on at about 60mph.

I had never experienced such pain in all my life (and hope I never do again).  I felt like I was dropped from a tall building with only cement to break my fall.  I was in pain from my head to my toes.

We spent a week in the hospital with injuries that included broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a collapsed lung, bleeding kidneys, cracked vertebraes, broken tailbones, and swollen, black and blue feet....and not to mention poor Curtis had a head full of gouges and glass from hitting the windshield.

That first night in the hospital, I couldn't sleep.  Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a car crashing into me.

I had stressful dreams from there-on-out.  For about 3 years.

When looking back at our accident, a lot of memories flood my mind.  Memories of the ambulance ride to the hospital, memories of the emergency room...doctors coming in and out...nurses never leaving my side...worrying about Curtis...getting a CT scan, the daily chest x-rays...the liquid diet...using the nurse call button, etc.  There was so much going on.

The one thing that stands out to me though was the love and support that was shown to us during this time.  It was overwhelming.  It began immediately following the collision.  Passersby came to our aid right away.  They called 911.  They put blankets on us.  Sat with us.  Comforted us.  Told us we were going to be okay.  One guy who was on scene even contacted us weeks later to see how we were doing.

We had just moved to a new state only six months prior....so...we didn't know very many people from our new town...but we never once felt alone.  So many people reached out.  People from our community who we hardly knew called us at the hospital to check in on us and to let us know they were praying for us.  People came to visit us (even though the hospital was an hour and a half from town).  People sent emails daily.  Our friends from Utah called and sent messages of love and support.

When we got home, the love and support didn't stop.  People brought us food.  People came and sat by my bedside and cared for me while Curtis was at school.  People sent us money to help with the bills.  My boss donated her own 2 weeks worth of paid vacation time to me.  People sent letters, people prayed for us, our families braved the Wyoming cold weather to come and care for us.

I will never ever forget the kindness people showed to us.  It changed my life.


I think about our car accident a lot.

I have my daily reminders with my constant back pain, my two bulging ribs and my bouts of anxiety when driving.  But, I also have a greater appreciation for life and what is really important.

Today I am thankful to be alive.  I am thankful my sweetie pie is alive with me.  I am thankful for the wonderful people who continue to touch my life everyday with their kindness.

This world is full of really good people...and for that, I am grateful.

gramsy-lou had a birthday

Friday was my grandma's birthday.  And well, since I think she is pretty spectacular, I thought I'd write a blog post just for her.

Ten reasons why my grandma is so awesome.

1. She's hip. 
2. She's pretty.
3. She's fun.
4. She's smart.
5. She has amazing work ethic.
6. She is so incredibly nice.
7. She is so incredibly selfless.
8. She's a good cook.
9. She drives a minivan.
10. She stays up-to-date with current events.  For example, during our Christmas breakfast, she leaned over and asked me if Katie Holmes really kicked Tom Cruise out of the house. 

My grandma is the best!  I love her.

Happy Birthday Grams!!

summertime and the livin' is easy

This one is for you, Brock!

PS: I would love it so much if one day you and Shannon could come soak in the hot springs with us. 


I just returned home from a week long trip involving all things summer.

camping
fishing
family reunions
BBQs
tubing down the river
tan lines
thunderstorms
fair rides
cottoncandy
etc, etc

Isn't summer the best!?! 



We had such a good time.  We are always torn at the end of these trips....we want to stay and never leave, but we also are ready to be home.

Here is just a tiny portion of our trip in pictures . . .

c a m p i n g

 We went camping at Brooks Lake near Dubois, WY.  It is probably the prettiest place I've ever been.  We were at 9,000 feet and the mountains still towered over us.

Curtis was finally able to fish for the first time since moving to Wyoming 4 years ago.

Isn't this gorgeous?!?

c o u n t y . f a i r

 Lane and Elisa

My darling niece, Elisa.  I wanted to put her in my pocket and bring her home with me.  She's adorable!!  You wouldn't guess from her face in this pic, but she really did enjoy this ride. :-)

Clark and Elisa on the big ferris wheel.

There's nothin' like a small town county fair!!

Have you ever seen such a thing?  The goal is to pick up the pig and put it in the barrel in something like 60 seconds.  Then all the kids are sprayed off with a fire hose.

 t a l e n t . s h o w



my ever-so-talented hubby juggling croquet balls.

Notice all the tie-dye?

Our family is just cool like that.  Plus, families who tie-dye together, stay together!

Lots of things didn't get captured on film due to my camera dying.

Other adventured included . . .

Sleeping in a tent for 4 nights straight.
  
Tubing down the Salt River where I may or may not have ran a stranger over with my tube causing their tube to float away down the river.  The stranger may or may not have given me dirty looks the rest of the way down the river.

Visiting with friends who we haven't seen in ages and drooling over their adorable kids.  They were so cute I was tempted to just gobble them right up for dinner.


Such a great trip, can't wait to do it again!!

fun filled weekend

This past weekend my in-laws came up to Thermopolis for a visit. Lucky for me, they are great and I enjoy being around them.

We gave them the grand tour of our town. It's always fun to be reminded of what our town has to offer.

Sometimes, I get in these moods where I'm not sure that our town has anything to offer....it's small...really small. The only fast food places we have to eat at are Taco Johns, Subway and McDonalds. That's it. Not to mention we only have one stoplight. One.

So, as I said, it's a good reminder that this town actually does have stuff do to. Fun stuff too. Plus, it truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

One of my most favorite things to do here is drive around the State Park. It's oh so pretty. Especially now. It's so green from all the rain we've had...and now it has hundreds of purple wildflowers at every turn.

Isn't it just beautiful?

Plus, we get to see buffalo...just 5 minutes from our house...buffalo. Here we are driving past a small family with 3 teeny tiny babies (small for buffalo anyway). One of the babies was probably only a week old (if that). It was kinda scary being this close. Towards the end of the film, you'll hear me whisper, "oh my gosh, Curtis, go!" We were so close to the babies and the mommas didn't like it one bit.


Also at our State Park is a swinging bridge that hangs above the Big Horn River. S-C-A-R-E-Y. If you hate heights, you would NOT like this bridge. I hate heights, no, I loathe heights...I even have nightmares about heights. I usually opt out of crossing the bridge, but I decided to be brave and impress the inlaws. I took the camera along to give you a feel of what it's like crossing this thing. If you listen closely, you can hear the squeaking noise of the bridge as it bounces.


We also made a visit to the State Bath House. It's a facility at the State Park that has soaking pools were people can come and soak for free for 20 minutes in the hot mineral water. These waters are known to be "healing waters." The water used in the Bath House comes straight from the mineral hot springs. No chemicals or cleaners are added to it...so it has the awesome scent of sulfur. It was pretty fun. We had never been before...it was much nicer than I expected. There is an indoor and outdoor pool, which are both very clean and nice. Don't worry, I'll spare you of our pasty-white chubbiness and not post pictures of us soaking. :) (just FYI, nude soaking is not allowed...so yes, we were wearing our swimsuits...or rather, our bathing suits...he he).

After our soak at the Bath House, we crammed our smelly sulfur bodies in our car and drove 30 miles to Legend Rock to see Petroglyphs. We really did smell...it was kinda funny. Anyway, the Petroglyphs were pretty cool. Some are said to be 11,000 years old. (don't ask me what the figures are above the eagle???)

On our way home from Legend Rock, we came across these 3 horses at a creek near the side of the road. We stopped just to take a quick look at them and two of them walked right up to our car. One even tried to stick his head right in our car window. What social horses!! They were so cute...and they look like they have been rolling around in the mud. If I wasn't afraid they were going to try to eat us, I would have reached out to pet them.

And lastly, on Sunday afternoon we went to the Car Show that was in town. It's always fun to be outside on a nice day and walk around the park and see cool old cars.

Doesn't Thermopolis seem like a fun place to visit? Come on up and we'll give you the grand tour...and then we'll eat at Taco Johns together!!

Mother's Day

Today is the day to celebrate mothers. I am lucky to have such great mothers in my life. Today I am thinking of each of them . . .

Jody - my mom.
She is one tough cookie. She got pregnant with my oldest brother when she was only 15. By the age of 17, she had two little boys to care for. Could you imagine? She's been through a lot in life and has taught me so much through all of it. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for her.

Some of my fondest memories of my mom are her coming to ALL of my softball games and cheering me on. She was my biggest fan. In high school, she was always willing to help me ask and answer to dances (you know, you can't just ask someone to go to the dance...you have to get all creative and do something crazy like fill their bedroom with balloons and hide your name in one of them). I think she got a kick out of all that stuff. My mom sacrificed a lot for me (and my brothers). She definitely didn't have a lot of money, but she still took me shopping and even bought me the expensive Levis I thought I just had to have.

She still supports me in all I do. She is an amazing mom! I love her so much and I'm so happy she's my mom.


Nedra - my grandma.
I'm lucky to be so close to my grandma. She helped raised me after all...that just shows the type of person she is...selfless, kind, hard working. She is always helping others. She is in her 70's and she still works everyday. She doesn't have to, but she does so she can use the money to help others. She is a saint, seriously.

I think I developed my fear of heights from my grandma. The picture above is me and her on top of the Space Needle in Seattle. She was so afraid and didn't want to get close to the edge. The closer she got, the more her knees grew shaky. I laugh every time I see that picture.

My grandma has been a big part of my life. I have her to thank for so many good things that have happened in my life. I love her so much and I'm glad she's my grandma.


Susan - my mother-in-law.
Susan is so full of life and adventure. She is always up for a good time. I mean, just look at her in that picture. She is having so much fun! Plus, she can totally rock out on the organ...like nobody's business.

When Curtis and I were discharged from the hospital after our car accident, Susan jumped right in her car and made the 6 hours drive to Laramie to take care of us. She wouldn't take no for an answer. I don't think we would have survived had she not been there...I'm not kidding either. She was there at my beckon call while Curtis was frantically trying to catch up at school (it was his first year of law school). It meant so much to me that she would be there and do all she could to make things better for me.

A funny memory I have about Susan stems back to one of the first times I met her. Curtis and I had only been dating for a short time. I went to Vegas with my family and brought back a gift for him...a shirt from the Coca-Cola factory with the Coke logo spread out across the shirt. Little did I know, Susan was NOT a fan of any caffeinated beverage. She didn't appreciate the shirt much. I'm glad she still gave me a chance. I think she's cool with the whole thing now. :-)

I seriously couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law. She is so wonderful and I'm glad she is in my life.


See, I'm a lucky girl. I'm so thankful to have all of these women in my life.

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there. The world wouldn't be the same without you!!

Beautiful Yellowstone

We recently returned home from a family reunion in Yellowstone. Aren't family reunions great?!? There is always fun to be had . . . especially with the Cheney bunch.

Yellowstone was beautiful! It was my first time visiting the park and it was everything I had hoped for.

Here are many, many pictures of our adventures at Yellowstone . . .

w i l d - l i f e :

smiling for the camera.

now he's just showing off.

taking a dip.

I had no idea buffalo liked to swim ... or that they even could swim.

Caution: GRIZZLY crossing.

g e o t h e r m a l - w o n d e r s :

hot pots.

mud pots.
These were pretty cool. You can't tell very well by the picture, but they are puddles of mud that are boiling and popping up. They make all sorts of loud plop, plop noises.

Old Faithful in all her glory.

waterfalls.

c u t e - c u t e - c o u s i n s :

Aren't they adorable? I just love them so much.

and isn't she the most cutest thing you've ever seen? I just wanted to put her in my pocket and bring her home. I couldn't get enough of kissing those cheeks.

Yellowstone was beautiful and the company was delightful.

Thanks Cheney family for a fun, fun family reunion. You guys are the best!

[technology]

"I love technology,
but not as much as you, you see.
But I still love technology.
Always and forever (tear, sniffle, sniffle),
always and forever."
. . . [Kip, Napoleon Dynamite]

Here is the thing about technology...it is always changing. Therefore, it can be hard to keep up with...especially for the older crowd.

For example...

Last week, my grandma, grandpa and aunt went to good ol' Costco to buy a new tv. They found one they liked, brought it home, and began to set it up. They pulled out the "tv", pulled out all the cords, and then pulled out a "DVD."

grandma: "What is this? [puzzled and a bit annoyed] Now we need a DVD to set up this tv?"

They put the "DVD" in their DVD player and continued to try to hook up their new "tv."

After awhile, they gave up and called my 18 year old cousin to come help.

He shows up, takes a look at things, and realized quickly what they had done.

"I think this is a computer monitor."

"A computer monitor?"
"How could this be a computer monitor?"

The guys at Costco had a good laugh about this during the exchange process.

Don't worry grandpa and grandma...we still love ya.

I probably would have done the same thing (wink, wink).

"I don't need no fancy foods like beans with ketchup!"

I finished Of Mice and Men last night. Sad, yes, but it was also very real for me.

George knew that if Curley and the rest of the guys found Lennie first, they would torture him and eventually kill him. George loved Lennie and cared about him. To prevent Lennie from suffering anymore than he had to, George killed him before the other guys could.

As I finished the book, I couldn't help but think of my brother. My brother, Shane died a year and a half ago following a severe heart attack. He was in a coma and on life support for 2 weeks before he died. My family loved and cared for him so much that we had to make a decision to end his suffering and unhook him from his machines. He died 5 minutes later surrounded by family.

I think that George did a very noble thing. Earlier in the book, Candy (apprehensively) let one of the other guys take his best friend (his very old and ill dog) out in the woods to shoot him. Later on Candy told George that he should have shot his dog himself...that is wasn't right to let someone else do it. I think this is how George felt about Lennie. They were best friends and George loved Lennie enough that he needed to be the one to kill him.

I enjoyed this book, however, I think my next read will be a little more uplifting. Any suggestions?

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!

Because my grandma is super awesome [and because she is a faithful reader of my blog], I wanted to do a special birthday post just for her.

And yes, this is the same grandma who dreams about Brad Pitt.

Dear Grandma,

Thanks for being so awesome. Thanks for being so incredibly generous and so selfless.

Thanks for letting Curtis and I stay at your house over Christmas and thanks for cooking us all that wonderful food. Curtis (and I) sure did love that clam chowder!!

Thanks for being the best grandma ever!! We are so, so, so thankful to have you in our lives and we love you so, so, so much!!

Hope you have a very Happy 72nd Birthday!!!

Love,
J and C


My grandma really is the best. I bet she would really, really love it if you guys all wished her a happy birthday! :)

Life is good . . .

I love this time of year! I love Christmas, I love spending time with family and friends, I love that my anniversary is just 2 days after Christmas, and I love getting ready for the new year.

We had a great Christmas. We were able to spend time with both of our families as we played games, ate great food, opened presents and enjoyed each others' company.


Curtis and I had a wonderful anniversary! 6 YEARS!! Can you believe it? We enjoyed lunch together, went shopping, bought some fancy new pans (that we have been wanting for awhile) and then we enjoyed a fun night playing games with family. These past 6 years have been the best ever!! I'm the happiest I've ever been and I'm so thankful to share my life with Curtis. Thanks babe for 6 wonderful years and I'm looking forward to many, many more!


You know what else is exciting about this post? It's my 100th post! Yay for blogging and yay for my 100th post! And yay to all of you and I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best in the coming year!

Lets go get a drink....

Here's the thing about my family...we love soda. My mom pretty much lives on Diet Coke, my aunt's pretty much live on Diet Coke, and my grandpa and grandma have to have their daily sodas as well.

So... I was doomed from birth.

Going to "get a drink" (as we call it), is a daily ritual for my family and has been for as long as I can remember. We load up in the car, drive down to the gas station, fill up our mugs with soda, and then we drive around town as we sip our cold, refreshing beverages. It's fantastic.

As much as I try to not drink so much soda, when we come down for the holidays, I can't help but put my soda restraints on the back burner and bask in the daily drives and soda drinking with my family.

Is this weird?

Every family has their weird things they do, right?

This is what my family does. We drink soda. And it's awesome!


On a side note....you wanna here how cool my grandma is??

She had a dream that she was good friends with Brad Pitt. BRAD PITT! They were great friends and spent the day talking about their lives and where he is living these days. Do any of your grandma's dream about Brad Pitt? Do your grandma's know who Brad Pitt is? I thought that was pretty darn sweet! My grandma rocks!


I am loving this holiday season and I wish you all a very MeRrY ChRiStMaS!!

Awesomeness

This guy...he's my husband and he is AWESOME!

Today Curtis argued in front of the Wyoming Supreme Court. How about that?!? And he did awesome! I didn't actually watch the argument, but I know he did great...because that is just how he is. I bet the judges were like, "wow, who is this guy? He is awesome."

Curtis has been crazy busy with finals these past 2 weeks in addition to preparing for this argument. It is all finally over and I am so happy. He is too. Now he can watch all the Cops, Walker Texas Ranger, World's Wildest Police Videos and all the other trashy tv shows he likes. He deserves it though...so I will let him. Actually, Walker Texas Ranger isn't trashy...just cheesy. Plus my grandma loves that show too, so when we see her next week, I'm sure Curtis and her will be talking about good ol' Walker and his partner Trivett...just like they always do. :)

It's good to have my husband back. Things are just more fun with him around.

We are excited for Christmas and we're looking forward to seeing our families soon.

In summary...

Curtis = AWESOME / done with finals / Supreme Court Pro / Trashy TV show advocate
Jen = happy / proudest wife ever

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving! Today has been such a great day. Our day went something like this...



First, we got up and fed our neighbor's chickens. We are taking care of them while they are out of town. I'm thankful for such great friends (we love you Kristi and Clay) and for the opportunity to feel like, for just a brief moment, that I live on a farm. Just look at how much fun these chicken are!

Then we fed and played with their cat. I'm thankful that I got to hold and cuddle with this furry little creature. Look how cute she is.

Then we came home and made these. I'm thankful for the 2 eggs that the chickens laid. They came in handy for this pumpkin pie.


Then, we talked to both of our families on the phone. I'm thankful for our cell phones and to be able to talk with our families as often as we do. Our families are the best!!

Then we just hung out and relaxed for a bit. I'm so thankful for this Thanksgiving break. I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with Curtis just lying around, watching tv, listening to music, taking naps, doing anything we wanted and not having to think about school or anything else for that matter.

Then, when we were done relaxing, we started on dinner. And guess what? We didn't have turkey! Instead, we had....Salmon! We figured that since it was only us 2, we would spend our money on salmon instead of on a turkey. Did you know that turkey wasn't even eaten on the first Thanksgiving? We just heard on the radio yesterday that they ate duck and fish. So, we felt okay about not having turkey and having fish instead. Don't worry though...we still had stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy...and PIE!

I'm thankful that I had someone special to share this holiday with. We weren't able to spend Thanksgiving with our families, but we were able to spend it together! And it was awesome!

Now we are just relaxing some more and getting ready for bed. We are going to bed early so we can hit the big sales bright and early tomorrow morning!!

I just love this time of year. It's probably my favorite time of year! And today was great! I mean, how many of you can say you got up and played with chickens? CHICKENS! (Except for you Kari, he he).

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Gobble! Gobble!

a time for THANKS-giving (part 1)

Lately I have been so overwhelmed with school and work that I have neglected to notice all the good in my life. As November has arrived so quickly and Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I want to focus the rest of this month on the things I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for a loving husband. Curtis is currently in a domestic violence class at school and he also worked in the domestic violence clinic over the summer. The stories he hears and the cases he reads about are truly heart-breaking. It is so sad to realize what some people go through and to hear just how badly some husbands and wives treat their spouses and loved ones. I am so thankful to have a husband who cares about me and treats me so well. I LOVE having someone by my side who I can talk to, laugh with, love, and feel so safe with. It feels good to be loved and cared for so much by someone. I am forever thankful to have such an amazing person in my life.

I'm also thankful for the fun time I had with Curtis last night in Fort Fun (Fort Collins). I love our small adventures that we take there.

I'm thankful for the bike we were able to buy for Curtis and I'm thankful for all of the bike-rides to come.

I'm thankful that we were able to eat at Panda and laugh together when the nice Chinese lady looked up at me and said, "What can I get for you sir." And I'm thankful for the way Curtis looked at me while we ate with his dashing, dark eyes and dimpled cheeked grin.

I'm thankful we were able to go shopping together at Target. I'm thankful for the sweater Curtis picked out for me as he said, "You would look really cute in this."

I'm thankful that we made it home safely from Fort Fun. I'm thankful that the semi-truck that was swerving all over the road quickly exited and I'm even more thankful that he didn't hit the side rail like I thought he was going too. And even more so, I'm thankful he didn't swerve into us. I'm thankful we had a cell phone so we could call the cops to report his bad driving. (Just for the record, he swerved chaotically completely off the freeway and back on about 4 times before reaching his exit)

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful that I was able to talk to my mom and my grandma on the phone yesterday. I'm thankful for them and for all that they do for me.

I'm thankful that today is Tawna's birthday. I'm thankful to have such a wonderful and beautiful sister-in-law.

I truly have so much to be thankful for. I will continue to expand on my list in the days to come.

Happy THANKS-giving!

BEST. BROTHER. EVER

Tomorrow will be one year since my brother Shane passed away. I can't believe it has been that long. It seems like just yesterday that I received the panicked phone call from my family giving me the news that my brother was in the hospital and not expected to live. Shane had a severe heart attack and was in a coma for 2 weeks before passing away. He was 33.

I love my brother Shane so much and I miss him like crazy. I think about him everyday. He was a loving and sensitive brother. I always laugh when I think back to a journal entry I made once when I was very young. I was writing about my brother Shane and I wrote that he was a very nice big brother and that he never hit me on purpose, and if he did, he always said he was sorry. Just to clarify, he NEVER hit me, not even on accident. I think it is so funny that I wrote that. I must have been trying to demonstrate just how nice he was by using that as an example. :)

I love my brother SO MUCH and I am SO THANKFUL for the knowledge I have that FAMILIES ARE FOREVER! I don't know how people can cope with death who don't believe that they will be able to see their loved ones again and that death is not the end. For me, it is the only way I can find comfort...knowing that Shane is in a good place and that I will see him again.

Sometimes it is hard to understand why things happen the way they do. I just read the Nie Nie story and can't stop sobbing. It is so sad, yet, their family can see that this tragedy and challenging experience has strengthened their family and that despite the awfulness of the whole situation, good has come out of it. The same is true for my family. We all miss my brother dearly, but even in our struggles and sadness, good has prevailed. My family is closer, we appreciate life more, we love more, laugh more, enjoy the small moments more, and we realize more what is truly important.

I have always had a special place in my heart for Shane. He has influenced my life greatly and I am so thankful to be lucky enough to have a brother as great as him.

It's good to be back...

Curtis and I spent a week in Utah with our families. We had all sorts of fun with family reunions, family b-day parties, parades, etc, etc.

I always forget how HOT Utah is in the summer. We have been enjoying a comfortable high of 80 degrees here in Laramie, then we head to Utah and melt in a high of 102 degrees. HOT, HOT, HOT! Despite the heat, we had a great time!

The first thing on our agenda was the Bountiful Parade. We sat on the wrong side of the street, so the sun was in our eyes the whole time, and we couldn't really see much because there was so many people in front of us. But we still had fun...how could you not have fun at the annual 24th of July parade?

We spent the next day with Curtis' family at their annual Stauffer Family Reunion. We started the day with a flag ceremony. (Below: Clark and Brock raising the flag)

(Gotta love the bandannas)

(Below: Curtis showing off his juggling skills during the never-ending talent show. Quite impressive if you ask me. He also juggled a tennis racket, plastic baseball bat, and a baseball.)

Next, the kids, (even grandma) had fun on the slip n' slide as pictured below. Isn't grandma such a great sport?

We ended the day with some yummy homemade ice-cream. Below is Curtis turning the ice-cream. In the background is our grandma Stuaffer....the sweetest lady around.

The next day was my Aunt Lisa's 50th birthday party. We celebrated by having a mock funeral as we mourned the loss of her youth. It turned out pretty cute and it was fun to spend time with my family. HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY LISA!!

Days following we also celebrated Curtis' dad's 65th birthday, my niece Kate's 11th birthday and my other niece Elisa's 2nd birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD, KATE, AND ELISA!! Oh what fun!!!

We always have so much fun going back to Utah and seeing our family and friends. We don't get to do it as often as we would like though. There is always SO MUCH we want to do when we go, but we NEVER have time to do it all. Hopefully our next trip down there we will be able to do and see more of everyone and everything.

Thanks everyone for making our trip so much fun!!