Pretty Soon...

...I get to see this face!

And these two faces! (Pay no attention to the spit-up on D'd face.)

Ok- they're all way more grown up now, which is another reason why I need to go visit. I'm so excited to head to Idaho tomorrow for a quick trip!

If my blog posts get a little sporadic the next few days, please know that it's because I'm traveling or playing with the cutest kids on the planet. (Don't argue with me about this. It's my blog and I get to decide who the cutest are. Done.)

I'm not really looking forward to the drive, but Mom and Dad and I will have fun. Hopefully I won't drive them crazy. At least there's a very low possibility of snow this time.

And now I have to pack. I'm going to be so tired tomorrow. But I couldn't pass up the delightful evening I had tonight. I got to visit with my grandparents and my aunt and uncle from San Diego. It was even fun talking about dating. :) Don't worry Kari - they're coming for Christmas. They wanted to see the whole fam.

Did I mention that it's almost Conference weekend? Wohoo!!!

The Season's End

As one season is just beginning (you know, autumn), another has come to a close.

Last year at this time we were celebrating the extension of the season. September turned to October and the season marched on. The fun was alive, and the people everywhere cheered for the joy that the season brought.

But, this year, the Giants aren't playing any October baseball. The season ended today. Sad.

In fact, I remember being at Disneyland last October as they were making a run to get to the World Series. People throughout the parks were in Giants gear and checking scores on their phones. We would come off of a ride and check to see if Wilson had FINALLY closed out the game. We celebrated with random people as we came off of California Screamin' and found out that the Giants had beaten the Phillies in the NLCS and were headed to the World Series. There's just nothing like the thrill of October baseball.

It just wasn't meant to be this year. Injuries plagued us. There were a few drains on our payroll.

But we love you, San Francisco Giants! And though your season ended today, we're already looking forward to next year!

Adventures With Food

I love working with the Young Women at church!

Even though I stress out all the time about getting activities ready every week, once we get started I'm reminded of how wonderful these girls are and how worth it it is.

Tonight the YW came over to my house because they decided that they wanted to learn how to cook a meal from start to finish.

And apparently I was the teacher.

Luckily, if you can read, you can fake your way through cooking a meal. Even if it's a meal that you've never made before.

Also luckily, the girls are very patient with my scatteredness and lack of being able to ever time a meal so that it finishes all together.

We made fettucine alfredo with chicken and broccoli, green salad with homemade ranch dressing, and homemade strawberry ice cream. Not a bad menu, right?

Too bad that I forgot to defrost the chicken. So...in the middle of cooking I made them stop so that we could read some scriptures for Personal Progress while the chicken was in the microwave.

Also too bad that we didn't get done until 8:05. I think everyone was starving.

But they did a really good job! The meal was delicious. (Sorry about that ONE piece of pink chicken Hollie!) And they all said that they thought it was something that they could make for their families. Success!

A special thank you shout out goes to Angie for giving me a chopper for my birthday and to Jessica for letting us borrow the ice cream maker. The shallots were really making people cry until we pulled out the chopper.

And now the dishes are all done and my kitchen in clean. And I'm going to bed.

Because I forgot until tonight that I signed up to feed the missionaries tomorrow.

Good thing I can read, because it looks like I'm cooking again tomorrow. :)

France. We Come From France.

I'm not sure how many of you remember the classic SNL skit that became the movie The Coneheads (this isn't a great link. Sorry!).

Whether you are watching this clip for the first time or seeing it and having SNL flashbacks of days gone by, please note the funny way in which the Coneheads move.

They are very stiff and formal. When they turn, they seem to turn with their entire bodies.

Not that my head has grown ten extra inches, but I kind of felt like them today.

I have a kink in my neck that has stopped me from turning to the left all day long.

Annoying!

I had to swivel my chair any time anyone came by my desk to talk to me today. It's just not normal to always have to turn with your whole body. But you also can't be rude and talk to people without looking at them.

I need Kari back here with all of her massage skills so that I can move without pain.

And without looking like an idiotic conehead. :)

A Little Sunday Song

9. 11:30. 1. 8.

What do these numbers have in common?

They are the times of meetings that I had today (including church of course).

That's a lot of meetings in one day. I'm exhausted.

Luckily they were good meetings.

On another note...do you know that next weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year?

It's GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! Hooray!!!

In preparation for listening to our prophet's voice, I shared this little song with my Young Women today.

Isn't that a fun way to learn who the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are?

I'm not sure that they are quite as excited about Conference as I am, but I'm going to try and share my excitement with them. I handed out a "Conference Notebook" today, and one of the questions was if it was homework. No, it's not homework! It's just helpful.

And I'm very much looking forward to it.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Broadcast

I'm back.

Please pardon the interruption.

My internet has been seriously struggling, and I just couldn't fight with it on Thursday.

Yesterday my excuse was laziness mixed with a big dose of over-tired.

But I'm back on track. Hopefully...

Tonight I'm very grateful that I was able to watch the General Relief Society broadcast. I am blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I love that I am also a member of the largest women's organization in the world.

It's not often that I take the time to remember that I, as a woman, have wonderful innate gifts and qualities.

But I do.

We all do.

We are daughters (and sons for you boys) of God. And that is something more wonderful than i can comprehend.

I need to remember that more often. And then act accordingly.

Here's a link to some highlights of the meeting. It is more than worth the time to watch or read the whole thing, but if nothing else, the highlights are good too.

I particularly loved President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk.

I'm going to try really hard to "forget not" the principles and truths that he taught.

Also...I went to the mall today.

Day Dreaming

Here are a few examples of places I'd rather be tomorrow instead of work. I'm grateful for work, but tonight I'm thinking that it would be better if tomorrow I could be in...

...Monterey,

the Temple (doesn't have to be Salt Lake),

at a Giants game (especially since they're making a late run for the wild card),

Mexico (or Costa Rica),

Idaho (to see that cute family that lives there),

Seattle,

Disneyland (or World - I'm not picky),

or even San Diego.

I may not get to go to any of these places, but at least I get to go visit Gram and Gramps. :)

I Totally Know Her!

OK..."totally" might be an extreme word.

But I do know one of the cast members of this season of SURVIVOR!

OK..."know" might actually also be a strong word.

But I did take English 251 from this lady at the good ol' Brigham Young University.

That's right. She was my teacher. We had the big blue anthology book that I think I still have packed away somewhere. I can't remember why, but one of my classmates did a presentation and used the song "One Night in Bangkok." And we had one of the McConkie grandchildren or some sort of relative in that class. I'm also pretty sure we read something by Poe. Weird the things that you remember.

And now she's on Survivor. And I totally know her!

Artsy, Smartsy

One of my favorite things about living in the Netherlands was finding random Dutch art. I loved it! I have so many pictures of sculptures or exhibits in the middle of cities, soccer fields, anywhere.

So you can imagine how much I loved the art that was everywhere at Villa Montalvo. I only took a few pictures, but here's a little sample of what we found. Most of the art was created out of repurposed materials.

This was a manual wind chime (if there is such a thing) made out of fire extinguishers and bicycle chains and wheels

In oder to get the chime to start, you had to pull the cord, which was attached to the wheel (shown here) that's above Koreen's head. So fun to use!

One of my other favorites was the wishing tree. There's a huge pine tree on the great lawn, and there are these tags on which you can write a wish or your gratitude and attach them to the tree. Here are a few of the tags that I thought were just great/funny.

Clearly...superpowers.

Yoko Ono?! Not sure why, but ok.

This is my back-up birthday wish every year! I had to take a picture. "And...I really do want world peace." (That's another movie quote quiz. Anyone?)

And, last but not least, is the bike in the air. Actually, I believe it was titled "Luck of the Irish." Hmm...what is that saying about the Irish? I have no idea, but I think it's fantastic and hilarious all at the same time.

I love places with random art.

The Birthday Adventure

Here's where I got to spend the day yesterday: the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, CA. Not only was the weather gorgeous, but we spent the day on these immaculate grounds. Doesn't it feel like something from an Austen book or movie?

This is a view of the villa from the Formal Garden (filled with roses and sculptures).

Here are Koreen, Nicole, Ariane, and Charity in the courtyard of the villa. The area just in front of them used to be a pool, but now it's just grass. That would make this bench like a lounge chair?

On our hike/nature walk. There are 2.5 miles of beautiful trails. We seemed to like to take pictures on the bridges. :)

Mix pine and eucalyptus trees and you have one of the best smelling walks ever.

A very nice couple stopped to take this group shot for us.

After our walk/hike, we spread out our blankets on the great lawn and had a very relaxing picnic.

Very relaxing.

Then we walked down to the Love Temple and Formal Garden. They were setting up for a wedding down under that white plaza space in the background.

In the garden.

On our way from Montalvo to the Saratoga Village (where we walked around and got ice cream), we found a house that was not only for sale, but it was open for an open house. We totally stopped and took the opportunity too peek inside once of these huge fancy homes.

When we were upstairs, I told Nicole to get in the bathtub and I'd take a picture. She was afraid we'd get caught, but she said she couldn't say no because it was my birthday. I like that rule! Sorry Nicole! But...it really is a fun picture. :)

This was the house. It was ok. I've decided to take my 4.75 mil somewhere else though. Because we all know Nancy's home-buying rule: Never buy a house on a street with a double yellow line. But it was fun to look. Hooray for spontaneity!

Here's one more shot of the villa from the great lawn.

I'm so glad that my parents took me here as a kid, because I really loved going back and visiting as an adult. It is a beautiful, serene place. And it was every bit as wonderful as I remembered in my mind. Which is nice. I'm glad that I didn't have exaggerated memories that were shattered when I came back. Instead, my memories were validated and new ones made.

On the way home, we stopped at Mom and Dad's house for a BBQ. Not only was it delicious, but I just love being home. Home and family and friends are just such a warm, comforting, happy combination. Then add tri-tip, home-grown tomatoes, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and the Giants winning again, and could the day get better? I don't think so. Well...if BYU hadn't gotten slaughtered by the U it could have been better. But we'll let that one slide.

33 Wonderful Years of Life

I am WAY too tired to actually post about all that we did today, but I do want to say how grateful I am for all the wonderful people in my little corner of the world and for the blessed life that I have lived for these past 33 years.

I have a great life! And I love my family so much. They are my absolute favorite people in the world and I just always want to spend time with them. Good thing we have eternity! :)

So...in this upcoming year, I think I need to learn how I can better share my blessings.

And as a teaser for tomorrow, here are my two favorite quotes from the day:

"It sounds like a melon."

"Jenn, you are like...lemon gelato."

Excited?

Thanks for such a happy birthday.

Also, thank you to the Giants for winning again tonight. That was a terrific birthday present.

Birthday Eve

I was starting to get a little moody today about my birthday.

Weird, right? I mean...considering that I've been waiting with excited anticipation for quite a while now for my birthday, you'd think that today would be the big lead-in.

But instead, I found myself getting all sorts of reflective.

I was walking back from delivering the mail at work and realized that, at 33, perhaps I have lived a third of my life. Then the questions started to come. What have I done with my life? What are my talents, and am I using them? Where am I with my job/career, and where do I want to be? What improvements can I make? Will I get married? Have children? Go back to school? 

Granted, these questions are not really bad, but sometimes when they hit all together, they can be overwhelming. I could feel myself starting to go down that woe-is-me road.

But then my visiting teachers came with a birthday treat for me. And they brought me this beautiful balloon bouquet and made me feel like like a million bucks. They are fantastic, and I am so grateful that they are my friends!

Ok - it's getting late, and I can't figure out why this pic won't rotate, but you get the idea. :) Happy Birthday Eve!

Early Birthday Surprise!

Look what I came home to tonight!

Yes, oh yes, my friends. It's a doorknob. Excuse me - a door handle. AND I'M SO EXCITED!!!

My door was all wrapped up when I came home from my meeting. Nick and Emily had carefully wrapped up my door, and they had even written notes and drawn pictures on the paper AND on paper underneath.

Really, the whole door was covered when I got home, but this was after the big reveal. Those are my socks taped to the door. They're no longer just stuck in the hole where the handle should be. (Don't worry - I will take them down soon.)

Can you see the joy on my face? Now, I have to say that all my talking about getting myself a doorknob was in no way a hint that someone else should do it for me. However, I'm totally stoked (who uses that word anymore?) that I got this. I think it's been about 15 months since I've properly closed my door. I feel so grown up. Thank you Nick and Emily!!!

Thank you also to Angie for the AMAZING chopper that she brought me at our meeting tonight! Dicing onions will never be the same. :)

P.S. I made brownies to take to work tomorrow so that the office can celebrate with me. One batch of mint and one batch of peanut butter chip/chocolate chip. Mmm... Why have I only been to the gym once this week?!

I was thinking about some mellow contemplative birthday blog post tonight, but who can be emotionally melancholy when there's a new door handle to celebrate?

Let the Celebrations Begin!

I have been blessed with wonderful grandparents. And what's even more amazing is that though only my maternal grandparents are still alive, I grew up with all of my grandparents.

And now, I live only about 25-30 minutes from my grandma and grandpa. It's great to be so close!

Tonight I took a little drive out to see Barb and Chet. Grandma is teaching me more about sewing by helping me to make my Halloween costume, and we got the whole thing cut out tonight. It's going to be awesome.

Anyway...my point in starting this was to say that after a great dinner prepared by Grandpa, my sweet grandparents had chocolate cupcakes for my birthday dessert! With beautiful crystal sugar on top. And mine had a candle. And then they sang. Yes, the two of them sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and I loved every minute. I am fortunate beyond belief to get to spend so much time with them.

And the cupcakes were delicious because they were made with love...and sugar. (That's what Kari says is Grandpa's secret recipe.)

So, with the first song and the first candle blowing, and the first cupcake, the birthday fun has begun!

(I'm really not so super stuck on myself and my birthday. But, with writing every day, it makes for a fun topic. Just a disclaimer.)

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Here goes:

1. I want to strangle my internet. It keeps starting and stopping. Comcast - for what service are we paying you?!

2. I'm SOOOOOOOO tired right now. I am not so super at getting up an hour earlier to work overtime this week. But I'm sure that I'll like it when my next paycheck comes, right?

3. My new contacts came in today. Wohoo!!! Did I tell you that I was dumb and dumber and threw away my last pair without realizing that it was my last pair? Yeah. Smooth. I think I may have already told that story. Sorry. The happy ending is that I'll see clearly again soon.

4. Speaking of getting up early, the other day I was thinking about all of my Young Women who get up so early to go to seminary before school. Then I was thinking about when I went to seminary. I'd just like to give a shout out to Mike and Todd who gave me a ride every day my freshman year. Thanks to you I learned about the band Anything Box. I think we listened to them and Depeshe Mode (sp?) and Erasure every day on the way to seminary. I still can't hear "Living in Oblivion" without it transporting me back.

5. My 13th birthday was the day that my parents had a phone line installed in my room and I got my very own phone. It was a see-through phone that lit up when it rang. I didn't really even like talking on the phone, but this was the coolest right of passage into teen-dom that I could possibly have imagined. Ah-mazing. A birthday never to be forgotten.

6. This year I will be 13...plus 20.

7. My dad and I talked on Sunday and he thinks I should take an edgier route with my blog. Take the English language to a new level, you know? In fact, we came up with a new title. "MLA - Modern Language Assassin." What do you think?

That's all for tonight. Tomorrow is coming all too quickly. :)

It's My Birthday Week!

It's almost my birthday!

I know that as we get older, modern society tells us that we should like our birthdays less and less. However, I find myself liking them more and more. There's just something wonderful about it being "my day." I recognize that I share that day with many others, but it's still just so fun!

I've decided to buy myself a present or two this year. Would you like to know what I'm getting? It's not like I'm going to wrap things up and give them to myself. That would be weird.

I'm getting a new doorknob.

Odd? Perhaps. But if you've been to my house in the past year and a half, you'll know that my bedroom has been without a doorknob for almost that long.

See...we had the Young Women over to my house for a sleepover, and one of the girls accidently locked my door and then closed it behind her. Neither I nor my property manager had a key for this door. And the window was closed and locked because we had the a/c on. So I let the girls do their best to pick the lock (we called it "learning a new skill"), but no one could get it open. When the locksmith came the next day he said that if we hadn't tried to pry it off he probably could have saved it, but we had pushed it beyond revival.

Since then I've had a pair of socks stuck in the hole in my door where a knob should be. And at night I have a rock that I use to keep the door closed. (My "Y" rock from BYU freshman orientation.)

But I've decided that 33 is grown up enough to need a doorknob. Maybe 32 wasn't, but 33 definitely is.

Now I just have to learn how to install it. Can that count for Personal Progress? :)

God Bless America

I love the Sabbath Day. For me (most of the time), it is a day of rest. Yes, this often means a nap, but it also means time for reading, journal writing, family visits, family history, working on my calling, and maybe a nice evening walk.

Today has been a little bit different though. It's the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of September 11th.

Like many Americans, I remember that morning very clearly. I was living at home with my family, preparing to leave on a mission. I was asleep, actually, when my mom came into my room to wake me. My brother, Danny, was on his mission in Tennessee. Kari and David and my dad were all at school I think. But Mom and I watched together as the events unfolded. It was hard to believe what were were watching. It truly didn't seem real. It seemed like something created for a movie.

But it was very real.

And, I have to say, that even now, the images of that day are difficult for me to watch. It became too real. And I didn't even know anyone who was there or really affected. But I think that it affected each of us - somehow.

I don't have any great insights about the memorial of this day. But I do have a couple of links to share.

The first is a Washington Post commentary that the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson wrote about 9/11 and faith. Just as we say that we will never forget the tragic losses and the sacrifices that so many made that day, I hope that we will never forget the faith that sustained so many of us. That same faith can sustain us every single day.

The second is a broadcast of Tom Brokaw and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir that aired today. I just think that it's a beautiful musical tribute to those lost and those who carry on.

I'm so grateful to live in a free country, and I am overwhelmingly grateful for those who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to provide us with our freedoms.

A Few More From Wyoming

Sisters! Sisters! There were never such devoted sisters. :) Here we are at the Tetons.

David - pointing at something. Spectacular view though.
The boys. Danny and David and Dylan. I'm sure that when Diz is old enough, he'll have fun with facial hair on vacation too. :)
LOVE this face! And her cute little poses.
Is this not the most hideous hair poof in the entire world?! We peer pressured Mollie into taking it out. But it makes for a funny picture. And little Claire is adorable anyway!

My Exciting Friday Evening

It's definitely not as good as

but
makes a decent Friday night substitute.

Costa Vida and Project Runway. Not a bad way to end the week.

And I even have left-overs for lunch and one more episode waiting on my dvr. Saturday's not looking too bad either. :)

Take 2

I just wrote an entire post and then deleted it.

Why? Because I'm still a little too guarded to just spill my guts on the internet.

So...you can either be thankful or disappointed that I used my blog filter and my delete key this evening. Maybe someday you'll hear more of my thoughts on dating. :)

In the meantime...I'll tell you about a different summer adventure - Music Circus!

What is Music Circus? It's a theater in the round that runs seven different musicals in seven weeks here in Sacramento. They used to hold the performances in a tent, but now they have a nice, modern, air conditioned theater that still has a bit of a feel of the circus tent. The actors use the aisleways for entrances and exits, scene changes, and sometimes even costume changes. The shows are usually fantastic!

My friend Ariane introduced me to the beauties of being a Music Circus usher a couple of summers ago. See...if you volunteer and come early and usher (you have to sign up and have a training and everything), then you get to see the show for free. Awesome! Many of our friends are on the Friday evening usher crew.

Plus! this summer I learned that you can get free popcorn after intermission. Double score!

This summer I was able to see six of the seven amazing performances. It's a great way to see theater. I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. :) Here's what the season was:

The Producers (I actually only stayed for half)

Oliver!

Anything Goes

Camelot (the one I missed)

Annie Get Your Gun (my fave of the year)

I Do! I Do! (my least fave of the year)

Miss Saigon

Granted, I have to wear white and black, but it's fun to talk to people as they're coming in, and then I see a show with my friends.

I think it's good summer fun.

Maybe Too Much?

I might have over-done it at the gym today.

I can barely feel my arms. Is that a bad sign?

I just joined the gym, and I'm trying to have more well-rounded work-out weeks. Which means that I have to do more than cardio. But I'm good at cardio. It strength that I'm not so good at. (Sorry for that dangling participle.)

But I had a free initial consultation, and it became very apparent that I need strength training in my life. Apparently especially in my triceps. :)

So I went to a class today. Body Pump. My dear friend KB used to go to it, and she said it was hard but good. And it was.

But who knew that I would hardly be able to lift my arms to wash my face tonight? There were a lot of reps of a lot of things. I may not be able to walk tomorrow.

Oh the things we do for healthy bodies! This is good for me in the long run, right? :)

Classic Cinema and Camp Ritchie

Every Tuesday I get to go to church and lead activities with the Young Women. I love it. I love it because I love the YW. They are stalwart and amazing and wonderful and fun.

Tonight we had a movie night. We premiered the movie they made about a month ago, "Lehi's Dream." It was bring-a-random-prop night, and then they had to use all the props to make a movie of a scripture story. It was great!

After we watched their cinematic greatness, we had "classic LDS film night." There's a whole era of church movies that these girls haven't seen. So...I introduced them to a couple of great titles. Our library didn't have all the ones I wanted, but I did manage to score "Spiritual Crocodiles" and "What Is Real?" The great part is that even though the clothes are dated, the messages are still right on target.

As promised, here are all of my pictures from this past weekend. Here's a shot of the forrest.

Me hiking in the forrest.

Koreen, Melissa, and Erick right before we realized that we were kind of lost. I made them all sit on this fallen tree to take a picture. Koreen sat in sap. Oops!

Down at the lake. Not a bad reading spot, huh?

Me and Koreen as we were leaving the lake.

Here's the flower bed that I made! It kind of looks camouflaged, but really we had to dig a ditch for those big rocks to sit in. It was hard work!

I'm Back!

What do you do when you have a splitting headache that you think will either drive you to tears or make you pull out all of your hair?

Take some Advil and watch three episodes of the Gilmore Girls? Me too!

That was my afternoon. And I'm pretty sure the headache was my own fault. Lame! First of all, I was dumb, and last night I threw away my last pair of contacts thinking that I still had more. Nope. This morning the cupboard was bare, so I had to wear my OLD glasses from about 8 years ago because my newer ones got stolen when my car was broken into earlier this year. Not only are they not cute, but the prescription is old and I'm just not used to having to carry something around on my face all day.

Second, I didn't eat enough this morning/afternoon. So I'm pretty sure that this compounded the headache. Oh well. I think I'm better now. :)

How was my weekend, you ask? Well...here's the quick sum up:

1. Camp Ritchie was beautiful. The lake was gorgeous. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

2. First impressions of the camp included these quotes: "This is why no one brings suitcases camping! Or maybe why I don't camp!" and "I am NOT a mountain goat!" Let's just say that it was dark when we got there, no one showed us where our cabin was, and all of the "trails" to things were basically rock faces. We pretty much had to climb down to our cabin with all of our gear, sleeping stuff, etc. Thankfully the light of day made it easier to find things. It didn't make it easier to actually get there, but we could at least see where we were going.

3. It was a very young YSA crowd. 'Nuff said.

4. I did meet some very nice new friends and get to spend some time with old friends, so it was totally worth it.

5. I dug a ditch and built a flower bed. When they said we'd be giving service, they really meant it!

6. The food was really good and there was LOTS of it.

7. We went on a hike, got lost, prayed, then found the road. Love faith-promoting experiences. :)

8. I got to sit in the sun by the lake and read a book. One of my favorite things in the whole world!

9. The stars were amazing!

10. I was reminded that while I love the outdoors, I really am not a big camper. When Koreen asked if I would be an RV camper or regular camper, my answer was that I really like being a cabin person instead. Just like Grandma and Grandpa's growing up. (I'm still so sad they sold it!) Nothing fancy. Just a place in the woods with indoor plumbing, a kitchen, beds, and a big table for meals and card games. We could sled right out the front door in the winter and we were at the pool or lake within minutes in the summer. Perfection.

What did you do for Labor Day?

Technical Difficulties

So...I'm getting some feedback that my "comments" section isn't working too well. Sorry! Though I'm not going to attempt to fix this today, I will attempt to fix it on Monday. Because I'm going out of town in about an hour and I don't have time to attempt what I perceive as a huge technological hurdle. I never ran track, and my hurdling skills are simply not up to par. But I'll get things back on track for sure! In the meantime...thanks for commenting on facebook. :)

Speaking of technicalities and going out of town...

My streak is about to end. I'm going up to the mountains this weekend, and I won't have an internet connection. Or even cell service for that matter. (That sounds like the beginning of some horrible horror movie plot. "She left for the mountains expecting peace and serenity with no cell phone or wifi connection. Little did she know who she would meet in that forrest trail. Dunt, dunt, duh!" Or something.)

What I'm trying to say is that I won't be able to post on Saturday or Sunday. But I think everyone will live. And I'll be back on Monday. Hopefully I'll even be back with pictures and stories from this adventurous weekend. Hey - it's a singles weekend. There are bound to be a few anecdotal gems. And maybe even pictures.

However...if I post this weekend, you can know that I came home early because it was lame. We'll see. :)

In the meantime, here are a few more Wyoming pictures. Happy Labor Day Weekend!

We ALL loved the alpine slides. Ok - Grandma and Grandpa didn't try them, but everyone else did. Ok - the twins didn't either. But everyone else. Here are Kari and Kallie.

Sorry this pic came out small! Mom, Kalls, Dad, David, and Kari in front of the Tetons on the way to Yellowstone.

The fam at Old Faithful. We were really grateful to finally be there!

Me and Dad waiting for the geyser to blow. It did. They really know how to time that thing.

Danny and Claire. Isn't she too cute?

This one's small too. Shoot! Don't worry. I'll do a whole series on this place. These pools were AMAZING! One of my favorite parts of Yellowstone. David makes a good model for us.

Mom and Grandma at the pools. It was very windy. Hold on to your hat Gram!