Yellowstone

Grandma and I just got back from our annual Yellowstone vacation. I guess it isn't much of a "vacation" with 3 boys in tow but hey.....we're making memories here right? With no DVD player to entertain in between stops we had lots of whining and fighting. Shame on the moron who stole my portable DVD player. He has no idea the PAIN he has caused me!
We saw lots of animals (unlike last year) and we crammed a ton into two days. It was beautiful as always...I'm thinking I want to take Nate there ALONE in the near future. Now that we live only 90 minutes away it is actually possible!

We saw elk, deer, bison, a brand new baby bison....SO cute, chipmunks, pelicans, swans and other birds.

This is the 3rd year I have taken this picture on the same log. It is funny how all 3 boys look like they are about the same size.

Blue Thunder Air Show........AWESOME!

The stars aligned for my Parker boy today as we decided to fight the crowds (38,000 people) and go to the Blue Thunder Air Show. Parker has always been obsessed with army, navy, tanks, guns, fighter planes....etc.
For months now, every time we would drive by a sign advertising for the Blue Angels he would BEG and PLEAD to go.
I decided that I would take Dallin and Parker and leave Landon with Dad at home. It was going to be too hot and uncomfortable for a guy dealing with a broken collar bone.
I packed the few things I was ALLOWED to bring. Sunblock, camera, EMPTY water bottles and a chair. I left the WATER at home (not allowed to bring it in...still scratching my head over that one), I left my UMBRELLA at home (once again, NOT allowed), and I left all SNACKS at home. Why I am I a rule follower? No one checked bags, people brought their umbrellas, I was an idiot to not bring water from home...after all it was 93 degrees out!!
 I was about to call it a day. The lines to fill our water bottles were 30-45 minutes long. The food lines were over an hour wait the bathroom lines were a good 20 minutes, and we were downright HOT. Oh, and the show hadn't even started yet!

THEN.........we met up with our friends Nathan and Jana, our new neighbors. It was the absolute BEST thing in the world that could have happened to us.

You see, Nathan is a member of the FAA. He hooked us up BIG TIME. With his fancy schmancy badge we were able to sit on the ROOF at the air traffic control tower! We had shade, a reasonably priced restaurant downstairs, cold water, a bathroom, and the most AMAZING view ever.

I felt a little bit guilty looking down at all of the people in the HOT sun for hours on end. I immediately called MY Nate and had him come down and bring Landon to watch the Angels. We also invited some other friends from our ward. What a great day......Parker's dreams pretty much came true.

Knowing the right people had some serious benefits today! I was pretty stoked so say the least!

Hubble Exhibit

Tonight was fun. We took the fam over to the Idaho Falls Temple Visitors Center. Right now they have an exhibit going on featuring Hubble Space Telescope photography. The images from space were enlarged up to 6-by-8 feet so people can see the images up close. The pictures are absolutely beautiful. It is hard to believe that they are photographs and not paintings.

Then we walked around the temple grounds and looked at all of the beautiful flowers.

Nate is feeling a little better every day. Hopefully he will be able to drive again later next week.

It was a nice way to end a LONG day of breaking up fights and picking up messes. :)

Memory Lane

A few weeks ago Nate had to go to Boise to do some work. While he was there my mom handed him a HUGE box full of STUFF from my youth.
We had a great laugh going through this box that contained all sorts of things from birth up through college. There were cards from my 1st birthday, my very fist wallet (Hello Kitty), lots of cheer stuff, and even some pictures from the college days.
Here are a few items to share:

1st off: A picture of my Great-Grandma and Grandpa Carlson. They were modern day pioneers. They were converted to the church by listening to some missionaries in Sweden and decided that they needed to pack up their few items and their 2 young children and head to Salt Lake to be near the saints. They boarded a ship for America and they never returned. They couldn't speak English and they never saw their parents again. They were amazing and very funny people and I miss them. I thought it was ironic I cam across this picture so close to pioneer day because whenever I think of pioneers...they are the first people that come to my mind.

Next is a picture of me with my dad at a girl scout daddy daughter dance. And YOU thought YOU had big bangs in the 80's. Why didn't anyone tell me I look like an absolute IDIOT!  My bangs are bigger then my face! Haha! YIKES! Of course...my dad looks about the same after all of these years. I hope I get some of those youthful genes.

Last is my FAVORITE thing. There was a time when I was a little undecided about Nathan and whether or not he was the man for me. I was in Hawaii with my dear friend Marcy and her family and I contemplated a lot about Nathan the whole time I was gone. Did I love him? Were we more then just good friends? Was I willing to give this relationship a fighting chance?

On my way back from Hawaii I had a layover in Salt Lake. When I walked off the airplane Nate was standing there holding THIS sign:

I took one look at this silly sign and the handsome young man holding it and I knew.....I KNEW that I loved him and that there was NO one else for me. All of the questions just disappeared and I never looked back.
This dumb poster was a major turning point and I am so happy that I didn't throw it away.

What goes fast....eventually comes down.

I've had a few days in my life that I wish I could just REWIND. Days I would do anything to just START OVER from the beginning. Saturday was one of those days. I was so excited to go to Boise...to cheer Nate on at his race and to see my friends this weekend. Nate and I drove separate cars over to Boise so that I could stay a few extra days. We had all sorts of fun things planned....Roaring Springs with friends, lunches, boating, swimming, a few days to just enjoy the things that I miss so much now that we are over here.

We headed downtown to the race. My friend Alison made me these adorable flags to cheer Nate on. She made some for her husband and another biking friend as well.  ABSOLUTELY DARLING!

I have such thoughtful and fun friends....I miss seeing them every day.

The race was 40 minutes in 100 degree temps. I just kept praying over and over again that Nate wouldn't get hurt. I don't care if he comes in DEAD LAST as long as he isn't hurt. Here is the start of the race:

He was doing SO well...feeling great with 8 laps to go:

Then IT happened.

A guy from Idaho Falls (go figure) who was very inexperienced cut right out in front of Nate's line on a straight away. It was like slow motion. Bikes flying...Nate dragging. All of this happened RIGHT smack in front of us. All I could do was scream. It was absolutely terrifying 75 guys in the race and 3 fell.

 Nate got the worst of it.

They hauled him off to the tent and checked him over.

He was covered in road rash and had pain in his hip and shoulder They scrubbed out all of his road rash until it bled. SO gross..They thought something may have happened to his ACL and they told us we needed to head over to the ER.

A couple of X-rays and 2 hours later we find out he broke his collarbone. Thankfully his shoulder is ok. I was bracing for surgery or something along those lines.

He is sore but he'll live.

I had to drive him back home because he can't drive his car especially since it has a stick shift. He had to be back at work on Monday morning.

Thankfully my dad will drive his car back over here for us.

I'm trying so hard to be forgiving. I'm so MAD. Mad that he fell, mad at the dumb guy who cut in front of him, mad we had to take ANOTHER trip to the ER, mad that I don't get to do all of the fun things I had planned.

Basically.....I'm thowing my own pity party.

I knew this day would happen eventually....EVERYONE who rides a bike seems to fall at one time or another. I just really wish it hadn't happend on this particular trip........

2-9 and feeling fine!

I woke up this morning with 3 boys in my bed. As Nate kissed me goodbye the boys were ready to plan out what we were going to do for my 29th birthday. I asked them if they thought I was old. They laughed and said, "NO WAY Mom!" Very good answer my sons.
We brainstormed. A movie. The zoo. A picnic at the park. Go out for lunch. The amusement park. Cake....definitely cake. Jump on the trampoline. (Landon's idea)
Then I suggested that we pack up a lunch and venture up to see the Mesa Falls I have heard about. They thought it was an okay idea. They weren't thrilled about having to drive an hour away. They only agreed to it because I wanted to do it. And it is MY birthday after all.
As soon as we got there though, they were VERY pleased with our idea. Mesa Falls is absolutely spectacular!
What a perfect birthday spent with my little men.

I received so many phone calls, texts, emails and even had a couple of visitors. I have felt very loved and appreciated today. It was a low key day but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It is funny how the older I get the less I care about my birthday. I guess I'm ACTUALLY growing up. Making a special memory with my boys today was the best birthday present I could want. None of my gifts were wrapped this year but the truth is....the best gifts in life aren't THINGS.