boating and baseball

Those of you who know me know that I have made it my personal mission in life to die of skin cancer. I must be Vitamin D deficient because I can never get enough sun. So when JC asked me if I wanted to take a trip on the Moomba this summer, I could not refuse. And when Mark McFarland invited me to go boating this weekend, I could not say no.

So we spent all day long at Pineview yesterday on the water and I learned how to surf behind the boat. That is a blast and I can see how much fun it would be with a boat that spits out a big enough wake that you wouldn't have to use a rope. The boys took their turns jumping off the biggest rope swing I have ever seen. And despite their coaxing, I chose to remain in the boat and not try my hand at paralyzing myself by going off of that thing. Cuz I may die of skin cancer, but I am not stupid enough to die by breaking my neck because of some dumb swing!

When we finally got off the lake at 7pm that night, we got changed and headed to a Raptor's game. I love the Raptor's games. They are so relaxing and nothing beats a hot summer day on the water like a cool summer evening at a baseball game. Especially one with a backdrop like the one at Lindquist Field. Although it was a pretty exciting game because of our errors, we ended up with the W at the end. And Mark ended up with 2 Ramirez bobble heads that value near $50 each on Ebay. Lucky him.

san diego

Melissa's wedding was on Thursday, so I bought a plane ticket to fly to San Diego on Wednesday and Bonnie picked me up at the airport. We drove up the coast from the airport to La Jolla where the wedding was going to be held and stopped and looked at some shops while we waited for Melissa to check into our room so that we could get a parking pass. The hotel was located right on the beach, so it was hard to find a spot to park on the street, but it guaranteed us some spectacular views.

Once we got checked in, I took a quick nap while the wedding party was at the rehearsal and then we all got ready to go to dinner. We ate at a little Mexican restaurant right up the street from the hotel. It was fun to mingle with Ed's family and get to meet his relatives. They are all so much fun.

After dinner, Bonnie and I ran a few to Walmart to find some fish and sand for Melissa's centerpieces. No luck with the sand, but we managed to buy some fish. I don't know how they made it safely to the hotel with Bonnie's crazy driving (you know I love you, but it's true)...they lost most of the water in their containers going around one corner! We were exhausted when we got back so we immediately went to bed.

Thursday morning we woke up and headed back to find a Home Depot for sand and a Target for serving bowls and spoons. (While we were running these errands, I got a text from Will. He went and did what I thought he was going to do. But like I said, I completely understand and I have no bad feelings towards him. It just makes me think a lot about what I'd do in his shoes...) We also stopped back at the airport to pick up Misty--one of our old roommates who flew in to surprise Melissa. Once we all got back, we put the centerpieces together and helped set up the reception area. I seriously put my dress on at 2:52 and the ceremony started at 3pm. Crazy.

The wedding was beautiful and so was she. She and Ed are perfect for each other--and although I had my initial doubts, he has earned my approval. It's good to see her so happy. The reception was a blast too and afterward, we all went out to the pool to hang out. It was so much fun to be around my roommates from 9 years ago. I can't believe how quickly time goes...The trip was so much fun, but way too short--I flew back to Ogden this morning.

they say it's your birthday

Na na na na na na....
Here's wishing my littlest sis a Happy 28th! Hope you have a great one Kelsey!

pioneer days rodeo

I scored some sweet tickets to this year's Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. Right above the bucking chutes. Included with these tickets were VIP passes to a cabin right there at the rodeo grounds where Ruby River was catering dinner. So I invited some of my bestest friends--Shad, Linz, Dan, Kayli, and Orie--to accompany me to this fine American western tradition.

While we were eating dinner, everyone convinced me to go sit on this stack of hay bales with a saddle on it and Shad got some photographer to come and take pictures of me. I actually had to sign a "model release form" so they could use these pictures if they wanted to. For what? I have no idea...

Billy Etbauer

This is why I love cowboys.

Isn't this spectacular?

melina's and meltdowns

I got invited to go to Melina's with the Hancock clan tonight to celebrate Jill's birthday. She was joking with me earlier today about how she never feels like a princess on her birthday because she's usually the one planning the parties, so I stopped at Zurcher's to buy her a crown and a pink feather boa. Turns out that Mitch's kids liked it more than she did. Go figure. I think we all ate our fair share of feathers though!

After dinner we went bowling in Brigham City. Wow. That brought back a flood of memories from when my aunt used to live there. Suddenly I was remembering things that happened when I was a little girl--like picking up Michelle from gymnastics and leaving Kari & Brad's house in my pajamas after a family Christmas party. Bowling was a blast though--especially because I somehow convinced Karlie to give me a massage while I waited for my turn.

Also tonight was what I will call a minor meltdown with Will--although it wasn't really a meltdown at all. But it was the only time in the last two months that we've been even remotely upset with each other. We tried to talk about what's going on. He is frustrated with me because he thinks I don't understand what he's feeling right now. And I'm frustrated with him because I know EXACTLY what he's feeling right now. But I guess that's how it goes and there's nothing I can do about it. It's always so much easier to see things when you're on the outside looking in than when you are the one who feels conflicted. The funny thing is, I really do understand and I actually don't blame him at all.

what a weekend

Kelsey brought her kids down here Saturday and so we decided to pack everyone up and head to the drive-in. We brought snacks, sleeping bags, pillows, and set up shop for Ice Age 3. The kids had a blast and although the movie wasn't the best ever, I think that the five adults had just as much fun as the kids.




The Weber State Fireworks were yesterday and as usual, it was a good time. Shad & I met up in the morning and set out a bunch of blankets for everyone. Linz and I took off around 7pm to make sure that no one moved them and so we could hold down the fort until everyone else arrived. Mark and Lisa McFarland got there first, so we sat and talked with them for awhile until eventually everyone showed. Tyra and Kelsey bailed at the last minute because the kids were throwing a fit and they were worried about getting rained on. But it only sprinkled on us and the fireworks were awesome as usual.

gorgeous george

Oh boy...I've been looking forward to this concert for a very long time. Jamie and I bought tickets to go see George Strait back in March when the they first went on sale. This has been one thing that I've really looked forward to this summer.

We met in Clearfield and took off for the Usana Amphitheatre. We stopped in West Valley and ate at Chili's and then we were off to spend a beautiful summer evening under the stars, while being swooned by George's Texas twang.

The concert was awesome! Julianne Hough opened up and then Blake Shelton played as well. He even did the moonwalk in honor of the late--yet great--Michael Jackson. We had a couple of irritating moments while he was playing where the sound system went out, but he made the best of it and kept cracking jokes about it.

And then...
HE came out. In his Wranglers, button up, and cowboy hat. I can see now why my mom loves him. He is quite the looker boy--and a dying breed too. There were no fireworks or smoke or bells and whistles. Just George and his guitar. And his old-timer band. And I would've sat there for another 4 hours listening to him.

I just don't know that the lady in front of us wanted to sit and listen to Jamie & I sing every single word for another 4 hours. Although she did compliment us on our lyrical knowledge when the show was over.

lake time

I went back to Preston this week because I promised Kennedy and Mason that I'd take them swimming at the lake last weekend and we ran out of time. When I told Tyra of my plan, she decided that she wanted to take her kids up as well to surprise Kelsey's kids. We parked her car in Logan and then she jumped in with me. When we got to the house, the kids were so excited to see each other. We loaded up the cars and took off for Lamont.

Kelsey had recently purchased some life jackets for her kids but that didn't help ease their fears. Tyra's kids on the other hand...my oh my. They had some dollar store arm floaties that did not work, but that didn't stop them! They have no fear. Kade and Karlee just took off running into the water, tripped, and swallowed a gallon but they kept going back for more. It's funny how different they all are.

I taught Kennedy & Mason how to float on their backs even though they were quick to make sure that I never let go of them. Kade and Karlee took turns jumping off the dock and the babies just sat in their chairs. Trying to wrangle all those kids is quite different than what I'm used to, but it still was a great time!

l o n g week=short weekend

Ugh. What a long week. Steph and I put on a volleyball camp in Rupert, Idaho, at Minico High School this week. We stayed with Lindsay and Steve--what a fun couple--at their new house. We got to take a tour of her mom's new salon in Burley and spent a good few hours parked on her couch watching chick flicks! The camp was pretty fun this year though because there were lots of girls there that came last year as well. I did miss out on my squeaky cheese this year though...

We also had a camp in Arimo at Marsh Valley High School. Steph to the rescue!! I had a family thing come up, so she stepped in and took over the final 2 days. I had Jenna come in my place. Steph is a trooper--I'd had plenty with just one day there! And if I never see another Subway again, I'll be ok. I ate there 4 times this week. There's only so much turkey a person can eat without getting sick of it.

I did manage to make it to Melissa's bachelorette party for a little bit on Friday night. It was hilarious--they had made a fake cake for her out of whitey tighties and had a list of things she had to do before the night was over--like kiss the first guy she sees, ride a motorcycle, and get someone to give her their boxers. It was hilarious. What a fun friend she has been!

I also made it to a few of Will's softball games but I can tell things are starting to slow down...Old feelings will do that to you, so I understand...

island park family vacation

For the 4th of July this year, the Leonard's did something unheard of. We actually went somewhere for a change. And that somewhere happened to be Island Park for a good old fashioned family vacation. My mom found us a sweet little cabin between Ashton and Island Park for us to rent for the weekend. So after an extended drive--due to my dad's frequent stops for Size 13 crocs and donuts, we finally made it up there.

When we got there, we unloaded all of our food and settled in. We walked around the cabin and down to the river and just explored. My mom ran into a cow moose and her calf right next to the cabin, so we all piled into the cars and grabbed our cameras to try to catch a glimpse. After dinner, we built a fire and cooked S'mores. Mmm...What is it about blasted camping that brings out the pop drinking in me? Yuck...I always feel disgusting after, but I can't stop myself. Good thing I pretty much stick to Country Time Strawberry Lemonade and Peach Fresca--no caffeine for me at least!!

Friday morning I got up EARLY to cook breakfast for the boys before they took the drift boat out for a fishing trip. While they were gone, we stuck around the cabin and cooked hot dogs and played with the kids. Tyra and I tried to convince my mom and Kelsey to play a game with us that we made up, but that all ended with my mom's impersonation of an Indian gas station attendant ("Ya ta hay ya ta hay, I want to fill your car today"). When they got home, the girls got showered up and headed into West Yellowstone for the play "Guys and Dolls"--or so we thought...On our way there, we saw a black bear. It was enormous and ran across the road in front of our car. And I mean R A N. I didn't think it was possible for something so big to be so fast! When we got settled into our seats, we noticed that the backdrop for the opening scene said Secret Garden on it. Kelsey and I started laughing thinking that they were messing with us. Nope. Turns out that we weren't going to get to see Guys and Dolls but instead the Secret Garden. I think it caught us all off guard so it took us awhile to get into the whole Garden thing, but we ended up enjoying ourselves.

Saturday we loaded up and took off for a drive to Mesa Falls. It is beautiful there. The picture that I have in an earlier blog of my mom and I was actually taken there so we took another one--30 YEARS LATER. Crazy how time flies...We also drove over to Big Bear--which used to be a ski resort when my parents were teenagers and then stopped along the river so the kids could feed the fish. And by kids I mean Brandon and Brock. Then we headed back to Island Park and over to Henry's Lake. We took the drift boat and took turns going out on the lake. We skipped rocks and ate sunflower seeds and watched Mason fish and Kade throw rocks. Too bad the only thing that anyone caught with their fishing pole was sea weed.

We went back to the cabin to load up on mosquito repellent and decided to hit the fireworks along the river that the local bar owners sponsor. This had to have been the strangest fireworks show ever...First it was a bunch of duds and then all of a sudden there was a huge fireball that blew up on the ground. We were all scared and thought that for sure the ambulance was going to come ripping in there to rescue someone with 3rd degree burns. But no...the show just kept going. The fireworks alternated from dinky to finale style and then back to fireball and just kept repeating that cycle. Over and over and over again. My dad informed us that his RLS was starting to flare up from sitting in the truck because he didn't want to get out and get eaten alive by mosquitoes. His RLS quickly turned into RAS which I believe was actually LAS. After that, we couldn't stop laughing. We kept making jokes about the bar owner's over there lighting off fireworks with their cigarettes hanging from their mouths and how these fireworks were sponsored by Osama bin Laden. Eventually, even the kids were ready to call it quits. They finally said that they liked fireworks, but they were ready to go home because they were tired.

Sunday we woke up and cleaned the cabin from top to bottom. Tyra and Brock had to take off early because he just got put in the Bishopric and had to be home for meetings. Once we got everything loaded we followed Kelsey and Brandon into Rexburg and then back to Preston. I had to go back to Ogden to pick up stuff for my camp at Minico High School so I loaded up my stuff and headed South. It worked out well because I got to dump off all of my dirty clothes and fit in some Will time too...

What a fun weekend with my family though. I love being around them. I love being Missy Mommy to my Kaders and I love being able to be around people who want what is best for me--especially in a place as fun as Island Park. We've got to make this a tradition now!