Yellowstone!!!

I have never been to Yellowstone. I have lived in Idaho for four years and I have never been! Jeremy is shocked every time we talk about it. Since this is our last summer here we decided it was now or never. So we set the date for July 14th, invited Tyler and we were on our way for a day trip. On our way up I was asking questions of what to expect and was shocked when I found out that you drive through the park. I thought you parked your car, walked around to see some wildlife, and that was it. After laughing at me, the boys explained that Yellowstone National Park is huge! It will take all day just to drive through half of it; which is what we ended up doing. After seeing the map that we got when we drove in I understood. There are two loops shaped in a figure eight with different attractions to see on each. I was all about seeing as much wildlife as possible but Jeremy wanted to show me some of the cool land formations too. So we chose the loop with a good variety of both and we were on our way.

The first thing that we saw when we drove into the park was a bald eagle....serious! We took this as a good sign that this trip was going to blow our minds!

Next, after only a couple minutes of driving we saw a field full of deer, and some right next to the road just chowing down on grass. I was so excited! So of course we pulled a tourist move and pulled off the side of the road to take too many pictures.

Then we were back on the road until we hit a stop to see some of natures miracles. Of course it started raining but that only added to our experience.

The pictures don't do these justice but it was beautiful. These were all a bunch of different hot springs.(beware of egg smell)

On our way back to the car we found this sweet tree stump! It was crying for us to take pictures with it. Seriously incredible!

The coolest part of Yellowstone was just driving along, spontaneously pulling over and finding cool little snip-its of what nature has to offer. This was just off the road. A hot spring on the other side of this river overflows. That burning water trickles down the side of the hill into the river actually making it kind of warm.  

Next we stopped to see some small geysers and the paint pots. 

Of course we had to make a stop at Old Faithful.

While we waited a tour guide talked to us about the geyser and a little boy in front filled us in on all the details. He'd already seen it and was very knowledgeable on the subject. :)

(Later we got free interactive bookmarks of Old Faithful...one of the highlights!)

We stopped at a waterfall and to see some of the view from higher up.

And then to see some more water features that were around/ in Yellowstone Lake.

This was a sign near the trail warning people to not leave the designated boardwalk...classic!

Jeremy decided to make one of his spontaneous stops off the road at a small hidden beach off Yellowstone Lake. We all got out, hiked down the little hill to get to the beach and couldn't resist taking off our hiking boots for a wade in the water. Jeremy was sad that I nixed his hiking plans due to tired feet so he went off on his own little adventure while Tyler and I played in the water. 

We didn't plan ahead and bring towels so we used what we had...Jeremy's shirt.

And left Jeremy looking like this... :)

At this point I was really ready to start seeing some serious wildlife. I mean I had been promised buffalo and still had seen none. Along the way to finding buffalo we spotted a different kind of deer. Jeremy was able to get up close to this one. 

After this we were optimistic that we would see some more animals. Jeremy was the first to see this guy and was not going to let him get away without getting some close up pictures. The buffalo wouldn't let him get very close so he had to chase him up a hill to get this picture. 

Little did we know that this was the first of many more buffalo. 

Even though I was a little over the "thermal water features" I agreed to stopping at one more that looked like it could be cool. As we walked along the boardwalk we saw this little guy by a geyser. 

We also spotted some hoof prints right up next to the boardwalk. I was saying how crazy it would be if a buffalo was right next to the  walkway. A minute later we came to one of the mud volcanoes and there he was!!!

That's not on zoom!!! Highlight of my day!!!

This was also one of my favorite features....Dragon's Mouth Spring. Boiling water from inside a cave sounds like a dragon and the smoke that comes out adds to the effect. 

On our drive out I couldn't help but snap a few shots of just how absolutely beautfiul this place is. 

Of course we made one last spontaneous stop when Jeremy spotted this little hidden gem...a tiny water volcano. He and Tyler hiked down to the water's edge to get a closer look.

Whew! What a day...one to remember!

4th of July Celebrations

We started off this independence day by joining in on the Rexburg Parade. My practicum teacher, Mrs. Larson, asked if we would help pass out otter pops for her husband's campaign float in the parade. I love parades and Mrs. Larson so saying yes was a no brainer. So jeremy and I dressed in our red, white, and blue, stuck on our "Elect Larry Larson" badges and headed to downtown. This picture was taken before the parade began.

Unfortunately I misunderstood which park we were starting at and which we were finishing at so of course we park and the finish line and have to run through crowds of people to the opposite side of town. We made it just in time to help put together some flyers and get some instructions before the parade began. Now being in leadership for the four years of high school, I have done the whole parade things before. I don't know if the participants of this parade were given the memo that it's supposed to be a slow moving kind of thing. Not only were we having to run to keep up with the float, but the once those kids saw the otter pops they turned into animals! We were being attacked from all sides, otter pops were exploding, juices going everywhere. It was crazy! But we made it to the end and honestly had a blast! We were sweaty and tired and beyond grateful for our original mistake of parking at the end of the parade so we could get a quick get away. 

Having the day off from school, and being hot and sweaty could only mean one thing....slip and slide. We have a little hill in our back yard and figured our ginormous tarp would do. So we invited Ty over and had a blast for the afternoon.

Of course the boys had to bring out the good ole "Snow Boogie" to do some tricks on. Most of the attempts were a complete fail so this was all I captured of there efforts.

After being outside we were ready for some grub. Tyler's friend Kelsey came over for an early dinner of burgers, watermelon, our traditional 4th of July jello and lots of desserts!

Dessert one: White chocolate dipped strawberries tipped with blue sprinkles.. (Thanks Pinterest!)

Dessert Two: Cake Pops (My first time making them from my awesome cake pop maker that Roxy got me...love it!!! Still figuring out the frosting but we had a lot of fun with it.

Dessert Three: Cake from the left over batter that I was too lazy to use on the cake pops. Kelsey did a great job decorating it!!!

Dessert Four: Kelsey also brought over some delicious German chocolate cupcakes but didn't get a picture.

While Kelsey and I decorated all the desserts, the boys spent time resting from the labors of their day.

We ended the day by heading over to Idaho Falls for the annual Melaluca fireworks show. We debated going this year since we went last year and it's kind of a zoo but it was so worth it! I forgot how amazing it is ("best firework show this side of the Mississippi" is what they say) and they added a ton of stuff this year so it was even better than last year. Wish I would have gotten pictures and a better picture of Jer and I but I guess I was too busy enjoying the celebrations!

Bring on Summer!!!

Summer in Rexburg means you can finally be outside!!! Obviously our pasty white skin hasn't seen the sun in quite some time but we are excited for that to change!

First thing we did was head to the water park in town, Rexburg Rapids, and enjoy a day in the sun. It was a blast!

Jeremy also joined an intramural grass volleyball team this semester and played in a competitive three's tournament. It was so fun to just be outside. He loved the playing, I loved the lounging and the entertainment. 

Happy Summer!!!

Sewing!

Since graduation I've had some more time on my hands. One of these particular uneventful days, I decided to work on some projects that I have been putting off for quite some time. So I busted out my sewing machine and went to town!

Project number one. Many people who have seen my jean drawer are shocked at how many pairs of jeans I own. (My mother will be proud to know that I have donated a few pairs to try and minimize my collection.) The reality is however, that I don't wear many of these jeans. Because of this...

I have short legs. Forever I would buy jeans and just cuff them (sooo cool) if they were too long. This caused these lovely holes. I decided to it was time to either get rid of them or make an effort to fix them. So I cut of the hideous bottoms and hemmed them. It was surprisingly easy. I even went as far as to turn one pair into skinny jeans. Pretty impressive I know. I also mended a hole in another pair of jeans. 

Then I had two skirts that needed work. I have this jean skirt that has a slit in it. It is a little too high to be modest so I simply sewed that up and it's as good as new. Then there is the cute charcoal pencil skirt. During student teaching, I carpooled with a girl to Ammon everyday. We took turns driving. One day I was in a particular hurry grabbing a million things to take with me. In my hurry to get in her car with all my things, I spread my legs a little wider than one should in a pencil skirt and....you guessed it. It ribbed up the back. Thankfully I was wearing tights and it was really early in the morning, and it happened while we were still in my parking lot. I had to run back and change. So that project took a quick mend and some fortification to hopefully prevent that from happening again. I'm pleased to report that it has held up so far. 

The last project was the pair of khakis that I was wearing the day I tripped and fell in the fall of 2009 resulting in this...

Obviously my pants got pretty messed up and holey khakis are tacky so I turned them into shorts! They actually turned out pretty cute. All in all, six sewing projects later, it was a very effective and crafty day.  

Happy Father's Day!

Even though we aren't parents yet, Jeremy and I still have started the tradition of celebrating Mother's and Father's Day. I'm always looking for excuses to celebrate anyway. This year I got Jer a cute book about a father and a son. We had Tyler, Kelsey, Mikaela, and Mackenzie over for a little dinner and dessert. We decided burgers and fries were a manly meal and then I made a couple of Jer's favorite things: pistachio salad and Grandma Passey's chocolate cheese dessert. 

Jer got this little gem at church...I made him put it on for a picture but that's how long it lasted.

 I guess I should revise my earlier statement since we do have this little baby who wished Jeremy a heart felt Happy Father's Day. And I have to say, Jer is a very attentive and loving father to Alfred. It makes me excited to see him with our human children one day! :) 

Sixth Grade Graduation

My sixth graders graduated and are moving on the middle school! I can't believe it. I was like a proud parent watching these kids. They put on a cute performance including a couple songs that they sung and even had a couple guitar players. 

I wish I would have gotten more pictures with the students but this is the only one I got. I was just so PROUD!

Mrs. Haderlie (the student teacher for the first half of the year) and I were both recognized and given flowers which was so thoughtful. I loved being a part of the experience. 

Working with these girls was such a blast and I was blessed to get to know each of them. I learned a lot and will never forget them.