A Much Needed Good Day

After a difficult couple of weeks in the school counseling business I was rewarded with a great day with Travis.
Saturday we spent most of the afternoon wandering around the Utah State Fair. I rather enjoy a good fair. We even saw kangaroos. Travis will be buying me a kangaroo someday, he's already agreed to it. I got to pick an oyster and get the pearl from the oyster which is now in a pretty necklace thanks to Travis. I sure love pretty things. We looked at all the animals, checked out all the purses (still searching for the perfect purse), looked at all the crafty stuff, and did a lot of people watching.
After the fair we headed to Bucca di Beppo for some dinner. We feasted on lobster spaghetti and a gigantic brownie sundae.

Can't you see the joy???

Then it was off to Travis' to watch the BYU v. Utah game. I was fully prepared... Utah t-shirt, Utah jacket, Utah bracelet, Utah pants, Utah socks, and a big red flower in my hair. The game was simply magnificent. I'm glad my Utes pulled through. Now I get to choose a musical to attend with Travis. :) Just a friendly wager.

Something I Swore I'd Never Do

The purpose of this post is to demonstrate my feelings for Travis. I went (voluntarily) on a hunting/camping trip in which I slept in a tent, and I had a great time!
Over Labor Day weekend Travis invited me to go with him and his sister's family on a hunting/camping trip. Travis and I got to the campsite around 10 p.m. Friday night and set up the tent quickly and then went to bed. The sleeping bag he took for me was spectacular. It was pretty cold at night and I was warm and snug in my sleeping bag.
The men (Travis, Troy, and Travis' nephew Kaden) were up at 4:15 Saturday morning to start their hike. They took their bows and were off to find deer and elk. The rest of us slept until just after 8, got up and had breakfast and then I visited with Lacey for awhile. Travis reappeared about 10:30 with Kaden, Troy, and Troy's brother Jay soon to follow. We spent the rest of the afternoon just visiting and napping. Nice and relaxing. Just after 5:30 we all piled in Travis' truck to do some drive hunting. We drove around a couple of the nearby canyons looking for animals and didn't find anything. It was fun to watch Travis in action. He gets so excited and focused when he's involved in something he loves. We got back, had a delicious dinner, and Troy and the kids lit a fire.
Sunday the men decided to stay at camp since the animals were nowhere to be found. We spent part of the day fishing at Potter's Pond and then another nap. :) Late afternoon Jay came back and mentioned he had seen elk behind his property. We had camp down in 20 minutes and were on our way to Jay's house. The guys grabbed their bows and took off. Lacey, the kids, and I made ourselves at home in Jay's house. We ate dinner in his kitchen, watched TV, and we all took a turn in the shower.
It was a great weekend. I survived camping, much to everyone's surprise. It was WAY better than Girls' Camp ever was, and I'm even willing to do it again. Thanks Travis for letting me tag along!

The kids in the back of the truck before we went looking for deer and elk.

The view from one of the areas we stopped at.

Travis and Troy

This is what we looked like at bedtime. We're not used to the cold temperatures anymore!

Lacey and Troy and family across Potter's Pond while fishing Sunday.

Potter's Pond

My Travis perfectly at peace.

The guys headed off behind Jay's property. Travis, Jay, Kaden, and Troy

Off into the sunset...

One Reason to Look Forward to Day One...

My dad sends me flowers every year on the first day of school. I love it! I woke up on the 22nd and thought, "I can do this. I'm going to get flowers today." It's so fun to have a happy surprise on a chaotic day. The front office staff always come in a group to deliver my flowers after they're dropped off. They love it almost as much as I do. These flowers were beautiful and remained beautiful all week. It made my office feel more cheerful. I love this first day of school gift from my dad!

You Raise Me Up...

Okay, it's about time for another concert. I saw Idina Menzel at Deer Valley on July 30, but photos were not allowed, therefore no blog post about it. But, simply put, she was incredible! I loved it and was glad that I was invited and went.
Next on the concert schedule... Josh Groban! Oh my I was so very excited! I was able to go see Josh Groban with my dear friend Kjersti and it was a wonderful evening at Energy Solutions Arena.

The opening act was a man named Elew. He is a pianist and he is unbelievably talented! It made me wish I had been more dedicated to practicing the piano when I was younger. If I had I could be on tour with Josh Groban right now....

The stage from where we sat. These seats were actually quite great. I was very happy with them.

Kjersti and I looking rather tan. :)

As I watched Josh's concert I also decided I should have learned to play the french horn. There were 2 french horn players and if I had taken up the french horn I could be on tour with Josh Groban right now.... sigh...

I love Josh Groban! I want to be a Grobanite!

Josh standing near what he calls "GAPS"... Grobanite Access Points. If only I had been closer. ;)

It really was a fabulous night! It's so much fun to listen to someone so talented who does not need computers and other forms of technology to sound good. I didn't want it to end.

A Day At The Fair

Last Saturday Travis and I went to the Salt Lake County Fair. This fair wasn't as big and fancy as other fairs I've been to (Eastern Idaho State Fair and Utah State Fair) but we had fun. We saw the animals (I'm convinced I need to own a cute little bunny with floppy ears), looked through all the booths (Travis bought a couple necklaces with matching earrings), and watched a juggler. As we walked a little farther we saw a game that Travis just could pass up. You had to shoot a little red start completely out of a piece of paper with 100 BB shots. It's harder than it sounds.

Attempt #1: Travis almost got all the red out of the paper. There were like 2 little specks left and the guy just wouldn't let it count.

Attempt #2 concluded with the same result as #1. I was actually quite impressed with Travis' accuracy.

We had a fun day together. I'm a lucky girl.

5 Years

http://freepages.college-alumni.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~socrateselder/

Mandy's Manti Temple Wedding

Amber and I drove down to Manti on Wednesday August 3, 2011 to attend Mandy's wedding in the Manti Temple. We met up with Lisa, Heather, and Bishop and Sister Anderson when we got down there. It was a beautiful ceremony and I am so happy for Mandy. When we got out of the temple the storm clouds were blowing in. I thought the dark clouds behind the temple were breathtaking. It was so beautiful.