Pioneer Day

It's such a nice feeling to get paid while not actually working. I spent quality time with a lot of loved ones, doing nothing traditional. 

My grandparents have their daily routine which usually starts with breakfast at McDonald's. I wanted to take them somewhere different so we stepped out of their comfort zone and went to Chick-Fil-A. Gramps tried a sausage burrito, Grandma got a bacon and egg biscuit and I passed out a chicken-mini to each of them. They didn't get their coffee very quickly so that may have discouraged them, but overall they liked it and we had a good time. 

The next part of the routine is to get a little physical activity in. My grandpo goes for a walk daily. I'm so amazed with how he sees the benefits of walking and feels good physically and mentally. We walked on the Centennail Trail. Check out this little video I threw together. 

After our 2 mile walk we went back to my house to cool off with some popsicles. 

Later on I stopped to visit my parents and watch a movie with my mom and younger cousin, Jade. My mom popped popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, drizzled the popcorn with butter and added a sprinkle of salt. It was impressive, I could've eaten two more bowls full. 

After visiting my parents I headed to pick up my niece and nephew. We got to my house, and because I'm a car seat nerd, I worked on their seats for a bit, untwisting straps and getting everything back in order. While I worked, they ate popsicles. Then we headed to downtown Ogden to play at the park, walk 25th street and eat at Lucky Slice. 

I had a wide range of experiences today, from hanging with older souls to hanging with kiddies. Two totally different, but wonderful age groups that show different perception of the world around us. 

Graduation Party

I had the best graduation party ever. Honestly I was looking forward to this party more than the university ceremonies. I worked hard for this. It was fun to have so many people help me celebrate. I felt so loved by their presence and presents.

I can't thank my parents enough for working so hard putting it together and everyone else who helped with

food prep

decorations

drinks 

photos

DJ

bounce house

dancing

&

clean up.

The theme was cowboy/cowgirl because my parents live in the country and I love the country life. It was fun to see all of the creative get ups. 

All of these connections have loved me, supported me and helped me grow into who I am. I love you all. 

Fishing at Willard Bay

It was a nice, long weekend. My favorite day was Sunday. I was getting anxious relaxing at home and needed to be outdoors. We ended up at Willard Bay. I really like the show Dual Survival, so when we had to push our way through thick brush I couldn't help but pretend we were on a survival adventure. We made it to the perfect fishing spot and had pretty good luck. I was really in-tune with my senses and loved how slimy the catfish I caught felt. I was so amazed with the carp Jose caught. 

Mule Days

When I was younger, still living at home, we'd always do a Memorial Day weekend trip to Mule Days in Bishop, CA. It's been years since I've been so this year when my dad called to invite me to Jake Clark Mule Days in Ralston, WY I accepted the offer.  My dad's dad recently passed away and the trip was over Father's Day weekend so I was more than happy to go spend some time with my dad, mom and their new pup. 

We went in my dad's nice mega cab Dodge dually. It was so roomy and comfortable and I am so in love with landscapes and beautiful scenery that I enjoyed the 8 hour drive. 

My parents just got a new puppy and she came along. I seriously questioned, "who are these people?", that are letting a dog ride in their vehicle and be cuddled and spoiled. I've never seen my parents so affectionate with a dog. They treat it like a baby. It's really cute and I'm happy for them. Even if they gave less attention to their real baby. 

The event was small compared to the one in Bishop. It mostly consisted of a rodeo and mules on display to be auctioned off on the last day. The highest selling mule went for $29,500. Although mules are beautiful animals I had no idea they were worth that much. 

The rodeo was cool. My two favorite events were the mounted shooting and the wild cow milking. The weather was nuts, it poured on us then got really hot. 

One night we attended the chuck wagon dinner. It was a nice rib-eye steak with all the fixin's . 

On the way home we drove a different route and came through Yellowstone. It was gorgeous, but at times dangerous with all of the wildlife on the road. The Dodge Ram came up really close to some real ram.