A GUST of AUGUST

AUGUST 1st - DADDY DAUGHTER DAYS


It was Friday July 31st. Dad grabbed the gear and I reaped the benefits. We spent a whole day floating the river in his canoe with our fishing poles in hand. It was an absolutely beautiful day and many a fish were hungry. I am used to fishing off the bank so I was not an expert on using the bait in the river current - but luckily I brought someone who was! We pulled out enough of the slimy swimmers to make a nice dinner and I realized how much I had missed the taste of fresh trout! Does anyone else have a Dad that has a knack for cooking up certain things and making them taste just right?Mmmmm .



The next day I talked that Father of mine into setting up a booth at a craft fair. It was an event up at Star Valley Ranch and I wanted to give my sock-selling a trial run. We ended up with tables right next to each other, and we made a day of it. The crowd wasn't exactly ideal for baby socks, but Dad sold quite a bit. I got a feel for the atmosphere and I really enjoyed the new experience. (I may or may not have spent most of my earnings on other people's merchandise. :)

AUGUST 8th - YEARLY HIKE

Once a year Jake's Mom makes a trip up our way for the sole purpose of hiking with us. We've been doing it for a few years now and we absolutely love all the trails we discover. Her Husband Wayne even came along this year! Our pick this time was a hike by Mesa Falls. (It is near Yellowstone) If you have ever been there, you know how AMAZING the scenery is in the area. But did you know that some of the areas are sprouting wild raspberries!? Jake and I have been up there a few times and had never noticed all of them. It was the highlight of my trip, and I kept getting distracted by trying to find the biggest and reddest berries. They tasted so sweet! Jake found his amusement by throwing rocks as far as he could trying to hit the river. Susan and Wayne soaked in the beauties and probably also found some enjoyment in our childish intrigues.
WHY OH WHY did none of us think to grab our cameras!

AUGUST 15th - WEDDINGS, SISTERS, AND SUNSHINE

... And another one bites the dust. Actually, TWO more bit the dust. "The boys" Jake knew while growing up in Mink Creek are all slowly joining the ranks of marriage. Joseph Jones was hitched on the 14th and Dan Brown on the 15th. What amazes me is the high class of girls they ended up with - Completely out of their leagues! (just kiddin guys) We are so very happy for both couples.

Sunday the 16th was an awesome day - one I will definitely remember. After an uplifting stake conference, my lil' sis in law got her patriarchal blessing. Jake and I had the privilege of being there with her. What a truly wonderful person she is, and I know she has many outstanding accomplishments ahead of her. That makes two little sisters that I have and two little sisters that COMPLETELY blow me away with their awesomeness. I also heard some great news about another sister of mine (Sister-in-law to be precise) She is pregnant with her 4th little kidlet! Congratulations and happy day!)

This was a weekend that warmed me to my middle. It filled up my warm-fuzzies meter so I could face the real world the following Monday. It was good to witness the absolute happiness and joy all around us. Summer has been filled with so many of these opportunities that we often have to pick and choose which events to attend. It is so hard, but it is such a blessing to have so many! Between events we found a few hours to take a little four-wheeler ride up into the hills.





AUGUST 22nd - PLASMA CENTER PEEPS

We had the privilege of spending some time with Jake's assistant managers outside of the work environment. They planned this particular Saturday so they could all take the day off and play around in Jackson Hole. We met up for a picnic lunch at the base of the ski hill. Once we were all there our entertainment consisted of watching their new babies, throwing grapes at birds... and of course... talking about work. ha! After that we went just a little farther up the road to where the Alpine Slide is. If you have never been on the Alpine Slide we would recommend it. They set up a big long plastic track on the hill - which resembles a luge course - and let you go down it in little carts that have wheels on the bottom. You can control how fast you go and it is quite a rush.
Shortly following that adventure we played our own version of mini-golf. Each time we started a new hole the winner of the last hole would decide in what way we would be using our golf club to hit the ball. For example: Holding the putter side and using the handle side to hit the ball. Using only your left hand to hold the putter and hitting the ball between your legs. Kneeling on the ground and using the club like a pool stick to shoot the ball... etc. It was entertaining to come up with new methods and lots of laughs to follow through with those ideas. That night we headed over to the BAR-J Ranch where we watched the Bar-J Wranglers put on a musical show (that was both comical and inspiring) while eating a fantastically HUGE steak dinner. So yummy, but none of us could clean our plates because it was just too much food! We got home late after all of it was done, but we were happy as clams.






Mike / Jake / Tess / Nate