Gun Shy

You cannot have a family reunion without the traditional potato gun shoot. Let's see who can hit the fence post, or who can shoot the neighbor's field sprinklers...good clean fun.

Adventures of Boyd and Hunter

Boyd took Hunter on a 3 day, 2 night hike in the Lassen National Forest. Hunter took some great pictures and some funny video. Looks like she was chasing Sasquatch! They hiked 16 miles and saw several lakes along the way. It looks like they had a great time.

Hunter taking a break...

The lakes are beautiful!

Hunter has some pretty funny stories about Boyd. They really enjoyed their freeze-dried meals and the drunk cowboy couple singing and shooting guns across the lake one night....all good memories.

They were ready for bears and luckily didn't see any...although they secretly hoped they would see some. Hunter has a few blisters and took a fall in a creek on their way back today but she says it was a blast.

Isn't she lovely

I decided that since I'm not photogenic that I will just act like an arse everytime someone takes my picture and then it won't matter if I look goofy. My sister caught this photo of my Mom and I at Crater Lake. What you don't see is that I was walking and trying this pose at the same time and ended up running into a bush. Lovely of me.

Malin Pool

Malin, Oregon is only about 4 miles from my parent's home. It's a tiny town of maybe 100 people but has a rad park and pool. People drive from all over to use them.

It's always been a tradition to go swim at the Malin Pool when we're at Grandmas. In fact, when the girls were little I used to come stay at Mom's for several weeks and we would put the girls in swim lessons at this pool. I've spent countless hours there in the bleachers watching lessons. It's fair to say, this is where my girls learned to swim well. The pool is really old and nostalgic but clean and refreshing. It's the perfect place to cool off. However, the temperatures here have been amazing here. It never gets above 87 degrees and cools off to 45 every night. I've been keeping the windows in my room open all night and sleeping like a baby.

My sisters...Tonia and Melanie with Chloe and my niece Brynn

Chloe trying to flip off the diving board...

Kelcie and BridgerSummer wouldn't be summer without swimming in Malin.

Annie Oakley

When I was younger we would go target practicing. I got pretty good at it and I even have my own rifle. It's been awhile since I've gone but I'm still Annie Oakley. I'm shooting a 40 caliber pistol here...got 3 out of 5 bulls-eyed! Not bad for not doing it for 15+ years. I was a little surprised at how nervous it made me to handle the gun. The older I get the more I recognize how dangerous they can be and understand the consequences of mishandling them. That's one thing I just can't do out my back door in Kansas City. But it does make me want to check out the range in Platte Woods when I get home.

Crater Lake

Seriously, Crater Lake is unreal. I've been there before but it never fails to take my breath away every time. We took a trip up there on our first day of the family reunion.It is the world's 2nd deepest lake and is the cleanest body of fresh water in the world. The color is indescribable so I dubbed it Celestial Blue. The skies all around are a little smoky from forest fires right now but that has had no effect on the lake. I wish pictures could do justice to how amazing it really is.

We also stopped by the Klamath Fish Hatchery. This hatchery produces 3 million fish a year...amazing. The kids loved it.

Feeding the "babies"
Princess Sara, my niece enjoying the ride home...

It was such a beautiful day!! The only downside would be the 15+ mosquito bites I got when we stopped at a park on the way home.

To Grandmother's house we go..

It's over many rivers and woods to get to Mom's house. In fact, in all the places I've ever driven, which it pretty far I think, it is possibly the most remote drive I've ever done. There are stretches of windy, narrow road where you can drive for hours and not see another living soul...except for the wild burros, antelope, honkin' deer, mustang horses, and lizards. There are some of the steepest mountain passes and vast deserts I've ever seen. My parents live about 8 miles from a town so small, I'm sure the population is less then 500. And the nearest Target is over 2 hours away. The drive to grandma's is always an adventure in itself....the kind where you make sure to stop for gas every time you hit a town because you may not have enough gas to make it to the next town if you don't.

You gotta stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats...just because they are freakish...and so Bridger can do cartwheels...

Wild Burros...something you don't see much unless you're in Central America.

Grandma's...

Memory Post

Tagged from Traci...here it goes..

1. As a comment on my blog leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Two Weddings in one day

I can't believe how lucky I was to be able to go to two wedding festivities at one time. I even think they must have had our circumstances in mind when they planned them because they made it pretty convenient for us, considering neither of these people even knew each other. One was Boyd's darling cousin Rory and the other was Kamree Smith, daughter of Boyd's partner, Phil Smith. Both weddings/receptions were so fun and beautiful. We were just so honored to be at both. Even better then that was the opportunity to see family and friends. Some of Boyd's family came down from Utah and we were able to see friends from work that we don't get to see often enough. We had such a great time with Chris and Kristen and their kids, Ken, Spencer & Jackson, Jenny & Mike and their kids, Boyd's aunts and uncles and his Grandma. I just love them all.

Both of the wedding ceremonies were in the Salt Lake Temple and they each had luncheons in the Joseph Smith building, within the same time frame....how convenient for us! One reception was held in Payson and the other at Thanksgiving Point. Both were so fun and unique to each other. The brides were both so beautiful and glowing.

Kamree's cake and bridesmaids. I love loved the blue, black and white colors...it was so Tiffany's!
Rory and Bridgett's cake and reception. I loved the hulk and Belle on top of their cake. Because Rory's last name is "Jones", they served bottles of Jones Soda to all the guests with yummy cup cakes. Bridgett wore cute high heeled, green tennis shoes.


Perfect weather, yummy food, beautiful brides, much loved company. It all made for wonderful weekend of celebrations. I'm tired and full (from eating up and down the wasatch) but grateful.

Pace's Dairy Ann

The best darn french fries I've had in years. Yummy fry sauce. But...my tummy is making funny noises tonight.

Chloe, Brynn and Sara...Chloe with a new hair do. She got it cut the day before we left and we had to have someone fix it today...it's super short!

Onion rings anyone???

In Utah

We made it to Utah by 8:30 last night (Utah time) and spent the morning sleeping in. I wish I had been able to get my Europe trip posts before I came and now I'm sure I'll have plenty more to add. I'm grateful for a quick, easy trip and to be here.

Versailles

Pronounced...ver-sigh...not ver-sails like the way they say it in Missouri. The Versailles garden and Palace are so immense and grand, it still is unbelievable to me to think about how vast it really was. The tour of the Palace is truly breathtaking, I particularly liked the chapel and chandeliers but it was the grounds with it's topiarys, statues, lawns, lake, mazes and views that really stood out in my mind. We spent most of one day there and would have loved to have spent at least one more day. One of best things we did was to rent a row boat and let the guys row us around the lake. How many people can say they rode in a boat at Versailles? The palace is over the top with it's decor and artwork. I almost preferred the more modest, if that's possible, home of Marie Antoinette. Even as grand as it was, it seemed more livable and feminine....tasteful. Chapel in Versailles Palace











Home of Marie Antoinette

If I could replicate the chandeliers in Marie's palace, I totally would in a heart beat. I'm sure they would hang from my ceiling to my floor though! I actually was so inspired and got some great decorating ideas that I actually could apply in my own home.

The day was ultra hot and it was a little dusty so we spent some time cooling down in McDonalds for awhile before we boarded the train back to Paris. There are items on the menu at McDonalds in Europe that we can't get here in the U.S. Too bad...they're really good too. This is the inside of McDonalds in the village of Versailles...crazy.