CAMPING

Well these last two weekends were nice and relaxing. We went camping for both of them. We left on the 7th of August after I got off work to go up to Bridger/China meadows area on the North Slope of the Uintas. This time we didn’t camp in a standard campground. My parents found a good spot just pulling off the road. It was actually real nice and secluded, right next to the river. It had been raining on and off all week which it continued throughout our stay. After getting all set up we ate dinner and went to bed waiting for tomorrows fishing and hiking adventures.
We got up early and ate breakfast and then went fishing along the river that was right there. We didn’t do real well, but like always, Tracy always catches fish even if it’s not very good. We returned for lunch and got ready to take the canoe out on Bridger Lake. This is one of our most favorite places to fish. We took Andrew along with us. It was slower than normal but we still caught a lot of fish. Andrew was having a hard time landing any of them and it was funny to watch him. We went back to camp and had another camp dinner. The next morning we decided to go to China Lake. This lake has been eluding me because I can’t catch anything up there. I have done my homework looking at stocking records and checking the lake out on Google Earth. This homework hasn’t helped me. Low and behold I took my brothers up there and they both caught some really nice brook trout.

I finally got a bite while I was there though so it wasn’t for not. I guess next time I will have to try something else.
Tracy and I love to go for rides at night and look for deer. We didn’t see as many as we had hoped for but it was still fun. We played in the river a little bit and sat around the fire. It was a pretty fun weekend.

The next weekend we went up with my uncle Nathan and his family. This time we went 20 miles east of Bridger over to where we elk hunt. We camped in the west fork of the Beaver River. It was really nice because there was a lot less people than there were at Bridger. We stopped in Mountain View WY to pick up some ice cream to eat with the apple cobbler that my uncle had made. After wards we all went to bed thinking of all the animals that we might see in the morning. Logan and Cory each had archery tags to shoot elk and deer so they were going to get up early and try their hand at finding something to shoot.
Unfortunately that weekend Breckston had gotten sick. (What a stinker) He must have gotten it from his cousins. so he wasn’t a happy camper when it came time to get in bed. Let’s just say those 3 nights were horrible, not much sleeping going on.
The next day we got up and ate a nice Dutch oven breakfast. Then Nathan, Cory, and I went to fish the little stream next to camp. We tied on a spinner to the end of our fly line so that we could lob it out into the river. I had never fished like this before. It was actually really nice. I only landed 3 fish but had so many others fallow it or hit the spinner but never get hooked.
That evening we all decided to go over to Hoop Lake to fish for a while. It was kind of slow. While we were sitting there Logan saw some deer all the way across the lake. We hurriedly jumped in the canoe and paddle over there to see if any of them were bucks. We hiked around for a little while and didn’t see anything. I told Cory and Logan to walk back through the willows to see if the deer went in there, while I took the canoe back across the lake. Neither wanted to do that, so Logan walked the shore line and Cory came back in the canoe with me. We then started to pack up while Logan walked back. As we were getting ready to leave I looked up and there were 3 deer walking through the willows, a doe, a nice 3 point, and a good 4 point. Logan grabbed his stuff along with Cory and they ran as fast as they could to get over to where the deer were headed. By the time that they got there the deer were almost out of the willows on their way up the mountain. Logan finally got to within 85 yards of the deer but the deer took off and were never seen again. Let’s just say “I told you so, Logan.”
The next day we decided to go for a hike through our elk hunting area just to shoe our family members around. It was kind of hot and I had Breckston on my back in his backpack. We were gone for about 4 hours. We were on our way back when we decided to go up to a small clearing and Tracy decided to just go back down to the meadow. Once we were all down to the meadow we couldn’t find Tracy. We started yelling for her. We sent Logan and Jenna back to the truck to see if she went all the way back there. Nathan and I grabbed some pistols and went back into the trees looking for her, hoping nothing bad happened. We both got up to the clearing and started going in the direction that we thought she had went. Nothing! Then all of a sudden Logan told us through Nathans radio that she was back at the truck. Boy was Tracy in trouble. Come to find out she decided to fallow some bear tracks (not smart) back to the trail and then she spooked herself by thinking that coyotes were going to get her. That is why she went straight back to the truck and not wait under grandpa’s tree like she was supposed to. I’m just glad nothing happened to her. I wouldn’t know what to do if something had. I sure love her and I know that Breckston does too.
We road hunted that night and the fallowing morning and all we saw were does. (Breckston likes to go road hunting) It was a fun trip and really relaxing. It sure got both of us anxious to go elk/deer hunting in 6 weeks. We can’t wait.
We also got some antlerless antelope tags for Wyoming as well, so we will be hunting in September for those as well as dove and grouse. I love the fall for its weather change, colors, fishing, and best of all its HUNTING SEASON!!!

Sad day for the PACK

It was a sad day last Thursday the 7th of August. Brett Favre the only player in NFL history to be named league MVP 3 times was traded. After a long battle with Packers management, both sides decided it was best to part ways. So the Packers sent a sure fire Hall-of-Famer and a Pro Bowl quarterback to the Jets for a conditional 4th round pick. The Pack is going with an inexperienced QB in Aaron Rodgers who has been injury prone and never started an NFL game before. Hopefully it all works out for both sides. I see a Jets vs. Packers Super Bowl this February.

Our 3rd Anniversary

We’ve been married for 3 years now. That’s Crazy. I never thought I would be married and have little boy that’s over 8 months old. This year has definitely been a crazy year. Breckston came into our lives. We are really starting to understand why people say “kid proof” your house. Tyler is still working for Neutraceutical. We have been had some struggles and adventures this year and have grown stronger together. I was thinking back to when we got married and decided to research some quotes in the ensign that would explain how I would like to think our marriage is or could be. I found this one written by Spencer W. Kimball. “While marriage is difficult, and discordant and frustrated marriages are common, yet real, lasting happiness is possible, and marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive. Sharing and Sacrificing Two individuals approaching the marriage altar must realize that to attain the happy marriage which they hope for they must know that marriage is not a legal coverall, but it means sacrifice, sharing, and even a reduction of some personal liberties.” Overall I would say we have done really well with our marriage. I don’t think that it is difficult by any means but frustrations can be there. I would say we have way more fun times then frustrations. I just want Tyler to know that I love him so much. I know I don’t express it enough. I hope that we can still strive and make our marriage more an exultant ecstasy like President Kimball says we can.

We went on a fun date for our anniversary. We went to Iggy's on Saturday afternoon. I got the ribs. They were so yummy. Tyler got this meal with a bunch of things and Teriyaki Chicken. He said he was ok the flavor of the Teriyaki wasn’t his favorite. After this we went to Shanna’s and celebrated Blaine’s 2nd birthday for a couple of hours. He finally got his first hair cut and he looks like a little boy. After we left there we went to see Hancock with Will Smith. It was ok but Batman was way better and I fell asleep (Definitely a renter). After that we went to Burger Bar in Roy just for a shake. Well we like them the best so we go out of our way. Everyone should try the Peanut Butter Cup and Cookie Dough Shake. We just like hanging out with each other and it’s nice to be able to go out on a date once in a while. We had lots of fun. I love you Tyler!!

Montana Trip

We decided to go to Montana to see my dad. He hadn’t seen Breckston since he was almost 2 months old. We left Friday the 18th at 5 o’clock and rode with Logan and Jenna. It is normally a 6 hour ride but it took us a little longer because we drove in the dark. From Butte to Helena there are a lot of animals and Logan didn’t want to hit any so he drove MUCH slower than the speed limit. So it took a little over 7 hours to get there. (We didn’t even see an animal until we got to Helena and a cat, of all things, crossed in front of the car.)

Saturday Logan and I got up to go help my dad haul hay. All 4 of us planned on taking no more than an hour, it ended up taking 3 because we underestimated how much hay we needed to haul. After wards we all decided to go for an ATV ride on the public property behind my dad’s house. I drove and Tracy held on to Breckston between us. We also visited a few closed up mines.We were out about 2 hours and then headed back; on the way back Breckston buried his head into my back and fell asleep about 15 minutes from the house. Poor little tike was all tuckered out. Tracy stayed with him while Logan, Dad, Misty and I stayed out on the ATV’s for a little while longer. There were a few trails that were kinda hairy but the 4Wheeler that I was on handled them fine. After ATVing we went to McKenzie River Pizza Company to get some dinner. IT was sooo good. Tracy and I ordered a whole pizza and a plate of pasta. We finished the pasta and took half the pizza home; Breckston really likes pizza too.

Sunday morning met us with some Dutch oven breakfast. We then went and visited family on the other side of the valley. After that we were off to go fishing at Park Lake. It was a long 17 mile ride on dirt road. I was the first person to catch a fish from the lake that day, it was an arctic grayling. The fishing was kinda slow and we only caught a couple. While I was holding Breckston we got a bite and ended up catching a 3” cut-bow. It was technically Breckston’s first fish. He also caught a cut-bow even before I ever did. We ended up leaving fairly late. Since we had ridden up with Logan we decided to have a contest to see who could spot the most deer. I was the first to find one and it was the biggest buck of the trip (he took off before I could snap a picture). We saw so many more deer that we ended up loosing count and never anointed a contest king. We finished up the day with dinner and much needed sleep back at my Dad’s.

Monday morning we got up to pancakes. We left to go fishing again (it costs $25 a person for a 2-day license so we wanted to make the best of it.) We went back to the same lake again and fished for a couple hours. It was slow up until the point that we were ready to leave. I had tied a fly behind a bubble and was starting to catch a lot of fish. We left to go home because most of us were getting tired. When we got back all of us crashed and took about a 3 hour nap. After waking up we got back in the car and went to get some things for dinner and night fishing. We went to the lake right there in Helena. It is similar to how Pine View, except they don’t have tiger musky they have 30 inch trout. Fishing was almost non-existent. We didn’t even get a bite. It was relaxing, none-the-less, to be right next to the water, roasting hotdogs, and enjoying the fire in the dark. IT was a much more baby friendly beach for Breckston. Logan and his wife, Jenna, went with Logan’s friends to a different part of the lake. Only one of them caught a fish. They said it was tiny for that lake and it was 23” long. That is huge in my book.

Tuesday we left to go home. We stopped in Dillon Montana for some food at McDonald’s (just like on the ride up.) We then drove all the way to Idaho Falls where Logan needed me to drive because he was getting tired. We played the A-Z game; we had to spot all the letters of the alphabet on signs (not license plates.) Tracy missed seeing 3 Z’s and we ended up loosing to Logan and Jenna after we were up by 6 or 7 letters. Just outside of Malad Idaho Breckston had a blow-out and we had to change him on the trunk of the car on some random on-ramp. This was Breckstons first real road trip. He was such a good boy the whole time we were in the car.We then made it home after 4 stops and this time it only took us 6 hours and change. It was a fun trip and we really loved being outdoors; and we appreciated spending time with my dad, Misty, and Eve.

The Beginning of July

It’s been another few crazy weeks. We took my mom and Zach fishing up to Mantua on Monday the 7th. The fishing was slower then we would have liked it, but that’s because we usually do really well (unless we bring someone new up there). They still thought it was a blast, because they usually only catch or 1 or 2 fish. They ended up going back up there on Tuesday because they had so much fun on Monday. We caught a few bass and lots of little bluegill. I would say we caught over 20 fish all together. Now Zach is all over going fishing with us again.

Tyler getting ready to catch some huge fish!!!

Tuesday (July 8) evening we went shopping for a new swimsuit for me, shoes for Breckston, and a float thing for Breckston. We looked everywhere for a floaty and only found one for $20. I didn’t want to spend that much money so I didn’t buy it. We didn’t find anything that day. Don’t you hate it when you go shopping looking for something and you never find what you’re looking for? So, I’m still looking for a swim suit. Any ideas? I want to thank mom for that gift card to Sportsmans. Now I get to hear a cow elk call every night, and we weren’t even looking for that. Tyler is excited to go up and try to get some elk to bugle back to him.

Its a HOOCHIE MAMA cow elk call.

Tyler’s mom took me and Breckston swimming at the Turner’s pool. It was the first time he’s been in a big pool. I’m not sure he really liked it at first, but he would get excited for a minute then he’d try to get out. I think if he wasn’t tired he would have liked it a lot better. He still had tons of fun and crashed on the way home. I hope we get to take him again so Tyler can swim with him.

So Far This Summer!

It looks like we have fallen off the face of the earth so I’ll catch everyone up on what’s been going on with us.

Nate and Kourt finally tied the knot on June 19, 2008. Like Nate said at the luncheon it’s about time. Their wedding was awesome. They are such a lucky couple to have so much love with them in the temple. They were given some advice that was very meaningful to us as well as them in their marriage. We apologize for not making it to the reception. Good luck with life and we hope you don’t hide out to much or hopefully Kourt will give Nate a kitchen pass to go fishing or hunting with Tyler.


The reason we didn’t make it to the reception is we started the first annual “Nut House” Reunion. This was a fun camping trip up to Bridger Lake Uintas. This is the first time I’ve taken my mom, Chris, Ali, Shanna and all their families up to the place we would like to live most summers. We ate good, watched the kids play, and we did a little fishing on shore and on our new canoe. Breckston really liked camping. He even found out how yummy dirt is. He only fell out of bed once and hogged it the rest of them time. (Everyone else gave a lot more detail so I’m not going way into every thing we did just check out my Moms or Chris’s blog) Tyler and I did get away and took a ride one night. We saw tons of deer and a moose. We enjoy how beautiful it is and all the animals. I enjoy being with my family. I wish Jason and Nate could have come. Maybe next year they will come.

On Friday June 27, 2007 its Ethan's 2nd Birthday!! We also went to Tim McGraw. It was a girl’s night out with Mom, Ali, Shanna, Faye, and a couple of mom’s friends. I tried to dance but my poor back went out the day before. I had so much fun. The concert was way good. He played for over an hour and a half. We heard some new songs that will be coming out on his new CD. They seemed like they were good. I would like to hear them again. Timmy (That’s what we like to call him) is an awesome performer. The other bands were fun to watch as well. Thanks MOM for taking us to the concert.

On Saturday June 28th we went to a Christensen BBQ in Pleasant View. We watched the fireworks with them and had a good time. It’s great to see everyone.

Shanna and I planned a play date with the kids. We set up this small pool in our backyard. We are dorks. I think the pool was more for us then the kids. It was nice to sit in it because it was so hot out side. The kids liked it too, but it was a little cold for their little bodies.

July 3, 2008 Breckston crawled for the first time. He is still trying to perfect it. He gets mad because he hasn’t completely figured out how to do all those things to crawl at the same time. I think he would rather walk.

We have been fishing up to Mantua a few times. We went with Nate and Kourt last week. It was nice to get out and fish with them. We haven’t seen them much this summer. They seem like they are way happy and the marriage is going good. We did good fishing that day as well. We caught more bass then we thought we would, some were small and some were bigger. On the 4th we went with Tyler’s Brother Logan and his cousin Parker. At first I thought it was going to be miserable because of all the mosquitos. We got out in the lake a ways in our canoe and found that the mosquitos were mostly near the shore. We stayed out for a little over 3 hours and I caught 24 fish and Tyler caught 5. He was using different types of bait then I was. He caught 2 nice bass. It’s always fun to go with Logan because we can tease him about out fishing him. He is really competitive.

July 4th, 2008 is one of my favorite holidays. I really like to watch the fireworks and to just take a look at how lucky we really are to live in such a wonderful place. I can only imagine what it would be like to live in other countries. It’s also fun to spend time with our families. We have had this tradition that we go to a BBQ at my dads and then we go up to Tyler’s moms for another BBQ. My dad lives right across the street from the Hot rockin 4th in Ogden. So we sit out on the front lawn for the BBQ and watch all the different people and cars/motorcycles drive by. This year my dad and Jeannie entered a car in the Demolition Derby. It was to honor the troops. It was awesome to see how many people supported them and signed the car. It was exciting to see how far Marc took the car. They made it past the first heat. I’m not really sure how far but they were like 2 cars from the finals. To be honest that was better then I thought they would do. Way to go Marc. Thanks Dad and Jeannie for the BBQ it was good.

Tyler’s families BBQ was good too. The Mooks came to visit for the evening. They live out of state so it’s nice to see them. Hailey made some delicious ice cream. I told her she needs to make it more often and I really was serious. The food is good as always. Tyler's Dad makes awesome Burgers. Breckston got a little fussy after dinner so I laid him down with me on the couch and we fell asleep. I missed out on talking with everyone. I think I had a little bit of heat stroke. After I woke up we decided to go up to Weber High for the fireworks. I was impressed with the fireworks this year. We also ran into a few friends and some family. I talked to Nicole and Justin for a little while after the fireworks. They are so cute and happy. I’m excited for their wedding. We appreciate all that Tyler’s grandma and parents do for us.
We had a lot more going on but those were some highlights. Sorry not a lot of pictures. I forget to pull the camera out. We will try to keep you updated because we have a lot going on in the next month.