Big Blue vs. Little Red

VS.Well, here it is.....Chad's ideal truck. We've been toying with the idea of upgrading our little Toyota pick-up to something a bit more beasty. With all of the hauling that we've been doing with "little red" it's about time to retire her. Yesterday Chad got a call from his aunt telling him of some great deals that she had found on GMC trucks that were taking place this weekend. So he did some research and we spent about 2-3 hours haggling over prices with the dealership. Actually, they did most of the haggling as Chad was set with his ideal price for his ideal truck. It was hilarious that Chad seemed to know more about their trucks than they did. He would ask a question about a certain feature or option and the sales guy would stare at him for a good minute before responding with "Uh, I'm not sure" or "I'll have to check on that". Needless to say we had a good laugh over the offer we gave them and the offer they came back with. Just in case any of you are wondering we are JUST LOOKING for now. Although knowing Chad, if he finds a good deal we could have a new truck within the week. (Fingers crossed.....I would like one sooner than later)

Father's Day Fun

We decided that we were going to do something little different for Father's Day this year. Normally we do what most everyone does; go to church, drive to see family, make sure we're spending enough time with the two families, eat and go back home. This year we opted to go visit on Saturday instead of the Sunday ritual. Chad thought it would be a great idea to go riding with his dad for most of the day and then spend the evening with my family. And I must admit that it was a great idea.

(Chad never gets to ride the wheeler so he took it for a spin in the snow)
We got to his parents place in the morning, loaded things up, and headed to AF canyon. It was such a beautiful day filled with alot of excitement. Chad and I love getting out and riding all over the place, but there tons of sites to be seen up AF canyon so we took advantage of that as well.

This is an old mine shaft that had been closed off. It was a ways up the mountain and you would only get to it with the motorcycles and wheeler.

This is Cascade Springs and these pictures don't do it justice. It was absolutely gorgeous. It's a natural spring that flows down and creates these small shallow pools. It was something straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Breathtaking.






And of course the wildlife. Normally we see the occasional group of deer, it's not everyday you can catch a glimpse of a moose.




It was a great way to spend a portion of our Father's day. We both came back filthy dirty, but it was definitely worth it.

After the morning ride (and taking a quick moment to clean up) we headed over to my parents for a family BBQ and games. The weather was perfect so we all sat around outside relaxing, played with my niece, and threw rocks in the pond. It was a perfect way to finish off the day; relaxing, eating, and laughing with family. By the end Chad and I were ready to head back home, but I think we've started a new Father's Day tradition in our family.

Football games and Funerals

I hate to have that be the title of this blog, but that's exactly what we've been busy doing since this week started. First we started off with the footbal game. Chad's dad got some extra tickets to a Utah Blaze game and invited us to come along. Most of you know how much Chad and I enjoy football so we jumped on the chance. Besides I had never seen an AFL (Arena Football League) football game before. It was tons of fun.
It was also a little different from your average football game. Instead of the 50 yard line there is a 25 yard line and technically there are no out-of-bounds. Instead they have these "bumper pads" lining the field's exterior and if you push a guy up against that he's considered out-of-bounds. And you should see the goal posts! It's about a third of the size of what they normally are. (You can see them in the picture with me in it. They are the two bright yellow ones.)
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I felt bad for Chad! I kept asking question after question trying to figure out what was different and which rules still applied. I think he missed some of the plays while talking to me. Oops!! It was really fun to get out and watch some good ol' football. It was really nice that the Utah Blaze pulled out the win making it a close and exciting game
The next day we had a family funeral to attend for my mom's aunt. The services were beautiful and everyone had a great time talking and crying. It was really nice to get together and see family that I haven't seen for a few years. I snapped a few pictures for those fellow family members out there who were not able to make it. And of course I had to get the ones where everyone is trying to stuff their faces!!
My cousins, my sister,and me

Uncle Chris and Aunt Diana
The girls
Grandpa and Grandma

SNOW!!!......in June????

Last night we decided that we would go for a ride up the canyon. So we woke up and got the chores done, lunches made, toys loaded up, and headed out to have some fun. We were planning on spending most of the day riding all over the place, however the SNOW (yes, snow in June) blocked alot of the trails and limited the amount of ground we could cover.
In spite of the occasional snow drift and chilly weather we had tons of fun. What can I say.....we love being up in the mountains.

Trip to DENVER

My employer has a cabin in Denver, so he took everyone and their spouses there for a work retreat. And boy it was just that.....a real treat! It was so nice to get out and take a break from life for awhile. It snowed the night we arrived so we spent most of the first day playing in the snow, lounging around inside by the fire, and playing games with everybody.

The next day we went into Denver and went out to eat at the ESPN Zone. If you've ever heard of ESPN you will all know that this restaurant was heaven on earth for Chad! They had over 23 TVs throughout the entire place (including the bathrooms) with different sport programs being broadcasted on each of them. And of course there was the mother of all big screens showing the pre-game show for the Utah Jazz game. I'll admit it was a really fun place to eat at!

After eating and watching a few highlights we headed over to the Coors Field to watch a Rockies game. It was Chad's first major league baseball game and my first in a long time. I know what you're all thinking.... BASEBALL???? But we really had a fun time. The Rockies aren't doing so well this year but we still got to see some pretty great plays. In fact the final play of the game made the top ten highlights on Sports Center that night.

The last day we finally had some good sunny weather so we all got up early and went and played some volleyball and kickball. We were at pretty high altitude so the weather was just right. Which meant that even thought it wasn't blazing hot the majority of us got nice and burnt. Chad was the only one smart enough to even think of putting on sunscreen. After the games we all went back to the cabin and had BBQ for lunch. Then we packed up and headed home.

10 Random Things

Okay, I've been seeing everyone get tagged to write 10 weird, random things, facts, habits, or goals about themselves. And since I've just started this blog I figured I'll just go ahead and tag myself. Besides I thought it was a fun way to get to know more about everyone. However, I'm going to do my list a little different. I'm going to mix it up with random tidbits about me and Chad.

1. I love playing The Lord of the Rings video game on the computer with Chad. You should have seen us when we first got the game. I think we were up until 2:00 in the morning trying to pass each level. We looked like a bunch of kids jumping up and down and high fiving each other once we finally passed off another level.

2. Someday Chad would like to learn how to fly a helicopter and maybe have that be his job. I've actually been thinking of getting him flying lessons for a birthday or Christmas present.

3. I love the 30 min. sitcom Big Bang Theory. It's a rather pointless show but it cracks me up. I also like The Office. I enjoy a good laugh and both of those shows deliver.

4. I don't think Chad has any taste buds and I mean that in a good way. He is not a picky eater and it's great. I never have to worry about him not liking a meal. I don't think he understands what a craving is either. Anytime I ask him what sounds good for dinner he always comes back with "food."

5. I'm on this food storage kick right now. I've actually been on one for the past 2 years. Little by little we've been working on getting ours put together and its been so fun. I have a monthly budget that goes directly to food storage and I honestly look forward to going to the store just for those type of items. I'm also on a gardening kick. We don't have a garden quite yet so I'm working on picking out a spot and designing it. I'm debating on doing a square foot garden or several boxed gardens. This summer I want to get everything finished so come next spring I can start planting. At least that's the goal.

6. Chad loves ocean life. I think at one point he was considering marine biology as a major. He would really love to get more into scuba diving and thinks it would be great to dive with sharks. (BOYS!) That would be another birthday or Christams present....get him scuba certified and take a cruise.

7. I have a secret passion for stamp collecting. I don't why but I find them so facinating. It started on my mission and I've just kept going. Chad actually inherited a large collection from his great grandpa which is the main reason I married him of course.

8. Chad's been to Norway. He was there for about 5 weeks on a busniess trip. He said it was beautiful and expensive.

9. I can't ever get a pair of jeans to fit me just right. I also have a hard time keeping my shirts from riding up in the back. No matter how long they are every time I bend over they ride up in the back. I'm constantly tugging on them. Very annoying.

10. Kids adore Chad. I don't know what it is but they love him. No matter how hard I try he can always get them to laugh and smile with very little effort on his part. (He'll be such a great dad!)