:)

It has been a most beatiful week! Full of great times TOTALLY worth writting down! So here we go baby:

BASEBALL!!!

My my my! I get excited all over again just thinking about it! Kirk played ball with the fire department on Wednesday. I didn't realize that the Fire Department competed against other firemen from different areas. And they totally rallied! 2 winning games for St George! Kirk played awesome!! He made it home 6 times, and had at least that many RBI's! It was totally hot. Chelsey came with me to watch, it was SOoO fun! Me and that girl don't get together enough! She's so dang cute! I don't know why we don't hang out more. She also brought her man, Marshall. We celebrated by going out to ice cream after! And of course, we couldn't pass up racing each other down St George Blvd.....but it did end in lights and sirens....no ticket tho!! Gratefully! (The picture above is of us girlies at the ball park!)

MORE BASEBALL!!!!!

GooOooO Road Runners! Gotta support our school, right!? Even though they lost.... But it was still way fun! Kirks buddy on the FD was the Umpier for the game too! He had a blast yelling out all sorts of inside jokes when he made calls. And guess what!?!?! THEY HAD FIREWORKS!! I love those things!!

BRADLEYFISH

...Was soo in town for one night! He had a wedding to go to and luckily it was across the street! We love when our paths cross with family. Aint no ones we love more! He is such a popular guy... we really enjoyed Saturday morning banana pancakes together, but we def missed Miss Leah!

SUNDAY GAME NIGHT!

Marshall, Chelsea, Kevin, Susie, Kirk and me.... party right?? Heck yeah! It was so fun! Susie, that cute homemaker, hosted us for Sunday dinner and games. We brought a few dishes ourselves and HAD to do chocolate cake to celebrate SUSIES BIRTHDAY!! (Her birthday was last Wednesday, but birthday cake tastes good EvEry DaY!!) But, I think we need to make this game night a tradition, it was awesome! Between Susie showin off her six-pack, Marshall's cheerleading skills and our Chicken Roll-up Eating Champ Kirk...it was a night to remember!!

NECIA'S BRIDAL DINNER

Party at Golden Corral! To be honest, Kirk and I were a little sketchy about going there but we were totally impressed! I guess we've just had a bad experience, but dang. It was soooo good!!! Plus it was a blast to hang out with everyone from work! Kirk got to meet Necia's fiance, Alex. They were the only boys/husbands that came, THAT'S why us girls married them :) Susie and Chelsea kept us laughing until we wet our pants, as usual. And of course, it was awesome to celebrate Necia and Alex! We are soo excited for all ahead of them! :)

RED, WHITE & BLUE

Happy Memorial Day! We both had the day off which we are always soooo grateful for. SOoo, to celebrate Memorial-ness, we decided to go to the cemetary. No, we're not stupid, we are very aware that we do not know ANYONE burried in St George, but it just seemed...... tradition. Plus, there's a breath-taking display of statues, flags and walls engraved in soldiers names there that we were able to honor.

As we were walking up and down rows of graves, we came across Mia May. On her itty bitty (smaller then a shoe-box), flat, grass-covered, grave stone we learned that Mia had the same birth date and death date. When we realized that, we couldn't help but notice that Mia's grave was barren. No flowers, notes or loves. Just grass overgrowing across her little stone. Kirk and I wondered if her mom and dad had chosen to forget about that painful day, for there was no evidence for us to think otherwise. So we decided to adopt her. Kirk found a flower that had blown away and was quick to give it to little Mia. She would only be 4 if she had made it...not nearly enought time for her family to have already forgot about her. Next year we'll make sure she's remembered :) But boy, we are so grateful for good family!!

Wednesday Adventures!

We LOOOOVVVVEEE our days off! That's for darn sure!

SoOOoo here's our day.. in reverse order :)

I think we found our new fav spot... Sand Canyon

Veyo Bakery!!

Yummy volcano pie and cake!! We tried to make a stop at a Cookie shop in gunlock, but it was closed....the Veyo Bakery was the next best thing. And boy was it yummy!

Mountain Meadow Massacre

If you don't know what took place here, here's the short and sweet version. So the Mormons FINALLY made it to Utah, after many hardships. Some of which included being chased by death-threatening mobs from their homes, TWICE. This is the exact reason why they put their guard up when finding out there were immigrants coming from the East. They feared the travelers would once again kill families, livestock, destroy houses and all. The thought of having to endure this a THIRD time was devestating and wrenching. When the immigrants came into the Valley they had planned on restocking water, food and goods for the rest of their journey to California. The mormons refused to trade, having been instructed by Pres Young to save and prepare for the possibility of being forced out of their homes and persecuted AgAiN. This made the travelors livid. There was no other place to get goods. They began threatening the mormons and demanding a trade. This is where it all began. Dressed as Indians, some mormons in defense attacked the travelors and killed 17 men, then fled (the very far left of the picture is where the immigrants were camping). This made the travelors very very fearful. They had no provisions, ammunition or food. They were sitting ducks. John Lee, a mormon with control over the Militia, seeing their desperation decided to make a "peaceful comprimise" between the travelors and mormons. He said that the militia would escort the immigrants out of St George and protect them from the Indians/Mormons, if they would promise to continue their journey and leave the settled Mormons alone. Desparately they agreed. Lee commanded the militia to "protect" them as they journied out of the valley. One mile into the trek out, the militia were signaled and they began to slotter the unarmed remaing 120 men-women AND children who had traveled in from the East. (The far right side of the picture is where the massacre happened) During this 5 day event, Lee had sent a letter to Pres Young in SLC to ask if his plan was agreeable. Lee, feeling he would be supported in his decision to massacre the immigrants, proceded the attack with the militia WITHOUT consent of the Pres. When this tragedy was discovered, Lee was excommunicated then executed. 17 children under the age of 6 were the only survivors. This is something the mormons are not proud of, at all. Talk about crazy!

Gunlock Fire Dept!

The best of best!

St George Fire Recruite Academy!

I just wanted to take a second to tell everyone how proud I am of my great husband!! He is graduating from the Fire Academy!! WahOooO!! He did it!!! Just to give you an idea of what a huge accomplishment it is....

First, to even GET an application for the Fire Department, you have to pass an interview! They ask you all sorts of hard and deep questions about your aspirations, where you plan to progress, what risks your willing to make in the rescue of others, they ask about your family...all that good stuff! After they interview you, the Board makes a list of those they were impressed by and invite you via mail to fill out their application. The others are eliminated.

Then, you are required to take a Physical test. This is where the fun begins! Sprinting up flights of stairs with 40lbs of gear.... climbing high latters and ropes.... correctly performing physical firefighting-related tasks.... push ups- sit ups- runs, ect. ... All while being timed! This is where they narrowed down the group WITH OUT even looking at your application. Just over 20 people were eliminated. If your slow-you're gone. If you go out of order-your gone. If you show up late-you're gone. If you make ANY mistake-you're history!! They pretty much look for reasons to narrow down the group b/c so many people who want the position!

Third, you are required to take a 3 hour written exam. They test your medical knowledge, your street smarts and your ability to comprehend certain things..... yikes! Another HUGE elimination process.

Another interview takes place.

Then it's ALLL a waiting game.....

......weeks of not knowing....

Finally, the St George Fire Departmend formally invites you and your spouse to attend a meeting. This is where they discuss the huge risks involved, the time requirements, ect. Where we also meet the Chief and other leaders. At this point, you still have the option to step down.

-Out of well over 100 applicants, 13 MEN were selected to start training as official Recruites.

-Four 2-hour long State exams, as well as four Skills Tests take place in the following 19 weeks of training.

-Out of those 13 Recruites, 2 eliminated themselves because of the intense physical and emotional demands.

Making Kirk one out of eleven Graduates from the academy.

An academy that only excepts Recruites every 3-5 years.

I am so proud of you, babe.

A formal ceremony will take place on June 3rd to honor these men in their advancements.

CONGRATULATIONS SGFRA!

Our temple! ♥

"An eternal marriage is eternal. Eternal implies continuing growth and improvement. It means that man and wife will honestly try to perfect themselves. It means that the marriage relationship is not to be frivolously discarded at the first sign of disagreement or when times get hard. It signifies that love will grow stronger with time and that it extends beyond the grave. It means that each partner will be blessed with the company of the other partner forever and that problems and differences might as well be resolved because they are not going to go away. Eternal signifies repentance, forgiveness, long-suffering, patience, hope, charity, love, and humility. All of these things are involved in anything that is eternal, and surely we must learn and practice them if we intend to claim an eternal marriage." -Burton Howard

“The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right authority.” -Bruce R McConkie

"If you understand the great plan of happiness and follow it, what goes on in the world will not determine your happiness." -Boyd K Packer

"True, enduring happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus Christ. Obedience to His teachings provides a secure ascent in the journey of life. That takes effort. While there is no guarantee of overnight results, there is the assurance that, in the Lord's time, solutions will come, peace will prevail, and happiness will be yours."-Richard G Scott

"We must do all that is required in moving forward the work of the Lord in building His kingdom in the earth. We can never compromise the doctrine which has come through revelation, but we can live and work with others, respecting their beliefs and admiring their virtues, joining hands in opposition to the sophistries, the quarrels, the hatred--those perils which have been with man from the beginning." -Pres Hinckley

"In true marriage there must be a union of minds as well as of hearts. Emotions must not wholly determine decisions, but the mind and the heart, strengthened by fasting and prayer and serious consideration, will give one a maximum chance of marital happiness." -Spencer W Kimball

"When you come to the temple you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before. The temple is about families. . . . It extends to parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, forebears, and especially our grandchildren! This is the Spirit of Elijah, which is the spirit of family history work; and when inspired by the Holy Ghost, it prompts the turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. Because of the priesthood, husbands and wives are sealed together, children are sealed to their parents for eternity so the family is eternal and will not be separated at death."-Richard Winkel

"Love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of eternal life." -Joseph B Wirthlin

Dixie State Baseball!

GO ROADRUNNERS!

Kirk and I went to the opening night of Dixie State College Baseball last Friday. It was SO fun! Kirk was totally hyper the whole night too! He was hilarious! I love it when he gets in those crazy moods of his! hahaha. Well, we ended up only staying for the first 8 innings, but boy was it a killing! The roadrunners rallied!! Now that I think about it...why didn't we just say for the end?! We were SO close! Ha, oh well! We left early because the wind. It was soo stinkin bad that they cancelled the fireworks :( That's my favorite part about baseball!! Not to mention kirk kept making fun of me because my program flew out of my hand like twice that night! So did my drink. I even lost my balance a few times form the desert wind! But as expected with Baseball, It was a FABULOUS date night!!

Memorable Moments:

1. Kirk and I got a kick out of watching all the little kids running around. There was one we loved to watch more then the others. I would imagine he was probably 18 months or so. He was this little boy with light brown hair and the toddler tummy... you know what i'm talking about... All toddlers have this Santa Clause belly that they poke out as they're standing around, I think it's the trademark for the age. We love it! He was so funny to watch! Playing on the fence and pointing at all the baseballs on and off throughout the night, following peanut shells wherever the wind blew them, trying to block crowds of people on the sidewalk by standing with his tiny legs outstretched-hands on his hips and a giant GRIN on his bright face..., and watching him watch another baby girl. Kids are so funny!
2. Hot dogs. What's a baseball game without them!?
3. We saw our apt managers at the game and said hi! They're so sweet. As we were hangin out watchin the game, Kirk looked over at them just in time to see an elderly man of his 80's totally topple over a row of seat and land on our managers!! Is that crazy or what!? That poor grandpa! He was sure shakin up!! Kirk and I were on the edge of our seats wanting to help if it was something serious, soooo bad! We're paramedics at heart, that's for sure!
4. Fly balls! I think we were a magnet for them that night!! Two people in the rows exactly behind us got hit! One was a young girl too :(
   

Picture updates!!

my new SEWING MACHINE!!!! kirk bought it!!!!!!!

yummy yum chicken noodle soup!

look how long my hair is getting!!!!

My new capris! I LOVE the pocketss!!

more beautiful roses from kirk!

giant cupcake DAY!

Today was such a FABULOUS day!!

I guess it's time to let it allllll out!

Kirk was layed off his job about 2-3 weeks ago. Which was a total bummer, but also quite the reason we played so much! We had a BALL before the stress set in! But we have been so blessed even though we didn't have the income. Eventually he was ablo to get a job as the Valet at the hospital with me! YIPPEE!!

Today was the first day when we both worked together. And it was FABULOUS! It's so much fun seeing him at work, I can't even explain! It was a little funny at first to get use too. I was taking a patient downstairs who was headed home and I was so involved in her care that seeng Kirk kinda suprised me! He opened the doors for me so I could wheel my pt down the hospital entrance in the wheel chair and I thought to myself "Holy Crap! He's hot!" Then the wierdest thing came over me...It was like I regressed back to our dating stage. Butterflies galore! OUt of nowhere I got this sudden wave of giddyness! When he came down the ramp to see me I froze up! My heart started pounding! It was out of control!!! And he was making me SO NERVOUS! I honestly didn't know what to do! It was like we were dating all over again! So I kinda smiled, then kicked his leg all dumblike and said "Hey good lookin!" BAHAHAHahaha Kicked his LEG?! Well if that's not a flirty-first dating move, I don't know what is! Then I looked straight forward. I tensed up-Heaven forbid someone see us kissing, hugging or even touching for that matter! My heart was still going, probably harder! Kirk walked over, put his arm around my waist and asked how my day was...I think I turned as bright red as a tomatoe! It was all down hill from there! He helped me load my pt and her belongings into her ride's car. Then he gave me a HUGE red rose and kissed my forheard. awww I love him. I thanked him, returned his kiss and scampered back up to my unit like an anxious puppy. Keeping in mind this whole situation took about 90 seconds to happen. Wow! Do you see what this man does to me?!!?!?! Butterflies!! Heart poundage! Giddy attacks! He is so cute that he turns me into a bright red tomatoe with walking legs! Hahahaha It was 2 seconds before I realized how silly I had been, texted him then quickly returned to give him my loves. My goodeness! Being professional with the hottest man in the world, AND love of my life just yards away from me......oh boy!!! Kirk spent the rest of shift making fun of and trying to embaress me in anyway possible. He is such a goof ball :) That must be why we get along!

Well, after that minor detail...Kirk brought us homemade enchiladas for lunch. We still haven't gotten to the end of our first pan. I think we're going to be eating them for the rest of our life! We sat in my units Family Room and just laughed about the days happenings. It was so fun! I'm going to love working together! Today was fabulous! I was so happy all day, so full of energy and so excited to be at work! It was a crazy day too! We discharged 10 patients! All by 2pm! So I was running all over the place, but grateful that my teenage-heart overpowered my emtions today, stopping me from realizing how overworked I was!

PLUS!

We have the most ADORABLE patients on our floor right now!

There is one that is absolutley to DIE for! When night shift passed on report to me about him, I thought they were exaggerating about how charming he was! But it is ALL true! He is a little Samoan boy with the darn cutest personality! He has been such a joy to take care of! I walked in his room this morning to do some blood tests and he had the BIGGEST brightest grin on his little face! He stood up on his bed and started pointing at his breakst..."EGGS! PaNCAKes!! TooOOOOAST (then pointing to his tummy..) SAUSAAAAAAAGE!!!!!" Then plopped back down on his blankets for a big-boy bite of yummies. I smiled inside and out! Then thought.... this is why I work here. It's not the nurses, it's not for money, it's not my manager, it's not the protocols and doctors or procedures...it's the patients.

I had another moment like that with an angle little girl. She was soo weak from being sick that her cute little legs couldn't lift her anymore. As her mother went to pull up her car from the parking lot, I helped dress her and get her ready for discharge. I layered blankets and pillows in a wagon, then lifted her lifeless little body into the fluffy blankies and we went for a wagon ride downstairs. The look of discomfort was on her face everytime we moved her, it makes the compassionate side of my heart burst open! Her sweet growing smile was to die for! With her mermaid in one hand, her mermaid brush in the other, we went to meet her mommy. It's incredible what a wagon ride can do for a worn-out child. She brightened right up! Before we got downstairs I learned that she loved dollies, her big brother sometimes helps her ride her bike and that her four precious fingers meant she was four years old. Sometimes I don't want these babies of ours to go home! Moms and dads don't give us enough time to love them!

Well, as you can see it has been a beautiful day! I am so blessed each and every minute I have to spend working where I do, especially with my husband. God has blessed me :)

and now kirk is home from Fire EARLY!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS FIREFIGHTER MCALLISTER!!!

today was kirks LAST day of the recruit academy!

YOU DID IT BABE!!!

FlashBack

May 18, 2009

Today was such a beautiful day! For family home evening we decided to go to the mall and pick out CTR rings for each other, to remind us to do what's right so we can always be worthy of our Eternal marriage. We also looked at ties to get ides for our wedding colors... Catharine mentioned that I matched her, she looks good in shorts :)... Then we both craved some Strawberry Lemonade so we had to chilax in Red Robin together. I forgot to mention that this was the GHETTO mall in West Valley so Cat was holding and hanging all over me. That's what I'm talkin about...love those moments!....

hahah well I love having any reason in the world to do that! My favorite part was how we would make-out hard core at red lights and pretend like we didn't notice them turning green just so people would honk at us! Funny thing was that they just left us to our business and went around hahaha....

...I love the hot summer weather, holding hands and laughing as we walk outside. I can't wait for St George!!...Anyways, back to the ghetto mall, get this! We took pictures in a photo booth with no curtains, the camera lense was titled funny so our pictures were always just half of our face lol, they printed our pictures on regular paper AND you only got choose one pose instead of all 4 printing out on a strip! It was HILARIOUS! And way fun!

-Kirk and Cat

May 18, 2010

Today has been a pretty good day for the most part! Kirk has been gone working his little pa-tooty off as usual! But it gave me a chance to run a few places and gets some things done. I exchanged some shorts for Kirk at Kholes and I found me some super cute dark levi capri's! They make my booty look super HOT and I want to go out so I can show them off for Kirk :) I've also been trying way flippin hard to find him a nice graduation gift. BOY oh BOY did I find it! It has seriously been freakin hard tho! It's been on my mind for about the last month, but I've been desparetly searching this last week to find JuSt the right thing. AND I DID!

Do you see what I see?! To me, it looks like the SL TEMPLE!!! I just about died when I saw this!! It's absolutley PERFECT! If it truly is or isn't the temple, I guess it doesn't matter but I will always be reminded of it! So we'll pretend! I purchased the photograph online, I hope it turns out okay :) ANYWHO... So I did that and was super happy. I also made 4 pans of enchiladas!! hahaha kirk was crazy and bought a freakin COSTCO bag of tortillas which we would never eat b/c there's like 900 totillas in one bag! hahaha so i made a bunch of enchiladas to freeze. I also made a Diet Coke run, of course, and went to the dollar store & Deseret Book. Kirk did manage to find 15 mintues to rush home for lunch so that was basically AMAZING. I guess I've done a lot more then I feel like I have. When I don't work it can sometimes be hard to find things to do! We don't have kids, nor do we have a lot to do around the apt, nor do we have extra money to go play with! Plus everything is done for the week and I can't even seem to make-up my own list of things to do. hahaha I've already visited the neighbors, done grocery shopping, cleaned, done dishes, got the mail, ect. We've already planned for our Temple time this week, although I suppose I can always ALWAYS go more...maybe THAT"S why I have free time right now! Hmmm... SooOooO I just....do! And it works great! Hopefully Susie and I can play tonight! If not I'm planing on going to the gym and taking a nice loonnggg shower and bath :) . You know, shaving the legs-scrubing and scrubing! Then lathering up in the YUMMIEST lotions, all while listenin to my music of course! I love doing that. Plus it passes a good hour or two. Sometimes it can be hard to find sincere enjoyment when I have completely free days. But I know those days will end sooner then I would like :) But until then, I' m just sittin on my spot of the couch, wondering if Kirk will be home before he goes to the Fire Department. That means I have an hour to kill....HmmMmm I do have a sewing maching, but that would require mulah to go buy sewing supplies PLUS we're moving in 3 weeks so I don't want to get in the middle of a big project and have it turn into a mess when we pack up. Sounds like scripture time to me! Welllll peace out! ~cat

it's fun to see where we've come in just one year!

this is the way it's suppose to be

wellllllllllllll....

HAPPY MONDAY!

....like my cute mom always says :)

A couple weeks ago a nurse that I work with, whom I totally admire for multiple reasons, was telling me about this fabulous day-off she had with her daughter. Now, it's not the TYPICAL day-off you might be thinking of ... :) They got up on time, excercised together, cleaned the whole house together, updated food storage, baked bread together and worked on the garden together. She was telling me how wonderful it felt to work so hard, be soo productive and spend that time teaching her daughter *by example, might I add*. Then to top it off, her hubby came home and told her how grateful he was to come home to a tidy, happy house with the smell of fresh laundry and home-made bread in the air. He felt like that's "the way it should be." In return to his thoughts, she felt gratitude to him for being so complimentary of her hard work with their family. They make a great tag-team if you ask me! Isn't that a picture-perfect setting?!

When she told me this I couldn't help but feel that awesome crappy feeling. You know what I"m talkin about.... the one that makes you feel like you can do sooooo much more. It kinda highlights the thing in your life that you need to work harder on, but in return, makes you a better person because you come out stronger. It made me feel that, but also I coudldn't help but be slightly jealous that her husband notices those things. I thought to myself.... "if my husband said things like that, maybe..." aw flip. come ON catharine! are you kidding me!? i had to stop my self mid-thought. I have never been an absolute awful house keeper, home-maker or any of the sort (which this post may lead you to believe), nor has kirk ever neglected me in ANYway ever, he does quite the opposite I'm sure you all know... the point is, we can always ALWAYS do more.... Just when you start feeling comfortable, the Lord in His smart ways will stretch you JUUUUST a bit farther for your own success and well being...

The smell of fresh laundry....Mmmmm.

The smell of Home-made bread, awwww yes.

The simple things in life.

SOooOoo along with many things I have learned from her, I committed myself to doing more. Granted, it's WAY easier to do the laundry when you own a washer and dryer (which we don't). It is also a lot easier to keep dishes out of the sink when you have a dishwasher, but excuses-excuses, right!? right. And I am happy to report that things have slowly changed in our humble little apt! I told Kirk to layoff the dishes and turn all the household duties over to me (he works so unbelievably hard...) and I hope he has felt a change in atmosphere around our home. I want everything to be perfect for him! I want him to be able to come home and feel happy, free, like a burden lifted, and to feel comfortable... like 'this is the way it's suppose to be' :)

Sunday loveeee

Why do we L.O.V.E. sundays?!

1. sleeping in! super late church is not such a bad thing at all! there's no better day of the week for staying curled up in bed and enjoying a long morning then the Sabbath!!
2. going to church 45 minutes early, every sunday, has it's major ups! as part of our calling in the Church, we meet for a devotional and updates at 12:15 and today i was opened to the opportunity it gives me to mentally prepare for the Sunday Block. we talk about the temple, the work we have done, how we can progress, ways we can be more affective and members we can reach out too. it focuses our minds on service and the Gospel BEFORE we get to Sacrament meeting. it's awesome
3. Watching kirk pass the Sacrament! it's kinda hot
4. partaking of the Sacrament blessings
5. listening and being edified, taught and blessed by teachers
6. spending time with my husband. i LOVE that we attend our Temple meeting, Sacrament meeting and Sunday School together... if you ask me, there's no better person to learn from and to learn with then kirk. together together together! family family family. that's what the church is all about. :)
7. talking! kirk and i have made it tradition to share what we've learned with one another as we drive home from church. it helps us grow closer, share our beliefs and build our testimonies together. it strengthens my confidence.
8. Kirk bringing home hand-picked roses after his sunday meeting :)
9. sunday dinner! YUM!!!!
10. sunday dessert! YUMMIER!!!!
11. Sunday NAP TIME!
12. then a night of relaxing movies...scripture study....hangin out with each other... service (today we took dinner to a sick friend of ours :) )...
13. feeling the spirit all day long
14. spiritually being re-powered, re-dedicated and re-freshed on being a better person for the upcoming week.

these, along with other countless blessings are why we thrive for Sundays :)

life as the wife of a McAllister....

IS AMAZING OF COURSE!!!

Camping at Toquerville Falls!
there's just somethin about being alone in a desolate, beautiful place that kirk and I can't get enough of! and boy-this night turned into one we'll always remember! somehow we managed to eat our tin-foil dinners (still half frozen might i add :) ), ride Daisy up and down the river-bed(our biggest dirt bike), catch a frog (it was so cute and little! and he was making really funny squeaky sounds), see a shooting star & make a wish, then settle in the bed of the truck for more star gazing and cuddle time..... i love our long conversations under the stars... i love the love we share of the Gospel and it's Eternities. ...after our Testimonies calmed we slowly fell alseep, snug and close. ...until 5:45am-when the rain came. And of course, when it rains it POURS-just the way we like it! i woke up first to the rain probably because i'm a light sleeper. so i just waited a minute to see if it would stop or if kirk would wake up-whichever would come first. neither ever happened! i think the sound of raindrops hitting the sleeping bag was more relaxing then anything! but the rain kept coming! so i poked kirk ONCE and he woke right up! hahahaha and we threw everything inside the truck and cuddle up in the driver seat and just listened. we knew somehow we were going to have to get the dirt bike back in the truck through the pouring, cold rain then pop'er in 4wheel drive to get out of the mud... but waiting made it way more exciting! and boy am i pampered to have kirk as my husband, he wouldn't let me lift a finger while he loaded everything up! he's so awesome like that! ThEN we left. we took our time coming home, making detours wherever we fancied. one included hot chocolate and donuts...awhhh a perfect breakfast after the history of the mornin! another was a stop for Kirk to show me where he got my mother's day gift! thennn we came home and snuggle back up in our warm bed where we slept until noon. :) now that's our version of livin the life!

RODEO! YEeeEhAW!
St Georges' Best summer past time! No where else we'd rather be on a Saturday night...even after a LONG LONG day of work. i was so stinkin tired that we almost didnt' go -good thing I married an INCREDIBLE man that keeps me straight! Nevermind a CAN of diet coke is $2!!

one thing i liked about this rodeo is the Mini Bull Riders. it's so fun to watch all the little cowboys ride baby bulls. they're alwasy SO proud of themselves...the way they should be!

what's life without HIKING!?!
This was SO fun!! we strapped on our shoes, grabbed a soda and this is where we ended up! We couldn't tell ya where we were because we didnt' know! which is why we made up our own name for this random trail...."The Hanky Pank"...name after the ba-jillion loud, small and crazy frogs we found EVERYWHERE! plus lizards, bats and we even saw an Owl! But you know what we're talkin about, remember that one song??? 'down by the rivers of the hanky-pank, where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank singing EE-EE-aw-aw-O-O-oo-oo...' -that's the one! so that's where we were! kirk and i couldn't stop thinking about how fun it would be to bring our nephew Ky next time. he would LOVE it there!!

just whistle while you WORK work WORK!
aint no place i'ld rather be if i have to leave kirk!

there's just somthin special, spiritual, & sweet about little children and new babies! are we not blessed each and every minute we get to share with them, teach them, grow from them and love them? I think it's a smiliar feeling Christ felt for them, and the same reason why He always called them children to sit upon His knee :)

ps. excuse my horrible spelling and grammer would ya!? i tend to not pay attention to, nor care about it when i blog usually! i prefer to not make blogging a huge priority or time consuming project, which is why it's sooo sloppy!

BRIDES ONLY + miss Leah!

This is for little Leah, my new beautiful sister-in-law to be!...

Here's some wedding laughs that a friend forwarded me in an email. Of course, i thought of YOU! soOoO they're just to give you an idea of what you have to look forward too girlfriend:

( I did edit the list as to not offend... we all love that special man in our life, this was just too funny/true/hilarious to not share! with love!)

If you think the way to a man's heart is through his stomach you're aiming too high.
Woman don't make fools of men-most of them are the do-it-yourself types .
Never trust a man who says he's the boss at home. He probably lies about other things too.
A woman's work that is never done is the stuff she asked her husband to do.
If you want a nice man go for a bald one-they try harder.
A man who can dress himself without looking like Wurzel Gummidge is unquestionably gay.
Men are all the same-they just have different faces so you can tell them apart.
Definition of a man with manners-he gets out of the bath to pee.

Scientists have just discovered something that can do the work of five men .......... a woman.
Men are like animals-messy, insensitive and potentially violent-but they make great pets.
Men's brains are like the prison system-not enough cells per man.
There are only two four letter words that are offensive to men - "don't" and "stop".

CONGRATS ON THE ENGAGEMENT GORGEOUS WOMAN!

ZIONS! again!!

i know-i know! everyone is probably sick of seeing Zions pictures, and I"m sure they're starting to look the same, but we just love this place! we have an annual pass and have been 5 times in the last 9 months. we've been lucky enough to see the canyons in all seasons! and when this pass expires, we're getting an annual to the Grand Canyons or Bryce Canyons...one of the two! and we'll keep on keeping on until we've done it with all the national parks in Utah! for fun huh!? the thought of it makes me soo excited!

this was our hike to the Emerald Pools. there's 3 of them! this was the middle pool. thanks to the lady who took our picture!! she got down in the mud, hands and knees to make sure she coudl capture the waterfall at the top of the canyon! thank you thank you! then kirk did the same thing for her and her 2 sisters. they were from michigan! i told them about my brother serving there and i wish i could remember where they're from! but they said its very close to Lansing! smalllll world!

you have to look a little closer at this picture to see the pool...but this was the very first one! it was sooooo pretty! kirk and i made our own trail and hiked off the path... we followed the little spring that was feeding into the pool. boy oh boy...we found so much more beauty hidden up the canyon! i'm so glad we ventured off! there were a bunch of waterfalls trickling into pools everywhere! and it was fun to jump from rock to rock, tip-tow across floating logs, and climb big boulders bare footed to keep a good grip. at one point on our way down, we got to a spot that made us think "how the HECK did we get up this?" getting down was so much worse! there was a huge boulder that was straight up and down...surrounded by a deep pool of water... off in the distance a few feet was another little boulder that stood alone. the trick to getting across was to run down the big slick rock-knowing you were going to slide and have no grip-then just as you come to where the end of the rock meeets the water, jump and pray!...kirk went first. like a champ. i was sooo scared i was going to land in the water! hahaha i don't jump very far hahaha after pacing back and forth for 5 minutes and probably driving kirk nuts, i just jumped to his hands and as we gripped palms we swung me across. it was so fun! but yes, i would have totally gone swimming if he didn't pull me through the air! thanks hun

this is us at the start of the trail! we had to cross the bridge over the Virgin River to get to the trailhead. we learned so much about that howling river! it's the reason why the canyon is sooo deep! it travels so fast that it picks up the sand, rocks and goo at the bottom of the water and moves it down the canyon...carving deeper and deeper into the ground. makes perfect sense, but still amazing that a river combined with wind can dig thousands of feet into the ground to make a canyon! at one time (thousands of years ago) it was flat land with a river running through it. and now the river has turned that land into HIGH MOUNTAINS! crazy huh!? i think Heavenly Father planned that...!

resting against my hubby!

hiking the Grotto. not the best picture...but just behing us is a drop off! kirk spotted a fat lizard way down there, so we stood throwing rocks at him to see who could hit him first. kinda feel bad about it now! but...kirk won! of course!

the way we do! find a long desolate dirt road, park the truck, and sleep in the bed under the stars.... ahh. i've learned to love desert nights so much! the night is beautiful, the morning is beautiful, the sounds are beautiful, my company is beautiful...everything is BEAUTIFUL!

okay, i know this is disgusting... but because it's so gross it was picture worthy!! some old lady left her gray hairs on the stall of a public bathroom! who knows what else is in those things!! #1 reason why women hate public restrooms.... they are sick sick SICK! eww!

Cactus jelly!!! the locals make this from the pink and purple Cactus berries! it's not very often that you get to see the berries on this desert plant b/c birds and animals eat them so fast, but they make a good jelly! the natural colors give it a cute, hot pink look! it's sweet to the taste, but really unique! it makes a great treat!

hey! another restroom picture! wow...they were popular this trip!

this was at the darn cutest cafe in Springdale (the town just before Zions). we had breakfast here before we headed out for another day of hiking! it was sooo yummy!



CRITTERS
and lots of em!


hahaha i love the way frogs just hang when they're suspended in air! it's so funny!

oh.my.heck. these things freaked the living day-lights out of me!! we were just treckin along our merry way when.... BAM! SNAKES! on MY side of the trail! it was so unexpected, i about wet my pants and screamed louder than i knew i could! ... but they were nice snakes :) they let us pet them! there's two! can y ou see them!? one is only poking his head out, the other is showing off his bod!

our cute fuzzy wuzzy!

gobble gobble!!!

i was so mad! we saw so many of these big thanksgiving turkeys, but i never had the camera in time to take a picture! and when i finally did...the color was programed to sepia! so you can't even see the blues, reds and blacks! he was sooo stinkin awesome

the deer up the canyon aren't afrain of anything! we could walk right up to this little guy and he just ignored us!