Hot Springs

Our adventure this weekend was a trip to the hot springs near Hoover Dam. Travis mentioned the idea to people at PA school and they were all excited to go. Sarah & Cory Smith also came with us making our group a total of 16 people! It's still pretty warm out, so it wasn't the best temperature, even for a night hike, to go sit in the hot springs, but it was still lots of fun. The springs are always changing. We've been down there a hand full of times or so now and the pools are either bigger or smaller, or some are non-existent any anymore. The big pool was a good depth, probably 4ft deep, but pretty cool water, and most of the smaller pools were still there and really hot. Going down there often brings back great memories of mine and Travis' first "unofficial" group date! Travis likes to say it was the first time I also saw him naked since he went skinny dipping, but of course I didn't look! Although, the idea of him skinny dipping just being home from his mission was a pretty appealing gesture. :) Anyway, we had a blast and it was great spending time with Sarah & Cory, as always!

Cow Elk Hunt #2

We got one! And she's a pretty big one too! I seriously think she was the size of a small horse! And yes, that is me all decked out in camo, can you believe it? I never thought I'd give in to wearing that stuff, but there I am all stealth-like in my camo. Anyways, so here's the story. We woke up before 1st light, as usual. We had our plan all ready to go. They, Travis and his Dad, decided that we would do the same thing we did the last weekend we were up and see if we couldn't find the cows in the western fields this time. So I dropped Travis and off and David drove around on the east side of the fields glassing across to see if he could spot anything. After awhile I hiked east on the southern edge of the fields and then decided to drive north. I figured it wouldn't be a problem since there were some other guys around making tons of noise on their ATV's driving in the same direction. So I ended picking Travis up and we decided to head back to camp to pick up David and then head back out.

Well on our way to camp, Travis looks to his north, off the main road and sees a few brown spots in the distance. So he stops, glasses, and sees a whole bunch of elk! I couldn't believe it-off the main road again! We got the antelope and deer off the main road as well, without much hiking involved. This time he would just have to hike out toward them to get close enough to pull off a shot. We couldn't believe where we had found them though-in the middle of the sage, on their way back to tree line, which was a long ways away, from eating the alfalfa fields earlier that morning. Anyway, I got to watch the kill from my binoculars far away while Travis sneaked up on them. It took 4 shots to get her down. After the 1st shot, most of the elk too off, including a huge Bull. But another bull and calf hung around. It was kind of sad to see this little family lurking behind, but eventually they took off as well.

Next was the chore of getting it back and dressing it etc. Normally you have to cut an elk up into quarters to get it out from where you shoot it down. But since we were in the flats and in the sage, David dragged the thing to the road behind his ATV! Talk about saving time and strength! Then they gutted her, the worst part of the whole process, while I sat in the truck and continued reading my last Harry Potter book. I really got into those books and literally could not put them down. I finished that day and was so glad to be free of my addiction, but they were really really good! Anyway, the next chore was getting the elk into the truck to take back to camp. (see picture below) Those come-alongs are pretty handy. So we got the elk back to camp and then Travis had the disgusting chore of cutting up the elk in order to get it into the coolers. It's still pretty hot around Pioche in September, so we couldn't just take it back whole. So overall it was a pretty easy hunt, and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend to go!

David on the ATV on his way out to meet up with Travis and his kill.

What did I tell you? It's the size of a small horse!!

And then this last picture of this bull elk was taken the day after we got the cow. The herd was back in the exact same spot they were the day before! This guy was really close to the road.

Cow Elk Hunt

Monday, September 1st was opening day of Travis's Cow Elk Hunt. I personally was pretty excited for this hunt, mostly because I'm so curious to try elk and see what it tastes like. Everyone says it's a lot better then most other game. Anyways, we set out Saturday night to go scout out our measly area-the Atlanta Farms Fields. The owners want hunters to come in and thin out the herds because they chow down on their crop. So we only have a 5 mile radius to hunt on all the way around the farm. The farm is pretty big, but the area where the elk would be is pretty small. Saturday night we went spot-lighting and saw a few deer and we think 1 herd of elk. Sunday we went scouting around all day, saw a few cow elk, but in an area that would be impossible to find them again in on Monday. We did see some elk right next to the fields 1st thing in the morning though, so from there we, well Travis, devised our plan of attack. Monday morning, 5am, we drove in on the south end of the fields. I dropped Travis off and hiked north along the edge of the fields. I sat in the truck snoozing until I was given the ok to drive ahead and glass. (I couldn't see anything because it was dark and because I was in the trees so I felt justified in snoozing). I was abruptly woken up by a radio call from Trav saying he had found some elk. Hooray! We were so excited. Our plan worked! But, a few minutes later, Travis informed me that they were all BULL ELK! I couldn't believe it. Bull are hard enough to find, let alone on the day we were suppose to be finding cow. So I had to see for myself. And sure enough, there were 7 Bull Elk making their way out of the fields heading due south towards me. Check out the up close and personal video. Unfortunately, we were not successful this trip since our cows turned out to be bulls, but we'll be back before the tag expires.

Harry Potter & the Gym

Well, can I just say that August is one of my least favorite months in Vegas. Everyone is ready for the heat to be over so we can all crawl out of our hermit-like-shells, we call houses, and enjoy some fresh air. In the mean time I've found a couple of new hobbies: Harry Potter & 24hr Fitness. I decided that after watching Harry Potter 4 & 5 in one weekend about a month ago, it was time to read the books because I really did not understand the movies at this point and watching them each twice didn't help all that much either. I had to get updates from my brother-in-law, Shawn, explaining to me the missing pieces. So I found out my sister, Jessica, had the Heeb Family collection of Harry Potter books up in Provo and had her mail them to me. $8 to ship all 7 I thought was a really good deal. So I've read 4 of them in the past month and am totally addicted. I even get sucked into staying up late to read just one more chapter. This has been a great hobby with Travis being a coach-study-bum as well. (actually, I should say a couch-study-wonderfully-dedicated-husband!)

As for the gym, I initially was not a big fan. But what else can you do when it's over 105 degrees everyday?-the hottest time of the day being when I get off work! So I rejoined this last June and started to go to the 24hr Spin class near my house. I went by myself, so after the initial motivation wore off, I started slacking; until... I found a friend to work out with. This whole time, Megan, a girl I've been working with since Jan, has been going to the 24 near our work! She's now about 4 months pregnant and totally dedicated to staying in shape. So I've leached on to her motivation and now we go together. It's been a great hobby to pick up as well, since Travis and I don't have the leisure to get out and have as many adventures or go on as many trips. Well, that's my update! Chao!

COLORADO-Home Sweet Home

Well, it had been over a year and a half since I'd been back home, so this trip was well over due. Travis had an extra ticket from interviewing last year that we had to use before the end of this month. So we decided I would fly out to visit the fam and be there for Trisha's wedding. This trip was different then most other trips home because I spent all of my time with my family, except for the wedding, of course. I had a great time at Boondocks with Joseph, Emily, and Claire (Jordan was at football camp). We did the GoKarts, played putt-putt golf, played laser tag, and arcade games. We had a great time together and took one of those camera booth photos that turned out to be hilarious. That evening I assumed my big sister role tuning up bikes and hanging out with the little girls in the front yard.

The next day I spent first at Grandma & pa's, getting in some quality time with the kitties and chit chatting with grandma about playing the organ and sewing. I also convinced Grandpa that he should join facebook so he could have access to more photos. He seemed to have liked that idea and joined that night. While we were there, Joy had fun dancing to the musical stuffed animals and I couldn't resist getting her on tape. Next was some Mom & me time getting a pedicure, and the salon we happened to go to was the same salon Trisha and her bridesmaid's were at! It was such a pleasant surprise to see her and Kym-me before the craziness of the evening. Afterwards, we squeezed in lunch at Noodles (my favorite) with Dad. Then I took Emily out shopping for her 15th birthday. She got her 1st purse since she's getting her permit soon, and a new school bag-way cute!

That evening was Trisha & Jimmy Pettinger's wedding. She looked gorgeous and they looked so happy together! I of course loved catching up with Margaret, Laura, and Catie. It was so good to see them and know that we're still just as good of friends as before. Laura and Margaret were very cute all pregnant and everything. Catie looked just as cute being newly wed. We had a good time.

The next day Dad ran a half marathon; so Mom, Grandpa, Audra, Charity, Joy, and I went up to Idaho Springs and Georgetown to cheer him on. We happened to see him a few miles from the end of the race and encouraged him to keep going. Then we just made it to the finish line right when he got there as well. He ran the whole time and ran about 10min miles. He did a great job! We are so proud of him!

Saturday night was the stake BBQ where Margaret and I got to catch up with Preston Fry, Jason Agnew, and Rob Reynolds. It was great to see them and reminisce on good 'ole times. That night mom found out that Grandpa joined facebook and asked me when I was going to show her how to do it. So we spent about 2 hours on the computer learning the in's and out's of facebook. I think she'll really enjoy it as well. :)

By the time Sunday came around I was ready to be with Travis again. Church was nice and Emily's birthday dinner and mini-celebration was delicious, but I was excited to get home and be with my hubby. After being at home and then wanting to go home, I have realized that I truly have two homes now; which for me is a great accomplishment.

Wakeboarding

Recently I went wakeboarding with our friends Nicole & Tyler Hammond on Tyler's sister Bethany's boat. Travis needed some quite time to study for an exam the following Monday so I literally jumped out of bed at the opportunity. (Nicole called at 7:30am or something like that to invite us) :) I had been about 3 years since I'd been wakeboarding so it was a bit of a challenge getting up and staying up! I forgot how much fun it is!! The water at Lake Mead is just perfect and since it's always so hot here in the summer, a dip in the lake is always a good thing. We had a great time lounging on the beach, and floating around in the water, and of course watching each other wakeboard and surf. I thought about posting a picture for this one, but the only one I have with me in it is not the best picture, so you'll have to imagine. :) Thanks Tyler, Nicole, Jeff, and Bethany for inviting me to come with you!