Happy Birthday!!!

Yesterday Matt turned 29. Because of our work schedule, we are celebrating today with my family.
In honor of his birthday, here are 29 facts about Matt.

1. He is such a hard worker. He will work circles around people without thinking about it.
2. Matt is one of the most giving people I know.
3. His eyes look brown from further away, but they are really green like mine. :0)
4. He loves animals!

5. I taught him to fish, and was with him when he caught his first.
6. My family adores him. My grandad called him son.
7. He adores my family. He jumped right in and took care of all my grandmas finances, and still does. He pays all her bills for her. He would do anything for her.
8. He is very creative. He has quite the artistic eye.
9. He likes to make his friends happy. We host holiday get togethers ALL the time.
10. He considers many of his close friends family.
11. He has the biggest heart in the world.
12. His favorite character is Snoopy and he has collected memorabilia for quite some time.
13. He is very outgoing and will talk to just about anyone.
14. He has an awesome sense of humor.
15. For only having brothers, he is dealing with my plethora of sisters quite well.
16. He LOVES to cook, bake and try out new recipes.
17. At bbq's he is always the one manning the grill.
18. He loves to be outdoors camping or fishing.
19. He has a positive attitude about nearly everything, especially when he was sick a few years back.
20. He is going to make an outstanding father.

21. He can't wait to be a father.
22. He is content to stay home and make dinner and watch movies for date night, but is always willing to go and do whatever I drag him out to do.
23. He shares my passion for the Sawtooth Mountains.
24. He is very good with his hands and has built and remodeled many a set and rooms etc..
25. He loves just about every genre of music except for rap/screamo crap.
26. He stands up for what he believes in.
27. does SO much at work, I think the building would fall down if he were to ever leave.
28. He has a very loud and addicting laugh.
29. He loves me more than anything in the world, and is my very best friend.


We have been through Hell and high water the past couple years. It has done nothing but brought us closer together. We share the same passions, and make each other laugh. I don't know what I would do without him. Happy Birthday my love!!!

Is anyone else excited?

Camping can't come soon enough.

We are very excited for camping around here. However, every time we plan a trip we either end up having to work, or it rains... all... weekend...
In the mean time, we have been refurbishing my grandads old trailer. this was after we stripped all of the old rotting wood off of it. We grinded the old paint and rust off and then repainted it with a rust preventing paint.

Also, we bought a new sleeping bag. This picture doesn't do it justice.
it is HUGE
We can fit both of us and the dogs... it we have too...
It goes to 0-degrees and has drawstrings to tighten the top, kind of like an mummy bag.
Have you ever tried to sleep comfortably in a mummy bag with a dog either in the crook of your knees or between your legs? Not so bueno!
We also got a king size air mattress.
We are going to be so spoiled that going home and returning to our full size bed is going to seem like a joke.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

But if you must stay...
Thank You
for watering me topsy turvy tomatoes

(a gardner in my home ward... Sister Rich for the 16th ward peeps... swears by them, she is amazing so I am going to trust her opinion, hopefully they rock)

and my raspberries
(Which by the way, its fruit got eaten by squirrels the next day... grrrr)

and my corn plants

My clematis and tomatoes

and my rhubarb, clematis, pumpkins, squash, broccoli, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers.....

And providing lots, and lots of moisture, then heat, then moisture for my new composter.

Miss Idaho

I love this show. It holds a special place in my heart and we meet the niceset people and create friendships! This year was no different. I won't have pictures if the set for a few weeks, which I am kind of upset about because I was way proud of it! Oh well... Here we go.

The week started off with this.... unsafe platform and I was the one that bit it. Better me than the girls in their heels. It got fixed, and my ankle is healing. Matt really enjoyed documenting the color and size changes throughout the week. This was probably Friday or Saturday as I was icing before the show.

This week we also had to crown another crew favorite, better known as "Miss Morrison"
The first Miss Morrison was Briana Carr, who we all still love. We were sad to not have her back this year.

This is Tristan Long. What a cutie!

She hung out with us way more than she did with the other girls, and man, she is TALENTED!!!

This was after the crowning right before we started load out. De started a new tradition ending the week with champagne and orange juice, or for those that don't drink... orange juice!

Sadly, we have to say good bye to these fine ladies. Elise Davis and Danielle Beckstrom were Miss Idaho and Miss Idaho Outstanding Teen 2009.
Amazing job girls! You will be missed!!

None of the girls I was betting on won :( We did get a very beautiful and talented girl though. Her name is Kara Jackson and she was Miss Nampa! Congrats Kara!
As soon as I get pictures from the photographer, I will post them!!

Photos from Brigadoon

I hadn't posted anypictures from Music week, so here they are.
As always, these are courtesy of Dave Jensen

Final Bows

The "Bridge of Doom" It was ridiculously steep!

Matt was the special effects guy (smoke, have and fog) while I ran the lights

Funniest for last, the gal up front in the teal skirt in the front row cannot dance to save her life. This was a group dance and really quite easy. As you can see, she is the only one leaning to her right, while everyone else leans to their left. From where I sat, a cant really make out specific faces so I thought it was a little girl... nope. It was a middle aged woman. Bless her heart!

Our fur babies

Our dogs are silly, but we love them!

The Aftermath, So to Speak

So, here it is a few days later. It doesn't really hurt aside from getting stiff and the bruising. I promise you, these pictures don't do the coloring justice. Its really quite cool looking.

As you can see its still swollen, and bruised 2 or three inches up past my ankle bone. The bottome of my heel as well as the other side of my foot is all purdy lookin too. Before I get in trouble, I did have several medical professionals look at it. The fact that I have been able to walk on it with very little pain and have good range of motion is a VERY good sign. I didn't feel like wasting my time and the universitys money to go have it x-rayed only for them to tell me it stretched the tendons and ligaments and there is nothing they can do. Its not my first sprain, wont be my last!

I know you were dying to see a picture of my foot...

... So I have rather unhappily obliged...

Anyone guess what is wrong with that picture?

I will spare you the embarrassing details

i48 Reel Pirates Group Picture

A Hefty Goal

The best book ever. Matt and I have wanted it for a while, so last night we finally broke down and bought it. We have made a goal to do every hike on the book during our lifetime, starting this summer. There are some that I have already done, but we haven't done together. They range from quick 2 or 3 mile easy hikes to 4 or 5 day backpacking trips. You have no idea how excited we are to cross them off our list. Maybe I will put a scrapbook together with all the pictures from each hike... or maybe it will have its own blog. Hmmm... what do you think?

From Hawaii, With Love