So after packing up what felt like everything possible besides the kitchen sink we got on the road for one long trip to visit my dad's side of the family! on the way out of town we got a call from james that said the motorhome was having problems so we pulled off the road in prim and waited for them to catch up! we followed them to mesquite having to pull over a couple of times because the gas pump was going out. we finally eeeeked into mesquite and crashed for the night. my mom and i took a little benedryl which knocked us out for the night... i don't think either of us could open our eyes the next day, my dad was laughing and calling my mom a cheap drunk! After getting to see kimmies and michaels cute new place we headed off! Flaming Gorge is beautiful!!! what made it even better was the lack of mosquito's!!! it was surrounded with trees and the beauty of nature!

Let's just say that family reunion is just tons of eating... Rachael had marshmallow all over her face and she wouldn't let me get the picture until she was pretty sure it wasn't toooo bad! I think everyone grazed through the weekend...

Tinfoil dinners the first night and joel giving his typical face that will make his posterity very confused! Tinfoil dinners are my absolute favorite camp food. its an essential!

Joel getting everyone ready for the snipe hunt... these are the cousins that got into the hunt!

look at porter! nesha pointed him out to me and said look he is practicing shooting the snipes! i had to take these pictures!

paul getting his son ready with the rules and the toothpaste

look at the shine on his cheeks, the snipes are really going to be attracted to that adorable face!

TY cant get any freakin' cuter!

when they got back from the hunt nesha went to touch porter's face not realizing he had toothpaste all over it!!! it makes me laugh be cause paul looked at her and said "it was dark, i didn't know how much i was putting on!

My beautiful sister in law! seriously i love hats on her!

Bryce caught the only fish that was worth keeping and eating!!! He is his dads miniature! i can't believe that he is as old as he is!

my favorite sisters niece!!! it was fun to sit and to giggle with them and to cherish the time we have together!

ok so fire was the one of the big fights this vacation! kids will be kids and always want to play with fire... they started one right by the pavillion which just blew smoke right onto all the adults. needless to say we (the adults) were not so excited about it. my mom went up to the kids and said NO MORE! she chastised them and told them that it was too dangerous because they were throwing tumbleweeds onto it with high winds blowing. i watched as my mom walked away these kids watched to make sure she wasnt looking and then threw some more on... i came unglued!!! i jumped up and started yelling. Man alive my dad has always taught us to respect my mom and when someone doesnt all hell brakes loose. yep thats what happened and i YELLED! these kids that don't know me think i am a mean person... oh well, they can think what they want!

so then when we weren't looking they went down and started a fire down below. so all the older uncles told them to put it out. the kids asked with what. Chuck (don and chris's daughters husband) says you have firehouses go put it out. i watch as yellow streams started putted out the flames!

the siblings minus my uncle who left early. oh the fun, fights, laughter, family, food and trouble that we get as a family!

My cousin Jay... I have to say that out of all my cousins he is my favorite male cousin! he is such a hard worker and seems so stern. then he starts up with jokes and he makes faces and loves on little kids!!! he came up with two suckers and said that the kids had been eating them all day so he was just trying them out to see which ones he liked!

the last night the rain was coming down so i looked at josh and said i think we should move the tent under the pavilion. we debated and then moved it up... luckily we did the rain came and we didn't get wet!

all in all we had a great time... i guess the family that fights together will stay together... I hope!

on a side note... my mom read us water for elephants on the trip she has such a fun voice to listen to!!! we were pretty content to just listen to her read... we laughed and cried through the whole book. the old man reminded me of my grandpa. we had a couple of chapters left when we got home so the three of us came upstairs and she finished it. we all were crying at the end. it was a great book!

Beach days

This was a very COLD day in sunny san diego!!! but it was july and my brother called to see if we wanted to go down and play at the beach. the above is a picture of tyler's great wall of china sand castle! it took him awhile to complete but it entertained him for a little bit!

jake and shannon out surfing!!! he actually stood up the first wave, he's been out before but i was surprised at the balance that kid has!

jackson has hated the water, but cuz his cousins were in he was all about playing with them! I was trying to leave on one of our beach days and he looked at me and said "comi, stay with me... don't leave me!" Yep, he has some morris in him, my siblings always say the same thing!

I truly think that porter can always take the BEST pictures! here he has sand crabs. I have to say that they caught a couple of the biggest ones i have ever seen! i love these days!

My phone decided to give up the ghost... i guess after all the times i have dropped it it decided that it needed to go to cell phone heaven. So could you please send/call and let me know what your numbers are cuz i couldn't retrieve any from my old phone.

i love fireworks!

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday!!!! Why, because i live in an amazing country, able to live the way that I want, able to worship how and where i choose, i am able to think for myself and know that its safe, i can do and be anything i want here!!! I also know that this freedom that i have is on the backs of men and women who have fought with their lives so that i have all the freedoms that i do!!! Some of my favorite people are ones that i have only been able to read about but who have made an impact on me. I am humbled by what it took for the founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence and the life that they lived after. I always get chills when i see the beauty of the red, white and blue flag waving in the wind! I love this Country!

so while my fourth of July is "predictable" why would i change perfection? I am surrounded by the people i love and am able to create memories every year!!! My family is always growing, my friends bring me happiness that i can be blessed with them in my life. How can a girl complain?

Shauna and Camden

She is getting sooooo big! She made my heart happy when she was in her moms arms and she leaned over so i could get her!!! it was the best feeling in the world to kiss her smack right on the lips and to see her grin after!

Keegan and Jackson with sparklers. My camera had a hard time figuring out what picture to take!

Porter somehow found the HOTTEST guys to get into the marshmallow fight with. they seriously would wrestle and be all soft with him... He would pull back and throw with all his might and peg them in the head. I wanted to say to these handsome men "you could make my fourth and wrestle with me!"

usually people wait till after the grand finale is over before the marshmallow war starts... Not this year, we were getting hit from the start of the fireworks.

the thing that surprised us this year was the HUGE marshmallows that were being flung at us!!! i also didn't realize that Nesha and Paul hadn't ever done the war before. it was so fun to see them giggle and to see Nesha's eyes as she hurled marshmallows at random strangers. it made me really happy when paul said that they should do this every year... I couldn't agree more! i love creating memories that will last a lifetime with them!

I love that kimmie and Micheal come down and celebrate with me!!! I am however mad at kimmie for the fact that my nephews love swimming with her more than me. Today as i was sitting in the jacuzzi my nephews asked where kim was. i told them that she was home in utah and they both looked at me and said "that Sucks!" i asked why is she more fun than me? they said YES... stupid boys... then they said it was only because she had fun toys!

wilco!

Last night i went and did some things that i have never done. As i was leaving i thought about grabbing my camera and thought what would i want to take pictures of... BIG MISTAKE!
First I took the train up to L.A. union station. It was a GREAT trip. I didn't turn into cruella deville with road rage. I didn't curse, flip the bird, shake my fist at people that cut me off or tail gate me! i peacefully sat and listened to music and read a great book and never got stressed! when we pulled in i didn't know how HUGE this building was going to be, of course i went to the opposite side of the station than where sarah was at! i got checked out twice and i wanted to yell, "yeah i get the eyeballing mister, you just don't do it for me!" but it was nice at the same time! This building is absolutely beautiful on either sides of the long hall. one side is really modern and the other is old school, but it was beautiful and had some cool places to eat. i really think i would take a ride and eat and take some pictures just for the fun of the ride!

after the 6 miles, 1 1/2 hours later we get to the Wiltern. The directions were odd, so we circled the block before realizing that it was right before our eyes! Walking into the building was eye opening! It is BEAUTIFUL. I realized yet again that i really wish that i had brought my camera to be able to snap this cool building. i was walking down the hall when i looked up and saw this man who i know i have seen in multiple movies/shows. i reached over to Sarah and said who is that, i know him... she agreed but couldn't place it. That happened a few times over the course of the night. the music is great and we had fun! Sarah knows their music, i was along for the ride but will definitely be going and getting some of their many albums. i love people watching but i was sooooo freakin' irritated when this couple came in to sit in front of us. this stupid big haired woman sat in front of me, the hair would be one thing but it was the constant movement that drove me NUTS. come to find out she was supposed to be down one seat, i was like yes she isn't in front of me!!! SOOOOOO FREAKIN SELFISH! she was now in front of Sarah... who could now understand what i had been going through. i couldn't handle her going through it so i moved down and we prayed that no-one would come claim that seat. No one did, so we could enjoy the show with out the constant readjusting to compensate for freakin big haired bobble head.

after the show, we go back to get in the car... i knew i was going to have to huff it and puff it up to the 4th floor... i then saw that the elevator car was just coming down. i said oh look sarah its here lets just ride the elevator... yeah, we then had to stop at every level... the people walking beat us to the top. it was kinda embarrassing! oh well i got a giggle out of it! It was a great night that was then topped off with the 5 freeway being shut down to all traffic... UUUUUGH! got home and into bed at 3, i realize now i am not 21 anymore. SAD!

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things i learned on this trip!

~that i get so excited for something new i can't sleep
~These girls really know how to canoe, and camp anywhere
~i learned that sometimes in the moment we forget what we are looking at, but when you turn around and see where you have been... it can take your breath away with how beautiful it was!
~i learned that when your all paddling at your own pace it isnt at full power, but when you work as a team with everyone paddling at the same time you get somewhere!
~i learned that you constantly re-apply sunscreen... and that it really hurts when your pants rub up against your sunburn
~i learned that your legs and ankles swell with sitting in the sun and baking~
~i learned that both canoes need to be equipped with bug spray
~i learned that sometimes the mosquitos don't go away with the sun.
~i learned that i am allergic to mosquitos in utah.
~i learned that in the battle against the mosquitos i really lost.
~i learned that if you get up and go to the bathroom at 3 the mosquitos were still waiting to eat me alive... they succeeded and bit my lips, eye, and chin!
~i learned that you can never be excited to wake up your friends knowing that you look like a monster...
~ i learned that laughter really is the best medicine and that i had friends that were there to take care of me and not make me stand there getting eatin' alive by those damn mosquitos.
~ i learned that in life sometimes i really need to escape to the mountains and be surrounded by the beauty that God has given us to enjoy!!!

things i am lookin' forward too!

A little time to see "the beginning of civilization!"
Time off!
Having time to giggle with friends
Enjoying floating down a river
Not having to answer my phone
Seeing the white buildings up against the blue water!

Meeting my very own "pupu cacus!"
Yours truly seeing and doing new things
Kimmie and i swimming adventures!
October
Nicomi getting to wear white clothes and get away with it! ( in my dreams)
Oh not another O
Steps up to see the world

Parthenon
A long flight
Relaxing in the sun (under lots of sunscreen and hats!)
On the sides of cliffs
Setting suns

Sleep
Acropolis
New places
Tethering the canoes together and paddling down the river together!
Eating yummy food
Riding ferries between islands
Ice cream on a hot day
New experiences
Island hopping