Powered By Blogger

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend

This is how the weekend started out, playing games, swimming with Heidi and Brian, and a little bit of work here and there. That was until we decided that we would save the birds. Some of Spencer's uncles thought that it would be a good idea to trap the birds in the wall with spray foam. The longer they were in there, the louder they got! It ended up not being such a great idea because they kept reminding us that they were dying in there without food or light from the hole they made. Finally Jason, Spencer's uncle, couldn't take it anymore and decided to make a deal with Spencer that if he broke down the wall he would have to put it back up. Once we got it open we found four baby birds and their mother. The babies were pretty big, but still didn't know how to fly. Spencer had to carry them on a stick to the ground where they waited for the mom to come back and help them get away. I am so glad that we got them out, the poor things didn't know what to do.

Pretty Bear Lake, the big birds' nest, the fixed wall, and cute Breanna
with her Pringles.
We had such a fun time just sitting around and playing games on the days that it was rainy. We tried to go to the caves up there, but they were closed because of the snow. Maybe in about a month we can try again. On Monday it was warmer so we had to get in the water for a second, it was way cold so we got in the hot tub to warm up again. We cleaned everything up on and got ready to head home.

We made a stop in Logan just time to catch the end of my family party. We stayed for about an hour and then headed to Plain City. My parent's planned a last minute BBQ so we could spend more time together before heading back to Salt Lake. It was nice to sit around and talk in the warm weather. We starting talking about how I always like to be on the right side of pictures because it is my better side. Everyone had to try taking pictures after that to see what side was better. All the girls look better on the right. Does anyone else have a side that they like better than the other? Or am I the only one that even notices stuff like that. I don't think I started to notice until I was on my mission and there was always only two people in the pictures. I liked the pictures when I was on the right and hated the ones where I was on the left. haha.

It was a random, nice relaxing weekend just hanging out with family and having a good time!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Arches National Park

Ever since I was a young child I have wanted to go to Arches National Park. I always saw the Delicate Arch on the license plates and wondered how big it actually was. Spencer's dad was joking with me before our trip and said it was about three inches tall and they just make it look bigger in pictures. Then I had to go and see if for myself. We are trying to fit everything in before we go on our trip to Europe. When we come back I will be working full time and it will a little harder to take time off for a trip to Moab.

We got up there late Friday night and had just enough time to climb to the Delicate Arch. We were just sitting and enjoying looking at the arch when I started to hear the people next to us speaking German. I never know if I should talk to them or just let it go. The problem is I like to stare at people and it had got to the point where I had to say something or it would have been awkward. I asked them in English if I could take a picture for them and they had no idea what I said. Spencer decided to try in German and they were so excited. We started talking to them and found that they were from Dresden. They gave us their address and phone number and said they would love to show us around when we are there and we can even stay at their place if we wanted. This seems to be happening a lot lately. I love to hear real German. The wind started to pick up right after we got done talking to them. We had time to take a few pictures and then head back before it got dark.  I am here to tell you that the Delicate Arch is bigger than three inches tall. It was so fun to see because you don't see it until you come around a long corner. Now when I see those license plates I will know what it looks like in real life.






After we made it down the mountain we headed to the cabin to get some sleep. It was so perfect because we didn't have to set up camp. We just walked in and layed down. That is my kind of camping! We were all pretty tired and watched a little Game Show Network before going to bed. The best part was when Christina came in the morning and said it smells like rotten bananas and blueberries in here. We all started laughing because we didn't smell anything, but because she is pregnant she can smell everything.



We got up early the next morning so that we could get a permit for to hike the Fiery Furnace. Then we went back to cabin and ate a quick breakfast before heading out. It ended up being the perfect weather for hiking. It got a little warm towards the end, but the morning and early afternoon were perfect.
Balanced Rock. It is almost as tall as the statue of liberty!



Skeleton Eyes Arch

The Turtles Arch
Now this is a funny story. We were in the Fiery Furnace and Spencer wanted to take a picture in one of the caves that was right by a big ledge. We decided that it would be too dark so he was trying to get the camera to go back in the case but it was getting stuck on something. He ended up dropping it and it fell down a 20 foot cliff that was it a small crevice that was in between two rocks. The next thing I knew he was in that crevice trying to get the camera, but it was out of his reach. The only things we had to work with were: Spencer's belt, medical tape, and dead sticks that weren't very long. The only way that we could get it out was to push it along a 30 foot long crack in the rocks. We pushed it as far as we could with the stick and had to come up with something else.

Right about this time the ranger walked by with the guided tour and told us that we can't gather sticks and we can't put tape on the sticks and that we should just give up because we weren't going to get it. Our camera was gone. That is when I lost all my hope. He was no help at all and all the people with him looked at us that we were crazy, except for the one guy that was willing to send his seven year old son down there to get it. haha. We weren't giving up! We had a new idea to used the tape as a rope and made the belt into a chaise (I think that is what Jason called it?), which is just a hole that we could hook the camera in and pull it down farther. Spencer hooked the camera in the belt with his stick and we all went silent. Spencer's whole body was asleep by this time from being in the crack and he was sinking deeper and deeper. He was not coming out of there until we had the camera in our hands. This was our last chance! Jason pull it slowly until he got to a hat that was also stuck in the crack and pull as hard as he could to make it over the top. We did it!!

Then Christina took as shorter stick and got it out the other side. It was truly a miracle. We would have lost all our pictures from the time that we got our new camera in Feburary. I need to be better about taking them off so that doesn't happen again. All that Christina said was mission accoplished and I am starving! Then Spencer said this to the ranger, he said no and we said yes. It was so funny because he was being a bully, but in a nice way. He wanted to run and catch up with him just to tell him that we got it. The camera wouldn't turn on when we finally got it. I think there was a lot of sand that was stopping the lens from opening. It is getting fixed right now and hopefully we will get it back in time for our trip to Europe. It was a success either way because we were able to get our pictures back. It was well worth the hour that we spend looking down that crack! That is the story of the Fiery Furnance, the crazy maze that I thought we were never going to get out of, that turned into a miracle of getting our camera back.
The amazing taped stick. We had to tape four of them together to
make it long enough. This is the only picture that we got because
 the camera was in the crack and everyone was so focus on getting
it out!


There is even construction in the mountains. What?
We needed a break and decided to head over by Landscape Arch to see if we could find some shade. We were lucky and found a table in the shade! This day doesn't get much better. We were talking about it after and here are the lucky things that we came up with:  we got the last cabin so we had a place to stay, met Germans, it was really dusty when we were driving up and cleared out just in time for us to hike Delicate Arch, got the last table to eat lunch and it was even in the shade, we made it out of the Fiery Furnace (no one else did that started with us), and we were able to get our camera out. I think we were just meant to go to Moab this weekend. 
Double Arch 



Landscape Arch. This one is as long as a football field. Then the Parade of
Elephants. 
We had such a good trip with Jason and Christina. They will be moving in a couple months so we are trying to spend as much time as we can with them before they leave. Christina even did all the hikes without even complaining. I would have been done after the first hike if I was pregnant. We figured it out that we hike about 10 miles if you add all the hikes together. That is a lot of hiking!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

This Will Never Happen Again!

So there I was enjoying a normal Wednesday night. I had just taught my tumbling class and was on my way to the gym to do a step aerobics class. I love step and I think it is one of the best workouts for me. I leave sweaty and not able to take one more step every time I go. All of a sudden Spencer shows up in his church clothes and said we have to go. He honestly sounded like someone had died! I said where are we going? We had forgotten about a wedding dinner that was starting in 10 minutes and it was downtown. He hates being late and told me we had to leave right then. I said I am going to finish this song and then we can leave. He was not happy about that and stood at the back of the room looking at me like COME ON! I finished the song anyway and we were off. Spencer tried to bring me clothes and ended up thinking my scarfs were skirts and all he brought were winter tops and a lacy top with no undershirt. Don't worry it was only like 80 degrees outside. Luckily I had one pair of black pants on the same hanger as the scarfs. I attempted to put on my clothes with my workout tank top and my bight purple bra. We finally got to the conference center and had to run all the way to the Lion House. By the time we got there I was a big sweaty mess! We got there just as the second person was starting to talk and I was trying to fan myself with the fabric napkin. Oh yeah I forgot to mention, Spencer's friend Joel was with us. I don't think he will ever want to come with us again. We had a good dinner and a fun time catching up with friends. I will never let something like this happen again! It was not fun at the time, but it has turned out to be a really funny story and something that we will be talking about for a long time.

We for sure didn't forget about the wedding the next day and got there a half hour early. It was such a perfect day for a wedding. We are so happy for David and his new wife Kristin. They are such a cute couple and are so fun to be around.



After the wedding we headed to Siegfried's for some lunch. I love German food so much and can barely wait 15 days so I can have German food in Germany! Then we took a short trip to Ikea so Joel could buy a wedding and the Clawsons need a rug for their new place.

As a bonus for the long day, we met a girl from Berlin, Germany at the wedding. She is here on a student exchange for three weeks and just happened to be staying with the photographer.

After all the craziness I came home to find these on the counter. This made up for all that I had to go through for this wedding. Spencer had gone and brought me some of my favorite flowers. He is so sweet sometimes and know exactly what to do to make me in a better mood.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

This weekend was all about Mother's Day. We started out by going to Park City to visit Grandma and Grandpa Hafer. We just relaxed on Friday night and went to bed early. We woke up the next morning and relaxed again and talked in bed for a few hours. We had a great breakfast and made it outside just in time to see two moose run by the cabin. They were so big and pretty! Everyone told me this is the time of year to see them. I haven't seen one since I was a little kid and it was hidden behind some trees so I couldn't even see it all the way. Then we went on a fun four wheeler ride to the top of the mountain with all the siblings.




Then it was time to head back to the cabin for some lunch and relaxation on the deck with the rest of the family. This is Ryan just chillin' and enjoying the sun. It was such a pretty day and it was the perfect temperature.



We left Park City and headed straight to Ogden. We had planned to go shopping with Whitney to get the last couple of things that we needed for our trip. Only three more weeks until we leave!! We had a fun time and lost track of time and had to rush around to find a purse that will work to hold our passports and other important things so we don't always have to carry a big bag around. We found one at American Eagle and we were on our way to Plain City. We were only a half hour late after stopping at crazy Costco for some cookies. Note to self, never go to Costco on a Saturday right before closing to get one item. We had a small dinner with my family. It was fun to sit and talk for a few hours after. Dean was on a roll with all of his funny stories about his childhood. We got on the topic on how he grew up in a one bedroom house and had three girls in one bed and three boys in another bed in the same room. Can you imagine six people in one room? Anyway we were wondering if that is why he is so small. Everyone in our group that lived in a small house was shorter. It is like a fish in a fish bowl, it can only grow as big as its container. haha.

On Sunday we were also able to visit Spencer's mom and talk to Spencer's brother, Trevor, who is on a mission in Ecuador. He is loving his mission and working hard everyday. He made the things about living in a third world sound like they weren't big deal. It is just part of the experience and he is loving it. Eating rice every meal, sweating all day long, eating fish that looks like it came right out of the ocean bones and all, carrying beer for an old lady, and the streets flooding when it rains really hard. He has such a positive attitude that just makes you want to be a better person.

Happy Mother's Day everyone, especially my Mom, Mother-in-law, and Grandmas. I hope you all enjoyed your day as much as I did. I am so grateful to have you all in my life. You are all such great examples to me.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Weekend in Logan

Warning...... This is going to be a very long post! I have been taking a lot of pictures lately because I love Instragram so much and I always have a camera with me. Spencer's brother Jason graduated this last week from the University of Utah. Him and his wife will be moving in July to start medical school in Colorado. We are very excited for them both. After the graduation we went to Cowboy Grub for some dinner. This is what Spencer got for dessert. Does anyone remember eating a cup of dirt as a child? There is something about it that make pudding so much more fun to eat.

On Friday we headed up to Logan a day earlier for Heidi's graduation so we could hang out with some friends. We decided to go hit a bucket of ball at Logan River Golf Course. I feel like I am getting better at golf, but we will have to see next time we play a full round of golf. After golfing we went to The White Owl to get some dinner. They have the best hamburgers and I am pretty sure we were the only people in the place that weren't drinking. Then we finished the night with a movie called U-571.  I fell asleep during what I am told is the most important part so Spencer had to explain everything to me when we got home. Why does this happen to me every time? Here is a nice picture of the boys practicing their chipping. 

Spencer and I
Brian, Heidi, and Scott got home pretty late from the Blaze game in Salt Lake. Don't worry we still made time to sit around and talk until 1:00am. We decided to get to bed so we could go on a hike early the next morning. We found a trail with the oldest tree in Utah called Jardine Jupiter. There are no short hike in Logan in case anyone is looking for one. They all are at least seven miles or more. This one happened to be 10.5. It wasn't too bad of a trail, but it had rained the night before so there was a lot of mud on the trail. We all had a really good time and enjoyed the crisp morning. Just don't ask how we felt after the hike, it might just show you how old we are getting.
Muddy Shoes


crossing the river was an obstacle all in itself




The trail marker to know which way to go. I guess it is
bad luck to knock one of these down.

just a cool tree at the top of the trail





This was a boring picture so I told Spencer to do something exciting.
Guess what he did? Splashed me with water right in my face, and this
just isn't normal water! It got in my eye and hurt way bad! I guess I got
what I wanted, a cute picture. I guess I need to be more specific next time.



After the hike we headed to lunch with my parents for Heidi's graduation. We were a little late getting there and were all muddy, but it ended up not being a big deal it was just nice to sit down. We were all so hungry so everything tasted so good! I got a grape soda with fresh limes, this is what I like to call grapeasaurus. That is what one of my friend's dad would call it growing up and it has just stuck with me ever since.

After lunch we all headed home to clean up and head up to the graduation. It was fun to see Heidi get her diploma and graduate from Utah State. She already has three job offering in Utah and Arizona. I think they will be moving to Arizona in July so we have to do a lot before they leave. The good news is they will be living next to Lindsey. That means that when I go and visit and I can see both of them, 2 for 1!



Spencer and his little buddy Cole. They share the same birthday and
that has connected them from the beginning. He always asked when
can we go and see Cole again and Cole wouldn't leave his side once we got
to their house. They were almost twins at the graduation so we had to take
their picture together.


After the graduation we headed to Christy's house for a BBQ and fire in celebration of Heidi graduating. We had hamburgers and hot dogs with salads and chips. Tammy and her family also came so it was so fun to see everyone again. It was a little cold, but with the help of the fire it was fun to sit and talk while we roasted marshmallows and ate smores. 

It was another busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun! Congrats again Heidi on your graduation!