New Adventures in Indiana

This past week we have been in Indiana visiting Brian's family.  We've spent a couple days with his brother in Indianapolis and then a few days with his mom in Madison.  While in Indy, we were able to go to the zoo.  The weather was perfect and we couldn't believe the experiences we were able to have.  We were able to pet sharks, and African elephants. We were also inches from giraffes being fed.  To top all of that off, we also saw a cool dolphin show.  It was really exciting!  

Yesterday was another day of firsts for me.  It was the first time that I have shot a gun. I hit 2 of 3 targets in my first 3 shots!  It was actually more fun than I thought it would be, especially because the pellet guns didn't kick back.  Last night we were also able to enjoy some great fireworks set off mostly by Brian and his brother.  Some of them were so great that they should have been in a professional fireworks show.  

We still have another week or so before we go home. Some of that time will be spent in Cincinnati for our 1 year Anniversary!  

New furniture!!

This week hasn't been too eventful.  I spent a lot of time getting my classroom ready for school to start.  I will only have about a week or so after we get back from Indiana until school starts.  Brian even helped me put up a bulletin board.  I will post pictures of my classroom when it is finished.  

Anyway, Friday night we found out about a big sale at IKEA on the furniture that we have been wanting.  It was a Saturday only sale so we had to do some rescheduling to be able to go.  I was going to my brother's fiance's bridal shower in Logan on Saturday morning so we had to figure out how I would be able to do both. We both ended up driving there so that we could be there when they opened.   It was like Black Friday sales.  There was already a big line forming, which got bigger the longer we waited.  At this point I was getting worried that we may not be able to get all of the pieces that we wanted (side table, tv stand, and another bookcase to match our current one.) We were able to get everything we wanted, at miraculously enough, it all fit in Brian's car.   

After our shopping adventure, Brian headed back home, while I headed to Logan for the shower.  At this point it was way earlier than I had planned on leaving.  I took my time driving, stopping at a couple stores on the way.  This ended up being a nightmare drive.  Every time I exited the freeway, it was the wrong exit for the store I wanted.  This happened a few times. I was really frustrated.  I even took the wrong exit to Logan and had to back track.  I thought I would be about an hour or so early for the shower, but with all of my wrong turns, I ended up being right on time.  The shower was fun, it's always nice to get together, and to get to know Kirstie better.  

After a long drive back home, I found our furniture built.  Brian was putting the finishing touches on the t.v. stand.  It was so great to come home and have them built, so we could move them to their places.  We love this funiture, especially the tv stand.  It is so nice, and sturdy. It even has enough room for our nintendo and movies, with room to spare.  The only problem now, is that our old, fat tv looks out of place.  One day we'll get a nice flat screen tv and we will have the perfect place for it!

Island Park/Yellowstone Adventure

We have spent the past week with my family in Island Park, Idaho.  We stayed in a big house that is only called a cabin because it is made of logs.  It had incredible woodwork, especially on the spiral staircase which turned out to be unpractical because the stairs were so small (you had to go down sideways to fit your foot on the step).  We enjoyed our time there lounging on the hammock, hanging out in the hot tub, and eating starbursts roasted over the fire.  

We went to Johnny Sack's cabin which is an old cabin made entirely by hand tools.  We also spent a day in Yellowstone, which turned out to be a lot of driving, but it was fun showing the unique hot pots to Brian.  Unfortunately we didn't see the elusive bear or moose on the trip (the two animals I most wanted to see).  We did, however, see bison, elk, coyote, and a bald eagle.  We waited about 45 minutes in traffic to see the bald eagle.  Of course we had no idea what was holding us up.  Then we finally passed a sign that said something about bald eagles and told us not to stop.  Being Yellowstone, people don't follow signs or directions about wildlife, so every car had to stop to take a picture.  Not wanting to hold up traffic anymore, I snapped a picture as we drove by.  

One of my favorite activities on this vacation was when we went out canoeing.  Brian and I shared a canoe, which worked out really well once I got the hang of steering.  It was a 5 mile trip which took us about 1 and a half hours.  It was a lot of fun to be surrounded by nature, with no view of streets, cars, or houses.  

It was a fun vacation, full of memories we will have forever.  We are glad we were able to go.

Christmas in July???

What started out as a fairly typical, overcast 4th of July barbeque, quickly changed. We were all out in the backyard playing games and eating dinner when it started to get cloudy.  Once I was finished eating, I felt a few raindrops on my head so I went inside.  Shortly thereafter the heavens exploded in a fury of ice-balls.  It was coming down so hard that the streets soon turned into rivers, and the deck was covered in dime-sized hail.  It continued to come down for about 10 minutes straight.  When it was over we went out to check the damage.  The tent we have been sleeping in had leaked and water was all over the floor, drenching the part of the blanket that had fallen there.  The temperature had dropped so much that I needed a blanket and a sweater to even attempt to stay warm while watching the fireworks.  Needless to say, this was a holiday to remember, it's just strange that it happened on what is usually the hottest holiday of the year.

p.s. the Hawaiian-themed outfit was created after eating sorbet from coconut shells.  We decided we needed to put these to use; and what better than a coconut bra? It was intended for my brother, but Brian thought I needed to try it out.