Teenage Mutant Ninja Earwigs...

(internet photo)
...have invaded our acre! Madi is sure one of them was 2" long! They are pouring out of the ground when weeds are pulled, they are hiding in our laundry baskets, they jump out at us when we least expect it. They hang from the ceiling and fall on us when we walk under them. We took some of them to Cascade with us--they were stow-aways in an open hamburger bun bag.

They are immune to the poison
John bought to spread around our house...

h e l p !

(internet artwork)
(makes all of you want
to come visit, huh?)

On their way through...

We had some visitors and kind of a little reunion here on Thursday. Terri McCarrey (from Boise) and Carrie Garner (from Rexburg) came to lunch. Terri was on her way to Mack's Inn to pick up her son Jared and his friend William from the Powell's cabin. She brought her daughter Jessica, and Carrie brought her daughter Cammie (who both are Taylor's age). She also brought her son Justin--(who did his best to survive all of these girls!). It was great fun!

Terri stopped back by on her way home last night for a popcicle and a bathroom break. We got to visit with Jared and Will. It was kind of like being back in Boise...
...which we will be visiting next week.

She's IN!

Some of you may not know, but we have been waiting and praying, and waiting and praying some more, to see if Bethany would be accepted to BYU-I. You see, BYU and BYU-I do not like students to transfer back and forth between them, and have made it quite difficult.

Especially if a student has a lot of credits.

Like Bethany.

So when she applied to transfer, she was
DENIED ADMISSION.
"Give someone else a chance"
was basically the answer she received.

Since it is rare for the admissions committee to change its mind, it has been quite a waiting game we have been playing. But with a very helpful "angel" here on earth that worked hard for her interests at this university,
she has finally been accepted.
Now she has the next few years of her life mapped out and a new plan.

We owe our Father in Heaven,
and that very special "angel" a big
thank you
--and maybe a huge ice cream cake for our "angel",
or something else with a great excess of sugar.
(We've found this to be a weakness of his!)

She starts here this fall as a world dance major;
she is on the fall/winter track.

By the way, I have been admitted as well. I will be on the winter/spring track. And, no, I don't really know what I am doing yet--I just know that it is time to finish up something I started a couple of decades ago. I am looking forward to meeting with an advisor/counselor and looking at my options...

Our Father's Day Weekend...

It's been a little rainy around here this June, but at least it hasn't been snowy (last year it snowed on June 12th!). On Friday we had the privilege of attending Brady Powell's wedding at the Rexburg Temple,

(internet photo)

and spending a little time with the Powell family and the Rogalsky's at his wedding luncheon. We sure miss our 14th ward family in Boise!

The precipitation has slowed down the last couple of days, so on Saturday we ventured out with our mountain bikes to Harriman Ranch in Island Park...

Stopping for lunch at Swan Lake (wildlife refuge) John had the camera on Saturday...Pretty impressive, huh?

Betcha didn't know he had such an "artsy" eye!

After church and a barbeque with all the kids this afternoon, John and I headed out on a Sunday drive to Cave Falls. It is just inside Yellowstone Park in the Bechler region. The entrance is just north of Ashton, on the southern border of the park. We can't get the kids to go on our Sunday drives with us. Boy, are they missing out!

Can't go without part of my
Yellowstone Park book collection...

Cave Falls middle plunge is about
15 ft high and 250 ft wide!

Can you believe that this is just
a little over an hour from our house?

Then the dark clouds start to roll in...

...and we're in the truck,
just in time to keep our rain gear dry!

Sunday drives are the best!

It's today!!! Stampede Days is here...

We passed out flyers,

tossed Tootsie Rolls,

and had mini"solo" performances along the parade route.

Then we had a final, last "hurrah!" performance
in front of Broulim's---

in the rain,

next to the hot dog stand.

Bethany was our Stampede guest performer--

she did a flamenco number,
Irish hard shoe,
and an Indian medley where
she wore bells around her ankles.

Madi did a "Numa, Numa" solo (Thanks Laura--this is all of my other clogger's favorite dance to watch; they get so excited when it is in the performance order!)

We had to squeegee the floor several times, and mop up water with towels, but all went well!

Our first dance season is officially over!

Getting ready for Stampede Days...

This weekend is

Jefferson County Stampede Days.
For Rigby, this is a pretty big deal. The celebration surrounds a rodeo that has been happening since 1928. It was originally held in Lewisville to help raise money to build a new LDS church building.
In 1939 it moved to Rigby.

Along with the rodeo, there is a parade and a celebration with booths and entertainment in the park.

Last May, I decided to start advertising to gather students for a clogging team. I tried to pick a name that would be a little different from other clogging studios in Idaho/Utah. John and I love Yellowstone Park. We now live less than 100 miles from it. So that's where the first part of the name came from.

The "clogging company" part is obvious. I didn't want to disguise what kind of dance group we are.

The last part came about because I wanted kind of a theme name. Gem Cloggers use words to name there teams like "rubies" and "diamonds." So I picked "Stampede."

Yellowstone Clogging Company STAMPEDE! or
"Yellowstone Stampede" for short.

Now I have groups called
"Stampede Rumble" and
"Stampede Thunder" and
"Stampede Storm."
I kind of like it.

So I sent out flyers in early in May. Soon after, I drove into Rigby and saw signs on all of the lamp posts in town, advertising an event I had never heard of before, and my new clogging team name--STAMPEDE DAYS!

Well, if your clogging group is called Yellowstone Stampede, it is necessary or almost required that your dancers are a part of the whole thing--don't you think. I made up my mind then and there that we would be part of Stampede Days the next time it happened. And here we are getting ready.

Much can happen in one short year...

PS--Laura, if it were not for you, none of this would be. Thank you for sharing your talent with the girls and I. Now there are new cloggers in eastern Idaho benefiting from you as well!
And, last but not least,
I finished ALVOR
(over a week ago,
sorry so slow to post),
and I LOVED it!!!
Keep working on #2...

Yay!

I finally received our copies of Alvor...

I think my weeding can wait a couple of hours...

Windhaven Fields (aka Woodhaven Creek)...

I have always resented the names of subdivisions. To me they are all totally ridiculous. Who makes them up anyway? Why do they even have to have names?

In Boise, our subdivision was called
"Annett Subdivision."
Now this is a practical name--all of the streets in the sub were off of Annett street. Now this makes sense to me.

Today some guys came and put up new signs outside the entrances to our subdivision. We live in
(drum roll please.......)
Woodhaven Creek Estates!
Now let me tell you a little bit about this place:

1. There is not a tree over 3' tall in the whole neighborhood. NO WOOD!
2. Creek? No, i-r-r-i-g-a-t-i-o-n ditch (not even a pretty irrigation ditch).
3. The word "estate" conjures up images of beautifully manicured lawns. When I look out the window, to the west I see AN ACRE OF DANDELIONS. To the east I see AN ACRE OF DANDELIONS. To the northwest ANOTHER ACRE OF DANDELIONS. There is a little alfalfa mixed in.

So, Taylor and I have come up with a new name for our new neighborhood. It is
WINDHAVEN FIELDS.
Actually, Taylor wants to call it
Windhaven Ditch,
but I prefer Windhaven Fields. It is a little more catchy. And the new name fits in perfectly with some of the other subdivision names in our ward boundaries (Windemere, West Wind). You have probably noticed a "wind" theme by now. Come visit us sometime and find out why first hand!

If you're going to name a place, why not do it right?

All before 7:15am...

Taylor, Bethany and I (Madi says she can't join us because it would be way too easy for her--although she was aching head to toe yesterday from playing ultimate frisbee Saturday) have been trying to get up before school and exercise. We are doing a program Bethany found called "Couch to 5K", which starts out really slow and works you up to 3 miles. If we get up 3 days a week and do it, we reward ourselves with a "healthy" treat (I think we are going for fruit smoothies).
This morning during our workout we went all the way down to the ditch bank at the back of our neighborhood, and what did we find? You guessed it--asparagus!

So I finished my little run with an asparagus torch, just like a real olympian. I even got to the stop sign first. "Couch to 5K with asparagus"--I think it might become the new, popular thing to do...

Happy Late Birthday to my little brother!

Yesterday was my brother Parley's 38th birthday! Since our family was returning from a weekend jaunt in Yellowstone of animal-watching
(I will post a slide show asap),

I didn't get to this until today.

Thirty-eight years ago on Mother's Day, I woke up early in the morning to give my mom the present I had made for her at kindergarten. I wandered through the kitchen to the bathroom where she always did her hair before church. To my surprise, I found my grandma in there instead of my mom.
She told me that my mom was at the hospital and that I had a new baby brother.

She took us (Natalie, Nathan, and me) to her house and we went to her church that day. In my Sunday school class we made cards for our mothers. But I didn't see my mom for a couple more days.Parley--I think about 2 mos. old

My dad brought her and my new brother to come pick us up at Grandma's.
This was the first time I met him. I wanted to post the picture of me holding him on that day, but I guess I don't have a copy of it. I took that picture to school with me for show and tell.

He has always been a pretty cool brother. And now he is a really cool dad. With 5 kids (including 4 year old twins), a new business, and a house that needs siding, he keeps himself plenty busy. But I can call him any time, and he'll help me out best he can. I miss him a lot since we've moved away.
Happy Birthday Parley!
I love you!