Fishing with Grandpa Stobbe

Ryan and Shan got to go fishing at Strawberry Reservoir with Grandpa Stobbe and my uncle John.

Shan caught a crawdad with a worm and that thing refused to let go of the bait. Ryan thought it was hilarious.

Not even a heart attack can keep Grandpa from fishing. He's such a trooper.

Sundance to Stewart Falls

We took the Sundance tram up the hill and then hiked to Stewart Falls. The kids did really great! We ate lunch at the top and got cooled off in the mist of the falls.

Emma's stuffed dog, "Puffy," hiked with us the whole way...

Madeline loved this tiny caterpillar.

" I've arrived."

The whole gang at the falls.

From the trail:

"It's just sooo pretty!"

"This is fun."

"Look at that huge tree."

"I'm the trail guide... follow me!"

"A heart rock!"

"I'm hot."

"This is hard."

"I hear water... Listen!"

"A bumblebee!"

"A caterpillar!"

"Eeeek! A snake!"

"I want to go to the top!"

"We made it!"

"Woah... we're up high."

"Mom, I love you a million, googolplex, forever, infinity, period, period, period."

On the good/better/best list, Shan and I agree that family hiking is on the best.

So much to be grateful for...

So Shan had been in Washington D.C. for a month-long Contracting Course. I decided enough was enough so I went to visit him for a few days and we were able to have fun together and catch up with lots of old friends. (Thanks mom and Jen for taking the little ones!)

The first day at Ft. Belvoir, I was able to veg by the edge of the Officer's Club pool, overlooking the Potomac River. I happened to look up and see a bald eagle soaring in circles above us. All on the 4th of July weekend... what?!

There is nothing like being in D.C. for the 4th of July weekend. After seeing the monuments at night for the first time, and touring the Holocaust Museum with a dear friend, my heart was full. I was really humbled and grateful. Our Nation is so amazing, and no one can ever tell me otherwise. If you need a reminder, just study a little American History.

Friends Barr and Marci were fantastic dinner hosts and showed us the town. Thanks guys!

Then, we were able to drive down to my favorite place on earth, (North Carolina) and spend some time with dear friends. Rebecca is a sister to me.

And if that weren't enough to fill me to the brim, we were also able to spend an evening with more dear friends, Jennifer and Brandon, and their darling family. Jenn and I spent the next day touring the Holocaust Museum, eating at the most amazing restaurant, Founding Farmers, and taking in Iwo Jima. It was such a wonderful time, and I am still thinking about it.

Jenn and I were next-door neighbors at Ft. Bragg during our very first military experience. I had no idea the Lord would put such a lovely person right next to me, but we are lifelong friends because of it. She's helped me through deployments, kidney stones, and even watched the two older kids in the middle of the night when I was in labor. And she is the best cook on earth, so I always know where to go for a good recipe.

And these are her two little darlings, James and Lily. They stole my heart.

Kennecott Copper Mine

You can't live in Utah and not experience Kennecott Copper Mine. The place is totally amazing! It is 2 1/2 miles wide at the top and visible from Space!My sister, Jen convinced us to go and after a few mishaps in the day, we finally made it! The kids thought the huge tire was amazing. Each of their trucks uses 6 of them; they cost $10,000 each and only last a year.The overlook was windy, windy, windy. In fact the wind blew so hard, the power went out in the Visitor's Center and they made us go home before we could watch the video! But then we got to hang out in Jen's van and eat Oreos so it was a good thing in the end:)

All of those ridges carved into the sides of the mine are the roads that the trucks drive up and down.

The Bearded Lady

It's our very own circus around here.