Catch-up Time- A Few of Our Trips

We've been able to be on several trips this past year. As previously posted, we visited West Yellowstone three times during the summer. We also made a some other trips throughout the summer and fall. Thank goodness for work trips or we would have stayed closer to home and not ventured to other locations. Here are quick updates of a few of the other trips we've made recently:

A quick one-day trip for JaNae to SLC for her friend Natalie's wedding reception.

A trip to SLC for my former choir's 60th Anniversary concert.

(Teaching Shayla how to tie a tie.)

Another Utah trip for a Family July 4th Fireworks Show!

And the community Fireworks Show:

Ok, so maybe these were the neighbor's illegal fireworks right next to Lynette's house.

Walking his neighborhood with Tate.

One trip to West Yellowstone we stayed at Mack's Inn. This was our cabin:

The shower in our cabin was so small I barely fit in it!

Proof we were both at Yellowstone Park. (Firehole Falls)

Blackfoot, Idaho for the Southeast Idaho State Fair:

That's one HUGE pumpkin!

That's one HUGE rabbit!

(The killer rabbit from Monty Pyton's Holy Grail.)

.

That's one AMAZING cake!

(Even the mouse was edible!)

Back to Utah for Grandpa's 93rd Birthday celebration.

Not just Grandpa's birthday but The Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Center Theater in West Valley City with Amanda and Sid. Tickets were purchased in April as part of my birthday but the show wasn't until September. Talk about a birthday year for me!

Catch-up Time-Graduation & West Yellowstone

The 2008-2009 school year was Sid's senior year. He is now an alumni of Highland High School here in Pocatello! Here are a few photo shots of some senior year highlights we were permitted to attend.

National Honors Society Graduation

Seminary Graduation

Heading up to get his diploma...

It's official, Sid's now a Highland High School Graduate!

A recent graduate but one who gets some humbling from his cousins.

Sid did win out over both of them...

In addition to Sid's graduation, we had a couple trips to Yellowstone to visit Amanda. She spent the summer as a Playmill Player which was a dream come true for her! She was in The Secret Garden, and Footloose and a huge support during Guys and Dolls nights. A few highlights from our trips to Montana:

The sun was painting amazing colors in the sky!

An elk strolling down the road.

Doing his best imitation of a bear...

Amanda kissing a little behind. (hee hee)

Think he's getting tired (pun intended) of visiting Yellowstone?

Trying to get the license plate to see where it was from for the license plate game. Oops!

A momma and her baby. She shielded her baby from us as they passed by our car.

The "Playmill Mansion." It's where all the single members of the Playmill cast stayed for the summer. Girls on the top floor and boys on the main floor.

The Amazing and Fabulous Amanda performing on the Playmill Stage during the pre-show. She was the best female Playmill Player ever!

A must see in Yellowstone...Old Faithful

On our first trip to Yellowstone in May we were able to see some more uncommon animals. Ones you know live in the Park but don't always get to see...

A coyote digging in the snow for some food.

A bear strolling along not far from the road. They are often seen, just usually farther away.

Mountain Goats. They were down in Lamar Valley grazing among the buffalo.

They are almost always up on the mountainside and are the same ones with the really long hair.

We also saw big horn sheep but they were such a distance away I knew I'd never be able to get a picture of them.

Three wolves eating their kill.

We'd driven by this on our way into the park and there was an elk on the island separated from the herd. A crowd had gathered to watch the 2 wolves on the shore stalking the elk. 5-6 hours later we were heading out of the park and we discovered that a third wolf had come and the three swam out and took down the elk just minutes before we arrived. This is nature live and not PBS or Animal Channel!

Why oh why?

Why is my video post button missing?!

Say What?!

Dan is an early bird and I am more of a night owl. Not really a big issue but it does make for some funny situations at times.

There have been a several times when Dan when I have been reading in bed or on the phone so I end up getting into bed after Dan's fallen asleep. We'd not been married a month when I discovered that I can converse with Dan after he's been asleep awhile and he will have no memory of it.

The first time this happened Dan had been asleep and when I came into the room Dan opened his eyes wide and looked completely terrified. It concerned me and I did what I could to comfort him. (Now, this was my first encounter with this type of situation with Dan so I was pretty nervous by his sudden look of terror.) I asked him if he was ok and he said he was. Then he looked at the clock and asked me why I was getting up. I said that I wasn't getting up but coming to bed. To that he replied, "That's a good idea." then shut his eyes and was back to sleep. By then I began to giggle and laugh realizing that he probably wouldn't remember the conversation in the morning.

Well, last week it happened again. I was in bed reading and had just turned out the light to go to sleep. Dan had been asleep for a few minutes and immediately after the light clicked off the conversation was as follows:

D: What happened?
J: What do you mean?
D: Why is it so dark in here?
J: I just turned out the light. (cue the giggles)
D: Oh, ok.
D: China.
J: China?
D: Yeah China.
J: What are do you mean, China?

My last question was met with silence. Dan returned to sleep, or continued whichever is most accurate.

When mentioning these conversations to Dan the following morning he had no memory of the chat from the night before. He truly keeps me laughing even when he's fast asleep.

Catch-up Time-Performances

Since I've we've moved our blog here, I thought I'd do a quick update, with pictures, on the happenings within our family. Much has occurred over the last several months and I'll do my best to keep this brief. A few of the items will require their own post and I'll get those here too. Here goes:

As may have been previously mentioned, I married into a theatrical family. It's been fun to attend the various auditions and performances of this talented family.

Sid as "Athos" in The Three Musketeers Fall 2008 Highland High School.

(The wig didn't stay for the costume and stiches were added to his eyebrow after his last performance.)

Amanda and Sid after their Playmill Auditions February 14, 2009.

Sid and some friends had a band called the Ice Cold Crickets. This is from their first paid gig at the Pocatello Mall April 18, 2009.

Amanda as "Hannah" at dress rehearsal for Power in His Touch Spring 2009.

(Dan and I produced the non-denominational Easter musical Power in His Touch, by Colette Call. Dan also directed the show. We did 2 performances in 1 day and received great comments from the audience members. Several months later, we are still receiving compliments from audience members! A very amazing experience.)

The cast of Power in His Touch backstage between performances April 18, 2009.

Sid in the Pocatello July 24th parade promoting his role as "Iago" in Disney's Aladdin Jr. which he performed most nights during Summer 2009 at the Mystique Theater here in Pocatello.

Amanda as Playmill Player this summer.

She spent May-September 2009 living and working in West Yellowstone, MT. She was in Footloose and The Secret Garden. This is a shot from the pre-show at the Playmill. The girls are singing "Happy Occasion" to one of the audience members who had his birthday that day.

If I can get it to post, but blogger's not giving me the option right now, I have a video to post of Amanda signing Happy Occasion to a college-aged audience member. His reaction was hilarious! As soon as the option returns, or I can find it, I'll get it posted.

So that I don't leave this update sitting in my drafts forever, or make it too long and boring. I'll go ahead and end here for now....More to come....

Get the Hint?

Signing it "Sealey" would work too.

I must say that Dan successfully figured out what he needed to do.