Sunday, July 31, 2011

Conley Family River Trip 2011

Well we survived the family river trip and it proved to be just as grand as ever. We lounged outside all week and caught up on much needed family time. The week was packed with swimming, boating, fishing, reading, eating, visiting, laughing, rafting, paddle boarding, volleyball, floating down river, ping-pong, and we even managed to make a music video. This trip was a wonderful getaway from everyday life and another opportunity for Jess and I to soak up every last bit of summer before fall rolls around again and we are back to the grind of working and school.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Pioneer Weekend

This weekend has been jam packed with fun. Friday we had a family BBQ for the Pulsiphers complete with steak, ribs, and fireworks. Saturday we spent the day at the Provo and Spanish Fork farmers markets. We enjoyed the old car shows, ate tacos, Thai food, fresh cherries, and flavored honey sticks. I've decided that some of the tastiest meals are right from the local farmers markets. Sunday was a great day at church and then we had dinner with Kyle and Collette where Jesse made his famous hot wings for dinner. I'm always surprised at how many wings those boys can eat. Today Jesse has the day off from school so we took advantage and slept in and now we are going to venture out into the warm weather.
Nothing better than fresh cherries on a summer day
This week will prove to be filled with scorching hot weather and lots of family togetherness. We are cleaning and packing the next two days to prepare to hit-the-road Wednesday afternoon. We are so excited to be river bound.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Uninspired

I'm drawing a blank and feeling uninspired to blog lately, but since I use it as my journal I force myself to not get out of the habit of writing. Lately I've been busy with errands everyday and getting my substitute teaching applications in. Jesse is busy with school and exercising, and then we usually do something outdoors a couple times a week together at the end of the day. I can honestly look back on this summer and feel that we fully took advantage of the outdoors, hot weather, beautiful scenery, and endless canyons. We all know I'm not a fan of Utah, but the summers here are gorgeous and everything looks like a painting and it ALMOST makes it worth living here. I'd love to live in a state that is this gorgeous, but isn't land-locked.

A stroll along the mountains we took one evening
Our hike to Battle-Creek Falls

Saturday, July 16, 2011

BIG Mistake

Biggest mistake of my life: going to see the last Harry Potter movie with my husband who is a Harry Potter fanatic. Granted, his emotions were running high with the excitement of this movie and the overall depression that it is the end of an era with the Harry Potter series, but still....yelling at your wife in the middle of the movie because I was asking too many questions and calling me a poser the whole night because I have only seen the movies and not read the books...that's going a little overboard. After the movie Jesse asked me what my favorite part was and I sat there silently because I knew what it was but I didn't want to say. Jesse says," Oh gosh! It was when Ron and Hermine kissed isn't it?" Ok so it totally was, but I don't think that's grounds for my husband looking at me like I missed the whole point of the movie and in doing so fully disgust him. Come on!

Disclaimer: I was laughing in my head about all of these events as they were occurring and Jess did apologize after his adrenaline from the movie lowered.

Now we are off to lunch and the pool with Kira (she is also a HP fanatic) and I'm sure I will be treated as an outcast once again because I'm not a "true fan" and haven't "been there since the beginning". My only defense is that I vow to read the Harry Potter series with my children one day.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Weekly Highlights

This week has been filled with highlights and it ain't over yet! Loved and looking forward to:

1. The hubs and I went to the Mount Timpanogos temple to do sealings. I hadn't done sealings since our wedding day and I honestly got choked up as the memories of our sealing came flooding back.
2. I finally went and got a massage with the gift card Jesse got me for our anniversary and man was it HEAVENLY. My masseuse, Gary, gave me the best massage I've ever had and he served his mission in the same one Jesse did (only 25 years before Jesse). It's a small world!
3. Date night tonight!!! We are gonna grab some food and head over to the Harry Potter premiere. Hopefully the movie lives up to Jesse's standards and gives him closure. I think he is a little bummed that his life of reading Harry Potter books and watching the movies is ending.
4. Cousin Emma comes tomorrow and we are gonna show her a good time since there is such a myriad of things to do in Provo (sarcastic...I think so!)
5. Jesse and I came to an executive decision to roadtrip-it down to the Conley family annual river trip this year. We weren't going to go because it isn't financially the smartest decision at this point in our lives, but you only live once...so who needs to be financially smart. haha totally kidding. But seriously family memories are more important and lasting than a little financial stress now and again. That is the best lesson I have learned since I emerged into adulthood.
6. Oh and I got to spend some time in the sun with the hubs at the pool this week. We all know I am not the best swimmer and once again that was blatantly obvious during our swimming time at the pool. It's a little...I mean A LOT....embarrassing when your spouse starts to teach you swimming strokes in the pool at the ripe age of 23. I think I'll survive with my perfected doggy-paddle.

Monday, July 11, 2011

A No Good, Very Bad Day

Today started out to be one of those days. I had a rough morning dealing with personal trials and couldn't seem to get it together. So I a twisted up my hair into a Mulan bun and headed to Jesse's school with a good book and sat in the library and read. Jesse met me after classes and we drove to Seven Eleven to get free slurpees. Low and behold they were out of slurpee cups...just my luck. So the hubs drove me up to Squaw Peak, since I had never been, and we sat and enjoyed the view overlooking the Utah valley. It was gorgeous and definitely a great place to go and de-stress. I'm so lucky to have a fun husband who knows how to cheer me up and turn my day right back around.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Thoughts

1. Crock-pot dinners are saving my life lately. No effort on my part, but they provide flawless meals every time.
2. I got a new calling today in church....emergency preparedness committee member. I love that the bishopric starts making up callings in married student wards because there are two many people.
3. Just finished reading No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency- fast, fun read. Now I'm onto reading another book that is supposed to be amazing...I'll let you know if it is.
4. Summer storms are awesome and have been occurring every night this week. Jesse loves the loud thunder, I'm not such a fan, but I love the rain.
5. We have been eating tacos with my fresh Italian salsa on top every other day. Yum!
6. I love that it stays light outside until 10pm, which allows us to have extra time outside and lots of drives up the canyon.
7. I hear the pioneer day parade here is better than the 4th of July and I can't wait to experience it for the first time next weekend.
8. I love that my morning routine includes watching saved by the bell, fresh prince, and boy meets world.
9. I am counting down the days until we get to go home to Temecula in August.
10. Our summer lately has been filled with gourmet hot-dogs from Jdawgs followed by shaved ice from the best shaved ice place in town.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

4th of July

The fourth of July this year was perfect. We got back from Kanab in the afternoon and then quickly changed and met our friend, Kira, up at the Y mountain trail-head. The hike was hard and so tiring and doing it in the heat wasn't the best idea, but we definitely felt accomplished when we made it to the top. The view from the Y is incredible! After the hike we went swimming to cool off and then to celebrate with an all-you-can-eat sushi dinner. After dinner we watched a movie and then set off fireworks with some other friends in the park. Later that night we drove back up to the Y parking lot on the mountain and watched hundreds of fireworks across the sky from each city.
I a so grateful to live in the U.S.A and enjoy freedoms that others around the world are not afforded. God Bless America!

Live from Kanab

Here are two videos I took of the adventures in Kanab. Notice PJ's obsession with saying wigwam and my obsession with saying "draggin' main", which is what my mom and grandma told me was the cool thing to do in Kanab when they were teens. Definition of "draggin' main": to drive in a vehicle back and forth on main street to see who you can see. Thrilling I know!



Kanab Family Reunion 2010

This weekend we headed to Kanab for the Johnson family reunion. I swear the town of Kanab is so small you could hold your breath and run through it, but we love it just the same for it's interesting people and beautiful red rock mountains. It was so fun getting to see my family, immediate and extended. My parents rented the mac-daddy of all RVs which held ten of us in it complete with 5 flat screen TVs. Now that's camping in style! We spent the weekend searching for souvenirs in the local wigwam store, traveling to Lees Ferry where we learned about our family history, spending time with family members I didn't even know I had, exploring in the colorful sand caves, watching movies, playing balderdash, and enjoying each others' company in the blistering heat. I took too many pictures to count, but these are just a few that will sum up the trip.
The boys waiting to hike to Lees Ferry
My mom and her siblings
The cousins
Like father like daughters
on the bridge over part of the Grand Canyon
Grandma and her girls
Sand Caves