Man vs Beast

I hate to start this off like another whopper of a fish story, but it must be said that we caught the beast of Flaming Gorge. We, meaning Tanner, who is James' little brother is the one who caught the mammoth. The boys (James, Tanner, Logan)had to get up around 4am to meet Capt. Steve owner of the 'C-Dory'. Snacks, drinks, and plenty of energy was flowing in their veins; off they went into the darkness. I, if you are wondering, was sleeping in a awesome pillow top luxury bed. After lounging in the bed until 7 I filled up the huge jetted tub and had a good soak, felt like I was in heaven! I checked in with the boys around 8am and they had caught 2 fish with 1.5 hours to go. I was so excited to see all the fish they would bring home to me. By 8:55 I was SOOO bored and left to meet them down by the marina. Flaming Gorge is absolutely gorgeous, I have never seen round mountains and flat plateaus like the gorge has. I made it to Marina with only 10 minutes to spare before we had to turn around and drive 45 minutes back to the cabin for check out time. The fish were amazing and unfortunately there were only 2 caught. This was probably a good thing cause I don't think we could have fit anymore bodies into our humble 36 inch cooler. After seeing what swims in the water I have decided I will be wearing boots to swim next time. These fish could take your toes off and apparently eat ducks for dinner (seriously). We had a great time, Logan drove all the way from California and we always love having him around! Next year we will have to get a bigger boat so we can bring those who missed out(Dad, ME, Stevie, Kaleb)

TANNER's FISH
WT= 39 lb
Length= 37 inches
SHARK LIKE APPEARANCE

JAMES's FISHWT=
WT=20 lb
Length=26 inches (AS tall as Sydney)
SHARP TEETH- GOOD FIGHTER

RAVENOUS

Another wonderfilled "Monday Movie Night" with Stephanie. We picked two stinkers in a row and have decided the movie night will be reserved for horrible movies. Last week we watched "knowing" I will admit I was a little shaken by this. If anyone has an analogy I would love to hear it. What was the ending supposed to be?
Last night we watched Ravenous. It was about a guy who eats people for their soul power. We were looking for a scary movie last night and I am a huge wimp when it comes to scary movies. I usual hide my face, scream, jump around yes all the typical girl manuevers. Next week is prehistoric dinosaur movie time.. WOOHOO!

SIDENOTE: I am trying to figure out how to change picture sizes etc.. and obviously it isn't going well since my poor friend's face is now stretched.

The best weekend

Have you ever had a weekend getaway that was so perfect no vacation that follows it could even compare? Our impromptu vacation to Bear Lake over the 4th of July was this vacation for us. James got off work at 8am (basically he walked in and walked out in the same 5 minutes). Our ultra efficient "to-do" list served us well. The house was cleaned, clothes packed, child, dog locked and loaded in the truck all by 10:45 am. Bear lake here we come, actually Dingle and Bern is where we spent a majority of our time, but who knows where Dingle is? Being at the farm is like arriving at Mayberry. The entire area is fields, farm animals, fresh air, and plenty of back porch sitting. Sydney had her first horse ride and wasn't the least bit afraid. She started each day my pasty legged little girl and ended it tan from dust and dirt. There were plenty of small 4-legged playmates for her to torture. A new puppy named Mike was her favorite victim. On Saturday James, myself, Tanner (James' bro), and Dad went up the canyon in Bennington and rode our "bikes" for a few hours. We hit the hills and slick rock like pro's, except for the few times I almost flipped over. My technique for getting out of rough spots is to hold my brake really hard and yell "help"! It works great.
The 4th of July fireworks were great, at least everyone thought so except Sydney. She was terrified of the loud noise and screamed her head off. SEE PICTURE
On Sunday we hit the Bear River on a couple Kayacks. It was so relaxing to just float down the river with absolutely no agenda waiting for us. We had a great time just enjoying the scenery and watching wildlife. Our last day we went to Bloomighton lake with Tanner. We rode the toys up to the trail head and hiked in. This goregous lake is actually an active glacier lake. The water was about 50 degrees and crystal clear. The best way to enjoy the water is to bust in by "the" rope swing. James showed us how it was done and plunged in by backflip. Tanner was up next with some loud gasping noises following his entrance into the ice-melt , this made me start thinking "why am I going to do this?". After a few threats from James and Tanner I finally made my way up to the swing. A few more minutes of coaxing was necessary but I did go. It was so cold, bone chilling cold. We headed back to James' mom's house packed our stuff up and felt very sad for having to leave. There is never enough time. The best part of the weekend was being around family, especially getting a chance to chat with Sydney's Great Great Grandma Raymond. It really is the simple pleasures that make life so great.
On a random side note, If you ever get a chance to play "the farm game" I highly recommend trying it out!
I wish I could bottle this weekend up and go back to it whenever I wanted. Definately one of the best.

ROZ IPSEN

BORN FEB 2006
DIED JUNE 30th 2009

We bought roz from a breeder in West Jordan, James was dead set on a Boxer. She was the last of 9 puppies and the runt of the liter. We had many fun and frustrating memories with Roz. Her underbite, "talking", Her super long "boner" tail, her love of cheese, the list of things she chewed up; trampoline pad, chair, endless pairs of my underwear, many many feminine hygiene products (used), trash, at least 10 loaves of bread, an entire 12 pack of diet pepsi, Fresh loaf of Banana bread, and the latest thing- MONKEY's FACE. She had a sweet personality and was very emotional about getting in trouble. If she did something naughty she would hide under the table and occasionally peek out to see if it was safe. We decided to get her pal Maggie about 2 years ago when Roz was at her height of naughtiness. She was digging holes all over the yard so we thought she was having anxiety issues. Maggie was immediately her puppy and she took her in as any mother would. Maggie was groomed from head to toe and everywhere in between (yuck) daily. Even in the last week of her life when she was feeling her worst she still took time to give Maggie a cleaning behind her ears. I will miss her at the top of the stairs and by my feet at night. She was a good friend to me last summer when James was in Oklahoma. I don't think I would have felt as safe as I did without her. Saying she will be missed seems like an understatement, but that is all that I can say here at the end. She will be missed.

Fathers Day Random-ness

This was James' first official fathers day with his kids, since he was in Oklahoma last year! We cruised over to Tooele and left the civilized world for a few hours. Campsite number 4 was our new home from 1-5pm all for the bargain price of 6$. What a deal! I always feel a sense of ownership for my newly acquired parcel of land if only for a short while. Sydney and I explored the territory while dad went for a couple trips on his bike. It was a good thing I was having a "good mom" day, otherwise Sydney would have fallen victim to blazing hot fire pit, raging river or just losing her way in the trees. She is a very active girl with a furious curiosity for exploring. I took my turn to take my new toy around, only to find out they are BANNED in campgrounds. Who would have thought, since there are about a million marked ATV trails in this area. Oh well, we are IPSENS we will not let this get us down. We opened our bag of Cheetos (crunchy, of course) and explored the river. I found lots of cool rocks, sticks and remnants of modern civilization (Plates, wrappers, plastic milk jugs, beer bottles, soda cans). I wonder if people who live here hundred of years from now will think "oh this is gonna be worth something, an authentic dixy blue plate with sectional dividers, you just don't find 'em in this condition." We find Indian artifacts (arrowheads, pottery, tools, nails) maybe they were just as sloppy as we are but their stuff is older? HMM something to think about. Regardless, I picked up that blue plate and threw it in the trash. I am a better person because of this. :) HAPPY FATHERS DAY for all those great Dads who provide, protect and love us!