Las Vegas Convention Weekend

We've just returned from a trip to Las Vegas to attend the annual conference for Strongbrook and boy was it wonderful.  We feel beyond blessed that our path crossed with this company as they have really become the vehicle that is bringing our financial dreams into reality.  It's just awesome to be a part of.  The conference was 2 days long, full of classes and seminars and motivation about how to take control of your life and to not become a drifter of society.  I believe so much in the philosophy and the vision of this company, I feel like I need to stand up and say "can I get an Amen!" Bliss.

On the last day of the convention, they had the awards ceremony where those who have followed the system and had met some personal goals were recognized on stage.  Our family was invited having made it to the 3rd of 7 tiers.  It's just nice to be validated in what you are doing and to see the results manifest them right before your eyes.  Again - such a great motivating weekend filled with all things good.

Here I will insert an open invitation to all those who are curious about how we have started our own Financial Freedom and the path that Strongbrook has provided for us. I strongly encourage you to click on the link and request a FREE game plan {upper right corner of webpage}.  The experts at the company will go over your personal situation and map out how you can start on a path to freedom.  Especially being self employed, we found this vital to our retirement plans.  It's free.  It requires no obligation to anything.  It's just a phone call filled with answers and information.  Do it - you WILL NOT regret it.

{STRONGBROOK LINK HERE}

Truth be told, Mark went to most of the conference. I was on baby watch for most of the time. Lucky for me, I was graced with the company of one who I deem extraordinary. She did a marvelous job driving me here and there to see some of the free things of Vegas.  Parks, fish, boats, taxidermy's, and her wee ones.  There was plenty to do and plenty of warm sun to enjoy.  I loved our room that we got to stay in at the WorldMark on Las Vegas Boulevard.  The view was so serene and quiet, I just loved the relaxing time I had there (during nap time). 

I'll have to hit up the Sister Wives homes next time for sure.  That is, if we can do enough digging around to find them; those sneaky ladies trying to have some privacy.

2013 Yearbook

I love our family yearbooks.  I am so grateful for my stint as a Yearbook Advisor those many years back that instilled a love of creating and printing them.  I spent a few all-nighters to get this book finished and printed in time to share it with my mother when she comes to visit in a few weeks; and am so glad I did, because I just love it.  And - bonus - it has become Cameron's favorite book to look through. 

Here is a small sample of our book this year; Creating Eternity 2013

The cover.

A {very} few of my favorite pages. The book topped out at 150 pages this year; 50 more than last.  What a challenge it will be to get all my life into the 400 page limit as my family grows from year to year! 

I also make a point to put my blog/journal thoughts into as many as the pages as I want.  A few of these layouts have blank spaces for the journal part, which I did not include in the post. Now I've got to get started on Cameron's personal book, and my mother's wedding book she asked me to do months ago.

Personal Progress Value Project

As if I don't have enough hobbies on my plate, I've recently added completing my Young Women Personal Progress requirements.  I earned my Personal Progress medallion as a youth, but to increase my faith and help me progress spiritually this year, I thought this would be a great avenue for structured study. And I love it.  (click right about here for more information on the Young Women Personal Progress program)

Currently, I am working on the value of Faith - my 10 hour value project.  I have chosen to make visual aids for the Missionary discussion #2 - Plan of Salvation.  I have the names of several missionaries that will be receiving one, as well as the whole group of missionaries serving in the Namibia, Africa Mission with Elder and Sister Skidmore. In total, there are 25 kits that I am putting together.  AND - I even had a few of them translated into different languages; Korean, Spanish, and Swedish. I was really impressed with my drawing of the pieces, didn't know I could do that.  I then colored them up and laminated them to be used over and over again.  I loved them so much I made one for myself, and will be mailing one to each of my sisters.  They make great FHE lesson aids, and, well, I just loved them.

Cute right? I sure liked them. And now there will be some missionaries somewhere with the option to use a little visual aid if they want to.  Maybe.  Let me know if you want the B/W file for your own printing and usage. Sharing is caring!

Holiday Season.

Christmas sort of came and went for me this year.  I'm not sure if it was because we celebrated it so close to Thanksgiving, or if it was because of the way we celebrated it, but none the less, I feel like it just happened without much of a fuss.  We decorated our tree shortly after Thanksgiving. Being that it was so late in the month, we sort of just threw it together one night so we could begin feeling the Christmas spirit.  And I must say, I do love my tree.  Love Love Love it.  It is so majestic, and clean, and pretty, and glows just so wonderfully.  I don't put a lot of decorations on it because I don't want to muddle the lights that are so charming to me.  Cameron loved helping put on the ornaments.  And, he was awesome at not touching them all season! No opened packages or broken ornaments. Nice.

 Christmas eve was spent at the Morrell's where tradition stands that German Food is served.  My FIL served his mission in Austria, so they love to enjoy the food from his mission.  After dinner, we all headed home to prep for Santa's visit and Christmas morning.  Santa had dropped off several boxes that needed assembly, so Mark did that before heading for bed.  And just like last year, Cameron slept in 90 minutes longer than he ever does the other 364 days of the year.  Mark was so anxious, he went in and just woke him up to get on with the festivities.

We opened our delightful gifts and then headed over, again, to the Morrell's for family gift exchanges and breakfast. It all passed by so very quickly, that, again, I sometimes feel like it didn't happen at all.  Now that it's all cleaned up and we're back into our daily routine, I am sad to see my tree go and wish that the season could have stayed a little longer.  Alas, I am sure when next december get's here, I'll be saying "I can't believe it's already here".

One week later we were celebrating with the Morrell's again. I have never really celebrated New Year's like I feel it should be celebrated.  I always have great plans for a party, filled with decorations and games and a fun photo booth.  But alas, by the time the holiday's hit me, I never get around to it. Luckily, this time around we were invited to go to the Morrell's and have a get together New Year celebration with family.  That was awesome.

My BIL Tom, as I have mentioned before, is a genius at all things games and had several stored up for us to play as a family.  One in particular was hilarious to watch, as it involved a club and beating the other players *nicely* on the head when they got the directions correct or not.  It looked hard to play, but I enjoyed watching! Malissa made up a pot of chili and some cornbread, and I provided the drinks and cups.  At 10:00, we were raising our glasses and starting off the new year kissing our loves.  Minutes later, we were all packing up our kids and heading home.  It's midnight somewhere. :)  And then, I was gifted with the new day, the new year, and my new, FANTASTIC, planner. I'm loving it!

Starting Fresh

Mark: Starting off the new year with new goals of fitness - both physically and spiritually.  He's starting a more full time position at Strongbrook as a Project Manager / Operations Manager. (Click right about here if your interested in what the company does) Going back to a 8-5 job is going change the routines of the family a bit; being that we've been self employed for the last 4 years. But we're excited to be on a path to retirement in the next 5-7 years. A few years of work will make that a reality. He still hold his Real Estate license for Utah and Salt Lake Counties and will continue to work in that field as well. He is training for a race - say what? Yes, his brother has talked him into joining him on a Utah County half marathon in the spring. Has a new primary class that actually has more than 1 student. That'll make his weekly lesson preparations more worthwhile; knowing that there will be kids there to teach. He teaches the 5 year olds and says that it's fun but a lot of work.  He's interested in starting a cleaner diet ( I need to do my research to help support that ) and is determined to return to his physic of yore. Still enjoys a weekly basketball game with his guys; is very much into the show Chuck; and has picked up reading again. He's a busy guy with lots of time for family too.  It's awesome.

Kaylinn: Has just left her 2 part time positions to better preform at her full time Mom gig.  She has quickly learned that Cameron's attention span is a lot shorter than she had guessed.  She is ready to read books with him for 20 minutes; he is done after 2 pages. Weird, considering he'll sit with the iPad on his lap for an hour or more if she let him.  Has lists of hobbies that could take up to 40 hours a week if she let them.  Has recently learned card making with her Silhouette. Very primitive but fun. Has started a patchwork quilt with her mother in law; a weekly date over there has become something she looks forward to. Scrapbooking the family Yearbook - which isn't new but very fun.  She just completed 2013 and is anxiously awaiting it's arrival in the mailbox. Working on the family emergency food storage with the Sister In Law; a rough project but one that she is trying to accomplish.  Successfully started a family "command center" with the annual goals and theme; a few chore charts, and a calendar. It's not finished but it's a good start. Dreams of moving into a bigger, more permanent home where she can put photos on the walls and decorate it to her liking. Still works with the Young Women at church and enjoys serving there.

Cameron: 18 months old now. Officially started Nursery last sunday and took it like a Champion. Didn't even whimper until the return of his parents. Drew the picture, sang the songs, traced his hand; his parents hearts beamed with pride at their only child's delight. Favorite movie is currently Monster's Inc. (Mom and Dad support this being that we haven't gotten sick of it yet. We're going on 20+ viewings this year alone). Will often request "baka ba-key" (Mike Wazowski); and will then sit and watch almost the whole thing without moving. Can toddler-sing the Pirates of the Carribean song. Yo Ho Yo Ho...do do do do... Yo Ho Yo Ho.  (I realize that I've taught my kid that a Pirate's life, with Pillaging and Plundering and Drinking up, is the way to go rather than I am a Child of God. Hopefully this doesn't affect him in the end.) Likes the iPad. Especially the Disneyland App. Again, will play it for hours if I let him. Likes to read books, occasionally. Enjoys his blocks, occasionally, and LOVES the outside, almost always. Will grab his shoes and sit on the stairs to try and put them on himself; constantly asking "outside? outside? jacket? outside?"

We are happy, healthy, and ready for another delightful year together.

P.S. Mark walks in and see's the photo and says - wow, scary picture. What are you blogging about? Sadly, I thought the pencil sketch was cute. Different, and cute. My vote wins, but I may be in the minority.

Year Eight

January 2014 marks my Eighth Year blogging.  I had a long hard think about whether or not I was going to keep up with my blogging this year.  I have quite a love hate relationship with it. I love how it looks. Vein I know, but I do. I like reading my blog posts on occasion; I think I'm funny sometimes and I like to read back and see the photos and such. And, I love how it adds to my Yearbooks every year. Little snippets of life make my books more of a memory keeper and I love that. But - it takes time and that sort of stresses me out. Each week I have "blog something" written down. I've got a list of blog titles/posts that need to go up, and sometimes I just don't get to it. Or the complete opposite happens and I have nothing worthwhile to post, and THAT stresses me out because I start seeing only 2 posts a month...or less.  Of course I have the usual "who even reads this" syndrome, but I am totally okay doing it just for me anyway. Ya'll internet peeps are just bystanders to my life anyway. And there is also a little part of me that feels like "at least I do this well". Many have fallen off the Blogger train, and at least I can say that have stayed strong.

Which leads me to sitting here and making this post.  I'm in it for another year - strictly for my Yearbook's benefit. I haven't crossed the Going Private bridge yet - guess I haven't heard enough scary stories which has made me feel the need to. Haven't totally convinced myself that I am the only one who cares to read about my life. Believe that this is a small avenue to reach out to some few distant relatives and friends. And, I put the web address on my Christmas card, so to discontinue would make me a liar to the 65 people who got cards this year.

Sally Forth, Tally Ho.

Stay Tuned for our life in 2014.

Temple Square

Along with a trillion other families, we made the trip up to Salt Lake to visit the lights at Temple Square. And - to top off the magic, we made it on a Monday Night which is a traditional "family night" for LDS families. Needless to say, the grounds were busy!

We did successfully bundle up our bodies enough to fight off the single digit temperatures and did not turn down the make shift hot chocolate stand that the cafe had put up to capitalize on all the crazy visitors. After waiting in line for the presentation at the Christus, we walked over to enjoy the virtually empty tabernacle and Meeting house. A break from the cold chill and crowds was very welcomed.  And - for a grande finale, we witnessed a proposal. At first I thought it was a joke, only then to realize that in fact it was real and I think she was excited. It was hard to tell, but in her defense, it was 3 degrees and he sort of sprang it on her mid photo. Ah nerves and young love. Tender.

Our venture was delightful, and Cameron sure enjoyed the "pretties" that were everywhere. I'm not sure we will put this down in the December traditions book, not sure the magnificent sights was worth dealing with the cold and the crowds.

Ranting and Raving

Rave: Internet Shopping. This is such a great luxury in our generation of time. I am so much in love with getting a whole list of shopping complete during one nap time. Most of the items are shipped without cost, I can get exactly what I want, with a million color options, all in one place. I never have to worry about them being out of stock of my item, going to 3 different stores to find it. It's just an awesome example of the modern age.

Rant: CALSTRS. The required organization where my retirement money was kept during my teaching stint. I have been trying to transfer the funds to a different investment and they can not get it right. It's been just shy of a year now. Wow.

Rave: The 2014 Mormon Mommy Planner. Click right about here to see the marvelous planner that I CAN. NOT. WAIT. to use. It is so organized and clean with all the color and cute fonts a girl could want. I open it and stare at it's brilliant pages every day. Again, can. not. wait! Bring on the new year - I'm going to be crazy awesome!

Rant: HOA. I have never really liked the idea of an HOA, and now that both live in one, and own property in another one, I am having a hard time being okay with this association and their claims for a better community. It seems like a lot red tape and rules for property that I own. If I want to put a shed up to store my gardening supplies, I should be able to do it by the mere nature that I own the backyard and it's a free country. But no, I must clear it with the HOA and the neighbors who will be affected with the sight of it. Grr!

Rave: My coworkers and the job that I have are fantastic. I work with some awesome women who are funny and kind and just really cool to know. I have been blessed to work from home for these 18 months that Cameron has been around, and I couldn't have been more blessed.  Recently, the company reorganized, and my position was dissolved for now. I know I had it good and have been so blessed to be associated with such great people.

Rant: Bank of American Fork. People - get your website working better. Please. I get so frustrated when I have to sit forever to wait for the page to load, only to have the internet tell me that your server isn't responding...again! Just fix it please so I can pay my bills online and balance my checkbook the moment I sit down to do it.  Not within the hour. thanks.

Rave: I'm on a doTERRA kick. I have been loving their oils for all their medicinal purposes. I believe there is a time and place for doctors - don't get me wrong. But there is something really awesome about some of the healing properties of these oils. I'm really loving Breathe right now, and OnGuard. Awesome.

Rave: Maxi Skirts. These are awesome. I am fighting the culture of my county to wear these skirts to every function, but come on - they are basically sweat pants in a skirt form. And -bonus- they come in every color and fit every shape. Hello winter body!

Rant: It is COLD! and the infamous inversion layer is gross. Please do not mistake me, I love this weather. Seriously, I love the snow; I think's its beautiful and peaceful and winter. But, the inversion is nasty; it smells weird, it clogs the air, it clogs my pours; gross. And it is cold-for a long time cold. 7pm is our high and that is only 12 degrees. Cold mornings and evenings are fine by me, but at least 30 during the day would be nicer.

Merry Christmas

 Hello Dearest Loved Ones,

   It’s another delightful holiday season, when our home fills with joyful music and our fridge fills with scrumptious food. The weather has turned crisp and cool, and I sit here excited to catch up our friends on the goings and doings of our lives. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I look forward to the annual Christmas postage all year long. Plus, the US Postal Service is highly under-used! So here’s to a traditional Christmas newsletter from our doorstep to yours.

   We leapt into the year with the huge, rather unexpected decision, to relocate our family from our life in California, to Mark’s old stomping grounds in Utah. Mark transferred his Real Estate license in February and has been enjoying the flexibility that the career path allows. The first few months here were flooded with new friends and family that lives close. It was more welcoming and wonderful than any of us could have hoped. In April, Kay’s mom Diane was re-married in Farmington, Utah, to a man who found her on an internet dating website. What a lovely chance for them both to finish out their lives here on Earth with a companion to share it with. Kay ran her second half marathon in May, and was reminded why she had only done one previously, they are intense. In June, Cameron competed in his first, (and only) pageant. After a brief interview, he was selected among hundreds of children as the “Most Charismatic” child in Orem, a title that I fear will follow him the rest of his life. July brought Cameron’s first Birthday, filled with way more Disney paraphernalia than I care to admit. But with parents like these, who can be surprised? August, Kay went to Girls Camp with the Young Women in the ward (church congregation) where we live. She came home with all kinds of stories about how different it was from her Girls Camp days and a truckload of memories to add to her scrapbook. September was another big month for us, as we finalized the purchase of our first rental property in Arizona. We have always wanted to invest our retirement into Real Estate, having seen the success with my mother after the passing of my dad, and so this was a huge step into the future we are building. October had us venturing north to take a family vacation to Yellowstone. Sadly, this trip conflicted with the week of the Government shut down, so we only made it into the park one time. November held a lot of travelling, with a few business trips (mixed with pleasure) for the Real Estate Investment company. Sprinkle it all with several trips of Disney Magic, a few visits with the Arizona cousins, and a LOT of Café Rio.

   We are thrilled with our new life in Utah and are daily grateful that we had the choice to move our life and start anew somewhere else. We recognize the Lord of All in the details of our personal lives. We stand as witnesses that he does live, and he loves each of His children upon the Earth. May we fill our home with His love this Christmas season ~

                                    Morrell Family

                                   Mark, Kaylinn and Cameron

Christmas 2013

A Day of Thanksgiving

It had been well over 6 years since Mark has been able to spend a Holiday season with his family, so upon moving to the area, it was an unsaid agreement that both Christmas and Thanksgiving would be spent with the Morrell's. We celebrated Thanksgiving like most people do, with lots of sitting around and socializing, too much delicious food, and naps all around. 

I was responsible to contribute the rolls and the Candy Yams. The rolls were gone by the time the day was over, the only sure test that they were good. Passed! We played games. Uncle Tom is the master of all things games, so we were introduced to a few new ones that we liked, and some that we took half a game to understand. Malissa made the darling Turkey candies from Pinterest; Cameron had it all over his face in seconds; mamma didn't raise no fool. And the weather was perfect that we were able to get a few runs around the front yard before the sun set. 

I have so much to be grateful for; a list wouldn't scratch the surface. But I recognize that I have been blessed and express my appreciation to my Heavenly Father for all he has sent my way.

Preschool

I have a love of school. Most nights, my dreams are in a school setting with either me as the student or the teacher. I reflect back on my high school teaching days fondly. I collect teaching materials like a hoarder for "one day" purposes. I love school. So when the opportunity for me to work as a co-teacher at a local preschool was made, I jumped at the chance. Plus, I have dreams of having a Mommy's Little School with Cameron one day. 

Being in the class with these kids has been super fun, and a huge learning curve for me. Going from High School to Preschool was a bit of a jump. :) Some kids are beyond awesome at following directions, sitting still, listening to stories or lessons, and just being in a learning environment in general. Other kids are off the wall! It is good for me to see the affects of parents who are involved and those who are not at such a young age. Oh how I have high hopes for my boy.

I can't say that I don't have my favorites - I totally do. But as a high school teacher, I totally had favorites as well. (Disclaimer: favorites did not affect anyones grade - just to clear the air) So I'm not surprised. I am excited to see Cameron's little personality when he is of preschool age. 

As the semester has progressed, I find that I am more excited for Christmas Break than I thought I would be. Although working has been fun, it has been a little stressful for me too. I've been working the morning class which takes a toll on Mark's schedule as he stays home to be with the lad. I am falling way behind in my chores, and my hobbies have taken a back seat which makes me sad. So - I think I'll have to move on after December and catch up on my life come January. But it has been a really fun ride!

No Place Like Disney

I almost feel like writing a blog about yet another disney trip is a little unnecessary.  Y'all get the point right? We drove, we played, we ate, and we came home. I played Midway Mania - and scored higher than the other players in my car, we saw Mickey, and made our usual rounds around the park. And loved every moment of it.

 Cameron is now old enough to really have changed the dynamic of our park going adventures.  Being that we went solo this time around, we didn't have any families to pawn him off onto so Mark and I could ride bigger rides.  Thus, our day was full of magic with Cameron. And he just loved it! He took to the characters amazingly well. Would run right up to them, and then stop - to touch fingers with them, or point out their nose. Hey, at least he didn't cry. His favorite ride seems to still be the carousel. And is now old enough to ride by himself. He seemed to like Pirates by our 5th ride. And would enter the line saying, Yo Ho - unprompted I might add. Be still my Disney heart! The Disney Junior show was also a thrill for Cameron. Mark loved watching Cameron get really into the puppets and songs with the rest of the children there. So very cute.

 The park closed early being that it was the off season, but Disney did grace us with a Fireworks show and some "snow" for our liking. I had arranged to see 2 of my all-time Favorite students from my La Sierra days. They were brave enough to come out and see their old Teacher, and spend an evening with me. I still think they're fun kids, and am lucky that I got to teach them for 4 years.

We managed to stumble on Santa, quite unintentionally and made the effort to get a Santa photo op with the lad. Mark captured the moment perfectly! Maybe next year Santa, but can I put in a word for my son? He has been grand this year, and wants cars. Preferably the ones where you push the drivers head and it zooms off. Cameron did take the candy cane without hesitation, and for that I think Santa might have a chance at winning him over one day.

I wondered what a Disney trip with just the 3 of us would turn out like, but I must say - it was magical to the last drop. I did learn a few things I didn't know before. (1) The Dole Whip dessert is way over rated and I will not be wasting my time in line, or my money to be getting one of those again in the future. No offense to the lovers of the Dole. (2) We waited in line at Jungle Cruise for a good 30 minutes, only to see that we had another good 30 minutes before we were close to the boats. We bailed. Later learning the cruise was Christmas themed. Drat. (3) We didn't go into Tommorwland once, and I didn't miss it. (4) I tripped and scuffed my knee pretty bad - the ladies in the First Aid were super nice, and I expect a "get well" card from Mickey with all the info they took. (5) Cameron is half way to the proper ride hight. Almost there. And yes friends, this will be the last Disneyland vacation post of the year!

Pumpkins and Halloween

Halloween was splendidly fun this year with a little boy who was just old enough to understand that something was going on. We learned our lesson last year, after carving our pumpkins too early and having a moldy mess on our porch before Trick Or Treating night even arrived. So this year, we waited until the week of Halloween to have a carving Family Night activity. I thought Cameron would dive right into the guts and just explore the feeling of it in his fingers. Alas, he was more interested in playing with the scooper than anything else. 

 I choose to carve something fast and simple, while Mark went much more advanced.  He searched the web for a perfect pattern, settled on Ghostbusters, and carved a rather delightful looking pumpkin.  Nice work hubs. We had a nice turnout this year if I do say so myself.

On Halloween, we boarded a plane and headed south to visit my brother David. A delightful choice for 2 reasons.  One: my brother is delightful company, and Two: the weather merits an easy costume. Thankfully, Lesley had a stash of old costumes (being the awesome parents we are, we didn't bring one) and threw Cameron in the bear suit with a little makeup. Hot Dog he looked cute! We hit the streets with cousins, Jack and Cubby - both home made costumes; she puts me to shame. Cameron had the whole trick or treating gig down after the second house. He was knocking the doors and holding his cute hand out for some candy. Then dropping it in his pumpkin. One house had the bowl of candy on the doorstep and the little lad just sat right next to it and starting loading up his pumpkin. I better keep my out for this one; looks like he'll be THAT kid.

 The rest of the weekend was just spent hanging out with the family. We enjoyed a morning soccer game, and dinner out, and lots of warm weather and sun. The cousins are warming up to each other each visit.  A few more in and I think I'll have them convinced to be friends. Spencer is still a bullet train compared to Cameron's slow reflexes. But soon enough I hope they'll keep each other entertained. I can only hope.

Rowley's Red Barn

One thing about Utah that I have loved (among many things) is the fall. It has been so beautiful and crisp and fall-esque that my little heart just bursts with joy.  California lacks greatly in the celebration of fall, so I was thrilled to join the hoards of families that make their way to the little fall activities around town.  One particular Saturday afternoon, we decided to hit up Hee Haw Farms, a popular pumpkin patch/farm place near my home.  Two key words, Saturday and Popular. Abort Mission.  So we headed south to the Big Red Barn. 

Oh what an absolutely delightful time we had. There were hardly any crowds giving us free reign of the pumpkin patch pickin's, the apple orchard tractor ride, the hay rides around the farm, and the gunny sack slide. 

Cameron was just barely big enough to get that he got to choose a pumpkin to take home, although he didn't seem to get it for more than a moment. Mostly, he just loved running around and patting the pumpkins with his delightful chant "hi pumpkin". 

Afterward, we made our way to the barn to partake of some of their famous home made ice cream. Which was creamy and delightful I must admit. Although I had to share almost my entire scoop with my son, I thought the few tastes I had were amazing. We were tempted to buy some fresh Apple Cider, but did not given the price; so we went home and juiced some of our own apples and called it a day.
I must say, I feel a tradition coming on. The Big Red Barn may have won over Hee Haws for our family. Happy weather!

Yellowstone

I'm finally taking the time to update the blog. I know, it's been pathetically long. But this seems to be the trend for me right now; blog a lot, then none for a phase. I'm taking what I can give right now and loving that my hubby is watching the boy this morning so I can do this.

For our Anniversary trip this year, I planned a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Granted, our anniversary is in April, and we took this trip in October, such is the way our family has run since the day we were married.  We do something small in April, and then a big "anniversary" trip in October. We stayed at the Worldmark resort in West Yellowstone, just a stones throw from the Park entrance. What a wonderfully neat trip this was. Granted, the weather was extremely cold, I loved going back to the park I haven't visited since I was a young girl.

Our first day we decided to take the south loop and see the hot pots.  Loads of wildlife was seen on this first drive in, which was totally worth it.  The Elk Buck was really cool, and right next to our car. We even had a few buffalo roaming on the street. Those animals are so much bigger than pictures ever seem to make them feel. So that was really cool!

The hot pots were everything I remember seeing as a girl. Despite the weather, we trudged across the walkways and watched them bubble and steam. Very cool. Want to know why they look so blue? Because the temperature of the water has reached over 200 degrees F. Yes, that is some hot water!

Cameron seemed to be more aware of the cold weather than the location of our journey, so we cut it slightly short and got back into the car. Our second day we ventured the rest of the southern loop, out to the Old Faithful Geyser. Going in the off season merits you less crowds, which is nice. But it does mean you'll be dancing in the cold trying to keep your limbs warm! Once the geyser set off, I have to admit, I was expecting more. Don't get me wrong, it was cool and all, but I just thought it would be more...impressive I suppose. 

We stopped by a few more hot pots on our drive back before we headed home for some hot chocolate and a movie by the fire! Totally worth it.

That evening, while getting the TV ready for our movie, we were distracted by the commotion the news was making about the possible "government shut down". Sure enough, 2 hours of our evening were gobbled up as we watched the event unfold. The government had shut down, and that meant all the National Parks would be closed. There goes our plans for the Northern loop and the rest of the sites! (of course, the ones I have never seen!) I am sure glad we took the first 2 days to go in and see a few things; I should be grateful for that!

 So, we hit up the Internet for some local things to do and were thrilled for the tips from friends who have lived near or in the area! The candy shop was visited more than enough times, we did a puzzle for a lot of hours, and we drove up to a peak to view the valley below. Very nice.  Luckily, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, right across the street from our resort, wasn't run by the government and had lots of wildlife that we could see at close range. The bears were probably my favorite, although the eagles were rather majestic.

The most interesting exhibit to watch was the bear opening the failed "bear proof" garbage can. It was crazy awesome to see him work that lid and get it unscrewed to fetch the treats inside. Totally awesome. 

 We also took a venture to the West Yellowstone museum, which was mostly lack luster but I was extremely interested in the small exhibit they had about the old Yellowstone days, back when the train brought in the guests to West Yellowstone, and then wagon tours would take you into the park.  For just 20 bucks you could get a 5 day 6 night stay right in Yellowstone with some makeshift cabin tents for sleeping, and your food included. Those were the days! I loved seeing the pictures and reading the accounts of life back then. Super interesting.

It was a great trip despite the government mishap. We have hopes to go again when both the weather is better and the park is open for the entire duration of our trip. We can only hope.