Last 7 Months

Time for an update. We've been busy...probably not too busy to post a new blog, but getting around to it a few times a year seems to suffice. Since June, we've kept ourselves entertained with lots of work and a decent amount of play. We've had the opportunity to go to Yellowstone, Vegas (a couple of times), Texas (a couple of times), and the Carribbean since the last entry on here, so there's a little too much fun to write about. We'll try to post plenty of pictures and descriptions.

Yellowstone was a fun little vacation with Caren's family. It's a very beautiful place, so if you ever get a chance to go, it's well worth the trip. Not only is the landscape amazing, but there are so many wild elk, bears, buffalo, wolves, and moose just roaming around close to the roadside. Just watch out for the grizzlies! Those boiling hot geysers and springs look strangely enticing. They're so pretty that you seriously have to restrain yourself from jumping in for a swim.





We go to Vegas a couple of times a year on business, but it never hurts to have a little fun while in Sin City. Let's see - fun for the lds in Vegas??? Buffets, shows, and admiring the insane amount of money invested in those casinos on the strip are about the only things we figured out. Blue Man Group was really entertaining...not worth the price of admission but nevertheless - very fun to see. We also went down there with Rodney to meet up with Dustin's parents and Matt & Dani in November. Good food, good company, Bodies exhibit, and H&M shopping made the trip well worth while. Not sure about Rodney's grandma driving skills, but we made it there and back alive (very slowwwwwly). To think his nickname was Rocket Rod in high school...
I can't even remember why we went to Texas this summer or what we did when we were there, but I do remember that we sure wanted to stay. We've been waiting for our chance to move down there for several years now but no luck yet. Who knows what 2011 will bring!? No complaints about Utah - we are loving life here, but TX is calling for us. The only thing I remember is catching lots of catfish on the bayou...oh the joy! On another visit, we got to spend Christmas day with Dustin's family in TX for the first time since we've been married, so that was a treat. Again, weren't too excited about returning home to the freezing cold weather.

In October, we went on a cruise with Dustin's parents through the Eastern Caribbean. We stopped in Antigua, Tortola, Nassau, Puerto Rico, and St Thomas. Yes, the Caribbean is our drug...white sand beaches, crystal clear water, sunny weather, and COCONUTS!!! It's a blast visiting the islands and learning about the different cultures while constantly admiring the breathtaking scenery. Probably the coolest thing we did on this cruise was a Puerto Rican night time canoe trip through a mangrove swamp into a big lake where the water would glow as you touched it. It wasn't quite as dramatic as the Avatar movie effect but pretty darn close. The water was full of these single cell organisms that light up as very slight movements burst a luminescent membrane. You could scoop up a handful of water and watch it sparkle as it flowed down your arm, or you could hit the water and see the shape of the fish, stingrays, or turtles as they bolted away. Indescribably awesome.









On the more boring side of things, Caren is about half way through her year of teaching first grade. She also stays busy teaching piano lessons, serving in her young women calling, and helping out at the store. Dustin is having fun with the furniture business. We've been fortunate to have work that we enjoy. The business is growing, and we hope to try out a new location sometime soon. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Other than that, I just ran around the house in my skippies with shotgun in hand after hearing footsteps tromping around on my roof...some dumb cat almost lost a life.