Loved It!

You know when you find a really good book that just sticks with you and you can't seem to stop thinking about it and as soon as you finish it you want to start it all over just because you don't want it to end? Well this is one of those books and I LOVED IT!

My sister and I decided we wanted to read the book before we saw the movie so we took turns reading this last week, and then last night we went to go see the movie. The book is so good, and the movie did a pretty good job, although you would never know how deep the book goes just by watching the movie alone. So I am glad that we read the book first. A warning to anyone who wants to read the book or see the movie: buy a box of tissues!

Save The Dolphins

I just saw an interesting trailer for a new documentary about the killing of dolphins in Japan. If you are interested in getting more information or signing a letter that petitions this practice go to the link under "The Cove" widget to the right of this post and it will take you right to the website. The best part is it only takes a minute to do, and you can feel like you did some good today!

Here is the official letter:

A team of activists and filmmakers infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji, Japan. In this remote village they witness and document activities deliberately being hidden from the public: More than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often times labeled as whale meat. To really make an impact on this issue, we must get the word out in Japan and urge action from our own leaders. We believe that once the world and the Japanese people know, they will demand change. Help us save Japan's dolphins. Click the link above to demand action from our leaders!

Huckleberry Picking

Well I wasn't sure if it was an urban legend or not, but yesterday I got to find out for myself about the mysteries of huckleberries: and they do exist! Fortunately we have really good friends who were willing to show us their secret spot. Mike and I have wanted to try huckleberry picking for sometime, but trying to get people to give up their secret locations is like pulling teeth! Anyway it was a great trip, we brought up stuff to do dinner and a campfire and of course we picked huckleberries. It was really fun and I could have stayed out longer to keep picking, although I have to say that it seemed as though my bucket was never filling up. Berry after berry went into the bucket and yet I think I only got a few cups to take home. Oh well next year I will be better prepared and I have already found some yummy recipes to try out!

The End Of The Trip

We had family stay with us for a couple of more days and during that time we went to the park and roasted hot dogs and more s'mores. We did more dirt bike riding, and quad riding, the boys went shooting, and we went to the Dance Festival street fair. We had a great time with family and I am so glad they came to visit.

Cousins In Town: Part 5

On Saturday we decided to take everyone to Ashton to float the river. Before we headed there we stopped for lunch at Big Judd's. It is a burger place that has the biggest hamburger I have ever seen. It is always fun to take kids there because they love to see these giant sandwiches for themselves. After lunch we went to the Warm river which is perfect of kids. It is only a few feet deep and it is not too fast. So the kids could run up to the north end of the river and float down to where we were camped out. The kids must have run up and floated back down at least 10 times, all the while the adults got to sit in the shade and relax. It was a great place to for kids and I am so glad we found this little spot.

Cousins In Town: Part 4

On Friday we took it easy and let the kids just play around the house and in the yard, while they were outside, some girls came by and did face paintings for Ella and Madison. Later in the afternoon we went up to my cousin's house and let all of the kids play together. The boys rode on the dirt bikes and quads and the girls went swimming. After everyone got a turn riding around on the quad we headed to my neighbor's house for an outdoor movie.

The outdoor movie was so fun and such a good idea. We got our chairs and blankets and set up right in front of their garage. They put up a big sheet and a projector with speakers and we had ourself a great movie experience. We even did s'mores again on their grill!

Cousins In Town: Part 3

On Thursday we went to this little natural spring that was out in the middle of nowhere. It was really cool because the water was only about 4 feet deep and it was at least 90 degrees. Also there were all of these little colorful tropical fish swimming around and it was just this perfect little private swimming hole for the kids to play in. We also brought a picnic lunch and did a big fire for s'mores. This was one of my favorite days and definitely somewhere I would like to back again.

Cousins In Town: Part 2

After the splash park we went to my parents house for dinner. It was great for the kids because they could ride their dirt bikes around the empty fields and the girls rode around in the jeep and on their scooters. It is fun to see all of the kids just having a great time playing with each other. After dinner we went out and the guys did some fireworks and the kids got to do silly string to each other.

Cousins In Town: Part 1

One of the first things we did with Mike's family, is take them to the splash park. It was actually one of the cooler days of the year so we didn't stay too long, but it was fun to let the kids run around and burn off some energy.

When Family Comes To Town!

When family comes to town we PLAY!

This last week we were so excited to have Mike's sister and kids come to stay with us. Ella had the time of her life and she loved being with cousins. In fact when they were leaving, she went up to Taylor and gave her a big hug and said she would miss her new best friend. The saddest part is when it is time for cousins to leave and we miss them already!

It was a great week filled with lots of activities and excitement.

More pictures and stories to come!