'Sag

 Bad news on the car. I got a call partway through the day, saying that they had done my oil change and tire rotation (which I was due for and had requested), but AFTERWARDS had checked the engine status and basically said I lost compression on my 2nd cylinder and the only way to fix that is to take apart the engine or put a brand new one in. Which is unfortunate, because the car is still pretty young in miles and has never had any major fixes and also why do I want an oil change for a car I can't drive. 

We took in into another place for a second opinion. Frankly, I'm not sure they did much other than read the codes as far as diagnostics. Hopefully we'll get some better news, but Rog is settled on me getting a Tacoma instead. Which is not something I was hoping to commit to, but we'll see.

The crew. 

This was my week off of weightlifting and as another low energy week, that was fine with me. I had 3 full days of work, volleyball, YW that I wasn't in charge of, but I knew the actual person wouldn't run, so I was basically in charge anyways. (Also someone told the missionaries they could have their sports night in the gym at the same time, but it was our ward's turn to use the gym for combined activities and it's just reserved automatically every 3rd Wednesday for it, so not sure what happened there, but they joined us.)

Then I had Th/Fri off to do nothing. And I did little to nothing. Slept in, took naps, I did go to a birthday dinner for my friend Rachel, which is always good company. I filmed some vids for my YouTube, so I can edit those over Christmas. I went to Cafe Rio, I got some mechanic work done on Roger's car that I'm still driving. And we drove up to Page for egg rolls. 

Happy 30th!

Saturday, we went on a hike that was supposed to be 60minutes away and about 400m total to a large panel of petroglyphs. However, those were Stu's estimates, so it was actually 100min away and closer to 2 miles of sketchy uphill bouldering, but it was fun. 

We came home in time for Ryan dogs and salsa (or ceviche depending on your preference). I read a book and we showed the crew The Librarian saga - which apparently has been unfindable for everyone (but also the first result in Amazon). 

The real highlight of the weekend for me was Sunday lasagna (my request). I ate too much and that's honestly all I want to eat. 

the last hutchins wedding (boy ed.)

Another week of low energy, but I forced myself to work out at least. Rog joined someone's city league team (by request) half way through their season and found out why they kept losing players. Their captain is a jerk. So after 3 games, he also quit. I think he bribed Stu to finish out the season with a bunch of swag and $100 gift cards after he quit as well. 

We didn't have YW this week because there was the party the President planned on Sunday. Unfortunately, this was the week that they were supposed to plan a bunch of future activities, so not sure what the plan is there, but also not sure anyone listens when I tell them it's a bad idea because it's been happening too often. 

our child, mgh

Tuesday, I was seeing my second patient in Williams (about 1h away) and my check engine light came on. I finished the day out and decided to drive Rog's car the rest of the week until they could get me in at our shop (next Monday). 

fruit dinner

This changed our plans for our trip to Utah this week. I only had 2 patients on Friday and was done by noon, but Rog wasn't even packed yet when he got off at 6, so that made our drive real late. I am still not sleeping at night (and still haven't gotten my liver meds in the mail), so I am basically exhausted all the time anyways, but we didn't arrive in Alpine until 2am on Saturday morning. 

We then woke up about 6:30 to catch a ride to Xander and Maddy's sealing with the parentals. We were about 40 minutes early and missed the extra snooze, but the temple was good, lunch was good, and MGH enjoyed the cider - even when it was too scalding to taste. 

welcome to the fam, maddy

We had a nice morning of catching up with some fam before heading home and taking a nap. Then we had fruit dinner, Lauren came over, Rog went to a BYU game (his first college sporting event ever), and I was too cranky to do much of anything except chat and go to bed. Then we woke up bright and early and drove the eight hours home. 

Lauren's favorite color scheme

More Sauce

Dang rough week with low energy again. We got a pile of packages one day and Rog was excited because it's Christmas season - but alas, it was mostly my drugs. Rog was a victim of my 3am wakeups, luckily on Friday night (and now he understands just how wide awake I am for a few hours before I can get back to sleep). He is not happy. 

Played VB and forced myself through some workouts this week. Rog got a last minute invite to join someone's city league team and so is gonna be out of commission for the next few T/Th nights doing that. 

But before he agreed to that, he was working every night on butchering an elk. So I thought I would be nice and make this cajun chicken alfredo recipe he sent me so that he could eat and get straight to it. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. He was so happy to come home to food that he did nothing the rest of the night. 

Our younger YW decided they wanted to decorate cookies and watch Elf, so I agreed to make frosting and get the movie and we had a couple girls who ended up baking 4 dozen cookies, but one had to drop them and head to VB practice. So it was 2 leaders and 2 girls and we had a great time. 

Someone gifted me a box of apples, so I made some more sauce this week. And it was better than round 1 in the saucer. The missionaries came over right as I was finishing and Rog was wrapping up elk steaks and potatoes. Yum. Then they taught him how to access their records, which will be useful. 

Our lovely friends Lindsey and TJ spent their anniversary here in Flag and gifted us with an evening of their company. We chatted for a while and then went for tacos at El Tapatío, which was delicious (in the moment and in the leftovers). And it's always fun to see and hang out with them. Next time, in CO.

Classic Chicken Fried Steak. 

Saturday I woke up late (after spending half the night wide awake) and Rog woke up cranky. We went out for breakfast and ran some errands and butchered the rest of the elk before delivering the packages to friends and family.

"What are you gonna use those kayaks for?" "Ummm, kayaking?"

Back at it in the gym and going for runs. (Shorter than usual, but that's what I can convince myself to do right now in the frigid cold). We had a goodly number (but less goodly skill) at VB this week. I had a visit with my naturopath who is going to hook me up with a better probiotic and something for my liver (which apparently is the cause of me now waking up at 3am unable to go back to sleep every day). And she told me to keep up the kambucha, so there's that. 

Rog got home late Monday night from helping his BFF Collin kill a big one (but not the biggest one they saw, unfortunately). And he was able to make the BEST deer steaks, gravy, potatoes, and broccoli to share with our friends Susan & Mike (an elderly couple who loves hunting and fits in well with the crew). It was fun to hang out with them.

We cancelled our activity this week since there was nothing planned despite having held a planning meeting to make sure the rest of the year was planned. So that happened. 

Thursday was almost the highlight of the week. After Rog got home, we were talking about kayaks we wanted (which we decided was our Christmas this year) and decided to go take a look at local deals. Our last stop was Walmart, where Rog had seen some he liked earlier this year, but wasn't able to commit at the time. We convinced them to open the cage for us - since it was snowing and they were put away. And the first kayak we looked at didn't have a seat, so the guy agreed to sell it for $50 with the other kayak we were checking out. We agreed. 

So now we have our kayaks - but still need 1 seat and 2 paddles. Unfortunately, I also found out that Rog didn't think this actually counted as a Christmas replacement, so we had negotiations for budgeting and came to a reasonable agreement. 

The actual highlight of the week was when we took Rog's grandma out for dinner and gave her 3 options. She picked Asia Station - a place downtown we had never heard of before I did some research. Turns out, it was a great decision. It was loud and crowded, so not a great place for conversation, but that didn't matter once the food came. Quality, quantity, and all for a reasonable price. So reasonable that we also got sides of cream cheese wontons and dumplings in addition to our heaping plates. Rog has a new favorite Asian place. 

My Spotify wrapped says I'm an Alchemist, meaning I make more playlists than most people. Probably because I like to stay organized. And also says I doubled Rog's listening - which is because I work out more often and he snipes Kelly's Audible credits for work. 

We had a special stake conference this week with the Dunns, who were fun to listen to. It was a much better experience than our last stake conference in October, which was really nice. 

And finally, Rog convinced me to start a casual YT series called iSipCider, where I rate various ciders I try on a scale from 1 to Clyde's. Uploaded the first video today on one that we did not love. 

Tday

 The week was a little stressful, since I figured out a way to fit 3 days of work into 2 days so I could drive  up to Page early. It worked out, but also it's a good thing that I had recently been feeling more myself lately - with energy lasting throughout the day, instead of crashing by 11. It's been such a difference. 

I chatted with Rog's parents for a minute before going to bed. My sleeping has not been great. After crashing hard for a few hours, I wake up around 2 or 3 - wide awake - and then decide I have to keep "resting" until it's time to get up. But it helped me leave a bit earlier, so I could get to Provo by 11:15 - just in time for nobody to be there. 

This kid asking "where's Roger" every 5 minutes for 2 days

The crew was visiting Tasty Bev up north. I did my work stuff for a bit and kicked Lavinia out of the room with the King bed. Greg was able to pick Becky and kids up from the airport so they could come hang for a bit before their family got off work and could get them. We ate wings, played in the pool, made cheesecake, and lost (and found) $500 in the space of a few hours. Classic Becky. 

The rest of the chins arrived in force by evening, having pancakes for dinner. Games were probably played ( and avoided) although I did play 2 games with Violet despite my best efforts to stay on her "dislike" list the rest of the time. 

BFFs.

Thanksgiving was an event. We had everything you could imagine - 2 turkeys, deer steak, baked beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, raspberry pretzel jello, green bean casserole, cheater meatballs, street corn, salad, fruit salad, mac and cheese, rolls, broccoli salad, and a bunch more things I'm forgetting. And that's just dinner. Several hours later, we broke out dessert - chocolate cream pie, blueberry, razzleberry, banana cream, coconut, pumpkin, cheesecake, and choco chip cookies (and probably more I'm forgetting). For future reference, we do need to cool in on the desserts as we are NOT sweets people. Less sugar, more meat. 

None of this is genetic (except 1), so admire the work that's gone on here. 

I think I watched at least 6 hours of Scooby Doo with Aurora over the weekend. Kev, Court, and I went to the gym for a full body workout, I hit up the hot tub on the daily, and we succeeded in a family VB game vs Hannah's friends. And in taking new fam pics with our Chingear 2023 (which were thankfully finished by Wednesday). 

The paintings. 

We also had a bach party for Maddy on Saturday morning - and I think by the end of that, we were all ready to have a break from festivities. It was super fun painting old photos of Xander and sharing some gifts with Maddy. We had a good time - and then everyone who remained napped for the rest of the day, cleaned up, and went home. And honestly, I'm ready for another nap.  :)

Chuck again

 We're rewatching Chuck, which is Roger's favorite thing ever that I have introduced his family to, as far as media. It's a good show, but tbh I have a short attention span when it comes to watching and I don't like to do it while we're together and could be doing other fun things, so we'll see how long it lasts. 

The week was fine. I skipped YW because it was some combined activity with the YM and frankly, it's not an environment in which I want to be right now. There's a lot of frustrating things going on there and not much I can do about it. 

Rog was supposed to go to Lee's Ferry this week for a trip, but nixed it in favor of plumbing, so that's two of us not doing our responsibilities all the way. 

He got to go hunting on Saturday morning, while I went to a funeral for an old patient of mine. It was good to see his wife looking happy again - the last year has been a huge mess and a lot of stress on her, so it was (overall) a good thing. 

Then we attended Friendsgiving together right behind our house. We had Al and Marissa and a few of their work friends who were fun to chat with. Helen and Connor showed up, which was a blast from the past from the Institute days and there was a whole bounce house inside the venue for the kids to play in. I brought sweet potato casserole and contributed to the raffle and had a good time. 

Christopher Nolan

I played VB twice this week. Once Monday with the crew, then again on Friday night because I guess some of the BB ladies wanted to play for once and 5:30-7:30 doesn't work for their nightly schedule. Starting at 7:30 is usually late for me, especially because I didn't even start sweating until 9pm. (That was also because of the skill of those present as well as the number. I told Rog it's a lot harder to keep the ball alive without looking like a jerk if there's 6 people instead of 4.)

This is partway through the burn. 

 Our combined YM/YW activity was just down the street, so I ran there. We beat up, then blew up a car. We warned the fire/police depts, but they had to show up anyways to check on us. Then we roasted s'mores. 

I've been reading a lot this week and really feeling the vibe, so I had to buy the sequels online - and also asked Rog to accompany me to the bookstore for our date night on Saturday. He got ice cream, I got cider, then he stole my cider and we had to go to Walmart to get more cider. He also kept trying to slip random romance novels into my basket. I'm not totally opposed, but there has to be a good story in it, at least. 

Happy to be here. 

Kailan and I went to the gym to learn some major lifts to help her improve her routine. She learned some things, I tried to impart 10 years worth of learning into 2 hours, and she was sufficiently sore post. We may do it again, but switch it up a little. 

The Lucky Pants & Cactus Butt Ed

I hit the gym with some mixed up workouts to test a few new things out. We didn't have VB as we couldn't get people, but that allowed more time to shop and pack and get everything done that we needed before our hunting trip. 

Rog got a call Wednesday morning saying that Carol shot her deer and he was antsy and asked me to cancel work. I did not. I did finish an hour early and he was already home and we left pretty quick after packing the car and cleaning the house a bit. We arrived at camp just in time for snacks and to get ready for the hunt. 

Almost. 

The first morning, we went to the spot with a million does (figuring a buck might find it a good place to be) and we were right. There was a large buck about 200yds away for about 10s right at first light and I could have maybe gotten a decent shot if I knew how to work our new scope better. But alas, I did not. So I missed out on this guy, which Roger's cousin shot a few days later and many miles away. 

We hunted a few other days in the same place with Stu. We went on a long hike up and down canyons. The truck broke down, so we took it to Kanab (and they actually fixed it!). But in the meantime, we drove Becky's 4runner for a bit. I had an almost 4-point that Roger was depressed about and an almost nice 3-point. 

Sunsets. 

Finally Saturday morning, I had the whole crew trying to help me. They spotlighted a giant right down the road from us late the night before, and apparently so did all the guides. So there was a ton of people in the same glassing spots chasing this buck. But only Ben saw the nice looking 3-point (who had been hanging with the big buck the night before) and he was 100 yards from our truck. So I shot him. Right in the butt (not totally on purpose, but he was just walking away the whole time and I didn't have many options). 

He ran and tried to hide by a tree, so I finished him off with a second shot. What I forgot to mention is that I was wearing Amy's lucky pants - which barely fit and were high waters on me. Which is important because I killed a cactus patch buck and he died in the middle of the stickers. But only a few yards from the road. We took him back to camp easily and quartered him and then I had a headache from not sleeping for the last week. 

Cactus Butt Ed. 

I did not sleep, but I did read my book by myself. And then I tagteamed a game with Becky. The rest of the camp went out to help everyone else in the unit get deer - including guides and another cousin. And we packed up and fit everything into the truck and my car and made it home in record time. 

SO to Rog and Stu and Becky and Ben and Ryan and Amy and Eve and Carol and Marshall (who was my best friend after I let him carve up the deer with us). And everyone else who helped scout and find deer and lives their lives in the 12B unit. 

One million ladies

With the old ladies gone for Mondays, we haven't had enough for a full VB game on Mondays, but we did get to do a skills lab with Kailan and some of my YW friends, which was pretty fun. This week was an in-betweener for gym workouts (and so will next week), but we did some work at least. 

Glassing. 

Roger had the best birthday ever. We met for dinner with his BFF and spouse - Collin & Tiana at Texas Roadhouse. Then we got free bullets at Sportsman's (for my hunt, you get 1 box of lead-free bullets gratuit from someone who wants to save the condors). Then we opened his gifts. Which he loved. Including new radios, which he knew about. And a few things he didn't.

Hoboing around in the cold AM.

The YW painted pumpkins this week and I went to hang out. Which was good, because I'm the only one with a key to the closet besides the President, who doesn't come. But she actually did come tonight (late) and pointed out this fun fact. 

Dumb snek. 

Rog left Thursday after work to go set up camp in 12B. I had 1-2 patients on Friday that I was waiting on, but finally by noon was cleared to get out of there. We had a fun time hunting, even if it was mostly scouting and also frigid. 

So many does. 

Over the 3 days of hunting, we probably saw a couple hundred does (which doesn't help me), but we're expecting more bucks to migrate in by next weekend (and a bunch of hunters to leave after settling for dinky 2-points). We're also hoping Carol will find a good one to kill before we get back up there on Wednesday so there's less competitive drama (even though we legit weren't really hunting this weekend). 

October. Wk3. 2023.

I was still recovering from Rainbow Bridge (mentally) and that nauseating sickness Roger and I had (physically) so we did a lot of sleeping in and less going to the gym. Which was fine for both of us. I did play volleyball (subbing for the old ladies, with some drama I was not happy about) and a few quick sessions with weights. 

The YW made bath bombs together and did some planning for the future. Sometimes, it is like pulling teeth honestly. But so is working with adult leaders tbh.

We did CFM study together and went to BWs with Stu and Kristin on Thursday for half off wings. That was Roger's favorite part.  

Coming in clutch. 

Saturday, I went down to Cenita's early bday dinner while Rog went to his family's game day adventures. I tried a little shopping while in PHX and found nothing that I wanted. I had a great time with Cenita & Co - including huge and delicious steaks by Bryan, homemade rolls by Kris, and street corn, mashed potatoes, and jalapeño poppers on the sides. We watched John Wick 3 (refreshing for the finale) and had some great convo and company. I drove home late to be back by about 1230. 

Rainbow Bridge

 About the time I was playing VB on Monday night, I started to feel pretty nauseous. 

2 trees.

I still helped Rog pick up his old green Tacoma from Carol's house so he could sell it (WHICH HE DID).

red rocks.

But I also was up most of the night trying (successfully) not to puke. The rest of the week, I lived off of minimal calories because I only felt ok and not sick if I didn't have anything in my stomach for it to curdle. 

another valley.

But that also meant I slept most of the time and skipped the gym. Again. 

another valley.

I still made Rog some stuffed peppers and had CFM study. We didn't have any other commitments this week, which was pretty nice. I also got to read a bit and film/edit some YT vids for my PT study channel, which is still getting really good feedback. 

I had to hike to the top to see all these valleys. 

We picked up meat from the butcher on Friday and delivered it to Sam and Kory and Jeff on our way to Page. Rog picked me up some kombucha, which was 10/10 for curing stomach issues. And we went to bed. 

Owl Arch.

Unfortunately, Rog had survived my strep and stomach ailments until now, did not pass through untouched. He woke up in the middle of Friday night with a few visits from the double-headed dragon, as he calls it. And for most of the next day, he was tired and sick.

surprise valley. 

Which meant that he missed our hike. We got free permits to go hike Rainbow Bridge, an advertised 13-mile trek on the reservation down and back up canyons to get to the country's largest natural bridge (as opposed to an arch, which doesn't have to cover water). 

Me on top of a mountain. 

We woke up early to be dropped off - Stu, Stu, Hannah, Linn, and a friend named Karlin who spends his days backpacking and trip planning for the wealthy. We took the first 10 miles leisurely and stopped for a perfect view of the eclipse since we were super close to center line. Karlin was estimating the trip to take 14 miles to the bridge, then another 1.5 miles to our pickup location. About mile 12, the Stus were helping the girls - who were hurting from the VERY rough terrain, and Karlin decided he and I needed to hustle to make sure our ride knew everyone would be late. 

Another one. 

So we hustled the last estimate 2 miles, which was actually close to 5 per my GPS tracker. Karlin was increasingly irritated, but kept assuring me that Echo Camp (the penultimate canyon) was just around the bend. It was not. 

By the time we did get to the bridge, it was dusk and I didn't care and also I had to still hustle to notify our ride. Karlin stayed behind at a tricky turn that it would be hard to see in the dark so the rest of the group wouldn't miss it. Stu ran ahead and dropped bags with Karlin and then carried his sister for the last while. I hung out at the boat dock (the other way to get to the bridge) with our ride. 

Post eclipse.

I wasn't incredibly tired, but my knees hurt and I was irritated at being bamboozled about the hike. I also did the whole thing on the fuel of 1.5 gallons of water, electrolytes, 1.5 protein bars, and 10 pringles - and weirdly felt really good about it. 

The  bridge. 

I was 2 hours late and everyone else arrived 4 hours later than expected. Which made for a night boat ride back to Page with Stu's friend and a really nice sleep later. I'm still sleepy. 

I wish that I cared more about it at this point of the hike. 

Aspens 2023

Back at it again with the workouts & VB on Monday. It was fun to have Logan come back and play with us for an evening, but we'll have trouble getting enough people in the next few weeks I think since the old ladies are playing city league Mondays. 

Yellow aspens. 

Tuesday we started our new tradition of weekly Come Follow Me studies in an effort to get these celestial knees. Still working on daily family scrips, but I got the personal stuff down, thanks to a soap box from Matt Seeley a while back. 

The YW presidency is still figuring stuff out for upcoming activities, and our scheduled event fell through, so we made some last minute choices. Mine was making applesauce and planning the next few activities out so this doesn't happen again on a week that I'm in charge. 

Past: daughter of cups (creative spirit)
Present: 8 of swords (surrounded by obstacles)
Future: 7 of wands (out of the obstacles)

I got a last minute invite from Kailan for a group she meets with monthly - where they have local vendors on some theme come and give spiels and little free gifts. This month was Hocus Pocus themed and she had an extra ticket. So I met up for some free herbs to put under my pillow and a little embroidered ghost pin and a bath bomb. I paid less attention to the actual purpose of the vendors, but it was fun to get free stuff and do some of their activities. 

I got a 5' chair massage. And I got my current spirit animal - a Fox, which apparently means I can tell when I'm being lied to (by my patients, every day, lol). I got a light tarot reading and some chamomile tea. And I got a raiki energy reading? Cleansing? I don't know. The lady said I was very grounded and needed to stretch my left hip. 

The aspens turning.

Rog & I went on a temple date after he went hunting Saturday morning. (He shot an elk earlier in the week, but not good enough apparently). We did 50 baptisms/confirmations since the other people scheduled at the same time as us were late. Then we got some snacks and were going to hunt but it was too rainy and windy. So we went to Sportsman's instead and bought some things we were needing. 

Our stake conf was in the afternoon, so we went on an early morning hike in the aspens (per tradition). It was really good timing honestly. And then Roger gave the prayer at stake conference for the 5th year in a row. 

GC 2k23 October Edition

Not a great week for me. Had strep. Still worked, but with mad PPE. Stressed out with some personal stuff that had me going crazy and not sleeping for several days. I went to the gym a couple times only to dissipate some of the rage. It didn't work and I couldn't walk, so not my best coping mechanism. I was really looking forward to general conference and thought maybe I could squeeze a Friday temple day in, but then I had a few surprise patients pop up on the schedule. 

When I said 'pig', I meant 'wild boar'. 

That said, I had a great start to GC. I made bread and snuggled in my blankets reading between sessions and went through a box of tissues and a spittoon. And the messages just eased my mind a bit about things going on, even though nothing was really fixed. 

The good news is that Roger had a great week. He left unexpectedly early on Tuesday to go pig hunting with some friends and his dad in Texas. The logistics and planning of the trip were not handled well, but that wasn't Roger's job. Anyhow, he had a blast and they brought home 6 piggies to split up between 4 of them (Rog and his dad both got 2, so proud). 

Roger's piggies. 

He was also home much earlier than expected. 1am Sunday morning. Which was good, because I was mad the trip overlapped with pajama church. We had a nice sleep in together and he made me some bacon and eggs and I made him some hot chocolate and toast and we enjoyed the messages together. 

Here's the summary if you missed it:

• We are children of God - loved, equals, with a purpose, and we are His. See the people behind their titles and our prejudices. Invite, but don't chase after or lower your standards to meet others.  
• We need each other to make it to exaltation - where you will live in a place, and with people, and in a body you are comfortable with and merit. 
• Make covenants ASAP (not "when I'm perfect) and keep them (tithing, taking care of family, accepting callings, service). This makes things easier & brings peace. 
• Seek revelation (to get it: temple often, have good friends, testify, be okay with unexpected answers and timeframes, respond quickly, live in accordance with prophets/God). Bad things happen to everyone - pray for comfort and peace. 

Honestly, for most of conference, I sit through and think I'm doing fairly well with a few minor adjustments to make and that was true of this until my boy Russ shared his thoughts. And when I tell you he had the fear of God in me saying that each kingdom comes with a different level of body. No way I'm settling for telestial knees, you know? Miss me with those terrestrial hormones, I am sick of it. What a motivation. 

Rog is Back (and clingy)

 VB is getting good and idk if it's because I'm getting more hops or just improving my timing. This week was a chill deload week where I really do no load and just cardio. I ran and did some sprints and slept in because I could. 

In celebration of talk like a pirate day. 

Roger got back on Tuesday and was so excited for me to get home and tell me all about his trip and we immediately went shopping at Ross and Walmart and DQ (obv) to get a few things we needed. 

For YW this week, we had the Primary Program practice and then made mocktails and chilled. We were gonna make bathbombs too but one of the leaders in charge forgot a crucial ingredient. Oh well. 

Roger living his best life and forgetting how to drive. 

Rog and I went on another date to check out Brown Bag Burger - subpar compared to Mama Burger and wayy over priced. Disappointing. Then we went to Sportsman's for fun and found some water shoes we were both wanting eventually, but at 50% off. We were going to get them, but a worker said they'd be 75% off the next day. So obviously we had to wait there until closing time (90min away). But then Rog got tired and so plan B was to hide them, which was going well until the clothing manager caught us and said that she'd hold them in the back for us AND with our membership, we'd get an additional 50% off per item tomorrow. So that's how I got $130 shoes for $15. 

Roger did some hunting and scouting in between plumbing and finishing up government time cards and such. He also came to my work for a midday "tailgate" party lunch and I went home after doing a few training visits because all the rest of my people cancelled. 

Saturday, Rog went out hunting while I was running (late because it rained all morning) and got ANOTHER flat tire. That's 5 in the last few months, including 2 new sets of tires. I'm getting tired of this and there is no pun intended. 

Little snakey from my run. 

We had our primary program with brunch on Sunday and I was sad my friend couldn't come watch with us because it's always fun. But Mike did steal all my homemade bread I brought to contribute to the potluck which turned into not a potluck because they forgot to announce it and then went and bought all the food themselves. Then I had a YW meeting which was a lot. 

After a brief respite/recovery, Rog and I went out to look for a felled elk. We did not find it, but I did test out my new camera harness and we saw a porcupine! 

There he is, in all his glory.

Still No Rog

 While Rog was still on the river, I was living my best life. I played volleyball and did my gym sessions and went on a long run. 

Last minute, I asked my old YW gang if they wanted to meet up and they said yes - for the next day. So I made some churros and we hung ate white bean soup and hung out way passed our bedtimes. 

We had a game night with my actual YW and I convinced them to try and sneak treats from another ward's activity. They did not do a good job, but we had fun. 

I did watch P&P wayy too many times in the background, but it's a classic. And I needed some mental distraction while baking a couple pies and making homemade whipped cream with extra ingredients from girl's night. 

Somebody had an accident on my street. 

Rachel & I hung out again on Friday for a movie night while her husband was working overnight. I kept at my leather project during the movie "Date Night" and we chatted until way too late, but it was fun. 

After my run Saturday, I had the best (and second) massage of my life and had zero neck tension or irritation for the first time in living memory. My girl Veronica knows how to work. 

Then I finished my leather carving and stained it and antiqued it and buffed it and waxed it - not in that order. But it turned out pretty good for me watching a YT video and a half. 

bb squirrels

If I'm being real, time is flying by here. People aren't kidding when they say that wives have extra labor added on just by getting married. The house is clean and stayed clean. And there's just not enough time for me to do all the stuff I want to - and now have energy to actually do. 

I didn't get back in time (or with enough energy) to play volleyball on Monday night after the CO trip, but I did find time to watch the rest of the Jurassic Park franchise in the background of everything else. Work has been a little insane, but we're getting a new guy trained up so hopefully that will help. Also, did manage to fit in all my workouts AND go for a 6 mile run. 

I meal prepped Joy's green chili - this time with chicken - and that was my dinner all week. I didn't have to go to YW because it was a stake deal, so I worked on some projects and did a little shopping for stuff in our house that we've needed for a while.

One of my patients needed a walker to borrow, so I got to see Joe Carter for a few minutes, which is always a delight. I need to hang out with him more. 

The most exciting part of the week was probably finding a nest behind our futon as I was cleaning off the deck. At first, it looked like a bird's nest, but upon closer investigation, it had some pink, wriggling, mouse-like babies in there. So naturally, I called up mama sama and asked what I was supposed to do with it, and per her advice, bagged them up, threw them in the dumpster, and set some mouse traps. Only, I later went onto the deck to find mama squirrel looking around for her chillins. My bad, but honestly, I'm not sure it would've ended differently. 

squeaker squeak squeak squeaken

Otherwise, I made some laundry detergent, started leather carving, read a book, worked on my Etsy shop notes, took a load to Goodwill and put some boards in Rog's truck, went to an eye appt, and just vibed. Honestly, it's been a really nice mental break. 

Durango

It was another low energy week (after taking into account doing a little extra to help Rog prep for his trip and working over time at work). Which meant the gym was often skipped. What can you do. I did make it a few times, went on a run, and go hot tubbing/swimming with our YW. 

The sauce.

Rog left for his 21-day rafting trip in the Colorado River to sample fish and be paid & fed by the government. The Dream. I was invited, but also I have a day job, so the timing is off. (For now...) Hopefully he has fun, but we won't know until he comes back. 

Gettin buff.

Which left me canning 10 gallons of apples alone. Complete with all the machinery malfunctions - the worst of which was that the machine was missing a screw. I had unfortunately already started and didn't want to take the machine apart, so I guessed, and at least one screw was correct. A few other mishaps probably could've been avoided if I had the ability to read instructions. BUT you learn by doing and there was a lot of learning. 

One of the waterfalls en route to Ice Lake.

This weekend was my planned trip to Durango - the purpose of which was to convince Roger to move there. He, unfortunately, was gone, and so Kelly, Rich, MGH, Kevin, and Courtney came down. MGH and I went to the gym and looked at areas of land I've been eyeing while the rest of the crew hit up Mesa Verde. 

Butter?

Then we had burgers, shopped downtown (MGH's real favorite part), and then had a Chuckwagon dinner with live cowboy singing entertainment with a really nice bass singer and a really funny cello player. We did miss the train ride and wagon ride, so we'll have to go earlier next time, but it was fun. The steak was pretty good and the entertainment was solid. Best line: "she looked like an English bulldog drinking lemon out a thistle" (describing his woman).

Good views.

Sunday the Chin had the scariest ride of his life and the rest of us hike part way to Ice Lake near Silverton. It was beautiful despite some chilling rain. Kev & Courtney left after the hike - to brainstorm ideas for the homestead, rethink moving to Maine, and get back home so they could work on Monday. 

Surprisingly not too scared. 

The rest of us enjoyed God's creations with Jurassic Park. Moriah said she wanted the movie to end with the dinosaurs 'living & surviving' and didn't care about the people. Her new favorite movie series right here. We hung out until we had to send dad to bed. 

Everyone caught a fish - the definition of a good trip.

In place of Roger, I agreed to lead the fishing expedition on the Animas river. Good thing I only know how to stream fish. We both caught fish and Moriah touched it, so that's a win for all. We came home hungry, ate some pancakes, and packed up to go home. (And made it).