First more pictures as promised...and second, sorry for the horrible grammar on the previous post, apparently I should have read over it before I posted it...oh well.

Graduation day! Isn't he a good looking Law Enforcement Officer!

All the dogs ready to head to the lake at Sourdough left to right: Bowzer (Shae's dog), Scout (My dog), Aspen (Toshia's dog), and Bandit (Spencer and my dog)

The infamous deer. If you look closely you can see where the cougar dragged it by the shoulder, bit it's neck and if you could see the hind quarters you would be appalled since they were eaten away but I figured I shouldn't post those pictures they are pretty nasty.

Bandit always wanting to play and Spencer always willing to keep him entertained.

Aspen watching over the old guy Scout at Sourdough. They are so cute with eachother and the older and more frail Scout gets the more gentle and protective Aspen is of him.

Catch Up!

The big rock wall we built with Dad's help of course.

Taking a Breather after moving all the boulders in

Brook Christmas morning with her new puppy, Penny.

Pheasant Hunt with Bandit and Aspen we weren't let down at all by either of them

Bandit was sleeping with the new puppy until I turned on my camera and woke him but it was cute while it lasted.

Well I can't figure out how to put these pictures where I want them so here is the explanation for all the pictures.

Wow so much has happened since I last posted there is no way I can cover it all so here are a few highlights (pictures to follow). First up, Spence graduated Academy! He has been looking for a job as an Officer but no luck yet so until then he has taken a job at a research facility as a patient liasion and the Officer job will come when it is supposed to come.

Now flashback to the summer and we will work our way up...Of course it wouldn't be summer without Sourdough, we spent lots of time up there working on our lot and it is going to be AMAZING! We built a massive rock wall this summer to hold in our fire pit and it is probably about 4 feet tall. This upcoming summer projects will be continuing the rock wall around our future screen tent area, moving the shed forward about ten feet and of course rest and relaxation. It's been lots and lots of work but it has been really fun to do the work together and we know it will be worth it in the long run. We also spent some time at Bear Lake and Coonskin Cabin. And other fun news over the summer we had niece, Kate born and she is adorable like all the others!

Fall came and with it came Spencer's favorite time of the year...hunting season. The deer hunt was crazy! Spencer did the muzzleloader hunt and only saw does so no luck there. For my hunt we went to Sourdough and we got one but it was quite the excursion to get it out. I shot right at dusk and while tracking it in the dark we were hearing some pretty crazy things and when our flashlight started going out we decided to play it safe and head back and thank heaven we did! The next morning when we found it we were shocked... it was pretty much mutilated. Once we really got to looking at the deer and around the area we found cougar sign and it all started to click...the sounds we were hearing the night before was a cougar calling and finishing off our deer and if we hadn't had turned around when we had we would have walked right into it's path and possibly been it's dessert. I'm glad we listened when we did and turned around and now it's a good story to tell. We also had the pheasant hunt which is one of our favorites because we get to watch the dogs work the fields. Bandit is a great Bird Dog! He loves it out there and does so well so between him and Aspen we were constantly getting birds up and did well.

Spence turned 24, Holidays went by faster than I ever expected and we got tons and tons of good stuff but the biggest surprise gift was definately that Brook got a puppy!!!! Her name is Penny and she is so so cute! Also this last month Landon got married, I know we were all shocked. Her name is Jessica and they are a cute couple.

Now that some of the major highlights are out just an update on life in general right now. We have a nephew on it's way in another few months. Spencer was called as second counsiler in the Elder's Quorom and I was called as Girls Camp Director. Spencer also found out he needs glasses and he does look good with them so that is good. In some really exciting news...Toshia gets home in about two and a half weeks!!!! We are so excited and have missed her so much! Overall, life is going well. I will get some more pictures posted soon but here are a few from the last few months.

Finally Spring!!!!

I am so glad it is finally spring! I love Spring mostly because that means that camping, fishing, boating, gardening, hiking, biking, and tons of other outdoor activities are finally here! This spring is even better though because this spring Spencer graduates police academy! Neither of us can wait for that big day, he has done so well and work incredibly hard and these last couple weeks are no exception. He has an insane schedule but it will all be worth it in the end. So between that and the fact that we can be up at Sourdough within the month is everything we need to be happy right now.

In other news, Mother's Day was wonderful not only can I honestly say I have the two greatest moms in the world, but i have the two greatest moms for me and my husband! They are incredible and have done more for us than I could ever ask for and I can only hope that one day I can be half of what they have become! I love them both so much and I know Spencer feels the same!

We also got to talk to both Toshia and Landon on Mother's Day, finally! It is amazing how much you can miss your siblings and what great peace it brings to hear their voices and know that they are okay. Both said they are doing great! Toshia of course already wants to extend and the language is coming along great (she couldn't remember alot of her english, her mind is full of porteguese). She is also training and opening a new area, she is a trooper and loving every second! Landon is worried about coming home in a few months, and can't believe his time is already coming to an end, he also wishes he could have more time in the mission. He is as witty as ever and has a slight southern accent (Y'all is his favorite word...oh boy). We love to hear all their stories and can't wait until we get to talk to them again!

Let's see in news since I haven't blogged in forever.....Grandma fought cancer and overcame it like a warrior. It was a difficult few months but she never let it show and is now cancer free and doing great! Bandit and Stew are still as active as ever and excited for the warm weather.

Life is wonderful and I wouldn't change any of it!

Busy As Always

Wow, what a month it has been! I can't believe it's already February and to top it off this week Spencer and I have been married 18 months already! It's amazing how time flies by so fast!
This last month we have had lots going on. Spencer has spent practically every minute with Police Academy stuff. He has class Monday thru Friday 8am to 5pm and then he has Physical Training twice a week and lots and lots of studying so he has been busy! I spend most my time at work and it seems like there is never much time left over after that, but every free minute we can find we spend together and with friends and family which is a good relief after the hustle and bustle of life.
We did get to go to Bear Lake with some friends a few weekends ago which was a blast! Between building a massive igloo and knocking it down we filled our weekend with lots of chaos and fun!
In other news, Toshia got her visa and is now enjoying the warmth and culture of Brazil. She loves it and is so excited to be out there, she is still learning alot she says but loves every second of it.
I know this is a quick and boring update but hey at least I am blogging more often then my usual every six months.

It's About Time!

Dropping her off at the MTC

It's about time I posted something! So here are a few things that have happened in the last few months...As you can see from the above picture Toshia left for her mission on the 18th of August and has loved every minute she's been serving the Lord since. She completed her time in the MTC but her visa still hasn't come through so they sent her to the West Virginia Mission (She is currently serving in a small town called Floyd, Virginia) until her visa comes then she will head out to Brazil. She is incredible and it's so fun to hear from her but it's been strange not having her bubbly personality and constant singing around as much. I'm proud of her and glad she is out there doing what she knows she needs to do.

Hunting Season

What more fun could you have during those gorgeous fall months then to be in the mountains enjoying the great outdoors?!? That is definately exactly where we were and right where we wanted to be. Between the deer hunts, pheasant hunts and the end of our camping season we spent every minute we could in the mountains.

I Can't Believe He Used To Be This Small
compared to...

Bandit now...in his "play with me" position

Bandit has grown LOTS! He is so cute and an absolute joy in our lives, we wouldn't trade him for anything! He is super energetic and lots of fun but that also takes lots of our time and everything we do we have to consider Bandit into the equation.

In other things, Spencer turned a great big 23 in November. He also got into police academy (HOORAY!) which we are both really excited and nervous for. He will start later this month and graduate in late May to early June but it will be an all day every day excursion until he is done so we will be extremely busy but it will be worth it in the end.

Bandit on His Homemade Christmas Present

Of course the holidays just passed and I can't go without talking about that. Sorry for lack of pictures....I forgot my camera Christmas day. For Thanksgiving of course we had mass amounts of delicious meals and pies and it was great. We stayed extremely busy through the Christmas season between all the many parties, activities, and life in general it seems like we haven't had a whole lot of free time. Christmas was amazing though, everybody spoiled us way more than we deserved and we are so grateful for everything we got and everything our family does for us. We did spend some of our Christmas and New Year's Eve at work but timing seemed to work out and we were able to visit everyone and get everything done we wanted to
so it worked out. New Year's was good we had a good day just relaxing and enjoying some time off together and with family.

I know it's impossible to get the last 6-7 months of our life in over a few paragraphs but we are doing great. Life is flying by we have our good times and our hard times (luckily few and far between) but as long as we have the Church, eachother and our amazing family we will get through anything and everything. Overall, life is wonderful and there isn't one thing we would change.

Lots of New Things

Our new place...pretty nice!

Oh boy have we had lots of new things happen this last week! As you can see we moved! We are now in Richard and Marjann's basement. They are so wonderful and great at accomadating us and we appreciate it so much! It's a nice place, we now have 2 bedrooms, alot bigger living room and bathroom and the kitchen is pretty much the same size. I think it's been a good move for us and we hope it works out well.

Next in a new for us, we have welcomed another member to our family! A darling brittany spaniel puppy named Bandit! He is super cute but lots of work getting through this puppy stage of chewing, training and all the stuff that goes along with that. I wouldn't trade him for the world and he has been a fun addition. Spence and I both love dogs and are so excited to have one. Here are a few pictures of the cute little guy...

He is so happy to have his own dog! I love these two boys!!!



Bandit trying to decide what he wants to attempt destroying next.

Now for the most important first in our life...we celebrated our first anniversary this last week (on Friday the 13th....oh no ;-) We have had a great first year and I love Spencer more than anything else! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful man for eternity and I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with him! I never imagined you could love someone so much and it seems like every day I love him more!
As for a quick update on my sister Toshia's mission...her visa didn't go through so they delayed her until the 18th and instead of going straight to Brazil she will spend time in the Provo MTC until her visa is ready. She is bummed she isn't out there yet but it was nice to have a little more time with her. Wish her luck and pray for her and our family, and forgive me if I'm an emotional wreck this next week.

Summer of Fun!

Having some fun at Bear Lake!

Oh boy have we had quite the summer! If we aren't at work it seems like we are either camping or boating and we wouldn't have it any other way. We went to Bear Lake this last weekend with our friends which is where all these pictures came from, we had alot of fun and got really sunburned and can't wait to go again.

Issac, Amy, Rashel, Me, and Millie cooling off after beach volleyball

Some fun with Millie and Clayton on my parents boat

Yes that is me getting in to give the wakeboard a run. The water was so cold it took all my energy to smile for the camera. Brrrr, I get cold just thinking about it.

Lots other news but first let me explain why I only have boating pics up; of course we are camping all the time and that usually includes some form of fishing for us. I brought my camera all these times had lots of pictures of our land (I'll explain....hold on), lots of wildlife, and all our fun on our camping excursions and of course while I was taking a picture of a big fish Spence caught I dropped my camera and PLOP into the water it went. I grabbed it as fast as possible but I wasn't fast enough. We did the whole rice trick and it's working now (thank heaven) but I lost all the pictures from all our previous camping and boating trips. So give me a few more weeks and I'll get some good camping pictures up.

Now for the other news...Spence and I own some land! We love to go camping at a place called Sourdough Wilderness Ranch but it is a owners only property. My parents have been owners for years so we used to use their camplot but in a wonderful and amazing round of events Spencer and I now are official owners of a camplot (1/2 acre) just up the road from my family. We have lots more trips planned and absolutely love it!!!!

Toshia (my little sister) had her mission farewell this morning, I can't believe time has gone by so fast! She did amazing and is excited to serve the lord for the next 18 months. I will miss her and it seems the closer the time comes for her to go the more emotional I get. It is for the best though and I'm so proud of her!

We are also moving this next week. We will be moving into our parent's basement. It's a nice apartment down there and it will be so beneficial to us.

Overall, we are busy but having an amazing summer of fun!