The fella and I love camping! Last year when we came to Idaho from Wisconsin (and back) for my interview, we finally got to take the trip that we had been planning for a year. The trip took 11 or 12 days (I can't remember), and we tented it the whole way visiting Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore, seeing a bear, and perfecting our camp set up skills. We haven't had time to camp since then, so last week was much anticipated and looked forward to. There's just something relaxing about being out in the woods with nothing to think of except what time to start cooking, or how many S'mores to eat (the answer to that is: a lot!). Here's a quick rundown of the trip!
This has nothing to do with camping, but this little guy was in our front yard the other day!
That's the road we took.
The town from high above! I think it was around this time that I rolled the window up and said, "Brrr...it's a little colder up here, huh?" I had no idea how cold it would get!
He caught a fish on his first cast. Jerk.
Somewhere around this time we started to get cold...really cold.
My favorite part of camping may just be the food :)
We used cast iron as plates in an attempt to keep our food warm for more that 30 seconds in the blustery winds. It worked for about 45 seconds, but man was it delicious!
S'mores, of course!
I may or may not have had 10. Also, I think this is the one that I put 2 marshmallows on. After S'mores, we crawled into the tent and listened to the wind. It was ridiculously cold, like my teeth hurt when I woke up in the morning because I must have been clenching them as I tossed and turned on our not-so-comfy sleeping mats!
Best. purchase. ever. If you know me at all, you know I enjoy salt. This is a salt and pepper shaker in one that's perfect for camping!
The fella's birthday breakfast :)
I don't generally NEED something specific (except whatever food I'm craving at the moment), but when we went on our trip last year, I HAD to have this! We have the mugs, too!
Chipmunk!
So. On our first morning there, we decided to go to another small lake to see if there was better fishing there. The fish at the lake where we were staying were weak and small. So off we went. That's the lake down there. The fella had said he heard the road was pretty rough. Wow. Understatement.
We drove that fast. I know it looks like we're sitting still, but I swear we were moving.
See?
So we drove like that for half an hour, only to be met with this!
Trying to move it? He got out of the truck and studied the clearly unmovable tree, pushed on it for awhile, walked back and forth, and got back in the truck announcing that we couldn't get through. He also announced that he should probably carry a chainsaw, not just the axe that he has in the back of the truck.
After that, we headed back to camp, took a nap, made supper again, had more S'mores, and went to sleep. Luckily the second night wasn't nearly as cold as the first, but the ground was just as hard (we need to figure out a better system!). We got up the next morning, had breakfast, and took off for home relaxed and looking forward to our next trip!
It's Friday again! That means I'm linking up with Ashley at Adventures of Newlywedsfor Friday's Letters!
Dear Camping Trip, you were fun! I'll write about you tomorrow.
Dear Fella, I'm so excited you got next Friday off! We get to go to the PARADE! Also, thanks for leaving the porch light on for me when I got back from book club last night :)
Dear Fireworks, I really hope we can see you from the porch on Wednesday!!!
Dear Zumba, I want for us to be friends, I really do. But you're at 8 am, and I just don't feel like going anywhere that early. Yea, I know that sounds lazy, but that's the way it is. Sorry.
Dear Friends and Family in OH and VA, I'm coming to see you in like 11 days!!!! EEEEEE!!!!
Dear WFTDA.TV, thanks for broadcasting the Dominion Derby Girls' bouts last weekend. It was great to watch Bonez do her thing live!!!
Oh, yes, it's a real thing. They're called Rocky Mountain Oysters, and they have their own festival.
I got home from Boise on Friday night, and the fella had dinner going,
rainbow trout (that he caught!), baked beans, and a baked potato, yum!
While I was gone, he didn't really do a grocery shopping since we're
going camping on Monday, so Saturday we decided to check out the
Testicle Festival (Testy Festy if you're feeling casual). Every year
the Cattlewomen of the county put on the Testicle Festival as
a way to let the local ranchers relax in between calving and haying.
There was so much food! Not only was there the main table with all the
things you see on the plate below, but there was another loooong table
full of pasta and potato salads and about a mile of desserts. I was
going to take a picture of the carrot cake, but it didn't last long
enough!
The main attraction was surprisingly good!
I had plenty of this...it was really just fry sauce.
I need help. I need fashion therapy. Is that a thing? I'm not talking, "I'm in a bad mood and need to go buy clothes," I'm talking putting on clothes puts me in a bad mood. I feel lost, and at the risk of sounding melodramatic, I feel inadequate. I want to put together cute outfits, but I never seem to get it right. Maybe it's because I'm getting fashion advice from a Wisconsin country boy, maybe it's because I feel like I look silly when I try for "fashion" or "cute," maybe it's because I don't look the way I want to (hence me trying to work out more), maybe it's because I'm just really, really bad at knowing what's cute and what's not. Whatever the reason, I need help!
I've been hunting for cute things at yard sales, and when I get them home and put them on, I'm just not sure if they look right or not. I usually try to dress nicely when we go out somewhere, the fella says that it doesn't look right, I get all crazy and revert to my trusty "fat" jeans and a t-shirt. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE that the fella likes me dressed in jeans and a t-shirt better than any "fancy" outfit I can put together, but I really want to be able to figure this dressing myself thing out. I have this vision in my head of how I want to look, and granted it involves losing about 20 pounds, but the outfits in my head never seem to translate when I put things on.
Thanks for listening to my ramblings!
So here's the thing, I have this wonderful resource called the World Wide Web, and I want to use it. Every now and then, when I'm feeling especially frustrated (like last night), I'll post a picture or two of something that I'm not sure about, and you can give your HONEST opinion. I don't spend much on clothes, so if it gets overwhelming icky feedback, I'll be out a quarter or so. Don't hold back. I can take it. And I need HELP!!!
I got these shoes at a yard sale for 25 cents. I thought they were pretty cute, but what do I know?
What do you think?
Do they look like something an old school marm would wear?
Please ignore the sexy blue carpet in our rental home!
This is going to be a quick one since I have to leave for class in 10 minutes! Today, I'm linking up with Ashley at Adventures of Newlyweds for Friday's Letters!!!
Dear Inquiry Institute, it's been a fun week, but now I'm tired, I want to turn in my assignment, and get home before midnight. If you could let me out a little early today, I'd be stoked.
Dear Running Shoes, you make me go fast!
Dear 5.5 Hour Drive Home, oy! You're very pretty, but if you could keep all your deer in the woods, I'd be very appreciative.
Dear Fella, I can't wait to get home to see you, and I'm super excited for our camping trip!
Dear Rainbow Trout in the Refrigerator, I'm going to figure out how to cook you so you're delicious. Then I'm going to catch some of your friends and make them my supper. That sounds morbid. Sorry.
Dear Leinenkugel's, I can't believe you're here in Boise!!! I'm going to get a lot of you on my way out of town.
That's it for Friday's Letters! It was a quick one, and a little rambly, but I have to leave for class in about two minutes. Happy Friday!!!
Today I'm linking up with Jenna from The Life of the Wife for Last Things Thursday. This is my first time doing it, and I guess we get to pick our own last things. So here goes...
The last thing I...
Watched
An episode of Law and Order: SVU on Hulu. I just love that show, and I'm having a hard time finding one's that I haven't seen before, or I'll start watching and realize 15 mins in that I've seen it. But I still watch. Because I love it.
Because who doesn't love some Benson and Stabler???
Ate
A Chipotle burrito!!!!! I love, love, love Chipotle. The closest one I've found to where I live in Idaho is in St. Cloud, MN. We stopped there on our first trip out here, and I ordered a burrito, put it in the back seat, and ate it when we got to the hotel. I got { this much }, and the fella got {thismuch}. Fair? No. Happy? Yes. Plus, he doesn't like them that much anyway. I love them! I found out yesterday that there was one in Boise, so off I went, and now my tummy is smiling with all the burrito-y goodness :)
Running shoes! This is the first pair of good running shoes I've ever had. The only other pair were New Balances that a friend found in her trunk and didn't know who they belonged to. I lost those at the gym in Virginia. Now I can runjog in cozy style.
How I'm going to motivate myself to get my homework done tonight...
How I feel.
Heard
The basketball bouncing on the court outside my room. They play until very late at night which doesn't bother me, and I fall asleep just fine. I was even fine the first night when they played rap music and there were like 10 people out there. However, when one guy comes out and bounces the ball at midnight after I've been sleeping for an hour, I can't handle it. Thunk...thunk....thunkthunkthunk...thunk..thunk.........thunk.
I don't know if this is weird or not, but I really like work trips. It's an opportunity (usually paid for in some way or another) to travel and meet new people. Plus, I get to eat takeout and spend way too much time on the internet, two things I very much enjoy!
I'm suuuuuper bummed I forgot my camera, because the drive down was simply breathtaking. As is my driver's arm tan. I don't want to brag, but it's pretty sweet.
I'm taking a class on using Inquiry as a teaching method. Basically, Inquiry is where your entire unit is based around one essential question that guides all texts and activities and leads to a final culminating project. There's also a service learning component where the students do some kind of service for their classroom or community.
Please excuse me while I nerd out for a minute...My unit is going to be based around the questions "Why is story telling important." For my culminating project, I want my students to partner with seniors at the local senior center (after some preparation of course) and interview them about their life stories. In the midst of that we'll be talking about the students personal stories, literature, articles, etc. At the end of the unit, I want the students to use the life story of the senior they were paired with to create a digital storybook. Basically a slideshow of that person's life with the student telling the story in voice over form. Granted, none of this will happen for quite some time since it's still summer, but I'm excited to be planning and getting a little more organized for the coming year.
If you're still here, thanks for sticking around through all my teacher talk!...I really wish I would have brought my camera. Boise is really pretty.
I'm still getting the hang of posting and figuring out what to post, so to keep the wheels going I'm linking up with Neely and Ashley for Sunday Social #2 (first for me)!
Here we go!
1. Favorite movie of all time?
This one's a toughy, but I have to go with My Best Friend's Wedding. I love Dermot Mulroney and his crooked smile *swoon*. This is my go to movie especially when I'm sick, because I can pop it in and close my eyes, and since I've seen it so much the movie is going on in my head while I listen to it, and I don't have to do all the work of holding my eyes open. I know all the lines. And this scene is amazing.
2. Favorite movie quote?
This one, oy! I love the movie Anne of Green Gables, and I would have to say my favorite quote comes from there.
Miss Shirley: Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.
Anne (taking a deep breath): Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it.
Miss Shirley: Well, no mistakes in it yet.
So true.
3. Best movie to watch for a girls night it?
Some of my best times in high school were sitting at my friend's house watching Sleepless in Seattle over and over again. I'd say that one!
4. Best breakup movie?
I'm not sure I understand the question. And I really don't have an answer for this one!
5. Favorite celeb eye candy?
Dermot Mulroney. He's got a few years on me, but boy is he cute!
Hello, Channing Tatum, I didn't forget about you. Or your amazing dance moves.
6. Which movie star's closet would you love to raid?
Jennifer Aniston. She always looks gorgeous, and her outfits are very simple.
That's it for my day-late Sunday Social. I'll try and make it on time next week :)
I recently started volunteering at our local animal shelter. The fella and I aren't ready to get our own dog just yet, but that doesn't mean that I don't love them and want to fill our house with them! This is my first summer off as a teacher and while I looooove sitting on the couch all day covered in chips and cross-eyed from all the tv I've been watching, I wanted to do something a little more worthwhile. Enter the animal shelter.
I went for the first time on Friday and again on Saturday, and since I didn't take a camera and don't know how to put cell phone pictures on my computer I'm taking these images from petfinder.com (if there are any bloggers who know the rules for posting pictures from other sites, let me know. Do I have to put a source for all of them?).
Anyway...without further ado, Monday's Mutts! Who doesn't need some cute puppies on a Monday!?!
This is Juan
I love him. I'm going back tomorrow to walk him again. He's shy at first and so loving. He's amazing on a leash and walked right next to me the entire time, no pulling, no tugging, nothing! When he was standing in his little fenced in area, the other dogs were barking and running around, and he just sat and looked around. Plus, his name is Juan. He almost ended up in the truck with me...
On Saturday, Juan went back to his original shelter. He was at this one until they had room at the original. I hope he finds an amazing home!
This is Mr. Miller
He's the first guy I walked, and he's wonderful! Once he calmed down after all the excitement of realizing he was going on a walk, he walked right next to me and even stayed on the sidewalk rather then exploring the grassy areas! I like that he's referred to as a mister. It makes him a little more distinguished.
He went back to his original shelter with Juan.
This is Gretta
She was hilarious! She trotted along next to me and would get excited if she found a pine cone, stick, or empty soda bottle. She'd pick up whatever she found, carry it for a little bit, then drop it and find something else to carry. Instead of walking on the road, she apparently found it fun to trot right through all the weeds on the side of the road while they smacked her in the face. I laughed the whole walk!
This is Suzie Q
She is, well, just amazing. If she were a person, I would describe her as soft spoken. She kept my pace the entire walk. If I slowed down, she slowed down. If I sped up, so did she. Every time I stopped, she stopped and looked at me as if to say, "What are we doing now? I'll do whatever you do!" I'm excited to go back to see her! But better yet, I hope she gets a great home very, very soon.
I hate that these guys are in the shelter, but I love that they get the attention that they do at a really nice facility with lots of room for them. That's it for Monday's Mutts!
I. Love. This. Show. I'm not a dancer (though I like to think I have some moves), but man, this show gets me. Or I get it. Either way, I can watch the two hour shows and be riveted the whole time. I laugh, I cry, sometimes I feel myself moving as the people dance and have to stop. I think Nigel is an amazingly kind person, and I love watching him interact with the families of those trying out (the mom whose kids came down to the judging table and then got to dance on stage!?! Amazing.).
I will watch this video for the rest of my life and smile every time.
There are so many more that I could post, but then you'd be here for hours, and I wouldn't get anything done for the rest of the day. The point is, I love this show! I missed last season, so I'm super excited to be watching this one! Next week is VEGAS week!!!!
Ok, one more. Dominic and Sabra give me chills!
Yes, both of those videos were choreographed by Shane Sparks and were Ne-Yo songs. What can I say? I know what I like :) I miss Shane Sparks on that show.
For my first official blog post, I'm linking up with the blog Adventures of Newlyweds for Friday's Letters...here we go!
Dear Fella, I love that you know I like using the little spoon for my ice cream rather than the big spoon. It's the little things :) Also, thanks for dealing with my temper tantrum yesterday and still trusting me to take the truck again today!
Dear Truck, we did a little better today, but I'm still not over yesterday. I know you're a stick shift, but when I need you to go you NEED to GO! I'm still practicing. Be kind.
Dear Virginia and Ohio, I can't wait to see you and all the people you keep for me! It's been a year since I've seen my friends and family, and I can't wait to see everyone in a month!!!
Dear Puppies, thanks for letting me hang out with you today. I think I like this volunteering thing.
Dear Camelback Water Bottle That I Found In My Classroom After School Was Out for Summer and Took Home for My Very Own, how can I find the words to thank you for helping me drink more water. I can't. You'll never know the extent of my gratitude. Three of you and I've had 72 ounces of water. I think that for someone who a few months ago barely drank water that's pretty good! I know it took me awhile to figure out how to drink from you without looking like a small child trying to figure out a sippy cup, but boy am I glad I did!
Well, that's it. First post=done! If you stopped by, I'd love to hear from you :)
I don't know how to get the button/linky thing to work. I'll try again next week, but the link back to the blog is at the top of the post!
