Mama Mia!

I went and saw this movie.... I was laughing SOOOO hard that I was not just crying... but sobbing!

I can't say anymore than.... I loved it!

;o)

Camping

I finally got my camping photo's back! PLUS, Dad was good to give me some of the pictures he took too... WOOHOO! I am so excited!! There is SOO much to post, so many stories, so many memories. It was a vacation I REALLY needed.




This is what camp looked like. We are right on the edge of a beaver pond, and believe me... they are fun to watch. Just don't try to talk to one (clicking your tongue) or they will get upset.... believe me... I KNOW!! My tent is the red one in the center... Dad and Sharon's is hidden!!!


Dad and I went on this hike that was..... oh... just over a couple ridges.... and up to a peak! We were gone from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM..... it was a lovely long hike that I will always cherish! The scenery was perfect, and the sounds were calming!! We heard a hawk screech and it echoed all through the valley! That was so cool. I felt like I was in a movie. It was a pretty cool day (temperature wise) and that just added to the beauty of it. Dad and I had a lovely time talking about religious subjects and just plain life. It was wonderful spending this time with him. Something I will always cherish!


My Grandma Leak loves Indian Paintbrushes (the red flowers behind me in the picture). We saw SOOO many up there. They were beautiful.




















We were able to see a couple Bucks (Deer)... They stood there SOOOO still... If we didn't stop to catch our breath, we would have missed them! They were so beautiful!! I named them "Bucky" (the older one), and "Boy" (the younger).























The next day we went on another hike to Bacon Creek Saddle. (NOTE: We both had blisters from the previous hike... so this one wasn't TOO far, but still very enjoyable.) We both took our journals and found this dead tree to sit on. As we were writing, I noticed that this black butterfly was attracted to my camel-back (backpack). I tried many times to get it to climb on my finger. It was the coolest thing when it actually did crawl on there!! No words will ever describe my "Spots". She was the prettiest thing. Her oval eyes were Grey, and her face was fuzzy... she was lovely! After she flew away, she came back to my bag ( I think she was as curious about me as I was her!). I waved my hand in the bye-bye motion, and she flapped her wings. It was sweet! "Spots" holds a spot in my heart!







































The last pictures I will post are of the sunrise and sunset! These don't do it justice... but they are pretty to look at anyway!


















We always had hot cocoa every morning! Here is a picture of my last day drinking hot cocoa with Dad and Sharon~

I had a wonderful time! There is so much more that I didn't include... It was a wonderful vacation!

Beat It!!

Last night, mom and I picked beats and topped them. I was sad to see them go, but I guess that we are coming up on that time of the year when you are able to reap the harvest of your labors. We have really been blessed with TONS of yummy veggies. I am still offering Zucchini's for free!! We didn't have very many beats... which is ok.... I was surprised they even came up this year! We hope to get a half dozen bottles out of them. YUM!
After we picked the beats, I decided to weed my carrots and re-build the row (that is how I like to weed.... just tear it all up, and then rebuild it later!!) I knew I was pushing it with time, meaning, it was getting close to my bedtime, but I couldn't pull myself away! We picked our first tomato, and loads of Zucchini's, along with some squash and peppers. I love this time of the Gardening Year!
To back up a little... I have to go to bed around 9:00 PM, because I have to get up at 4:00 AM. Technically, I should be going to bed by 8:00 PM, because I need ALL the beauty sleep I can get! Why, you ask?! Because our Governor has forced us to work four 10 hour days! That is grand and all, for those who don't want any kind of life during the week. I get home around 7:30 PM, and you'd be surprised how fast an hour and a half goes!! At least it gives me an excuse to not date... that I can thank the Gov'nah for!!
I went camping with Dad and Sharon this past week... I will save the spill for another post... when I can show my pictures!! They are being developed as we speak! I have to just say this... It was incredible! Just what I needed! More to come....
Oh, I wanted to post this picture of this animal. As I was coming in last night, I saw this ... thing... licking the flowers. It was really neat. Pictures just don't do it justice. It reminded me of a humming bird (fast wings) mixed with a butterfly.... maybe that is all it is... a "hummfly"?!?!
Well, happy trails!

Garden Bliss

Can I just say that I truly enjoy gardening?! I finally got my pictures on this computer. Funny thing is.... now my garden is twice as big!! Today I picked 2 peppers and 3 zucchini's. Funny story about the zucc's (pronounced: z-oo-k-s), this year I only planted 5 pockets on my mound (meaning, I poked 5 holes with my thumb and put 3 seeds in each hole) where as last year I did 7-9 holes.....haha, yeah, we had zucc's coming out of our ears! So I thought I was pretty safe this year by just doing 5......and I thought I was even MORE safe when only 4 plants came up....I was wrong! One day, I was out whacking morning glory with my hoe, when I noticed that what I had just hit was either a squash or zucchini plant. I looked around, and wouldn't you know, there were two others just growing out of no where!! Actually, they were from my last years crop.... who knew that they would be annuals?!?! Our neighbor who we pay to come and plow our field must have dragged some seeds to a new location and WALAH! we have even more zucchini that last year! It's kind of funny, because this year I bought a new kind of zucc, so now I have 2 different kinds in my garden. By looking at what is producing now... I will be picking zucc's everyday for the rest of my life!! BUT, I am grateful we have crops this year, and I am grateful for those blasted zucc's!















Zucchini













overall look @ garden













Cute little corn (which has now tripled in size!!)














Tiny tomatoes!! They too have tripled!

Here are a couple of pictures of our flowers in our front yard.... to pretty to not share~

Grandma Therapy

So, every Wednesday night for the past six years (for me anyway), my cute cousin Stacey and I spend the evening with Grandma. We have had SO many fun times, special times, and very touching moments with her. Therefore, we titled it "Grandma Therapy". She listens to us tell our adventures of the past week, and then she gives comfort or advice to us. Then we help her get ready for bed, beginning with "Phase 1" as Grandma calls it! It is very fun to help her, I especially love washing her face, combing her hair, and putting lotion on her feet (she has cute feet). But before I go on I must say that without Stacey, Grandma Therapy would not be complete! I have really enjoyed coming to know her better, and she has become a very bright light in my life. Both women have influenced me more than I can say. I want to start writing funny things, or just moments that have touched me.

Last night, while waiting for a VERY slow nurses aid to help grandma, she sang, "Here we sit like birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness, birds in the wilderness....." At which point my cousin and I were laughing! It was very cute and funny.....and very appropriate!

The next thing is something that happened with just Stacey and Grandma (Stacey also goes every Sunday night to be with Grandma). Stacey shows up Sunday night and Grandma was watching 'Perry Mason', well, a Mr. Burger was called to the stand.....
Grandma: " I wonder if his first name is ham?"
Stacey: "Why do you say that?"
Grandma: "You know, hamburger!"
Now, this may seem silly, but it got both Stacey and I laughing!! Grandma's sense of humor is so adorable! She is so funny!

Well, in posts to come, I am going to share how cute and funny she is, and how dear she is to me. I hope you enjoy getting to know these two amazing women that I love!

Updates & Things

I love gardening! But I don't like morning glory and stickers! I have been really struggling this year with both. BUT, things are growing, and that is always good to see! I will post some pictures after I till and weed tonight (so that it looks pretty). My brother's family ( http://jasontricialeak.blogspot.com/ ) sold their home and just gave an offer today on another one. I am so excited, because it it closer to our house. Hopefully they will build behind us in a few years. Mom and I are getting anxious and excited for our garden project. I need to take some before and after pictures (even though it will take a couple years). We are turning a section of our house into a flower garden equipped with a waterfall, gazebo, and fire pit (among other things). Yes, this will be a HUGE project for us, but it has been a dream now for years.

I didn't write about my High School Reunion. I am so glad I went. It was so good to see people and find out what they have been up to. The magic number that night was 3. A lot of people (I'd say 90%) have 3 children. I really had a great time! I felt like I left there with positive feelings about people (especially those who didn't really like me in High School), so it was good leaving there feeling positive. I have to say, walking in the school, I felt those feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and just plain fear. But leaving, I felt closure, peace, happiness, and love for people. It was great!

Babbling!

So, tonight I am going to my 10 Class Reunion..... in ways it feels like longer, but at the same time I feel shocked that it has only been 10 years. Weird! It will be good to visit with some friends and see how they have been.

So, I wanted to post that I love being an Aunt. The other day Payton, Parker and Abbey came over. I wasn't feeling the best, so I was laying in bed. In came the two boys, asking if they could lay down with me..... as we were laying there, Parker asked about this huge key that I have hanging up. I told the boys that this was a "magic key", and that it goes inside a magic door where animals talk and flowers are everywhere! A little too Narnia I know, but hey, it was all I could come up with. Now they are asking if we can go find the door and go inside this magical land. I love it!!

Another story~ When my mom was taking the boys home after they came to play at our house for a while, mom forgot something at the house and came back. She left the boys in the car (with the windows down) and asked if I would go sit with them while until she found whatever it was she was looking for. SO, I got in the drivers seat and we pretended that the car was flying to the moon. It was so fun!! Now whenever we get in the car, we have to fly to the moon first! I love being with my nephews and nieces. They are so much fun!