The Final Batch

Finally...the last of the Wyoming pictures! You only had to wait a month! In this batch you'll find some pretty flowers, some scenery shots, a creepy spider, my friend the squirrel who liked to wake me up in the morning by squeaking at my open window and some pictures from the climb up Mount Teewinot that Joe, his dad and uncle attempted. Sadly they were stopped by a giant snow field, but the view from the height they made it too is still pretty spectacular!

Jackson Rodeo!

Wyoming photos continue, now with a couple of shots from the Jackson Rodeo. We watched a few of Jimmy and Alicia's friends in my first rodeo experience. Obviously I was extremely excited to see the bull riding, but I enjoyed every bit of it. Joe informed me that the announcers used the same jokes year after year, but as it was my first time, I found them amusing and enjoyed the experience.

Enough chit chat, here are some pictures...

Wyoming Part II: Yellowstone

Here's another batch of my Wyoming pictures! These are from Yellowstone National Park. We spent the day driving through the park with Jimmy and Alicia giving us their tour guide information. The park is beautiful and I'm glad I finally got to see it.

Obviously I was excited to see Old Faithful, but I have to admit that the stadium seating around the site kind of ruins the experience. Well, I suppose it didn't ruin it, but it certainly wasn't want I pictured. I probably should have known better, but no one likes to imagine one of mother natures wonders surrounded by people crowded on metal benches. Ah well. It was still awesome!

Finally, Wyoming

I've been a very bad blogger lately...I admit it. But I went from being sick to having company to being just plane busy! Here's the last two weeks in a nutshell:

•My friend "the sinus infection" followed me around for over a week.
•I saw a wacky doctor who told me I was better off sniffing essential oils than taking any actual prescription meds to get better--and for whatever reason, I took his advice.
•The especially annoying tourists started showing up--you know which ones I mean; the ones that think this is mexico and they can barter for anything they want and think the rules don't apply to them because they don't actually live here. I'll be glad when they're all gone.
•I baked an apple-shaped birthday cake which half melted in the ridiculous humidity we've been having.
•Jimmy came to visit!
•I turned 23
•I went on a fishing trip that was lots of fun (thanks for the sea sick patches Jimmy's doctor!)
•We saw lots and lots of sea lions and managed to find two huge whelks that Joe pickled and intends to eat.
•I baked another cake--this one for a baby shower (I'll post pictures soon)
•I attended said baby shower
•Numerous shoreline areas were closed due to the incredible swells that were overtaking the pier, cliffs, etc. and tragically killed a 7 year-old girl. (It's been all over the news, everywhere! It even made headlines in China!)

I'm probably missing lots of important/fun things, but that's the basic gist of it.

Now, I think it's about time I start posting some of the pictures from my trip to Wyoming. Here are some of my favorites from just the first day. Most of them are form our hike to Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls, but the first one is from the top of Signal Mountain. That's Jimmy leaning against the fence. I wish it was a bit brighter, but it's still a nice picture.

I think I need to print and frame some of the moose pictures. I just love those animals! The way they flop their ears is adorable! --and they have the goofy grin too! I could have sat and watched them all day!























If I get things together, I'll hopefully have more photos in the next day or two.

Back to Reality

I returned from vacation a few days ago with renewed energy, although you wouldn't know it because of something else I brought back with me: a rather unpleasant cold. After an unbelievably freezing Friday morning raft trip, I managed to catch a cold that just won't leave me alone. No amount of Tylenol or sleep has been able to do anything more than simply keep it at bay. Ah well, I suppose we must take the bad with the good.

Since I've had this nasty cold, I haven't felt up to the task of sorting through the 400+ photos I took out west, and thus, have no pretty pictures to share with you today. What I can share is the fact that I absolutely love Wyoming. Now that's not to say I'd want to move there, because let's face it, I don't think I'd survive the winters, but I would love to visit on a regular basis.

I am also pleased to say that this was the most relaxing, albeit physically exhausting, vacation I can recall. I made a serious effort to not stress over what we were doing every day or making sure we did everything. I tried really hard to just sit back and simply go with the flow--of course this was made a bit easier since everyone else knew the area while I did not. I tend to have a hard time relinquishing control of the situation, but for once, I enjoyed doing so. Immensely. Now I just need to make an effort to apply that attitude to my everyday life! Yay self-improvement!

While in Jackson, we got one of those cheesy, old-timey photos taken. I've always wanted one, and I was excited to hear that we could do that. So while I have no pictures of the mountains or the antelope, I do have pictures of us dressed up like characters from a western, which may not be as visually "pretty" but are certainly entertaining in their own right. --Please be sure to note the moustaches you might not get to see them again--