Grand Tetons

We decided that we needed one last vacation/outing before the good weather ends so yesterday we headed to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. We had limited time to see everything as we got a late start and had to be back in time for me to see the Relief Society Broadcast, but we saw so many beautiful sights and lots of wildlife that it was worth it.
The leaves have already changed colors up in the mountains, and the brilliant oranges, yellows, and reds made the blue mountains even more beautiful. It was the perfect day for the trip and we recommend this time of year for anyone to go see the Tetons. Below are lots of pictures but they are pretty low quality since all we have is Justin's phone for a camera right now. To say they don't do the scenery justice is an understatement.
Like I said we saw lots of wildlife. This included:

• 2 Moose (a mama and a baby in GTNP)
• 14+ antelope (near island park)
• 16 elk (cows and their babies and one bull)
• 12 buffalo (yellowstone)
• a couple red tailed hawks
• and the biggest ravens you've ever seen

Grand Tetons

Moose and her calf

Grand Tetons

Jackson Lake

Moose Falls

Moose Falls

The Temple

I just wanted to say what a blessing it is to live just a few blocks away from this wonderful temple. I am so grateful that I can go so often and enjoy the peace and spirit of the temple.

My First Apple Pie

I feel like I have now truly become domesticated. I made my first apple pie last night. It turned out well although there's a few things I'll do differently next time, but for my first attempt I am quite proud of myself. I even made the top pie crust the lattice top way, and I was pleased with how it looked.
Next month I am going to attempt a real pumpkin pie using the filling from the jack-o-lantern we will carve. We'll see how that goes. I know Ann has done it before, so I'll have to get in touch with her and get some tips.
To continue my domesticated skills, today I am going to cut out the fabric for my throw pillows that will go in the baby's room on the futon and the rocking chair.

Belated Thankful Thursday

So I was waiting all week to do a thankful Thursday post, and then I got busy yesterday and forgot. So I am going to write what I would have written yesterday.
Things I am thankful for:

• Grocery Shopping Day: I know some people hate to go grocery shopping. I used to be that way. But now that I am at home all day every day pretty much, I like getting out of the house on grocery shopping day, and it's kind of fun for me to plan what we're going to eat and use my mad budgeting skills to get the most groceries for the lowest price. I do admit I do hate hauling the groceries from the car to the house, but nevertheless, I still love grocery shopping day.
• Good Food: I think I amaze Justin with my ability to get so excited about food and treats. He gets the biggest kick out of watching me get excited about mashed potatoes or cheesecake. Last night we went out to eat for a date, and when I suggested that I should have brought the crescent rolls that I had just made with us to dinner, I think Justin thought I was the silliest girl...
• Justin's job. He is so much happier this semester since he is working at the safety office. Not that he was unhappy last semester, but he's just so much more happier than he was.
• Fresh Peaches: I think I am going to have to steal Jane's peach tree. I wish I had a peach tree so I could eat as many peaches as I wanted everyday. I love fresh, juicy peaches. Since they have been on sale and are in season right now, I've been buying two every time I go to the grocery store, one for Justin and one for me. Then I get home and I usually end up eating both of them. Justin doesn't mind so much because he knows how much I love them and figures I get more enjoyment out of eating them than he would.
• Jane: she gave us so much baby stuff, I don't even know where I am going to put it. It's nice not to have to spend lots of money on things since she loaded us up.
• Sewing machines: I just finished recovering a rocking chair that we bought at DI and making curtains for the baby's room. I am so grateful I had Amber's sewing machine to do these little projects since it would have taken forever to do them by hand.
• Pillows: They save me a lot of sleep at night. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have four or five pillows to myself every night.
• My Apartment: I really feel like we've made a little home out of our apartment, and I love being home in it (when I've actually cleaned it).

Well I guess that's it for today. Looking at how long this post ended up being, I'm thinking that you're lucky I didn't wait all the way to next Thursday to say what I am grateful for.

Mr. Safety

As well as taking classes on his off-track, Justin is also working on campus in a new job. He used to work for audio/visual services setting up microphones and such, but now he works for the safety office. We're really grateful that he got the job because not only is it super flexible so he can work it in between his classes, but he also is getting some good experience to put on a resume since his field is in Occupational safety and health. Also his boss and others he works under will be useful in networking because most of them worked in various occ safety professions before settling at BYU-Idaho.

Justin loves his new job. He likes that he's not just sitting in an office all day. So far he's learned how to check and do maintenance on fire extinguishers and defribillators. He goes around to all these different buildings to check all the extinguishers and defibrillators. He also gets to help with the fire safety demonstrations they do for students. I'm sure he'll be doing other things that are safety related as the job progresses, but for now he likes what he is busy with.

Baby Name Poll

So Justin and I are still struggling with the baby name thing. I think that's the first thign people ask us when they find out we're having a girl, and we always just have to say we don't know yet. We noticed this nice little poll feature on the blog and we thought we might see what the rest of you might think about our baby names. So go ahead and vote. The poll is off to the left. We're not promising the winner will be what the majority chooses. We're just interested in what people think.

Bangs

So I let Justin's cousin, Ashley, talk me into doing bangs when she cut my hair while we were in California. They were fun for the first few days, but I am already tired of them. Maybe it's because they are still at a length where I can't do much with them. Some days I just feel like I went back to the nineties, though. Oh well, in a little while longer they'll grow to a length that I can actually do something with them, and then I will like them again.

Warm River

This last weekend Justin and I went camping at a place called Warm River. It was beautiful. The river was crystal clear, and cold (we know because we tried to swim in it). We had so much fun playing in the water, and Justin caught a brown trout. We also found the whole skeleton of a moose in the river. Who knows how it came to die there. It was kind of like finding a dinosaur. We took pictures of it, but the pictures aren't that great since we took them on Justin's phone.

Right on the river there is a forest service cabin. This is the picture of it. To the right of the cabin is a waterfall of the Warm Springs. It's such a beautiful place. There were moose, deer, and elk tracks all over the place. Justin and I think that some day we should all rent the cabin and stay there for a couple of days. There's bunk beds in the cabin, and outside there is plenty of room for tents.