Ster and Mitch

Summer/fall recap....

2011-11-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

In July we went to Utah with Katie and Jedd. We spent an entire week making this beauty below. Well, the boys! Katie and I went on supplies runs, we where the eyes from afar, we dug and filled the wholes, we sat in camping chairs just watching and went on a bike ride that almost killed us!

The sweet gate....it now also has a cool sign in iron hanging down

We built this gate just for FUN!

Ah, not! We built this sweet gate for our up coming family business. We our starting a cat skiing business in Provo canyon. It's a family affair! Sterling's dad decided to start it and it was a dream of his, so of course we all love skiing/snowboarding and jump on the bandwagon!

Morgan's (my father in-law) parents own land in Provo canyon. We have a perfect mountain and its so PRETTY! We have gone up to Utah a handful of times to clear trail and cut down trees. I now know how to use a chainsaw! Its so fun! I feel bad about cutting down those pretty trees but its so cool to see all the open space you just cleared up!

If you live in Utah and love fresh powder check out our website for more info- www.catskiing.biz

Walsburg Mountain--- This is after the dam on the left going up the canyon towards Park City

I made this for a company that puts up fliers all over Utah and in stores. I changed the font a little to make it easier to read and changed a few other things but ster deleted it.

For labor day we went to Yellowstone! It was so fun to just relax, see the sights and hang out! We haven't been able to do a lot of fun stuff with the family. We have been working on the cat skiing stuff all summer so this was a perfect retreat!!

The beautiful Emma

Fam bam

sweet hike we went on....i was terrified we would see a bear! I mean it is Yellowstone!

This picture makes me laugh!

Of course we went to the South eastern Idaho Fair! It wouldn't be fall if we didn't! I love love love love love the fair! The people...food....tiger ears.....rv's......art...photography and the animals! I love it all! I just get so happy even thinking about it! The fair has to be one of my most favorite things in life! I just love it! You can't go to the fair and not smile the entire time! Its just good old American fun! It's one of my most favorite things about Idaho!

For the last few years they always have a hypnotist show. I always die laughing in this show and forsure thought it was fake. Well this year I decided when he was calling for volunteers that I would find out if it was real or fake. I got picked!

He told us to close our eyes and they we couldn't even open them if we wanted too. He then just kept talking and talking making us get deeper into "the sleep". He says sleep but you still know whats going on. When he kept going deeper into it, my body just kept getting heavier and heavier. Like so heavy that I feel over on the person next to me! It was so weird but it just felt impossible to hold it up! I just wanted to lay there and never get up!

Other than that, its all just a show. When they make you do all the funny stuff, you know whats going on and what you are doing. The relaxing part and sleeping part really did work. It worked with me alteast. It was a fun memory but I think it's better to sit in the audience and laugh!

I'm in the pink

Look at that hot mama

For conference weekend we went to the ranch in Provo canyon. Oh, this is the best time of year at the ranch! The leaves are just perfect! All the colors! I just look in aww! I love fall and I miss Ohio in the fall! I love the crunch, the smell and wearing a sweatshirt! We had fun family time but it was way too short! The weekend seemed like a day!

the house at the ranch.....so many good memories!


Family walk on Sunday

Two weeks after conference weekend we went up to Utah again to clear trail. We got to stay at the ranch again. Ster and I decided since it's so far for us to travel to Utah, we wanted to enjoy it for a few days.

After church on sunday we headed back up to the ranch. We went on a four wheeler ride just before dusk. I love the loop around the ranch. I love all the aspens. Anywho, on our way back down, search and rescue stopped us and asked us to show them how to get to this girl that was lost. We showed them the way which took like an hour. Long ride but it was fun and exciting. I was hoping the whole time that it was something crazy. I know I'm horrible wishing bad on others. But it was just a dumb girl who decided to go dirt biking by herself, with no food, in an area she didn't know! Yeah she fell and twisted her ankle, she was to hungry to keep going and on the top of that she was lost! I felt bad for her but also a little confused why someone would do that!

It was an amazing summer and fall! Its going to be an ever better winter!

Today it SNOWED! We celebrated by watching Sters new ski movie! I just want to live in poweder when I watch those movies! They just make it look so sick and perfect!

I'm so excited to go in two weeks. We our going to Big Sky, Montana for their 20 dollar day and my birthday! Oh, its just going to be so FUN! My sugar....snow and hotel fun!

Rough Day....

2011-11-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

You know those days when you wake up...not wanting to get out of bed and then you try to come up with some reason/excuse to not go to work. Yeah today has been one of those days! I'm just out of my groove!

Sterling also come home with some horrid news! He's on call for thanksgiving!! NO! I do NOT DO NOT want to stay in Salmon by ourselves for thanksgiving! We where going to go to Sters house.....see family...play games....EAT orange rolls...cut down a tree and enjoy our time off work! Now we get to stay home all weekend!

I also had no energy for my zumba class which is super lame if I'm lame. Oh, and in our house a bomb went off.

I sat down tonight to eat my dinner...which of course was oatmeal since I refused to make din din and my ears brought me so much EXCITEMENT! I heard my most favorite creative song on a tv show! When I sold my old computer, I didn't get my music. I had this one song that I would listen to over and over. I never knew what it was called because I got it from my friend Leslie. It's called "Nara" by E.S. Posthumus.

I love how music can motivate you and just play to your emotions. When I listen to this song, I feel like I'm on an adventure..like rowing a boat down the river in the middle of Africa. It just always makes me want to take on the world. It doesn't have any words but I just love the notes!

Another song that speaks to me is from pride and prejudice (Liz on top of the world by Aidan Broadbridge). When I was in school I had a study play list and these two songs where played like 10 times a day.

It was a tough day but finding that song just made my day! Plus, I have the best SUGAR ever!!

Look them up.....sorry I have no idea how to link them! They are worth the effort even though they are different.....some may dislike but I heart them!

Love One Another

2011-09-25T18:20:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I took 23 high school students on a Natural Helpers retreat. Natural Helpers is a program that has been around for years in high schools. Students are chosen by their peers because other students go to them for help.

At the retreat students learned how to enhance their natural helping skills...they also learned how to be better people. They learned kindness towards others. We took a mix of kids from different groups. Kids that thought they knew each other but really had no idea who their peers where. They shared stories...shared about special people in their lives....they cried....they bonded and learned how to make their school a better place. It was amazing to see these kids open up. I just loved everything about this program.

The students also learned about gossiping and going out of their way to be kind to others. I never thought I was going to get a lesson too but of course I did since I'm so far from being perfect. I learned that I really need to work on not gossiping which I have been working on. I still have lots of room for improvement but I learned something interesting this weekend. When I hear people gossiping I just listen... don't comment and change the subject. The trainer taught us that listening is still partaking in the gossip and that we need to stop it before it happens. He's so right!! I need to not let it happen at all!

I also learned that I need to be more kind and giving to others. I just don't go out of my way enough for others. I remember in college I did nice things for my roommates and friends all the time. I would write them a note or make them a treat...just surprise them with something small and leave it for them to find. It always made me feel so good inside. I did it for Sterling all the time when we were dating. I can't even remember the last time I did something like that. It always made my heart smile and I miss that feeling. I have thought in my head about people that I want to do that for but I never go through with it. I'm going to do it now. I need to listen to those sweet whisperings from the spirit. I need to be his hand reaching out to others. I need to be a better example to others.

I have just been thinking about things I need to work on. I went to the Relief Society Conference last night and I haven't been in years?! That's horrible I know!!! I'm looking forward to conference and truly listening. I love hearing from the apostles and I love getting pumped up to do better.

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love that I know that Jesus Christ lives and that I can talk to him everyday. I love that I can feel his love around me each day. I love knowing that I will be with my husband forever and that there is no end to my family! I love the warm fuzzy feelings I get when I feel the spirit. I love the little things in life that make me smile.

This video made my heart melt and shows how amazing kindness is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naqX9iYE0V0&feature=relmfu

Hiking BEASTS 2!

2011-08-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hike number 2! We did a 26 mile loop hike in 2 days! Wow is YES! By the end of the first day we both thought about just dropping in the middle of the trail and not moving for HOURS!

We did get lost and at one point we where climbing on the side of the mountain but we made it to our destination! We saw over 20 lakes on our hike.....climbed over 6 passes and hiked up to 13,000 ft?! (i think)

Yes thanks Sterling for all the pictures of me BY MYSELF! He refused to let me take pictures of him! He claimed he likes pictures with me in them instead of him! Little stinker!

We hiked down this crazy steep mountain pass! The little dot in the picture is me coming down! It was so steep!

On the drive home we stopped at Red Fish Lake in Standley! It was so PRETTY! We put our feet in the water and felt super refreshed. We then went to the gas station. I was so HUNGRY! I was such a fat kid ...I got yummy gas station nachos with that delis yellow cheese and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich! DO NOT JUDGE ME! Ster also joined me in the fat kid club.....he got chips, juice and mountain dew! Worth every bite!

Hiking BEASTS!

2011-08-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE BACKPACK TRIPS! Nothing better than the Hubs...the pup..fresh air....fresh spring water....mountains.....lakes.....scones and fishies! We hiked a 20 mile loop in 2 days! Our little feetsies hurt but the pain was worth the escape in the wilderness.

Our new tent! Sterling is obsessed!

Prettiest camp site!

Favorite memory of the trip: We went fishing in the above. Ster caught a few fishies but they where pretty small so we let them go. I too caught a little fishy so we let him go too. As I went to throw the cast out again I saw something small still on the hook. YES, it was the poor little fishes EYE! The fish still fell off in the water so we didn't realize that I caught the fish but the eye and not the month. Well like a second later the fish came to shore and was swimming in circles. He couldn't see and was so confused! It was the saddest thing I have ever seen! I felt so bad for the FISH! We caught him and had to put him out of his misery.

I felt so bad for the fish so I insisted that we eat him even though he was super SMALL! I couldn't let that little fish die in vain! He was pretty tasty and my guilt went away when with just one bite! Yes, he was that good!! Thanks little fish!

Best weekend of the summer with my SUGAR!

The WORLD of blogging...

2011-08-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

I just spent like the last 3 hours of my life blog stocking....

I love blogging and I love reading..learning...seeing....dreaming....imagining when I read all these blogs!

I love blogging but I also find myself thinking less about my talents....my blessing....my life and worry about what others have that I don't have. I love reading my friends and family's blogs.....I find joy in their joy and sadness when they are hurting.

I'm more referring to the blogs that are a business. I know most of them do it and truly mean well. Most of them truly are just about their lives. It just makes me think....why is there life so interesting? Why do people get sucked into reading about their life everyday? It's just like reality TV...why are we so fascinated with others lives?

I'm so one of those people who is fascinated with other peoples lives. I just don't get it!!! WHY?!

We all have our own amazing lives. We all have those moments where we think we can't go on and than there's that moment when you think life just can't get any BETTER!

I have made a goal to stop looking at people's lives and wishing that I had what they have. I'm so sick of wishing to have more money....wishing that we lived somewhere else.....wishing for a different job..wishing for a baby....wishing for new material things and talents that others have!!!

My life is AMAZING! I have my health...my family and the best hubby ever! Yay for our great lives!

Crazy FUN

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Since school has been out and I have had the summer off...... everyday has been PLAY TIME!

-I have been to church in my home ward like twice this summer....kinda sad! Church is hard in other wards! I can't focus!

-in the month of July I have been home a total of 10 days

-my life when I am home is work work work

- Since summer we have had so much family time!! Yippy!

In July I went on a sister trip with my sister in-laws! Love them!! They are the best! We went on a road trip to California. We stayed in Carlsbad which is about 30 mins from San Diego on the coast. We stayed with a family that Jess knew. They are empty nesters. They where amazingly nice and sweet!

Day 1-Las Vegas! We walked around Vegas for a few hours...it was so HOT! We finished our drive and took a tip in the pool when we got to the family's house we stayed at.

The Bellagio had hydrangeas everywhere! I loved it!

Day 2- Shopping .....and BEACH DAY! Ah I love the beach! Its so peaceful.....ah I just feel like the beach warms my soul....if that makes sense?! Its a wonderful place.....I LOVE THE OCEAN!

Day 3-Disneyland! It was a fun day filled with lost of princeses, sugar, sun and rides! It was a fun day but I think I have had my fill of Disneyland for like the next 10 years! So many people and so many lines!

I love Tangled! I can't help it!

Day 4- I started the morning off with a run to the beach! Oh I wish I could do that run everyday! The air smelled amazing and there's nothing like have the beach as your destination! Beach Day and Surfing! Yes, I got to go surfing for the first time and yes, I GOT UP! I loved it even though it goes by way to fast! I can't wait until I can go again someday! Mike was the dad of the family we stayed with. He's a surfer dude and taught us his skills. After surfing he and his wife took us to dinner. They where so fun to talk too! They are such a fun couple and I loved staying with them. We felt so welcome in their house! I hope one day I can return the favor when I'm a empty nester and have some girls road trip it to my house!

Day 5-DRIVING DRIVING and more DRIVING! It was still a fun filled day with lots of fun convo's!

Thanks KATIE for taking me!! I had so much fun with my sisters!!! Great memories! More pictures to come. Katie has all the cute pictures! More updates on summer to come.

Chaffin (SNOW) Lake

2011-07-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

Attempt 2 at backpacking in the summer where the SNOW NEVER melts!

Two weeks ago we drove up to Montana. It was so so warm and sunny. In the valley it was like 90 degrees. The forest was so pretty and so alive compared to the first hike we went on this year. It was so green. I loved it! We hiked the along the river/creek. I love the sound of water....so relaxing!

About 5 miles into the hike you had to cross the river. The river was super high from all the snow melt. We had to hike off the trail to find a safe place to cross. Once we crossed the creek we stepped into SNOW! YES, it was like 80 degrees but we reached the snow line at about 7,000 ft. No fun! No trail and lots of snow in tenny shoes! Along our snow hike we did come across a beautiful waterfall that was coming down every way possible. It was one of the prettiest waterfalls we have ever seen.

We finally reached the lake thinking oh the snow will be more melted since it gets direct sunlight....WRONG! The lake was still frozen on the out shirts. We walked around the entire like before we found a HUGH rock to camp on. My spirits where pretty low and I was praying like crazy that we would find a place to stay. I was just so burnt out from hiking in all the snow and water. I wanted to get dry and restore my energy plus I fell like a billion times in the snow. It was either super slushy/slick or you just fell though to your knee. Not fun. The rock was our moment of glory!

We set up camp..got fire wood...made dinner and checked out the 2nd lake above us. After dinner we made scones! Yes, in the middle of the woods we made scones with maple frosting. I buy rhodes rolls and make the frosting before we leave. It has become a tradition that we make scones when we car camp or go on a night trip. Its just so yummy! We had so much fun and I'm so happy that we found that rock! It saved our trip. I love spending time with my sugar in nature. We have so much fun together. It's one of our most favorite things to do together! Yeah for summer and snow!

This is the lake we camped at.....you can see our little orange tent in the background

July or December?

This is the upper lake....half frozen. I guess there is one more lake after this one but we couldn't see it with all the snow.

Yeah for weekend fun getaway with my best friend!

Humidity FUN

2011-07-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

After school was out I took the first chance I got to visit my family in OHIO! I went for about a week. It's never long enough. I love to visit my family and since I have been married the visits just don't come around as often as they did when I was single.

I left the day after Moab. My fun just never stopped for like 2 straight weeks. On our way back from Moab I got dropped off at one of my besties Shelli's house. The last time I spend more than like 4 hours with Shelli was when we both where single....no children.   I love this lady. She is such a special friend! Shelli is the proud mama to two of the cutest little twin girls. She is such a great mother and I just loved seeing her with her kids. She was one of the first of my close friends to have kids.

I loved how her kids welcomed me with open arms! They let me play and give them lots of cuddly hugs! That night we of course watched the bachelorette.. that Bentley and mask guy! Loved it! The next day we went to ZUMBA! Shelli goes to the gym where I got certified to teach. I love the instructor....her name is Lindsey. She is so FUN...so CUTE and YES I want to be just like her because I love Zumba so MUCH! Check out her video here with Pitbull. (She's the brown haired girl) Ps.... I learned this song for my class! Its so much FUN! My class loves it! After Zumba Shell took me to the airport. Thanks Shell for the fun visit!

By the time I finally got to Ohio it was late. I stayed up late chatting with my Mommy! I love my Mom so much! I'm not sure how I got so lucky to have such a great Mom. She did everything for my sissy and I. She was a single mother who worked full time. She did an awesome job and recently she has had so many struggles. She lost her job and had to live in Columbus. I just have felt so bad for her because who wants to have to live in a town where you know no one and pay rent for an apartment that you wished was your home that is in Cleveland. Her job is so STRESSFUL!! I pray for my Mama everyday. I think the blessing are starting to pour in.   I'm just so excited for her!!!

When I woke up the next morning my sissy was there with her two babies!! I had never met little Natalie! It was so exciting to finally meet her. I of course fell in love with her on the spot. She has such a special little spirit about her. I just never wanted to let her go. I loved when she got confused when mommy wasn't there and thought I was mommy. I got lots of snuggles on those rare occasions.

We went swimming...played at the splash park....ate lots and lots of ice cream.....visited family and friends like crazy......went to the zoo....and had lots of girl time!!

The 5 cuties...Natalie Gabby Emma Alli and Avery. The first 2 our my sisters and the other 3 are my cousin Shannon's.

I love spending time with all these CUTE girls!

Shannon and My sister Jackie. LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

How cute is this?!

Zoo fun ...in the million degree weather. I truly thought I might just melt! It was so HOT and humid!

I loved seeing family and friends. Its always so nice to be back in the place that I grew up in. I still remember it like I lived there yesterday. People know who I am and they remember me when I was just a tiny tot. I always love to go to church and see all the people who helped me become the person I am today. I loved loved loved all my young woman leaders. At the time when I was a teen, I really never realized how much of a great example they where to me. Its always fun to drive down memory lane in the place that I grew up. Things really don't change in the FPK( Fairview Park the city I'm from).

While I was home my Mom asked me to go through some boxes from my childhood. Wow....the things you forget about. My friends and I would always write notes and than make crazy drawling to go with them. It was just so fun to look back and remember things that I forgot about! Its crazy how life changes so fast and how much you change but still stay the same?! If that makes any sense!

I love my family so much and I'm so thankful that I got to visit them in Ohio! I miss my sister so MUCH! It's hard living so far from her. She is the one person that I can do anything and everything with and just be so happy that we our together. I love all my sisters! I married into such a great family and I couldn't have hand picked better sisters! I can also spend all my time with them and be as happy as can be! Hooray for family!

Gabby is a little stinker...look at that cute face!

Missing.....

2011-06-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

I miss this little girl......why must my family live so far!!!

Love you Natalie...Please don't forget me since I live so FAR AWAY!

MOAB

2011-06-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we went to MOAB! Sterling's sister works on the river in Moab. We of course had to use any excuse we could to go visit! We went with Kate, Jedd and Jess's boy toy Danial! We left Thursday night and got there Friday afternoon. We found a camp site..unpacked and went on a BIKE RIDE!

Moab is GORGEOUS! The red rocks just take my breath away....no 2 rocks are the same! Every where you look is just so different than Idaho. Idaho is green and brown. Moab is RED! That night we camped under the stars.....perfect!

The next day we woke up ready to GO! Jessica had to work, so we went mountain biking. We rode porky pine rim which is like 24 miles and pretty intense at times. Well to me it was intense seeing that I have been mountain biking a total of like maybe 3 times! I love it and wish we could do it more. Bikes just cost like a million trillion DOLLARS! One day we will have bikes.... anywho back to the trip. The views where so pretty! It was just so fun to play with Jedd and Katie. I also loved the warmth of the SUN! The sun is like my happy drug. The trip took longer than we expected but it still was a blast. I also may have thought I was going to DIE on the trail from dehydration and cooking like a lobster. We only brought like 4 water bottles. Yes, it was like a zillion degrees and it took us about 8 hours and oh yes we are from Idaho where the sun shines every 5 months! Not a good combination for a white girl who sweats like a beast! I did make it though....my lobster bod and all!

On top of the Mountain before our 24 miles

Hard core BIKERS! Really maybe just Katie and Jedd!

Towards the end.....the only thing on our minds was WATER


Love them! They let me have all the WATER!

When we got back we headed straight to a burger shack to grab some yummy food. We met up with Jessica and Jedd's brothers family. Best burger and fries ever! After a late din din we went to camp and went to sleep!

Sunday we woke up... made some yummy breakfast burritos and headed off to church. I knew we where in Moab when most people not just me looked like LOBSTERS! It forsure was a holiday weekend where most people flocked to the warmth. I also knew it was a holiday when I saw these guys charging their phones in sacrament....really?!

After church we went to a swimming hole. So fun! It was packed but worth the crowds. We hiked about a mile up river to get to some cliffs that we could jump off. Talk about a great place to people watch. Oh there where some guys there that I thought wow I wish I wasn't married to this ridiculously good looking person so I could hit on the guy with a baby belly.... drinking out of a wine bottle and dreads?! Yummy....barf! Yes, a few of those yummy man and woman loved this water hole. Besides the people watching I jumped into the water twice and it was freezing but fun. That night we made tin foil dinners which never ever ever disappoint. So yummy in my tummy! I then ended the night with of course the camping classic a s'more.

Soaking up the rays at the water hole....

Monday came way to fast! We packed up camp and headed over to Arches while Kate and Jedd went rock climbing. I'm so happy we got to see a glimpse of Arches. Its amazing the things that Heavenly Father has created on this earth for us. This is one of those places you just have to see. I mean the rocks just stand against all the odds. There is just so much to see and we only got to see one thing. Totally worth it though! The hike was short and the reward was AMAZING!

Coolest ARCH EVER

Jess and Danial....we are the worst this is the only picture we got of these two cuties!

Our trip was a blast. We had so much fun! Its just so fun to travel and spend time with family! I love to see and explore new places! Moab has been on my list for places to go and I'm so happy that I now can scratch it off. What a great way to start the summer off with a bang!


The hottest fashion trend

Moab I love you! Thanks for the great weekend with lots of sunshine!

Puppy LOVE

2011-06-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Marley and Me....and I cried like BABY!

I LOVE my PUPPY so much! He is so much a part of our family. I know he's a dog but I just love him so much and he always loves me back! Dogs are so awesome for the reason that they love you no matter what and they are always so HAPPY! JACKSON is the best to come home to....he goes crazy and jumps up and down. He just is so small and

his energy is going to burst out of his little body!

He loves to cuddle 24/7! He also loves to PLAY! He makes the weirdest growling sound I have ever heard! But I love it! I tell Ster all the time that he is the toy that just keeps giving back! He's the best $200 bucks we have ever spent! He will be my puppy FOREVER!

I LOVE MY PUP PUP!


Cutest PUPPY ever and cutest owner ever! Ha mer

PS: YES, I'm a crazy owner who loves their puppy to death! Yes, I miss my puppy like crazy when I'm away from him and Yes, we take him every where! I'm pretty sure Ster feels the same way...he just doesn't like to admit it!

FYI....

2011-06-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

When you really want a baby NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER EVER watch a live birth of a baby! Not going to lie when I saw how much pain the lady was in...than saw her fit a bowling ball through the size of a apple and then on the top of that got some sweet stitches in her tenders!! Yes, I call them tenders because it started to hurt just thinking about it! Woman are so BRAVE! Ah, the joys of children! I can't wait!

HA ma ha.... or maybe I CAN!

Dreaming.....maybe reality?

2011-06-16T20:57:00.001-07:00

Oh Happy Day Goes to Paris

Um can I please go to Paris and eat gelato every 30 min or maybe 5 mins? Can I please walk the street in my High fashion Idaho clothes! I can I please stop in every Bakery and get a treat at every stop! Can I please eat a crepe at every corner with yummy nutella? Can I please go see the Mona Lisa and be more impressed by the largest picture in the world? Can I please hear those scary sirens again and not see some poor girl lose her life!? Castles of course and the pretty river to please! Oh yes Paris is the DREAM LIFE!!!

Check out this giveaway here

Jobs?!

2011-06-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so FRUSTRATED!!! I hate looking for jobs! My city is too small!! Yes, I'm super blessed to work for the school during the school year but can I please stop working for almost FREE! It a great job but I make no money and it's only 24 hours a week. Now it's summer and school is out.

Today I went to the restaurant that I worked in last summer. I didn't love working there....always drama and I always got crap for needing time off/ or I wouldn't get the days I needed off. Well I have been putting off going back there since I kinda got dissed by the Owner....long story which brings up too much anger! Anyways, I went there today just because we need MONEY! I talked to the owner and well i just got a negative feeling. Like when I worked there last summer I was always coming home frustrated and such just because of some or maybe one co-worker who just made it impossible to work with. She did everything perfect and everyone else was nothing...which was so not the case. I even had some full on yelling fights with her......so not the person I want to be. Yes, she was very difficult to work with but she still was a good person. She just made the work environment impossible..... and I'm not perfect. I could of handled every situation in a better way.

Back to today.....we talked and she said her problem last summer was always having to work around my schedule. Which I totally understand where she is coming from. Direct quote " I shouldn't have to work around your schedule, you should have to work around the restaurants schedule. This is a great place to work and you can make a lot of money here". That is when I thought.....NO I just thought! I want to live my life the way I want and not live my life for a restaurant. I'm sorry if this is the wrong way to think and maybe that's why I can't find a job. I thinks its the other way around. Work around your life...yes we need money to live but I don't want it to be my life. I guess we really don't need money that bad!

In college...working was my life. I worked every weekend. I missed out on so many fun things....roommate hang outs, parties, dates and other funcitions becuase I was working all the time to get my way through college so I wouldn't have to be a server the rest of my life and scedule my life around a restaurant. I'm not sure if this is the mind set to have but it truly is how I think.

I want to spend the weekend hanging out with my hubby and playing in this beatuful place that we live in. I want to have lost of fun with him when he's off work. I want to work super hard during the week just like Ster and then enjoy my time with him and our life together. However, instead its the oppiste, to make money I need to work weeknights while Ster is off work and work weekends which is dedicated FUN time.

I'm just torn. Should I be a responsible adult and work when ever I can or should I do what I want with my life and leave the drama out of my life! I vote leave it! Mer....ha

This post also makes me think about my dream....yes, I want to be a photographer. Most of that will go on in the evening and weddings are most likely on weekends. I guess I'll just have to deal with that when it comes my way and at least I'll LOVE it!

PS- Fun summer update on my trip to Ohio and Moab to come

Who wants to work when you can do this!

No work ...all play I want more

and MORE

Really work or Mt biking....not a tough call

SUMMER + SUN + HUBBY + FAMILY + OUT DOORS =
PURE HAPPINESS

Spring FUN

2011-05-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Spring is HERE! Since the weather was so nice last weekend we decided to test out the waters and go for a backpack trip. We thought maybe just maybe if we stayed low enough we wouldn't see too much snow.

Ha....WRONG! Snow piles taller than me and then some!

We went to Lake Como in Montana. It's about an hour from our house. The Lake was super pretty and it was so warm! In the night It couldn't have gotten any colder than 50 degrees. Just perfect camping weather. We camped that night at the Como camp ground and then headed out the next morning for the higher lake. We hiked about 3 miles until we saw snow. At first it was just little piles here and there. Well then it turned into Hugh SNOW piles! The trail turned into a little creek with snow on top! It was still atleast 60 degrees out. We started hiking through the hugh snow piles. Yes, snow piles in shorts and athletic shoes! Our shoes were soaked and my legs hurt because of the freezing snow touching them.

We went maybe another mile until we just couldn't get any further. Too much SNOW! We hiked back to our car..... went home to watch a movie and eat CURRY!! It was still so fun to get out and play in nature! We are so sick of being stuck inside and not being very active! Yeah for SUMMER!!

Como Lake....the view of it from our hike. The lake was like 3 times bigger
than the little piece in this picture.

Jackson hiked the entire way! What a cute puppy! We loved having him since he makes
everything more entertaining. Yes, we are those weird dog people!


When went on a hike in Salmon.....this is OUR pretty little city!

For memorial day we are going to MOAB!!! I can't wait! I think about it like a million times a day. I can't wait until school is over. I can't wait until I just get to soak up some SUN in a pretty place. I can't wait to play with Jedd....Katie....Jess.... and Ster for 5 days.....76 hours.......4,560 minutes.....273,600 seconds of pure BLISS!!! It has been too long since we have done something fun with family!!

After our fun weekend I'm going to stay with one of my best friends Shelli. I haven't seen her in like a million years! I super excited to just to see her and talk with her in person! After my lovely visit with Shelli....I will be on a plane to OHIO!!

Yes, I get to go to OHIO!!! I get to see my family...and finally meet my niece Natalie. She is almost a year, so the visit is a little over DUE! Sad part is my hubby has to stay home to make the bucks so I can spend it! Thanks sugar for working so hard to pay for my FUN!

Yeah to a great start of summer! Thursday just can't come soon enough!

P.S Here are some pics that I just found on my camera....oldies but goodies!

In AZ ....Sedona

We loved Sedona....so pretty

Grand Targhee, WY....love this place!

More Targhee with the lovely ladies! Such a fun weekend!

SUmMer BrEEze...

2011-05-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Summer is in the air........All this week the weather has been so NICE!

The SUN...ah it feeds my SOUL!

Last week I went running 3 times outside! Ah I just don't know what it is about running in the SUN....listening to my favorite JAMS...........and checking out the sites in my little TOWN! Ah I just love working out. It makes me feel so so so so GOOD about myself! I LOVE how running just helps me clear my mind and think about stuff! I'm pretty sure I think about like 5 things all the TIME.....

1. WoRKinG OUT

2. mY HOT HUbbY

3. BaBIEs

4. AnYThiNG ANd EvERyThINg cReATIvE

5. jOBs

Yes, while I work out I think about the more things I can do to help me GET in shape.

Yes, my husband is one hottie!

Yes, I apply for every job that is available in Salmon and then always come out with NOTHING! I need a job for summer at least PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I dream about photography......and decorating my house! I wish I could buy all the furniture and home goods I wanted. I love plants...weird not sure why and I don't think I will ever get sick of gray. I think about redoing a room and gray is ALWAYS the base color!

Can i please have hydrangeas in every room in my house! Ah i just love these FLOWERS and the style THEY bring!

I LOVE THIS!

Yes, babies our on my mind all the time. I'm obseesed with any show that involves prego woman (Pregnant in Heels, Teen Mom). I also now find myself going into stores and picking out strollers....clothes.....cribs ..bedding...you name it and I'm sure I have checked it out! Sterling may also be getting sick of me because pregnancy talk is becoming like word vomit. I say "when I'm pregnant" or "our baby" or "when we are parents". I pretty sure with all this baby talk Sterling will finally agree with me that it may be time to have a baby! Yesterday he admitted to finally saying he is starting to get baby hungry.....YES! I can't wait for us to have a baby! It may be a tough road and it may not work out the way we want but I'm sure it will change our lives for the better.

Since we are Baby free I will enjoy maybe one of our last summers together just us! Even though I'm baby hungry, I still feel like a little kid who doesn't want to give up my independence! It's so fun to just go play with Ster and family when ever we want! I love the taste of the freedom we have this summer!

This weekend we used our freedom and went to Missoula. We went out to din din....went to the movies twice...his and her movies. I picked Something Borrowed and Ster picked Thor. We stayed in a hotel and went shopping! Ah, LOVE little trips away!!!!!
LIFE IS GOOD AND SIMPLE!

I eat..breath...sleep ZUMBA!

2011-04-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

I went to my Zumba training last weekend in Salt lake. I LOVED IT! Since then all I do is think about it. I keep dreaming about it too! At first it was cool because I love the beats, but now I would like a thought in my mind to not be consumed by Latin beats and hip shaking!

The training was on all day event. I had a blast. I feel in love with the girl who taught it. I always get girl crushes! She was so cute and so fun! She could also SHAKE it. I hope to some day be as half as good as her! I start my class this Friday! I hope I can remember all the dances! It's a lot more work then I ever thought it would be! But I love it! Can working out really be a hobby? YES, its my hobby and I really do LOVE it! Here I come hot Latin bod and FREE gym membership!

Last Sunday Sterling and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary!! Can't believe it has already been 2 years!! The time has gone so fast! We didn't do to much. Stering bought a gun. Yes, I know I'm such a good wife! We went to the gun shop.... picked out the one we liked and then tested it out. I was a little nervous to shoot it but once I figured it out, it really wasn't too scary. Ster really wanted a guy for protection when we go on backpack trips this summer. We have been buying and buying gear like crazy! Sterling is obsessed! It will be so fun though! After we bought the gun we went to movie and then din din. It wasn't a crazy day but a nice fun day with my sugar! That's all I need!

I LOVE the TEMPLE! I'm so lucky to have those blessings in my life! It's so amazing to know that my marriage will last for ever and not just in this life! I love going to the temple and I love how happy it makes me! IT just makes me so HAPPY!!

ZUMBA

2011-02-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here I come UTAH! I signed up to become and instructor! I'm so excited! I love ZUMBA so much and the ladies in Salmon are super

excited to have it! Yeah for free gym membership and Yeah for gettin a hot Bod! One goal down, thousands more to go! I'm so EXCITED!

MEN

2011-02-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

Read the post below first...

Sterling reading my Latest post about missing summer and SUN:

S: WHY? You are not a true snowboarder!
M: Lots of people miss summer...even Katie towards the end of the season and she loves to SKI!
S: You get the winter blues? I don't .....I don't understand why people get depressed in the winter.
M: Ah yes I do get depressed in the winter and its totally NORMAL!

Ah men...they are so different but that must be why we love them so much!

SUNSHINE is on my mind!

2011-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

All I can think about lately is SUNSHINE and SUMMER! Ah I just dream about the warm sun on my face and sitting in a hot car after church just because it feels so GOOD! I LOVE summer so much. I love being able to go outside day and night without being miserable!

I miss my runs outside everyday and just people/house watching. I miss my runners tan! I miss sitting outside with Jackson. My dog loves the SUN just as much as I do if not more! I miss camping. Every week Ster and I kinda go crazy in our house. I just wish it was warm out so we could head up into the mountains and play all weekend for super CHEAP! I miss pretty green grass and large green shady trees! Oh, Ohio has the best tress. I love to go home in the summer and visit my family. Its so GREEN!! I miss the green in Ohio but I love the MOUNTAINS way more! There is so much to do!

I can't wait till we can go on our spur of the moment trips. Some of the best memories I have of being married is our TRIPS that we plan that day. We have gone to Jackson, Glacier National Park, Yellow Stone, Missoula and Grand Tetons National Park. So many sweet memories with my lover ah!!

This SUMMER will be filled with lots more of those special trips!

On a daily basis I'm looking up fun vacations for us to go on. I really want to go on an Alaskan Cruise. I also want to go on a super adventurous vacation. Like backpacking through a foreign country or a road trip back East. For now I will just DREAM.

I love REXBURG summers! I have so many great memories with my lover in the PARK

Utah+CAMPING+family+yummy food=AMAZING

Sterling and I just love to BACKPACK!

The RANCH never disappoints!


Ohh I can't wait to listen to Britt....get some new shoes....soak up the SUN and RUN my little heart out!

P.S. SUMMER PLEASE COME SOON!

I CAN DO IT

2011-02-02T21:14:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to write down my goals for 2011 so I will follow through with them!

-Get in shape/lose10-15 pounds....I have gained weight since my days in rexburg

-Eat healthy...I have eaten more fruits this week then I think I did for all of 2010

-Follow Dave Ramsey's total money make over.....this to me is like another bible! I love everything he teaches. Sterling and I will be out of debt in 2 years! Yes, bye bye student loans!

-Read my scriptures every day....I thought this would get easier when I got married....nope!

-make lots of money to help accomplish my Dave goal!

-make a baby....yes mer hah

-be better at staying in touch with family and friends

-become a blonde again

-become a Zumba instructor

These are my goals.....I have like a trillion more things that I need to do to better my self but I must start small!! Sorry if this is a boring post but if I write it down I'm more likely to follow through! I will get skinny and I will become a more fabulous me!

In this picture I was the skinniest I have ever been.....I was debt free.....I read my scriptures everyday...I had blonde hair......I ate veggies and fruit everyday! I will become this girl again well minus the tan and plus a cute hubby! Oh and I will go to Hawaii and relive this picture once I do all of these things!!!

Joy to the World

2011-02-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post...oldie but still good!

I love Christmas! I'm such a fat kid....I look forward to all the parties with all the yummy treats! Re-cap for Thanksgiving we went to the ranch in Provo. We didn't get there until late Thanksgiving night....the poor cows got sick at Sters parents house and 5 of them died. I felt bad for the poor little cows. I hate when animals die and I was also sad that all the yummy meat went to waste! I love the meat that his parents give us! Its the best beef I have ever had!!! Any who Thanksgiving was good. We played in the snow and did a little shopping. I love to spend time with family. I also got a chance to talk with Grandma Ercanbrack. I love her. She is so sweet. We talked a lot about cooking. That woman knows how to COOK!

The week after Thanksgiving was my 25th BIRTHDAY! YAHOO! I wasn't sure what Ster was getting but he surprised me BIG! He bought us tickets to go to Arizona to visit Andrea! I have the best husband. Two years ago Ster proposed to me on my birthday.... it was the best birthday ever. Well I never thought that he would be able to top that experience and he mostly likely never will because that was a once in a lifetime thing but he did come close. We left for AZ the next day. I was so excited that we didn't have to go to work for the next week and that we would just get to play! We had a blast with Andrea and Paul. They know how to show a good time to us Idahoans. We went out to dinner lots, we went to a Suns game, went to a Christmas carnival, went to Sadona, and saw lots of pretty dessert. We just had tons of fun together.

When we got back from our trip we only had to work one week before Christmas vacation. I just couldn't wait to be off work again and have more fun with my hubby. I was so excited to go snowboarding. I got a new freakin sweet board and Ster got new skis. I couldn't wait to try out my new ride. I got a flying V Burton board. I'm in love with it!

So here is how the weekend starts off.....My first day of Christmas vacation was on Friday. I'm so happy...I don't have to work for two weeks! I have a great day doing not too much...cleaning the house....just chilling....well then I go do some errands.....then I go to get my oil changed. Well I never saw it coming but this was the WORST oil change customer service experience that I have ever had!!!!! I call the Quick Loop to make sure I didn't get ripped off. Then the lady precedes to tell that they also wash your windows and vacuum your car. Um yeah now of that happened...so I went back to get it done. The Manager tells me that my car is done.....I walk out....they vacuumed it but didn't clean the windows. OK....REALLY! I drove back there to once again only get half the service that they told me they provided! So I poked my head in the door and as kindly as POSSIBLE I told him that they didn't clean my windows and as a customer I felt like I shouldn't have to ask them to do something that they offered! I told him that I didn't want to done. He then freaked out at me telling me to leave. He said even if I wanted the windows cleaned they refused to do it. I was shocked at this point as the man is yelling at me and shussing me out the door. I told him that he needs to stop offering things to his customers that hes not willing to do. I got my car held it together for about 3 seconds until i pulled out and then i just started crying out of CONTROL! REALLY MICHELLE! Yes i cried over an oil change and a man yelling at me. I have gone crazy and may need to be taken to the loony bin. The man was super rude....I was super mad and it was just so silly. I have moved on and maybe in a few months I will laugh about this silly moment in my life that seemed like attack on Michelle Ercanbrack.

So once that event ended I went to work at the Nook. I was still distrot about the events of the day but I was trying to keep it together. I was serving this table of men. They are all locals. They just kept getting round after round after round. Well they were all so drunk. Fine they want to have a great time...well good for them. Well then I got upset when I saw all of them leave and DRIVE away! Yes, they all drove home drunk. Normally in life I never really thought about drunk driving until I got the job with the school. I'm constantly reading about drunk drives and all the damage that they do to themselves and others. It has become such a sad thing to me that people are so selfish in this world. That they risk other peoples lives because they don't want to call a cab or find another way home. It just really bothered me. Rough day i guess.

Saturday morning comes. I was so excited because we were going up to the ski hill. So we leave on the way Ster tells me someone stole 500 bucks from out account! Ok, back to why are people so selffish. I try not to think about it. We get up the the mountain. I go to put my snow pants on...oh wait I forgot them at home. Ok, well I will rent some. I try to find snow pants. None! Ok, I'll get my new board mounted with my bindings. Yeah they don't have the kit that I need to do it, so I can't mount my bindings. OK....at this point Ster and I are at rock bottom. Ster hates me but I hate myself even more. We have been looking forward to riding since summer. We are totally bummed. We decide to go home and try another day. On the way home Jedd told us how to mount my board a getto way. We get home grab my pants and go back up to the hill.

Moral of the story. Yes, it was a horrible 24 hours for me....but life does go on. When we finally went on a run the attitude of the day totally changed. None of the things that happened were important. They were just little bumps along the way to help us see how lucky we are. My life is so easy. I'm healthy...I have the best hubby....I have a great family.....the gospel and I have everything that I need in life. Yes, at times I think about what I don't have but really those things don't matter. I so thankful that I have a best friend to share every moment with no matter if they are happy or sad. They are great because I have him by my side. I love you sugar!

The A-Frame Adventure

2011-02-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

We had some visitors come to SALMON! We love when Jedd and Katie come to visit! They are so fun to play with! Once they got into town, we headed straight to the mountains. We snowshoed 3 miles in the dark to a little A-Frame cabin in the mountains. It was such a pretty night. You could see stars for miles and the snow was fluffy white. It was also so fun just to talk .....talk .....talk and talk some more with Katie! I 'm pretty sure we never got sick of talking....while at least I didn't. It took us like 2 hours to get to the cabin. We also got a little lost along the way but we made it safely just in time for some din din and warm fire. For dinner we ate yummy Elk steak, cheesey rice and then SCONES!!! The SCONES were so heavenly! I think they were the best scones I have ever had! We ate them with maple frosting....heart attack! After dinner we went to bed. We slept in and then made some yummy breakfast. Of course we made scones again. Just as good the second time around. After breakfast we packed up and headed to the car. We made some play stops along the way of course. It was so fun and it was great to know that we do have fun things to do in Salmon. After our hike we decided to do another hike up to Gold Bug hot springs. That's about another 2 mile hike each way. We really got our work out in for the day. Ster and I went to these hot springs once in the summer but never in the winter. It was super fun and the water felt 10 times better in the cold weather. We finished the night off with some yummy pizza and root beer. It was such a fun weekend.

Jackson got to ride in style.

Sterling is the best scone maker!

I loved this little cabin!

2010 Highlights

2011-01-09T15:50:00.000-08:00

January- Move to Driggs to work at Grand Targhee with Katie and Jedd, become ski/snowboard bums for the winter

February- We bought a new PUPPY and named him Jackson, Sterling moved to Canada to drive bus for the Olympics, I watched lots of movies and cuddled with my pup, Went to AZ for Andrea and Paul's wedding

March- Sterling comes HOME, we played in the snow a lot, went to Utah to played at the ranch and ride snowmobiles with family, We bought a new CAR

April- Our 1 year Anniversary, ROAD TRIP to Cali and finished the trip off canyoneering in Utah with K + J, Jessica came home from her MISSION, We moved in with Sterling's Parents, Sterling turns 25

May- JOB hunting, I went to visit my family in OHIO and see my cousins new baby, went to some interviews for Sterling, went to Utah for Sara's wedding

June- Sterling got a job in SALMON, we moved into a house in Salmon, I started working at the Shady Nook, Got called to be primary teachers

July- Katie, Jessica and Jedd came to Salmon to play for the Fourth, first time on the RIVER, I become a lab rat in Utah for money, went running everyday

August- Week long river trip down the middle Fork with Sterling's FAMILY, played with Jessica at the Boy Scout camp in North Fork, went to the Missoula fair, My sister had her sweet BABY Natalie, went Lagoon

September- Went on a HIKING trip with family in the Sawtooth Mountains, went to the Blackfoot FAIR, Jedd and Katie come home from Thailand, we went to Rexburg and went mountain biking with all of Sterling's siblings, I got a JOB as the Drug Free Coordinated for the school district, went Utah for Conference and played at the Ranch, last minute trip to GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

October- took a few high school kids to McCall for a leadership retreat, Put on a Halloween PARTY for the High School, visited family

November- Went to Utah for Thanksgiving and played at the RANCH, Went shopping on black Friday, went skiing at lost trail and then played in Missoula

December- I turn 25, Ster surprised with a trip to AZ, went Grand Targhee to visit K + J, went snowboarding in JACKSON, spent the holidays with Sterling's FAMILY, enjoyed time off work

We had such a fun year! We did so many fun things that I can't even remember them all! Can't wait to make lots and lots of new memories for 2011!

DREAMS......

2010-12-30T12:15:00.000-08:00

So I have so many dreams for my life here on earth! At times I get super frustrated because my dreams can't come true when I want them too! I can't wait till the day when I can become a mother....most of my thoughts are about having a baby! I use to never day dream about my children growing up but lately i almost look more forward to the days when I can just play and hang out with my kids. When they have their own lives and their own opinions. I'm sure when that day comes I will look back and think why did I look forward to this day again?!

My next big dream in life is to be a Photographer! I know I'm like every other Mormon girl out there. I have no idea if this is my true art in life but I can't wait to find out! I have been dreaming about this for years now! I look at photographers for hours at a time. To me it is art and I can NEVER get enough! I LOVE it! I love the colors, the textures, the expressions on peoples faces, the stories that pictures tell, and how they make me feel something in side. Its a passion that I have. I look at Rebekah Westover Photography like everyday! I LOVE HER! I even got to watch her work atone my besties weddings! I told her how much I loved her work.....its like a have a crush on her cuz she is so FREAKIN good and i just love her style and crisp images. I know this a random post but I just think about this all the time and its nice to put my thoughts on an empty canvas. I dream of the day when we will be able to be out of debt and be able to buy THE camera I want! I know the day is coming soon and I get so excited/nerves just thinking about it. Will I be good at this....will I really enjoy it or is just something that i dream about to fill my mind. I really don't like to tell people I want to do Photography because I usually don't get the most positive response. I understand that everyone wants to do it but that doesn't mean everyone is good at it and I really believe deep down that I may have a chance to be good at it! Even if I'm not that good at it...I will love it and I know that I will have my supporters who like what I do because they LOVE ME!

The third thing i dream about all the time is traveling and seeing new places. Oh how I love to TRAVEL! I also found myself spending hours on the computer looking up places to go and cheap vacations. I just can never get enough! The other day Sterling and I were talking about how I have some money on my credit card that we are trying to pay off. Well its from my trip to Europe. When I bought my ticket i was still in school and of course i just didn't have 1,000 bucks laying around so naturally I used my credit card. To me i can't put a price tag on the trip so i of course did it with out a 2nd thought. Sterling asked me if I regretted that trip! I told him I would have done it the same way every time. That trip was a once in a life time trip. I had the time of my life and I will never forget that trip with Andrea. Plus I told him it helped me realize that I was in LOVE with him! Traveling is just one of my passions! I love to look at all the different places and all the colors and people! Uh I want to hop on a plane now! Plus I want to travel so I can take a billion pictures of

new things and always have those pictures to look at forever!


I hope someday we will be able to go to Thai Land. I want to go with Jedd/Katie, Sterlings parents plus any other siblings that would love to join. Jedd and Morgan served their missions here. It would be so fun to all go together. Family trip! I was sad that we didn't get to go with Jedd and Katie when they went this last summer but it was just horrible timing for us. One day this trip WILL happen.

I want to go to NYC so bad. Ok I have to confess.....I love Gossip Girl....yes trash i know. But i can't help but want to put on my cutest coat, cloves, hat/head band (oh i love Blair's cute accessories), scarf and take in all the holiday spirit of NYC. Oh and I'm dying to go to a Broadway show....WICKED!


Greence was the one place I was so sad that we didn't get to go here when we were Europe. It was far and we just didn't have the time. One day Ster and I will go here!

I will stay in one of these huts! I dream about Bora Bora all the time. It didn't make life easier when they went here in the movie Couples Retreat and with the Bachelorette. I was drooling the entire time I watched these.....it was hard to focus on the show and not the gorgeous sites!

I would love to HIKE HIKE HIKE and then HIKE some more in New Zealand. The outdoors here just look amazing. I would to take a back pack trip through the mountains with my hubby here.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED ITALY. I want to go back so Sterling can see how amazing it is for himself and not have to listen to me gab about it. I know he would love it as much as I do. It would be so fun to eat gelato and get lost together. Oh and maybe since i have more money i can eat more than just pizza and pizza and pizza and fruit.

Oh I dream about how beautiful and relaxing Hawaii is. I want to go back so bad. I'm pretty sure i have planned at least 10 different trips to go back but one day it will work out. I will get to show Sterling why i fell in LOVE with Hawaii!

Paul is one lucky man...Andrea is the best travel companion ever! These video's show why we always had so much fun traveling together! I just love this girl! Plus when i decided to eat a snack bag of Oreo's for lunch that i stole from Lake Powell since i had no money.....Yes Andrea pulls out a can of Tuna which she too brought with her! We were meant to be friends for eternity!

For now I will just dream. My day will come. I just wounder what I will get first.....a camera or a baby in my belly? Um its fun to think about what is to come in my life but I also need to slow down and enjoy the life that I'm living now. Heavenly Father has a plan for us and I know in due time if its right I will get to do all the things I dream about! I just need to focus on my great life now! I have a bad habit of looking forward to the future and not enjoying my life while I'm living it! So i will enjoy my time here in Salmon and I will love every minute of it!

Fall Fall Fall

2010-11-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

So I have been LOVING the weather this Fall! It's been so nice and way warmer here in Salmon then in Rexburg! So things have been great! I got a job at the High School/Middle School. I'm the Drug Free Coordinator for the district. Yes, I will explain. I do drug tests, I plan events to keep the kids out of trouble, I have lunch duty everyday at the Middle School, and I plan drug free assemblies and events through out the year. That's pretty much what I do. I don't mind the job...its not what I went to school for but I'm so thankful that I have something!!! Its so hard to find anything in this town! Oh and I also have health insurance for the first time since college, that is a definite perk! Sterling said now he can sleep at night knowing that if something terrible happens to me we won't go thousands of dollars into debt. Sterling has been loving his job. He loves working in the OR. He has been going into surgerys the last few weeks and he's loving all the things that he's learning with the doctors. He is also taking a course through the hospital that teaches about the OR and all the instruments he needs to know. He's hoping to move somewhere after this job and work in the OR as a first assistant nurse.

This last weekend we went to Rexburg. Now that we live in such a small town I have so much love for Rexburg! When we lived there I couldn't get out fast enough. I was so ready to get out of the college scene and I just wanted something new. I love Salmon it has its positives but it also has its negatives. I mean living 150 miles from the nearest city/Walmart is a little far for me. Since we have lived here we have left at least every other weekend. Lately we have been staying home on weekends. It gets old traveling and we have really enjoyed just hanging out together, relaxing at our house. Don't get me wrong though I still love leaving our little town. We love going out to eat and seeing a movie. We also love going to Rexburg to hang out with Ster's sisters. Its so fun having 3 of them living there. It would be so fun to be living there now with all of them there. I miss Rexburg now that I don't live there. I have so many great memories in that town. Some of the funniest moments in my life have been in that town. I have such a special place in my heart for BYU-I. It's such a special place! Every time we go to Rexburg I start telling stories to Ster and then I start dreaming about my life when I was a student! He always makes fun of me cuz I do it every time we go back there. I also have such a love for the Rexburg temple! Its so beautiful and I just love that now that I'm married I get to go inside the most special places on earth!

So not much else is going on here in Salmon. We are looking forward to the holidays and the SNOW!! Ah we both just got new gear for the snow season. I got the coolest new board and I can't wait to take it down the mountain! Ster got new boots and powder skis. I hope we get lots of good snow this year! We hope to go every weekend! Ah I never thought I would be one of those people who love it when it snows! What has Sterling's family done to me! I just can't wait for the snowboard season and those pow days!!!

Saturday hike....such a pretty place....about an hour from our house.

On the bottom of the mountain....till this point easy hike...after this point straight up

Family backpack trip...missing a few. We went hiking at the Big Horn Crags.
There were lakes everywhere.

This place was one of my favorite hikes I've been on. The rocks were
sweet and the land scape was so interesting!

So pretty....after this a storm came in. Wouldn't be a holiday weekend in Idaho without horrible weather. It was hailing rocks and freezing! Our trip got cut short cuz it was so COLD.

My first FISHY!!!!! Yum I was so excited. I even cleaned out his guts.

Our camp site on harbor lake

Our house on Halloween...and the only picture I have of my brown hair.

On the lake in McCall. We took some kids from the high school to a retreat. What a beautiful town. I loved it....it was like a small Sun Valley or Park City. Way cool vibe town.

GlACIER NATIONAL PARK!

2010-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

YEAH for fun little getaways! A few weeks ago Ster and I decided to go take a trip to Glacier in Montana. We both have never been and always wanted to go and now that we live in Salmon its only 300 miles away! So we left after I got off work Friday night. We got to Glacier around 3am. Woooww it was late and the Park was PACKED!

We looked for an hour before we finally found a camping place! Since we were so excited to be there we woke up before 9. We ate breakfast and then cleaned up camp. For not getting much sleep our spirits we pretty high. I felt like a kid in a candy store! I just couldn't wait to see the park! The campground was so GREEN so I knew the rest of the park was going to be pretty awesome! On Saturday we drove around most of the day just looking at the sites just off the road. There is so much to see! I have never seen so many waterfalls, weeping walls and water in one place. I was in heaven. The water in Glacier looks fake because it is so blue! After driving around all day we went and set up camp on the other side of the park. We got lucky and got the last camping spot! The park was packed the weekend we went! The employees said that Glacier hit a record with the visitors this year.

Plus the park was celebrating its 100th year anniversary!

After we set up camp we went to check out an old hotel and get a yummy treat. The hotel is on a lake with super pretty mountains in the background. We got yummy huckleberry soda and ice cream! Yummy! We LOVED the soda! We also made a yummy treat after dinner....SCONES! It was Sterling's idea and they turned out great! Sterling was very proud of his scone making skills.

This is the view from the Hotel

Such a cutie!


One of the many waterfalls along the road

The next morning we woke up early to go on a hike up to a glacier. The hike was about 12 miles. I was a little worried about getting eaten by a bear! Of course the girl from Ohio is worried about BEARS! We don't have to worry about bears in Ohio and sometimes I just get carried away in my mind! It wasn't good for me to hear about the lady in the news getting attacked in the middle of the night in her tent by a BEAR! So yes, I was a little concerned about going on the hike. Glacier is bear country. At the beginning of our hike we came across a couple. We started chatting with them and then they told us how they came across a bear on their last hike. Of course their story brought me more fears and thoughts of getting eaten by a BEAR! After an hour though I forgot about the bears and focused on the beauty of the hike. The trail was so crowded that I wasn't too worried about coming across a bear. The hike got prettier and prettier as we went deeper in to the mountains. On the way up to the glacier there is a lake that you hike by. Its in the valley but even from up high it is spectacular! I have never seen such a beautiful lake before. I just couldn't stop staring at it! The color looked fake it was so blue!

It's even bluer in person!

Don't be jealous of my super cute outfit!

Once we got to the glacier it was super cold! The view however was amazing! The mountains with the waterfall and lake were so pretty! We ate lunch on a rock by the water and took in the beauty. When I go into nature I just don't understand how people can't see God's hand in all the beauty of this earth. No one person in this world could create so much beauty as He has created for this earth. I just love nature and I love exploring new places. Ah I have such a travel bug. Ster and I went on vacation only a few months ago and already I'm chomping at the bit to go on another one. The small weekend trips really help though! I loved going on this trip with my hubby! He's so much fun to be around and we have so much fun together. I just couldn't have gotten a better match for myself. He is not only my husband but best friend as well. I lurve him!

P.S. I'm doing great on my running. I'm on my 5th week. Last week I ran 7 miles for the first time in my life! Plus I ran 5 miles straight without stopping! That's hugh for me. I'm also getting faster. I'm running about 9 min miles....I get that time running up hills! I never run that fast! So all the running is paying off and it feels great! I have really been enjoying it and I love having a goal to work towards. It just makes me feel like I have more purpose and I love to be successful! I'm so competitive, even with myself! I never give up and I will totally make this goal!

RUN RUN RUN

2010-08-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

So for the last 2 weeks Ster and i have been running! We have decided to get into SHAPE! We made a goal to run 15 miles each week for the next 2 months. We each want to lose a little weight TOO on this journey! If we complete our goals we each get $200 dollars to do as we wish. I'm so going to do it! I want to buy some new clothes so bad! Since i have been married i never buy clothes! I feel like I wear the same thing everyday and i just feel so outdated! So each week so far i have been making my goal! I have started to look forward to my runs now. I like running. I get to clear my head and think of creative ideas. I do my best thinking when i'm running! It also makes me feel so so so good! I already feel a difference in my body. It may just be in my head but either way i still feel great! I never thought in a million years that i would ENJOY running!

Summer Summer Summer!

2010-08-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to update our blog for weeks now. I just always seem to find something else to do instead. Currently it is raining cats and dogs here in Salmon but earlier this afternoon it was sunny and hot so I decided to clean the Altima. It took me about 2 hours with all the steps that Ster insists on doing. My plan was to pick him up from work and have him be so excited/impressed that I did such a good job cleaning the car. Now I'm stuck with no car because I refuse to take it out of the garage until this rain stops and Ster can see it. Looks like he may be walking home from work!

Things are great here in Salmon. We got a calling in our ward. We team teach the 7 year old's in primary. It's so much fun. We have a set of twins and a set of triplets. So funny and random! We have been living up the life on the river. Since the river is the main source of recreation around here we bought tubes went floating! So relaxing but it turned out horrible when Ster got burnt.... he looked like a lobster I could have eaten for dinner he was so red. He woke up every night in pain for like 3 days. Never again will we float without sunscreen! We have also been able to go to the boyscout camp on the river where Sterling's sister Jess works. Katie and Jedd came up from Rexburg over the 4th and we went rafting down the river 2 times that weekend. It was super fun but a little traumatizing. I have never been rafting before. That weekend was my first time. We rented a ducky (its a 2 man inflatable kayak). The first day was so much fun. I was in love with this new adventure and I wanted to do it all the time. The 2nd day we started off fine and then we went into a hole. A hole in the river forms after a large rock where the water moves backwards. Well Sterling falls out of the boat and goes under. I start screaming and I too fall into the water. Sterling yells at me to hold onto the boat. So I do but the boat stays in the hole! So now I am stuck in the hole with the boat and screaming for help. Of course Ster gets washed out and drifts down the river and now I am alone in the hole! The water keeps trying to pull me under and since this is all very new and very terrifying I of course think this is it. Katie and Jedd and Ster are all down stream and I'm going to drown. I really believed that I wasn't going to live. The water was so powerful. Maybe 10 secounds later Jedd gets close to me and tells me to let go of the boat. So I just let go. I went under for maybe a sec and then i started to float down stream. Then i just started crying and shaking.

I was so scared and i have never had an expreince were i thought my life was in danger. It turns out my life wasn't in that much danger once i let go of the boat. Everyone knew i was going to be fine and they knew alot about the river. I on the other hand no nothing about the river so of course i went to the extremes in the situation. Thats when it all began. We went on a river trip this last week. Of course all i could think about was that bad expreince that i had. I have one good expreince on the river and one bad. Not good odds when your going on a river trip for 7 days and covering 100 miles in 4 class rapids. Within the first 10 mins of our trip down the middle fork river our ducky flipped over. I went through rapids on my bum and i hit about 5 rocks and i couldn't get to the side. Sterling pulled me over so i wouldn't go through another set of rapids. Of course i stared crying out of control. Ok, i never cry. But for some reason when it comes the river i cry like crazy. I was so scared that the whole trip was going to be like that and i just couldn't handle it. I refused to get in the ducky. I had to hike up a mt and back down to get to the rafts in our group. i cryed on the raft for a good 15 mins. I was scared and i was not experienced on the river. So after that long long story.....sorry it was a big deal to me. After that first day things were great. I rode in the raft which is much safer. I got to know the river and i started to see that it wasn't that scary. I got back in the ducky the 3rd day and i even hit some big rapids by the end of the trip. I'm still a little afriad of the river but now i know its fun and not as deathly as i thought!

I sure do love my Hubby!

Cindy talking charge of the boat

Sterling and Sara loving the ducky

So pretty.....the water was so clear

We had so much fun on the river trip. It was long days but so beautiful. Every night we would camp somewhere new and unpack all our stuff. We went cliff jumping and we also went through rapids in our life jackets. It was so fun to be with family. I love love love Sterling's family and i love spending time with them. That to me was the best part of the trip. Just hanging out with family.

Mike and Ella! They were so awesome and took me in when i refused to ride in the ducky.

Why doesn't planning in the sand ever get old?!


Thank you Katie for all the amusement!

When we got home from the Middle Fork we left that next weekend for Lagoon. We went to Idaho Falls on our way and had a date night! It was so much fun! We went to the temple, Red Robin and then to a movie! That's our favorite date but now that we live in Salmon our choice's are limited to like 2 restaurants and only 2 movie options. So when we get to go into town it makes it extra special. Plus we don't have a temple! We went to Lagoon on Saturday and had a blast. Our favorite part was the water park. We went down this one slide at-least 5 times! I could have done it like a million more but it started raining and got cold. Sunday after church we took a nap since we had such a long day at Lagoon, Then of course we finished the weekend off with a game of settlers. Which i didn't win for like the first time in months! I always win but it was nice to have Sterling win for a change! Oh and this weekend my sister had her baby. Her name is Natalie. I want to meet her so so so bad1 She looks so sweet in all the pictures! Life is great and we are so happy!

Our New HOME

2010-06-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

It's official we now live in Salmon, Idaho! Sterling got the job at the hospital and he's loving his job. He loves the people he works with and he was so excited to tell me yesterday that he started 2 IV's. We found a house to rent. It has 2 bedrooms...full bath....garage and yard! Oh we also have a deck and porch. The house needs some work. The backyard has weeds a mile high. The inside smelled like smoke/dirty...ster rented a carpet cleaner and that really helped with the smell. We want to do some painting to add some life and color to the house. Other than those things its great. We have so much room to spread out! We're not sure how we fit into our first little apartment. This house is atleast 2 times bigger!

I also found a job in town. I'm working at the best fine dinning restaurant Salmon has to offer! I got the job like 3 days after we moved here. They just called and asked if i still wanted the job and then asked me to work that night. I'm still on the market for a day job but its so hard here to find a job. I thought Rexburg was hard....its like ten times harder here. In Rexburg you couldn't get your feet into any of the businesses but here in Salmon there are no businesses. There's nothing here but the river and some government jobs. Its a tough world and i pray that i will find something or else i will go crazy! I have a few leads so i hope one of them will work out!

Life is good though. We have a great ward. They are all so friendly and love us because we are young! Not to many young couples move here. I just can't image moving and not having the church to help you adjust to your new home. Just going to church each week has helped me so much in this town. Just knowing that i have people who believe what i believe, who have the same morals and who know life's purpose. It really helps. The Church is just so wonderful. My puppy has also helped me alot! Who knew a dog could keep you company. I love my dog and really when Ster is gone all day and i'm stuck at home Jackson makes me not lonely. Its weird! I never thought a dog could do that,but really he does. I love my pup! We are so happy to finally have a job and a home! Life is good!

We got a JOB!

2010-05-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Good news! Ster got a job in Salmon, Idaho. For those who don't know where that is.....yes I'm one of them....its north of Rexburg about 2 hours. Its in a little valley and its proudly known for the Salmon river. So he got a job in the O.R. unit. Its a brand new super nice hospital and all the people seem so nice and way laid back which is a plus. The town is only a population of 3,000 and the closest city in any direction is about 150 miles which kinda freaks me OUT! I had a hard time living in Rexburg at first. We haven't decided if its the place we need to be but in the next few days we will know for sure. He has a few more jobs he needs to look into before we take the offer. I know anywhere we go will be happy, its just scary to move and to such a small place. There's lots of fun things to do outside and we still have family within a day drive. So were super excited!

For the last month we have done nothing but look and look for jobs...well shall i say Ster. I pretty much bug him and then find something to do with my time. I look on KSL like a thousand times a day and i have bought atleast 2 workout dvds to keep me entertained! I went to Ohio 2 weeks ago and played with my family. My cousin Shanny just had the cutest baby in the world, so i got to hold her lots. It was so nice to go home. I missed my family so much and my little niece is talking up a storm!

Homeless but Happy!

2010-04-26T15:39:00.001-07:00

Yes, Ster and I have no home! We have been adopted by Sters parents thankfully! This last winter I worked at Grand Targhee and Ster drove bus up to the resort. We lived with Katie and Jedd in a house in Victor for the cold winter months. We had tons of fun and saved lots of money. During the winter we bought a PUPPY!!! His name is Jackson! We love love love him to death! When Ster told me we could buy him...yes I started crying because I was so excited! He has been the greatest little dog. He always wants to cuddle and loves to lay under the blanket. He also never barks which is a huge bonus!! (I will post some pics soon)We also bought a new car this winter!! We got a Nissan Altima! Its so pretty! Its black with black interior. Since we bought a new car we thought it would be a perfect time to go on a road trip!! We have been wanting to go on a trip for Sters graduation and for our anniversary. Of course we went to California. We started our trip in Reno. We stayed in a sweet hotel and we went skiing in Lake Tahoe. The snow at Tahoe wasn't as great as the Ghee but we still had tons of fun. Sadly we got the boot from the mountain because we ducked a rope and went to a closed area. Luckily it was the end of the day anyway. After Tahoe we headed to Sacramento to hang out with some friends. While we were there Sterling took his state boards for nursing. He PASSED!!! The greatest new ever!!! We were able to enjoy our trip once we found that out!

After a few days in Sacramento we headed down south. We took the 1, it was so beautiful. We loved that drive! We ate lunch on the side of the road....we ate the famous sourdough bread that I bought in San Fransisco! I still have dreams about that bread. We camped that night in Santa Barabra and got up the next morning and headed to the most Magical place in the world...DISNEYLAND!! We did the promotion "give a day, get a day". We had tons of fun but the park was packed for spring break! My favorite part was the parade...i loved the music.

Oh I loved these balloons....if only they hadn't coast $13!

That night we drove to San Diego. Our first day in San Diego we went to the ZOO! The Zoo was amazing... I have never seen so many animals in my life and they were all so different. We had a blast just observing all the animals and other creepy creatures. Sterling loved all the big monsters in the Zoo....here's his favorite. Its the weirdest Alligator we have ever seen!

The next day we went to sea world! More animals!! The weather was a little cooler when we went but we still had tons of fun. The last hour of the night we decided that it would be fun to ride the water rapids. Well we thought for sure we could get off the ride some what dry...Wrong we got SOAKED!! We went and watched the night show soaked! It was a good way to end a memorable day at Sea World.

Oh Happy DAY! On 10Th of April we had our first anniversary!! We have been married for a year! Time flew by! It was the best year of my life! We have so much fun together! For our big day we went to the San Diego temple. We did some sealings and then a session. Going to the temple was a perfect way to celebrate! After the temple we went to Outback and went all out! Oh so yummy! That night we stayed in the nicest hotel on the bay! We were happy to be sleeping on a bed and not in our tent!
San Diego was our favorite place in Cali. Its so pretty and so relaxed and we just had so much fun. We couldn't of planned a better trip to celebrate all the fun things that are going on in our life!

I'm the WORST blogger

2009-11-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

So the last time i updated our blog was when i made it! Yes, i think that qualifies me for one of the worst bloggers! So life so good! We have been married now for 7 months and i can't believe how fast it has gone. We have already had so much fun together these last few months i just cant wait for what the next years in our life. We are still living in Rexburg. Ster will be done with school at the end of December. He will graduate with his R.N. So as of now we have no idea where we are going. We are thinking Mesa area or Utah but it all just depends on where he can get the best job. Our apartment contract ends Dec. 31 and as of now we will be homeless Jan 1st! Its so close and yet we have no clue what we are going to do! Its exciting though! We both are super excited to be done with college and on to a new phase in our lives. Im super excited to start looking for a job were i can use my degree. Oh i love Johnny Carinos but 5 years is way to long to be a slave to customers! I can't wait! I also hope to start doing photography. I have always had a love for it and now that Sters done with school we will be able to afford a nice camera.

This summer we did lots of fun things. We went on a few back packing trips. My favorite was with Jedd and Katie. Went on a loop hike up past Sun Valley. The hike had lots of different lakes. It was beautiful. The leaves were all changing and the weather was perfect. W even jumped into fun of the freezing lakes. However, as the day turned into night i was terrified that we were going to get eaten by a BEAR! I'm from Ohio, when we camp there's nothing to be afraid of but in the mountains my mind goes crazy!

We also got to go to Ohio for another reception. It was great to go home and see my family in the summer. Ohio is 10 times better in the summer then compared to the winter. There isn't much to do there in the winter. Its to flat and cold to have fun outside! We took of advantage of the warm weather. We went to Cedar Point with Sters parents who also came to the reception. We went to visit my Dads lake house on PUT-IN-BAY. We went swimming in the dirty Lake Erie and played with Gabby! It was super fun but as always too short! I love being with my mama and sister!

We have also had the chance to go to a few wedding, which it way better once your married! We also took a trip to Jackson. We camped in our car. We went to the Tetons park. It was super pretty. I have never been to that part before. So it was cool to see the other side of the Tetons. We also went on a camping trip to Yellowstone. We bought a new tent this summer and we were dying to try it out or i mean Ster was dying to try it out! We love going to Yellowstone. It never gets old. It has so many natural sites. At the end of the summer we went on a big camping trip with Sters family. We went to Copper Basin. We went for four days. The weather again stayed super nice until we got to the top of the mountain on our day hike. It started to pour and then turned into hail! It wasn't fun. I was fishing after the rain. I was standing on a large rock. When i went to cast i fell back into a puddle! My bum was went the rest of the hike! It was not fun!

Re-cap on my LIFE for the last fews months

2008-12-25T20:18:00.000-08:00

I graduated from BYU-I in July 2008. In September i went on the most amazing trip of my life. I toured around Europe with one of my best friends Andrea. I went to France, Italy and Switzerland. Every little detail of my trip of amazing. I just loved visiting another country and being able to see different cultures. The history in Europe goes so deep. There's so much to take in visually and emotionally. I just loved the architecture. That was one of my favorite parts. I also loved to observe the local people and try to see what everyday life was in a different part of the world. It was a blast and a great way to celebrate my graduation!

2008-12-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to join the world of Blogging. I figured it was time to start now that I will be starting my own family. Yes, im engaged to the love of my life Sterling. Will be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple April 10th, 2009! I can’t wait! We met in the winter at BYU-I. I was roommates with his cousin Erin. We went out a few times and then I started dating someone else. In the spring I broke things off with the other guy and went for Ster again. We dated all summer and then I moved to Utah. While living in Utah we broke up. In the fall I went to Europe for 3 weeks. I just couldn’t get Ster off my mind. When I got back we talked and I decided with in 2 days that I was going to move back to Idaho. Now were completely happy together! We have so much fun together! He's my other half ...yes i had to do all the wrong things to figure out he was the one but he was worth it! I can't wait to be MRS. ERCANBRACK!

We went to see the lights in Salt lake. It was my first time ever!

This was in Provo canyon over Thanksgiving break