busy.

 let me sum up the last two weeks...

it all started with a beautiful wedding in manti

followed by a beautiful reception that same night in salt lake and a wedding the next night.

 then going to the western idaho fair instead of packing...

 and spending way too much money trying to win a goldfish.

 flying into portland the next morning and fulfilling doughnut dreams

hitting wedding #3, and #6 for the summer

aka watching my beautiful best friend be sealed for time and all eternity to her new bff

 seeing my little sister start her freshman year of college

 starting my last semester of college

 and living in a house that looks like dorothy stopped by and a tornado whisked us away then set us back down with everything out of order. (not that it was ordered to begin with). let's just saying that having a chair to sit on or a table to eat at will be great. 

 that is what happens when you move into an unfurnished apartment the day before school starts from colorado/boise/washington and you have 19.0 credits. it's not easy.

thankfully we have a bed, a coffee table, and internet.

more to come, hope it's a great first week of school for all the rest of you starting the process yet again!

date.night.

we like to have fun.
we like food.
we like date nights.
and every good date night starts with a good outfit.

some examples...

and our most recent date... last saturday!

gotta love a good outfit. 

especially with some cute new birthday shoes from my cuter husband!

just go with it. 

one more. that's all.

we decided to try out a quality little spot with some seriously big burgers,

it's called big jud's.

is there anything better than eating a burger bigger than your face?

just sharing it.

in a matter of minutes...

after feeling very, very full we decided to take a little walk around boise's hyde park before trying to consume dessert.

hyde park is basically a block of antique stores, some outdoor restaurants, and an old fashioned ice cream parlor on the corner. 

all of the antique shops had already closed, but i loved all the colors of the enchanting little block as dusk set in.

when we finally decided we had some room for a treat we went to Goody's.

(some idaho travel site said it was a must-do.)

candy was everywhere and there was definitely a fifties ice cream parlor feel.

we decided to share a brownie sundae with their homemade truffle ice cream.

yum!

we polished that one off within minutes too.

food+fun+more food+good outfits+perfect summer weather= another great date night!

i simply remember my favorite things

(please sing to the tune from the sound of music)

boating with family
laying out on the dock
seeing shows at the playmill
those candy legos rock
seeing an eagle or osprey take wing
these are a few of my favorite things

skiing on glass
the mountain-man rendez vous
hikes in the park
tasty dinners to chew
a boat ride to moonlight, the "telephone" rings
these are a few of my favorite things

hanging with cousins
old cars at the rally
family triathlons
the points will be tallied
sunsets so gorgeous they make your heart sing
these are a few of my favorite things

when mosquitos bite,
when the sun burns,
when it's time to leave,
i simply remember my favorite things
and then i don't have to grieve.

i really hope you sang that.

it truly is hard to leave whether you are there for a weekend. a week, or six weeks. traveling down that bumpy dirt road the last time is always a tearful ride, but remembering all of the wonderful things that happen there (i probably could have done 10 verses of favorites) and the hope of next year can always get you through.

so here are a few last memories from our lovely time on the lake...

boating all day has to be the best, i love watching anj wakesurf...

he has some pretty sweet moves.

 speaking of wakesurfing, we all have some pretty good moves!

 also great: taking a million self-shots while watching people wakesurf. 

 dave might just have the best moves: the fire hydrant, the feet forward, the feet backward, and he's one of our best body surfers. 

 the road rally is a classic. old cars everywhere in all colors, shapes and sizes. 

you are sure to find several good ones.

the mountain man rendez-vous is also a classic.

grab-bags, skunk hats, mountain men wearing only loin cloths, peace pipes, animal skins...

does it get more classic than that..?

 just two mountain lovebirds in matching coon hats.

literal coon hats. face. and. all.

coming home from all that and seeing perfect, glassy ski water at 5pm?

it doesn't get any better. love multiple ski run days.

check how hard j cuts it!

pure bliss.

anj getting in one last wake surf run.

smooth water at 7pm? i'll take it.

going into the park on sundays is still a favorite for some of us. 

seeing old faithful go off is always a treat. even the 183rd time, though stephen might not agree.

going to see anemone a.k.a. "toilet bowl' geyser is always fun too.

(really good pic)

cousins. aren't we cute.

 hebgen lake is just the best. 

and that's mostly because you get to be around the best people.

it doesn't get better than family.

our family has more fun

one of the most memorable events at the lake this year was the...

first annual hebgen family triathlon

when anj and i arrived we learned that the fam had been doing some serious training, and no matter how unprepared we felt, the triathlon was going down. the teams and course were set and a extremely windy day not good for any other lake fun meant it was time.


the teams were as follow..

the young bucks

vs.

the newlyweds

 vs.

the old bucks

you can decide for yourself if you think the teams are fair... the old bucks did get a little bit of an advantage by only having three runners, but us newlyweds and young'uns were on our own.

everyone had different ways of preparing, from meditating...

to stretching... 

(check out those intense stretches)

to hugging?

it was a bit of a relay, all four team members had to finish the event before the team could move on to the next one. once everyone got warmed up and hannah our photographer was all set,

 it was time to start.

part one: run

0.5 miles can be pretty intense

 but everyone returned victorious! (some a little faster than others)

part two: bike

1 mile to the point and back

 the young bucks dominated the run and went all out on the bike. the old bucks had a head start with only three runners, that left us newlyweds had some serious catching up to do.

 can you see the intensity on everyone's faces? 

we had a few issues with slow mini vans blocking bike riders.. yikes!

again the young bucks came out on top, and with only the last leg remaining, it was pretty clear who the winners would be...

part three: swim

to the buoy and back.

easier said than done, especially in windy waters.

(pictures of people swimming are extra attractive.)
though there was a clear winner, everyone finished and finished strong!

yep, the winners were...

the young bucks

i guess the training paid off. but now we are more prepared, and we will be ready next year!

so watch out young bucks.. next year the not-so-newlyweds-anymore will be back with a vengeance. 

until then... 

hooray for triathlons, and family too.

p.s. thanks hannah for the awesome photography!