Floating the Madison

I've been wanting to go floating for awhile, and I finally got to.  We only had to get out because of the lightning once and we finished at 9pm, oh and there was no sun pretty much the entire time!!!

I didn't realize that the float trip was going to take 4ish hours, honestly I thought 2 at the most! Apparently I have no concept of time and distant while on a tube.  Plus coach said it was going to storm but not until 8 or later, the storm came about 6!!  Even if it didn't come so early we would have been on the river in it, but I would have atleast gotten more sun and enjoyed the trip more. Also I thought we would be done by 8.  I was shivering the majority of the trip and my hands had a funny tingling feeling.  The nice thing was that the water was warm, especially compared to the air.

My little sister Lavessa and her husband went with us.  I feel bad for dragging them into my floating trip.  We where the only ones on the river after the lightning.  Thursday it was warm and sunny up until 9:30 and Today is pretty much going to be that way, but as Lavessa put it, "we are extreme floaters!" that's why we went on Friday,  oh and Coach and I had/have things to do on those days.

The best part of the whole float trip was the very beginning when Lavessa first tried to get on her tube, she got bucked off immediately and Coach got bucked off his, first try exactly the same time as Lavessa!!!   It pretty much made the trip.

This is Me

 Yesterday I deleted a blog post I made because someone told me I shouldn't put that "crap" on the internet.  I then was like fine I'll delete it, but now I regret deleting it.  I feel that I can write that I'm lonely and jealous, those are my feelings I had and I believe that in some ways that is what blogging is about.  I may have gotten carried away with the self pity.  The time that I wrote the blog, "a lonely outsider" I was having a bad week, heaven forbid that I'm human.  No, I don't need professional help. By blogging I was talking to those who I consider friends and family that could help, and I'm grateful for their inspiring and uplifting responses.  I am not a perfect human being and I have flaws I wish I didn't, like jealousy and loneliness, and obviously I know that jealousy isn't going to get me any where. I know that I do have friends out there.

I'm a person that has a competitive spirit and I feel like I always have to be competing with someone.  I realize that it causes feeling that get me into trouble.  I also have weak skin, which I'm told constantly to toughen it up ( especially when I'm refereeing).   My sister told me to let things go and be the better person, of course she is right, but this is where that competitive spirit gets me into trouble.  I don't like when I have been mocked by someone who doesn't know me.  Especially if they are going to be family.  If it was a friend of a relative than who cares.  But me and that thin skin...
I said on the post I deleted "that my older sisters were like distant relatives and if I didn't deal with them much it wouldn't be a loss".  I do feel like they are distant relatives, and we don't talk hardly at all.  Why I said that it wouldn't be a loss was because we are leading different lives and I feel that they already thought that about me, so of course I had to beat them from saying it first.  Plus I believe their significant others don't like me and I'm hurt by that, like really hurt.  The one husband and I used to work together and were friends and then all of a sudden, I'm disliked by him.  The other soon to be husband I don't even know,   so I wanted to make it easier on all of us and we all just stay away. 


I love being outdoors and hiking and playing sports, I think that keeps my spirit well nourished and out of trouble.  I am going to miss doing those things with my best friend for awhile and I believe that is what I was trying to get across in the post that caused some havoc.

I love my family so much, Big T is such a blessing to us and I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father trusted us with him.  I am also grateful that Coach was able to come into my life.  I love having his love ( if that makes any sense).  He is the guy that has his head on straight and usually keeps me out of trouble and helps me see things in a different light.   He has never publicly put down a member of my family. 

I love me, I am human and have flaws and moments of weakness.  I can be a ditzy brunette at times, and I speak my own language.  Others out there speak it as well, which is quite impressive.  Sometimes Coach still has troubles with it.  I'm out of shape,  but skinny so it can be deceiving.  I speak sometimes before I think, and like I said before I am competitive ( but honestly not at everything).  I am trigger shy, which makes me not fit into my family, but I do enjoy shooting. I enjoy sports and hanging with family and friends.  If anyone ever needed me, I 'd be there in a heartbeat.  And most of all, I love ice cream and my family. My family more, but ice cream is right up there.  I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A church which is full of imperfect people who are trying to make themselves better people and sometimes we fall short.  We are no better than anyone else.  I love my Heavenly Father and I love Jesus Christ who I know is real and I know he answers prayers.  He loves everyone.  I truly wish I had more of his qualities, but I've fallen short. 

This is me. If you don't like it than I believe that it is your problem and I respect that.

Milestones

Big T is hitting so many milestones!  It is so crazy that they have been coming all at once.  It feels like that as he started to really crawl the next day he stands all by himself!  He is also getting his first teeth, the bottom front two, and Coach swears up and down that when he jabbers he is saying Dada and knows what it means.  He probably does, but most of the time I doubt it. 

It is such a bittersweet experience.   I'm so proud of him and excited to see him learn and develop. I then can't wait to see him at the next stage or do his next big accomplishment, but then I realize that he is growing too fast and he is not my little baby anymore.  Man being a mother is tough!

A cute photo of Big T eating his first ice cream cone from Softies in Billings.

By the end of the cone his shirt was covered and a lot more of his face was white!

Failed Attempt

So I've been wanting to go camping with Big T for a long time, but have wussied out or something has come up.  So this last Tuesday we headed up to Hylite to go camping...yeah!  Well, we didn't pack hardly any wood, and apparently Coach was having a hard time scavenging for wood, so we ended up coming home Tuesday nite around 9.  I feel like I failed yet again at something.  O'well, we did get to eat smores and enjoy the outdoors!!

Coach is having a frustrating time trying to start a fire.

But he got it.... eventually

Dogs diggin' for somthin'

We wiped Big T down with a "bug off" wipe, made his hair sticky :-)

You can totally see the left over smore in the corner of my mouth

                  (Whew...them are some white knees!!)

 

Big T totally wants that mallow.  He loved the marshmallos!!

Big T was also enthralled with the fire.

Big T all packed in to go home  :-(

Even Lucius was tired.

Ridin'

 If I heard the title Ridin' I would automatically think of horses because that is my true passion, but that is not the case, it is about dirt bikes.  I grew up on both and enjoy both, just the iron horse isn't as exciting to me.  If you ask Coach he would choose the iron horse.
On Saturday Coach and I went dirt biking with some friends.  Coach was finally able to go with us, he didn't go the last time we went and was bummed out about it.
Our plan was to ride up to Rat Lake from the none canyon side, but we must have took a wrong road because we didn't make it and the road we were on ended at the top of a ridge.  Hopefully next time.
The ride up took us awhile because of some bike problems,mostly with mine, and Coach had a good shoulder dive into the road.  He went to pass Hillary and she didn't realize he was right behind her and she swerved to miss a rock.  Coach slammed on his brakes and tried to turn the bike so he would miss her. He did and he wrecked!  I came up on it and just saw his legs fly in the air, Hillary had no idea what happened and continued up the road.  Coach's bike shifter was bent after that and he had some trouble shifting into his gears, also his handle bars were bent, but we somewhat got those straitened out. Plus the fact that it rained almost the whole time up made it slower.
My bike problem was that my air filter was completely dirty and the excess oil and gas was getting to it so my bike wasn't getting any air through which was causing a lack of power and then it would of course die.  We ended up taking the stupid thing out!
All in All it was an awesome ride that was a whole lot shorter on the way back.  Coach even said if he knew before hand he was going to wreck he still would have gone...he loves to ride!

Oh yeah, Coach's random crash into the mountain...hehe!

           Hillary

          Jaret

          All of us

Sacajawea Peak

We went for another hike, up Sacajawea Peak on Thursday. It is the highest peak of the Bridger Range. Coach has already been up there, but I never have so that is the one we decided to go on.  It actually was a tougher hike on the way up than I expected because the bowl was full of snow, but on the way down we just "skied" and it was pretty fun!  We did end up seeing a Mountain Goat at the very top of the peak.  It was stomping at us and was walking back and forth to give us the scare tactic.  It actually worked, I was worried he was going to charge us..( I don't know why?).  But Coach wanted to get to the top since we were so close so he took Big T off his back, a little ways from the top, and left him with me while he went and checked things out with the dogs.  Honestly the goat was just an adolescent and he ran off cuz he was way more scared of us, but we were being safe.. :-)!  I even got a recording of the goat and you can hear us being all careful...it is quite hilarious!!

Big T is sure becoming quite the little hiker!

 Proof that he originally had a hat!

And now the Video!!!! (of the Mountain Goat)