THE HARKERS

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-15T12:20:00.001-08:00

This post is going to take you to a part of me that I don't show too often because I like to keep things light and pretty much make fun of myself and well... most situations. Life should be fun, right?

I just wanted to write a little something about Christmas (10 days away). Many times we all get carried away with the presents, the parties, making sure we get or make the perfect gift.... etc. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. But for some reason this year (probably because we are all filling the pinch of money) it has really hit home what the true meaning of Christmas is and its CHRIST!!! and Family!!! I am so thankful for my Savior. I am thankful for my family and everything they do for me and all the times they make me smile. One little smirk or silly comment from Bo just lights up my life. And I can't help but imagine that is how God feels about us, each and everyone of his children too. I hope that we can all try to be kinder to one another, to give without feeling we need something back from it, or maybe just as simple as opening a door for someone. I was at the store the other day and there was a young mother in front of me with two little kids. A girl about 5 and a boy in the cart about 3. The little boy was in his jammies carrying a Mickey Mouse doll with him and it was tattered to no end. He just smiled at me. I didn't pay any attention to them, just because I was in my own little world too. Well I saw the mom counting out coins to pay the cashier and I overheard her say, "Well, nevermind. Lets put back the bread." I then looked in her cart and all she had was a box of diapers, two gallons of milk and some bread. It took all the power I could muster not to tear up in front of her. Realizing that the mom didn't have enough money, I told the cashier to just put the bread on my bill and she could take it. The mother insisted that it was alright and that I didn't need to do that. I again, held back the tears, stomping my foot on the ground (that's what I do when I am about to pee or cry, this one because of the latter) and insisted more that she let me do this. She thanked me over and over and left with her kids. The cashier then looked at me and said, "That was so nice of you." I couldn't reply because I was so choked up. I just shrugged my shoulders. What I wanted to say was, "Well I would hope that someone would do that for me, if I wasn't able to afford the essentials too." I left the store balling like a baby in the car all the way home. With tears in my eyes as I walked in the door and grabbed my boy and my other big boy and gave them a big squeeze and told them how much I loved them. Things were put into perspective for me. I hope that I never forget the lesson I learned that day and that is to be THANKFUL, especially for the small things in life. Things we take for granted every day!!

Now that I have that off my chest, don't expect to see me do that again for a LONG TIME! I can't afford to lose another bra size. lol.

Here are some pictures of my little man. I have really never had Bo's pictures taken professionally. I decided to bite the bullet this year and get some done. His 2yr pictures kept getting later and later, and finally here they are. He is 27mos. old in these pics and going on 5. Bo has the softest heart I know. He is so aware of other people's feelings (and his too). He likes to tell us, "Mama, I'm crying now," or "Mama, I'm happy now." I hope that he continues to be caring, cuz I'm getting old and am going to need him to take care of me someday. Love ya Bubba!!

(By the way, I am not sending out Christmas cards this year, so please don't get pissed at me when you don't get one. Things were just too hectic this year, and I'm lazy!)

Potty for Big Bo!

2011-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

I had heard horror stories of potty training for people, and let me tell you, this little man was nothing of the sort. I think that the trick was that Bo was more than READY for the potty. He was always telling me when he went poo in his diaper and sometimes that he had went pee. So I decided that I would give it a whirl. I didn't want to start him this early, but he was giving me an opening and I decided to try it. We started on a Friday night after work and that night he had NO accidents. Saturday was a tough day, 4 accidents in a row in the morning, then nothing the rest of the day. Sunday, he had two accidents and was getting very emotional. I almost decided to quit and just go back to diapers. Sent him with like 12 pairs of underwear to day care that week, and he had NO accidents ALL week! We have had one here and there, but I think I can say, we are done! He is good to go! Daddy taught him how to pee outside, and he would much rather pee outside then in a public restroom. Somehow we will have to figure that one out. I am so proud of him. He is so SMART! He is growing up too quick. I love that he is so cuddly, sweet and loveable. He loves to give big kisses to everyone and hates to hear babies cry. He is so concerned with everyones well being. He loves anything with an engine, especially his Uncle Clint's bike. He is obsessed with it! He loves to play with his puppy Duke, that is as energetic as Bo. Yet he loves to give him kisses and hugs depsite the fact that Duke tramples him almost daily. I will post more pics later of his 2yr. party. 2 YRS OLD!! Holy cow! I thank God everyday that he sent me this little angel.

Our summer was a long and hot one. We had SIX (6) new additions in our family this August. Four new cousins (2 boys, 2 girls) and my sister and brother both had babies as well. Kirt with his first child, a boy, Clay. He is so cute and has Kirt wrapped around his finger already. And then Carime had another girl that was born on Bo's b-day. Her name is Emery and she is adorable. Such a sweet baby.

Nathan has been busy already on hunting trips. He just got home from Alaska yesterday and then is off tomorrow night for Wyoming for a week. So it has been alot of just me and Bo time. I already shot my elk this year and so has Nathan. With those two out of the way early, it helps us concentrate on helping friends and family with their elk hunts, and then its on to deer in October/November. The SOLO Hunters TV show is doing great this year. We have received alot of positive buzz and I am hoping that it continues to do well. We have two bear hunts, three elk hunts and a moose hunt already taped this year and its only September. Hope that this luck continues for the rest of the year.

I am thankful everyday for our family and friends we have and all they do for us. We are very blessed. I hope that everyone else is doing well and I am looking forward to this fall.

Loves reading on the pot, just like Dad.

4th of July

Macy, Preslie, Jace & Bo having fun at Papa's house.

His favorite horse, Marcos, at Grandma Tawnja's house.

His cupcake at daycare for his birthday. She swears it wasn't sour apple frosting, he begs to differ.

My 2011 bull. 425yrd shot, right in the boiler room!

Nate's 2011 bull. We call him Superfreak. Shot in a "freak" rain storm as well with 50mph winds. His club weighs almost 30lbs by itself. Definately a rare bull that Nate was happy to smack.

My little man in his under roos. So handsome. I could squeeze his little bum cheeks. So dang cute!

18 Mos. PicTures!

2011-04-25T15:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I took Bo's pictures the other day. Here are a few, okay, more than a few. He did so good, for the majority of them. He was a little worn out by the time we were at the last spot. But he was a trooper. Good thing Nate was there to help make him smile. Bo has such a cute personality. Anything with horses or balls, he loves!

For Easter yesterday, he sure liked finding all the "eggies" and eating all the jelly beans that were inside them. We had a good time with family too. I am very grateful for everyone in my life right now. With all the horrible things going on this world, I am very blessed! I hope everyone else had a good Easter.

My favorite! ^

"You looking at me?"

Waiting for daddy to throw him the football. ^

Another Fave! ^

OverDue

2011-03-08T09:01:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from the last couple of months. I am way behind on this blog thing, but I guess I have just been enjoying life! Bo is such a little sweetheart. He loves to play with his dad, wrestle, he loves books, dogs, his Papa and GaMa, blocks, balls, FOOTBALL and hes especially likes to tease. He can do animal sounds like a pigeon, moose, cat ("weom" might be dislexic, haha), monkey, seal, snake, elk, horse, rooster and many others. My favorite is, you ask him what you do to the deer and he says, "bang, bang". LOVE IT! He loves to give kisses and blow kisses. He has the sweetest little soft voice too. When he gets in trouble, timeout seems the only thing that works. He actually puts himself in timeout most times when you scold him. Its so hard not to laugh when he does that. I love this kid, except for the fact that he has been sick alot lately. And it seems to always happen on the weekends. Poor little guy. Anyways, other than that, not much else to report. Hope all else is well for everyone else!

WaiTing 4 PicTurEs

2010-10-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well, we had some family pictures done a couple of weeks ago with Nate's whole family. Our First Family Photos!!! He's one and we are barely getting that done. I can't wait to get them back.

These are the ones that I took myself while waiting for our turn with the photographer. Can't wait to see the "REAL" product from the "REAL" photographer. Either way, I am happy with these shots I got of this handsome dude.

Guess Who's Turning One?

2010-08-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

This little guy!

Boden 11 Months

2010-08-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, here is some pictures of Bo at 11 mos. He is looking more like a little boy instead of a baby. Ever since he had tubes put in, he is a much happier baby. Can you believe that's possible? I love this little man more and more. Can't believe he is going to be one next weekend.

HooPEs FaM

2010-07-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well here are some pictures that I took over the 4th for my sister. They are such a cute family and I love that little Ellie! What a doll! Sure wish they lived closer though.

Phone Pics

2010-06-15T07:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some new pics of the Bodster. He is getting too big. He is now 9 mos. and is not looking like a baby anymore. I love this kid more and more everyday. He makes me laugh all the time. Especially when I am trying to tell him "no". He just sits there, looks at me and claps. He is getting into everything. Crawling like a mad man everywhere and walking around all the furniture and pulling himself up on everything too. He says, "hi", "dadda", "daddy" and some japanese jibberish! haha. Love ya little man!

This is the stink eye I got at 11:30 at night when I took his toy away and told him it was time for bed.

Boden 6mos.

2010-03-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, here are some pics of Boden at 6 mos. I wasn't able to get too many pictures because it was so windy outside and other things getting his attention, like cars. So he wasn't too interested in mommy taking pictures.

When I took him in for his checkup and shots, he was right at 20lbs and doing very well. He definately doesn't go hungry! He can army roll all over the place, sit up by himself and loves to shake his head "no". He has four teeth already too. He is now starting to stand up and wanting to be mobile. I am so thankful for such a happy, healthy and easy kid. He amazes me everyday on things that he does and how smart he is. I love ya Bodacious.

NeW SUBjeCT

2010-03-25T15:36:00.002-07:00

So a gal here at work wanted me to do her daughter's senior pictures. I was a little hesitant at first because of the timeline. But Camille was such a pretty girl and so photogenic that it really was fun and easy. She was so good to work with and was up for anything. I think they turned out really well.

LOOK WHO'S BACK!!

2010-03-04T13:33:00.002-08:00

After a L-O-N-G 10 days of this little guy being sick, he is finally back on the team. Thank goodness for family and friends and all their help and staying home with him while I worked.

Hard to believe he just turned 6mos. He received a good Valentine's present, two bright and shiney little chompers. Me, being the good mom that I am, didn't even know he was cutting teeth until he put my finger in his mouth and I pulled out a stump!

I am loving this kid more and more everyday. He is such a happy camper, ALL THE TIME. Even when he was sick, he was all smiles. What a ham!

Keep Quivering That Lower Lip Manning!!

2010-02-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I am happy to say that BALL BABY Manning LOST!! Last night Nate and I made this shirt for him to wear to work today for two gentlemen who said that Manning wouldn't lose. WAY TO GO SAINTS!

SMILE!

2010-01-20T15:09:00.001-08:00

LOVE YA BO!!

MUSHY!!

2010-01-05T10:31:00.001-08:00

Yes, he did end up getting some in the belly.

New Pics!!

2009-12-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

Bo in his dad's moose antlers.

Just cute!!
These are just a few pics I took on Thanksgiving in my house. Nothing too fancy but definately turned out better than I thought.

Ellie and Bo.

Looks like she is telling him a secret.

Yes, these boots do fit him! haha.

Today's Math ProbLem!!

2009-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU ADD:

HAHA! GOTCHA BOUNDER!!!

I HOPE YOU TOLD YOUR BUDDIES BEFORE YOU GOT YOUR HEAD SNAPPED, THAT IF THEY STEP FOOT IN MY HOUSE THAT THEY WILL AND THEIR FAMILY, KIDS, GRANDPARENTS AND EVEN THEIR PET FLEAS TOO, WILL GET THE SAME RESULT!!!
MUAHHAHAA!!

The Hoopes!

2009-12-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures that I took of my sister and her cute little family. We took them Thanksgiving morning. It was colder than a witches tit that day, but we were still able to capture a good picture or two.

Love ya sis, and that cute little Elli belly too.

Sign Language!

2009-12-10T07:42:00.001-08:00

Boden has been showing me some of his sign language skills the past two days. I guess since he can't really talk yet, he has other means of communication. This one he is saying: "No more pictures mom." Or maybe "Shame, Shame." Probably the latter one.

3 months old and already flipping the bird. Not sure if he is pissed at me or maybe he is telling me there is no "freaking" way he is going out in the cold -17 degree weather today. Either way, he is getting spankins for this gesture.

And here he is ending on a good note. Too dang cute.

I LOVE THIS KID!

2009-11-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

VIKES!

2009-11-16T10:39:00.000-08:00

Nate is a huge Vikings fan. Most of the time they are a big disappointment too. But this year, I can actually feel safe in dressing my boy in Minnesota attire without thinking that he is being laughed at or might be spit on. It is a nice change to have them doing well so my husband can be a happy camper throughout the season for once. At least until the playoffs come, they usually choke then. Good luck Vikings! Change it around this year!

HALLOWEEN, PART DEUX!

2009-11-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well here are some pictures of the kiddos in their Halloween costumes. It was fun to see all their costumes. I really didn't dress Bo up too much. Just a little onsie and a hat, but cute nonetheless.Here is little Elli in my favorite team cheerleader outfit. GO VOLS!

Little Bo lost in thought.

No sure what to think about all this.

Here are most the grandkids on Nate's side. L to R: Cade - Alien, Jace - Chicken, Bo - pumpkin, Macey & Preslie are both Fairies, and of course proud Papa Newman in the middle. Preslie sure hated Cade's costume. She was scared the whole day of him.

Cuteness again!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-10-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

The four of us from the office decided to dress up again this year. We decided to be characters from SNL. Me & Ash are Arianna & Craig of the Spartan cheerleaders. Tessa is the church lady and then of course Kasey is Mary Cathrine Gallagher. Happy Halloween!

Cousins!!

2009-10-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

Sage loves her cousin Boden. She is going to be a good babysitter!

Big "A" Moose!!

2009-10-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

So... here is the moose that Nathan shot up in Alaska about two weeks after Bo was born. For those who don't know already we shot a moose in Alaska the first year we were married in 2001. I remember walking up to the moose, after we shot it, and thinking, "How in the world are we going to get this 'black giraffe' back to the boat?" They are just so big and intimidating that you don't think about all the work that comes with them until after they are down and you realize you have to pack out all of this animal out on your back. Anyways, the one back in 2001 was about 56" wide and I swear that it looks like a baby compared to this one. It was like we shot it right out from under it's mom and it still with milk around its mouth. THIS THING IS HUGE!!! The pictures look like ones that usually get circulated around the internet and you think to yourself, "That shiz ain't real." But I promise it is as real as it gets. It is 71 1/2" wide and as of right now it is probably going to go top 5 in the world. AMAZING. Way to go babe. Glad I got to stay home with spit up on my shirt, sleepness nights, and crappy diapers while you were making history! J/K. I am proud of ya.

MorE PicTures!

2009-10-21T10:47:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures that I have taken over the past month or so.

This is Preslie. Shan wanted me to just take a couple of pictures of her in her tutu that she made. So we just snapped a couple at their house before Preslie's birthday party. I can't believe this little stinkweek is already ONE! What a cutie.

These are some pictures of the Marlow family. This is Nate's sister's family. They are all heartbreakers. I think that they have gotten making cute kids down to a science.

Macey, she is going to one next month. Oh and yes, she was born with this much hair!

The cute parents, Ryan & Heidi

Cade

Jace

ARRIVAL

2009-09-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

McDreamy suiting up for pelvic exam.

I dont really want to go into full detail on how things went down. But here is the short version of the story...

Boden was born. Hurt like hell!

Now for those who like to read.....

My water broke Saturday morning. That was weird. Good thing I was already on the porcelin god. Went to the hospital at about 11:00am. Things were going good. Ended up realizing that I had nothing to prove to the world and got an epidural at about a 5. Progressing good until I hit a crazy 8. Then things got stuck. Doc wanted to get the little one out so we proceeded to the C-Section land. They thought it would be funny if they didn't numb me all the way. I guess things were a little on the slow side that night so they needed a little excitement. Almost passed out from the pain. Nate seen me in ways that he does when he is gutting an elk. Little Bo got stuck in my pelvis so they needed to make the incision double the size (wonderful, not that I ever would wear a bikini, but I would still like to have the option). He was pryed out of the me at 10:07pm, they decided that listening to me use all my curse words for the year wasn't fun anymore, so they put me out of my misery after the little one was out and then sewed me back up. Never really got to see the babe until about 9am the next morning. Anyways, he is here now and things are good.

He is a really good baby. Doesn't really cry much, has been sleeping pretty good and he's a cutie. He loves to sleep with his hands above his head and doesn't like to be bound up in blankets. I love the kid to death. Having him wasn't enough, we ended up moving the day after I got home from the hospital. We have been doing that for the past couple of weeks. If you know anyone looking for a good starter home, ours is for sale. Would like to sale it soon so we don't have to keep making two house payments.

I just want to thank everyone for all the great gifts from the showers, the help moving, and the love and support that we have had. Seriously, it means alot to us! Especially you mom!!

He's HERE!

2009-09-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

Boden Layne Harker
August 29, 2009 @ 10:07pm
7lbs 14oz, 21 inches

Pictures to come soon.

BEST BREAST BLING!

2009-08-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

Too bad my baby showers are over. If I would have seen this sooner, I would have had all the chicas put in money to get me this gem. It would work perfect for work, grocery shopping, Sunday go to meetin's, or just hanging out with the fam! I hope its patented!

ReALLy CoNSIderING GhoST PAInS!!

2009-08-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have officially hit the "CANKLES" stage. I have heard all the jokes and have gotten all the guff for it from, "You look like you've sprained your ankle...S", "Boy, those look like they are going to burst," to "You poor thing" and my personal favorite, "Maybe you should put your feet up....." YOU THINK???

S-A-W: Spells R-E-L-I-E-F!

This doesn't look like it would hurt all that bad. I think they are onto something here. A peg leg is attractive, right? No more shaving...

Okay, okay....

2009-06-24T07:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some ultrasound pics from a couple of months ago, that is long overdue. IT IS A BOY! If this little guy is anything like Nate, parents hide your little girls, a terror is about to be pulled out of the oven in two months and is ready to wreak havoc. Haha!

Pictures continued.....

2009-06-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took a couple of weeks ago for my friend Kath. This is of her adorable 3 kids. We just took them at her house in the backyard, but I think that they turned out pretty good. Poor little Wade didn't want to smile or keep his eyes open, but we made the best of it.

More Pictures!!!

2009-06-23T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is long overdue but these are a few Senior pictures that I took Shannon's little bro, Johnny. I thought that they turned out pretty good. He was fun and easy to work with.

ALOHA!!!

2009-05-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

As you can see we went on a little "Vaca" that was WAY overdue. Thanks to Nate's sister and brother in law for letting us use their condo, we took a trip to Maui and enjoyed a week of relaxation. My brother and his girlfriend came along and we had a blast.

The view from our balcony.

Nate's Mahi Mahi that he caught. We ate on this for two days, very good fish!

My brother and I got savaged the first day we were there and were miserable for the next few days. So he said, "Hey I heard that mustard takes the burn out of it." We were ready to try ANYTHING to keep from hurting. It worked for about 20 minutes, then it was a whore trying to scrub off the dry mustard in the shower. All in all, don't try it. It's not worth the hassle.

There were lots of turtles just off the shore.

Kirt, me and Nathan

Okay, okay. I know what you are thinking. We can't go anywhere without shooting stuff. Well, we really didn't plan on going hunting, but when Nate and Kirt found out that there was stuff to shoot on the island, that became an issue engulfed in their brain and they weren't going to quit thiking about it until they could pull the trigger on something. So here is Nate's Axis Deer that he shot.

And here is my brother's Muflon Sheep that he shot.

It was a great time and hopefully we can go back again sometime. Thanks again Ryan and Heidi for everything! Oh, and sorry viewers, no pictures of this whale in a swimsuit. Five months prego lady flaunting her stuff, not I. Try US Weekly or the Inquirer for those high self esteem babymakers.

HAVE YOU SEEN........

2009-04-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

BILLY BOB? THIS REDNECK MIGHT BE THE FATHER OF MY BABY!

NeW PiCs!

2009-03-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pictures that I took last week of Shannon's brother, Alex. This cute couple was so easy to work with. They were adorable and both were very photogenic. Besides me stepping in some dog shiz, it was good fun. And what makes them even cooler is that they are getting hitched on my birthday!

Congratulations Alex and Dani!

UPDATE

2009-03-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. Here is an update for all you baby knowledge people. Went to the doc in the box today and he said, "Yep, looks like your still pregnant."

TAGGED!

2009-03-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

The rules are:

1. Go to your documents/picture.

2. Go to your 6th file.

3. Go to your 6th photo.

4. Post and blog about it.

5. Tag 6 people to do the same

I was tagged by JENNA

This is the picture when we were on our way to Africa. I believe this is the JFK airport. This is two out of three, of my favorite dads right here. The handsome devil on the left is Dr. Dave Powers, he is our good friend/dad from Alaska. And the other good looking guy is Nate's dad, Layne. This trip was so great, not just beacuse of the opportunity to be in Africa, but because of the good company that we had. Lots of friends and family to share all the memories with.

Oh and the crazy necklace is Layne's lucky charm. He wore them the first time we went over and brought them back for their second appearance. It must have worked because he was able to take a 40" Sable with his bow.

I tag Kara, Shannon, Mandi, Lana, Angie and Amber.

HUH?

2009-03-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

Genius! Why didn't I think of that before I harmed all those defenseless animals?

WELL......

2009-02-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

HELL FROZE OVER! THAT'S RIGHT.... MY GOALIE GOT TIRED AFTER 8 YEARS AND QUIT WITHOUT NOTICE. I'M PREGNANT!!!

MemorieS!

2009-02-18T10:22:00.000-08:00

So, I was looking through some pictures and found this ancient one! This was taken about 8 years ago from my bridal shower. This is most of the gang from high school. Man does this bring back some memories. Loved the camo theme!

Top Row, L to R: Sage (my cute little niece), Carime (sis), Jacklyn, Kathy, Me (of course), Tami, Jacie, Jette and Bonnie

2nd Row, L to R: Hailey, Katie C., and Lyndsee

Bottom being all seductive: Melanie

I love all you guys. Thanks for all the good memories, laughs and fun that we had.

Who Said I Wasn't Deep?

2009-02-18T08:42:00.001-08:00

Today I was cleaning my desk at work and found a sticky note with a poem on it that I wrote like 2 years ago. I really can't remember why I wrote it, but something must have been bugging me. I hated english and I am no writer in any sense, but I thought it was funny and you might enjoy:

Just when you think you know

Up comes the storm

And the wind forcefully blows

to the point you know their a cowardly worm

Your pride and heart crushed

Your work and thoughts destroyed

Your actions and words hushed

To find out it was all just a ploy

I AM DAMAGED GOODS.

SWEET THANG!

2009-02-11T08:18:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures that I took on Sunday of my niece, Ellianna. She is so adorable. There were too many pictures to pick from. But these ones were my favorite. I sure love this little goombah!!

DAN BIRCH

2009-02-10T08:20:00.000-08:00

Dan, you will be greatly missed. We are all praying for your family, friends and those adorable little girls. I just wanted to thank you for all the memories growing up, your friendship and your endless smile! Words can't express the loss that we are feeling at this moment. We love you and we will miss you!

HARLEY

2009-02-05T10:47:00.001-08:00

Harlo, we miss you! Please come back soon!

FINAL DESTINATION

2009-02-02T07:35:00.000-08:00

So, I know it sounds dumb, but ever since my wreck, I feel like one of the chicks on Final Destination! I feel like I have cheated death and now death is looking for me. The other day when I was driving to work, which is only about a mile away from my house, I had THREE people pull out right in front of me. They were all pull outs to the point where I HAD to slam on my brakes, skidding almost sideways, just to avoid a collision. Then on Friday night, I jumped in the tub and I guess I fell asleep. Well when I woke up I was under water and I was gasping for air, and had swallowed a bunch of water. When we were driving home from Jackson last night I made sure that we didn't pass any trucks full of logs. I can promise you for the next little bit I am going to be very cautious and probably cancelling any skydiving thoughts I've had.

Bad and Good Luck

2009-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well today we were on our way to Idaho Falls to go to a gun show. Nathan had to work all day Saturday so today was the only day we had to hang out. A little storm was hitting us, but nothing that we haven't seen before. We were just heading through the lavas between Blackfoot and Shelley when... it happened. Somone went to pass us and cut us off too short, so I tapped my brakes and that was enough for us to start sliding. First our back end started to go and that's when I knew we were screwed. So I started singing, "Jesus take the wheel, Take it from my hands....." But that didn't work, probably because I don't know the whole song. They aren't a kiddin' when people say that it all goes in slow motion. On the freeway going 65 mph, doing a 360 in the middle of the freeway and then BAM! We slam into the gaurd rail head on. Then it spins us again and spits us out on the other side of the borrow pit. When we hit the guard rail me and Nate slammed our heads together. I think I was knocked a little loopy, but for the most part we were safe. Things definately could have been worse. We could have rolled, or hit another vehicle or even flipped over the guardrail, we were very lucky. Two other vehicles stopped to see if we were alright and then helped push us out of the borrow pit. And to much of our surprise, our car started back up and we could still drive it. Did we turn around and go home? Did we call for someone to come and help us? HECK NO! We kept on our way to Idaho Falls and went to the gun show, grabbed some lunch and then, headed home. I am glad that our Father in Heaven was looking over us and was keeping us safe. Even though it was an accident, it could have been alot worse. I am counting my blessings tonight, that is for sure!

BLesS MacY

2008-12-30T10:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that I took on Sunday for Macy's blessing day. She sure is adorable. The dress was handmade by Heidi's Grandma Talbot. This was Heidi's blessing dress and now Macy's. What a dang cutie!

A LiTtLe LaTE!

2008-12-16T09:46:00.001-08:00

I know its a little late. But here are some pictures of our other little niece, Macey. She was born in the beginning of November. And yes, she had that much hair when she was born. That makes 3 new nieces in 2 months. Here is also an updated picture of Macey's big brothers, Jace and Cade. Cute little bounders!

I would also like to mention that Christmas is right around the corner, and if your anything like me, I've got a lot of shopping still to do. I have only bought for myself and money is getting tight. So sorry if your present sucks this year, my list was pretty expensive! :0) Hope everyone is having a great holiday. Count your blessings.

BLESSING

2008-12-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my niece Preslie at her blessing and the happy parents. Tyson did such a great job with the whole thing. He is a very good speaker. He reminds me of his grandpa ET. Preslie was so cute the whole time and even though their sacrament meeting was like one that I have never been to, pretty funny actually, I felt the spirit strongly. I am so thankful for Nathan's family and the love and support they give us. I am very lucky to have two great families!

MORE PHOTOS

2008-11-25T15:45:00.000-08:00

Well here are some more photos. My other family, the Furniss's, called me up and wanted me to take their family pictures. I was pretty hesitant at first because I believe they deserve better than what I can give them. Not to disappoint anyone, believe it or not, I am not the best at EVERYTHING! haha. :0) Well here are some of the results. I learn something new everytime I do a shoot. I hope that I continue to get better as I go. Please let me know what you think. Thanks. By the way, this is the most generous, loving family anyone could ask for. I love them all!

FINALLY BUCK DOWN!!

2008-11-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I finally got my buck. It has been a hard year. I would be typing for a couple of hours if I wrote everything that was wrong with our luck this year. Lets just say that there were trucks and trailers being burnt down to the ground, almost going fist to cuffs on the mountain with two morons, cops called, 3 inches of water in our tent (yes, while we were sleeping in there), etc., etc., etc. The list goes on and on.

Back to the story, this is my "Back Up Buck". Time was winding down and Nathan still hadn't gone out for himself, so I shot this dude on Monday night (the 27th). That way Nate could take the rest of the week to try and murder a buck for himself. Nate called me Monday morning and said that he found a decent buck and he put him to bed. So I took off work at noon and headed up to meet him. We started our hike at 2:30 and pretty much reached to where we wanted to be by 4pm. So we sat there and waited until the buck decided to come out of the trees and eat. It was around 5:45 or so. He just pretty much stood there eating at 400 yards, but he wouldn't turn broadside. He was standing and facing us the whole time. Well, of course, the bad luck fairy decided to throw something in the mix, heaven forbid she gives us a day off, and low and behold two hunters, otherwise known as The Nevada Boys, started to come up through the draw. All of the sudden Nathan's tone in his voice went from a nice, sweet (yes he can be at times), "You have all the time in the world, just wait for him to turn..." to "Danica, take him now. Get on him and drop him, NOW!" By this time the one Nevada boy was standing at a fence post and was just shouldering his gun to shoot. The Nevada boy was only 200 yards from the buck. So I knew that it was game time. So when the buck lifted up his head and turned to look at the other hunter, I shot. I snuck the bullet right in under his chin and nailed him square in the chest. He jumped and went only about 30yards and was down for the count.

I mean it was a tough shot, not only being 400 yards, but when they are facing you like that, you have a target no bigger than a milk jug. What was cool was that Nathan got it all on film, you can see the vapor trail of the bullet, and you can see the bitshag in the background just standing there looking at us walk up to the buck. So the boys came up to talk to us, and they are like, "So, did you decide to take the buck when I put my scope on it? Because I was just about ready to shoot, when I seen the buck jump and then I heard a huge BOOM!" I was like, "No! We didn't even see you standing there until after we shot the buck." YEAH RIGHT. We had you goombahs pegged from the moment you popped your head out of the draw. It felt nice doing something to someone, that I had done to me ALL YEAR. :0) Vindictive, I know.

Scouting - Over 200 hours
Time away from family and friends - 150 hours
Gas Money for the hunt - $600.00
Nights spent on top of the mountain - 9
Shooting a buck out from under a out of stater and getting it on film.....

PRICELESS

Now this beauty is Tessa's buck that she shot. She has worked her butt off as well for this monster. She is 5 months pregnant, hiking in the mountains, all over hell and back for this buck. He scores 192", including the non typical points, and is quite the trophy. Not only is this a sweet buck, but what makes it even sweeter, is that this buck was being chased by a couple of people, including Nathan,Rance and Kent, during the archery season, as well as, you guessed it, the Nevada Boys. Yeah, you got that right. We shot down the Nevada boys' dreams TWICE!! GO HOME OUT OF STATERS!! Way to go Tessa. I am proud of ya.

FAMILY PICTURES

2008-11-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well, for those who don't know, I love photography. I have been wanting to get more in depth with it for a long time. People always told me that I take good pictures, so me, taking them seriously... (Idiot) decided that I might try my hand in it. I have done a couple of weddings and some engagement pictures, but for the most part it was just for fun. I bought me another new camera a couple of months ago and I called my sister-in-law and told her to load up the chitlins and that I was going to take their pictures. Here are just a few of the results. Please let me know what you think, good and bad! I would also like to thank Lane for giving me some pointers and for letting me bug him all the time. Thanks for looking...

This is my nephew Jordan, he is a freshman. He didn't smile much for me, but he seems to be pretty photogenic.

I didn't get very many with the whole family because, A. my brother was gone, and B. Jennifer likes to close her eyes! hahaha!!

And of course, here is Sage. She is going to be 8 this December and she loves to pose.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

Me striking a pose!

Here are our costumes from work. This is Tessa, Ashley, me, and Kasey. If you don't know who we are, man that really ages us!! :0) Happy Halloween everyone! WHO YA GONNA CALL? GHOSTBUSTERS!

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!!

2008-10-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well here goes this is my first time being tagged. The rules are that I tell 7 interesting/weird facts about myself and then pass it on to 7 other people. I am not really good at this sort of stuff, but I will keep it going.

1. I get very annoyed, very easy. We can be at the movie theatre and if I hear someone chewing popcorn loud, or playing with their candy wrappers, it drives me insane. So then, I have to share the nuisance with Nate and he gets bothered with it throughout the rest of the movie as well. So then he is cursing me as well as the high cholesterol naggers behind me. Share the love!! I also just hate loud chewing or just plain loud food. If I am watching a movie or some sports game, and Nathan comes in and is eating cereal or chips, I give him the death look. So then he tells me to get over it. So I literaly have to get up and leave the room otherwise I will get so annoyed that we end up getting in a fight over it. It is ridiculous, I know. But I also can't stand people popping their gum or popping their fingers/toes.

2. I love new socks. The day after Thanksgiving I go to buy socks for the whole year. I buy at least $100 in socks every year and then I hide them in the closet from Nate. So when I need a pick me up, I go into the closet and put on a brand new pair of fresh socks. There is something about the feel of new, not stretched out fabric on your footsies.

3. I am addicted to gum. I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to bubble gum. I still buy the 6 foot bubbletape and Big League Chew. Even though that junk lasts for about 5 minutes and then the flavor flave is gone, it is still good. In fact, I really like buying Yikes Stripes gum and I go through a whole pack in a day. I will chew like 3 sticks at a time and then move on to the next color.

4. I hate stupid people. I wish I could go around with the flimsy part of a fishing pole and bend it back as far as I can and then "WHACK" the stupid people in the face when they say or do stupid things. There are too many of these idiots out there. They need more chlorine in the gene pool. Like I went to the drive thru the other day and I ordered say like a #1 and a #2. Well she asked me what I wanted to drink. I said, "I'll take a Pepsi and a Mountain Dew." She says, "Well, which combo would you like the Pepsi and which combo would you like the Mountain Dew with?" I looked at Nate and said, "Are you kidding me?" So then I gently asked the zit face, "Well, I don't think that it matters does it? They are both the same size and they are both going in the same car." Nate got mad at me because he said, "Honey, you don't make fun of the people that are MAKING your food!" Lesson learned.

5. I will not eat left overs. I am very, very picky with this one. No, its not because I am a princess. I just hate left overs. I won't eat chips if they have been open for longer than two days. Say someone cooks something and I am late for dinner, I will not eat if it means that it has gotten cold enough, that it has to be warmed up in the microwave. Because, then it is considered left overs. Nathan is totally the opposite. He will eat anything, I mean anything. He ate 12 year old salsa the other day and year old eggs (that one was because he didn't know they were a year old, and yeah, he had the shats like no other.... my fault... lack of information.)hahaha. Anyways, I won't even eat warmed up pizza.

6. I am deathly afraid of spiders. I can go out and in the wilderness and go hunting, take a bite out of a raw liver, play with reptiles....etc.... but a dang spider. HELL NO!! Along with butterflies and moths. I am sorry but they are SATAN!!

7. My bed HAS to be made before I get into it to go to sleep. Nate hates it too. Because usually he jumps into bed before I can get in there to make it. So I am pulling on blankets and tucking in sides and he is growling at me for it. But its just something about having a sheet that is all nice and tight and tucked in. For some reason I don't have time to make it in the morning, so I wait until right before I jump in. I guess it has to do with my dad always teaching us to make our beds when we were younger and making sure that he could bounce a quarter on it. I got used to the way that it feels sleeping in a nice made bed. Any sort of sheets or blankets that are bunched up or off more to a side than the other, bugs the crap out of me.

I am sure that you are all thinking that I need more in my life to get pissed off about, but I have lots more.... good thing its just 7 items. Anyways, I tag Kara, Gordo, Shannon, Melanie, Laura, Mandi and Mary. Have fun kids!!

ANOTHER NEW NIECE.... PRESLIE LANE

2008-10-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is another new addition. She was born on October 8th and weighed 6lbs 14oz. Her name is Preslie Lane. She is so adorable. I am pretty lucky to have some cute nieces and nephews. Congratulations T-Bone and Shan. You did good!

And... we are going to have ANOTHER niece in November.... Crazy!

Harley holding Preslie

GoRdO PoPpeD!! WeLcOMe ELLi!!

2008-10-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my new niece, Ellianna. She was born on Thursday, October 2nd. She is quite the cutie. Way to go sis!! Can't wait to give her a big smoochero!! LOVE YOU BOTH! There is another picture that was taken at the hospital that is pretty dang cute as well, if you want to look at it you can click this link: http://www.deaconessmc.org/bf_main.aspx?URLid=9856035448

I will probably be posting another new niece either today or tomorrow. Shannon and Tyson are headed in this morning to go have their babe, Pressley. Good luck Shan. You'll do great!!

DAVE & GOLIATH (or Guinnea fowl, that is)

2008-09-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dave is the only one that had a "confirmed" kill with his home made flipper. This is the guinnea fowl that Dave shot . One blow to the head with a rock did this guy in and put food in our bellies! Haha!

That night all the guys wanted to try their aim with the flippers. So they all lined up on the deck and tried to shoot the bats flying around, each with their own flipper. The bats sonar was freaking amazing to watch. They could zig and zag on a dime. The only way that you would actually "hit" a bat, was if the bat was flying away from you because their sonar was disengaged. Leave it up to Layne and the great games he comes up with out of the blue. He sure knows how to make things fun.

BowHuntinG MemorieS

2008-09-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

My Kudu

Layne's Sable

Nate's Waterbuck

Dave's Warthog

Well with bowhunting season in full effect, I thought that I would give a shout out to our success this year. We did quite well in Africa. I was really hesitant on taking my bow. But as you can see, I am sure glad that I did. Four out of the six of us that took our bows were able to capitalize on the opportunity. Out of the bow kills, I would have to say that Dave's warthog is my favorite. Spending the time with Dave and Nate in the blind was fun. But not as fun as watching Dave draw his bow and let down about 30 times. This dang pig wouldn't stand clear long enough from some piglets to get a shot. When it finally did, it was a great sight to see him running away with an arrow stuck in his side. It took us quite a while to find him, but once we found the lucky feather, everything else was history! I just wanted to say thanks again, "Dad" for coming with us. It was a blast!!

ForE GolF!!

2008-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Green in St. George. You have to hit it over the canyon. Very pretty.

N8

Ryan

Perfect form, I must say.

Ry-Dog

Nate

T-Bone

Well, hunting season is coming around, which means that golf season is coming to an end. This season started out rough. First it was the crappy weather and then my golfing buddy, Buzz, moved away. Buzz, if you are reading this, I miss ya!

Anyways, we usually start off the season with a yearly trip to St. George with Ryan, Heidi, Shannon and Tyson. Here are some pictures from our trip. Its always interesting hitting those first balls of the season. Which means for me, its.... throwing out those cuss words that you thought had been deleted from your vocabulary. It seems like every year, that one part of your game gets better, as another part gets worse. For me it was my driving had improved along with my irons, but my chipping is horrendous. I hope next year is the year that it all comes together.

CrookeD HorN

2008-09-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

40 Yards with a Bow

Nate's Antelope

Well, as you can see the hunting season has officially started. Which means that we are going to be gone pretty much every weekend from here on out. Well, at least Nathan is...... which means I need a fill in husband. Anyone? J/K

Here is the antelope that Nathan got with his bow on Monday. He has been trying to get this buck for about 2 weeks now. He has been sitting on the same water hole and this buck wouldn't come in any closer than 100 yards. His does would come and drink but this stubborn dude kept his distance. Probably because he knew what was awaiting him. Well as you know, every Labor Day weekend, it rains. So of course they wouldn't be coming in to the water hole. Nate came home on Sunday and grabbed his decoy and went back out that night to take one last stab at it. So Monday came and was rainy almost all day long. The weather cleared finally around 4:00 and he seen this buck and his does out in the distance. So he grabbed his decoy and called the buck in. Once the buck seen his decoy and heard the challenge call, he was on a dead sprint. He stopped at 40 yards and was "STUCK"! We're pretty sure he will go Pope and Young. Good job babe!

It's a VelveteeN!

2008-08-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Nate's bull

Rance's bull

So.. here is the bull that Nathan shot on the 1st of August. He had been scouting out these bulls for at least 3 weeks before the opener. He was able to film these bulls a couple of times too. There were a total of 8 bulls in this bachelor herd. Nathan is calling this bull his "unicorn" because he has been trying to get one in the velvet for about 3 years now. Finally he was able to put the hammer down on one. It was a hard hunt. People might thing, "How hard is a desert hunt? Really?" Well, let me tell ya... First you have to find the sneeky SOB's just laying out in the middle of nowhere in some sagebrush. Then Nate and Rance walked about 5 miles into the desert, in 100 degree weather. By the time they got to them, they were out of water. Out on that hot desert and on the black lava rocks. Besides the heat stroke and the mental anguish of thinking, "Are we there yet?", "Don't look up because you are just going to be disappointed that you still have 3 more miles to walk." and "I think that I could drink my own piss because I am so thirsty!". Luckily, they were able to come out on top. You never know how open hunts are going to go. Even though you have done your homework and scouted them out, knowing where they go to sleep and eat, it doesn't matter. There is always going to be those idiots that drive through the hay fields at 4am trying to scare anything up and chasing the critters on their 4-wheelers and trucks. Until the animals are running with all their touges hanging out. Anyways, I am not going to go on about how lazy people are, we are just happy it worked out for them both. Congrats guys. (too bad mine is going to be bigger this year!!) haha.

AfricA PictureS

2008-08-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Pam, Me & Layne

African Sunset, B-E-A-U-tiful!!

Nate's Zebra

Nate and our other dad, Dave

Ostriches running away because we were shooting rocks at them with our home made flippers.

Stick bug

Rance and Quinton

Nate's Blue Wildebeast
(Rance, John, Nate, Layne and Dave)

The Chicas
(Me!, Tessa and Mikala)

The Boyz
(Nate, Rance, Quinton)

My Low Felt Impala

Nate's other Blue Wildebeast, unfortunately one wasn't enough!

Me and Tess

Pam's Zebra

Yes, she loves horses. But I promise, zebras are much different than horses. You don't have to take off the saddle before you shoot it and the dang thing has stripes!! J/K

Giraffe

Layne's Sable.

He shot this thing at 40 yards with his bow. While, I must add, trying to keep the Cape Buffalo from charging them.

Pam

AfricA BounD, AgaiN

2008-08-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

So we were lucky enough to take another trip back to Africa. We took our first trip in May of 05' and we were planning our second trip back before our first one was over. Now some of you might think, where is their money tree? I would like to know that too. We have been living on Macaroni and Cheese and Ramen Noodles for two years. Not just to save money, but that is all I know how to make, and yeah, okay... I really like those meals!! There was 9 out of the 11 of us that got African Tick Fever. Lets just say that Kenney Chesney's song about checking each other for ticks got old, real fast. But we survived, and if I had to do it over again, I would!!