What a vacation!!

It's been a while since the whole family went on vacation. I wasn't very good about writing it on here. But I'm going to now. First of all, I had so much fun with everyone. Showing them where I worked for the last year. And it was awesome to go back and see everyone that I had worked with. Anyways we got there on Wednesday. Aunt Di, Uncle Barry, & Wade were already there. Then Uncle Jim, Aunt Linda, Zac, & Erin came in. It was nice seeing everyone. I hadn't seen them all in a long time. That night we all just saw each other and then went to bed. I went and hung out with Mary(my roommate from the summer) It started storming and it hailed on us. I ran back to the cabin and my hair was just ice. Kind of funny. Then the next day Hal & Peggy and Ed & Judy came in. On Friday we all went on a hike called Elephant Back. It was a really nice hike. I thought the view was beautiful. We could see the lake and also the lake hotel. Allen and Mom went and picked up Allens Dad from the airport that day also.

On Saturday, everyone went to Old Faithful to wave at Grandpa and Grandma Mobley on the web cam. That was really cool. We walked around the boardwalk and then we went and ate lunch at the Old Faithful Inn. After that we all went on a hike to Fairy Falls. It went back to a waterfall. So pretty. One of my favorite hikes. That night we all just hung out and caught up with each other. On Sunday, I went hiking with Mary, Betty, & Jody to the OTO Dude Ranch. The first Dude ranch in Montana. That was really cool. We ran into a bear on the hike. Little scary. But it was afraid of us so we were ok. That night everyone went on the Roosevelt Cookout. It was fun and really good food.

Monday was Allens Birthday and we decorated the cabin. Then he went out and rode his motorcycle and we just hung out. Aunt Di's family left that morning. We were going to go rafting but we ran out of time so we just drove thru the park. On Tuesday, Uncle Jim's family left and Mom and Allen took Allens Dad to the airport. I went down to lake to see Becca and then that night Mary and I went up to Mammoth to say goodbye to everyone I worked with. Then Wednesday we just hung out and played cards and had a relaxing day. On Thursday, we left and headed to Mt. Rushmore. We saw the fireworks there. It was the best firework display I have ever seen. It was awesome. On the 4th of July we were driving home and we saw like 50 different firework displays all over the place. It was awesome since the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. Then we got home Saturday. It was a long vacation but I think everyone had a really good time. I'm really glad that we were able to go

Vacation To Yellowstone

So being home for a couple of months has been great. Lots of things have happened and lots of things are changing for me that I'm really excited about. But these 2 weeks, I'm going back out to Yellowstone for vacation with Allen and Mom. We left yesterday (Sunday) and we drove for most of the day. We got to Colby, Kansas around 9pm. We left at 7am. A long day. But anyway we got up this morning because Allen wanted to leave early. And we drove to Colorado Springs. We got here about 11am. We then went up Pikes Peak. It wasn't as bad as Mom and I thought it was going to be. When we got to the top, it started snowing on us. That was cool. Then there was a storm and the power went off while we were in the shop. It's cool that we can say we were on the top of Pikes Peak and the power went off. So we just got back to the hotel and there is a storm outside. Then tonight we are going out to eat with Hal & Peggy. Then tomorrow we are heading to Landon, Wyoming. Later.

Read this and thought it was cute

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem
Almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day in not enough
Remember the mayonnaise jar
And 2 cups of coffee.

A Professor Stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students
If the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in the jar.
He shook the jar lightly
the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full...
They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
And poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full...
The students responded
With an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced
Two cups of coffee from under the table
And poured the entire contents
Into the Jar, effectively
Filling the Empty space between the sand
The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor,
As the laughter subsided,
"I want you to recognize that
This jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things God, Family, Children, Health, Friends, and Favorite passions.--Things that if everything else was lost. And only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like you job, house, and car.

The Sand is everything else- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," He continued
"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all you time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are Important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness
Play with you children.
Take time to get medical checkups
Take your partner out to dinner
Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house
And fix the disposal...

Take care of the golf balls first--
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest if just sand.

One of the students raised her hand
And inquired what the coffee represented

The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked"

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There's always room for a couple cups of coffee with a friend"

Yellowstone to Illinois

Wow, this last week has been a little crazy around Southern Illinois. First of all, Friday morning at 4:37 am we had a 5.2 earthquake. Then at 10 something we had a 4.5 earthquake. From the first one to the last one I felt 10 after shocks. It was crazy. And I was thinking, wow I come from Yellowstone where they have hundreds of earthquakes a day to here when we hadn't had any for several years. I never felt any bad earthquakes in Yellowstone but these in IL have been the worst that I have felt. This morning around 12:30 we had another one that was a 4.5 earthquake. I guess there was one around 3 am but I didn't feel that one. Something weird is going on but I think I would rather be here feeling them than in Yellowstone where we would have been over a volcano. Well hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying life.

I'm Home

Well I'm home and have been for almost a week now. It has been wonderful coming home. Last Friday and Saturday I just drove. Friday was a 14 hour day and Saturday was a 8 hour day. So not that bad. I had great weather the whole way. It was beautiful. On Sunday and Monday I was up at Matt and Anne's. That was nice to get to spend some time with them. I got home Tuesday and unpacked my jeep and still have not gotten everything unpacked. It's just sitting in my room. I have a job interview tomorrow. I'm excited about it. Other than that everything is wonderful. I miss Yellowstone because who wouldn't. But I am LOVING this weather. No snow. It's awesome. I could go another year without snow. I hope that everyone is doing well. Later.

Coming Home!!

I'm coming home tomorrow. I know that it is a surprise to some people and out of nowhere for others, but I feel like my time in Yellowstone has come to an end. It has been the most memorable and exciting year of my life. I wouldn't trade a single second of it. It was the best thing for me to come out here. I will miss it more than most, but in my heart I know that it's time to go home. I will remember the times in Yellowstone for the rest of my life, and also all the things I have learned. This experience has taught me a lot. Not only to enjoy the outdoors and wildlife but taking care of what is important in the US. I hope that everyone gets the chance to enjoy Yellowstone, if only for a couple of days or even a couple of years. Everyone should make it a point to come and enjoy this park. Just keep taking care of it so many generations can come and enjoy it also. I want to thank everyone that has been there for me throughout this whole experience. A lot of people have made it memorable and have made it easier for me to enjoy my time here. I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me being out here. (Even though I know that none of you thought I would actually come out here and stay. I know that I didn't think I would) But overall, I'm so happy to have had this opportunity to enjoy the park and meet some wonderful people along the way. Thanks and I will miss you.

Back in Yellowstone

Hey everyone, I'm back in Yellowstone. I got in last night. It is the same as I left it minus some snow. There are bison every where in Mammoth. Which is good to see them in the park rather than outside the park. My 2 weeks at home were awesome. I had such a good time with everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again soon. That's all for now. Later.