5K

This weekend Mom and I did a 5K. It was really cool. We mostly walked but we did some running too. We didn't come in last which was good...lol. But that really didn't matter if we did or if we didn't because all we wanted to do was finish it. And We Did!!! I'm glad that we got to spend that mother daughter time together. Love you Mom....

Indy weekend

This weekend my mom and I went up to Indy for my Aunt and Uncles 25th Anniversary. It was a really good time. All of my Aunt and Uncles were there along with my grandparents. It was nice seeing everyone. We don't all get to see each other often so when it happens it is a special time. I'm so glad that everyone was able to make it. We had the party and then we all went back for pizza at their house. Mom and I stayed and we all played cards. It was a lot of fun. I wish that we were able to do that more often. Can't wait to see them at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Love you guys and Congratulations Uncle Barry and Aunt Di for 25 years of marriage.

Wow...boring life

So I dont even know if anyone still looks here or not. Because coming back from Yellowstone I have a boring life. Pretty much all I do is go to class, work, and do homework. Yep I was hiking with bears a year ago and wishing for snow. Now I really dont want snow and am just trying to do my best in school. O well that is the way life goes. So anyways, Mom and I went to see the movie FireProof. Along with some other women. I just want to say that it is a very good movie. I would encourage all couples to go see it. It talks alot of God and being married. Even if your not married (which I'm not) it still has some good points that hopefully you will use someday..(for me 6 1/2 years..lol) And just a little something....I cried so bring some tissues... Other than that not much is going on with me. I hope that everyone is doing well. And enjoying this October weather...

2nd Week

This is week two of classes. Things are going well. I'm really enjoying it. And a part of me looks forward to the rest of it. I've met some really cool people in my classes. Even though I feel like I'm one of the older students at school, it is kind of nice too. I've been out in the real world and now know what I want. Other than some others that are just going because they think they should. When I look around the other students look like they should still be in high school. That was the one thing that got me. But O well. I'm looking forward to it. And I hope everyone is doing ok. Later

School Started!!

School started today! I had two classes today, one had close to 200 people in it. It was a really big class. I decided I need to get there early so that everyone doesn't watch me walk in. Lol. My other class only had 20 or so people in it. That class is going to be tuff on me. I have to give presentations and I don't really like doing that. Tomorrow I have three classes. They should be interesting. But I'm excited about it. I have a year and a half left. Yay!!! Things are going really well for me and I'm excited about what is to come. Hope everyone is happy also. Later

Matt & Anne

This weekend Matt and Anne came down. It was nice seeing them. I haven't seen them since I got back from Yellowstone. A long time. Matt preached at church this weekend. He did an awesome job. So proud of him. Me, Mom, & Anne got up early Sunday and went for a walk. Proud of us.. haha. It was also Ag Days in Mt. Carmel. So we went up there Sat night. Not much fun. I'm not a ag days fan, o well. Other than that we had a good weekend. I miss them and wish they were closer but everything happens for a reason. Love ya guys. Later.

Good Times!!

So it's the beginning of August and everything is going great for me. I'm living in Eville by USI. I have signed up for classes and am really excited about going back. It should be a lot of fun and hard at the same time. Can't wait. As of right now I have one roommate, Brittney, it's going well. We get along well. We have another one moving in at the end of the month. We start school Sept. 2. Again I'm excited. I'm working at Ameriqual. The main thing they do there is make food for the troops overseas. It's good because I'm giving back to our country in a way. I like it, nice people. I work in the cold room so it's 30 degrees at all times. Reminds me of Yellowstone, not really. Other than that I have just been hanging out and working. Enjoying my time before school starts then I'm all into studying. Good times.!!!

What a vacation!!

It's been a while since the whole family went on vacation. First of all, I had so much fun with everyone in Yellowstone. It was great 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.

3 Days!!!

I have 3 more days until I come home for my visit. I'll be back out here in 2 weeks but I'm really excited about it. I think everyone here is ready for me to come home also. I have a countdown on the board at work and keep telling people that I only have so many days left. Well that's all for now. Just wanted to let everyone know only 3 Days!!!

Lamar Valley

So yesterday we went out to Lamar Valley. It was the last day I have off before I come home, so we went to Lamar. We saw lots and lots of bison. We also saw elk and 5 coyotes. Not any wolves. Some of the people made me mad. I was driving along the road and came upon some bison. There were 4 bison walking across the road, so I wasn't able to get pass them. So I was pushing them but not making them run. They were walking up a hill so I wanted them to be able to get up it without running. They need all the energy they can keep. So making them run is not a good thing. They don't get to eat as much as they should because of the snow. Anyways where I'm getting to is one of the snowmobile guys(they were pulling their snowmobiles behind there trucks) pulled around me. There were around 8 people behind me. But he just came around really fast I saw him coming and slowed down. He had to slam his breaks on so he didn't hit the bison. They starting running and got scared and got out of his way of course. But one fell over a snowbank to get out of the way. It made us really mad. They need to respect the animals here. It's their park we are just visitors. So remember if and when you come to Yellowstone to respect the animals. Please.

Didn't go to Old Faithful

I didn't get to go to Old Faithful this weekend. Kind of sad. There was one seat going down but no seats coming back. I guess to many people wanted to go the same time we did. At least I have already been down there. Because that is the last time I would have gotten to go down to Old Faithful in the winter. It has been warming up and the snow is melting. That's sad. It is just ice on the ground. But we are suppose to get another snow storm tomorrow. Hopefully anyways. Well that's all for now. Hope everyone is having a good winter. Later

Don't worry, Still here

I haven't written on here in a while so I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still here. I haven't done much lately so I haven't had anything to write about. This weekend, hopefully we are going to Old Faithful so I will have something to write about. But I did go to Bozeman yesterday. Going into town is always big news around here. haha. We went and saw a movie, Fools Gold, it is really good. Then we ate at Famous Dave's BBQ. Good Times. I've decided that when you can walk outside with just a hoodie and it is 30 degrees and you think it is warm, that you have been in the cold to long. But just my thought. And Aunt Di, I don't have to shovel the snow, but I was going to volunteer to because they were on the roofs. I thought that would be fun to play in. They wouldn't let me. I hope everyone else is staying warm and I hope to see everyone in 3 weeks. Later

Crazy Weather!!

So the weather out here is been crazy for the last couple of days. Today it was 38 degrees. That is really getting warm for us. hahaha. It has been warming up and so the snow is melting and it is getting really slick. I have seen a lot of people almost falling. So we have to be careful. I overall had a good weekend. We didn't do much. It was nice to relax and stay warm all weekend. Hopefully it gets cold again and we get more snow. Can't get enough snow. Or I don't think so. So I hope everyone is trying to stay warm also. Later.

Natural Highs

I thought this was really cute!!!!
Think about them one at a time before going on to the next one. It Does Make You Feel Good, especially the thought at the end of #44.
1. Falling in love.!
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. H! earing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry ).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through s! prinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss (the very first).
27 Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

45. Just knowing that someone you trust has your back.

I have been included in a new game of blog tag entitled "MeMe." I was tagged by Anne McClane. The rules for this meme are: (1) Link to the person that tagged you. (2) Post the rules on your blog. (3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Here comes the randomness...

1. My first one is in high school, I played softball in the summer. It was always alot of fun. Until this one game when I hit the ball and was running to first base. I don't really know what happen but I fell and spranged my ankle. It was really crazy and embarassing. But those are the things you remember.

2. The second would be when I was little and we all went to the Mall. I turned around and Mom wasn't there and nobody else was either. I thought that they went out to the car, so I walked out to the car but nobody was there either. So I went back in to look for them. Mom had them announcing it over te speaker. But you couldn't understand what they were saying. She had the foreign exchange students that went with us to the mall looking for me also. Eventually, KiKa, one of the students was running toward me yelling my name. They had found me. That was a scary moment in life, I'm sure it was worse for Mom. But we made it though.

3. The third thing was probably missing the first part of the high school football games. All of my junior and senior year Me and Ashley missed the first part of every game. It was fun.

4. The fourth thing is out here in Yellowstone. One day this summer, there was 4 of us going hiking. We started out and I was second in line. We walked about 1/2 mile maybe when we spotted a black bear. Standing on the trail in front of us maybe 50 to 100 feet away. It was really scary. The woman in front almost started running. Thank goodness I stopped here. Then they told me to start singing or talking loud. So I started singing and everyone starting talking loud. So he walked away from us. Then we were coming back and we saw another one. It was a different bear. There were people up on the street watching us as we were walking. We had to get off the trail and walk way around. It was a little closer and was a little more scary.

5. Fifth thing is that I love collecting seasons of stuff. My favorite is Friends. But that is just something that I like to collect. I have like 30 different seasons of dvd.

6. And the sixth thing is. that I love playing in the snow. We have a couple of feet of snow out here. They like to make fun of me for making snow angels all the time. Every where I go I have to make one. I have lots of pictures of me. I haven't been able to make a snowman yet. Because the snow won't stick. But if I get a chance I will be making them. I don't think I will get to.

Calm Before The Storm!

So the other day it felt like summer but today it was a winter blizzard here. Well not a blizzard but to me it was. We couldn't really see across the street at times. It was a complete white out. Even our snowcoaches weren't running today because it was so dangerous. The road from the north gate out to the northeast gate was closed. I think they tried to go plow it in the afternoon. But I don't know how that went. It's a good thing I went to Bozeman and I don't have to get out in this anytime soon. I felt sorry for people that were coming into the park today, because they couldn't. We had to refund their money or see if we could get them in tomorrow. We had those calls all day. But of course I was out playing in it at lunch. I made another snow angel. It was a little cold. But Fun. That is why I am here, to play in the snow. So just let it keep coming. We have around a foot to a foot and a half of snow here. In Grant Village, which is the southern part of the park, they have 5 feet. I would love to be down there playing it that. Well that's all for me hope everyone is well. Later

Felt Like Summer!!

Today I went to Bozeman. It got up to 45 degrees today. It felt like Summer. I was able to walk around without my winter coat on. I haven't been able to do that in a couple of months. Very exciting. We went to see National Treasure 2. It was really good, I don't really know which one I liked the most. I think they were both good. We also went to Walmart, Target and we ate at Famous Dave's BBQ. Which reminded me of Matt and Anne and the night before their wedding. When I was walking out Matt called me. He must have known that I was thinking about them and eating there. LOL. Well other than that nothing new is really going on. We are suppose to get a snow storm tomorrow. I hope it snows a lot, now that I have been to town and won't need to go for another month. Wow, that sounds crazy that I don't need to go into town for a month. Usually I would be going to walmart at least once a week. Crazy living out here in the wilderness. But it is fun and pretty, so it is worth it. Hope everyone had a good day. Later

Cold, Cold, & More Cold

Ok, so I woke up this morning to it being -17 degrees outside. A little cold you think. I was freezing. All I wanted to do was stay in my warm bed and sleep all day. But I didn't I had to go to work. I think it finally got up to -3. The high was suppose to be 1. But it didn't even make it to that. So Cold. But I made it though. I just wanted everyone to know how cold it was here. I hope that you guys are enjoying the 30 degree weather because that would feel like summer after today. Haha. Just kidding. Well I hope everyone is doing well. Later

SNOW!!!

Well since Mom and Allen left, I haven't done very much. I have been trying to get over being sick because everyone here is. And trying not to be around the people that are. Don't worry Grandma I'm taking my Vitamin C. And I have also been trying to stay warm. It has been a little cold and windy lately. I think the wind has the most part in it. So it makes it so much colder than it really is. I have been dressing in layers everyday. Even in my room. Sometimes Karen freezes me out but not a lot. We have a half way point that we met at when it comes to the room. Last Tuesday, we started up volleyball again. We took the holidays off. It's a lot of fun. Then last night I went to dance class. Did some line dancing, ballroom dancing, and a little swing. That is a lot of fun and a good workout. Today we went out to Lamar Valley. We didn't see any wolves, but we saw elk, bison, and a coyote. Before we went out to Lamar Valley, we went to Gardiner to get some gas for the jeep. And we saw 4 eagles. That was really cool. They are such beautiful birds. Well other than that not much is new with me. I'll be coming home in March for a couple of weeks, so I hope to see everyone. It will be around the 11 to the 23. I didn't realize it was Easter until after I got the plane tickets. Then I will be coming back out here. Well I hope everyone is well, Later.

Christmas Week

What a Christmas, a lot different than any other I have ever had. It was really nice that Mom and Allen got to come out. I had a lot of fun. They got here on Dec. 23, and the next day I worked and Allen went on a snowmobile ride to the canyon area. Mom had a relaxing day. On Christmas we went to Bozeman. And then on Dec 26, we went down to Old Faithful. We took a snowcoach ride down, it was a four hour ride. It was so pretty and there was so much snow. That afternoon, we went and saw Old Faithful and Beehive geysers go off. After that we all took a nap. That night we took a tour called Steam, Stars and Winter Soundscapes. It was dark and we walked around the fountain geyser basin. It was a clear night so we could see lots of stars. The next day, we went out to see Old Faithful again and then we sat in the lobby until we went back on the snowcoach to Mammoth. We went out to Lamar Valley the next morning. We saw 10 wolves, they said that there were 13 but I only saw 10. That afternoon, we went back to bozeman and ate at Famous Dave's then we went to walmart and got me some snowpants. The next day I went to work and Allen went back out to Lamar Valley to look for wolves. Mom and I went on a snowcoach down to the Canyon area the next day. It was a lot of fun. Lots of snow again. I made a snow angel, tried to make a snowman but the snow wouldn't stick. Yesterday, Mom & Allen left. We ate lunch together and then they left. It was a really good Christmas Week. I had lots of fun. And I am so glad that they got to come out. I missed all you guys back home for Christmas and I hope you all had a good Holiday. Happy New Year.