The Hull's

Deer Hunting 2011

2011-11-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Ben got a pretty nice buck this year while we were home for thanksgiving. So now I have another set of antlers around my house. Oh boy! :) No, this one will make a great mount. It scored 150.

Okay so I know it is pretty small but for my first deer I can't just go out and shoot the biggest one, right. I was just happy that I got this one so I didn't have to go sit out in the rain that day. I got him in one shot and he dropped. Yeah!

Elk Hunting 2011

2011-10-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

So even though Ben is very busy in Dental school he still made time for the important things in life. :) He thought he was only going to get in one day of elk hunting this year but thankfully he was able to get in a few more. This year I was able to go with him one of the days (Thank you so much Grandma Carrie). Ben didn't get his elk that day but it was still so great to get out in the mountains and ride horses. I loved it. We saw a bear that day, so cool. I can't say it enough I love the outdoors.

I so happy that he got his elk but now comes all the cutting and wrapping of the meat. :) Below is Ben's hunting tale:

So,

Here is the result of what could (and hopefully will not) be my last serious year of elk hunting for a year or three while we are out in Omaha. Last Saturday was the opening day and Diana and I went out on horseback after elk. We saw a nice bear and let a few smaller 5 point bulls go looking for a bigger one. We got in range of a big bull but couldn't pick him out of the trees as he was bugling away. It was back to school Monday, then I snuck out Tuesday and Wednesday evening driving out and back each time about 1hr 40 min each way. Each time I saw elk but couldn't get a shot.

Friday after class my friend Kyle and I hiked 5 miles in to a camp left in by the outfitter I have guided hunts for. We slept on cots in the wall tent - really roughing it! We had a wood stove and propane burners, even some hunting magazines to read. Saturday morning we got up at 6 am, walked about 150 yards from the tent, took care of some "morning business," and waited til it was light enough to see. A bull bugled on the ridge above us so away we went, following his bugles which came quite regularly. The wind was blowing straight up the hill, so we swept wide and crested the ridge in a perfect position to find his cows out feeding about 350 yards away. We moved around trying to spot the bull (who had gone silent) but finally stopped when it seemed that the lead cow may have spotted us. She went back to feeding finally as we watched for 5 minutes or so. Finally, when I was just starting to get up to move again he bugled. I looked far left of the cows and he stepped out on an open knife ridge exactly 350 yards out. I was already set on shooting sticks so I quickly found the bright yellow body standing broadside and let him have it. He lunged, obviously hit, and dropped back to a smaller pocket of sagebrush at 400 yards where I proceeded to feed him two more little pills of vitamin Pb and Cu. On his way out already, the third shot put him right down. The first hit him low in the heart, the next two both at the top of it. It was just turning 8 am. We had him quartered and in bags by 10 am and took our sweet time hiking down to the truck to go borrow a few 4 legged creatures from the outfitter. 6 miles back to the truck, catching and loading horses and mules, 6 miles back in took us right til 6 pm. 20 minutes had us loaded and we passed camp at 6:50 pm, just before dark. We hit the truck at 8:40 pm. Not too bad a day! It was, however, so dark on the trail out that I literally couldn't see my horse underneath me much of the time. Luckily we got the loads tied down well and they rode out the whole way without a hitch.

He was a nice, heavy 5x6 and would have been a 6x6 except that he had some horn rot on one side right where it was beginning to branch. Good size body and still pretty fat for having been rutting for a month or more.

The Outdoors

2011-09-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

So now that it is fall I am missing the mountains. I always miss the mountains and outdoors but this fall it's different. This is the first fall since Ben and I started dating that he isn't guiding or working for an outfitter. I know he is missing it tons. I am so glad that Ben and I are the same in this area, we both love the outdoors even if it comes from different areas of the outdoors. Before I married Ben I was more of just the hiker and I didn't do much of the hunting part of it. I'm glad that I've adjusted well :).

Right now I would just love to be up in the mountains riding horses enjoying the beautiful world.

The weekend it all started. :)

My handsome mountain man.

Some of the beautiful scenes Ben has seen.

Freedom, ID

Guiding in Idaho

New Mexico

I love the outdoors.

The Fair and Ben's Birthday

2011-09-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

This week we went to the Idaho State Fair and had our tiger ear. It was nice to walk around and see everything. Then a couple of days later Ben had his 26th birthday.

This is Livi watching a movie with Ben before we even went to the fair.

Its time for another post

2011-08-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it is already the end of August. It make me so sad. Now I will try and catch up on our summer events. So we move to Pocatello the beginning of July. I must say it isn't my favorite place but it has gotten better. We have some interesting neighbors but I keep telling myself that we are only here until next May. In the middle of July we were able to make a trip up to Sandpoint and loved it. I was glad that Ben got to go this time usually Ben is still in school so he hasn't made many summer trips with me. We got to spend sometime on the water; boating, kayaking, swimming. I just wish I was sitting on the beach right now. Livi had her 1st birthday while we were up there. It was a great visit.

So then we came home and realized that I hate Pocatello even more so I made another trip up to Sandpoint. This time I went without Ben because he started Dental School on the 1st of August. He is doing great in school. He just finished his first class, it was a three week class and he did great in it. During my trip to Sandpoint I made sure that I got to the water everyday. Livi loved the water by the end of the week. I just love that place. I really hope that someday Ben and I will be able to return and raise our family up there. Now I am back to Pocatello and getting back into the swing of things.

We have been trying to get things in order for moving out to Omaha next May. I believe that we almost have the place we are going to live. http://www.2624villagegreen.blogspot.com A lot of the students live in these town homes so they are going fast, we figured we better get on the ball. This is the one that we most likely will be buying. I will be excited when we have all the details worked out so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Over all life has been going great. Our Heavenly Father has blessed us tremendously and we are so grateful for all of our many blessings.

Camping

2011-06-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love going camping. We were able to go up by the Tetons this last weekend and it was great. Just what I needed. It was just beautiful. The weather was great and to top it off I only saw two mosquitoes the whole time. It was great. We took a little hike along the run off from the snow. I told Ben that we need to do more hiking because I love to hike but I am pretty out of shape. The naps and bed time were a little rough on Livi but overall she was pretty good for her first official camping trip. I just love camping and I can't say it enough.

Here is the group of friends that all went.

Ben washing up in the cold water.

Daddy Daughter time. Ben has the magic touch of getting her to go to sleep when we aren't home.

Baby Prison!!

Ben the chef making cobbler. It was pretty yummy.

There were moose all over the place.

May coming to a close

2011-05-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

So the month of May is coming to a close now. Ben and I were able to make a trip up to Sandpoint last week. It was great to see everyone and get to enjoy the nice weather they were having up there. It is just crazy to me that Spring seems to be so late this year. I am looking out the window right now and the blossoms on the apple tree still haven't come. Hopefully by this next week we will have them. I am hoping June brings a little warmer weather. I would like to get a better tan this year then I did last year. Everyone keeps telling me how white I am. I am pretty sure that it is bad when little Livi is more tan than I am. :)

I went and spent some time with Laura and here we are taking a stroll in her back yard. It was too bad that the mosquito were horrible for half of the walk. Dang Mosquitoes. I don't miss those guys.

Little Livi enjoying here stroll through the woods.

Oh how I miss Sandpoint. It is just such a beautiful place and Love Love the smell. Hopefully someday Ben and I will end up there.

Livi having a play date. It is a ton of fun watching her interact with other kids. She is growing up so fast.

Here she is showing us just how big she is getting.

We had a few nice days so I was able to plant some flowers.

Oh and if anyone knows anyone moving to Rexburg and would like to buy a cute house let us know. It is a three bedroom one bath. Great yard that is pretty secluded. We will be so sad to move.

Dinner and this weeks craft

2011-05-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf

Oh this was a good dinner. If you are wondering what to make for dinner tonight I would suggest this one. Here is the link to the recipe. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/03/glazed-bacon-wrapped-meat-loaf/

Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf
Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen

Glaze
1/2 cup chili sauce (or substitute ketchup, but I liked chili sauce)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)

Meat Loaf
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium
2 medium cloves garlic , minced
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or whole milk)
1 pound ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal (I used more pork instead of veal)
2/3 cup Saltine crackers , crushed (about 18), or quick oatmeal, or 1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
6 – 8 ounces bacon , thin sliced (8 to 12 slices, depending on loaf shape)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the glaze: Mix all ingredients in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened and set aside.

2. For the meat loaf: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining ingredients.

3. Mix eggs with thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and milk or yogurt. Add egg mixture to meat in large bowl along with crackers, parsley, and cooked onion and garlic; mix with fork until evenly blended and meat mixture does not stick to bowl. (If mixture sticks, add additional milk or yogurt, a couple tablespoons at a time until mix no longer sticks.)

4. Turn meat mixture onto work surface. With wet hands, pat mixture into approximately 9-by-5-inch loaf shape. Place on foil-lined (for easy cleanup) shallow baking pan. Brush with half the glaze, then arrange bacon slices, crosswise, over loaf, overlapping slightly and tucking only bacon tip ends under loaf.

5. Bake loaf until bacon is crisp and loaf registers 160 degrees, about 1 hour. Cool 10-15 minutes. While meal loaf is cooling, re-heat remaining sauce and brush some over meat loaf if desired. Slice meat loaf and serve with extra glaze passed separately.

This is my craft for the week. I saw this idea on a blog and wanted to give it a try. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I found the styrofoam balls at the dollar store. It wasn't as big as I would have liked it to be but I couldn't believe that most of the stores charge $4 for a 6" styrofoam ball. That is just crazy. The one that I saw also used pins for the centers of the flower but I couldn't find black ones and those were also more then what I wanted to spend so I just glued the beads on. It was fun and easy craft.

Graduation

2011-04-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

I am happy to share that Ben has graduated from BYU-Idaho. It is crazy thinking that he is done here. He is just so great and a hard worker. I love him tons. It is crazy to think that we have been in Rexburg for over four years. Time just keeps on flying by.

Now for the next adventure. We will be moving in the next few months to Pocatello Idaho for a Ben's first year in dental school and then moving to Omaha Nebraska for the last three years. It will be a great adventure. We have sure loved being here in Rexburg and have come to know so many great people. While living here we make friends and then they all move away but now it is finally our turn to be the ones leaving and it is exciting and sad all at the same time. It has been great being around people that are our same age (well I am getting a little old :) but for the most part going through the same part of life. It will be different moving away from this bubble.

It was a Good Day

2011-02-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Valentines day was wonderful. Ben made me steak that was awesome and I made a Raspberry cheesecake. It was just a nice day.

We had a ward party the other night and we made cards for each other. I am sure you can tell who made what card.

Jenni and I pick up these balloons at the dollar store. They were pretty cool. You hit them and then they turn into a balloon. Ben thought they were pretty cool.

Here are just of few other pictures that I wanted to share.

A tired little girl.

Ben got his early graduation present... a stock for his gun. Oh he is so excited. Can't you see it. :)

Here is Livi climbing into a pair of pants.

Life has been going great. This week is midterms for Ben so he is staying busy with classes but he is go close to being done here at BYU-Idaho it is so exciting and sad at the same time.

Right now I am taking piano lessons from Kylie Marks. (Thank you Carrie and Tevis and Kylie) I am loving it. It is something I've needed to do for a very long time. I am so blessed to have my Mom's piano in my house it is bringing tears to my eyes just thinking about it. For those of you who don't know my mom past away when I was thirteen and she told my sisters that she wanted me to have her piano before she past away. Her parents gave her the piano when she turned eight years old. I am sure she was thinking that I was still young enough to learn how to play. I took a few lessons when I was young but never got very far. I am so greatful to my Dad bringing it down to me when he did because just a few months later his house burnt down. I know that once you leave this life that you can't take thing like this with you but while I am here I love the fact that I have a piece of my mom with me. It is something I will cherish forever.

Date Night

2011-01-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

So I tried to be creative one week for date night. I told Ben that I was going to plan our date and that I wanted to go camping (in the living room that is). So I got stuff for smores and pumped up our air mattress and we watched Jurassic Park ( the first and second). It worked well for staying in that night because I had two sicklings on my hand. Ben had a horrible cold and Livi had a little bit of a runny nose.

Ben feeling miserable with a cold.

Here is Livi just getting out of the bath. I had to take some pictures because she is just so cute.

Cleaning

2011-01-07T12:49:00.001-08:00

It is a new year and life has changed. I am now a stay at home mom so I'm realizing that I need to be more productive during the days. Days come and go so quickly and yet I never feel like I get anything done. Livi is a pretty darn good baby so I really could get more done then I do.

So to start, when Ben and I got married we received the Martha Stewart's Homekeeping book (which is huge). Who would think there is so much to know about housekeeping. :) I would really like to do a better job at keeping my house clean. I really don't have any excuse not to have a clean house, I am home all day sitting around. So I've decided to post some of the things that I am going to try and start implementing into my week.

Here are 6 things that Martha says to do everyday.

1. Make the Bed

2 Manage Clutter

3. Sort the Mail

4. Clean as you Cook

5. Wipe up Spills While They’re Fresh

6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor

Things to do Weekly

Kitchen

Wipe surfaces, including sink, countertops, the outside of the ventilation hood, refrigerator and cupboard doors, top of refrigerator, appliance exteriors, shelves and furniture.
Wipe the inside of the oven microwave and toaster oven
Flush drain with boiling water
Discard foods and beverages past their prime
Dust light fixtures
Wipe the inside and outside of trash and recycling bins
Vacuum and mop floor

Dining Room

Dust surfaces and objects, including furniture and light fixtures
Vacuum upholstery and floor

Living Room

Fluff and rotate sofa cushions
Discard magazines and catalogs on coffee or side tables; store those you want to keep
Dust surfaces and objects, including furniture, light fixtures and electronics
Vacuum upholstery and floor

Home Office

Sort through in-boxes: pay bills, file paid bills and paperwork
Dust surfaces and objects, including furniture, light fixtures and electronics
Empty trash bin
Vacuum floor

Library

Dust the tops and spines of books, shelve, and light fixtures

Entryways, Stairs and Hallways

Dust staircase banister, furniture, objects, and light fixtures
Wipe mirrors
Launder machine-washable throw rugs and runners
Vacuum stairs and landings
Vacuum and mop floors

Bedrooms

Change and launder sheets and pillowcases
Fluff pillows and comforters
Discard magazines and catalogs on side of tables; store those you want to keep
Dust surfaces, including furniture, objects, and light fixtures
Empty trash bins
Vacuum floors

Bathrooms

Clean toilets, bathtubs, showers and sinks
Wipe mirrors
Change and launder bath mats, towels and washcloths
Dust light fixtures
Empty trash bins and wipe the insides and outsides
Vacuum and mop floors

Throughout the House

Wipe hand and pet prints from windows and glass doors
Vacuum vents

In the book it also has what to do monthly, seasonal, spring cleaning and fall cleaning. I am pretty sure that what I have listed above will keep me pretty busy for now. I will have to post the other ones later.

Christmas in Sandpoint

2011-01-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

Better late then never right. This year we spent Christmas up in Sandpoint. It was a very nice visit seeing family and friends. Livi had her first Christmas and even though she's only 5 months she was great at opening her gifts. We just love her, she bring such a joy to our lives. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Little Livi and Grandpa Hull.

Livi and her stocking on Christmas morning.

Opening her gifts.

Livi sporting her new hat and gloves from Aunt Jenni and Uncle Eric.
Our Little Hunter!

Ben and I taking a timeout from all the excitement.
(Taking advantage of having others around to play with Livi. :)

Grandma Carrie telling Livi not to leave.

Livi and Emily watching Community.

Ben's Adventures

2010-12-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hunting, hunting and more hunting.

Fishing, fishing and more fishing.

Needless to say he has been getting his fill in this fall of hunting and fishing before the four years of dental school start. :)

The non working life

2010-10-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

It is fall. I love fall well I guess for the most part. I do become a widow for the fall but this year I have been able to spend a little time traveling and spending more time with Ben.

September we started off with Olivia's baby blessing. We went over to Burley to share the day with Kale who also was blessed. It is so neat having them so close in age. I then made a trip to Sandpoint for a couple of weeks while Ben made his first trip down to New Mexico to guide hunts. I came home at the end of September to spend a week with Ben but then he convinced me to drive to Nebraska with him for a dental interview and then go to New Mexico for two weeks while he guided more hunts. It was so nice to be with him for some of this hunting season. I don't think he wanted to miss another couple weeks of Olivia growing.

Olivia and I had a little photo shoot.

Olivia is now starting to giggle and laugh it is so cute.

This in New Mexico on the way up to the cabin where we stayed for two weeks. It was so beautiful.

One week of the elk hunting.
This picture is the mountains in Colorado.

This week Ben is guiding in Freedom Idaho and next week he will then head down one last time to New Mexico. He is going to be so sick of driving by the end of this year. In the last three months Ben has been to 9 states: Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Ohio, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa and New Mexico.

2010-08-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here is Olivia sleeping this morning. I thought it was pretty cute with her arms over her face.

These are just few more pictures of our cute little girl.

She is a very ticklish girl.

I had to get the feet shot.

We just love her.

Olivia Gene Arrived

2010-08-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am sure that all of you have heard that the Hull family has grown. We have added little Olivia Gene. We love her so much and are so greatful that she is healthy and here. I know that it has been forever since I have posted anything so here is to a new start. Now that I will be a stay at home mom we shall see if I can find more time to updated this a little more often. :) Will see. I know I told some of you that I would do better.

Olivia arrived at 4:54 on July 23rd. Boy was I surprised that she came that early. My due date wasn't until today, the 11th. She weighed 5lbs 6oz and was 19". I am excited for this new chapter in our lives. I can already tell that she is going to be a little daddy's girl. We are just so blessed to have her in our lives.

Pine Tree Photography

2009-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

I have created a website just for my photography. Check it out. http://www.pinetreephotography.blogspot.com/

North Carolina

2009-08-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

THE DREAM VACATION......North Carolina

It has been a week since we have been back from North Carolina and I still just want to go back. What an amazing trip it was. It was a dream waking up next to the ocean for a week. We were able to see dolphins and wild horses. The house was amazing. It was so nice to be able to see family that I haven't seen in a few years. It was just such a great vacation and it will be hard to beat.

We hung out at the house most of the time going back and forth from the beach to the pool. It was so relaxing. I didn't want to come home at the end of the week. We walked up and down the beach looking for shells many of the days. By the end of the week everyone had collected tons of them. We worked on our tans, boggy boarded a ton, made sand castles, played pool, swam in the pool, .

Diana Hull, Jenni Heward, Brenda Vernon, Malinda Peine, Michael Peine and Chris Peine.

The Heward Family

The Vernon Family

Malinda Peine

The Peine Family

This was the amazing house that we stayed at.

This was our room. We each got our own room it was so nice.

I love this picture of Malinda fighting the waves to get away from the shore.

Ben scared all of the kids because he caught a ton of crabs right where we were swimming. They were dang good to eat. I'm sure he caught some where between 20 to 30 crabs so we cooked them all and Malinda made crab cakes which were great.

While we were there Ben had a girl friend. Little Macey Myrna just loved her Uncle Ben. Ben and I would be hugging and she would come up and push me away. It was just too cute. So I had to get a picture of the two of them. Henley also loves her Uncle Ben so she wanted to be in the picture too.

Here are some of the wild horses.

It was just an amazing trip. I really hope that we can all go back there someday.

All I have to say in the end is Thank you Matt, Brenda and Jim.

Another Trip to Sandpoint

2009-08-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a few pictures from our latest trip to Sandpoint for Michael and Candi Kidd's Wedding. It was a beautiful wedding.

I am so excited because in a week we are going to North Carolina to hang out on the beach with some of my family. I can't wait. This summer has been filled with trips.

4th of July and the Hull's Girl Retreat

2009-07-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yes I know that I am a few weeks behind but better late then never. Ben and I were able to go home this year for the 4th. We went to the Pancake breakfast at Westmond Ward and than we went to the Parade in town. Later in the afternoon we went out to Garfield Bay to go swimming and have lunch. We ended the day by walking out on the Long Bridge and watching the fire works. I've never watched the fireworks from the bridge before but it was pretty neat because you get to see everyone around the lake setting them off. There were tons.

Ben and Logan goofing around on the bridge.

Brittney and Nathen Sorensen.

Ben left on Sunday to come back to Rexburg for school but I got to stay the whole next week for the Hull's Girl Retreat. This year we stayed in Sandpoint and enjoyed doing things around there.

First we went to Cosco and had to stock up on some food. Doesn't this make your mouth water?

Carrie has collected tons of scrapbooking supplies so did plenty of scrapbooking. I almost got my 2007 book done but still have few more pages. Here is a picture of the kitchen being over taken by scrapbooking supplies.

We were able to go horse back riding. Sister Roop in the ward has tons of horses so she took as for a little ride.

Here is the clan. Katie, Emily, Rebecca, Sister Roop, Thias, Carrie and Kaiya.

Kaiya is a natural.

One of the days we went kyaking. It was so nice to get out on the water. Everything was so beautiful.

The last day of the girls retreat we went and picked huckleberries. I was so excited because I didn't think that they would be ready this early. The other amazing thing was that we didn't have to go very far to find them. We just went up a road in Cocolalla a little ways. Now the boys in the family can't say that we didn't bring home anything for the family on our girls retreat. (Directed to Tevis the elder:)

Don't these look great!!!!!

It was a great girls retreat. Thank you Carrie for a wonderful week. It was tons of fun.

Family Reunion and Bar J Wranglers

2009-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago my dad came down and picked me up in Rexburg and than we drove over to Burley and picked up Jenni and Eric and the girls for the Grave's Family Reunion. This year it was down in Moab Utah. Short trip, long drive. We left on Friday around noon and got to Moab at about 11 that night. Saturday we hung out at the pool there at the camp grounds. My legs were pretty burnt after that day. It was the first time they had seen the sun this year. :) We had dinner and the auction that evening. It was nice to see family. The next morning we packed everything back up and headed home. Like I said a quick trip. We dropped Eric and Jenni off in Burley and headed on to Rexburg. I was going 80 down the freeway when all of the sudden POP!!! The tire blew out. I scared me half to death. I was shaking pretty bad when we finally got pulled over the the side of the road. I've never had a tire blow out on me before. Dad was laughing and said "I was wondering if you were ever going to get this thing stopped before it took us into the ditch".

So that was the Grave's Family Reunion. Nice quick trip.

Wendy, Bart and Grant

Dad, Susie and Jacque showing off the bows for the auction.

Henley

Aunt Louise and Henley

Dad changing the tire

The Tire

Here are some pictures from the next weekend when Tevis, Carrie, Ben and I went to the Bar J Wrangers in Jackson Hole Wyoming. They put on a great show. I should have taken some pictures while they were singing but I had put my camera in the car.

Tevis and Carrie

May and June

2009-06-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Our life right now is work and school, work and school. We did get to take a break and go camping over Memorial Day weekend. Ben wanted to go up to Henry's Lake opening day. It was a nice little camping trip. Laura was able to come down and stay for a couple of nights. We went to Yellowstone while the boys fought the crowd at the lake. I don't know how anyone could fish on the lake with so many boats and people on shore. I would think the only thing you would catch is another man's line. Yellowstone was much better this year. I got to see more than an elk.

First the spring started off with wind wind and more wind and now it is rain rain and more rain. The tulips didn't last to long this year with the wind but they were nice while they lasted. We have planted another garden this year. I am hoping that with all the rain that my seeds didn't get washed away. Now the weeding begins.:)

Right now life is going well. There is nothing too exciting going on in our lives right now but I will try and keep a better update on here.

April and March

2009-04-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

The new update. Ben is done with school for a week. He starts back up on Monday. 4 more semesters here a BYU Idaho. He was hoping to get a ton of fishing in this week that he had off but a nice storm moved in for the middle of the week so he only got a few days in. Today the weather was beautiful, we took a drive so we could look for rock chucks and ground squirrels. We found a few. Ben has to get in all the hunting and fishing that he can while he isn't in school. It was so nice today to be able to work out in the yard. I have started some plants inside. I want to can a ton of salsa this fall so I have planted a flat of tomatos. I hope they make it.

These are some flowers basking in the sun.

A couple of weeks ago I made a quick trip up home to Sandpoint because my Dad and Carol's house burnt down. This house had been around a long time. It was built in 1907 and has been in my family since the 1950's. I still can't believe it's gone. Dad and Carol are staying in the double wide trailor that they have on the property. Some of my other brothers and sisters were able to make it up to Sandpoint earlier that week to help with repairs and cleaning the trailor. Jenni and I went over to the remains on Saturday I have added a few pictures that I took of some of the things that we found.

But the Saturday after it happened Dad, Jenni and I all went to an auction. It didn't stop Dad from doing what he loves. :)

Where the house use to stand.

The stove.

One of the window locks.

Malinda's sewing mechine.

This is my Dad's baby bowl, one that he ate out of as a child.

The food storage that was in the basement.

This is an edge piece to my Grandpa's trunk that was in the up stairs bedroom.

Two Years

2009-02-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is our two year anniversary. Wow, time goes by so fast. Ben and I were talking the other day and I told him I think we should just celebrate the same day as Valentines day. They're just so close together.

This year we started celebrating this last Friday. I got off work around two and than we drove over to Jackson Hole. We went and looked at the elk. It was pretty exciting. While we were watching them Ben was looking through the camera and noticed that a group of the elk were running. There was a coyote chasing them. We looked up the hill a bit and there was a whole pack just standing next to all the elk. It was crazy. It was pretty neat to see (these pictures turned out better than the moose pictures). We also ate at a place called Bubba's. They had some good ribs. We drove back to Rexburg that night and went and saw the movie "Australia". It was a great movie.

Saturday, we got to go skiing. It was a ton of fun. Neither of us had been since elementary school. It was a lot of fun and a turned out to be a great day.

The Wii

2009-01-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

The story... Ben was playing on ebay one day. He was checking out all the Wii's that were being sold and was a little surprised at how cheap some of them were going. He spotted one that he thought he would be able to sell for a bit more if he got it so he bid on it. He thought it still had a hour left until the auction was over. So he click and typed in his bid. 23 seconds later we were owners of a wii. It wasn't the one that he thought it was. :) He had click on the wrong one.
I got an email right after that. He started it off with "I think I am going to be sick. I just bought a wii for $310." This was like a week before Christmas so he thought that he still might have a chance to sell it before the big day. They had told him that he would receive it on Thursday or Friday before Christmas but the seller didn't ship it out in time for the buyer that we had. We didn't receive it until Christmas eve.

So for any of you that are reading this and would like to buy a wii it comes with: 2 controllers, 2 nunchucks, Wii Sports, a gun, the game Links Crossbow Training and a wireless sensor. We will sell it for $310 :) It is used but the it works great. We have been trying it out. Here are a couple pictures to show how much fun it is.

Thanksgiving in Sandpoint

2008-12-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Ben and I got to go up to Sandpoint for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be around family. We took some family pictures with the Hull's. On Friday we fought the crowds on Black Friday at 5 in the morning. Yes we are crazy but it was fun. Ben was able to go hunting. He was so happy to go out each morning. Since we have been home he has been making jerky all week long.

Black Friday

Heading in to Walmart. What a crazy house.

Andy and Jenni

Malinda and Emily

I love the Olive Garden. It was a nice plus to the crazy day.

Ben and his baby deer trying to hold it out to make it look bigger. I don't think it worked. It still looks tiny to me.

2008-11-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while. I will try and give you an update with what is going on in our life. First off Ben is done guiding hunts for this fall. It is great to have him back home.

For Halloween we used up our remaining credits with Trendwest resorts and went to West Yellowstone. We walked around the very small town and saw everything there was to see during their off season. I think there was only three restaurants open to eat at. It was pretty dead up there but it was a nice little get away. I better mention that Ben cooked the best steaks up there.

Pictures at the restaurant that we found, one of the three.

On our way back home we stop at Henry's Lake and fished for the day. It was a pretty successful day at the lake. Here are some pictures of the fish that we caught that day.

I am always afraid the they are going to jump out of my hands.

After our trip we have been trying to fill our freezer but both of us have failed to fill our tags for an elk. Some of Ben's family came down this way for elk camp the second week of November. We spent a couple weekends with them trying to see if we could get anything but no luck. Here are some pictures from elk camp.

Nap time

While Ben and I were out hiking around we saw some moose. One specific experience freaked me out. We were at the top of one of the mountains and Ben wanted to look on the other side of a peak but me being the out of shape girl didn't want to hike up anything I didn't have too. So I told him I would wait for him in the saddle of the two peaks. I decided to hike up the other peak that we had to go down. I was looking around and I saw a big bull moose across the way where Ben was headed up. It stopped and looked right at me across the way. My first thought was it is heading straight for Ben. I am the type of person who gets scared if I see a wolf track or big animals out in the woods. To think that I wanted to be a wildlife photographer, I would probably have a heart attack at a very young age if I did that. So my next thought was to get my camera. By the time I got my camera and took a picture this is all I got.

So it looked like it was going over the other side of the mountain. I sat down telling myself Ben would be okay and would know what to do if he did run into it. I waited a few moments and than I went to go see if Ben was coming back down yet. I stood there for a second and notice that moose was coming down right in front of me. I had my camera still with me so I snapped some photos and went to go hide in a tree.

I know not such a great picture. I am such a scaredy cat. I kept thinking that he might come up right where I was standing. So I waited five minutes before I came out to see if Ben was coming back yet. I am kicking my self in the butt now because if only I would have hid in a better spot I could have got some amazing pictures of the moose. So much for that wildlife photographer. :) Maybe next time.

So other than hunting and getting scared by moose I have been staying busy with many of my projects. I think it was on Oprah once that I heard that I can't have inner peace until I have all of my projects done. So I guess you could say I am working on my inner peace. :)

Ben left today to Sandpoint to get a head start on deer hunting. I will be heading up on Tuesday. It will be nice to spend time with family this Thanksgiving. Life is great.

Hull's Girl Retreat

2008-10-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

In September I made a trip up to Fairmont Hot Springs to join the rest of the Hull girls for a weekend of relaxation. It was very much needed and and enjoyable. We did some crafts, ate lots of food, and swam in the pools.

Here are a few pictures of some of the good times that were spent there in Fairmont.

Heward Family Pictures

2008-10-04T00:05:00.001-07:00

There are a few things that I want to catch up on. Last month Ben and I went to Burley to take some pictures for the Hewards. Here are some that were taken. I have just installed photo shop onto my computer. It is so exciting! Ben said that he would get it for me if I passed my hunters safety course. He told me that I had to get 100% on it. Good thing I have a wonderful husband and he got it for me even though I only got a 98%.

New hair cut

2008-09-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the new due. It is a fun new hair cut. It was time for a change. I told the lady cutting it that if I cry it's not because I don't like it. It was sad to see it go. Ben was very shocked. :)

Visiting Home

2008-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Ben and I were able to go home with Tevis a couple weekends ago. It was an nice little weekend get away. I ended up getting sick which stunk but I got to go huckleberry picking over at Laura and Michael's place. Saturday we had a little BBQ with Ben's family. It is alway nice to be around family and friends this weekend. I wish the trip could have been longer but I always say that when I go to Sandpoint. Even though I had a horrible cold it was nice to come home and enjoy a little bit of the beautiful part of Idaho.

Carrie taking Kaiya to milk the goats.

Ben cooking us a delicious breakfast. He is so great. It was yummy.

Laura and I got to take a drive north of Sandpoint. We always like to explore. We ran into a couple dead ends but it was a beautiful drive, a little scary not knowing what you could run into in that area but beautiful.

Planning ELK CAMP for this fall. Oh what fun.

Ben buying more hunting stuff. :)

This is Katie trying to show Kaiya that Uncle Ben isn't so scary. I don't know if it worked as you can see she is trying to get away. :)

The boys always bow hunting.

Yellowstone

2008-08-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

Our latest adventure was to Yellowstone National Park. Ben had never been so we thought that we would take a Saturday and drive over there with some friends.

We did a lot of driving but it was very enjoyable. On our way back we took a Rough road (at least that is what the park ranger told us). It was a 30 mile dirt road from South Yellowstone to Ashton. It was very beautiful and we found a lot of great camping spots... and some new Rockchuck hunting spots for Ben.

I was a little bummed because we only saw two cow elk. Oh and I guess a couple of deer, one that Ben almost hit right when we got in the park.

The main event was stopping at Old Faithful and watching it go off. We waited for about an hour for it to go off but it was neat.

Overall it was a nice trip to take and now Ben can say that he has been to Yellowstone.

Update on the Garden

2008-07-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

The garden is growing great. It has been so nice going out in the evenings and weeding. A few nights ago I got bit on the ear by a mosquito. I hate them. I thought my ear was going to pop.
Back behind the garden in the lilac bushes we have 5 kittens. I have been trying to catch them but they are too fast. Not that we need kittens.
But the peas are growing and the radishes are all done. I haven't seen any beans yet but the plants are still growing and we have more than enough lettuce. We have a ton.

Sunday Dinners

2008-07-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sunday Dinners, oh how I love just relaxing and enjoying the company of friends and family. We have enjoyed many Sunday afternoons having dinner with friends this summer. This last week we all got together because a few of our friends are going to be moving. It will be so sad to see them leave but I am so excited for all of them. Ben and I have really enjoyed meeting so many great people. We love our ward and how friendly everyone is. I just hope that when it is our turn to leave this place we will be able to move to a place that has such wonderful people.

Here is a picture of the girls. The boys didn't want to stick around for any more pictures. See picture below.

This is what gets their attention. Throwing a water balloon into the canal and throwing rock at it to try and pop it. :) Oh what fun. How we love these Sunday dinners.

Fishing

2008-06-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

I just showed Ben our new blog and he was sad that I hadn't put any pictures of fishing on here. So here are a few of our fishing adventures.

Here is Ben fishing up at Henry's Lake.

The Lake.

The two fish that I caught that day. It was great. I caught a 5lb and 3 1/2lb. Ben did take them off the hook for me. These were the only ones we caught that day. *** Correction*** Ben did catch a fish but it got away while we were getting it off the hook.

Here is Ben's fish that he caught last weekend when we went camping up at Henry's Lake.

Needless to say we have been eating a lot of fish. :)

The Start

2008-06-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Starting a blog...what do you say? Ben and I have been married for about a year and a half. Life is great. We are living in Rexburg Idaho right now. Ben is in school this semester hoping to someday become a dentist. Right now I am working at Artco and have been there a little over a year.

This year we have planted a garden and I am loving it. Everything has come up. We have already eaten some of the radishes. I must say that it is very time consuming and any spare time is spent weeding.

The weather has finally changed for the better. SUMMER is finally here. The only sad thing is this is when I need to be in Sandpoint. I am missing the lake a ton right now. Oh how I loved to just go jump in the lake right now. I am hoping to go home for our family reunion around the 4th.