Stories of July: Part 2 - Birthdays and Reunions

This July I had lots of Family and Birthday Fun! My Sister-in-law Catie turned 11, and then one of my best friends, Zoe, who I've known for the past two years turned 21, so that was pretty exciting for her. I absolutely love birthdays. Mostly because of cake.

Erin made all of these cakes for Catie's birthday. They were awesomely decorated to look like balloons, and also very delicious! I enjoyed the chocolate one the best.

We managed to get a picture of the sisters (minus Mo and Erin...)

Having a picnic - Chili Dogs and Fritos are apparently the tradition for birthdays

Happy Birthday Catie!
We are going to go to a movie and shopping soon to celebrate.


I didn't take many photos of Zoe's birthday, but I know she had a great time.

Zoe with Simone

Zoe and Matt

Zoe and Me

Happy Birthday Friend!

And to round it off, the last weekend in July was the Butts' Family Reunion (Jon's Mom's side of the family)

We camped in Taylor Park and had a blast! Even though it rained almost every evening.

There was a whole lot more of us there, but this was in Tin Cup, a mining town north of Gunnison Colorado. As you can see, it was beautiful during the day.

I got to meet many people from Jon's family that I didn't know before, so it was a great experience, even if it was the week before my summer finals. :)

Stories of July: Part 1 - The Fourth

Happy 40th Class reunion to my Dad!

And Happy 4th of July!

For the 4th of July this year I drove to Paonia Colorado, where my Dad grew up. Every year they have what's called "Cherry Days" and as a kid we used to go almost every year.

They have a pancake breakfast!


















and this is the aftermath!

They have an awesome parade, where kids (and sometimes adults) can grab some candy!

















Look at the tree and cherries on the horses!

And they have a picnic/bazaar/cherry market/carnival



But mostly we just sit around the park, eat crappy food and enjoy the sun and shade!

This year was also my Dad's 40th Class Reunion

And the town of Paonia has their class reunions coincide with the Cherry Days parade.

We got to go to a BBQ with all his old classmates and their spouses.
I think I was the only "child" there...

All the classmates that came
(A pretty good turnout. My dad's whole class was only about 70 people)

It was a lot of fun to go and as a bonus, I got to see my Aunt and Uncle, Grammy and cousins, who I haven't seen in a while, and my parents of course. Only sad thing is that Jon wasn't able to join us. Maybe another year.

Mt Rushmore Memorial Day

For Memorial Day and the day after a couple friends and I decided to go see Mount Rushmore. We left Monday night and came back Tuesday night. Now a few people told me I was crazy to plan a trip to Mt Rushmore as a "day trip," but they didn't realize that the national monument is only five hours away! South Dakota is just beautiful too, and just imagine driving around the corner and seeing this carved into the mountain.

Beautiful isn't it? We were more than a little surprised to see it from the road like that, so of course we pulled over and started snapping photos right then and there. Who needs to pay $10 to get into the park when you can just take photos out your window?

Well we went inside the park anyway. :)

Tabi and Tim standing in awe!

She must be so strong to hold it up!


All the flags down the walkway were pretty cool.

Me with the Presidents.

Me and Tabi, trying to stay dry in the rain.

We also went to see the Crazy Horse Memorial which is still under construction. When it was started, they estimated it would take 100 years to construct, but it has already been 50 years and it is not even close. They only take private donations and proceeds from visitors to the park, so that is probably why it is taking so long. It was pretty cool to see it, if only from a distance.

You might not be able to tell, but eventually this will be a Native American, Crazy Horse, riding on a horse and pointing with his finger. Like I said, it's so far from being completed, I doubt it will be done in my lifetime. It is a huge monument too. The presidents at Mt Rushmore could fit just in Crazy Horse's head.

Here is the model of what it is supposed to look like someday, and in the background you can see the current rock. I'm not saying they haven't made considerable progress, but there is a LOT more to be done. It will look awesome.

A picture of the front and face of Crazy Horse.

The monument is to be built to honor Native American heritage, and will be a national park someday with iyas their tribute. It seems to me like an answer to Mt Rushmore, to show the real heritage of the United States, and they won't take any proceeds the government offers to help pay for it. If they would, then the construction would probably go much faster. It's pretty expensive to get into the park too, and much more to take a tram up to see the face up close. We opted out of the tram ride.

All in all it was a great trip, although short lived. I would definitely recommend taking a weekend and visiting these monuments. And remember, if you live in Fort Collins or Greeley or the surrounding area, it is only about a 5 hour car drive and well worth it!

A New Beginning: Jon's Graduation, New Job, New House, Mal Starts Graduate School (Crazy Update Post #3)

It's official people! Jonathan has graduated from Colorado State University, with a ton of crazy honors, tassels, cords, stoles and other stuff! :D And here's the evidence to prove it!!!

Just look at that smirk!

Me and Mom admiring the BLING!

Moriah did an AWESOME job of decorating cupcakes for the party!

And Jon showing off his suit while I get to wear all the bling I helped him earn!
(I say that a little humorously, I didn't do much, but I hope I was very supportive at least!)

Joking aside, I just want to take a moment to share how proud I am of my husband. Since we've been married he's taken at least 21 credits a semester (including summer semester) and has worked so very hard to get where he is today, to graduate a little earlier than we thought possible and to land an amazing job in Wichita Kansas. That's right, Kansas. Jon moved out there the day after he graduated, and I'll be joining him in December.

The company he now works for is called Cargill. He works in the Meat Packing division called "Case Ready" as a Supply Chain Analyst. Since I talk to him EVERY DAY I know how much he loves his job and I am so proud of him. He truly is the motivated hardworking amazingly spiritual man that I married almost two years ago, and I love him so much. Can't wait to be with him in our NEW HOUSE!

Isn't it great! For more pictures see the facebook album "There's No Place Like Home" And no it is not a rental. We actually did buy a house and it is perfect!

In other news, that Monday I started my graduate degree at the University of Northern Colorado and will be getting licensure in Elementary Education, and later on a Masters degree. The last month or so has been a little crazy, but it's been worth it. I absolutely love my program and my classmates and while it's been hard to be away from Jon, I know this is what I need to be doing, so that I can be a teacher! YAY!

Wish us luck as we embark on this new journey and new beginnings!

Saige Elizabeth Ellis (Crazy Update Post #2)

Introducing Saige Elizabeth Ellis!

9lbs 11oz

My niece Saige was born March 30, 2010! She is adorable and beautiful and growing up soooo fast! It is crazy how time flies. Here are some more pictures of my lovely niece!

Such a little darling!

Colby's first experience at being a big brother...I think he fits the bill!

At 2 months old! Oh so cute!

Courtney and her babies!

When I found out Courtney was having another little one, I decided to make her a baby blanket. Well a lot of time and lots of yarn produced a very beautiful blanket for an even more beautiful baby! Here's the results!

Just one Hexagon

A small stack of them

A few sewn together

A little bit bigger

Tada! I literally finished it the day before my parents flew out to see Courtney.. haha!
And baby Saige with her blankie!


I'm only a little upset that Courtney stole the thunder for the 1st Grandson AND 1st Granddaughter for my mom and dad! haha! But maybe it's better her than me as I am not quite ready to have any little ones yet. ;) Congrats Courtney on a wonderful baby girl! Can't wait to come see her in August!!!!