All Caught Up and Ready For Fall!

My FAVORITE thing about Fall is the crisp air, sweaters, scarves, baking, and the LEAVES! I LOVE THE FALL COLORS!!!
BUT.
We Don't have any of that here in the desert. So... my favorite thing about October in St. George, is the SG MARATHON!
Jamaica is the Captain over Clothing Retrieval, so of course I volunteer on her team!
It's kind of insane if you think about it... we get up at 3:30AM and drive 45 minutes up the Hwy to sit in a U-Haul truck while 7,000 runners HURL their belongings at you in a bag! I may be nuts.... but something about it... I LOVE!
Very few people get to see the start line of the marathon that don't have to run 26.2 miles back into town... I'm one of those lucky people, and it's awesome! Here's the view in the AM...And the fire dept even lights fires since the race basically starts in the mountains and they start bussing athletes out to the start line at 4am, so they bring blankets and sleep next to the fires, this is prior to everyone showing up
Daniel brings his scouts out to pick up clothes on the way back into town...
All these bags were AIMED right at my face hours earlier, after which they are stacked in the Uhaul and zipped into town where they are organized by the athlete's number and picked up at the finish line...
Last year we made friends with the radio announcer.... Ed Rogers... love that man, he's awesome! And then we ran into him volunteering for the Ironman in May too! So you could say we're race buddies, and a radio announcer is a guy to be friends with, cause they give you a legit 'shout out'... listen carefully, at the very beginning.... we have been coined as 'The Frahmettes' with Ed, and he lets everyone know where to bring their clothes! He started it last year because he thought it was so cool that our trio of sisterhood tackled the 'morning clothes' together. Thanks Ed! See ya in May at Ironman!


Jamaica refuses to relinquish her role as Captain of Clothing, so she does what she has to... even if that means truckin her kids around at 4am... luckily, they love it and take it like champs!

Playing Catch Up- September pt 3

AND, to finish off September, we got together with the fam again..... for 2 BIG events!
Jen and Jimmy were able to be sealed in the SG temple. They've been working on this since they were married in 2009 and it was great to see them reach their goal
The lil Lindell FamAnd if you haven't learned this about our fam.. when we're together, we take pictures! But I decided to bring the props from me and Coll's photo booth... and have a fun family pic! I LOVE it!
I love this group of goofs! It's so fun to think all this started with the Fab Five.... and in 2012, our numbers will be a good, even, round 14! (Jen is expecting, if you hadn't heard...wahoo!)

And on Sunday the 25th, Daniel blessed Jaida... It was great to have mom and dad in town again and all be together celebrating all these milestones for our family! Love you guys

Playing Catch Up- September pt 2

Another milestone was reached! I have officially lived with my FAVORITE roommate for 4 years!
Colls and I have made some very fond memories and we decided a 4th Anniversary Bash was in order to commemorate! Colls has had over 70 roommates, but none have lived with her has long as I! I am number 68 and holding strong! (Jen (#67) and Lana (#69) got married, and Amber (#70), moved out in May) We invited almost everyone we know over, and had a blast! We had outdoor movies going, a bonfire, and lots of good food. But my favorite part was turning our spare room into a photo booth! It was a hit!
Some of my favs....

This is why I love Sunny.... not to mention she did a voice with every outfit she put on!
My niece Mya, Ta'ai, Britt, Me, and Tom
Our friends Kelly and Kevin, they're so cute and fun!
Our friend Keena and Colls
Daniel and Michael were camping, so Jamaica brought the girls over and they all had a blast! I'm so glad they could come! Mya LOVED the photo booth and found herself in nearly 1/2 of the entire photo shoot!Thanks for all our friends who came to celebrate! Love ya Colls! Here's to another great year of fun and memories!

Playing Catch Up- September pt 1

September brought my 2nd invitation to the 'Annual Bridger' trip! My friend Sunny's dad works for the Forrest Service, so we get to use the FS cabins up in the Uinta Mountains and enjoy one last hoorah to say farewell to the summer!
We ride 4-wheelers...
This year, we made the mistake of attaching the lunch cooler to one of the boy's machines.... BIG mistake. Boys will be boys, showing off, and going off jumps.... and dumping the cooler, and ruining our lovely packed lunch...
We play cards, eat LOTS of good foods, play volleyball, tell stories around the fire, and take an annual 'ROCK' picture...
We've all agreed life would just be more simple if we could all just live in Bridger.... but every year we load back up and say goodbye to summer and Bridger, and head back to reality. Thanks for the invite, and great memories!
This year was enjoyed by Sunny, Me, April, Rikki, Lisa, Clint, Dave, and Deamer

Playing Catch Up- August part 3

What better way to finish off the month of August than a road trip back to my roots of ol' WY? It was SO nice to go home. Mom had a whole week off and I had a blast hanging with the parents and getting to spend time with friends I've had since kindergarten...
I went 4-wheeling with my parents and we found a HUGE herd of elk. May I just say, there is something simplistic and amazing in watching wild animals in their natural habitat. It made me so sad for every creature that is locked in a zoo. I could have watched these elk all day, it was phenominal! There was a patch of snow they kept prancing and playing on, it was so fun to witness!
And then they caught our scent, and suddenly, they were gone, like a flock of birds they moved so seamlessly together down the canyon... it was amazing
Mom, Dad, and I took a couple days and went to Yellowstone, I hadn't been there since I was probably 5, and it really is such a cool place! My dad was like a little kid in a candy shop, I could have mistaken that he was in Disneyland, it was so fun! I think it was 40-something degrees, and coming from 100+ in St. George, it was so rejuvenating!
Right after entering the park, we saw our first wildlife, up close and personal.... and right on the road... in the other lane to be precise...He was so pretty, and just truckin down the road, and then he glanced over at us... Dad panicked, and hit the gas and we were on our way on to the rest of Yellowstone!
We saw 5 or 6 waterfalls, a bunch of buffalo, a wolf (he was HUGE), 2 bears, Old Faithful Inn, and the famous Old Faithful... don't worry, it's still erupting!

And there were a few people there to witness the explosions with us...
to my left...

and to my right....
and in case you're wondering, yes, we ALL did 'The Wave' while we waited :)
Dad went to CO to do the Century ride so mom and I loaded the bikes in the truck and rode them down the old highway up above Ten Sleep... it's one of my favorite things to do... I love the Bighorn Mountains, they're where I grew up, and I truly believe they are a hidden treasure of WY!

Playing Catch Up! -August pt 2

Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I'll just post some pics... BUT! To set the scene: my Bro-in-law Daniel invited me on a repelling excursion with some of his work buddies and a neighbor... the destination- Water Canyon out by Colorado City, and it was AWESOME!
Those in attendance: Daniel (My Bro-in-law), Robert (Daniel's neighbor), Curt (Daniel's coworker), Carson (coworker), Jen & Jimmy (my sis and her husband), and Mark (Jimmy's friend).
Longest repel, it wouldn't even fit in 1 frame... 'Now I'm FREE... Free fallin'!'
Everyone's down, now we repack the ropes and on to the next repel
The only way out is through that slot.... think thin thoughts:

Now down into that crystal clear ... yellow water!
Overall we did 8 or 9 repels, it was a beautiful day and Water Canyon is amazing! We had a pretty big group, but we had a ton of fun together!

Playing Catch Up! - August pt 1

Another milestone was marked in August... Colls and I will be roommates for 4 rockin years in September! That is the longest running roommate for both of us! We had some pictures taken for our invites for the bash...
and my favorite...
post from the bash on its way....

Playing Catch Up! - July pt 2

With July came the hope for all the singles ladies.... my friend Sunny's sister decided it would be a good decision to get married... I have my own opinions about marriage, but when it comes to Stormy and Jim... there's no other way to describe them than 'perfect for each other!' It was such a perfect wedding nestled in my home state of WY! Congrats Storm and Jim, here's wishing you a future of great memories filled with love!
It all started with these 2 lovely folks: Ma and Pa Schu. These are Sunny and Stormy's parents and I love them dearly! They're my makeshift parents and have made me feel so welcome at many of their family events! Thanks for letting me tag along and congrats on the newest member of your family!
Gotta love the Schulers! They really are one of the coolest families I've ever met!

Playing Catch Up! - July part 1

July was poppin' from the get go! No sooner did we roll in the month, our 13th member of the family arrived! My sister Jamaica gave birth to her 4th and last baby, Jaida J. Hansen! Just a disclaimer here: *I'm not biased, my sister really does make cute babies*
This was an exceptional experience because not only is she seasoned in the art of having babies, but she used a hospital sanctioned midwife... she was PHENOMINAL compared to the doctor she had with Mya... I wont mention any names Dr L. Jamaica was also lucky to get assigned with Shar as her RN.... OH MY GOSH! This lady was FULL of information and so cute and helpful! Sometime ask me the story Shar told us about Hogar and Helga... who knew you could relate childbirth to Vikings?
I'll save the hospital photos for the family album, but just know, she's here and there's no lack in love for this new little member of our family :)
With the new addition came the visit of the grandparents... that would be my mom and dad! Due to the growth of the family, I consider it luck that I'm the only one currently with a spare bedroom, so guess where the parentals got to rest their heads? I love bein able to have a little quiet one-on-one visits with my mom and dad before we all turn in for the night...quite possibly my favorite part of their visits!

Seriously... look how fun my parents are:

Playing Catch Up! -June Part 2

Does doing something twice count as a tradition? I think yes! This was our second year entering the Utah Summer Games in Cedar City, UT. We had a rough start last year, and ended up taking first in the Bronze bracket... nothing to brag about. But this year we changed our name to the 'Servivors,' and did MUCH better! We got first in the Silver bracket, so hopefully we keep working our way up the chain as our tradition becomes more seasoned!
Interesting fact about me: I'm really not that competitive. Now, this might be surprising if you know my dad, or my oldest sister... but I just don't think I got that competitive gene... which is fine with me! I really do just simply enjoy playing the game! As long as everyone is doing their best, working together and having fun.... I honestly don't care about keeping score.
I've been lucky to find some amazing girls to play volleyball with here in Southern Utah and we have so much fun on and off the court! So here's a shout-out to the girls I love playin vball with: Rikki, Sunny, Stormy, Emilee, and Britt, you girls rock and roll and I'm glad I found ya!My Uncle Todd lives in Cedar City and is one of the best hosts I've ever met. He and his Fiancee Barb and their canine Murphy allowed all of the 'Servivors' to crash in their basement. And even let a couple of our fans (my roomie Colls and our friend Steph) join us for the 2nd night... Thank you SO much Todd and Barb, it is so fun staying at your beautiful home and getting to visit and hang out with you both.. and Murphy too, of course!
We stayed last year too and we started another tradition of having a sauna night! Yep! Todd has a sauna! We always smear our makeup and take an after shot... they're always hilarious!We were lucky to have so many fans come watch us! THE Best fan base by far compared to other teams! Here's a shout out to all of our awesome fans for coming to watch and cheer for us:
My Uncle Todd and Aunt Barb (our hosts), Ta'ai and Tom (Emilee's brother and his friend), Colls and Steph (my roomie and our friend)Even my sisters Jamaica and Jen came to a couple games while they were in Cedar dropping Haleigh off at science camp!Thanks everyone for playing or coming to cheer! It was another great year at the Utah Summer Games!