You know you care about school too much when......

You burst into tears while trying to talk to a teacher after getting a horrible grade on a group project and explain to her why you hate group work and how you worked hard on the project and should have gotten a better grade. Honestly - how lame can I get? I don't know why doing well in school is as important to me as it is....it's something I think I picked up from my dad. When we were in high school he would tell us we should ask the teacher for more work when we didn't have enough to do....weird right? Well after my embarrassing scene with my teacher I walked away from that room feeling my hair get a little more curly like my dads and I realized that I am totally his padawon (like in Star Wars) haha. Seriously - who cries to their teacher over a paper??

Oh well - only six more weeks to go and then I'm outta there!

Deer Hunt 2009

So once again I scratched my head as I sent my husband off on the deer hunt. A hunt so notorious for injury and death that hunters are required to wear bright orange so they're not......shot by another human being. This year was even more painful as I had sat through hunters safety and I knew what kind of rif raf are out there. Little snot-nosed 12 year old kids that don't know how to read and think the word"firearm" is pronounced "fireman" (true story "never horseplay with a fireman") and whose dad's cheat and give them the answers on the test so they'll pass!! (true story!).

But despite the perilous conditions, my Kev got out there and got his deer. He worked hard to get it. Up at 4 am - hiking and riding hard - and home by 4 pm. When he walked through the front door...he looked like the walking dead! He was SO tired.

Deer are very smart creatures. This deer Kev shot was an old timer who had elluded hunters for years. But he wasn't smart enough to elude Kevin haha; however, the deer had a trick up his sleeve, for when Kevin shot him he walked a few feet and threw himself off the side of a small cliff and proceded to roll 100 + yards down the side of the mountain. This caused one side of his antler to break (the left side). Rude! He did it just to spite the great hunter who shot him :). Also, from the pictures you can see that part of his antler broke off on the right side...just from livin life. But despite the unfortunate breakage - he still looks great.

Congrats Kev for workin hard and getting a sweet buck (and not dying)

My Last First Day

I'm sitting here waiting for my first class to start. The first class I will have on this my last, first day of school. Believe it or not - it is kind of a bitter sweet moment for me. I really do enjoy school. I enjoy learning and experiencing new things daily. I feel like I'm constantly progressing and I'm aware of what is going on in the world around me. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at UVU. I have met awesome friends here, have had great teachers, and have learned a lot.

But even with all of these rosy feelings floating around my head....I'll tell you what I WON'T miss about school.....

- parking

- buying overpriced "new editions" of books

- always feeling like you have a burden on your shoulders because of all the homework you have to do

- group projects (I hate these the most)

So thanks to UVU for an awesome four years - and here's to one last semester.

Summer Update

Yes....I stink at blogging. The truth is I don't have the internet at my house and so when I'm not in school....I don't really have a chance to use it. So the good news is that I'm updating my blog - the bad news is that I don't have 1/2 of the pictures that I want to post so bear with me :).

Like every summer - this one is flying by. I can't believe it's already August and school will be starting soon. I used to dread the summer ending but this year I'm actually getting really excited for fall. I'm ready to start wearing hoodies and long sleeved shirts. I'm ready for the football season to start, I'm excited to see the leaves start changing and to feel that cool crisp in the air. Halloween and Thanksgiving...I'm excited for it!

So a quick summer update. Summer started for me with a party at the Kelly Clarkson concert :). Call me "middle school" but I love Kelly. I took my little sister Mariah with me and we had a blast. I felt like I was 16 again. I took a sweet video in honor of my bestest friend Carly who was in Arizona and couldn't come with us (cause...it's our little secret but she likes Kelly too haha). We missed you Car!

Kev and I then took a quick trip down to Lake Powell with our friends Russ and Steph. It was SO fun. It was my first real Lake Powell experience and I loved every minute of it. Again - I am a HORRIBLE camera person and didn't take any pictures. That will probably need to change some day when I have kids but for now...sorry you'll have to picture the fun-ness in your minds haha.

Then just recently, instead of heading south to Newport beach this year, my family headed east to Colorado. My uncle has a cabin at Estes Park and we went to visit Julianne and Matt up there. It was a lot of fun and it was great to be with my family. I dearly missed being at the beach and I can't believe I have to wait another year to go back but....the trip was still way fun.

Kev has been busy with scout trips and youth conferences, work and horses. Hunting season starts soon and he's really excited for that. I still haven't decided if I will use my newly earned hunting license this year. I didn't draw any good tags so...I might forego this year and leave the hunting to the boys :).

My Daily Routine

I don't think I have formally introduced my "baby" on this blog. Last year Kevin's friend James' horse had a baby and we got to go see it the day after he was born. Since then we watched him get bigger and cuter and I absolutely loved him! James told Kevin that he probably couldn't devote the time to training the little guy and offered to give him to us. We jumped on the opportunity and he came to live with us last fall.

I love this little horse - I know it's seriously so nerdy but we honestly have a little relationship Dunny and me :). Since the day we got him I visit him in his little pen all the time and because of this we have developed a little routine. As I went out to visit him every day -he would come over to the pen and let me pet his head, and then he immediately would turn around and back his rump up to me. When it first happened I thought it was extremely rude! But I realized that he was wanting me to scratch his back - so I started doing it and thus began our daily routine.

I tried to get the full effect of this senseless (and embarassing) ritual we go through every morning when I go out to feed him....enjoy :)

Memorial Day Weekend

Many of you may think that non-stop rain would ruin a three day camping trip; however, if you're in the rain with the Townsend family......the trip is still awesome!

Last weekend packed up our trucks and headed to Strawberry Reservoir and amazingly enough found an awesome campsite - not soon after camp was set up the rain started....and continued through Saturday and Sunday and then cleared up to be a beautiful day on Monday...the day that we left....gofigure!

It was a weekend full of good food, great company, fishing, laughing, and relaxation - just what I needed.

This was our campsite - it was on the top of a hill looking over the reservoir and the canyon. I didn't get a picture of our little Marmot tent but it was a trooper! It kept all of the rain out and kept Kev and I dry and warm. Thanks little Marmot!

Me and Kev around the campfire. Luckily the rain let up every night to let us have a campfire and roast yummy smores. There's just something about sitting around a campfire - I could do it all day I love it.

Kevin made a new best friend while we were there - this is little Kodi and he loves Kev. He followed Kevin around the whole time helping him "chop" wood for the fire, setting up the tent, and helping him to set up targets for shooting. So cute! Kevin loves this gun - it's a 22-250 and we got to shoot it a little while we were up there.

So thank you Shalynn and Spencer for a great weekend - we loved it!

Kevin's Trip to the Grand Gulch

Well finals are over, the semester from "you know where" is over, so I finally have time to document the trip Kevin went on one month ago! Better late than never right?

Kev was able to go on a three day pack trip to the Grand Gulch (southern utah by Blanding). He rode his trusty steed Sancho who he broke and trained himself (and did an awesome job, Sanch is a really good horse). He rode through a canyon full of Indian ruins and artifacts that were left behind. Kevin loved the trip - and our little Sanchie did really well he walked many miles in pretty technical terrain. Kevin took as many pictures as he could and the pictures are awesome!

Kev and Sanch packed and ready to go

Indian writing (above) Indian arrowheads and pieces of pottery (below)

My FAVORITE picture so cool

In about 1000000 years that tiny arch behind Kevin will be huge :)

Grinding stone

Indian houses - the doors are tiny!