I saw one of my favorite bands for the second time last month, The Get Up Kids, at Club Sound. Sydney accompanied me to this show and I saw a few other friends there unexpectedly. It was disappointing finding out that they bumped the show out from In The Venue but it turned out being even more enjoyable in the smaller and more intimate Club Sound. They played mainly older songs from their first two CD’s and played everything I wanted. My favorite of the night was I’ll Catch You. The night was complete with me getting my picture with Matt Pryor. Loved it.

Last month we traveled to Island Park to enjoy another memorable holiday vacation with our favorite travel companions, the Redd’s. We stayed in the same cabin as last year, Two Top Lodge, where we enjoyed the weekend with river rafting and a trip into Yellowstone.

I will refer you to my aunt’s blog post and photo gallery for a more complete representation of our weekend. Cindy takes incredible pictures. She always captures the moment just right. The video at the end of her post sums up our chaotic moments.

For the aquatic portion, we voyaged through Targhee National Forest in canoes and a raft, shouting back and forth What About Bob? quotes. Screaming “AHOY!” down the river and exclaiming that you are a sailor and sailing never gets old. There were two minor casualties as my dad and uncle attempted to recover the foam ball from the river that my nephew threw in. Their canoe capsized and my dad’s face was priceless as he emerged from the three-foot-deep water, gasping for every breath of air his body could take in. I would like to let the record show that he did NOT lose his glasses.

I coined the phrase “grumpy boat” as a result of last year’s river trip where my dad became impatient with our lack of rowing and concentration. I believe he used the word dilly-dallying to describe our non-existent efforts. Despite my best efforts this year, my boat was the grumpy boat yet again. I paddled my two nieces down the river as they ‘helped’ with their one paddle. Apparently two hours of sitting doesn’t go over well with the youth of today. I was completely content and enjoyed the scenery while my oldest niece wanted to be anywhere but in the canoe. Bless little kid’s hearts.

My cousin, Luke, summoned the moose of the valley with his nature-defying moose call. We turned our boats around and paddled straight for her, taking pictures and letting Luke communicate further. Swimming below us were many schools of fish. At one point Tyler tried to catch one with his bare hands. He lunged from the raft and came up with nothing. I personally believe that he really caught six, but due to his love of nature he let them all go and told us they were just too fast and impossible to be captured into captivity. We will never know what really happened for those few moments he was beneath the water.

Yellowstone was just as rewarding as when I went a few months ago with my dad. Old Faithful blew even harder this time and we didn’t even have to wait as long. In the gift shop we were pleased to find a magical creation, magnetic rocks with the scientific-term called hematite. They were $8 for as many as you could fit into a little pouch. I stuffed the pouch in the most mathematically-logical way I could think of and we ended up with 25 metallic, shiny stones. On the drive through the park we saw buffalo, a dodge viper caravan, some elk and the most beautiful scenery that our national forest has to offer.

The vacation obviously included incredible food. Each meal was prepared with the assistance from all of us, utilizing Redd family teamwork that we’ve all become accustom to. The hot tub was always the perfect way to end the day, providing the ultimate relaxation experience, being surrounded by wilderness and most likely hungry bears.

By far the most enjoyable parts of every vacation are the forever memorable conversations and jokes that will live on in all of our hearts and minds. My personal favorite was showing my cousins how to determine the magnetic poles of a magnet with copper wire and a battery. I was so proud to utilize my summer physics knowledge in real life. Then there was the classic “ham press” provided by Toby as we drove past Tyler, Kelsey and Alyssa. He promised me he didn’t let his cheeks touch my window. Use your imagination. heh.

I look forward to the next Redd adventure and hope that even more of us can make it (Camille, Calley and Tyson). And now the onslaught of pictures. 45 of our happiest moments.

There is one particular snack that has always made my day even more delightful while at school. As viewed below, T.G.I. Friday’s Potato Skins Cheddar and Bacon edition hit the spot for me every time when I am hungered, tired, fatigued, upset, or whatever mood entertains my day. I’m not sure if it’s the delicious artificial bacon taste or undeniable thickness of the over-processed potatoes, but I love them. Does anyone know if you can buy these in a bigger bag and where? I would eat them every day if I could.

Just when you thought SARS was gone, now they have a whole new outlet store for it.

Yesterday was the first day of school for Fall semester. For reasons beyond my imagination, we had to list all of our personal belongings in my Technical Writing class. Apparently it’s for a paper we are going to write later concerning ‘what if we were stranded on a desert island with only the things we had with us the first day?’ The guy next to me listed his to our group:

guy: “Pens, paper, Glock 40 with 26 rounds in a leather holster…”

me: “You have a gun in your bag?”

guy: “Yeah, it’s a state school, I’m ALLOWED TO!”

me: (blink a couple of times at him) “Ok.”

My reason for asking him was not because I disagreed, it was more dealing with how open and bragging he was about it. I thought the point of a concealed weapons permit was to keep it, well… concealed. So much for his secret. Now I get to wonder everyday just how competent he is with his firearm and how/when it could threaten my personal student safety.

I can’t even begin to describe how warm and fuzzy this sign made me. And I’ve only been gone a week and a half.

For the record, I’m referring to the top sign. But yes, the bottom sign is useful to know in case I was ever thirsty while walking thru the underground tunnel.