This is my new friend, Rocky the Roadrunner. O.k....so maybe he isn't my friend but he comes to visit me a few times a week....o.k. so maybe he isn't coming to visit me, but he does visit my back wall....o.k. so it isn't my wall exactly but it's my Dad's....o.k. so maybe this isn't a Roadrunner at all and maybe you aren't even reading this blog. Who knows?

This is one of our favorite places to go when we are in Utah (summertime that is). We usually head up for a day in Provo Canyon at a park called South Fork. It was one of my moms favorite places to go and everyone makes a big day out of it with hamburgers and hot dogs, goodies, and some kind of "wet" event. It started off a few years ago with water balloons that ended up causing the older male cousins (older as in younger than me - sad I know) chasing each other with the water balloons and then turning on some of the uncles and younger cousins. What I did not expect was for them to turn on their favorite and eldest female cousin, but they did. I decided to fight back which was about the dumbest thing someone my size (at that time quite a bit larger) and being of the opposite sex (meaning weaker)could have done.

The next year I thought I'd be a bit smarter and I took a water blaster gun and had it hidden under a blanket and although I got a little revenge, it still bit me in the butt as once again the younger but stronger male cousins drenched me.

This year however there was enough family at the park and enough younger cousins that one would think they would have had plenty to pick on. They all took turns chasing the younger kids down, throwing them into the creek, and then they started turning on each other (mind you that most of these guys are adults and married). One by one they all went in. Luckily all of the older (adult) girls were left alone....o.k.....so it seemed that we were going to be left alone. Someone (I'm sure it was Aunt Deb) started chanting my name. What the heck? I wasn't finding it amusing at all. So when you view the slideshow below you will see all my strapling, young, handsome, sweet (scratch sweet)and wonderful cousins grabbing me and hauling me down to the creek. I must admit, I didn't go down without a fight. I twisted and kicked and twisted and kicked and...did I already say twisted and kicked? If you've seen my cousin Jeremy you will understand that it wouldn't matter how much I twisted or kicked, I was doomed. So in the creek I went. Dirty cousins. Why do I love them so much. Haven't a clue.

It was however a very fun day. I think the only ones that did not get taken to the creek were my dad, Aunt Jessie, Grandma Peel, Uncle Paul, and the two pregnant cousins, Chelle Belle and Sherri Lynn the second. I think I'll be pregnant next year. Do you think they'll believe me? Why not.

P.S. Aunt Deb got hers too! HA HA.

So it has taken me awhile to post this blog mainly because I was waiting on pictures. Now that I've had them a couple of weeks I no longer have an excuse for my procrastination.

In one of my previous posts I shared how excited I was for my cousin Jory to come home from his mission in El Salvador...well now he's been home for a little over a month. It was one of the best days I've had in the last few years considering everything that has happened in the last two years.

I traveled to Utah on July 30th to help my Aunt Deb get everything finished for his return. Most everything had been done but we did a little bit of cooking to have meals ready for family throughout the week. Aunt Deb was a basket case (sorry if she reads this, but it's true). She was so excited and so exhausted that we're lucky she made it through the week.

August 4th was the big day and we were cleaning like crazy, decorating the outside of the house and front yard, and monitoring Jory's flight online. It was late getting into Miami from El Salvador but it wasn't a big deal because he had a long layover, but then his flight didn't leave Miami on time which put him into Dallas just a few minutes after his flight was supposed to leave for Salt Lake. We were on our way up to Salt Lake to pick up my dad and Bryten and then we were going to hang out at the airport and wait for the rest of the family to get up there for Jory's flight which was supposed to get in at 7:44. We found out that Jory did not make his flight which would now put him into Salt Lake at 11:15pm. Deb was in a panick, we had to call all the family and tell them not to come till later.

So once my dad and Bryten got in, we went and had dinner at Wingers and then went to Aunt Diana's to visit for awhile. We had a lot of family there at the airport and as you can see from the pictures we were very excited to hug that boy. How proud I am...and was of Jory and all that he accomplished and the example he set for not only the younger generation, but for all of us. I love this boy with all my heart and know how proud my mom is of him as well.