Provo River Run

I couldn't figure out how to run with my camera, so no pictures this time, but I did have to write about our amazing race on Saturday! It was the Provo River 10 mile trail run, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The weather could not have been more perfect, and I got my best time in four years thanks to a huge push from some great friends! Leesa, who is just an amazing runner came in 4th in our age group at 1:12, and cute Stephanie and I tied for 6th and 7th place in our age group at 1:15. That put us at a 7:32 pace! Jill took 5th in her age group (the much younger one) at 1:18. I have to admit that I was so proud of all of us! We have worked so hard this summer to improve our running, and it was so fun to finally have it pay off! Thank you, ladies, for the incredible run, encouragement, and friendship! Here's to the next race!

Yellowstone!

We had such an amazing time in Yellowstone! It was the perfect time to visit . . . a lot of the animals had just had babies - LOTS of baby bison and elk . . . and everything was SO green . . . and it was perfect weather (minus a little rain) because it was so cool, but not freezing! We drove around the lower loop of Yellowstone on the first day, and then the whole upper loop the second day! The girls were so good in the car, and we were in the car A LOT! We also did a lot of hiking and exploring. We saw some of God's most beautiful creations while we were there! There was even a lot of snow on the upper part of both loops! We took too many pictures that only we'll care about, so I tried to capture our favorite moments in this slide show! We did see a bear for the record - but only one, and we didn't get close enough for great pictures, but it was a treat anyway! On the last day of our trip, we visited the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. The girls got to be "Kid Keepers," which means that they got to go in the grizzly bear habitat and help the animal keepers hide treats and food for the grizzly bears (of course the bears were not in there at the time). I'm pretty sure that this was their most favorite part of the whole trip! What a great way to start our summer break!

Our Pit Stop Along the Way

On our way to Bear World and Yellowstone, we stopped in Idaho Falls for lunch, and a little walk around the falls. What a beautiful place!

BEAR WORLD!

We started our summer break off with a bang this year! We surprised the girls and took them on a little trip that started out with Bear World! What a fun experience that was! We drove around the park in our own car at first. It was a little trippy to see bears just outside our car window! We were told NOT to stop! The second time around was in a "curator bus" - which was a like a double decker tour bus with no bottom half. We stood on top and got to throw donuts, bread, and other sweets to the bears. The girls loved every second of it . . . and so did the bears! (Warning: camera happy parents=lots of pictures to put on blog . . . and I only picked my favorites!)
This is "Stiltz the Moose" - supposedly, he is quite friendly!

The "Daddy Bear" and his three little princess cubs!

These were seriously the dumbest rides ever, but the girls got such a kick out of them anyway!

The roller coaster was powered by an air-compressor . . . and a push from the attendant!!! It was HILLARIOUS!

The bears clapped for the bread and donuts!
The baby bear cubs were so cute! If you sacrificed an arm and a leg in price, you could feed them a bottle of milk. We decided to keep our limbs and just watch them play instead.

If You Were Me . . .

What would you do with this hair??? And I'm being serious. I have had the same sticky, product filled, hair-do (more or less) for almost four years now, and I have no idea what to do with it! Call it an image crisis if you want, but I need some opinions from all of you - even those of you who just stalk my blog from time to time! I am not looking for self-esteem boosters, just some serious criticism and new ideas! I have "attempted" to grow it out on a few occasions, but running a marathon seems easier than having the in-between fluffy hair styles! Not only that, but getting ready takes so little time, and if I'm being completely honest, I like being a little more low-maintenance than not! I'd much rather spend my time running than doing hair! Not to mention that, even with three girls, I have ZERO knack for doing any kind of cute hair anyway! I realize however that I am getting stuck in a rut - I am becoming one of those '80's girls that can't let go of the bangs, feathering and perms (thank heavens mine is "spikes" and not feathering)! So with your opinions, votes and criticism, I will make an informed decision for a change (or not)! . . . Or I could just shave it off . . . which is starting to sound more and more appealing! :) The current "do" and the old "do" - take a vote!

Our Adventures Continue . . .

The latest adventure for our family . . . hiking to Stewart Falls! BEAUTIFUL! What a gorgeous trail, and the falls were amazing! My apologies for so many pictures, but the girls were such troopers that I couldn't resist!

Summertime Girls!