Emily and Grace fell asleep at dinner after the concert
Daniel and Me
Sammy and Me
Emily and Me
Mom, Dad, Me
Sunday, October 24, 2010
More Laughlin Pictures
Laughlin, NV... Kids Say The Darndest Things
Dog Pile on Aunt Lauren
At the Collin Raye concert
Kelly, Collin Raye, Mom (Susan), Sammy, Me, Heidi
Daniel
August 1-3, 2010
Normally, my family goes to Laughlin every Spring for a bowling tournament. Richard, Heidi, and my parents all bowl, so we go as a family. I usually drive down from Provo since I'm at school. Anyway, after I got back from Yellowstone my dad asked me if I wanted to go to Laughlin. It wasn't for bowling, but he got a special deal with a couple nights for free so we went for fun. Plus, there was a Collin Raye concert going on that weekend. All the hotels there are right on the Colorado River, and the kids love it because we stay at Harrah's, which is the only hotel that has a beach for them to play at.
Our family thinks it's so funny how much the kids love Laughlin. They always make such a big deal about it and talk about Laughlin, or "that hotel with the beach", throughout the year. The reason it's so funny to us is because, well, it's Laughlin! When people ask me where or what Laughlin is, the only way I can think to describe it is a small little town in Nevada that is a tiny, white trash, version of Las Vegas.
The first night in Laughlin we went to the Collin Raye concert. He's a country singer. He's had a few hits throughout the years, but he's not super famous. But he's super nice and super cool. I really enjoyed his concert because he talked to the audience a lot. After the concert Heidi, Kelly, my mom, Sam, and me got to meet Collin Raye. He's such a nice guy! We were talking and I think the topic of Utah somehow came up. I think because he lived in Salt Lake for awhile. Collin was like, "are you guys LDS?" We said yes and he said, "I'm not Mormon, but all my friends are." I thought that was cool. It's nice to know that not everyone looks at Mormons as weirdos or crazy people... although I admit that I'm weird :-)
GRACE
The next 2 days we just played on the beach. The kids made friends and had a blast. Grace made friends with a little girl names Macy and I overheard this conversation:
Macy: If you forget my name just think of the store, Macy's.
Grace: K, well if you forget my name just think of the graceful people in China.
I burst out laughing. Where does Grace come up with these random things? And who says Chinese people are graceful anyway?
BENJAMIN
Another funny "Kids say the darndest things quote" was from Benny. Him and Sammy were fighting and Ben ran up to his mom, Kelly, and said, "Mommy, Sammy pulled my boobie!" LOL! The poor kid got his first titty twister.
SAMUEL
Later, Sammy came to me crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Uncle Tio did it!" Uncle Tio is really Uncle Richard, but since Richard refers to himself as Tio to Sammy, then Sammy thinks he's Uncle Tio. (Tio means Uncle in Spanish). Ahhh, I love kids. They are so funny and I'm never bored when I'm with them.
DANIEL
Alright, one more funny quote that I have to share. So, Harrah's has two pools, one for families and one for adults. To get to the beach and to rent towels, you have to walk through the adult pool area. It's great, because then all your kids get to see the half naked, thong wearing, drunk people. Well as we were walking through the adult pool area we walked past this old skinny guy with long hair and missing teeth. Oh, and he was wearing a thong and flirting with some young girl. I'm not judging, I just need you to know what he looks like so you understand why Daniel said what he said.
Daniel: (with his cute little lisp) Ewww, those guys were gross!
Me: Shhhhh, Daniel, don't say that so loud.
(After we walked away...)
Me: Why were they gross?
Daniel: That guy losted all of his teeth except for three of them and he letted his hair grow out like a girl.
We were quoting this one for weeks. It was so funny the way Daniel said it!
Laughlin will always be a place of fun and memories for our family.
A Surprise Voice on the Phone
The weirdest thing happened the other day ago (don't make fun of the way I talk, my linguistics teacher said I could say "the other day ago" even if it is repetitive). So anyway, I called the Cat Clinic to make an appointment to get Amante and Leche neutered (poor little guys). So anyway, I told the lady on the phone that I needed an appointment for next week and she said Wednesday.
She asked for my name and I said, "Lauren Mugar. M. U. G. A. R."
She paused for a minute and then said, "Lauren, do you know who you're talking to?"
"Umm, no, who is this?" I asked.
"This is Kristin Llloyd!"
Kristin was one of my best friends in junior high school. I was with her constantly. We went our separate ways in high school, but my memories of her are good. I couldn't believe I was talking to her. Neither of us recognized the other's voice, but I hope we'll be able to get together some time soon and catch up.
She asked for my name and I said, "Lauren Mugar. M. U. G. A. R."
She paused for a minute and then said, "Lauren, do you know who you're talking to?"
"Umm, no, who is this?" I asked.
"This is Kristin Llloyd!"
Kristin was one of my best friends in junior high school. I was with her constantly. We went our separate ways in high school, but my memories of her are good. I couldn't believe I was talking to her. Neither of us recognized the other's voice, but I hope we'll be able to get together some time soon and catch up.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Lake Mead
So, after we got back to Dennis's house in Draper, Utah, we rested and slept good that night. In the morning we left for Lake Mead. Mikey and I were planning on just dropping off Chris and then going home, but we ended up staying for a day at Lake Mead with Chris's family. On the way down, we saw a big beautiful rainbow.
So when we got to Lake Mead, they had an air mattress set up for us. Mikey and I slept on it while Chris slept on the bed with his dad. In the morning we went out on the lake with the family and had a great time. Chris's family has a nice little nickname for Mikey... Buffalo Mike. They all got a kick out of the buffalo story and how Mikey almost got killed. After a good, long day on the lake, we ate a good dinner and slept over again. In the morning, Mikey and I left for home. Chris stayed with his family and came home with them a couple days later.
So when we got to Lake Mead, they had an air mattress set up for us. Mikey and I slept on it while Chris slept on the bed with his dad. In the morning we went out on the lake with the family and had a great time. Chris's family has a nice little nickname for Mikey... Buffalo Mike. They all got a kick out of the buffalo story and how Mikey almost got killed. After a good, long day on the lake, we ate a good dinner and slept over again. In the morning, Mikey and I left for home. Chris stayed with his family and came home with them a couple days later.
Old Faithful... Oh, And Mikey Gets Charged by a Buffalo
Our first stop today was West Thumb Geyser Basin. You know how sometimes people write in the sidewalk before it dries so they can have their name in it forever? Well, the sidewalks in Yellowstone have bear paw prints! At West Thumb, we saw some paw prints in the sidewalk. West Thumb Basin was way cool. There were tons of pools. One of bright blue. Another was a beautiful green color. But both were super clear. I couldn't tell how deep they went. There were tons of things to keep my interest. We saw a stream that went from the little pools/wet spots to the big lake. And we saw a deer that ran out into the big area that is restricted for us humans.
Today, we decided to drive down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So on the way we stropped at a lake and Mikey went swimming. I just dipped my feet in, but stayed out of the water mostly. I don't like fish. As we continued to Jackson, we drove through the south exit of Yellowstone to go see the Teton Range. They are some mountains. I was told that Teton means boobs in some Native American language. And that's why it's called Teton National Park... because the mountains look like boobs... since there's two of them. I guess I'd have to do some research to know if that's true.
Our next stop was Mormon Row. A little road that is where a bunch of Mormons settled. As we pulled up to look at the old cabins, two foreign guys told us that there was a buffalo a couple hundred yards down the road. There was a fence, so we couldn't drive the car, but Mikey really wanted to see, so we walked. When we got to where the buffalo was, Mikey started getting closer and saying "Here Buffalo, come here" and making noises with his mouth to get the buffalo to come to him. I failed to mention that earlier that day, Dennis said he'd give Mikey a dollar if he got a hair off a buffalo. Yes, $1. And Mikey, being a stupid teenager, actually tried. Well after the buffalo kept coming closer and closer, I started yelling at Mikey to come back. I could tell the Buffalo was mad. But Mikey thought he was coming closer to say hello... because, we all know how friendly those wild buffalo are! Well, finally, the buffalo had had enough and he charged Mikey. I was screaming at him to run and the buffalo hit Mikey. I threw out a couple of curse words to Mikey because he would not come back. I thought I would have to bring home his dead body. But Mikey dropped to the ground and the buffalo didn't step on him, luckily.
After the buffalo walked away, Mikey got up and ran toward me. I ran to him, too, crying and laughing at the same time. I was just so happy to see my stupid cousin alive! (I forgot to mention that we had been seeing sign all over Yellowstone saying not to approach the buffalo. Some lady got mauled a few weeks before). Well, before we started walking back to the car, I noticed Mikey was barefoot. He guessed his shoes came off in all the chaos. So we went back and found his shoes (about 100 yards apart). Oh, and we also found my camera (which I was letting him use) on the ground. He said he dropped it to protect it ha ha ha!
Mikey was mad because he didn't get a hair, even though the buffalo touched him. I was mad because Mikey was stupid. And Chris and Dennis were mad because they had been waiting at the car and didn't get to see this happen.
Well, we all got in the car and made it safely to Jackson Hole. It was fun, we ate some buffalo (Buffalo burger and buffalo steak) to get revenge on the buffalo that tried to kill Mikey. The steak was delicious. The burger would have been better if it were a cow.
After that, we traveled back up to Yellowstone to leave out of the west exit and go back to Utah. We stopped of Old Faithful and got to see it erupt.
.
Today, we decided to drive down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. So on the way we stropped at a lake and Mikey went swimming. I just dipped my feet in, but stayed out of the water mostly. I don't like fish. As we continued to Jackson, we drove through the south exit of Yellowstone to go see the Teton Range. They are some mountains. I was told that Teton means boobs in some Native American language. And that's why it's called Teton National Park... because the mountains look like boobs... since there's two of them. I guess I'd have to do some research to know if that's true.
Our next stop was Mormon Row. A little road that is where a bunch of Mormons settled. As we pulled up to look at the old cabins, two foreign guys told us that there was a buffalo a couple hundred yards down the road. There was a fence, so we couldn't drive the car, but Mikey really wanted to see, so we walked. When we got to where the buffalo was, Mikey started getting closer and saying "Here Buffalo, come here" and making noises with his mouth to get the buffalo to come to him. I failed to mention that earlier that day, Dennis said he'd give Mikey a dollar if he got a hair off a buffalo. Yes, $1. And Mikey, being a stupid teenager, actually tried. Well after the buffalo kept coming closer and closer, I started yelling at Mikey to come back. I could tell the Buffalo was mad. But Mikey thought he was coming closer to say hello... because, we all know how friendly those wild buffalo are! Well, finally, the buffalo had had enough and he charged Mikey. I was screaming at him to run and the buffalo hit Mikey. I threw out a couple of curse words to Mikey because he would not come back. I thought I would have to bring home his dead body. But Mikey dropped to the ground and the buffalo didn't step on him, luckily.
After the buffalo walked away, Mikey got up and ran toward me. I ran to him, too, crying and laughing at the same time. I was just so happy to see my stupid cousin alive! (I forgot to mention that we had been seeing sign all over Yellowstone saying not to approach the buffalo. Some lady got mauled a few weeks before). Well, before we started walking back to the car, I noticed Mikey was barefoot. He guessed his shoes came off in all the chaos. So we went back and found his shoes (about 100 yards apart). Oh, and we also found my camera (which I was letting him use) on the ground. He said he dropped it to protect it ha ha ha!
Mikey was mad because he didn't get a hair, even though the buffalo touched him. I was mad because Mikey was stupid. And Chris and Dennis were mad because they had been waiting at the car and didn't get to see this happen.
Well, we all got in the car and made it safely to Jackson Hole. It was fun, we ate some buffalo (Buffalo burger and buffalo steak) to get revenge on the buffalo that tried to kill Mikey. The steak was delicious. The burger would have been better if it were a cow.
After that, we traveled back up to Yellowstone to leave out of the west exit and go back to Utah. We stopped of Old Faithful and got to see it erupt.
.
Wildlife, Waterfalls, and Wonders
Day 5 (July 25th)
Today was a good day. We woke up to a few deer (or elk) chillin' in our campsite. I followed them around for a while and tried to get some good pictures. After we lost interest with the deer we got ready for the day. As we were in the car leaving the general campsite, we saw a buffalo (or bison... they're practically the same thing). We had seen some buffalo the day before while driving, but this one was different because it was IN the campsite. So we all hopped out of the car to take a closer look. Of course, Mikey, being the stupid teenager, got the closest. He got about 3 feet from it, but luckily there were some trees he could jump behind when the buffalo started to look angry. Everyone in the tents around that area were all peeking out and taking pictures. It was such a cool experience.
So, finally we left the buffalo and were on our way to start driving around Yellowstone. First, we went through Hayden Valley. There's not really much I can say, except that it was beautiful. It's one of those places that you just have to experience for yourself. While driving, we saw a baby buffalo. It was so cute! A little later we almost hit a buffalo as it crossed the street. The things are everywhere!
Our next stop was Artist Point at the Grand Canyon. Not THE Grand Canyon, but the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which I was told was first. Supposedly, the Grand Canyon in in Utah is named after the one at Yellowstone. I'm not surprised at all. It was so beautiful! It had a huge waterfall that ran into a river. The river ran through the whole canyon... just like the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. We went on a little hike in this area where we got to just follow the river, except from way up high.
After Artist Point we stopped to see Tower Fall which was a small waterfall. It was pretty, but nothing too special after seeing the waterfall at Artist Point. As we drove, I saw a sign for a petrified tree. The guys didn't care to see it, but I wanted to, so they stopped for me. I didn't get to see it up close because nobody felt like taking the 50 yard walk, but I got some pictures. After we left here, we found ourselves stuck in traffic. Tourist traffic. Finally, we got to the front and realized everyone was pulled over looking at something in the distance. We asked someone what it was and he said it was a grizzly bear. I couldn't see it. We spent 5 minutes trying to see the thing... that's how far away it was. Finally, I could almost, kind of see it with my telephoto lens.
As we drove around Yellowstone seeing what other natural wonders there were to see, we stopped at a place called Mammoth Hot Springs. They were so wonderful. It never ceases to amazing me how the Lord created so many beautiful and crazy natural things! As we walked around Mammoth, we went to the end where it dropped off. It was like a cliff, but there was water running off of the cliff. It wasn't like a typical waterfall, though. It just looked like shiny rocks because the water was so thin and clear. Again, I can't explain. You just have to see it for yourself.
Once we got back to camp, we started dinner. Chris made bacon-wrapped corn and Dennis made BBQ chicken. Mikey helped too, of course. And the guys always found something for me to do.
Today was a good day. We woke up to a few deer (or elk) chillin' in our campsite. I followed them around for a while and tried to get some good pictures. After we lost interest with the deer we got ready for the day. As we were in the car leaving the general campsite, we saw a buffalo (or bison... they're practically the same thing). We had seen some buffalo the day before while driving, but this one was different because it was IN the campsite. So we all hopped out of the car to take a closer look. Of course, Mikey, being the stupid teenager, got the closest. He got about 3 feet from it, but luckily there were some trees he could jump behind when the buffalo started to look angry. Everyone in the tents around that area were all peeking out and taking pictures. It was such a cool experience.
So, finally we left the buffalo and were on our way to start driving around Yellowstone. First, we went through Hayden Valley. There's not really much I can say, except that it was beautiful. It's one of those places that you just have to experience for yourself. While driving, we saw a baby buffalo. It was so cute! A little later we almost hit a buffalo as it crossed the street. The things are everywhere!
Our next stop was Artist Point at the Grand Canyon. Not THE Grand Canyon, but the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, which I was told was first. Supposedly, the Grand Canyon in in Utah is named after the one at Yellowstone. I'm not surprised at all. It was so beautiful! It had a huge waterfall that ran into a river. The river ran through the whole canyon... just like the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. We went on a little hike in this area where we got to just follow the river, except from way up high.
After Artist Point we stopped to see Tower Fall which was a small waterfall. It was pretty, but nothing too special after seeing the waterfall at Artist Point. As we drove, I saw a sign for a petrified tree. The guys didn't care to see it, but I wanted to, so they stopped for me. I didn't get to see it up close because nobody felt like taking the 50 yard walk, but I got some pictures. After we left here, we found ourselves stuck in traffic. Tourist traffic. Finally, we got to the front and realized everyone was pulled over looking at something in the distance. We asked someone what it was and he said it was a grizzly bear. I couldn't see it. We spent 5 minutes trying to see the thing... that's how far away it was. Finally, I could almost, kind of see it with my telephoto lens.
As we drove around Yellowstone seeing what other natural wonders there were to see, we stopped at a place called Mammoth Hot Springs. They were so wonderful. It never ceases to amazing me how the Lord created so many beautiful and crazy natural things! As we walked around Mammoth, we went to the end where it dropped off. It was like a cliff, but there was water running off of the cliff. It wasn't like a typical waterfall, though. It just looked like shiny rocks because the water was so thin and clear. Again, I can't explain. You just have to see it for yourself.
Once we got back to camp, we started dinner. Chris made bacon-wrapped corn and Dennis made BBQ chicken. Mikey helped too, of course. And the guys always found something for me to do.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Caves, Coolness, and Camping
Day 4 (July 24, 2010)
When we woke up in the morning, we went into the caves. It was so weird. It was totally warm outside and the second we hit the caves, we cooled down a ton. It was super dark in the caves and kinda creepy, but I was glad to be with 3 big, strong men. Once we got deep enough into the cave, I started slipping on ice... yes, ICE! Can you believe it? The middle of summer and there's ice just a few hundred yards into the cave! I mean, that's so amazing! This is how the people lived back in the day, before houses and air conditioning and running water. It reminds me of Mexico and the cenotes. I mean, these natural things are amazing. The world has them everywhere. And then, on this same day we drove up to Yellowstone and spent 3 days looking at so many more wonderful natural wonders of the world. Wow, this world is truly amazing. And to think... the Celestial kingdom will be even better. Actually, the Telestial kingdom (the lowest kingdom of heaven) is going to even be so much more beautiful and amazing than this earth. WOW! God is so good.
After admiring the caves for an hour or so, we packed up our stuff and hit the road for Yellowstone. Our first stop inside of Yellowstone National Park was Celestine Pool. It was very cool. If you don't think so, then you're a fool. Okay, I'm done. Anyway, it was awesome for real. It's like this big huge, steaming, clear, blue pool in the middle of nowhere. I don't get it. How does that happen? Well, it does, and I'm just glad I got to see it and experience it in my life.
The next stop was the Old Faithful Inn. We didn't actually see Old Faithful... just the inn. But they had delicious ice cream! And the building was cool. There were all these weird stairs going up in different directions. And you can see them all from down below. But they don't let people up to the top anymore, I guess it's a fire hazard. But we got to go up to the second floor and sit on a cool bench to eat our ice cream and admire the structure. But Mikey totally missed out. He decided to sleep in the car and when he woke up later and found out we ate ice cream without him... he was upset. *giggle* Oh, the anger of a fat man :-) I love you, Mikey!
We decided to keep the site seeing short this day, so after the Inn we headed to our camp to set up the tent and start dinner. We decided to follow the directions on the tent bag this time and the tent turned out much more stable. It was great!
When we woke up in the morning, we went into the caves. It was so weird. It was totally warm outside and the second we hit the caves, we cooled down a ton. It was super dark in the caves and kinda creepy, but I was glad to be with 3 big, strong men. Once we got deep enough into the cave, I started slipping on ice... yes, ICE! Can you believe it? The middle of summer and there's ice just a few hundred yards into the cave! I mean, that's so amazing! This is how the people lived back in the day, before houses and air conditioning and running water. It reminds me of Mexico and the cenotes. I mean, these natural things are amazing. The world has them everywhere. And then, on this same day we drove up to Yellowstone and spent 3 days looking at so many more wonderful natural wonders of the world. Wow, this world is truly amazing. And to think... the Celestial kingdom will be even better. Actually, the Telestial kingdom (the lowest kingdom of heaven) is going to even be so much more beautiful and amazing than this earth. WOW! God is so good.
After admiring the caves for an hour or so, we packed up our stuff and hit the road for Yellowstone. Our first stop inside of Yellowstone National Park was Celestine Pool. It was very cool. If you don't think so, then you're a fool. Okay, I'm done. Anyway, it was awesome for real. It's like this big huge, steaming, clear, blue pool in the middle of nowhere. I don't get it. How does that happen? Well, it does, and I'm just glad I got to see it and experience it in my life.
The next stop was the Old Faithful Inn. We didn't actually see Old Faithful... just the inn. But they had delicious ice cream! And the building was cool. There were all these weird stairs going up in different directions. And you can see them all from down below. But they don't let people up to the top anymore, I guess it's a fire hazard. But we got to go up to the second floor and sit on a cool bench to eat our ice cream and admire the structure. But Mikey totally missed out. He decided to sleep in the car and when he woke up later and found out we ate ice cream without him... he was upset. *giggle* Oh, the anger of a fat man :-) I love you, Mikey!
We decided to keep the site seeing short this day, so after the Inn we headed to our camp to set up the tent and start dinner. We decided to follow the directions on the tent bag this time and the tent turned out much more stable. It was great!
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