Old Faithful 09.01.08

For Labor day this year Robert and I decided that we better go and see Yellowstone Park. We have lived here about 5 years and never taken the time to go. More specifically we went to see Old Faithful. I could not handle living so close (1 1/2 hours) from it and never seeing it. We have a wonderful friend, Camille, whom I work with that we drug along. It was great fun! We left at about 10 o'clock in the morning and went and picked up a picnic lunch at the store and headed to the park. It was a very chilly day and when we were leaving the park we saw rain, hail and snow.

We saw several hot springs and a few geysers.

The colors on these are amazing.

Old Faithful being faithful and amazing.

Don't we look great! Camille Bennett and Lois



We had a pretty good video, but I can't get it loaded right. Old Faithful shot for about 5 minutes which is one of the longest times that it does. The park ranger said that on average it is anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes. So, we got a pretty good show!


The wildlife we saw. Not much just a few bison and some cow elk and their calves.

We had a discussion with Camille about how amazing God is to be able to create so much diversity and beauty on this planet! We loved it! Robert and I felt an immediate ease when looking at all the trees and green. We knew we weren't in southeast Idaho anymore.

Camille loving the smell of rotten eggs. (Okay the smell was not so bad)
Yep, that is Old Faithful behind us. We had to wait about 30 minutes so, we just hung around.


A very enjoyable day and we are glad that we went. Maybe now when April comes and Robert graduates we will be able to get out of Rexburg.

Olympics 8.8.08

Robert and I have been waiting all summer for this day. 8.8.08
Today the Olympics start and that will most likely occupy most of our time for the next month.

The rest of our trip.

The rest of the trip was great!
We just hung out for the weekend and went to church on Sunday.
Then Monday Robert and I ventured across the creek. The creek at my parents house was so low that at it's deepest spot that we crossed it didn't even come up past my knees. When we got the other side we went into the thick forest and came out on the other side. It was not far, but the trees were dense. On the other side of these trees there was rocky ravines that we could tell the creek use to be there. Later that day we went to Howard Lake. It was wonderful on such a hot day! We have a chicken dinner up there. My dad, Kira and I all swam across the lake like we normally do.
Tuesday was a long trip home. We enjoyed a causal lunch with family and I was so happy to see my niece, Alyxana. She is beautiful! Thanks every!


Back to work we went. Robert has picked up more work for a while. We both miss the time that we had to spend together while on vacation.

The Dream Life

Well, Robert and I took off for Libby, MT on Monday. We had a week off of work to go celebrate my graduation. Monday I went shopping in Kalispell with my sisters Kira and Michelle and friend Leslie and got a few new clothes and some accessories for our Wii while Robert went through to Libby so This and That would not over heat in the car. I got us a second controller and a few games that we could play while here.

Tuesday we did nothing all day and then that evening we went to the movies and saw "The Dark Knight!" (Heath Ledger upheld the reputation that was created for him!)

Wednesday we did nothing again. For breakfast we went to the Amish store and got some of the most amazing cinnamon rolls! Then that night we had a small graduation party for me. We had a BBQ and it was great!

Thursday we took the day to hike to Leigh Lake. This is a glacier fed lake in a remote area. It is quite the hike, but well worth it every time! There are parts on this hike where we had to climb rocks and extremely steep switch backs; however we took our sweet time to enjoy the hike (okay really we are just in the worst physical shape we ever have been and that gave us a great excuse). We have tons of great pictures as shown here.

There were so many waterfalls that we could see from the trail and also at the top melting from glaciers into the lake. This one is part of Leigh Creek which is the creek that Leigh Lake drains into.

This is a waterfall going into the lake.



This is the backside of the lake and a gorgeous view of what most of the scenery looks like. You can tell why we love it!

In the past in going to Leigh Lake we liked to take a swim in the lake at the top to cool off and enjoy the solitude of the area. This time however this lake was not more than 32 degrees because there was still a glacier on one side of it. While we were up there we heard what sounded like thunder and we all turned to look at the other end of the lake. The glacier was cracking and breaking into the water. Robert and Michelle then spent the next several minutes yelling and trying to get the glacier to collapse again.

Each of us did eventually jump in the water, but it was only very briefly.

My dad made a wonderful BBQ dinner for us that night! Steak and potatoes with corn! I love my dad!

Friday, we went to lake Koocanusa and swam in warmer water. We were only able to be there for about 1 hour. But again well worth it! This is Robert's favorite place to go swimming and there was not better day because it was in the high 90's this day.

Later Friday night Kira threw a party and we stuck around for that. We had great food and enjoyed sitting around and chatting. When everyone had left that night we set of fireworks. There were some great ones and some that we will not buy again next year.

The title of this post is ideal because we are living a life that we could only dream of. We don't have work or school; we don't have any bills to pay here; we are in MT with no time schedule; and we are together!

(more to come at the end of the vacation)

Lois, the college graduate.

Well, I did it! At about 11:00 am Friday July 18, 2008 I finished my last test in my college career. I have been able to check my grades online and I passed. I will be getting a bachelors degree in Biology in about 6-8 weeks. I guess, that is suppose to be an accomplishment.

It does not feel any different, but it is nice when I get to thinking about what I need to do and school is not one of them. Maybe it will hit me when I don't have to registrar for classes this winter. On Friday Robert, Michelle, and I went to dinner at Da Pineapple Grill; was yummy! On Monday, we came to Libby, MT and will be staying a week here for vacation. It is going to be nice for both of us to have time to relax and enjoy family. Maybe, we will even get time to update our blog.

Our Independence Day!

This year was another year of the Biannual Draper-Young Family Reunion and it was frickin' sweet! For those who are unfamiliar with this amazing tradition I am gonna fill ya in on what goes down at these amazing gatherings.

It's war! A water battle between two families that always ends in peace due to laughter, priceless food, and a fireworks display that rivals the local show at the park by the lake. We go all out. Families plan for months even years in advance in order to make this legendary occasion.

This Pic is a small example of the arsenal used.

There is plenty of food to go around. Great BBQ (meat of every kind! LOVE IT) , salads, amazing desserts and drinks galore. There was even enough for Kwanzaa the dog to have a drink to cool off in the heat of the day.

As I was working on this, I hit a button and it erased all of the other photos that we were posting for this blog. Those are on our other computer and we don't have a way to get them on the blog until we get home. My bad! So, I guess you will have to wait until we get home sometime next week to see the rest of our 4th of July experience.

July 1st already?

Robert and I are getting excited as we get ready to go to Oregon this week and see family. We are going to a Draper/Young family reunion and going to have some of the best BBQ in the world! I am so excited! We are going to be seeing family from CA and also his siblings from Northern Oregon. Also, we are going to be have a water war between families! Oregon here we come and a nice surprise for everyone to see when we get there. We are planning on being there Thursday evening sometime. See you then! (pictures to come from this fun event)
Then when we get back, I will only have 2 weeks of school left! I still have not decided what to do for vacation, but you bet I am going to have fun!
This past week Kira, my sister was down here visiting and we had a blast. Robert and Kira played Super Mario on the Super Nintendo a lot and I enjoyed watching. Our friend Leslie also decided to visit more when Kira was here. On Thursday we went bowling and saw Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls all this for only 3 bucks! Thanks, Kira for coming down and visiting us before you leave for Connecticut in August. (ITS ABOUT TIME!) We took her home on Saturday and picked up some wonderful apple juice "hooch" for Robert and also a friend, Jon Norris, who is addicted to the juice. In all we bought 8 gallons of the stuff and just about cleaned out the little store in St. Ignatius, MT. We were able to get a pretty good deal on some MT fireworks too! YEAH!
Aundre came home with us and will be going to Oregon with us. (What a sucker!)
P.S. Kelsey, I wanted to talk to you, so if you read this before I got a hold of you give me a call.

Patriotic Cats

Who would've known that This and That were so patriotic!

She slept there all day long! This has been sleeping on it when That isn't. Crazy cats!

Picture of Alyxana May Evans.

Here is a picture of my gorgeous new niece.
Here are here stats: 6lbs 4 oz and 18 inches long.

Exciting family news!

My brother Josh and his wife Shannon had their baby on 06-07-08. It was a little girl that they name Alyxana May Evans. From what I have heard everything is going great for them. Also, Aaron and Kelsey are having a baby boy. One last piece of information Cheri and Richard are have baby # 5 and it is going to be another girl for them! Congratulations to all of you!! I hope that we will be next.
PS Robert got his swimmers checked out and all looks great/"normal" there, so it is on to testing for me, the expensive part. :(

Memorial Day in Montana

We went to Montana for Memorial day weekend and it was great! It rained most of the time, but we still have a ton on fun camping and enjoying family! Most of Robert's side of the family was able to come up and that was treat. Grandma Williams and her dog Muffin, his Dad, his brother James and his daughter Tia, and his two sister Christine and Michelle. They all came from Oregon and got to enjoy beautiful Montana. Aaron, my brother, and his wife, Kelsey, were able to make it, my sister, Amy and her friend came too.
What kept Robert and his siblings occupied was playing on my dad's tractors and using his power tools to "get firewood." The firewood was used we were grateful or it.
Myself I stayed around the house and helped with the food or just visited with friends and family. Sunday night we all stayed in the house and played card games and there was serious game of spoons that was played thanks to Tia's suggestion.
The luau had a great turn out, but too many people if you ask me. My parents had invited their entire ward and we must of had over 100 people there at one time. The pig when it was pulled out of the ground was about 10 degrees lower than what it should have been and so we cut it up and put it on the bbq. The pork tasted great! We even took some home and the following weekend had about 7 couples from our ward over and we all had pulled pork sandwiches which were a great hit.
Well that is enough rambling for now, I just had time in between classes and thought a post on the blog might be nice.
As for what we are up to, school and work. I only have 1 month and 18 days till graduation! Who all wants to come see me walk? I am not sure if I am going to walk or if I should just have a party up in Montana and have people come there. Let me know by posting a comment or by sending me an email to if you want to celebrate with me. Everyone is invited.

Montana get ready

I am so excited that we are going to be heading up to Libby here in just a two and a half weeks! We are praying the the weather will be go and that the water will be at least bareable to dip in. If you are not coming, you will be missing out and we would love for you to be joining us! I only have 2 months and 11 days be for I graduate!

I love you, Montana. Someday I hope to live there again!

Just for you information, Robert and I have decided not to purchase a new car right away.

THE UPDATE EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR!

So the insurance called us this morning and told us what everyone has been wanting to know. The car was totalled. The amount of damage just from Looking at it was over 16 thousand dollars! We didn't actually lose any money off it though, so no need to panic. If there is anything else to know we will update the blog for yours and our convenience. Thank you for tuning in.

Great way to end the break and start the semester.

For the week in between semesters Robert and I headed up to my parents house in Libby. While we were there we got to see Aaron and Kelsey who had just come back from Ecuador a week prior and we were able to see my brother Chris who was on leave from Iraq. What a nice break we had!! After Robert and I were all relaxed from our week long vacation in Montana this past week we were headed back to Rexburg to start another semester of school. And this is going to be a great semester because it is my last semester. I will be graduating in July (if I pass the last of my classes) and this summer I only have 7 credits to take. This will be a great summer! These were our thoughts as we were leaving the happiest place on Earth, Libby, MT.

On our trip home we stopped to take Grandpa Stevens out to breakfast at his favorite place, Cislo's. Then we stopped in Polson to see my aunt Wanda who gave me a sewing machine (thanks).

Then we headed home. Just 5 hours to go and we would be at home and getting ready for church the next day.

When we were leaving we had seen on the weather reports that there was going to be snow storms most of the way home. Because these storms were going to be lasting 3-4 days we left on Saturday instead of Sunday. We were driving along between Missoula and Butte Montana when the road all of the sudden became horrible. So, Robert slowed down and began to drive with caution.


(Here is a picture the next day of the bridge that we were on. Mile marker 174 of I-90)



I was beginning to get sleepy and was trying to rest in the passenger seat, but I was having a hard time falling asleep, partly because of the roads and us slipping a little here and there. We began to go on this bridge when a huge gust of wind came up pushed us from one lane on the freeway to the other. Robert was able to correct this and I was a little shaken by that, but just as we were recovering another gust of wind came and blew us in the same way. So, because of the first gust of wind Robert had slowed way down. The car then spun in a 360 in the middle of the freeway and then continued to spin another 2 full 360 both of these times hitting the passenger side guard rail. Our car is pretty messed up. We think it is totalled, but we are waiting to hear from the insurance company to confirm that.




Needless to say we are doing GREAT! Our cats, This and That are okay as well. You can see the road conditions that we were driving on. This was taken about 10 minutes after the accident. We called 911 and waited about 45 minutes for the highway patrol to show up. It was freezing outside and luckily I had my winter coat in the car. Robert however had his coat, but could not get to his beany. Ice was literally forming on his ears and hair! It was on the driver's side and it was too dangerous to get into the car from that side because the traffic was going fast and was steady. We felt it was too dangerous to be in the car because it was on the bridge and again the traffic was steady, we were concerned that another car might spin out and hit us and then we would might get injured. So, we braved the freezing weather and stood outside on the other side of the guard rail and here we felt a lot more safe.

Happy-Robert and Lois Day 2

So here's day two of our awesome getaway! After breakfast we went to the Logan temple. After that we went to change in our new room called Lost In Space. (And no we did not watch that stupid movie Lost in Space.) The paintings in the room were amazing! Some of the paint glowed in the dark. There were black lights that made some things look way cool.









The mirror represented some kinda worm hole. It was pretty fun!



I don't think Lois and I ever had as much fun in a bathroom as we did in the one in this room. It had cool launch pad lights and gauges to play with.








After a quick change we went to the Bluebird Restaurant-a 30's style restaurant with terrible service, but great food. It was a soda fountain, candy shop, restaurant and ice cream shop all in one! After that we went to find the Hardware Ranch to go on a sleigh ride through some beautiful country to see a huge herd of elk. It was about a 30 minute ride full of switchbacks like no other. It was a nice drive, but ended in disappointment because the place was closed. We made the drive back and just chilled for the rest of the night. We watched Titanic and went to bed.



Here's the Logan at night from space. (The room window.)



The next morning we had another delicious breakfast. We actually ate it in the jacuzzi just to say that we did.


We later went to the Bluebird again for lunch and free dessert for our anniversary and got great service and more great food. After lunch we went to the mall and then went home to Rexburg.

The End.

Happy-Robert and Lois!

These pictures are of where I took Lois to celebrate a bunch of celebrations we didn't get to celebrate on their proper dates due to school and work.

The celebrations took place from March 27 to March 29.


Lois had no idea what I had planned for the weekend. We went to Logan, Utah and stayed at the Anniversary Inn. It is a bed and breakfast with themed rooms. The picture is of Lois when we first got there and stayed in a room called Swiss Family Robinson. It is awesome.



Bathroom Sink and Mirror! Pump didn't actually pump water, but it was fun to pretend.






















Here are more pics of the room.

















Another suprise I got for Lois and I was a 30 minute professional massage in the room Thursday night!

After that we had a relaxing dip in the jacuzzi and got some of the best A&W for dinner and watched Swiss Family Robinson from the bed on the projector.

We slept the night away with stars twinkling in the ceiling as we listened to SoundScapes on satellite radio.









Here I am getting breakfast!



Pics of the Logan temple we went to on Friday.