Jackson Hole!

We are so blessed with great friends and the means to go visit them. We drove with our buddies Hil and C to Idaho Falls, where our other buddies Mel and Justin live. We played in Southeast Idaho for a night, livin' it up at the Riot Zone (unfortunately we didn't take our cameras!) and a sweet steakhouse.

Then Saturday, the 7th, we went river rafting around Jackson Hole, WY with our awesome friends. Justin's family has a ton of boats and all the supplies to do a river trip, so they were generous enough to share with us all. It was INCREDIBLE! Wyoming is gorgeous. I love it, despite the jokes everyone makes about the state. There were some sweet rapids, water fights, throwing's in (??), and lots of good memories made.

After the trip we went into "town" (Jackson Hole) and ate the most incredible chocolates and desserts. The town is charming and there is so much to see, but we were all so exhausted that we opted out of the touristic opportunities... there will be other chances to browse and wander.

I am so grateful for my best friends and I'm even more grateful that Jon fits right into that group. It's like we've all known each other forever... and that we'll be buddies forever!

Things I learned on our ID/WY trip:

1. too many strawberries and a car trip don't mix.

2. inflate an inflateable mattress ALL the way before trying to sleep on it... especially with a bed partner!

3. Glacier fed water is really REALLY cold.

4. 2 lbs. of fried chicken is PLENTY for a group of six.

5. Revenge is a _____ - especially on the river.

6. High-quality chocolate is worth the price.

7. you're never too old for playing at a mini-theme park

8. Don't go to Craigo's 30 minutes before closing time. They're mean.

We did it!

My family has a wickedly mean 4th of July tradition that I dragged my sweet Jon into. It's actually an awesome tradition if you forget every year how painful it was the year before. While other families are barbequing or relaxing by the pool to celebrate our country's independence, we hike an incredibly tall mountain somewhere in Utah.

This year my dad chose Mt. Timpanogos, the second highest peak in Utah or something like that, then he was conveniently too sick to go. (Just kidding, he would have loved to have been there and we missed him terribly.) It was beautiful, exhilirating, challenging, grueling and, by the end, very painful. It took us 9 hours to hike, but will take a week to recover!

My sisters Candace and Connie, Candace's boyfriend Cam, and our friends Mike, Burton, and Jefferson hiked with us. We saw moose and mountain goats, many beautiful flowers, waterfalls, glaciers, and amazing views of ALL the surrounding valleys (Park City, Salt Lake, Utah County, etc.). In my opinion, everyone should hike this mountain once in their life. But maybe not more than that! :)

Below: Us at the saddle, at the top of Timp, and us on the way down (notice my enthusiasm)

Housekeeping...

How many people does it take to fix a dryer vent? I guess the more appropriate question would be 'how many injuries does it take to change a dryer vent'... because we suffered a couple of casualties before completing a seemingly simple task. Jon noticed our house was getting more hot and humid than normal, and he quickly realized it was the dryer vent hose.

The typical couple would just quickly replace it and move on with their evening. Oh no, not the Hagens. First we cleaned out the entire pantry. Then Jon moved the dryer out, only to find that the newly installed shelves blocked complete access to the vent. So I (Bonnie) dove into the cavity where the vent hid. (Why do they put those so far down anyway??) But when Jon tried to help he nearly crushed me in between the dryer and the wall. THEN... here's the clincher... he let a really bad one go while I was stuck down there and couldn't escape. I nearly died.

Then I could only reach with one hand while supporting myself with the other... which made it impossible to tighten the zip tie contraption Jon had constructed. (That and the lack of oxygen and clean air to my brain was making me very light-headed!) At last Jon got back there, got the job done, swept it out, and nearly impaled himself on the shelf coming back up. Phew.

After a quick organizing of the pantry contents, we were finished. All for what? Clean underwear and socks... mom would be so proud.

Swimming!

We have a pool and consider ourselves to be Triathletes in training. Every good triathlete needs the proper gear to be successful. What do you think? The green swim cap squishes my brains out, but I'm a speedy gonzalez with it on! :)

Separation Anxiety

Yesterday was an eventful day. We sold my car on Friday and immediately decided to buy a new car. I was ecstatic, but part of me was really sad to see my Mira (miracle!) car go. We've been through a lot together: surviving a bully on her birthday (a huge semi truck!!), roadtrips, moving several times, lots of quality washing time together, and most importantly, the fact that she was my first "grown-up" purchase. I remember my dad saying he was proud of me for buying such a practical car, even though he had to watch me plow through a red light and get hit by a huge truck. Those were good times!

So I was really pushing for a pimpin' machine (see previous post) but I think we chose more wisely with a 2007 Toyota Camry. It's beautiful and I'm really excited to have her in my life. No if I can only watch out for red lights and semis... I think this will be a beautiful relationship!