Check Out Ella

Hey all my scrappin'/Twilight friends out there! Check out Ella and join me for a challenge that will get you thinking (and swooning...every girl needs a little eye candy!).

You and Me Goin' Fishin In the Boat...

Eric finally got me to go fishing with him on his new raft...and amazingly enough I didn't hook him, lose any flies, or tip the boat over! I surprised myself by enjoying it, until I tried my hand at rowing and about ran us into a cliff ledge. I think I will stick with floating or fishing...for the rafts sake! We boated a couple good ones, and I lost some that seemed to be bigger than the biggest I caught...but at least I actually caught a few (fishing is no fun without catching!). The biggest one I caught I didn't get a photo with though. Eric got one and then it was my turn and it flopped out of my hands and hit the edge of the net which caused it to fall into the water-bummer, but at least we got a photo!! We went up and camped the night before and can I just say that whoever made tents with those pole systems is a genius!! I am always amazed at how little time it takes for us to get our tent up! We cooked some dinner and hung out. Dinner was made super easy with the cool new dutch oven I scored at 1/2 off!! The lid comes off to make a skillet...pretty cool! Our camping spot was super neat too...right on the river...so peaceful! The sleeping conditions were not fun! Being that we are not spring chickens and pretty spoiled with our soft bed...the ground was super hard! Even worse...I forgot that Pinedale summer camping is colder than other places and forgot to pack socks or anything warm to sleep in so I was cold all night. However, lesson learned and I will remember next time. All in all we had a great trip...and I am beginning to see why Eric spend almost every day in his raft! Even when he is not guiding he is fishing himself...and although I don't think I will ever be that devoted, I think I have found a new hobby to do with the hubs!

Happy camping to all my friends!

Liz

Family Time!!

I finally sat down and finished the painting that I started when we moved here. The plain white canvases seemed a little blank for me so I decided to pull out my inner David Bromstad (who I wish would come and do my whole house-love him!!) and put a little color on them. I think they turned out pretty good for my first time and I can't wait to put them up in my house today now that they are dry!! It's starting to come together...finally!

We were sooo happy to have Eric's brother TJ and his family come for a visit on their way to Utah. The boys went fishing on Friday while Lib, Eve, Sage, and myself hung out in town. Lib and Eve went swimming at the pack while Sage and I cuddled. Lib and I spent some quality early morning hours together while she was up with the baby and I was up with back pain. The night before they left we took them to this great little cookout spot we found by the lake to do Philly sandwiches and over the fire cinnamon rolls. Eve enjoyed the cherries, while Eric and I struggled to toast our cinnamon rolls right. All in all it was a very fun visit!! Thanks for coming T and Lib!!

My Susies...

I just read this e-mail that I received from my mom and sister and it hit me pretty hard. Lately I've been looking around and contemplating how it is that I fit in. In my world, my life...in my job, my church, my family, my friends, and in this new place I call home. Figuring out who I am is kind of a constant for me. I used to feel so sure about life, and through a series of different events I found that I wasn't so sure anymore. I guess that's the lords way of keeping me on my toes, and it's really helped me to become pretty independent. Most days I don't mind being by myself or having alone time, but there are times where that just isn't enough. Heaven knows I have had plenty of "Susies" in my life. Those people that just get who you are and what you are about without you having to do anything. Sadly, most of my Susies don't live around me anymore-but I know that I can count on them night or day-regardless of how far apart we are. You all know who you are-know that I love you, and appreciate you in a way you will never understand.

"Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of the sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.' He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! 'Now all of the sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else -Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz! 'Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.

'May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith."

This e-mail also brought me hard back to the realization that Christ has always been and will always be a "Susie" for us all. He has made it possible for us to continue on in this world by constantly covering us for our mistakes. Instead of taking the credit, He is frequently waiting in the wings being ridiculed. All the while He goes on loving us and taking all the negative feedback because He too has been there. He suffered for all our sins and we are never alone-because there is nothing in our lives that He too has not faced in His. I know that the Savior Jesus Christ suffered for my sins, and although often times I am not that great at showing my appreciation-I do appreciate Him and all He and my Heavenly Father have done for me.

May all my friends have "Susies" in their lives to help them when they are down!

Liz

Photo Credit to Mark Mabry

Summer Fun

Sooo...the problem with having 2 cameras is that I usually don't get around to importing photos from both. However, I have finally done the little one and have photos of all the fun we have been having since May. First we finally had our anniversary dinner...steak, shrimp, and calamari with the sides-super yummy! Next was my adventure of putting together our new dresser by myself-which the instructions say not to do, but I did it and it works great. I also got it in to our room and loaded by myself, the joys of being a coaches wife! I also finally got our cool rug from my Grandma down and it feels heavenly! I haven't taken a photo since my mom helped me make curtains...but soon enough (thanks again mom!). Next is when my family came to visit...we went fishing at one of the lakes around Pinedale, I believe it was called Dollar Lake. The kids had fun snacking and playing in the dirt. Us ladies visited around the fire since it got a little cold and rainy, and the guys enjoyed fishing and catching little trout fish. We had lots of fun while they were hear and grew accustom to having a much louder than usual home. Most recently I went to Pocatello and did 5 photo shoots which you can find sneaks of on my photography blog. From there we came home and did one concrete pour with our buddy Seth who came from Cali to work with us for a week. After one day of being home and working we jumped in the car to go to Cody for the fourth and for TJ and Libs newest additions blessing. While we were in Cody we didn't do much because we all got sick...but we were able to go out on a four wheeler ride before all that happened. It was fun and Eric and I learned what a crazy lady Peggy is on her new four wheeler...and she was great about us teasing her with her super efficient hand signals-haha! On Sunday we went to Billings for the baby blessing and got to meet our new niece and spend time with family! She is a doll and so tiny! And of course, what would an Oram get-together be without some basketball. The boys had fun playing and dunking-Cameron proved his skills on the court...and showed them how much taller he had gotten by taking up their dunking challenge. Over all it was a fun trip-but we missed Chad and Jessica being there!! That night we drove back to Pinedale and the boys and I have been working all week to get all of our concrete done. It is a hard and dirty job...pouring, stamping, and staining! They laid the last of it last night and now just have cleanup and sealing to do (you can also see photos of how the house progressed with painting-looks just like I imagined!). So far our summer has been fun and way to fast! Up next will be the finished product of all our hard work, and enjoying some outdoor time in Pinedale!

Fun summers for all my friends!

Liz