Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The crazy month of June!

I don't know where June has gone, but I am obviously slacking in the blogging area! I have seriously got to work on this once a month post thing. Maybe one day when I'm not working like crazy and we actually have the internet, I'll be better.

We attended Trayson's 5th bday part at the end of May. He got everything he loves; lots of flowers, planes and bugs.

Nate celebrated his 26th bday (no pics, I don't know why!) by working, having lunch with friends, attending ward softball, and then I surprised him with a banana cream pie (his fave), and rockband for his guitar hero. We spent the WHOLE weekend rocking out.

Our friends Isaac, Emily, and their son Eli came over to complete our band one night. Eli was very good at the guitar and loved watching his mom do the drums.

That same weekend was free fishing day in Idaho, Nate's dream way to spend a saturday. Unfortunately...

This was all we caught. Teeniest little fish I've ever seen. Since it was smaller than Nate's hand, he decided to throw it back.

The next weekend Nate's brother came up for a visit. We had so much fun at the Preston derby, taking our nephews fishing, and having a campfire with the whole family. Though it was during the rainy days of June, we had a blast.


Nate's fishing day started out with his line getting stuck in the weeds.
Here he is wading into the ice cold river, just so he wouldn't have to break his fishing line. I was laughing pretty hard at him. He really appreciated that!We had so much luck fishing that day! The most succesful fishing I've ever attended! We found a perfect spot where you couldn't keep your hook for a second without a bite.As much as Nate likes fishing, he doesn't especially enjoy taking the hooks out.And whene I actually catch one, it makes me really nervous and scared! I don't like to touch them at all, and I don't want them coming anywhere near me, so the men always take care of my fish for me.Little Sammy enjoyed his first fishing trip, but didn't like looking at the fish up close. But he really loved watching Grandpa Fuller gut the fish! He kept asking, Is that his bone, Grandpa? What's that part, Grandpa?" He was completely intrigued by the dead fishes, just didn't really enjoy the live ones. :)

Our June ended with a Fuller Family excursion down to southern Utah. Nate's grandpa used to spend a lot of time in the Pine Valley mountains (near the town of Enterprise, west of Cedar City). In the early 1920's, while spending time in his mountains, he carved his name into a tree in a lovely meadow where he and his friends would gather with their horses and camp. A few of Nate's cousins have spent the lasts few years spending time in these mountains just like their Grandpa did, and having seen pictures of the tree, wanted to find it. I think it was about 3 years ago, when one of them came across it on a tree they'd seen many times before. Since then, a small group of Fuller's have gathered every summer to hike and see Grandpa's tree. This summer, it was supposed to be as many Fuller's as possible, including all 6 of Grandpa's sons.
Here is the infamous tree. Stanley Fuller Nate in front of Grandpa's tree. I didn't want any pictures of me in front of the tree, because I was having a hard time smiling. The hike ended up being about 8 miles up (instead of the 5 we were told), and it was a lot more intense than we had planned on. SO once we got there, after 4 hours of up and down and all over a mountain, all I was thinking about was the fact that we had to go back down, another 8 miles. (Not to mention at this point we had already been downpoured on, hailed on, and I do NOT enjoy the idea of using Nature as a bathroom)

The meadow was beautiful, I just kind of wished Grandpa could have picked a closer tree!!


This is now called Fuller Grove (named by the Fuller's of course). Grandpa's tree is very farthest on the left. But now everyone that has made up to the tree, has also carved their name in another tree. The grove is covered in Fuller.
Here is our cousin and his dog, both pooped after the 8 miles up. This is pretty much how everyone felt. Luckily, the sun didn't come out until we arrived at the grove, or we would have all melted, I'm sure!
I believe there wer 52 Fuller's that made it to the tree, the most that have ever been. It was a pretty big to do! The ages of hikers/horseman that attended ranged from 77 to 7. Can you find my dear husband and his father?


These are the 6 Fuller sons in front of their dad's tree. Once everyone was gathered at the tree, there were stories told about Grandpa, stories told about how the tree was found, and my father in law and his brothers sang a song their mother used to sing to them all of the time. It was a pretty historic Fuller occasion.



Us Steve Fuller's that made it to Grandpa's tree. Me and Nate on the left, his sister, Sara who flew out from Virginia with her daughter, Sadie, to attned. Nate's youngest sister, Maren, Nate's Dad, Nate's brother Matt and his wife Katie. Nate's mom stayed at the motel with Matt & Katie's boys while the rest of us hiked our little hearts out. Sadie was the youngest on the hike, and she did so great! She had a better attitutude than me!

Our tree, on the Steve Fuller tree. I never plan on returning to this grove, and I never want to do that hike again! Nate kept telling me how fun he thought it would be to send our kids up to find our tree when they get older, while we stay at the campground. I told him i thought that was terribly mean, and I would never make anyone do that 16 mile hike ever! I told him he can pick a tree in his paren'ts backyard and we can carve it and send our kids out to find that one. Not up a mountain and then some.
All in all, our weekends have been completely packed lately! Nate has been so veyr busy finishing up his thesis; we are so excited. I look forward to having a day to clean the house and jsut take a load off! Summer shouldn't be this exhausting!! But we're greatful for it and are having fun when we can.
Oh, and way to go to all of those who are still reading.
PS...
We're going to have a baby! We find out the sex in two weeks. We're pretty stoked to be starting a family, and are so greatful that everything has gone well so far. Say hello to Nuggett!