LAKESIDE

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It was free of charge to get into Yellowstone a few weekends ago, and we were all over it. The night before we could get in to the park, Andrew and I decided to get our first camping of the year in. See how excited we were? Andrew was delirious with joy.

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We invited Crazy #1...

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...And Crazy #2. .
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In that order.

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And, despite the weather forecast, we were off in Lane's new Jeep.

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In case you were wondering(because I always do): the name of the new Jeep is Injun.

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But the naming of our vehicles will have to wait for another post.
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In our search for a place to camp, our fears of rain materialized in the form of cats and dogs. Giant, ferocious cats and dogs. Mixed with hail stones.

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But then, as if God had compassion for our camping plight, the rain slowed, the sun shown, and the most incredible rainbow I have ever seen came into view.
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It seemed to end in the middle of a nearby field. It looked so close! As a result, I was determined to chase it.
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We'll just ignore the fact that we were headed in that direction anyway.
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But as far as we could tell, there was no sign of gold or magical men anywhere...and I have to say...it was kind of a let down.

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I did, however, get a few really nice pictures.
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It soon turned into a full double rainbow! Can you see the faint color above the bright one?
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I couldn't get far enough away to fit the entire thing in my viewfinder!
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We finally found the most beautiful, secluded site, directly on a lake. We hurried to get camp set up before the darkening clouds let loose on us again. We were able to enjoy our hot dogs and company potatoes, clean up, and get to our tents just before we heard the raindrops begin to fall.
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The countless posted warnings of frequent grizzly bears in the area made for a restless, uneasy sleep for me. Apparently, I'm a wuss. And I was a sharing a tent with Becca. I like Becca and all, I just have serious doubts at her abilities to protect me in the face of an attack.

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As such, I was up before the sun.

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But I was glad to be up when I was. I would not have wanted to miss this view from our tent! I love this picture!

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After a night of consistent rainfall, everything around us was soggy and drippy, but we had remained cozy and dry in our sleeping bags.

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I spent at least an hour sitting in the doorway, watching these birds float below the lightening sky. Some kind of pelican maybe??

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I, on my early morning perch.
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Andrew! My love! My protector from grizzlies and mice alike! How did you sleep without me?

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In case you're wondering, I was sitting in the outhouse, when a mouse crawled under the door to join me. I had a small conniption...and do not wish to discuss it further.

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Hello, Becca. You are looking exceptionally happy this morning. Enjoying your hot chocolate?

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Why must I take so many pictures, you ask? Silence, infidel! You would never understand my compulsion!

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And besides, I bought you cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
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Yes, Master. Whatever you say, Master.
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That's more like it.

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Despite the scenery, we were anxious to be moving on. With impending rain urging us on even faster, we ate our breakfast, loaded up Injun, and hit the road.
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Our next stop...Yellowstone National Park!

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TAKE A PICTURE...IT LASTS LONGER

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This is my bathroom sink. Isn't it beautiful?
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Thank you, I cleaned it myself.
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Mostly, I knew it wouldn't stay shiny past a couple of hours, because I currently share this bathroom with two men.
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Yeah. My thoughts exactly.
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But to be fair, I'm sure I contribute somewhat too (I have to say that unless one of the guys decide to catch up on the blog today). It' just that the thought of my polished sink splattered with toothpaste residue, soap scum, and a sprinkling of whiskers made me so sad, I had to took a picture to remember it by.
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Farewell, fair sink...It was lovely while it lasted...
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FOUR EYES

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So...I got glasses. And I kinda like 'em. I haven't had glasses for at least 10 years, but I thought I might as well rock this elementary teacher image. I swear, I feel my IQ rise several points every time I put them on. For example:
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*The billionth digit of Pi is 9.
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*When a flea jumps, the rate of acceleration is 20 times that of the space shuttle during launch.
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*1 and 2 are the only numbers where they are the values of the numbers of factors they have.
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Okay fine. So I looked those up on interestingfacts.com. But at least the glasses make me appear smarter, right? Right?
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The transition from contacts to glasses has been surprisingly rough. I'm still not quite over the sensation that I'm looking at the world through a fun house mirror. Flat surfaces look completely tilted, and walking down steps gives me the sensation that I'm falling. But it's getting better.
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So anyway, there you go. I've a four-eyed, bug-eyed, froggle-goggled geek (I just made all the jokes so you don't have to, by the way). And I'm proud of it, baby.
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JOLLEY OUTDOOR GAMES 2010

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At this charming old house, built over a hundred years ago...

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Andrew, stop it! Get out of my picture!

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I apologize. Let me try that again.

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At this charming old house, built over a hundred years ago, Uncle Doug and Aunt Cathy host the annual Jolley Outdoor Games every Memorial Day weekend.

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These games are serious business. Careful scores are kept, brackets organize the teams, and competition is fierce.

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But there is only one winner.

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Only one privileged family member with the honor...the glory...and the trophy on their mantle.

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This year, tents of the contestants dotted the beautiful backyard--for this tournament was too great to be held in one day, and many had traveled long distances to attend.

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Why hello, Becca.

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Blue skies over the canopy, trellises, gazebo, pond, grape vines, and gardens set the stage for the distinguished event.

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On a side note, this is the toad, that lived in the pond, that nearly drove all of us insane. For the record, a toad's mating call is not a pleasant sound.
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This shaded corner of the yard was to be our domain. It had a view.

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We woke up to this in the morning.

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And Cupcake here, stared from the fence into our tent for much of the afternoon.

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That first day, I was pleased to see Uncle Chris saunter past in a sombrero. I suddenly knew this weekend had to be a good one.

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In his defense, for those who not impressed by the headgear, Chris begets beautiful children. Meet Rachel Marie.

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This was me. Notice how full of hope and anticipation! So lighthearted and optimistic! So occupied by lofty dreams of wealth and glory! I would conquer all!

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How naive I was...

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The first contest was a rousing competition of Frisbee golf. After the course was carefully arranged with obstacles of varying degrees, and Frisbees were inspected to meet proper requirements, the games began.

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The course wrapped around the house. My stress level mounted as it soon became clear: I would be losing this event somethin' terrible.

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The competitors participated in many events over the next few days: kickball, field goal kicking, skeet shooting, beanbag toss, whiffle ball baseball, and other games I can't remember the names of.

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Here, Lane, Becca, and Andrew watch and prepare for the beanbag toss.

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But who were they kidding? No one was to outscore Amy's amazing skills.
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Even the animals took part in the competition.

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Until it was time for kitty's belly scratch, that is.

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I shall call him kitty and he shall be mine. And he shall be my kitty.
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At about this point, I was disappointed to find that Uncle Chris had opted for a new hat. Cool...but not nearly as cool as before.
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But then, after multiple qualifying rounds, the Jolley family hula-hoop championship commenced. It was to be a bitter fight between the opponents Arial, Celeste, and...
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...Becca.

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Cue the suspenseful music, please.
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It was to be a lengthy battle. But two were destined for defeat.

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(Becca is looking way too cocky here.)

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After an honorable attempt, Arial was the first to fall. She joined the cheering crowd.
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And now there were two. Pressure was mounting, as distractions were fired from the taunting spectators.
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But finally, after 25 minutes of hip twirling, there was victory at last!
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Rebecca is the champion!
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Are you curious about the strangeness of this image? For lack of a better name, this activity is called...the giant-stretchy-pink-thing-of-death!

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Apart from providing the joy of an extreme sport, this baby does a fabulous job of showing off the figures of its participants. =)
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But basically, this is how it works...
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Four people get inside and stretch away from one another...

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...until two people switch places hurtling the next two people to opposite sides of the stretchy circle. This goes on and on, at increasingly dangerous speeds until...
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...someone gets seriously injured.

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It's great fun!

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Near the end, many were feeling the effects of prolonged sun exposure. Exhaustion and sunburns were setting in to the point that I would have done anything for Chris' sombrero. I settled for this lovely topper instead.
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It was perfect.
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And many others sought relief in the shade. Including Andrew...
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Celeste...
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And Arial.

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So there's where the sombrero went!
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In the end, the opponents all joined together to share in celebratory feasting.
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As for the winner? I honestly don't know. The only thing I'm sure of is the fact that I didn't even come close.

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Until next year...

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WE'RE GOING CAMPING ANYWAY...

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Tonight's Forecast:
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Tomorrow's Forecast:
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The men set up the tents last night to waterproof them for our trip. Today, the wind keeps blowing them away.
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Yellowstone, here we come. Wish us luck.
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