A FEW (more) HAPPY FAVORITES

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1.)
My boots. I admit, I was a teeny bit skeptical when I opened the box Andrew had handed me. I'm a big fan of the small-town country feel, I've been on my fair share of horses, but...I'm no cowgirl. Wouldn't that make me a lame-o poser?
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Those were my thoughts then. But since that time, I have fallen passionately in-love with my cowgirl boots. I plan to marry them as soon as it's legal in the state of Idaho to do so.


*awkward silence*
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I apologize for that. It was bit extreme and I don't know what made me say such an embarrassingly shameful thing.
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Just know that I love the boots, and firmly believe every girl should own a pair. *ahem* Any-who...
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2.)
The flowers in my yard.
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What fun it is to be able to cut these from our yard and have a bouquet like this for free!
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Uncle Doug gave us a couple clay vase-like things that he made. I've used them to display flowering tree branches...

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...and blossoming lilac fronds. Fresh flowers make such a difference in the feel of the house...and in my womanly moods.
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3.)

Sunshiny rainstorms. There is something so fresh and beautiful about pouring rain in the sunshine. It goes against all my instincts to have all those drops falling from a clear blue sky. Liquid happiness, I tell ya. (Can you see the rain?)
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Sometimes it's hard to see rain with the camera, so I thought maybe you could see droplets on my car a little better...shimmering in the sun.
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Anyway, happy Friday, blogger buddies!
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We're going camping again. =)
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

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The crew, minus me. I'm behind the camera of, course.
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The first thing we noticed, was the flooding throughout the park. Remember, we've been getting a lot of spring rain.
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. A swan, swimming in the usually water-free plains.
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But we've never been here this early in the season. So, maybe it's normal?
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Our first exciting sighting of the day was a pair of wild wolves.
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They looked like a couple of German shepherds to me.
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But I guess it's still pretty cool.
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After driving past many beautiful views...
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. We arrived at a whole bunch of hot springs.
(see Lane, Becca, and Andrew?)
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They were really cool. This one was blue and bubbly. We saw so many hot springs that day I'm not going to even try to remember all of their real names.
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I'll call this one: Bubblin' Blue.
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This one was orange and steamy.
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I'll call it: The Orange Steamy.
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This was was blue and bubbly too.
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I'll call it...never mind. It was very beautiful...they all looked the same.
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Becca and I in front of another steaming' hot spring.
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A geyser.

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This hot spring was somewhat unique. Its orange color looked like a lava flow.
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There we are. A happy family.
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Next, we visited this place. A series of clear hot springs emptying into this lake.

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It all looked like a strange mix of the Caribbean, with its white beaches, and Alaska, with its snow capped mountains. (Do you see the hot spring caldera?)

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...Not to mention the COLD wind! Don't let the sunshine deceive you.
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As for the rest of the day, we spent much of the time staring through binoculars.
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We found a black bear,
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(I wanna hug it!)
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Waterfalls,
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Leftover cinnamon rolls,
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And pretty rivers.
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.This spot was fun because three rivers joined together into one. We sat there a long time enjoying the view.

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We were enthralled.

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Or maybe we were just happy to be out of the car. It's hard to tell.

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My paparazzi shot. Lane and The Beckster hiking around.
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Lane's hero shot.
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I took this picture with Travis and Brittany in mind. But mostly Travis. He and Andrew got WAY TOO CLOSE for comfort about three years back. I cringe every time I think about it.
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Next, we arrived at these hot spring falls. The wind was so cold I wanted to jump right in!

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But I probably would have been thrown in jail. And fined more money than I'll make my entire career. They're pretty strict about stuff like that here.

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We should know. Becca almost got arrested for eating her tuna fish sandwich on the board walk.
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.They sure are pretty though.
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Did I mention they were pretty?
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In Yellowstone, you see LOTS and LOTS of buffalo. But after awhile, they lose all of their appeal, because they don't so anything.
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So I was excited to see these two big bulls fight. I though it was interesting to watch them paw the ground, snort, and butt heads.
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Near the end of the day, we finally say our heart's desire: A grizzly bear and her cub!

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Well, sort of. It was REeeeALLY far away.

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And again, we barely avoided the weather that could have been made our trip super miserable. Just as we were back in the Jeep and leaving the park, heavy raindrops began to fall. I'm thinking that the rainbow the day before was our lucky charm.

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Signing out,

Yellowstone Navigator

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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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