Mr. and Mrs. Snow

we were able to attend our beautiful niece's wedding yesterday. everything was perfect and so romantic.
we are so happy for them. they looked so in love.

during the ceremony, we thought we were going to get clobbered by the giant storm that was headed our way.

but we didn't.

the bride(s)?

the lovely photographer (holly) and the beautiful bride....

the bride changed into the party dress and it was time to boogie the night away.

i love weddings.

we definitely had a good time.

such special people that i know...

 {picture found here}

Sunday...

i am in love with my new ward. all the ladies are so incredibly friendly. and none of them have a problem introducing themselves to me. i am sorta shy in that department. i have met a new lady each sunday i have gone. they are all so very sweet.

this sunday was wonderful. it was a lovely lesson on family responsibilities. given by a wonderful teacher. the lady that sat next to me that day, i was so excited about, because she has given my favorite lesson so far. i spoke about it in this post. her name is Virginia. she is beautiful and so very sweet. we chit chatted for a little while. she asked me to come to the temple (monday) to help pack away things that are inside the temple because the temple is now closed for up to a year plus for remodeling. i was instantly hooked on going. she said they would be putting away the crystals from the chandeliers. that sounded so neat. i wanted to go for sure.

ryan left that night for burley to go to work until tuesday. so i thought it would give me something to do while he is away. i suddenly thought of holly and how i wanted her to come with me to share the experience. there are a few more people i would have loved to take with me, but there wasn't really an option to take all of them (because of work schedules and living far far away). i was so pleased when holly said she was able to come. and she suggested we go shopping after! i wanted a new dress for our niece's wedding.

Monday...
holly came and picked me up after i was done with work. when we got there it was a little crazy. there were so many people helping and it almost looked done. after looking and walking around the temple we finally found virginia and she lead us to one of the chandeliers that they were working on taking down. we got to wrap them up. it was awesome. it took a pretty long time and i think my back hurts from bending the way i was, but it was so worth it. it was really and amazing experience.

so then we went shopping. holly found some way cute shirts for her mom. and holly told me that diane got her hair cut too. i totally wanted to see it, because it sounded adorable. when she went home she took a picture of her in one of her new outfits and sent it to me on my phone....

looking beautiful diane :) 

ryan texted me and told me he was done early and was heading back that day. YAY! I was so excited he was coming home a day early.

thanks for coming holly. it was great.

we will see you guys at the wedding tonight!!!

here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck cluck

 george's laying hens

ryan has been talking about chickens ever since we got married. he has wanted them to be raised naturally and to eat the grass out on his parents land (someday on ours... when we find some).

anyway, his dad finally gave in or something like that.

his mom wasn't thrilled about the idea, as she is a little disgusted about the eggs they lay. she likes to walk out in bare feet on the grass without the chance of having chicken poop between her toes.

i didn't love the idea of having his parents being the ones to raise them.

in the end, we all compromised.

ryan decided to get 20.

yes, 20 whole chickens. these aren't the laying kind. they are the kind to butcher.

i guess i better find a lot of good chicken recipes. 

when you see one of these....

how can you say no?

well, if you watch as they grow, you just might. they have very ugly stages.

these babies grew soo fast. so fast in fact, they can barely walk. so fast in fact, some died.  

(after i took this picture, one died the very next day)

they think it might because of what they are feeding them. and that they are eating ALL. THE. TIME.

so they are taking the food out of the coop for part of the day now.

hope that's enough.

ryan has been so excited about this chicken business that he ordered parts to make a chicken plucker.

click here. 

this is where the butchered chickens live...

is that a camper shell? why yes... yes it is. classy right? there is an electric wire wrapped around the bottom to keep the wild animals from getting to them.

ryan has been working awfully hard on this chicken coop for the laying hens. he was working on it in the shop, out of the sun. but it got heavy way too fast with all the wood he was using. so they had to figure out a way to move it over by the "to be butcherd" chicken coop.
this is the idea they came up with...

lift it with a winch and put it on the trailer.

so this is what all his hard work turned into (not finished yet)

 lovely! im so proud. it will be painted and insulated and have chicken wire on the windows and a sliding door for the chickens to walk out of. a perch inside and laying boxes.

these little chickies are gunna have a nice warm home to live in all peaceful and happy.

 

our 4th of July weekend started with tears and ended with a BANG!

we headed off to miracle hot springs for the jones family reunion. it was my aunt teena's turn to plan the entire event.

i was feeling so sad that i didn't get to talk to my sister before we left, because there was no cell service there.

(she told me earlier they couldn't afford to come to the reunion)

mind you, this is not when the tears started.

so i texted her a little sorry, but i will call you monday note.

made me feel a little better.

i was SO excited to see all my family. reunions are the best.

so we were going to go with my mom. but she was really stressed and wanted to wait.

anyway, we were over half way there and i missed quite a few calls.

it all started to sound a little strange. my mom all of a sudden wanted to come really bad?

and my sister didnt ever get my text? her phone was out of service.

i said to ryan, wouldn't it be awesome if daegan and charlie were there? (sister and her husband)

he was like, "i wouldn't get your hopes up"

but there was something for sure fishy about this whole business.

anyway, we both had to find the bathroom before we went to tell everyone hello. but sierra met us over there. she seemed in a big hurry to get us over to the group.

so we walked over.

and i saw charlie and foston walking around.

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!

i screamed and yelled and ran and cried (hence the tears). and picked up foston and swung him around.

i knew it. i had a gut feeling.

THEY WERE HERE!

they made it to the reunion. it was a surprise.

the best surprise!

fos was a little shook up from the startling scream and yell attack.

but he was excited.

i just hugged all of them. and i sorta forgot about anyone else being there. until i stopped the shaking.

the kids LOVED to get dirty... especially mino, she used that shovel to dump on her head.

(my little boogmister)

fos loved to play this game.

and he also loved to do this...

Lala was surprised too :)

just some of the family. not everyone was there yet.

ryan and charlie made a hamak and shaded area out of tarps.

daeg did face painting for the kidos...

while jessica painted the girls' nails red white and blue.

there was the famous slap attack with slap sticky hands...

there were relay games...

water fights and treasure hunts...

there were doggies and crocodoggles (crocodiles as mino calls them and they were actually alligators)

and LOTS and LOTS of swimming and terrible sunburns and bug bites.

this crocodoggle was laying right next to the fence when we first wen to look at it. but our cousins were telling us it was fake. but then it hissed and they pushed us to make us jump. anyway we screamed and it was freaky.

on the last day (the 4th) we all got up and had breakfast. got our stuff together and kinda chilled a little before we had to leave. i think mino wanted to lighten the mood before she and her family had to leave us. so she sang us a song.

we left at a pretty good time after crying and having to say goodbye to everyone. 

we went home and showered. and let me tell you it is an amazing feeling after not being able to in so long.

then we went over to my mom's to hang out. we ended the night with chalk pictures on the sidewalk and a dance off between ryan and charlie....

and my mom's neighbors let us watch their firework show.

happy 4th everyone.