Backseat Babysitter

So, uhhh what do you do when school is almost killing you and you need a break?

You go to Salt Lake with your cousins and their baby.

You know, to do cool stuff. 

Like visit IKEA for the first time in your life.

Or visit Hogel Zoo for the first time in your life. I know. First time. Gasp! I saw a tiger.

I was the backseat babysitter and Breck loved it. So did his parents. I'll be for hire soon everybody.

(not a lot of pics from the zoo...good thing my cousin on the left and I look like were dating.)

And since there are going to be days when I will feel overwhelmed and ready to give in...I will grab a Diet Coke and remember that I can be this happy too, if I put a cool hat on.

Summer Breeze & the 'Bee's Knees'

The perfect summer night...

And me climbing in/out of bushes, balancing on the back of benches, pushing branches out of my face to avoid loosing an eye, and laying in a bed of deer turds, all for the sake of making a moment the perfect moment.

Que: Bryan and Erika

Both in Argentina at the time serving an LDS mission, they became aquainted with one another. The first time Erika layed eyes on Bryan she whispered to her companion that he "looked like Buzz Lightyear". 

Nothing of "love" interest was in the air for the two missionairies. After all... they had other work to focus on.

Time went by and both came home from their missions.

The real deal started when Bryan invited Erika to drive an hour to Logan and have "an adventure". Erika drove that hour to Logan without really knowing what she was getting herself into. Bryan is my cousin and I've known him since birth, so I know how much of a risk Erika was taking.

 He's crazy....crazy awesome. A crazy good risk that led up to a year of dating...

In that year of dating, I met Erika for the first time at our family cabin in Bear Lake. I knew I liked the idea of her to be with the family the moment we laughed our heads off till the wee hours of the morning over making Rice Krispies and talking about boys who can in fact, "handle it".

Handle what? Anything and everything that us girls are made of.

In this year of dating there was a break between the two...Bryan was on the verge of moving to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah and in the meantime have a life changing jaw surgery. They decided that a break may be good thing for awhile.

And dear sweet Erika, honey, it was a good thing you didn't have to see poor Bryan after surgery. He looked like a sluffy lump or in Grandma Elaine's words a "slobber dick".

However... Love prevailed!

Bryan kept having the feeling to keep in contact with Erika. They kept contacting each other and talking of anything and everything ultimately leading to Erika moving down to Salt Lake and them dating full time all the time.

Bryan told me one weekend at the cabin that they were planning on getting married. It was just a matter of time to find the ring and set it up as a surprise. He asked me to be the surprise photo taker, I gladly accepted the new challenge for me.

We arrived early to set up the moment.

The chandelier was hidden by the darkness of night in the tree tops, you'd never know it was there unless you set it up with us.

Waiting to assume position...the not so subtle hint the knee was going to hit the ground was Bryan letting out a loud cough to signal the light be turned on.

On their way...!!

I sat crouching for what seemed an eternity getting ready to jump up and start snapping left and right. It's always the moment you find the perfect hiding place and have to be quiet when the "pee spell" hits your bladder. 

 (pitch dark, she has no idea I am 8 ft away from her)

Erika: "It's crazy how a one hour drive got us all the way to here."

Bryan: "Yep, and now were here." (He said that like 4 times, think he was nervous?)

...lets out a big cough...

...chandelier turns on....

"Erika Ann Richman, will you marry me and start a life long adventure with me?"

Shock...and a "Oh my gosh! I really didn't think it would be tonight!"

Would ya look at that sparkler? Courtesy of S.E. Needham Jewelers

Ahhh! Can't wait to do third wheeling dates...only slightly joking friends. These two are a good time whether I'm third wheel or not.

Yes indeed look how far you guys have come after one year. Look at all the things you have done and grown together in so many ways. That one hour drive is turning into one whole eternity together. One little risk...

"It is a risk to love. What if it doesn't work out? Ah, but what if it does."

-Peter McWilliams-

Fife and Wife

Howdy guys...Have you ever wondered what it's like to have 4 horses, 18 chickens, 1 duck, 5 goats, 2 dogs, 9 puppies, 1 cat, and let's not forget 9 goldfish?

Well if not, let me introduce you to the Fife Family. Paige, my dear cousin, married Tony Fife back in 2011.

I spent part of the evening with Paige at the land where they keep their horses. And chickens. And duck.

I watched as Paige rode and worked with her horse while waiting for people interested in a horse she had trained.

In the meantime Paige refreshed my memory of how Tony and her met...

It all started in March of 2011. Paige was invited to go on a ski trip with her/my cousin Austin along with a few of his friends. At first she was iffy about it, then our Uncle Dave took matters into his own hands and called Paige's boss and said that Paige needed some time off to go on this ski trip. (Her boss just happened to be one of the coolest people ever, Sarah Lay.)

Paige went into the ski trip expecting nothing grand, grand in terms of love I mean. This is where Tony skied into the picture.

I watched Paige as she sat atop her horse and relayed her love story to me. The edges of her mouth turned up into a cute smile as the story unfolded.

Her sweet giggle filled the small area of her voice echoing with the tales of Tony and her flirting on the ski trip. Smiling she said, "I flirted with both Tony and another guy on the trip, obviously I was into Tony though." 

Their first kiss was nothing short of sweet. Tony asked Paige to play a game, which Paige went along with. Tony explained to her that you would close your eyes and see who could get the one with the eyes closed to laugh. Tony closed his eyes as Paige went first, she tickled him and made him laugh. Paige closed her eyes next. 

Paige looked at me and laughd, "All of a sudden he was kissing me! It took me a minute to realize what was going on, but then I kissed him back." 

In August the two were married.

They both have a love for common interests that they both share. Horses, dogs, outdoors, and adventures! For the first couple months of being married they lived in a trailer up at Beaver Mountain. The next summer they lived in a tent down on the property where they keep their horses. That is quite certainly an adventure they will be telling their grandkids in years to come. 

A tent though!!

It just so happens that Paige and Tony are expecting a little one...on the way and arriving in November. Paige is stil riding horses with a cute little pregger bump, like a pro. 

The passion these two have for their animals is something else. I listened to Paige for over an hour talk to two people about horses and let me tell you, this girl is a horse whisper. 

When it was time for us to finish up on the horse property, Paige fed the horses and I was in charge of wrangling up the chickens. I clearly was in the wrong shoes. Chasing chickens in a dusty area while it's hot outside makes for dirty legs and feet...

  Oh hell. I hate chickens but I was ready for the challenge to gather up 18 chickens. By the way you make this kind of clucking noise to herd them in, or maybe Paige just told me that so I was running around and chasing the chickens while looking like a fool clucking at them?

  Also there is one duck, who thinks he is a chicken as well.

 In return I got to take home some fresh farm eggs. The colors are so pretty. I think I need some chickens now...

I found the motherload!

Alas, it was time to head back to Paige and Tony's homestead in Smithfield

They're standard poodle, Fawn, gave birth to 9 puppies this morning! Yes I said 9!

The proud father, Baloo. All 90 lbs of happiness and tons of fluffy butt tuffs. If you are interested in these puppies they are called a "Bernadoodle"

The raspberry bushes in the backyard are plentiful, I ate handfull after handfull

"But mom...I want a raspberry too!"

As if taking care of all those animals wasn't enough, Tony is working on an awesome car that will soon one day be the family shaggin' wagon!

Rows of corn

Here is baby horse Penelope

And can we just talk about how friendly goats are?! With one exception of a goat named Dewey from my childhood. (He still gives me nightmares)

Paige may be our horse whisper, but Jaron can sure get the two cows here attention!

Baby Penelope rubbing little baby Fife. This child will be born running around the house in nothing but cowboy boots and a popsicle grin

If I ever had a cow, I'd name her Miss Sally

Every morning the Fife's are up and ready to go to take on the day, starting with milking the goat!

They showed me the process of milking their goats. Tony is going into education and planning on being a high school agriculture teacher. I have no doubt he will do great seeing as he already lives some of the things if not most of what he will be teaching one day! 

The first time they told me to take a sip of goats milk from the jar, I was so nervous. But let's justify that goats milk is actually quite delicious, just like normal cows milk.

Paige swears by the nutrients in goats milk like the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" swears by Windex's healing powers.

And finally meet their cat Si. What would a farm life be without a funny little kitty cat. He's totally ready to pounce on my camera.

If you were ever thinking about wanting this kind of life of raising animals, then the Fife's are your people to go to. Their passion for what they do and enjoy reminds me and all of us that it's important to do what you love and love what you do. 

They work hard and play hard which is something to remind ourselves on a daily basis. 

It's a good thing to get outdoors and see how other people live and work. To understand what is around you, you must listen, watch, and try hence this lifestyle blog entry.

If you want to see how not to wrangle chickens in their coop, don't listen, watch or try the method I attempted. The dang things will huddle under a tree and watch you foolishly cluck and clap your hands at them while thinking what a crazy "city girl".