Another fun week in Salmon

Here is Little Red Riding Hood. This is a square place mat that sits underneath some decorations and a CD Player. Brooklyn was very determined to get it out from underneath all of that stuff. She did it and....let me put it on her head. She wore it around for quite awhile.


My mom's sister Annette along with a few of her kids and grandkids were in Salmon for a week. The weather was crazy and not really super warm. We had crazy rain storms that would roll in about 2:00 and it would just downpour. We did have some time (and nice weather) to go up to our neighbors little petting zoo. It was so fun and they kids were all so cute!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! Her face is priceless. They were just tiny baby goats but it was licking her and she was laughing so hard!

Rachel, Colette's little girl, loved it. She was giggling and laughing the whole time. I just love the sound of little kids laughing.

Megan was also in town with Becky's youngest 2 and Molly hated it all.

Sophie holding a little rabbit

Brooklyn was not sure how she felt about the rabbit sitting in her lap

Sophie and Rachel loved chasing the ducks

And cute Easton loved it all!!!! We had a great time and it was so fun to catch up. I haven't seen Annette and her family for 3 years and it was so great to catch up and hang out with them for a week. Now.....my trips are done! :( There willbe a few more quick weekend trips to Blackfoot but it is almost back to work and moving time! It has been been a fun summer!

Stokes Reunion

I just LOVE this picture! Brooklyn is getting so many teeth and she looks so cute! Seth, Em and Brooky have been living in Salmon for the summer and it has been so fun to see them a little more. Our house will be so quiet and Grandma, Gramps and Uncle Josh won't know what to do without them!

The last weekend in July we had our Stokes reunion in Salmon. We had a great time. It started with a service day at Grammie and Papa's house where we cleaned inside and out. Painting, trimming bushes, cleaning windows, the kitchen, painting bathrooms and throwing stuff out. It was a fun day and it was so great to be able to help them!

After a long work day, we took the kids out to our house and played on the famous water slide! We have an awesome waterslide using a mattress and a huge tarp.

Mary going down the water slide

Emily and Brooky

Here is Tyler

And me.....

And me with Brooky! She was so cute and was clapping every time her mom went down the water slide

Our Friday night dinner! It was great weather and we had yummy hamburgers and hot dogs made my Chef Stokes (aka, my mom!!!)

Our friends Hailey and Jeremy have these cute little mini horses. They brought them out and took everyone on wagon rides. It was really fun.

Hillary, Cooper and Rachel

A girls picture

The Stokes family. We sure missed Nate though but knows he is needed in the Philippines

Just a few other random fun picutres. On Saturday we spent the day at the park and played games and ate and just talked. It was fun to hear from all the families and hear updates on everyones lives. I sure love my Stokes family and am looking forward to next year when we can do it again!

News from the Philippines

This email was too good not to share. He is so funny and it is such a Nate thing to say stuff like this in his emails. But enjoy!!

hey everyone
you all sound so amazing, i cant believe football starts tomorrow i
bet you all are just remember to send me some clips or something im
way exited. well this week was awesome we had our three baptisms last
week they were so awesome i got to baptize the one that just got
married it was so much fun and at the end of it when the were all
giving there testimonys and one of the girls started crying way hard
and she was like i am so greatful that i have finaly found the truth
then she talked about how in the bible it says the truth will set you
free and she just talked about how free she felt from all of her
wrongs she once did, it was so awesome the spirit was way strong i
loved it so much, well other than that not a lot happend this week
just a lot of work one thing though was yesterday in church i got the
chance to feel what it was like to be a mom during sacrament i was
sitting with a few families one is a recent convert so i was watching
her girl as she was getting confirmed and then there was one more
little fart and it was way fun but just as you em i didnt get a thing
out of the meeting but it was so fun all the moms are like the kids
were way good today i will give them back to you next sunday, so we'll
see thanks mom for teaching me how to be quiet during church i just do
what ever you did with me and josh and sorry for being a little head
ache for you. well we gotta run but i just want you all to now that i
love you all tons and good luck in football this week josh dont kill
anyone
love elder stokes or mister mom

Home, home on the range

Something about McDonalds, soft serve ice cream, a long car ride and Sara and I together! We always get one. And nothing was different on our trip home to Salmon this time. We stopped in Idaho Falls and got us one! Mmmmm, they are good! We were going home this time for our Stokes family reunion. I love reunions! They are so fun. We went home a few days early to help get ready and just play. So, here are a few things we did...before the reunion!

We took a drive! We spent about 3 hours in the car driving up to Leesburg, an old minng town that is nothing now. We had a picnic, tried to find Panther Creek hotsprings (with no luck) and just enjoyed the beautiful place that I call home.

Mom and Dad

The girls (and mom's finger)

Seth and Josh did some exploring in Leesburg and came back with this little frog. Dad is pretending to eat it but it goes back to when Nate (who is on his mission in the Philippines) sent home a picture very similar to this but the frog was HUGE!!!!

We got amazing snow and rain this winter and spring which is great for my dad's occupation of a farmer but not so great for those who are river junkies. The river was unfloatable for quite some time. It was sad as we had several people die in the river this year. This is a pretty cool picture and you can see how high the water was. It is now about normal but it was about 10 feet higher than normal.

So, this is just the start of many blog posts to come of my splendid two weeks in Salmon. More reunions, water fun and family time to come! Stay tuned!!!

Remember this

Last summer I posted this picture of the Free Fall Water Slide at Seven Peaks. (This could also be known as the wedgie slide!!) Well, I was so proud of myself last summer for having gone down it once. Well yesterday, Tyler, Tate, Amber and I went and spent 6 awesome hours at Seven Peaks. It was beautiful 90 degree weather and we had a great time. First slide of the day is the dreaded orange one. I did it and was so scared. Then I did it again a little while later and it was still scary but a little more fun. Then I did it AGAIN! And I just had a few butterflies and was finally able to admit that it is a fun water slide. So, I believe my fear of these water slides is almost conquered.

Drive in movie theater- CHECK

This is the drive in movie theater on Redwood Road. And...Tyler and I went last night. Coming from tiny towns, neither of us had ever (yes, ever in our lives!) been to a drive in movie. So many people were shocked but Salmon and Blackfoot just don't have stuff like that! So, we went last night. It was really fun. You just...watch a movie in your car! But it was really fun! We had a good time and enjoyed the last of the Harry Potter movies (which I thought was very good!)

Another chapter in the life of Carrie

Sometimes I feel that my life is a book. Though sometimes it might not be a very exciting book and sometimes it could bring one to tears, it is my story! My life is so wonderful and though ups and downs happen in life, it's still mine.

I have had a great almost 5 years here in Salt Lake. I worked 4 wonderful years at a school that helped me become the teacher that I am. I met wonderful people and made great friends, some of whom will be friends for life. For the past 3 years I have lived with wonderful women who have had a huge impact in my life. They have been there through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. They have been my family!

I have met the love of my life and and enjoyed every second of our courtship! My life would not be the same without him and am the luckiest girl in the world.

The next chapter of my life is just beginning as I have accepted a job at Provo Canyon School in Provo where I will be working with troubled kids. I am excited for this new challenge and all that is will offer. Orem will soon be my new home and Provo my place of employment. I have loved Salt Lake and all it has offered me but I am ready and excited for the next chapter and all that wonderful things that will come!