catching up! -- 3 posts in 1

There just is not enough time in the day for me to blog anymore. I miss it when i can't post something on my blog or read and comment on yours. so, bare with me while I play a little catching up. First up is.....

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone

Over Labor Day weekend we finally made our yearly trip to the tetons and yellowstone. We actually got there at a good time during the afternoon because we spent the night before in Logan at Amandas, so we were ahead by 2 hours. :] It is always a long drive there, but Amandas husband, Quinten suggested that we listen to "The Hunger Games" on tape. I have a hard time following on tape, especially when there is other things to look at. Lets just say that I finally got into it on our way home. we didn't have time to finish it, so i HAD to buy it on my kindle because it was so good. It really did make our travel alot faster.

Friday night after we set up camp we went to Leeks Marina for some pizza since we all still looked presentable. haha! It was really good for eating there for the first time.

{Leeks Marina}

Saturday we spent some time at the chapel of transfiguration, the mennors ferry, the new moose visitors center, canoeing string lake as well as the river and hiking. There is just so much to see and do in the tetons, that you need alot of time or extra days to fit everything in.

{Holly + Amanda inside the Chapel of Transfiguration}

{Holly + I}

{Me,Bethie,Amanda, Holly and Maggie}

{Bethie at the Mennors Ferry General Store}

{beautiful tetons and mount moran}

{Holly getting ready to go down the river}

{Bethie + Holly on our hike to swan lake}

{Swan Lake}

Sunday we woke up and had a good breakfast and headed to Yellowstone. We took several detours on our way there looking at different sites. we stopped and checked out some geysers, the canyons and lower falls.

{dragons mouth geyser} stinky!!

{mud pots}

{tons of buffalo on the side of the road}

{Lower Falls} absolutely breathtaking!!

{Diane, Amanda + Holly at the brink of lower falls}

 On our way to tower, we spotted a bear on the side of the road. we seriously had front row seats from the car. it was SOO cool! such an adrenaline rush. I love seeing bears there or any other type of wildlife.

{this buffalo was just taking a stroll down the road causing a total traffic jam or should i say "buffalo jam"}

 It was so cold in yellowstone, but we stopped and had some lunch and then headed to Old Faithful. It was also very cold there, so we stayed inside to watch the geyser erupt.

We walked over to the lodge to get some souveniers in the freezing cold and once we were inside, it started to snow. yes, you read that right..it started to SNOW! it was sooo crazy!! We decided not to stay too long at the lodge, because the snow was starting to pick up and we didn't want to get caught in a terrible storm with the snow sticking to the roads, so we headed back towards the tetons. This night was the coldest night there, but we were prepared. I'm so glad i brought my gloves because i slept with them on my hands that night. haha!

I never ever want to leave the tetons once there because i never know when we will be going back. time seems to go by so fast there and i'm always wishing we have more time. Monday morning came and I knew that it was time to say good-bye for another year.

I LOVE the tetons! :]

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My 1yr. check-up with the RP specialist

I can't believe its been one year since I was diagnosed with RP. I guess you could say I was a little scared going into this, just because I didn't want to hear that my vision has gotten worse. I kind of knew that my vision at night has worsened, but I was hoping for nothing more.

The Drs. assistant asked me if I have noticed any difference in my vision,  and I haven't during the day, but i'm to the point now that I WILL NOT drive at night unless i'm going a very short distance. I also mentioned that I tried the vitamin A for about a month and a half to slow the process of RP down, but I experienced some moods that I had no idea I was doing until other people pointed them out to me. I became very easily agitated and irritated for no reason and I had no idea that I was like that at all.  I told him that I am no longer taking the medicine for my roomates sake. haha! Oh and everyone else that is around me on a daily basis. I told him that after being off of the vitamin A , I have not experienced any of those symptoms again. thank goodness. :]

They dilated my eyes and while I was seeing the Dr. he told me that everything seems to be the same. YAY!! He did ask me if I needed any visual aids for not seeing well at night. I just told him I have just been using a flashlight and that seems to be efficient for now. He did ask if I am still able to work, which I am and I'm grateful.

They also took photos of my eyes to check the rods and cones and he said that the pigment of my eyes have not changed and the rods and cones have not worsened.

I think I am being well taken care of here at the retina specialist for now. Hopefully in the next several years there will be no change for a very long time.

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Stewart Falls Hike 



A couple of weeks ago, Bethie and I took a leisurely drive up American Fork Canyon to see the amazing fall colors. I think fall is my favorite season because of the changing of the leaves. Anyways we did the drive up around the Alpine Loop and as we were coming up by Sundance we thought that it would be a great day to do this hike. I'm so glad we did, even though it totally kicked our butts! These pictures seriously don't do it justice.

{{this was taken before we got to sundance}}

 {{the leaves were starting to change here}}

 {{the higher we got, the brighter they were}}

 {{this was just before we got to the falls}}

 {{the pink & bright red leaves were my favorite}}

 {{we finally made it! Yay!}}

 {{so pretty!}}

I want to come back again someday and do this hike again. It was worth it in the end to see this waterfall.