Brian and I had an adventure together yesterday.  We decided to go to Billings to go to the temple.  Brian needed to do a bunch of stuff for work along the way.  We left around 10:30 and drove to Meeteetse which is a very small town of just over 100 people about an hour away from us.  I've never been there before so I was excited to see some place new.  He was delivering some building materials to a Catholic monastery that is being built about 30 to 40 minutes up in the mountains past Meeteetse.  Believe me when I say this place is the definition of the middle of nowhere!  We drove on a very narrow paved road for awhile and then it was a dirt road that thankfully the monks had plowed so it wasn't a snowy mess.  On the way up there we saw huge herds of elk.  Brian has been to this work site a few times and he told me that the construction workers have seen grizzly bears. The monks ride around on 4 wheelers with ak47's so they can shoot bears or wolves that attack!  The monks will be producing coffee when the monastery is completed which will take another 2 years.  It was really beautiful up there, a stark sparse beauty.    These pictures don't do it justice.

This will be their cathedral

Those buildings will be the monks hermitages

Oh, and it was cold!  Windy and very cold!  Those construction workers are troupers!

I think those mountains in the far distance are part of Yellowstone park

Another view of the cathedral

I don't think I've ever been a place where there is literally nothing around me

View of the dirt road to the monastery

Brian was hoping to see one of the monks when we went, but they weren't around.  He deals mostly with the construction site manager.  The workers are all from Cody which is about an hour and a half away.

After we left the mountains we drove to Cody and Brian needed to pick up some more supplies from the Bloedorn store there.  We had a lovely lunch at Wendys!  A "real" hamburger tasted so good and I haven't had a frosty in ages!  Then we drove to Billings.  We hadn't driven to Billings on the road from Cody before.  When we go we take another road from Worland and by pass Cody, so we got to see some really beautiful scenery.  This road takes you very close to the mountains of Yellowstone, I believe they are called the Absarokas.  With the light dusting of snow on everything and the many hawks flying and deer and antelope it was sublime!  Brian felt like he really wanted to take a detour, he felt like the mountains were calling to him to come and check them out!

We made it to Billings and of course had to stop at Costco and Brian got a hair cut and we went to the temple.  It was pretty late by the time we got to the temple and their sessions are only every 2 hours.  We didn't want to get home after midnight so we decided to do some initiatory names instead of a regular session.  I love the Billings temple, the temple workers are so excited to see you since it isn't very busy.  They were just waiting around for someone to come and do initiatories, I was the only one there!

We grabbed some food after and headed back home.  Thankfully we didn't see any wildlife on the way back, deer are very common on the road back to Worland and I was driving because Brian was very tired.  The deer stayed off the road and we made it back home before 11:00.

Wonderful day with my husband and such beautiful sites, it couldn't have been better!  I never thought I would say this, but there is something to say about wide open unpopulated spaces.  It can be very peaceful.

The Worland High School Warriors Wrestling Team (that's a lot of W words!) came in second at region today.  Palmer did well enough to be able to wrestle at the state tournament next weekend.  Here's a few pictures:

Entire team.  Palmer is on the very far right by the balloons.

He wishes he would have done better, but he still has state to look forward to!

This morning I woke up to this:

The snow was almost all melted and then we got dumped on again.  

Brian and Palmer are in Douglas at the Region Wrestling Tournament.  Yesterday Palmer lost his first match in the very last second!  He won his next match.  Brian spent the night in his truck because he didn't want to pay for a hotel!  It turned out to be pretty cold, but he's a scout so it's no big deal-right?  

Since wrestling is now our thing, Peter and Eric started in a wrestling club that meets in Ten Sleep twice a week.  It's pretty cute to watch these little guys wrestle.  It looks more like a little boys dream play group jumping and tackling each other to their hearts content!  

Here's to a happy, cold Saturday!

All of Peter's cute hair was cut off tonight!  He looks so old now and a little goofy!

The Mission Call

Domincan Republic Santo Domingo West Mission.  Reports to the Dominican Republic MTC June 3rd.  Speaking Spanish.

His mission call came in the mail on Saturday.  On Friday Audrey, Lauren and her soon to be fiance (I think I can say that!) Matt drove up to surprise the kids.  Brian and Palmer and I knew they were coming.  We were in Basin watching Palmer wrestle when they came so when we came home the kids were pretty happy and surprised!  

I have to insert some wrestling comments before I continue.  Palmer wrestled the state champion at the meet in Basin.  This kid is used to always winning, usually by pinning his guy in the first seconds of the first period.  Wrestling has three 2 minute periods.  If someone isn't pinned they decide who wins on points.  Brian told Palmer to not stress about the match, but to go out there and do what he loves--wrestle.  45 seconds into the first period the guy had Palmer on his back with his shoulders inches from being pinned.  Palmer held that position for 1 minute and 15 seconds until the buzzer sounded for the end of the period.  I don't know if I can describe how much strength and shear will that took.  This guy is pushing with all his might and Palmer just won't go down 2 inches.  I'm sure that minute and 15 seconds seemed much longer to Palmer.  The second period Palmer got a few points on him, but still no one was pinned.  Palmer was fighting hard and the other guy was getting mad that he hadn't pinned him yet.  Half way into the third period Palmer's opponent finally pinned him and Palmer lost.  The other guy was so ticked off that it took him three periods to pin Palmer he walked off the mat and threw his head gear!  Palmer was very disappointed that he got pinned, but so many people mentioned how well he had done against this guy.  I was very proud of him, he never gave up!  

Saturday morning came and it was Andy's turn to wrestle, his last big meet in Riverton with 20 other schools.  Brian, Palmer, Lauren, and Matt drove an hour and a half to watch him.  They were planning on going shooting in between Andy's matches, but found out that since Riverton is on an Indian reservation it's against the law to fire any guns.  So they watched Andy and went to Walmart.  

Meanwhile, back in Worland I had been hoping and praying for a few days that Palmer's mission call would come while the girls were here.  I knew it was a long shot, mail takes forever to get up here from Salt Lake and his call was just assigned on Wednesday.  I sent Lucy out to get the mail and in she walks with a large white envelope!  I started jumping around and screaming!  I called Palmer and told him and he was freaking out.  Then we had to WAIT.  Brian and the guys came home before Andy was finished because Palmer and the high school jazz band was playing at our stake's valentine dinner.  

Andy ended up placing 2nd out of all 20 schools, but didn't make it home until 9:15pm!  That was a hard wait.  Palmer invited two friends over and the bishop and his wife and he finally opened it!  I think  he was really surprised!  When I thought about the possible places he could go, that part of the world didn't even occur to me.  He is really excited and now we get to start all the preparations!

Audrey, Lauren, and Matt go home tomorrow.  It's been really fun to have them here.  I love them so much and I love to see them growing up and making good choices.  

On top of all these wonderful happenings, we found out today during church that our two wards here in Worland are going to be split into three wards in two weeks.  Wow, that is going to be something!  It's wonderful to see the church grow up here and to be a part of it.  

Long post today, thanks for letting me share our lives with you!

WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT PALMER'S MISSION CALL WAS ASSIGNED TODAY!

WOW!

I'M EXCITED!

CAN YOU TELL?!

Sunday....aahhh....

Lovin' me some Sundays!  What a great day of the week it is!  Together as a family, no work, no projects, naps, church, making treats.

I received another calling today in addition to my current music calling.  I'm on the stake young women's camp board!  Emma thinks this is what I get for not going to girls camp when I was in young women's in Utah!  There are three of us on the board plus the stake young women's presidency.  The other two women have been doing this for a few years and they are excited to be doing it again.  They are going to a different location this year, there will be cabins and hot showers!  Awesome!  Girls camp is the second week in July.

It's time to go make some cookies!

And wrestling season continues.....

Andy is in green, he pins this guy

Palmer wrestled in Riverton this weekend.  Brian drove down on Friday and watched him.  He wrestled one of the best guys in the state.  He didn't let him pin him, but he still lost.  Then he lost his second match as well.  Dang.

Andy wrestled in Greybull today.  Brian, Lucy, Peter, and I went to watch him.  The first guy he wrestled was from Cody and he has been wrestling since he was three and hasn't lost a match in the last three years!  Andy lasted the first round, but got pinned in the second round.  He did pretty well against him, other wrestlers that met him fell after just a few seconds.  He won his second match against a guy from Powell and then we had to leave before we got to see him wrestle his final match.

Worland Middle School Wrestling Team 2015 (Andy is on the top row 4th from left)

Worland High School Wrestling Team 2015 (Palmer is on the back row 4th from right)

Emma is in Cody today cheering for the boys and the girls basketball teams and Eric went up to the Klondike this morning early, he couldn't stay overnight because he isn't 12 yet.

Worland High School Cheer Team 2015 (Emma is holding up the cheer captain, Ashtyn)

I found some of Palmer's football pictures today that I never posted so here they are:

All the seniors on the football team (there weren't very many!)

Senior night for the football team

We are going to have a guest for the next 5 days.  One of Eric's friends in our ward is going to stay with us while his parents are in Cheyenne.  His name is Tanner and he is very excited!  He is the youngest in his family by 12 years or so and is the only one left at home.  He told us he loves the chaos at our house!  Eric, Lucy, and Peter are very happy that he will be here as well.  I hope he doesn't get sick of us by Thursday!