The Bridwell Wedding

What a perfect weekend for Katherine (Zach's sister) and Bryan to get married in Stanley, Idaho!

It started with a little mountain bike ride out Fisher Creek at the request of the bride and groom.  Zach, Nick (his dad), Katherine, Bryan, and I did a sixteen mile loop in the mountains surrounding Stanley the day before the wedding.  Kat and Bryan had received new mountain bikes as one of their wedding gifts and couldn't wait to test them out while getting rid of some pre-wedding jitters.

The weather was misbehaving with sudden thunder showers up until Friday night but the day of the wedding at noon there wasn't a cloud in the sky.   The ceremony took place in a little chapel overlooking the small mountain town of Stanley with a backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains.  As if that wasn't beautiful enough Katherine looked stunning in a v-neck off-white lace dress that made all of her eight bridesmaids cry at her reveal.  Being one of these bridesmaids I felt lucky that cowboy boots were apart of our attire and I was ready to dance at the reception down the hill.

The reception took place a Danner's Log cabins that would be a perfect movie set for an old western town. Small log buildings facing in at an L shape with front porches.  Zach, Lucy, and I had a front row view of the reception from our cabin and an even shorter commute to bed after the celebrations had died down.

The newlyweds left with their two dogs and boat in tow to Montana for some R&R and a little fishin'.  Congratulations Katherine and Bryan!  Your love is contagious and brings people around you to bask in it.

Powerhouse Drag Races

Last Thursday night Zach and I attended the Powerhouse restaurant & bike shop's annual Drag Races in Hailey.  For this event they shut down a block on River St. just behind the restaurant.  Two racers line up at the starting line with a log tied to their bicycle.  First one across the finish line wins.  And if that doesn't sound challenging enough they light the logs on fire just before anyone leaves the starting line.  Yes, lot's of boy's are in attendance.  At night time it becomes a very surreal experience to watch people drag fire blazing logs behind their bikes. Don't worry Nana and Grandma Dorothy the fire department was in attendance.  Here's a few photos from Zach.

Lil' Bo Peep Rides a Bicycle

A different kind of obstacle when you are mountain biking in the Wood River Valley.  Zach doesn't seem to mind.

Smelly Cat

Over the weekend Zach had the pleasure of giving Lucy a tomato bath after she encountered what she must have assumed to be a very smelly cat.  Unfortunately, this smelly cat a.k.a. skunk doesn't like to make friends with too many yellow furry slobbering wild beasts.

Last night our neighbors, Steve & Carol, invited us over for a prime view of the smelly cat.  This little skunk fell into their window well during the recent rainstorm and was stumped on how to get out.  While he contemplated his next move we had the pleasure of viewing him from behind a glass window.  It was like being at a zoo because we literally had a close-up window view of the stinky fella.

The neighbors managed to free him CAREFULLY from his temporary zoo holdings and off he goes wondering right back into our yard.  Zach did an amazing impression of a drunk monkey, hooting and hollering at the skunk to try and scare him out.  Not detoured what-so-ever the skunk stood his ground and continued to forage for bugs in and out of our yard.  Needless to say we kept Lucy inside and far away from her new smelly friend.

Bachlorette Weekend

I probably laughed as much as I breathed over the weekend!  It was an action packed three days celebrating Katherine's final time of being a bachlorette.  Nine of us girls headed out for a weekend in Stanley and then north to river rafting on the South Fork of the Payette river.

Katherine was a fabulous bachlorette proving to be game for any of our games and willing to wear any ridiculous costume we had created for her with a smile. 

I have to admit I feel a little older after this weekend.  Trying to keep up with the 20 somethings isn't' as easy as it use to be.  But... I did manage it so I guess I can't be that old ;)

The Payette River Company did a fabulous job of entertaining us ladies and I would highly recommend hiring them to anyone that may be looking for a fun activity to occupy a large rowdy group (men or women). 

And to all the ladies on the trip I will be sending you more photos. "Just one dollar!"

Happy Father's Day!

To all the wonderful dad's out there I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day!  

Here is a picture from the mid-80's of my dad, Addie, Erin, and I at the Grand Canyon.  We are so lucky to have such a loving father that has taught us everything from water skiing to bike riding.  We love you dad and hope you enjoyed your Father's Day!

Wildflowers

Right now is the best time of year to see the wildflowers around the Wood River Valley in full bloom.  It's wonderful to be on a trail and discover fields of wild lupine, balsam root, or daisies.  I'm slowly learning all the names.  No simple task because it seems I find something new everyday! 

 Arrow-leaf Balsam Root

Lucy and I went on a hike/run this morning out a gulch near our house.  I am constantly looking around at different colors and smells I hardly noticed a deer watching us about 100ft up a hill.  Luckily, Lucy didn't notice so we carried on our way weaving in and out of the waist high plants and flowers to our destination.  I keep forgetting my camera so I had to borrow some pictures to explain some of what I'm seeing.   

Indian Paintbrush

The only major downer for me this time of year is my allergies.  It's so tempting to ignore them and just envelope myself in the rainbow of flora around me but unfortunately my eyes, ears, and nose won't let me get too far.  So I observe from a safe and comfortable distance, which is probably best for our wildflower population because I would be tempted to pick them all if I could get closer. 

Yellow Lupine

Camas Blossom

A Bridal Shower for Katherine

Last Friday I had the pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my sister-in-law, Kat, with the help of her mother and our good friend, Megan.  Some 27 fine ladies joined us for the evening.  The weather was touch and go but I think it turned into a good gathering with friends and family.  I worried that I wouldn't be able to accommodate for everyone with enough chairs and socializing space in our little home. But people seemed comfortable and relaxed inside and out either on the sofa or at the fire pit.  Each lady sent me a recipe prior to the shower.  With the recipes I put together a cookbook as a gift for Katherine.  Then for the shower all the ladies brought their dish prepared for all to try.  It was a success with every woman feeling apart of the gathering with her special creation.

I gathered white lilacs before the shower and arranged them in vases all over the house.  It smelled simply wonderful in our house throughout the weekend.  Katherine wore a dress that belonged to her grandmother, Dorothy, and looked stunning in it's champagne detailing.

What fun and so glad we could all enjoy Katherine's upcoming wedding with a little food, friends, and good conversation.

Happy 60th Jean!

Hip-hip-hooray for Jean!  For turning 60 today she sure is one young spring chicken.  Jean can be found mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and rafting her socks-off well into her wiser years.  I feel lucky to have such a vibrant example of a woman for my mother-n-law!  

Happy Birthday Jean!

Bocce Anyone?

Our new favorite hangout in Hailey is the bike shop/brew pub called, Powerhouse.  A local group of friends started this popular establishment serving brews from around the world, local home-made burgers, fries, and even their home-made ketchup is killer!  Oh and during they day they fix bikes.  Now that the weather is warmer they've opened up their backyard to picnic tables and a prime bocce ball court.

After another long day in our yard over the weekend Zach and I decided to treat ourselves to a meal, a beer, and a little bocce.  Luckily, they have the rules and a measuring stick hanging from the fence for novices like ourselves.  We had a great time trying to "out do" each other and laughing at our mistakes.  A nice treat for a lil' couple from Idaho.

Pretty Umbrella

image from here

I can't say enough about how much I appreciated having three days off to focus on the house, the outdoors, and my husband this past weekend.  We were busy in the yard (when it was and wasn't raining) managing to finish off trimming out some berms in the front yard, digging up grass and dandelions, and putting in some much needed bark.

I was in the office a lot this weekend despite being a "holiday" but it felt nice to have the piece and quiet to catch up on some projects I've been meaning to tackle.

Some other activities we accomplished:
More morel hunting with Zach and Lucy
Willie's Birthday
A hike and brunch with some girlfriends
and sleeping in....ah...
when is the next paid vacation?

The rain has been ever present the past two to three weeks and even though everyone keeps saying "this isn't normal" I'm starting to think I might need to invest in a pretty umbrella to keep my rain jacket looking like it's in spring fashion :)