Almost time for school!

     I swear it seems like every time I blink another week goes by this summer!  I don't know if its because were in a new town and have so much we want to go see and do, or if it's cause were having so much fun, but the time is just flying by!  On some level I feel like a kid again, remember when on the last day of school you thought 3 months off was the greatest thing in the world and then those same 3 months blew by like a storm and you had to go back to school much sooner than you'd hoped, that's kind of how this summer has felt.  Here we are on the verge of heading into August and I feel like June was just starting yesterday!  I guess this means we'll just have to soak up the most from each day from here on out until the leaves fall.
     This last weekend we did our best to soak it all up as we got invited out to Coeur D Alene lake to hangout with some friends of ours from Missoula.  They had their new ski boat on the water and were camping for the weekend and Kelli and I went out to spend the evening with them.  We had a blast sitting around the campfire getting caught up with friends, getting to know some new ones, and of course sharing a few stories:)  I told Kelli on the way home that I feel more relaxed around a campfire than I do the ocean, she thought that was the craziest comment she's ever heard until she realized it's probably because I'm a bit of a story teller!  She's probably right but either way it was extremely relaxing and we had a ball!
     Our time at the lake got me thinking and I think we have at least one more camping trip planned for the summer, but I hope we can squeeze in a few more.  I enjoy sitting around the campfire so much that I don't want the summer to come to an end without being able to have as many campfires as possible!  I know we can always have a fire in the backyard, or go out to the Nagles so Tatum can teach me how to make the perfect smore, but you just can't beat the tranquility surrounding a campfire in the woods!  When the only other sounds you hear are those of your neighbor campers and nature it truly is difficult not to become totally relaxed!  Of course it always helps if your steps away from a body of water to dream of cooling off in the next morning:) 
     As our summers come to a close I hope you all soak up the most of each and every day, cause it wont be long and we'll all have to go back to school!

Remember, every one of us can learn a lot about the important things in life from a 4 year old:)

Not just another day

     Well Curtis and I fell just a little short at the golf tournament this past weekend, mostly due to the fact that I did not perform that well!  We arrived at the course Sunday morning to find out that we were tied for the lead after day one!  I was just a little excited and couldn't settle myself down until it was too late!  Neither one of us played great but we had a blast and now know that it is better to have to make up a little ground the second day rather than keep a lead, I'm not used to that!  Either way it was an absolute ball and both of us have come to enjoy this annual tournament just as much as the big ones we used to play in back in Glendive.  We will definitely be returning to try and win it next year!
     Monday was a travel day for Kelli and I and after we got settled in from our weekend she took me out for an early birthday cupcake downtown!  Last night we all gathered at mom and dads for a birthday dinner for me as I officially turned the corner towards middle age and turned 36!  All day long I kept telling myself that it was no big deal, just another number, much like many of us have I'm sure.  But when we got over to my parents house and my niece Tatum pointed to my seat at the table and said "that's where you sit uncle Mooley, your the birthday boy!"  I realized that it doesn't matter if we're turning 6 or 36, it is more than just another number, it's a special day!  Tatum reminded me of that with the excitement in her voice and the joy she showed from picking out my birthday gift all by her self!  So as we sat around and socialized, ate WAY too much cake, and capped off the evening with a cruise around the lake in the kayaks, I couldn't help but feel just a little bit special yesterday.  When we loaded up to head home and my mother gave me a hug and told me happy birthday one more time she began to tear up and I began to realize that yesterday was the opposite of just another day, it was an extremely important day!  So important that both of my parents can tell you detailed accounts of exactly what they were doing the day I entered this world and they became a family, even 36 years later! 
     So the next birthday you have, whether it's your 21st or 81st, don't just look at it as another day in your life that may not be that special.  I promise you that someone holds your birthday very dear to their heart and never looks at it that way so neither should you!

Remember, try to approach every birthday through the mind of a child, with excitement and joy, eager to reach another milestone!

The fun continues!

     Well we have entered the month of July and Kelli and I continue to enjoy every free moment we have!  Our 4th of July holiday weekend was the first fun thing we've done this month as we joined some good friends of ours, the Vullertsons, on Noxon reservoir in northwestern Montana for a few days of camping!  Luke and Kristy live in Kalispell with their two kids, and Matt and Julie live in Helena and have two kids of their own, all ten of us, including 3 four legged children, met up on Thursday and set up our camp.

     Kelli and I had bought a tent nearly 7 years ago with some wedding money and up to this point we had never taken it out of its original package!  For some reason every time we had gone out on a recreational outing in the past it was in a cabin, on a boat, or some other form of sleeping arangement!  When we moved to Spokane I told Kelli we were breaking the seal on that thing come hell or high water, nearly even setting it up in the back yard one weekend, and here was my chance.  Now I'm sure many of you have either struggled with one yourself or watched another person nearly collapse emotionally trying to set up a tent so I was a little nervous heading in to our first attempt at this.  Much to my surprise though, we had our tent set up and ready for use in less than 20 minutes!  

     Now that we had our lodging set up we were ready to relax and enjoy our time on the lake!  Luke and Kristy have a camper and they arrived the night before us so they were all set up, once the rest of our gang showed up and got their tent set up we headed out on the water for some fun.  We brought our canoe, Luke brought his raft with a small motor on it, and Matt brought his fishing boat which was big enough to pull a tube.  So between the three of us we had just about every facet of water recreation covered!  We spent a lot of time with both big boats on the water, one carrying a viewing party, and the other pulling my triceps off of my arms!  After a couple different trips on the tube behind Matts boat I quickly remembered that I am a 35 year old(at least for another 2 days) who sometimes thinks he is 25!  My arms felt great all weekend but when we got home and I went to take the canoe off the top of our car I immediately felt like that 35 year old, a very sore one at that!  All in all we had a great time, hanging out around the campfire, fishing, boating, and just relaxing.  Kelli mentioned on the way home that it was the first year she could remember not seeing one single firework on the fourth!  We had so much fun spending quality time with each other and our friends that I didn't even really notice:)

     Overall we had a fantastic weekend of fun with some great people!  We didn't get too much of a break in the action either as this weekend Curtis and I are playing in the Anaconda Country Club mens invitational.  Kelli and I came over to Stevensville Friday afternoon and made it to the Dobsons house just in time to watch my little sister be immortalized through the world on television!  In case you missed it the murder trial she had a couple months ago was covered by Dateline and they aired the two hour show on Friday night.  I followed the trial extensively, even sat in court one day with Ryan hearing testimony, and as you've read on this blog when the verdict came out I still believe the wrong man went to jail for this crime.  But thats a topic for a different day:)  We watched the Dateline with Dan and Donna then early yesterday morning I came over to Butte for the golf tourney while Kelli stayed behind to hang out with her parents.  The girls had a busy day of shopping yesterday and today Kelli's going to get caught up with a couple of her friends who still live in Missoula.  Curtis and I played pretty well yesterday in the best ball portion of the tourney, shooting -11, now today is the accumulate portion of the tourney which means we both have to post a score on every hole.  Last year when we played in this tourney todays format we found out fits our games pretty well as we made up a bunch of ground on the leaders.  Today we should be sitting in a much better position though than last year and wont have to make up nearly as much ground.  If we play well enough we might just even win it!:)  

     So as I get ready for another fun day of golf with my little brother I look forward to the rest of the month of July.  It's a busy time of year in our family as we have like 2 anniversaries and 4 birthdays to celebrate, i kind of loose track theres so many!:)  I hope you all continue to enjoy your summer as we have and don't forget to take a moment as we near the midway point to reflect on all the fun you've had so far!:)

Remember, whoever said to feel young you have to think young must have been a young person!!