Australian Pink Floyd & A Birthday Surprise

Let me first start by saying I am the absolute worst at surprises. Never have been good at them & odds are I never will. Michael knows that. He does his best to not ask questions when he can sense something is coming, but sometimes I just get to a point I feel like I'm going to explode. So I spill... Everything....

This year was to be different. I was going to surprise Michael for his birthday. I knew Australian Pink Floyd was coming in September & I knew how badly he wanted to see them. I had  a fool proof plan. I had bought the tickets only a week before the surprise, so I wouldn't be tempted to give them to him too far in advance. Afterwards, I purchased a slew of CDs allowing me something to give him every time I felt the urge to boil over with excitement. See? Fool proof.

I made it all the way to the day before the big unveiling when I got over confident... I sauntered up to Michael & decided to probe. I asked him if he had any idea what he was getting for his Birthday. I thought for sure he had no idea. This was my first  mistake. I didn't even let him answer before saying I'll bet you, you have no idea. Turns out he knew exactly what he was getting. To this day I have no idea how he found out, but I'm over it.

Anyway, at the show, we found a great seat, settled down & listened to Led Zepplin 2 play a few songs before our show began. Little did we know the entertainment that was to come. The guy in front of us was a hoot & a holler to watch. 1st of all, be brought binoculars. I mean, you do you. I'm all about getting the better angle. However, he danced the night away & then mid dance move, he would be struck with the urge to look through the binoculars! Then he was stiff as a board as he patrolled the stage. It was extremely entertaining.

 

I love going to concerts with Michael. I've never met someone who just loves music from his very core. It makes the experience 1,000,000,000 times more fun. Lucky for me, I've got this one forever.

Meridian, ID

We went to Idaho to visit Allison & Jordan.
We swam.
We ate lots.
We visited.
We toured unfinished houses.
We met Bear.
We laughed.
We had a good time.
We stopped in Twin Falls.
We drove home.

W E   H A D   A   B L A S T ! ! ! 

X O X

K A T I E   G O O S E

07/04/2015

Once you get married, Holidays don't seem to be quite as relaxing as they once were. The 4th of July used to be just time spent sleeping in, hitting up a BBQ or 2, then maybe spending time at the pool before heading over to the park for the local fireworks show. As of 3 years ago, that all changed.

Our celebration started on the 3rd of July this year when we headed up to Snow Bird Resort to visit my cousin Allison & her husband Jordan. This has become one of my favorite traditions. We swim, hot tub & then settle in for a nice rom-com. In the past, we've spent the night, but this year, we headed home late so we could go straight to Orem in the morning.

Michael was just recently put in as Elders Quorum President in the ward which means he gets tons of awesome opportunities to serve. On this particular morning, he volunteered to put flags up around our ward. So even though we didn't get home until 3, he was up at 5 with the scouts helping!

( S I D E   N O T E :  H O W    A M A Z I N G   D E D I CA T E D  I S  M Y  M I C H A E L ! ? )

Once he returned, & rolled my lazy bottom out of bed, we jumped in the car with the pups for an early breakfast gathering with the Riding's up Provo Canyon. This has become a tradition we absolutely cherish. It's a good time for the brothers to play soccer/volleyball with the ladies jumping in every once in a while. It's prime time in the sun, & we always start off our holiday with a nice sunburn. Then, the boys (& wives) head a little down the canyon to jump off   " T H E   R O C K "   into the Provo River. This year, we brought Raven & made her jump off with Mike. She didn't love it, but she will learn.

After our morning up the canyon, we scurried down the canyon to Scera Park for Momma Wag's family BBQ. We ate, & walked around the park for a while looking at all of the military vehicles & equipment they had on display. It was pretty surreal walking around with Michael & having him explain what each vehicle would be used for different situations. I would be lying if I told you it didn't make me a little emotional!

We ended our evening at Grandma Dudley's with Michael family. We had a BBQ, played a few games, lit off fireworks then headed to the backyard to watch the Stadium of Fire fireworks. Actually, Mike's Aunt Mary designed the show this year & it definitely did not disappoint!

Since Grandma & Grandpa Dudley live so close to the Stadium, traffic is always the worst for 2 hour after the show, so we all snuggle in for a movie night. Half of the crowd falls asleep & the others enjoy a light hearted movie!

As a kid, the 4th of July was always about getting to relax & although our holidays are packed full with things to do spending 100% of our time with family is the only way to go.

X O X

K A T I E   G O O S E

Annual Training

It's that time of the year again! For most people, summer consists of swim suits & sun burns. For us, it's dreading drill. Every summer, Michael has to leave for 2 weeks to be with the Marine Corps. Normally, while he is gone, I'm a slave to my phone. I cannot leave it's side, & if I lose service for even one second, it's a frantic scramble to regain bars! 

Lucky for me, this year, Michael was able to stay back at Camp Williams instead of going to California with the rest of his unit. This meant, I was able to talk to him every day! 

B L E S S E D ! 

Although he was working way harder staying back than he would if he went, having him a phone call away was priceless. 

At the end of  A N N U A L   T R A I N I N G  they have "Family Day." Basically, they do a little luncheon with everyone & their families. This year, thanks to a little help from our friends, we did have fun!

Meet the Bierma's. They are our soul mates. We love them.

We then spent the day with not a care in the world & putting an even deeper hole in our pockets! 

It was totes worth it!

X O X

Katie Goose

Birthday BBQ Surprise

As if getting Raven for me wasn't thoughtful enough, Michael decided he would surprise me with a beautiful Birthday BBQ! Since Michael had Annual Training We both had to work on Saturday, but after, he took me out shopping, then over to a park where our families & a few friends were waiting to surprise me! 

W H A T ! ? 

He had everyone pitch in & bring food & drinks. We played volleyball & even our kids (pups) got to come! It was everything I could have hoped for, & more!

That night, as we crawled into bed, Michael told me had one more surprise for me. He then left the room & came back with the prettiest pearl ring I've ever seen. He told me he wanted me to have a pearl with my wedding ring & all of the sudden, my already perfect wedding ring became even more perfect. 

X O X

K A T I E  G O O S E

South Duel Creek Adventure!

This year, Annual Training is coming earlier than the norm. It's next week. As tough as this time is for us, it encourages us to make the most of the time we do have together. That being said, today was our last day to get to spend together with just our immediate family. 

(Immediate family: Me, Michael, Frank, Raven.)

So, we spent our day hiking up South Duel Creek! First of all, it's a such a gorgeous hike. You wind back & forth over this little river, slowly making your way up this little canyon. The pups loved being off leash, & being able to jump/splash in the numbingly cold river.

After hiking for a little less than 45 minutes, we reached the top of this little hike where we found the cutest little rope swing! Basically, we spent a few hours just hanging out, playing with pups, & swinging our lives away.

Today was perfection.

X O X

Katie Goose

Raven Riding

It's a girl! That's right! Michael & I are pleased to announce the newest member to our family.

R A V E N   R I D I N G ! 

Weighing in at 35 lbs, Raven is an Australian Shepard/Australian Kelpie. I was meeting up with Mike for lunch one day when I walked out to the car & saw our sweet little girl sitting in the back seat of our car! We had talked about getting another dog so Frank had someone to keep him busy, but I had no idea what he had up his sleeve!

I couldn't believe my eyes! She is so beautiful!

Training this rascal is slow going, but she has come so far! She is one smart pup!

Frank wasn't so sure what he thought of her at first, but she has grown on him. I've only caught them snuggling a few times, but it's enough to know they love each other!

Best Surprise Ever!

X O X 

K A T I E   G O O S E

Sedona, AZ

I'm a visual person. That being said, I plan on this post being

mostly pictures with captions. I feel that is the best way to describe our trip, so here we go!

We left Saturday after Michael got off work. We ate at Crown Burger, dropped off our sweet pup at my parents, (absolutely heartbreaking) & finally started out on our journey to Sedona, AZ.

 

 It took us 10 hours with a minor incident. It was late at night & apparently Jack Rabbits are night time creatures because they were everywhere! We were going about 70 mph when a huge Rabbit ran out  into the road & collided with the front of our car! It was terrifying! We immediately pulled over & learned that the Rabbit had taken out our fog light & nearly tore off our brand new bumper! Absolutely distraught, tired & extremely frustrated, we drove 20 minutes back into town, bought duct tape, ghetto repaired our vehicle & proceeded to our destination.

**S P E C I A L  N O T E : Gorilla Tape is the way to go!

We taped it a month ago & it's still holding strong!**

We arrived at 3:00 in the morning, dropped our bags & collapsed on our bed. We were absolutely exhausted!  We got in a bit of rest then woke to attend church on, & I kid you not, Mormon Hill. Clever name eh? It is always a different experience attending wards outside Utah, but Michael & try really hard to find a ward when we are on vacation!

Going on vacation with the Riding's is something I had to get used to. They are all very relaxed about planning things which is the exact opposite of how I am. At first, it really frustrated me, but I've learned to go with the flow a little bit more. Anyway, after a little discussion, we decided we wanted to hike to Cathedral Rock. A lot of people are drawn to Sedona for places like Cathedral Rock. It's considered a  V O R T E X .  I don't really understand much of it, but basically you are supposed to really feel the earths energy well here... Or something like that.

It really was beautiful, & this family makes everything fun!

After hiking Cathedral Rock, we decided to try & find a place to climb. Turns out, there are plenty of places to go, but finding one for beginners, like myself, proved to be more than difficult.

 After much debate, we found one, but it was a difficult climb, even for those with us who had experience. It took a bit to get everything situated, but once we did, Dan headed up lead climbing. It was very scary to watch, but he did so well! We were all very impressed!

 Mike & Brad both got to climb before sundown & both made it all the way to the top! I was so proud of Mike! He hasn't ever been outdoor climbing & he did one of the more difficult courses!

Day 2 was spent at the Out of Africa Animal Park! Basically, a lot of these animals are rescues or confiscated from people who attempted to keep them as pets illegally. I learned so much & was able to see these animals more intimately than you generally would at a Zoo! It was so amazing to see how these animals interacted with their keepers. They absolutely loved their humans!

One of the coolest things was getting to feed this little guy! Most of us fed him from our hands, but my brave man decided to give him a little smooch. #1 question asked me is if I kissed him after. OBVI! How could I not?

Day 3: We headed to Slide Rock Park. During the summer, this is a big attraction in Sedona. It's a natural water slide! People come from all over to see it, but with all the run off, we hiked around for a bit trying to find it, only to find out it was right where we started!

Even if we didn't get to take the slide, the boys ventured across the freezing cold river to the other side for some cliff jumping. We asked if the water was colder than the Provo Rock on New Years Eve & these boys all agreed this water was much colder. That didn't stop them though!

Michael & I had to come back early so he could go to drill, 

but boy did we love having the time away!

X O X

Katie Goose