The MIGHTY Hunters

What an amazing week!!! We left early Tuesday afternoon for the beautiful mountains of Manti. The Muzzleloader hunt started on Wednesday and my dad, and macs dad and brother all got tags. I've only ever been bow hunting with Mac so I wasn't sure what to expect from this hunt, but it turned out to be one of the best yet. I've never been to Manti when the leaves were changing and it was absolutely breathtaking. I rode up to our camp on the 4 wheeler with my dad and mac rode the dirt bike. The quakies were unbelievable. They were orange and yellow and already starting to lose their leaves! We rode up right as the sun was setting and you could see the rays through the yellow leaves. BEAUTIFUL. It was also really cool to have my mom and dad with us to show them why Mac and I love Manti so much. We got to take them to the family cabin and show them all our favorite spots.

We did a few hunts each day and then spent a lot of time relaxing at camp and eating good food. We had the best tin foil dinners and Fajitas. Mac even asked if we could make tin foil dinners at home--that's how good they were! We didn't bring home any deer but we saw a lot of them. It's really cool to be out in the middle of the pines and have a deer run right past you. I'm also surprised by how good I am getting at spotting the deer. All in all, it was a great week and a much needed break from all the craziness of our everyday lives. Can't wait for next summer so we can go camping in Manti again!

The MIGHTY hunters

Mentoring

Wonder of wonders, Miracle of Miracles! I made a new post on my photography blog. Shocking, I know. I'm working on getting better at this whole blogging thing. I had an awesome mentoring session with Andee Tate of Crave My Photography. She is amazing and super talented. Check it out at Jaime Brady Photography!!

So many things to write about!!

I'm so far behind I honestly don't know where to start!! I feel bad that things get missed in between my months of not posting, but I guess I'll just start with some of the most recent happenings.

Mac is almost finished with his private pilots license! I am usually so busy and our schedules overlap so much that I haven't been able to go flying with him at all. On Saturday morning he and his flight instructor scheduled a flight at 4am and for some crazy reason I thought it would be fun to tag along! After going to bed at 11:00, getting a call from macs little brother at 11:30 for a ride home, and then finally getting to sleep around midnight, the alarm going off at 3:30 am was not a friendly sound! It was so awesome to fly with mac and watch him as he just flew the plane like it was no big deal. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous at take off because I have never been in such a small plane and wasn't sure what to expect, but it was amazing! Here are some pictures:

This first one is a corn field we flew over somewhere around brigham city I think. I was cracking up!! It is eclipse and had bella, edward and jacob. People must have a lot of time on their hands!!!













Next we have a beautiful sunrise!! It was really neat to watch the sun rise from the plane and to be able to take pictures. I had a lot of fun with my camera during the flight!

Don't I have the sweetest Husband EVER?

So I don't think I mentioned this in my other posts, but we had a bit of a scare with macs eyes this week. He has started working for his old boss and is setting tile again. On Saturday morning he went in to work for a few hours before we headed out to go to Stadium of Fire.  While we were at Stadium of Fire watching the spectacular Carrie Underwood perform, he kept mentioning that his eye was bothering him and it felt like he had something in his eye.  Sunday morning we paid a visit to the Instacare (our home away from home...good thing it is close!).  Mac saw the doctor and was told he had scratches all over his right eye, likely from the tile dust mac thought he had gotten in his eye.  We were scared there might have been permanent damage but at his follow up appointment two days later the doctor said his eye looked great.  Phew!

Anyway, while I was at work this week I got totally fed up that I didn't have a pencil holder.  My pens, pencils, and highlighters were scattered all about it I had had enough.  I texted mac (since he was at home because he couldn't work since his eye was still healing) and asked him to pick me up a pencil holder.  When I got home from work mac had this adorable pencil holder for me!  His mom gave him the idea but he made the whole thing!  He rolled up pages out of a readers digest and glued them to the can.  I seriously love it.  Thanks Babe!

The Nasal Rinse

So I have been getting sinus infections pretty regularly over the last year-super annoying and a huge pain in the but!!  I had a CT Scan to see if I had a chronic infection, but the scan looked good so we aren't really sure why I have started getting them all of a sudden.  After this last infection the good doctor asked me if I had ever tried a nasal rinse.  I, of course, answered no and he proceeded to tell me how I might feel like I was drowning but it would really help keep my sinuses cleared out.  Drowning?  Thanks, but no thanks Doc. 

Mac on the other hand was completely intrigued by the idea.  We went to the store and bought the kit and it sat there staring at me all day long.  I was terrified.  I am not really sure why, but I REALLY did not want to try it.  Mac finally said he would do it first so I could see how it worked, and then it would be my turn.  I agreed.  So how it works, in case you have never had the pleasure of doing a nasal rinse, is this:  You pour the saline solution in one nostril, breathe out of your mouth so you don't start choking, and the solution comes out the other nostril!! GROSS!  I documented mac's first experience with the nasal rinse and I find it quite entertaining.  Here are a few funny pictures--ENJOY!

Girls Camp Rocked My Socks Off!

I don't really even know where to start when I think of what I want to share about my amazing week at girls camp.  I cannot speak enough good words about these amazing young women and how much I  learned form them.  They are truly daughters of God and they live as examples and representatives of him every day of their lives.  It has been a good five years since I was in the Young Womens Program but this experience reminded me of what a divinely inspired program it is.

We had a pretty small group--we started out with 7 girls, but one girl got sick and had to go home so we had only 6 left.  I am so glad we had such a small group because we were all able to really get to know one another and grow to love one another.  I have to be honest, I was TERRIFIED for girls camp!  I was put in the primary almost immediately after mac and I were married and moved into this ward so I really didn't know these girls-AT ALL!!  I look back and kinda chuckle that I was nervous they wouldn't like me or girls camp wouldn't be fun, because with girls like these there is no way it could have been lame!

I had a really special experience the first night we were at girls camp.  One of the stake camp directors had recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan and she shared her experience and a slide show of pictures from her time over there.  I think the girls were concerned their leader was slightly unstable (since I bawled through the entire fireside...like really, the whole thing) but they were still nice to me anyway.  With Mac being in the Utah Air National Guard and planning to have a life long military career, I have been plagued with fears about the day when he will be deployed overseas.  I try to be strong when we talk about it but the thought would always strike fear into my heart.  All the "what ifs" would fly through my mind and I would think of every worst case scenario.  I wasn't strong.  I would worry and worry again.  During this fireside something incredible happened.  I didn't feel afraid anymore.  I felt peace.  I felt confidence that no matter what happens, regardless of whether mac goes over seas and comes home or doesn't come home, Heavenly Father has a plan for me and knows what I need in my life.  My testimony in eternal families was strengthened and I felt such gratitude that I am sealed to Mac for eternity, and no earthly war can change that fact.  I realized I have to have faith and leave it in the Lords hands.  I feel so proud to be Macs wife.  He is truly one of the most selfless people I have ever known.  He is a leader in every sense of the word.  Some people try to lead by telling you what to do because they know more than you, but Mac leads by example.  He is one of those people who will be right next to those he is serving, doing the dirty work right along with them.  People are just drawn to him because of his optimistic personality.  I know he will be able to do great things wherever he is.

Here are some fun pictures from Camp:

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!

This blog is a little late getting posted but man, have we been busy!  We celebrated our 1 year anniversary on June 19th.  It was such a special day and we enjoyed every minute of it.  I need to back up a little bit to the two weeks before our anniversary.  Mac left for Georgia on June 6 for a two week active duty training period.  He was scheduled to arrive home at 7pm on our anniversary.  I was kinda being a baby before mac left--I really have a hard time when he is gone and I guess I just had a bad attitude about it all together.  A couple days before he left I realized I wasn't being a very good support to him and I changed my ways.  I sent him off early on Sunday morning and vowed that I would be a good sport for the next two weeks.  I kept SUPER busy during those two weeks with work, photo shoots, girls camp, weddings, etc. but I still found plenty of time to miss my man.  It was kinda fun to go back to the days when he was in Logan and I was in Provo--where we would talk on the phone every day and we had to make that be enough until we could see each other again--that is what it felt like.  We talked and laughed and missed each other the whole two weeks.  Mac surprised me by changing his flight home so he arrived home at 1pm!  We went to dinner at Rodizio's Brazilian Grill and then went to see a movie.  We ate our delicious wedding cake and drank sparkling cider.  It was absolutely perfect and I am so lucky to have a husband like Mac.  I love you Honey!