Da Bears

While Seth was cavorting in the Island Park wilderness searching (unsuccessfully) for the elusive wapiti, the girls and I decided we needed to have an adventure of our own. So we packed our bags and headed off to Yellowstone Bear World's free kids day.

The girls enjoyed seeing the animals as we drove by, and they even made sure to make the appropriate animal noises. Bekah's "eagle eyes" even spotted an animal I didn't expect to see in there: turkeys. I'm surprised at how many animals they have. We saw mountain goats, deer, bison, elk, turkeys, grizzly bears, black bears and wolves.

This wolf was missing an eye. Bekah was very concerned about it. "Why is the mommy wolf missing an eye?" (Who knows if the wolf was actually female; Bekah had seen a "daddy wolf" earlier, so this must have been the mommy.)

One of the many black bears we spotted on the drive.

After the drive-through, we stopped the van and saw the bear cubs:

Bekah and Ana at the bear cubs' fence.

Then we checked out the petting zoo.

Looking at the deer inside the petting zoo, although these in particular were obviously not there to be petted. Fences kinda prevent that.
with holding Ana.

Then the last of our 45 minutes at Yellowstone Bear World were spent riding their amusement park rides. Over. And over. And over again. Ana was a good sport, which was quite a feat for a one-year-old, especially because Bekah insisted that we ride the roller coaster three times in a row. Followed by the train. And then the roller coaster.

Sorry ... no pics of the rides. I had my hands full with holding Analee. But if you're interested in seeing more pictures, click here.

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a change will do you good

I needed a haircut.

Just play the song, Schneebly!

In high school I probably wrote twenty-some-odd songs. In college I wrote two. Since I've been home from my mission, I hadn't written a single one. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was all those angsty adolescent hormones, or the way teenagers see the world as a black-and-white exaggeration of the way it really is. Maybe it's just that I don't make the time to play like I used to. Whatever the reason, I have not been as prolific of late.

But over the last year I've had a song kicking around inside my head. I've thought about for nearly a year, but I never got to the point where I felt satisfied with the lyrics. Anyway, last week it finally came together for me. The song is done! It's such a satisfying feeling to have written something I can feel artistically proud of after such a dry spell.

So, I thought I'd share it with the world. If you feel so inclined to listen, I'd love to hear your thoughts. At some point I'll probably go about actually recording, editing, and mixing it into a somewhat more refined product (I've got some ambitions in my head I'm not exactly sure how to fulfill, strings and drums and such) but this will do for now.



For the lyrically inquisitive:

"Rainsong"
Seth Grover

Dry, I'm dry like the season
And so I wander from reason to reason
But when I look up, when I lift my eyes
It burns my face when all I see is a blood-red sky

Sometimes I feel like a piece of paper
On which someone scrawled my name
But it's not just that, it's not just my name
'Cause when you fold it in half, I'm my own best friend
I'm my own best friend

(chorus)
So rain down on me
And let me soak you in
And baby, with your clear running love,
Take the dust from my skin
I need your love
I need it like the rain
I need it like the earth needs water
Again and again

Maybe now things will be a little bit easier
Maybe now I can finally be myself
But that's a hard sell, and I'm just not buying
You drew a line in the sand, but do I have what it takes
To leave myself behind?

(chorus)

(chorus)

A hunting we will go

Well, we survived our week-long hunting trip, thanks in large part to Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin. We had planned on spending at least three nights in hunting camp trying out our new tent, but the hoards of bees or wasps or hornets or whatever they were persuaded us to enjoy the comfort of the cabin all week long instead.

Instead, we were visited by some nasty little gnats that apparently love to rip your flesh right along the hairline. Poor Analee was vigorously rubbing the back of her head on the church pew yesterday just to get some relief from the itchiness. Here's what they did to me:

Nasty little gnats. Bekah suffered much more than this on our last day at the cabin. I think a small army of them were setting up camp in her hair.

The pain we suffered from the bugs (of both the stinging and biting varieties) and the total lack of elk was disappointing, but we did have fun and enjoyed ourselves as well. Here's a sampling of the week's activities in pictures:

Ana helping herself to the gooey marshmallows we roasted over the fire.

Seth blowing on the marshmallows that had previously been on fire while Bekah watches.

Ana joining Grandpa Dennis in his marshmallow roasting.

Analee swinging on the swingset with Andrea while Grandpa Dennis, Bekah and Seth sit around the fire.

Bekah, Andrea and Analee on top of Sawtelle. I drove the girls up there one day while the men were out hunting. It's weird seeing pictures of myself in braces.

Analee and Bekah chasing Bekah's "friend" (a golfball) on top of Sawtelle.

Grandma Susan showing Bekah how to shoot a toy crossbow. She was aiming for a yellow styrofoam deer.

Rebekah with her cousins, Tav and Mack, outside the cabin.

View from the top of a mountain that Seth and Andrea climbed on a 4-wheeler one evening. It's the year of the forest fire in Island Park.

Seth striking a pose on top of the mountain. Looking good in camo.

To view more such images, click here.

It made me laugh ...

And she was actually making "snow angels" on the carpet before I got this shot.

actually, percocet does

i'm going to be hunting all next week, so i'm posting twice this week. wish me luck!

Another Bekahism

While we're getting loaded in the van.

Seth: Rebekah, will you please get in your seat?
Rebekah: Don't talk to me!
Seth: Is that any way to talk to your Daddy?
Rebekah: (meekly) Talk to me, please.

i'd better not find any brown M&M's

I missed last week because I was running around like crazy trying to get ready for hosting an Elder's Quorum party, going up hunting on Saturday, and getting a lesson ready for Sunday.

Here's this week's offering. I give to you Fallin'. I wrote this in high school.



For those who want to hear it, >click here for an electric version of the same song.

Railroad Tracks

Not flattering, I know. And not natural. That's my all-teeth-showing face so you can see the lovely metalwork.

I got my braces yesterday. Two words: not fun. I just have to keep reminding myself that not only am I doing this for the straight teeth, but also for the surgery prep. I'll be so grateful when this is all over.

Highlights from the orthodontic appointment include:

* The removal of the incredibly painful and annoying spacers followed by the installation of the much more painful metal rings put around my molars.
* The slobber strings that followed the removal of the device that held my lips open for at least half an hour while the orthodontist cemented brackets to my teeth.
* My very own Aspen Orthodontics T-shirt that, if I wear it on my subsequent office visits, will earn me a spot in a drawing for super-cool prizes!
* The look on my face that prompted the assistant to put silver (not mauve, black, chartreuse or robin's egg blue) bands on my brackets.
* "Oh! Don't forget your balloons!" "My balloons?" "Yes! For getting your braces on." "Oh. Joy. Well, at least my kid will love them."

Reliving the days of being a middle-schooler are not the most pleasant, but at least when this whole process is all said and done, I'll be able to eat Big Hunks to my heart's content.