Weekend Update: WY Wyoming!

This past weekend took us to Wyoming. The company I work for sells ranch land up there and I was in charge of planning a BBQ/Sales Event in Laramie. I was so happy that Jay was able to come with me on another business trip!

Wyoming is a beautiful place. It's hard to even put in words how much I loved it! Pictures barely do it justice, but until you have a chance to explore yourself, pictures will have to do! All I can say is that standing out there in the middle of this 23,000 acre ranch made me speechless! So, in an effort to not take away from it's beauty, here is our weekend in *mostly* pictures (lots and lots of pictures):

Our transportation from Phoenix to Laramie. My boss has a share in this beautiful King Air 300.

My view for the flight

Jay acted as co-pilot for the flight. That's Captain Bill in the left seat. I knew we were in good hands!

Bill was awesome and let me "fly" with Jay for over 30 minutes. I must admit that I got a little weepy up there. I miss flying so much!

Laramie welcomed us with this awesome storm! We landed right before it came through. The wind was whistling and it poured!

Driving to the ranch (following my boss in the truck ahead). It's ahead on the left.

Ranch entrance

Now we're on the ranch. You can see the Snowy Range in the distance (you can see it better if you click on the photo to enlarge).

Little Laramie River

Antelope checking us out

Aspen Cottage - where Jay and I stayed

The sales office is 6.2 miles in from the entrance. On the left is the tent for the BBQ, then the bunkhouse, then the sales office (red roof), and the barn on the far right.

Sales office

There are over 300 wild horses that roam the ranch.

Baby horse - Jay insists I call it a colt. Regardless, very cute!

Beautiful Wyoming

Lake Hattie

The sun setting over the ranch. It was so nice to have it light so late up there! Us Arizonans are used to it being dark by 7:30ish and it was light here until well after 9!

Saturday morning this is what I woke up to. Jay found a gun and was hunting prairie dogs from the front porch.

Jay was so helpful! We drove along the road and tied balloons on the signs to direct people to the BBQ. It was quite a challenge due to some serious winds that day!

I had arranged ponies and goats to be there for the kids to enjoy. I enjoyed them too :)

Baby goat JuJu

Another thing I arranged was old time photos for guests to take home with them as souvenirs. This is one of my favorites.

While I was working at the BBQ, Jay hung out at the welcome center (off the main road) to direct guests to the right place. Doesn't he look so stressed out?

More horses

Sunday morning, Jay was back outside hunting for critters.

Look what I had for breakfast on Sunday - S'mores and coffee. Can't beat that!

THIS is the life. It was a beautiful morning. When we grow up, I want a porch so I can enjoy my coffee like this. Pure heaven.

I grabbed a picture on Sunday of the BBQ setup before people arrived.

Before we headed to the airport, we took a quick drive to Centennial, WY. Notice the population is 100, hence the name. It was a very cute little town.

Back to Arizona

We both just loved Wyoming and look forward to more adventures there in the future. My company has ranches in Casper and Cheyenne, so perhaps we'll go there next!

UPDATED Weekend Update: Kansas City

Due to popular request, I have updated this post with a couple photos of Jay and I dressed up for the wedding. I had to "steal" them from Jay's cousin's Facebook account because the pics on my camera came out too dark. Thanks Bryan!!

Last night, Jay and I returned from a wonderful trip to Kansas City. We travelled there for his cousin Kyle's wedding, but were lucky to also have a very nice visit with his parents, Todd, May, and the boys. We arrived Friday afternoon and were greeted with smiling faces as they woke up from their naps:

Saturday morning while May was at work, the rest of us headed to the park. Check out the cowlicks on the boys - so cute!
We all got fancied up and grabbed a family photo before the wedding:
It was a beautiful candlelit ceremony:
During the Unity Candle ceremony, they had everyone in the church hold a candle as well. It was very unique and a very nice touch!
The reception was at a 4-level bar called The Cashew. Luckily that was just the name & no actual nuts were served :)
Thanks to Jay's cousin Bryan, we got a few great pictures of us :) I can't help but say how handsome my husband is!! I mean, seriously, isn't he?

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Bruner

Photo Courtesy of Bryan Bruner

Beautiful view of downtown from the reception. It was all open-air which, despite the humidity was nice!

On Sunday, Father's Day, we enjoyed some time in the pool. This was the first time the boys had been in the pool, so it was fun to experience this milestone with them! Overall, it was a success!
Check out Liam in his hat. He really didn't like it at first, but eventually decided to keep it on.
Xander found a comfortable place to chill out and watch tv!
Of course it was a whirlwind but we enjoyed every minute! We are leaving again on Friday for another adventure. Stay tuned for more fun!

I couldn't resist...

...and had to bring home these beauties from the market yesterday. Aren't they beautiful? They remind me of our wedding weekend last year where we had these decorating our tables at our rehearsal dinner: 

*smile*

From Our Kitchen: Pudding Pops!

Have you ever tried making frozen yogurt by throwing a container of it in the freezer and hoping it would magically turn into a yummy creamy dessert? Or maybe attempt making pudding pops by expertly pouring regular pudding into popsicle makers and thinking they would be just as good as the ones Bill Cosby used to promote when we were little? Well if you have, you know that it just doesn't work that way! Jay and I have yet to find a homemade frozen yogurt recipe that we like (you might as well make a full-fat ice cream if you're going homemade as far as we're concerned), but I found this easy & delicious recipe for pudding pops a couple weeks ago and gave it a shot. Have I told you it's delicious? And low fat/calorie? 

The first time, I made them with chocolate pudding and no Oreo cookies (remember the low fat/calorie part?) and was very pleased. This time, I chose banana (Jay's favorite so far)!

Variations: I used Sugar-Free pudding and fat-free Cool Whip. The recipe calls for the big box (3.9oz) of pudding, but I had a regular sized box, so reduced the milk and Cool Whip by 1/2. 

And voila! Delicious, 70-ish calorie treats you can enjoy all summer long! 

Airport Lust?

Our friend Jeff took this photo and I just had to post it. It's the wallpaper on our laptop and when I look at it, it reminds me of what I love about the airport. Don't you just feel like you are there? Smell the jet fuel in the air, and feel the breeze as the rain rolls in...maybe a sprinkle here and there your shoulder. The tower there in the distance overlooking the Metroliners that have had a hard day's work. Ahhhhh, I just love it! Oh, and for those that don't know, this is one of the planes that Jay flies for work. All by himself (no co-pilot). What a man I have!!

P.S. Please check out Jeff's new website. He is starting a photography business and would be glad to take your next portraits for you and your family!