I have finally made my way back home and have truly loved every moment of my life. I am so thankful to have such a fabulous family, I am never happier when it comes to spending time with them. This past summer was so full of fun, laughter, & pure joy. I am so grateful I have the cutest nephews & niece, the best sisters around, funniest brothers, outstanding parents, & wonderful friends that are truly family.
The beginning of a new chapter in my life, right back at home sweet home.
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| I love these mountains |
My first day back was straight to Uncle Der Der's lacrosse game where I got to hang out with this lil gal :)
Then of course it was straight off to Provo to spend time with my one and only Momo! I love this little guy with all I have, he is such a stud who is so completely full of life and laughter. There is never a dull moment between us & we love to get rowdy and have some fun!!
One of the days we spent it at Trafalga Fun Center, where we rode rides, go carts, rock climbing, & water games. The boys absolutely loved it, I mostly hung out with baby Tonah and took pictures of Reese & Ryan enjoying time with their boys. We had a blast!
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| Ryan was being super competitive |
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| Momo & Reesie |
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| Didi & Ryan |
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| They had so much fun winning! |
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| The super soaker game |
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| Jumping on the tramp with baby T |
Being back in Utah is always so much more fun when you have a wonderful friend like Romina.
Romi and I have been friends since we were 18, our freshman year of college. We always have such a blast & love to dance the night away of course. She is such a genuine, sweet woman, I love spending time with her. We always lose track of time chatting, dancing, or laughing away!
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Love Romi
And of course I finally was able to go shopping at City Creek Mall!! Brooke has been telling me so much about this mall, it was one of our first stops! We made a big day of it going to our favorite restaurant, Thaifoon then hitting all our favorite stores to spend way too much money :) one of my favorite things to do. |
This mall is pretty sweet, its an outdoor mall but has a retractable cover just incase it begins to rain.
Most of my days were hanging out at home enjoy the gorgeous weather, one of the things I have missed dearly since Alaska and Oregon are pretty gloomy during the winter. I loved taking this little chickadee on lots of walks & having fun at the park.
I was so glad I was able to finally spend a Mother's Day with my mother! My mom is seriously the sweetest lady, I love her with all my heart. I couldn't ever begin to explain how grateful I am to have her in my life, she not just the greatest mom but one of my best friends. We have been able to become so much closer this summer since it has been forever since I have been home. We have stayed up way too late, watched every episode without fail of The Bachelorette, & have become addicted to Keeping up with the Kardashians. I loved how many girls days we had of nothing but lunch, shopping, & nails :)
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| Happy Mother's Day Mom! |
Cherisse took me to her Ballet class, I absolutely LOVED every moment of it! Oh how I have missed dancing, it truly is what makes my soul happy. I'm not gonna lie though, the class did kinda kick my butt since I haven't danced in almost 3 years! Geez where does time go!
A day at Utah lake is always a summer must with us! We had such a blast spending all day on the lake wakeboarding and swimming. We all have way too much fun!
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| Me, Jeanette, Jake, Jeff, Vanessa, & Romi |
And yes of course I love spending time with these ladies, they are genuine gals & full of fun!
Boys will be boys!
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| Hahaha Jeanette getting carried away with her duties |
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| Gorgeous Romi |
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| I love Utah |
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| Jake going to show us how its done |
This was my first time going wake boarding, I am actually pretty afraid of water so it was super difficult for me to get in and have to boat drive away from me, sheesh talk about the anxiety!! But I toughed it out and I'm sure it gave me more drive to get up out of the water and on my feet. Whew
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| That's me! |
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| Hahaha |
This is how I love to spend a Sunday after church, being lazy watching a movie with my favorite buddy :) Momo & I love lounging, eating treats & watching Land before time or just lots of dinosaur movies.
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| Sweet Mosiah |
Hahaha sometimes I love teasing Tonah, just because. In this picture he was already pretty fussy, but I was torturing him trying to move his mouth and talk for him. Hahaha he didn't like it too much.
When he began crying I patted my hand over his mouth so it sounded funny, boy did that just make him more mad! Cherisse made me hand him over after she was done taking pictures & he immediately stop...he's such a mamma's boy!
As much as I get to see my nephews & niece to be honest this is mostly what I do these days....hang out with Derek. Derek just got his drivers learning permit, he is one active teenager so I am the driving chaperone. He is always needing to go somewhere or wanting to hangout with his friends. Haha most of the time I just hang out with him and Michael, going to lacrosse practice or just bumming around having fun doing whatever. Brooke always teases me that I have no friends because their all married & most are busy with children, but loser me just hangouts with a bunch of 15 year olds hahaha
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| Michael, Noah, & Derek |
One of the biggest moments I have been waiting for this summer was Momo's birthday!!!! I haven't been able to be apart of momo's birthday since last year I was in Alaska, the year before that they were in China. So I am glad I was able to be here for his 5th birthday, jeez I can't believe how fast these kids grow up!
My sister is remarkable, she made everything. The decorations, hats, bags, Dino cake, & lava cupcakes :) Way to go Reesie! You are one spectacular Mom!!!
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| The birthday boy |
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| Ha Didi of course ate way too many cupcakes |
Our summer is full of lots of lacrosse games, Derek is an absolute stud when it comes to lacrosse. We all enjoy going to his games & cheering him on. He is such an athlete & always makes the game exciting scoring goals.
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| Sean & I just watching the game |
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| Der der |
A day at Seven Peaks water Park is always a family tradition. It's more fun now than its ever been since we now have 4 little ones who all love the water & go crazy having fun.
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I love my sister's
Cherisse, Brooke, & Me |
From tallest to shortest, I think its funny Cherisse is the oldest but yet the shortest ha cute little Reesie. Soon Sean will be taller than me & I'll be the second shortest. If Sean ends up being taller than Derek it'll the oldest=shortest to youngest=tallest.
These boys just have so much love for June, they are constantly trying to hold her and kiss her. June can get slightly overwhelmed with all the love. But at least she looks like a babe in her sweet shades.
Hahaha baby T makes me laugh, he put these on and when we all started laughing her just ate it up.
But it didn't take long for them to get frustrated with all the photos we were trying to take of them. Ha too funny
Brooke & Keith caught a wild hair & spontaneously wanted to go to Las Vegas. It was a Thursday night & I was out at a Bee's baseball game with friends then heading out for a night on the town when at 10:30 I get a phone call saying "Janelle, what are you doing?! We're going to Vegas!" Me without any hesitation whatsoever.."I'm down! Come get me" Haha its was onward to Sin City baby!!!
We drove all night totally pumped up for a weekend in Vegas. Our first stop when arrived was IHop where June devoured an entire pancake with whip cream & strawberries all on her own. Gotta keep that ghetto booty she has somehow.
Since we arrived so early & couldn't check into out hotel, we did some shopping and walking the strip. We stopped at the M&M factory where I of course got 40 dollars worth of M&M's I completely devoured.
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| We are so colored coordinated, even my phone |
Friday we had fun of course doing too much shopping, walking the strip, going to shows & eating at awesome Vegas restaurants!
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| A day in Paris |
Brooke & I kept laugh at Keith because it was so burning hot and crazy him wore long jeans & a long sleeve t-shirt! Crazy!!!
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| Haha June looks so silly even she hated the heat |
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| Our comfy hotel |
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| A night in Sin City! |
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| Umm I don't think I was suppose to be doing this |
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| I love this cute little lady |
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| Well said! |
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| One day... |
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| A day at the pool |
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| So much fun |
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| All you can eat sushi...boy did we eat all you can eat! |
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| The best H&M ever, I was in heaven |
Well as much fun as Las Vegas was I had to cut my trip short and fly home for my best friends Bachelorette party Saturday night, whoop whoop!!! Boy did we have so much fun. It sure was a party!
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| Dinner at Jasoh's |
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| Cocktails at Gracie's |
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| Kim's last rodeo |
Kim & I are excellent dancers I must say and we have been practicing for years and years lol. Ever since high school we were non stop dancers, it has kept us in great shape when we used to go every weekend and dance for hours! I've never known anyone else who has been able to keep up with us. We have some great memories of our first summer before we split for college heading down to Salt Lake City & dancing the night away every weekend.
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| Love my Kimmy! |
Derek and I just chillin on a gorgeous Sunday at Rooster's eating the famous rooster wings, my all time favorite.
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| We love Rooster's |
The time finally came Monday (whew what a busy weekend!) for my cowgirl to get hitched to the love of her life!! I honestly could not be more happy for Kim, I'm delighted she has found the one man who fits her perfectly & who she deserves. Kim is one of the hardest working women I have ever known, she is filled with determination & drive like I have never seen in anyone. Not only is she as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, but she is intelligent, genuine, & I truly do not know where I would be in this life if I didn't have her. There is much more to be said about the character of this inspiring lovely woman, I call my true best friend, that words can not express. I was so honored I could me a apart of their special day & enjoy celebrating the start of their new life together!
I sincerely feel grateful to have Kim, who is indeed a sister to me, but to be gaining another true friend her husband Carlton. We three have such an amusing time together, filled with laughter & crazy fun. Carlton is one crazy cowboy, we get along fantastically and its always a rowdy time with us!
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| Getting our hair done :) |
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| All finished & ready to go |
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| Let's get this cowgirl hitched! |
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| The gorgeous bride |
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| Me holding her dress up while she gets laced up |
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| My best friend of all time |
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| Kim with all her bridesmaids |
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| About to go get her hitched!! |
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| Krystal :) |
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| Cutting the cake, don't you just love Carlton's hat |
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| oooooh the garter toss |
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| I caught the bouquet & Kim's brother Ben caught the garder :) |
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| First wedding toast |
Kim had a special song sang for her mother, Donna. Her mother is one spectacular woman who I call my second mother. She too is such a hard working woman its unbelievable. She is the best woman & best mother a girl could ever ask for, she has always been there for Kim no matter what. Supporting her 100 & 10 percent with rodeo and life.
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| Alex & I |
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| Missy & Aaron, Kim's brother |
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| Donna & her son Ben |
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| My adorable wedding date, love my cute cowboy |
After the wedding and honeymoon it was right back into our routine, we celebrated Pleasant View Founder's Day together. They have a parade, carnival, & bbq at the park, come the end of the day they even have a fantastic firework show.
We had so much fun watching the fireworks, Kim & I are such dorks the whole time we kept talking about which firework was our favorite. Every time one would go off we would say "Oh that one, that ones mine" In the end we found out we liked the same firework, so having figured that out we refer to ourselves as we're the "same firework" :) cheesy but gotta love life's moments.
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| June bug also loved the firework show |
It's so great to be back in Utah since I get to see my life long friend Jeremy often. Jer and I have been friends since we were toddlers, he used to let me beat him up :) what a guy huh! Our moms are best friends while our fathers worked for 20+ years with the same company. In high school Jer & I used to go on dates, he always is making me laugh till I cry and has to be the funniest person I know. "It only does that cause its new" Hahahaha gets me everytime!! I love hanging out with him, he would take me to corn field mazes during Halloween, the drive in movies in the summer, bonfires & roast marshmallows in the creepy woods, demolition derby's, show off his motorcycle along with his impressive skills, & every year we would celebrate Peach days together. Haha one year after the parade & car show he took me to dinner first then to the Peach days carnival to ride all the rides....yeah I got pretty sick, he was kind enough to hold my hair back what a true friend.
After we graduated high school he used to come visit me and keep me company, there was never a dull moment when Jeremy's in the house. I'm grateful to have Jer as my friend & always making me laugh & being there when I need a true friend to cheer me up.
Just enjoying being with June & Brooke
One of our many shopping days....
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| Asian status Hahaha |
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| Love what dorks we are |
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| June's new hat |
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| Lunch with Kimmy |
My favorite sushi guys!!! These guys come to the restaurant that I work at every Tuesday & Saturday for sushi night. They are even kind enough to teach me how to make my own sushi rolls & eat as much sushi as I want :D I love sushi!!!!
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| Jeremy & Spencer |
Fourth of July in Utah is one of my most treasured times to spend with my family at home! We go to the North Ogden Parade then the carnival where they have all kinds of food, a baseball game, blow up houses, & handcrafted jewelry. Then fireworks at night :)
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| June had the sweetest glasses of all time!! |
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| I love this adorable baby to pieces! |
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| Sweet baby June |
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| Haha she is so cute! |
My grandmother was able to come up from Farmington, New Mexico and spend the holiday with us. I love spending time with my grandma so much, she is just too cute & always a laugh. She has such an amazing life story and we all look up to her for being such a speculator woman.
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| I love her so much |
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| I love how sweet this little June bug is |
As much as I do love to stay in Ogden for the firework show, instead I headed south to Saint George to spend the weekend with some amazing friends! Lauren and I met some years ago while living in Philadelphia, which is crazy because we both came from Provo! In Philly we literally spent everyday together at the pool, zoo, sightseeing & just hang out with those lively kids of hers. She is a pretty amazing woman, we have waaaaayyyy too much fun together! And I absolutely adore her children, they are so full of life & crazy funny.
After the firework show in St G we headed to her house in Veyo getting ready for the Gunlock rodeo. Oh my goodness...I have never had so much fun in my life! It was so grand and unbelievable!
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| Chairs in the back of the truck watching the rodeo |
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| Lauren & her son Camden |
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| The Gunlock Rodeo |
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| My favorite gal pal, Dilly :) |
After the rodeo a whole different kinda fun breaks loose, and what a crazy fun night it was!!!
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| Getting the night started |
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| Amy & Chase |
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| Zach! too bad his fiancé wasn't able to join :( |
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| Jenn & Jodi |
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| Love love love this crazy fun cowgirl! |
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| Ryan, Trent, Zach |
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| Trent helping AJ ride the calf |
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| The cutest couple ever |
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| Tailgating |
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| Ha adorable Dilly |
For the children they take chickens and let them loose in the arena so the kids and chase them down, if they catch one they get to take it home.
Determined little Camden came back with one & a proud grin from ear to ear! Hahah way to go buddy
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| Cam got one!! |
The next morning we set out on the farm to gather some eggs to make an omelet, the girls had fun.
Once again it was back to good old Ogden, where I started my life again of chaperoning these two.
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| Ha this photo is my favorite |
And back to the trio of cowboys/cowgirls & Indians, we love hanging out way to much!
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| Ha Carlton can never take a serious good smiling photo |
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| Awww |
I am so glad I get to spend so much time with my Park City gals!
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| Alicia & Randee |
I also enjoy heading up there to watch them play at the spur, its a swing dancing night when the night gets going.
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| Alicia & Forest |
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| Randee & Mike |
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| Ericka, love this chick |
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| My absolute favorite, the Park City Market |
One of my summer nights I went to the twilight series in Salt Lake and saw N.A.S. perform, oh man was that ever so much fun!!!!! I love summer concerts!
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| Too bad m camera is horrible :( |
Our most favorite summer tradition! Kimmy & I every year look forward to the Ogden Pioneer days rodeo, its such a blast & makes Kim anxious to get ready for all her upcoming competitions.
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| I love where I live, so gorgeous |
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| We love the rodeo! |
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This cowboy sure does love his cowgirl :)
After the 1st night of the rodeo I headed up to Park City since I was about to leave on vacation I couldn't go without properly saying bye to one of my greatest friends, Frankie. He is such a sweet gentle person, he is my partner in crime & I'm grateful for our friendship. We have the best conversations, its so nice how understanding and thoughtful he is. It's always a good time when we head out for a night on the town! |
And of course we always have to go out for brunch Saturday mornings
Before I headed back to Ogden for another rodeo filled night I headed up to my old stomping grounds, the good old cabin. I without a doubt loved living here, it was the most gorgeous place and gave me some wonderful memories I'll never forget. I buried Naataanii up here, so its even a more special place to me, oh how I miss that lil puppy.
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| Let 'er buck! |
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| Classic |
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| Love me some HOT cowboys!!!! |
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| Love the bull riding! |
Our tradition also includes heading to the Outlaw Saloon for a goodnight of dancing madness. Those cowboys love to swing dance.
And this is all she wrote...the next day was spent packing then me and my family went to the Salt Lake powwow and it was off to New York City for this adventurous little Indian. So there's lots more to come now that the NYC party has started!!
