George Strait Concert

Last night I went to the George Strait concert with my good friend JulieAnn. I was raised on country music and George Strait was a staple during my childhood. There is something about his music that I have always loved. He has a way of singing straight (no, not a joke) to the heart. His concert was fantastic. He wasn't flashy or fancy; he just got up on the stage and sang. He sounded great live. The mix of his voice with the sound of the fiddle, steel guitar, and piano is something that I will never forget (yes I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but its true!). Long live King George! Julie and I waiting in the long line to get into the amphitheatre.

Julieanne Hough was one of the opening acts. She is not only gorgeous and an incredible dancer, but she actually sings well too. Why do some people get all the talent?

Blake Shelton was the other opening act. I wasn't a huge fan of his before the show and his performance did little to change my mind. To quote him, "I shouldn't be telling y'all this, but I am going to get so drunk after this show." Hmm, not very classy.

Speaking of class, George Strait should define class in country music (assuming that is not an oxymoron). His show was well worth the time and money spent to see it and I hope he comes back to Salt Lake City soon.

Family Reunion in McCall, Idaho

I recently returned home from a week-long family reunion in beautiful McCall, Idaho. My step-dad's parents own a condo on the shore of Payette Lake and were kind enough to let my mom's family stay there for a week. My Uncle Wayne brought his boat and we had a great time catching up and spending quality time together. My sister-in-law Mandy, me, and Abby during a boat ride around the lake. The condo is in the background.

Me, my Aunt Heather, Uncle Rob, and cousin Brooke right before we embarked on an 18-mile bike ride around the lake.

The whole gang.

Isn't this sunset gorgeous?

Flyover Pics

I tried to post a video of Carl's flyover of the Stadium of Fire in my last post but I couldn't get the video to work. Seeing that the computer expert of my house is in another state right now a few pictures will have to do. I admit it is a pretty awesome sight to watch him fly. I don't know that I will ever get over the small piece of me that constantly worries about him, but that's just because I love him.

Freedom Isn't Free

Carl came home from his training in Arizona for the weekend and we had a fabulous 4th of July. We went to the parade in Provo and spent time at the Freedom Festival afterwards. He participated in the fly over of the Stadium of Fire so we got free tickets for me and my family to go and watch. I haven't been to the Stadium of Fire in years and it was a great time. I don't watch the Disney Channel so I don't know too many Jonas Brothers songs but nevertheless it was fun to watch them perform. I took him to the airport tonight and it was really hard to say good-bye. Honestly, I feel like such a wuss. I can't even handle 8 weeks in Arizona, how am I going to handle 18 months in Afghanistan someday, if that day comes? I won't think about it right now...we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For the time being I will just enjoy the time I have now. I am so grateful to live in this country and for those who serve and sacrifice to make freedom possible!