At Long Last -- Rachel's Braces Are Off!!

On July 29th, after two and a half long years of orthodontic torture, Rachel has finally had her braces removed. She was hoping she'd get them off before starting high school this fall. As you know it would be the kiss of death to start high school with braces. In her opinion it just wouldn't be cool.

Last Year with braces

Now, without braces.

Yes, those are some very straight teeth on my pretty little girl. High School are you ready for this smile?

Jason & Nicole's Wedding

Saturday, July 26th we attended my nephew's, Jason Armstrong, wedding. He married the lovely Nicole Cochran. The wedding was held at the Targhee Ski resort in Afton, Wyoming. It was an awesome place to have a wedding and the weather was perfect. The wedding was held behind one of the lodges with about 75-100 people present. They were married by one of their mutual friends who got his Minister's license off the internet for this occasion. Afterwards there was a reception in a large white tent where a delicious dinner was served. We had fun visiting with Jason's and Nicole's friends and family. They also had a dance. It was nice seeing everyone enjoying themselves. Congratulations Jason and Nicole! I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon in Jamaica.

These were the best of the few pictures we took. We were trying to stay out of the wedding photographer's way.

This is a picture of the Tetons as we drove down the mountain from Targhee at Sunset. It was a beautiful day.

Clark Family Olympics 2008

The Clark Family Reunion was held July 17th to July 19th at the family ranch. The theme was "Clark Family Olympics 2008 or The Games Rednecks Play". The reunion included Roger's mother, his brother and sisters and their families. Out of 59 family members, 57 were present at one time or another over the three days. The exceptions being Adam, who is on a mission and Matt, a nephew who was graduating from BYU-I that weekend. They came from as far as Illinois, Tennessee, Arizona, Colorado, Washington, Montana and of course Idaho. We spent the weekend visiting, eating, playing and eating some more. It was so nice to see everyone and see the new babies and how much the other children have grown. It was a great weekend.

Outhouse Renovation

A special thanks to my Dad who spent two days upgrading the outhouse for the Clark Reunion. He painted the inside and lined the door so no one could peek in. He added an inside lock and took off the outside lock so there wouldn't be anymore children traumatized by being locked in by prankster cousins. He also added a new toilet paper holder, a light and a nice new seat while leaving the outside still looking quaint and rustic. Thanks Dad.

Happy 15th Birthday Rachel!

FOURTH OF JULY!

We had all our traditionally awesome fun on the Fourth. Flag raising and breakfast at Grandma Clark's. At the Menan celebration,the Pop Toss Booth was a total success. Laura ran the booth to support the "Laura College Fund". We ate from the local food booths and watched the parade. The Menan fire works were fantastic as usual. The only thing wrong is I didn't have my camera. My card was full and I didn't have time to delete a few pictures. So for great pictures of what we did on the Fourth of July, check out my niece's blog at Matt and Michelle under family names. She was everywhere we were. There's even a great picture of my parents at the parade. Thanks Michelle. I hope everyone else had a great day too!

Cattle Drive

I was thinking the other day that all I have blogged about lately is farm and ranch topics. But then again that is who we are and what we do. So on with the next ranch related item. Our cattle have been grazing in our own private pasture since they were hauled to the ranch in May. Every year during the first week of July we move them to pasture on the national forest. We always try to make it a fun day with family and friends or anyone with a horse or four wheeler who wants to come. The more the merrier. This year our regular cowboys were, Roger, Alan, Laura and Lynn Rushton. Our Honda cowboys were Rachel, my dad, Dale Armstrong and my nephew Sean Gilman. Also joining us were Chris and Heather Campbell and four of their children on horses and Heather's mother, Joy Hancock who took turns with Chris in the pickup with their baby. Other four wheeler cowboys were Mark Boam and his son, Cody who run a few cattle with us. In the pickup or "Chuck Wagon" were myself, Grandma, Sara and baby Kailynn. It was a beautiful day. It seemed like the cattle wanted to run this year. That's why all the dust in the pictures. (No, it wasn't a stampede) After we got them where we wanted them, we had a picnic in the shade until they were all mother upped (calves and moms find each other). It was a great day for a cattle drive.