soul sistah's

Aren't my friends beautiful?! The McKean's are in town and so we decided to get dressed up and go to Mormon Row (a really cool place in the Teton Mountains with old barns & bison!) and take some cute pictures. It was so much fun. Here are a few of them:

-laurel

praying & believing :)

I never thought I would be writing this post, but here I am. I wanted to do this post to ask for your prayers. I believe firmly in the body of Christ praying for each other and I believe God hears our cries. 

A few weeks ago, my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a really big shock, but praise the Lord that it is in the lowest stage possible. My mom is going into surgery in the morning (July 13th) and I am writing this with confidence believing that our God is healer and awesome in power.

I am having the best summer, but this has definitely been hard to deal with and especially hard because I am in Wyoming and she is in Alabama. While it has been hard, I have definitely been learning through it. I was not originally planning on coming to Wyoming. I applied to a camp in Georgia and was dead set that that was is where I was supposed to be this be this summer. Little did I know, God had a different plan. I found out in April that I didn't get the job and had no idea what to do. I prayed about it and decided to come to Wyoming and I am so excited that I did! I have had so much fun and I am so glad that I have been able to be with my sweet friends all summer. 

It's so hard to hear that someone you love so much has cancer and on top of that being so far away and feeling so helpless. I have had days where my heart has ached to be at home with her. There has been many times that I have wanted to fly home for a few days, but it would just be too expensive to buy a round trip ticket. On these days I know that all I can do is rest in the Lord's faithfulness and trust that He is going to take care of her. 

The Lord has been so sweet to me and I truly believe He prepared me this spring semester. I learned a lot through different situations of His faithfulness and He spoke to me a lot, "Never will I leave you nor forsake you." While the Lord was teaching me this, I had this feeling that something was going to happen in the future where I was going to need to cling to this. The day my mom called me to tell me the news, it hit me... the Lord was preparing me for this all along! 

SO, while this has not been the easiest journey, I know I can confidently say that He is good and faithful and there's no changing that! Nothing, not even cancer can separate us from the love of Christ! I am so blessed that I KNOW this HOPE and that I am not alone. 

If you would have told me a few months ago that I would be sitting in Wyoming writing a blog post about my mom having cancer, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. BUT, the Lord's plan is perfect and here I am! Thanks for reading this and allowing me to share my heart! 

These verses have been especially close to me lately:

"So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  -Isaiah 41:10

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged."  -Deuteronomy 31:8

- Laurel :) 

Parents are the greatest

Hi- Laura here. Last Saturday, my parents flew in and it was so wonderful to see them! That night we went to dinner at Sidewinders (the best hamburgers ever) and then went to the Rodeo where they met our new friends!

On Sunday, I took the day off from work and after church, my parents and I went on the tram to the top of the mountain. It was such a beautiful day and I think they really enjoyed it! It was extremely windy, but the view was breathtaking. Later that night, my parents took Anna and I (Laurel and Morgan had to work) to dinner at Cadillac Grill. Good food, great fellowship- night number two- Success.

On Monday, we got up really early and picked up Morgan (once again, the other two had to work) and we drove to Yellowstone. It was another beautiful day and we were able to see a lot of wildlife. Unfortunately, still no bears. But we drove around the south loop (96 miles) and got out at some cool views. All in all, it was a good day.

That night, Laurel's birthday eve, they took us to Snake River Grill. We were finally all together and had a great time!

On Tuesday, we went to lunch at Picas (a wonderful mexican restaurant) and then took them to the airport. It was so sad to see them leave, but we had such a great time with them!

Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for such a wonderful weekend. Thanks for the amazing meals, which spoiled us, and for restocking our fridge. I am so glad yall were able to come out and visit us! I had a blast! Oh, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I am so blessed to have the most amazing parents ever! I love yall both so much!

-llh

boys & birthdays. [a joint post by anna & laurel]

Southern boys are pretty easy to spot out here in Wyoming and we love to spot them. Laura and I (anna) were at work on Friday and these three very Southern looking boys walk in. The store was really busy so we were unable to strike up a conversation with these three. The boys left and Laura and I thought we had lost our chance.

Stay tuned though..

Doug (our boss) walked into the store and we told him we saw these three very Southern looking boys, but we didn't get the chance to ask them where they were from. Doug, of course, has no fear so he goes outside where the boys are sitting and asks them if they go to Auburn (knowing good and well that they do not). They say no and that they go to Mississippi State. He then proceeds to bring them back into the store and makes them introduce themselves to Laura and I. Our faces are bright red at this point, but surprisingly it was a really smooth conversation. They asked us if we wanted to hang out later and Doug quickly grabs a blank piece of paper for us to write our numbers on (he is our embarrassing father). But we can't lie we were thankful for his boldness! The boys came over later that night and then Laurel and I went hiking with them on Saturday. Then Saturday night we all went to the Jackson Hole Rodeo. It was such a great weekend getting to know our new friends! Thanks Doug!

In other news.. I (laurel) am LEGAL! I don't know what's crazier.. that I am 21 or that I got to spend my birthday in WYOMING! I'm not going to lie, sometimes I wish my birthday wasn't in the summer because when all of our friends are in Auburn, birthdays are a big deal and are always so fun to be with everyone. However, this year was different! My sweet friends made my birthday SO special. I am so thankful to have friends like them and feel so loved! The celebration started when the clock hit 12 am on the 29th. We counted down and had a dance party and then headed outside to watch some Wyoming shooting stars. The next morning we woke up and they surprised me with a giant poster, a "Happy 21st Birthday" balloon, & sunflowers (all of which i LOVE.) It only gets better, the gave me an envelope and when I opened it, it was 2 Chaco's (sweet sandals) printed off from the computer. They told me I could pick out whatever color I wanted. I was thrilled considering I am in desperate need of some new Chaco's! We headed to Pica's ( a local mexican restaurant) for a yummy lunch.

After lunch, we headed to Teton National Park and hiked around Jenny Lake. It was so fun!

After hiking, we cleaned up and headed to the Cadallac Grille because the night before, we met the bartender and he told me that if I came back for my birthday he would give me a drink on the house. Thanks Shameus! (Hi everyone, Morgan writing in. His name is spelled SEAMUS. Am I the only one who's heard of that name? Seamus Finnigan anyone? And, sorry, I  just can't help but edit. And spell things correctly. Lord knows, I should know how.)

After we celebrated at the Cadallac Grille, we headed to Teton Village for one of the most delicious dinner's I have ever had. We ate at a restaurant called "Osteria". I decided to splurge (big time) since it was my birthday and ate a steak. After dinner, we headed back to "the basement" for a homemade Haagen-Dazs ice cream cake made by yours truly. I had such a wonderful and fun birthday and it was only made possible by Morgan, Anna, and Laura!

To add to the excitement of my birthday, today I had the experience of riding horses at a BEAUTIFUL ranch! If you have read this blog from the beginning, you know how much I love horses and how much I have been wanting to ride one since we have been out here. One of the first weeks we were in Jackson Hole, I met a sweet friend named Hannah who lives and works on "Lost Creek Ranch." She told me that there were some openings and that I would be able to come ride for the afternoon. I had SO MUCH FUN! Not only did I LOVE riding "Butch" but it was incredibly beautiful. At one point I said, I am in Wyoming, riding a horse with the sun shining of my face and surrounded by Mountains and fields of wildflowers! Is this real life?

As I was captivated by the mountains, I couldn't help but think how beautiful the Lord's work is. Not only that, but as beautiful as it was to sit there and look at this incredible view, it is nothing in comparison to His Majesty & Glory and what we will see one day. I thought of this line today sung by Shane&Shane, "all of this is but the fringes." What I saw today and experienced was so incredible and beautiful but only a "fringe" or outer layer of what is yet to be seen. Our eyes may have seen some of the earth's most beautiful wonders, but they have yet to see the Lord in ALL of His Glory and Splendor. What a day that will be!

We are not in the South anymore...

The South is where we were all born and raised. We drink sweet tea and refer to everyone as y'all, but the longer we live out west the more we realize we are not in Southern Alabama anymore. We started making a list of all the "weird" things that we Southern gals are not used to...

-there is always a call for snow in June
-all restaurants serve Pepsi products instead of Coke
-sweet tea in never an option
-the grocery store has an aisle called "cold pop" (referring to cold coke of course)
-grits and oatmeal are thought to be the same thing.
-"you guys" is an all too common phrase.
-friendly small talk is only found from visitors (usually Southern visitors)
-Subarus are more common then big obnoxious trucks.
-cowboy boots are practical instead of stylish
-no one understands the rival between Alabama and Auburn
-there is no Chick-fil-A
-there is not a church on every corner
-yes maam and yes sir is seen as rude instead of polite. (more people then we can count have asked us not to call them that)
- everywhere you go there are signs that say: "CAUTION! watch out for MOOSE & BUFFALO!

we definitely are not from around these parts,
amh

how many girls does it take to start a lawnmower?

well, apparently not enough. epic fail.

The Basement

"Podunk Mexican"

This was one of the first weeks we were here. We were thinking Mexican sounded good for dinner..that is until we ate at this restaurant. Hilarious/Shocking experience!

Hello Blog World.

I would like to personally and formally apologize for the lack of activity on this blog in the last few days. I take full responsibility for consuming the free time of these bloggers. To make up for my selfish acts, the girls insisted I make a post to show the world how good Jackson Hole is from an outsider’s view. I would like to begin by telling you that this will be long since we do have six full days of activity to cover, so please bare with me.

 

Day One: It all started with an exciting pick up from the Jackson Hole airport, and a quick tour of the town square. As I entered the “basement,” I quickly realized that something had to be done—so Laurel and I spent the afternoon cleaning. Some of you may be thinking that sounds miserable, but you must know that I was thrilled to clean. Just ask Laurel, my excitement for cleaning products was unordinary.

 

Day Two: Excited to be in Jackson Hole (and due to my air mattresses deflating), I woke up early and ready to explore. I quickly learned that when it rains in Jackson Hole, you don’t get to play in Jackson Hole. A little upset at first, I quickly recovered, realizing that I still had the chance to spend the whole day with my friends. We hung out, caught up and began my new obsession by watching a few episodes of The O.C. Morgan arrived home from a long day at work and brought some sunshine with her. Morgan and I decided that we should do all of the tourist things, since I am a tourist. We ventured downtown for the shootout (don’t worry it is not real), the classic “elk antler arch picture” and a lovely, traditional sushi date for dinner.

Day Three: Finally a sunny and beautiful day, we went on our first hike. My lungs soon discovered that the altitude change was an issue. But we powered through and stopped a few times to take in the view. Today was my one-on-one with Anna. We went downtown to do the tourist things again. (Yes, I went to the shoot-out two days in a row.) We also discovered a store that sold many over-priced stuffed animals. We had such a good time taking pictures in the store. Lastly, we found a lovely secondhand store and found some deals—this store fit our college-kid budget a little better. We ended the day with a nice family dinner of Lasagna.

Day Four: Saturday was the first and only day that all of the girls had to work the same time. I decided that it would be a good day to go on a drive with Evie and get to know Jackson Hole on my own. I was so awestruck with the beauty of the mountains and ranches that I was passing (the cars behind me grew a little impatient). When Laurel and Morgan got off work we went to drive through the Elk Refuge and some of the National Forrest. Even though we saw several “Elk Warning” signs, we didn’t see any Elk. After our afternoon of driving we went to the Rodeo—where we all got in at the locals price! It was quite the experience to see six –year-old boys getting bucked off of sheep.

Day Five: On Sunday, Morgan and I woke up and went to Mass (my first Mass ever I might add). Morgan told me some tips so I didn’t stand out as much. After church, Morgan and I went on a drive to this beautiful resort. We went home to pick up Laurel and then we went to Teton Village to ride the Tram. The tram took us from an elevation of 6,000 feet to 10,000 feet. At the top of Mount Rendezvous we played in the snow (in sandals--woops), ate wonderful waffles and took some great pictures. We dropped Laurel off at Haagen Dazs, and Morgan and I hit the trails. Hike #2 was a little bit easier, but we still stopped to take in the view and catch our breath a few times. We finished up the night by going to Sidewinders, where Laura, Morgan, Anna, and I all ordered burger and fries. We were all so hungry that we cleaned our plates. Well, almost all of us— Laura is a quitter!

Day six: We all slept until 10 a.m. No one woke up until Laurel’s alarm went off. (Yes, Laurel’s alarm). Laurel had to go to work for the majority of the day, and the rest of us went to Teton National Forrest. We hiked a 6 mile path around Jenny Lake. We all packed our lunches and had a picnic on the lake. We took plenty of pictures and stops to soak in the beauty of the Lord’s creation. After our hike, we went home to make another family dinner. We finished the night with girl talk and, of course, the O.C.

Day Seven: My last day in Jackson Hole started early. All four of my sweet hostesses all woke up to take me to the airport at 6:30 a.m.  As my plane was taking off I convinced myself I would finally read Crazy Love on the way home (I am really bad at making myself read). One of the first thing that I read was this, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” It was an incredible way to summarize how I have felt the whole trip. How significant the Lord is, and how insignificant we all are.

 

It was definitely a wonderful trip!

 

--Katie

let's go on a walk...

SO, yesterday was the only day it hasn't rained, and it was absolutely beautiful! I got off work around 5 and decided to go on a walk. It was soo wonderful. I put my iPod in and grabbed my camera and went. It was so relaxing to be by myself and just take in the beauty around me! Here are some pictures I took. Enjoy!

This picture is actually from tonight. It was a beautiful sunset!

in other news, KATIE IS HERE!! Anna, Laura, & I picked her up from the airport around 2:30 today and we are so excited to have her with us. We are already having so much fun! Morgan was already at work and Laura & Anna had to go to work at 4, so Katie and I explored for a little while, and after she saw our lovely basement, she decided she wanted to clean it! We made a trip to the dollar tree & got some cleaning supplies! Katie went to town and deep cleaned & organized our basement & it looks so much better!

Until next time-- l a u r e l.