Randi & Joey: Catch Up & Mustard

When I was in 7th grade, my science teacher used to have a Catch Up & Mustard day so we could finish all the work we were behind on; so what I'm saying is..... I have been such a bad blogger! The whole month of July was so busy! This is going to be one heck of a post!

It all started on July 30th actually, Joey and I took a drive out to Wendover to see Mr. Bret Michaels himself!

As you all know, I am OBSESSED with Bret and I am convinced one day he will be with me :-)

It was at the Peppermill Concert Hall (which I had never been there before).

We saw our good friend Amber before the show, she was a few rows in front of us. The show was SUPPOSED to start at 8, Mr. Perfect didn't come on stage until about 8:25, he came out to Welcome To The Jungle... little cheesy but I certainly did NOT care. I dragged Joey along with me becuase I thought it was be fun for something him and I could do together. He came along for my support, although the whole ride there he kept telling over and over again about how he would not know any songs because he doesn't listen to the Bret Michaels band. He was very surprised when they played mostly Poison songs. His first song was Talk Dirty To Me, my fav of his, along with 1000's of other people :-) You could tell Bret was not feeling well, he was very upbeat, but didn't move around too much. He put on a very good concert... the whole 50 minutes of it. The concert ended at 9:30, so... we spend 4 hours driving time for 50 minutes worth of Bret Michaels. But OH WELL!! It was a great time anyway and I really enjoyed myself!

This past month Joey and I have really gotten into hiking. We have discovered we really enjoy it! The thing I love about Utah is that anywhere you live, your only about 30 minutes from the mountains. We have come to like Big Cottonwood Canyon the best so far, we only go on Sundays, when we both have a day off together. We have followed some designated hikes and we have also just parked somewhere and hiked up the mountain until we get tired or get to the top. We found a great little trail that is about 3 miles and has a great little camping spot at the top of it. We take Joey's brother, Jereld, with us. He is our convenient store. He packs everything you need with him! I love being outside in the warm sun, breathing in the fresh mounain air. I'm going to miss hiking during the Winter, becuase I sure am NOT going hiking in the snow! But we take advantage of the good weather we have now.

Erin, Hayden's mom, went off to girl's camp this a few weeks ago, so Brit got to babysit Hayden while Jordan, Hayden's dad worked. I can't believe how big he is getting! He will be 5 months old this month. He now responds to what you say, he loves to smile and laugh. He hardly ever cried. He is such a loving little baby, we are so thankful for every moment we get with him. In the 2 days that we had him we took lots of pictures of course, took him out on lots of little outings and dressed him up in every outfit he had. We spend hours playing with him and cuddling him. My dad is so cute with him, he would sit Hayden in the corner of the couch and tickle his little tummy, just like he used to do with Brit and I when we were that age, and Hayden would just giggle hysterically. My mom stopped by and saw him, too. She said she hardly recognized him, he has gotten so big. We are very lucky to have chosen such wonderful people to be Hayden's parents.

Rush came into town and played at Usana (best concert place ever!) Every time Rush comes to town of course we HAVE to go! In the 6 years that Joey and I have been together, and the 3 times that we have seen them play, this last concert was the first time ever that we were able to enjoy it together. Usually I go with my dad, and we sit in the seats, while Joey goes with a friend and they just get grass seats. Joey had never been that close before and he was so excited! It was Me, Brit, Joey, my dad, and my uncle doug who all went. It was such a great time with all of them, it was nice to have a family night. Rush is one of Dad and Doug's favorite bands, so of course Brit and I love them just as much because we grew up with them. The 3 members of Rush are seriously the best musicians that have ever played, Neil Purt's drum skills are SIIIICK! They played a little over 3 hours and it always seems like a flash, no matter how long they play you always want more. Those guys are getting so old but they play just as hard as when they first started. I love watching my dad jam out to Rush, he plays a mean air guitar :-) I learned everything I know from him.

Brit was out with her friends one day when they found this cute little Parakeet just wandering the streets. They decided to try to catch him so he would not get hurt. The bird went right into their hands, so he must have been trained. They looked all over the internet to see if anyone had posted a lost bird, but they found nothing so they decided to keep him. They named him Skylar, he is so cute. Well.... Brit is always trying to get my mom and I to get some sort of pet so she can "babysit" it. My mom, Brit and I went out to dinner one night and talked our mom into getting a Cockatail. We had seen one on KSL that was already trained. Some young girl trains them and then sells them. We named him Norman Kenny Rodgers, we all couldn't decide on one name, so we gave him all 3 names. He is the cutest thing in the world! The dogs still are not quite used to him yet, but he is such a good bird. He doesn't bite, he sits on your shoulder or your hand, and he whistles everytime someone walks by him. They say Cockatails are limited in their vocabulary but we are trying to teach him some words. Norman was a good choice of a pet :-) I hope my mom is committed because they live like 20-30 years!

We had to say goodbye to a loved one earlier this month. Tonya (my stepmom) lost her dad after he decided to take his own life. It was a shock to everyone. Ed Blouin never said much at family BBQ's, he was more of a listener than a talker, he was a great guy. He was a war vet, so they had a memorial for him at the Veteran Memorial Grounds. Of course, a funeral is something that NO BODY looks forward to, especially if it is a loved one that you are close to, but I was intrigued by the service. I had never been to that kind of memorial before. The family said very kind words at the service, I heard stories I had never heard before; some sad, some that made you smile and think 'Yep, thats Ed.' It was very emotional to see the flag be spread out for Ed while a prayer was said, seeing the men in their uniforms, watching the rifle solute for him . Ed Blouin was a great man, and that Gentle Giant will never be forgotten.