The Scenic Route

Bighorn Sheep Hunt 2011

2011-11-21T17:36:00.001-07:00

This year, my sister and I both drew out for bighorn sheep in Nevada. Not only is this tag incredibly hard to draw, but it is incredibly rare to draw out with another person in your party in the same year. To give you an idea, my dad has been putting in for this tag every year for the past 30 years and has only drawn out for this tag once. He has also put me in for 13 years, and my sister in for 21 years, and we just barely drew out. It was an incredible and rare opportunity for this to happen, especially if you understand hunting!

We hunted opening morning and were both successful. These sheep are found in very rocky and steep terrain and can see up to a mile away. Getting closer than a 1,000 yards to them is difficult and getting even closer to get a shot off takes serious hunting skills! We were successful, and I killed a 9 1/2 year old ram, and my sister killed an 8 1/2 year old ram. It was a great hunt that I will always remember. It is a little bittersweet that it is over so quickly, but it was an amazing experience.

If you don't know much about Desert bighorn sheep, here are a few fun facts...

The most conspicuous feature of the desert bighorn sheep is the large brown horns that continue to grow. Both rams (males) and ewes (females) have horns, though the horns of rams are much bigger and more curved. Each horn is in a “C” shape known as a “curl”. The horns are permanent and consist of a sheath of keratin (a hard protein found in fingernails and hair) covering a bony core.

Desert bighorns are located in mountain rangesthroughout the southwest. Besides the southern region of Nevada, populationsexist in Arizona, southeast California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Texas andMexico. Typical desert bighorn terrain is rough, rocky and steep,broken up by canyons and washes. This type of terrain affords them theadvantage in coping with predation. Desert bighorns live in regions marked by hot summers and little annual precipitation. Bighorn sheeprequire access to freestanding water during summer months, and in droughtconditions they may water throughout the year. They often break open barrel cactus with their horns and eat out the inside.

During the rutting season in July through September,dominance among rams is established in contests in which two rams may clashhorns. It has been estimated rams may meet head-on at a combined speed ofapproximately 30 mph.

Amazing animals!

I Fell in Love

2011-10-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

I know this is not the most exotic place in the world, but I fell in love with Flagstaff over the summer. After spending a weekend there in a cabin with my family and camping there over Labor Day weekend with Kyle and Macy, I am obsessed. Maybe it has something to do with the amazing weather in the summer and that it is only two hours from Phoenix, but I like it there! We were lucky enough to stay in a beautiful cabin that backed up to the greenest golf course. We did some hiking and took Macy for her first swim in Lake Mary. She learned how to swim in about one second but wasn't a fan. We will have to try it again next summer. Anyone up for a weekend in Flagstaff? Look how beautiful!

Great backyard for star gazing or golf gazing, in Kyle's case!

Macy loved rolling in this grass...she was obssessed.

Our first camping trip...finally!!

Lake Mary

Macy recovering from her first dip in the lake.

Newport Beach

2011-09-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

After we got Macy, we were able to head off to Newport Beach with my family. The weather was perfect of course, and we enjoyed going to the beach, Ikea, the pool, and more beach. The girls enjoyed riding a few ferris wheels, and the twins braved the beach. Even though it was crazy almost every minute, it was a great trip. I guess if someone twisted my arm, I would go back. It was my last week of vacation before I had to head back to work for the school year, and it made my school blues even bluer! Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip.

Macy

2011-09-15T21:45:00.004-07:00

Okay-here goes my attempt to get caught up with my blogging from the last few months. There will be more posts to come, but first I have to blog about our new puppy- a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel! We got Macy on the 4th of July, and she was only 2 pounds. She is now almost four months old and has tripled her weight. Macy is the biggest cuddler ever and has the sweetest personality. I am totally a weird puppy lover now, and she has become a member of our family. Kyle even loves her - must be the big ears!

Beaches of the Carribbean

2011-06-27T20:36:00.001-07:00

I love summer time! I have summers off because I work at an Elementary School, so Kyle and I are taking advantage of this and booked a Carribbean Cruise a little while ago. We just got back from the cruise, and to say the least it was amazing. We went with our friends Sean and Paige, and it was a great vacation! The first day on the ship we saw a man go overboard - true story! We happened to be at the right place at the right time when we heard a huge splash, people screaming, and then saw a person pop up out of the water. Luckily we had left the New Orleans port only three hours before, and we were still in the river when he went overboard. It was also still light out, and we watched as the cruise ship sent out a rescue boat. He was rescued back to safety...crazy first day! During the rest of the cruise, we visited Mexico, Roatan, and Belize. I wish I was back on those white sandy beaches where the water is the absolute perfect temperature. Here are some pictures of the incredible places we went.

Our first stop was Costa Maya, which was small but fun with a great beach and yummy Mexican food.

Our second stop was in Roatan, Honduras, a small island just north of the mainland of Honduras. We went ziplining in the jungle and then relaxed on West Bay Beach for a few hours. The people there were so friendly and the beach was to die for! We also saw some cute monkeys at the zipline.

The third stop was in Belize City, Belize. Here we went snorkeling, hung out at a beach, and then went looking for Manitees that feed along the shoreline close to where we snorkeled. Once again, a beach to die for!

Our last port of the cruise was in Cozumel, Mexico. We didn't do an excursion this day, but we took all day to relax on the beach, the boys went scuba diving, and we ate the most amazing Mexican food...best carne asada tacos in the whole world!

During the rest of our cruise, we laid out in the sun, went swimming, went to shows on the ship, went to improv and comedy night with the cast of Second City, and most of all ate lots and lots of food! The views on the ship were amazing, and I was able to force myself to get up one morning to see a sunrise. It was gorgeous even though a little cloudy - well worth the sacrifice of sleep!

Our stateroom on the ship was much better than we expected and all of the employees were so nice. We even got fresh towels folded into the shape of different animals....how cute! The only downside was the weird looking machine in our room...any guesses on what this is?!

I love you Carribbean - thank you for the week of relaxation, sun, and yummy food...you will be missed!

Double Trouble

2011-05-06T23:40:00.003-07:00

Check out the cutest twins you've ever seen! Brady and Barrett Stewart were born in January, and I now have 8 nieces and nephews. Even though they are not mine, I think they are the most adorable twins I have ever seen and just had to put some pictures up as a proud aunt!

No Cerebellum?!

2011-02-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing story of a little boy who is surpassing all expectations even though he is missing very crucial parts of his brain. Because I work with children every day who have difficulty with everyday tasks such as speech and language, I was very inspired! This is worth the watch and shows us that the brain is all the more complex and miraculous than we already thought!

To see the article, head to http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/12/chase-britton-boy-without-a-cerebellum-baffles-doctors/?icid=maing

Feeling Just a Little Like Forrest

2011-01-18T21:37:00.004-07:00

I am proud to say that after this weekend I am now a half marathon champion! My sister and I started training last year, (I only trained for two months...probably explains all my pain two days later!) and we reached our goal of running 13.1 miles. I never thought I would be able to run such a long distance and for such a long amount of time. But against all odds, we reached the finish line with the help of every muscle in our bodies. It was really a fun weekend with my sister and her husband who came down from Las Vegas to hang out with me and Kyle. It was a great day and a great feeling to able to accomplish something I never thought I would. I now have a new appreciation for cars altogether and for athletes around the world! Blue Betty, I love you! Go RUNNERS!!

Pumped and ready before the run...

Ready to collapse after the finish line...

Thanks Steph for convincing me to do this crazy thing and for always having crazy, fun ideas!! Thanks Kyle for pushing me to train, even during Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Hunting Season 2010

2010-10-15T09:58:00.001-07:00

This year I drew out for a cow elk and a deer in Nevada. My dad, sister (who is pregnant with twins!), brother, and I hunted through the weekend and weren't seeing very much. The weather was warmer than usual and a lot of the deer were holding tight and not moving around too much. On Monday, my brother shot a forked horn and then headed to my grandma's. On Monday night, my dad and I were able to hunt for cow elk, and I shot a 550 lb. cow elk from 254 yards! On Tuesday I was able to get a shot at a forked horn. It was a fun hunt this year! Thanks Dad for being the best hunting guide in Nevada once again!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

As of today, Kyle and I have been married for two years!! Who would have thought that a near death experience at Outback would have led to this! We have had some really good times, and I am so lucky to have Kyle. Love you KTB. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to us!

Rain rain...Where are you??

2010-07-28T23:02:00.002-07:00

Right now Arizona is in the midst of what they call their "Monsoon Season." Sadly enough, I am getting more and more disappointed as the days go by. It was supposed to rain yesterday and the day before and the day before... well you get the point! I haven't felt a drop where I live, and I am sick of waiting! Weather.com says that Phoenix receives an average of .99 inches of rain in July; so far we have gotten a grand total of 0.04 inches. Can't there be more than a "slight chance of rain" in the forecast tomorrow? Rain rain...where are you?!

My Deal of the Day...AKA "DOD"

2010-07-19T17:04:00.001-07:00

Well today I hit up the grocery store and took advantage of all the great deals that were at Fry's. Also, I got an even greater deal when I matched up the sale items with manufacturer coupons. Check out all the stuff I got for such a steal!

After all my hard work, I ended up getting these 50 items:

-3 Tombstone pizzas

-1 Forty-pack of Pizza Rolls

-10 Gatorades/Vitamin Water

-2 Easy Macs

-1 Four-pack set of DanActive

-2 bags of Sargento shredded cheese

-1 block of Sargento cheese

-2 cans of Spaghettio's

-2 boxes of Life cereal

-1 box of Toaster Strudels

-4 boxes of Rice-a-Roni

-1 carton of Florida's Natural orange juice

-2 packages of Dixie paper plates

-2 jars of Kraft Mayo

-3 bags of Contessa skillet meals

-4 bottles of Wishbone salad dressing

-2 cartons of Breyers ice cream

-2 boxes of Quaker granola bars

-1 package of Energizer batteries

-1 bottle of Suave deodorant

-1 bottle of Softsoap

-1 bag of Tostito's chips

-1 box of Philadelphia creme cheese

And these 50 items only cost me $43.20 after taxes! Grocery shopping is always a little more fun when it is not so spendy!

Life goes on!

2010-06-09T20:58:00.006-07:00

Well, I did it! I finally graduated, and life hasn't slowed down since. My family came down for graduation, and I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me get through graduate school, especially Kyle and my parents! I couldn't have done it without you! After graduation, Kyle and I headed to Mexico for a few days with some friends. It was an amazing vacation and much needed for both of us.

After laying in the sun and taking in the views from our condo, we had to come back and move all of our crap! It went very well with the help of many gracious friends, but it made me not want to buy another thing ever again, for fear that I would have to pack it up and move it sometime in the future. After a week or so of unpacking, we are semi-settled in to our new place and were able to celebrate Kyle's 29th birthday. To celebrate, we did a few fun things with friends and I cooked up a little something out of the ordinary. This golf cake was surprisingly easy to make and turned out pretty good. Happy Birthday Kyle!

From graduation... to Mexico... to moving... to making my first decorative cake..., the last month has been very busy to say the least! Here are some visuals to go along with what's been going on.

Missing LOST

2010-05-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

After the final episode of LOST last night, I cannot help but applaud that show for its plot and cast! I am so sad the show is over, and I might just have to watch it all over again. Farewell to LOST, you will be missed, especially Sawyer!

The Land of Little "Lolla Coasters" and Cotton Candy

2010-04-25T20:28:00.004-07:00

This last week I went to Disneyland with my mom and my sister and her family. My nieces loved the place and couldn't get enough of all the fun rides and cotton candy. I haven't been in such a long time and had forgotten how fun Disneyland is. I also got to visit California Adventure for the first time, which claims ownership to one of the latest and greatest rides, the Hollywood Tower of Terror. Wow, did I underestimate that ride! I was a little disappointed with Disneyland though, since the Matterhorn was closed and always seems to be closed when I go! However, we got to go on many of the classics like Indiana Jones, Alice In Wonderland, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We also discovered the convenience of wearing ponchos on all the water rides...all the water fun without the soggy river bottoms for the rest of the day. My five-year-old niece loved all of the big rides that she was tall enough to get on and insisted on not having to endure any more of the "baby" rides after she experienced the thrill of Space Mountain and Tower of Terror with her hands up! She is such a brave girl. It was really fun to see them ride all the rides and meet all of their favorite Disney characters.

Aly and Sophie loved meeting Minnie Mouse and were wondering where Mickey was.

They also got to meet the Chipmunks...Aly couldn't believe how cute they were!

Aly was ready to show off her Princess Tiana shirt at Disneyland!

My mom and I at the classic miniature door by Alice In Wonderland.

Sophie, Steph, and Grams trying to make their best "scared" face before riding Tower of Terror.

However, Aly wins for making the best scared face on her favorite red "lolla coaster."

Aly and Sophie were such great sports during two long days of walking around Disney.

What a fun trip!

It's Been a Long Time Comin'

2010-03-28T14:51:00.002-07:00

Well six years ago, I set off for my first semester of college, excited and a little nervous. I planned on finishing in four years and moving on with my life. Now, six years later, here I am counting down the days until I graduate with a masters degree. I feel like I have been in school for quite some time and am a little nervous to find out what life will be like without all the classes, homework, professors, and classmates. On the other hand, I cannot wait to come home for the night without thinking of all the homework I should probably be doing. Instead of having two jobs, an internship, and classes that I have to keep straight, I am ready to focus on ONE job. Don't get me wrong, I know a job will be a lot of work, but I am anxious to upgrade my status from a full-time student to a full-time employee. As of today, I have 46 days and 19 hours to go until I am done! For good! I cannot belive I have almost made it. Graduating and working full time seems a little intimidating right now, but with this advice by Dr. Seuss, I am sure to find my way...

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

Dr. Seuss

A little less than boring January

2010-02-25T22:19:00.003-07:00

Over the last month, we have had lots of visitors, have gone out of town, and have been battling colds. However, Kyle and I are feeling much better now and had a good time with all of our family despite feeling a little crappy in the meantime. Here are a few pics from the last few weeks of craziness.

After we enjoyed a weekend with Kyle's parents, my mom and two sisters came into town for a short trip, and we had a blast. I felt like passing out at the end of each day because we went from morning until night into every store we could think of and stayed up too late to maintain any sanity for the next day.

I also made them "hike" up to Hole In the Rock to get a view of the valley. A hiker looking out onto Phoenix was rather bummed as we came up in our flats and jeans, because he was feeling quite proud about hiking up in his mountain shoes and other hiking gear. We had to check it out before we hit the mall.

IKEA especially made us tired and verrry hungry...

The weekend after my family came to Phoenix, I went back home to Vegas for a good friend's bridal shower...It was so fun to see everyone!

It was a fun past few weeks, but I am glad to have felt a little caught up this past week. Can't wait for more visitors and more trips home!

Provident living...I think

2010-02-25T21:41:00.001-07:00

This post is to follow up with the other great deals I have gotten at Walgreen's the last few weeks.This post will exemplify how one can roll over the rewards and "make money" while couponing. Days like this at Walgreen's are pretty fun! I went in with $11 in Register Rewards (seen in my last post), paid $4 out of pocket and came out with the following items...

AND...$26 in Register Rewards! Yeehaa! Definitely a good week at Walgreens.

Salute to Walgreens

2010-01-21T20:47:00.002-07:00

Over the holidays I was a slacker and didn't do much couponing. Fortunately, I am getting back into the deals at CVS & Walgreen's again. Because I let all of my register rewards and extra care bucks run out, I had to start back over again at both stores (meaning I had to spend some money out of pocket). However, I am here to say that while couponing is sometimes very time consuming....it is so worth it! This post is a little preview of some of the great deals that Walgreen's and other stores provide if you are willing to do just a little work. It is also for the cashier at Walgreen's who rolls his eyes when I roll my cart up to the counter. The following deals are far from being "deals of the day," but they are not too shabby to get the year started off!

On my first trip back to Walgreen's, I acquired the items below...2 bottles of Jergens lotion, Finish dishwasher tablets, 2 boxes of Chips Ahoy cookies, 2 boxes of Ritz crackers, 2 Reach toothbrushes, two tubes of Neosporin lip balm, and Revlon eyeshadow. All of this cost me $11.65 after Walgreen's and manufacturer coupons.

But the best part is...I got $11 back in Register Rewards (RR)! So basically I broke even, and got all of that stuff!

To roll over my money, I used my $11 in RR again on Monday. Below are all of the things I purchased this week...15 bottles of Gatorade, Bounty paper towels, 2 Wet Ones, 2 bottles of shaving cream, Tostito's Chips, Tostito's Salsa, Bayer Aspirin, and Quaker Rice Snacks. All of this cost me only $19.42 after RR and manufacturer coupons...it would have been less, but we needed paper towels, and Kyle hasn't had Gatorade in awhile!

And again, I got $11 back in RR for next time!

Wahoo, I love getting free money when I am buying things we need...if you want to learn more about all of this craziness, visit www.moneysavingmom.com!!

Christmas without pictures

2010-01-10T21:10:00.002-07:00

Over the holidays, we left Arizona's warm weather and headed up north to Vegas and Utah. We were able to visit both of our families for a week at a time and had a really good and relaxing time with everybody. Unfortunately, I was sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas, and wasn't feeling well enough to really enjoy all of the festivities. As a result, I didn't get too many good Christmas pictures but was able to take some pictures of my family the week of New Year's. If you look closely at these pictures, you may think that the holidays must have really gotten to us. This may be true, especially for my mom and all my sisters and I, since we spent eight hours of shopping at Dillard's on New Year's Day to take advantage of the additional 50% clearance merchandise (that is a whole other story in itself!). Wow it is so good to spend time with family!

The Butler's Second Annual Ugly Turtleneck Eggnog Sweater Party

2009-12-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

So we hosted our second ugly sweater party this year and it was pretty ugly! We had our good friends over who came dressed prepared to win the prize for the ugliest sweater. We played a Christmas trivia game...come to find out, my Christmas trivia knowledge is lacking somewhat. But the best part of it all were the ugly sweaters, the white elephant gifts, and the grand prize for the ugliest sweater. Too bad the snowman on my sweater started melting halfway through the party. Just let me know if you want to purchase Kyle's sweater, it is now up for sale for next year!

The Hoover Dam

2009-12-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

We drive through the Hoover Dam quite often during our trips home to Vegas and Utah. While we have a love hate relationship with Hoover, we are simultaneously amazed at the construction process of the new bridge. This bridge has been in the works for 9 years now and is supposedly expected to be finished by the end of next year. We cannot wait to drive over this bridge while not getting stuck at the dam for an hour or more. We love Hoover's new bridge and will be so excited to drive across it. You can check out more pictures at http://www.hooverdambypass.org/Const_PhotoAlbum.htm#Nov2009_Bridge. I am now going to post pictures of the Hoover bridge from each trip we take...and hopefully by next Christmas I can post a picture from the top of this bridge!

NOLA

2009-11-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Last week I went out to New Orleans, LA...more commonly known as Nawlins or NOLA. I went with about 10 other "speechies" who are in my graduate program at ASU. There was a speech and hearing convention, the "ASHA Convention," in NOLA, and we all went to hear the latest and greatest research. While we did spend a lot of time attending lectures, we also got to see a little bit of Southern life in NOLA...

It's raining cats and dogs...

2009-11-01T19:49:00.001-07:00

This Halloween was not anything too exciting, and sadly enough there were zero trick or treaters who came to our door. More candy for us to eat I guess! We did make a small effort to dress up and matched with our friends the Lunnys and Jacobs. Maybe next year we will have real costumes. PS....the boys loved wearing these. Happy Halloween!

Gooseberry-Mesa

2009-11-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Kyle went mountain biking with is brother Craig and some good friends that he hasn't seen in awhile. They stayed in St. George and biked two days on a 14 mile trail by Zion's National Park. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Mexico

2009-10-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

So I am a little behind on posting about this trip, but here it is...we decided to take our own "summer" vacation after Kyle got back from Missouri since he was gone all summer. We decided to go to Rocky Point, Mexico during a weekend in September. We went with our friends Paige and Sean Lunny and had the best time. I think it is one of my favorite places to go now...the water was warm, no one was there, the weather was perfect, and we got to see some great items for sale on the beach. I think about Bella Sirena every weekend that goes by! Here are some pictures from our fun trip...

Stress

2009-08-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

So it is only the second day back to school and I can't help but feel a little like the cat in this picture. Hopefully my hair will relax and so will my nerves about this crazy semester. I decided that I will be glad when school is done, and I don't have to listen to teachers say "I don't mean to belabor this point but..." for three hours every night.

Kansas City

2009-08-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well since my husband has been gone for the last three months I have found lots of time to do some serious thinking. And while he has made a great sacrifice for our little family by going to the Midwest for such a long time in the middle of the hot and humid summer, I have got some things to say... I want my husband back! He comes home in 10 days and to say the least I CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER! So Kansas City, if you are listening, will you please return my husband, Kyle Butler, asap.

Shark Week

2009-08-09T17:09:00.001-07:00

I have to say that "Shark Week" was on Discovery Channel this last week. I am also going to admit that I am addicted to anything related to sharks. As gross, sad, and interesting as it all is, I can't help but watch every minute of it. And each year after I do, I know why I am always a little creeped out when I swim into the ocean and let my feet dangle for all these predators to have a chance at.

California Love

2009-08-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Our California vacation with the family was so fun. We got to relax on the Del Mar beach, go to Lego Land, and enjoy some deep sea fishing! It was the week I was looking forward to all summer, and now I am longing to go back. My brother got stung by a sting ray but lived to tell about it. I am just glad we didn't have a run in with any sharks.