Gone Down River

Matt and I are embarking on a very rugged LeCheminant adventure today. I married into a family of river rats, and consequently we're setting off to explore the Grand Canyon! To be perfectly honest, packing has been a little bit of a stretch. I am taking 4 shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, a few swim suits, and 6 pairs of underware for 13 DAYS! Sick. The trouble is even though I feel like I am taking nothing, I still don't know if everything will fit in our allotted river bags. I've realized it's A LOT different vacationing as your own family - you have to bring EVERYTHING on the list: your own sun screen, insect repellent, first aid kit, tarp, tent, mess kit, etc. I have to be a grown up now. My mom isn't going to bring all the details and leave me to only bring clothes. I have to step up to the plate, but it unforuntately takes up a bit more space. Alas. Farewell. I hope I come back alive :) Lava Falls...Here we come!

The Little Things

Being a little thing myself, I am fond of the small things in life. Though not huge events, heres a few updates on the little things we've enjoyed the past couple weeks:
1. Stacy took me in and gave me a refuge last week while Matt worked, we chatted it up, and I recieved the most beautiful gift...Yes...A genuine Y Facts pamphlet autographed by the pictured one and only Stacy LeCheminant :)

2. My friend Kammie also let me crash with her and help decorate her class room. Even though we've moved, I still get refreshing tastes of silliness with the Lees every now and then.
3. Finally, I hit a ball clear to the outfield, only one, but I still did it :)
4. Summer Activity Days without my mother: I changed my mind about having children. After 2 hours with 15 kids, most ages 3-7,constant questions and exclamations like, "He blew a bigger bubble then me!"; "He popped my bubble!"; "Can't you color for me?"; "I don't want a purple one!"; "She butted me!; "Look what I made, It's a big girl going on the big potty!" I was torn between thinking they were cute and being totally overwhelmed. Since this day Matt has re-convinced me to have kids since they don't come 15 at a time.
5. I'm dancing again! I've been teaching ballet and Jazz at Groove. It feels so good to move again. I LOVE teaching and LOVE the girls I teach! Funny story: Yesterday, I took glow sticks for the girls to dance with. They were a hit until I cracked one for a little girl and it exploded all over my face and in my eyes. It burned SO bad. I thought I was going to be blind. I took off running for the drinking fountain and start flushing my eyes out. Only a few moments later, the same little girl pulls on my pant leg and says, "Miss Mykel, I think I got some in my eye too!" AHH! Suddenly, I was flushing out both of our eyes and and filling them with milk to help neutralize the pH. Luckily it worked. We can both see and the sting is gone. Lesson learned: Glow sticks are dangerous. Don't take them to dance class.
6. Getting ready for the river: I'm surprised at how much time it takes to gather things for the river trip - bandanas here, sunglasses there, and finding a mini broom with a mini dustpan was almost impossible. However, my mom and I finally found one. Speaking of which - I love my mom. I love shopping with her, cooking with her, chatting with her after dinners. She's definitely one perk of being home.
7. Brett left to scout camp. I am down and out my playmate. I've kind of lost about 10 years since I've been home and play like a 12 year old. I am going through tennis withdrawls, bike riding withdrawls, catch withdrawls, scooter withdrawls...to put it simply...Brett withdrawls. I miss him.
8. I feel in love with a couch at Costco, hoped we could order it online and get it delivered in LA, and had that hope crushed.
9. I had breakfast with my dear friend Allie. I've missed her so! We figured only about 15-20% of our graduating class is currently employed. If you've ever heard it's easy for new nurses to get jobs, think again.
10. Matt and I reserved the basement room on Sunday to watch Alladin. Watching Disney movies together has to be one of our favorite past times.
11. Tara and I sing in the Kitchen together. It's very much like a broadway musical. Yesterday, it was "He lives in you" from the Lion King at least 3 times :) I'm sure there will be an encore today.
12. Renee called me to inform me Jake has pertussis. Yes, Whooping cough! Who gets that anymore these days? Now the whole fam is on antibiotics and quarentined. Wow.
13. Not only have I got to talk to Renee more, but also Jalyn and Lena too...We should have more of these river trips - I get more family phone calls :)

Life is good, Thanks to the little things :)

8 Seconds

"It's boots and chaps
It's cowboy hats
It's spurs and latigo
It's the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing Rodeo!"
- Garth Brooks

We experienced a taste of this thing they call "Rodeo" Saturday Night at the Nephi Ute Stampede. The Ute Stampede has been a Balle family tradition since I can remember. What started out as a camping trip to the KOA, complete with fishing, hiking the turkey trail or to the "crick" with Mike, Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Kristian, Hillary, & Tara, the horse parade, an occasional water snake, the classic parade, snow cones (always picked red), and the best rodeo there ever was has now become a picnic of some type and of course, the timeless attraction, the Ute Stampede. Life changes, traditions evolve, and KOA's burn down, but we continue to make new memories and cherish the moments we have together as a whole family.

Uncle Lee (My Grandma Balle's younger brother) invited us all over for a BBQ. Highlights included our 2 year old cousin Ivan and my 25 year old husband making "vroom vrooming" noises on the stationary four wheelers, learning from Uncle Lee that beef bullion and onion soup keeps burgers moist and hot, and finding out that my grandma (in her youth) not only tipped over occupied outhouses, but also de-railed a train, swung out on a swing in front of cars to give them a scare, rode a horse with FOUR other riding companions, and found some one's hidden beer in the "crick" and dumped it down the stream. She sure is an accomplished woman and I am proud to have her as my grandmother!



Now the Ute Stampede is very dear to my heart and by far the best rodeo I have ever attended. There's something magical about the undying patriotism, the rodeo queens, the blend of rock and country music played, the constant banter of the rodeo clown and announcer, the smell of dust mixed with manure, classic rodeo burgers, the way my grandmother keeps scores in her program, buck'n broncs and huge bulls, and the one and only Cotton Rosser. I can close my eyes and be there in a instant. A little nostalgic? Maybe.




However, there are also a few things I would like to point out that you can only see at the Ute Stampede in good ole Nephi, Utah.

Hair like this...


Apparel like this...

Mustaches like this...(yes, the tips are waxed - just like Captain Hook's)

Even a little Bruin Spirit for us UCLA fans...

Mormon Missionaries...

A burger like this...

and hops like this...


Oh how I love the Ute Stampede and all the memories that come with it!

The Great Outdoors! (aka: More silliness with the Lees)

We took a little weekend get-away with our neighbors, Jeff and Kammie Lee. We drove up American Fork Canyon, only to find that all camp spots were full, however we were able to find a beautiful spot in the "primative camping area" surrounded by pine trees and aspens.

We played little frisbee while waiting for good cooking coals. I dare say Kammie and I significantly improved our frisbee throwing abilities.



We ate delicious tin foil dinners


We took a beautiful hike and found a man running out in the woods all by himself...not too safe if you ask me. We also found a stunning view!




We did wake up to the rain tickling our tent, and had to re-pitch it when we returned home for it to dry off. Thank goodness for bug spray since we found the misquitos loved the shade as much as us. However, the misquito wasn't the only pest. There was this camper, not too far away that thought it was a good idea to blast Pink Floyd out in the woods. Luckily, he turned it off right as we were about to go to sleep.
We had SUCH a good time roastings smores around the fire, watching the night crawlers come out at night, and swaping stories by the fire. There are few things better than being in the great outdoors with the Lees :)

Play Ball!

Matthew recruited me to play on the ward softball team with him. After recieving my first mitt as an early anniversary gift from Matthew, days of playing catch with Matt at the park,and learning that a softball was different from a tennis ball, I was ready to be on the softball team. Now keep in mind that this is the first team I have ever been on a team that does not have an artistic, style, or technique catagory. Yes, I have only been on dance teams up to this point :) I admit, I was a bit nervous for our first game, but it turned out to be a riot! The fun has continued throughout our entire season. Our team is pretty layed back and just out to have a good time, so there's no pressure.


Highlights of the season: Matt's endless catches in Left and Center field, The line drive that I didn't quite catch and and bulleted into my knee, Matt's smacks out to right field, My dive into thrid base and tagging a girl for the out, the pickle I managed to get myself into and Matt yelling "GO HOME!" as I accidently over ran third base and had to go home. Thanks to my speedly little legs, I beat the catcher to the plate and scored a run.



Matt also has continued to play on the BYU 170th Men's Allstar team, the Sultans of Swing :) Their games are a little more intense than the Co-ed ones. It's been so fun watching him fly around the bases, and snatch balls out of the air in the out field.

The Sultans of Swing Team Photo

"Oh I 'shoulda been a cowboy!"

Matt and I took a lil' country get away with my fam this past weekend to the infamous town of Altonah, UT out in the Uninta basin. Altonah is the only place I've ever been with only one small grocery store 20 min into town, where it's cool to wear boots and a bolo tie to church, where the boys pee in the back yard, where everyone knows so and so, where everyone has horses, where the back yard is a sweeping vista of nature and wildlife, and an ATV is the most popular form of transportation. In two words, Altonah is simply wonderful. We filled our weekend with Matt's first horse ride down to the river bottoms on Saturday morning. Yes, Matt is trying to pose like a Jockey. I obtained a Tshirt "farmer's tan" which really helped me blend in with the locals, while out riding. Matt even exhibited a full gallop on his first ride. I was very impressed and even filmed it. If there's anyone who knows how to live up the country life, it's my dad. He was born for it and is basically a cowboy displaced temporarily in Bountiful. It's only natural to see him running his horse and staying on when it bucks, sniffing the outdoor breeze, packing his fishing gear just in case, spotting deer right and left, and blasting clay pigeons out of the air. I'm so glad my dad's a cowboy! Speaking of cowboys...This brings on a song salute...This song salute goes out to our good friend Toby Keith:) 'Shoulda been a cowboy 'should've learned to rope and ride Wearn'n my six shooter Rid'n my pony on a cattle drive Steal'n a young girl's heart Just like Jean and Roy Singin' those campfire songs Oh I should have been a cowboy! After a weekend full of campfires, sparklers, real fire flies, trap shooting, and yummy food, we hauled the ATVs up to Yellowstone and Hell's canyon, no lie, that's really what it's called, so technically, we went to "hell." However, it looked nothing like what you'd imagine Hell's canyon to look like...it was simply beautiful. So I have an allergy problem, I have hay fever and consequently wear googles when four-wheeling to avoid becoming sneezing and puffy-eyed. They may look embarrassing, but I actually feel very stylish in them. I mean Elton John worked some pretty sweet glasses that looked like goggles, and he's a legend...so maybe they'll be my claim to fame one day. Matt turned out to be a real bonafide Hillbilly delux! He could drive that ATV up or down anything! We had a fantastic weekend! Oh I should have been a cowboy...maybe in the next life.

Take me out to the ball game!

My brother Brett had his last All-star game of the season. However, the opposing Farmington team didn't show. So what could have been a long wait to play their next game against murray turned into a hillarious pick up game of Parents/fam vs. the team.

Brett wow-ed us all with a stellar home run, hitting the ball all the way to the fence, I had a pretty sweet catch at 2nd base, and Tara proved that she could throw the ball from the outfield. Amazingly we tied. The team coaches had a BBQ for everyone before the Murray game.


Brett played well as always, and we LOVED cheering him on as usual. Go Mueller Park!