The last few months-- the highlights anyway.

Life, as always, is busy in the Pickett house. This post will probably be super long-- feel free to skim through it for the pictures/ bolded words. usually how I read blogs...

So as promised here is the picture of Dae Dae with us this summer. He had just cleaned the front room and rolled out the yoga mats as a "red" carpet. Totally cool kid and a blast to have around.

After we dropped off Dae Dae we headed to Park City with Brent's family. I forgot my camera and so I don't have any pics. :( We ate at some great restaurants, hit the outlets and spent several hours lounging by the pool. It was a great weekend.

In the coming weeks we wrapped up our summer job working at the summer camp. As always it was a lot of fun and a lot of four square. It's always great to work together in the summer because we get to spend so much time together. Like all day every day.

So then we headed to Cave Falls for my family's annual camping trip. We got to spend a few days relaxing, fishing and playing games with family. Unfortunately the mosquitoes were REALLY bad. So we did not get to camp in the actual campground. (I was completely bummed). We spent my birthday there, which is always my favorite. here are some pictures of our trip (luckily remembered my camera this time)

These are the pics I took of Brent while he fished. I loved sitting by the waterfall.

It was such a beautiful day. Brent didn't catch anything though :(

Just after I took this shot we watched and Osprey and Bald Eagle almost fight over the waterfall. Seriously so cool. Unfortunately my camera was pretty well dead by this point.

Here we are together standing in the super cold water.

One of my favorite shots. I love watching the mist come off of the falls.

Me, Mom and Sammi chillin in the water. Traditionally we have a swimming/float race but this year the water was just too cold. We decided to just shiver in the water for a few minutes instead.

After a few days at CF we decided to head to Jackson Hole. This is where we took our honeymoon, so it was fun to visit again. We'd been married almost exactly 1.5 years in this pic.

here is me holding the nephew in Yellowstone. We drove the park and saw the animals. Corgan loved every minute of it. He's a big fan of animals.

here's the whole crew (minus mom and dad who are taking the pic) in Yellowstone. We really missed Cody & Larkin and Lance & Taylor this year. I am really hoping everyone can make it next year!

A couple of weeks after our big family camping trip we headed down to spend some time with the fam for Maren and Greg's wedding. It was a lot of fun, especially because Greg grew up down the street from us. (seriously this has been in the works for 18 years.) The week before the wedding we came down for temple stuff and bridal shower. Cody and Larkin were in town and it was so fun to see them. Here are some pics of the shower:

here all the sisters :) So many girls in the family now. <3 it !

Here we are again (with Hilary) posing with Larkin's dress fiasco. Ok so it does not look that bad in this picture, but she ordered it from (India I think) and it came and had super puff sleeves and fit weird. It was a big NO vote from all of us. She found a much cuter ensemble for the wedding. The modeling was sure fun though!

Now for the BIG day!

The whole family! I cannot believe how much we've grown in the past few years. I love all of my new siblings. Seriously I have the best sibs in law ever. And the nephews are so sweet. Unfortunately in this pic you can't see the cute skirt Brent bought me for the wedding (gray and white stripes) I absolutely love it.

Here's a shot of the sisters. Could we look any different? Ok I guess with my hair dyed Sam and I could pass, but as always Maren with her gorgeous olive skin steals the show. My bangs are doing something funky, but otherwise a great shot. Maren made such a beautiful bride. It was weird to see her all grown up. Seriously I am so happy for her and Greg, they make a really cute couple!

This last shot was taken after the wedding on a mall excursion. My aunt Amanda, who is way cool, flew out with her two daughters for the wedding. Naturally we partied and shopped with them. I wish it showed up bigger on here, because this may be the first picture of me, EVER, that I look tan. Yep, sepia rocks for me.

** over the course of the two weeks of the wedding there were SEVERAL trips to Taco Amigo. :)

After the wedding it was time to bounce back into school (ok so I did a fun at home project in the in between weeks. PICS coming very soon!)

I am student teaching this semester-- 8th grade US History and ESL classes @ South Cache 8-9 Center. After I teach each day I had to Millville where I run the after school program. Then after that (most nights) I head to class. It's been a bit overwhelming, to say the least, but I am hanging on.

Brent is too busy, as per usual. He works 20 hours a week with his migrant job (which he still loves), is taking a full course load-- physics and Ochem included, is head of the Spanish Ambassadors on campus, interprets at the hospital once a week, continues to serve as EQ president in our ward and helps me by making dinner most nights.

In the midst of all this chaos we are exhausted, our house is a constant disaster, there may never be an end to the laundry piles, and heaven knows the fridge needs to be cleaned out.... BUT we are still happy and in love.

Over labor day we snuck back up to Cave Falls for a quick trip with my parents and Justin & Ashley +boys. It was so much fun. We loved just relaxing by the river. We nearly died on the way up-- but we survived for a fabulous, delicious weekend.

Brent's back started hurting again a few weeks ago. Thankfully this year he is insured (HOORAY!) (THANKS OBAMA!!) And so it is not nearly as stressful as last year. He has already been in for treatments and feels great. We are grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. We are looking at possible surgery options to prevent further relapses, but won't know for sure for a few weeks.

And that folks is all for now. Will post pics of my lastest project soon. :)

eight year olds and otterpops

** pictures coming as soon as I can find my camera :)

Our summer took an unexpected turn when we got the chance to have an 8 year old house guest, Damien, (Dae Dae) for two weeks. He is an awesome little guy and was a blast to hang out with. Thought I'd share a few of my favorite moments from the weeks.

Brent thought Damien would enjoy seeing Samson eat a few guppies. They went to Petsmart and got some feeder fish. Somewhere in all of this Brent either neglected to tell Damien the fishes' purpose or Damien just didn't care because by the time we got home they all had names. Swimmy, being Damien's fish that he wanted us to keep forever. As Brent dumped them into Samson's tank I got a sinking feeling. A few minutes later Damien was in tears because Samson had eaten Swimmy. Lesson learned. We did our best not to laugh when Damien proclaimed Samson the meanest turtle ever. It took a little while, but Damien eventually forgave Samson for eating Swimmy.

Another great moment came tonight as I was working on homework, packing for Park City, cleaning the house, catching up on laundry, running Relief Society errands, and waiting for Brent to get off at the hospital... (phew I'm tired just remembering it all) I asked Damien to put away the games he had gotten out to play the night before. He went the extra mile and while I did the dishes he cleaned the entire front room. It looked awesome (super impressed). Then he took our yoga mats and spread them from the door for a red (ok blue and green) carpet entrance. Then he spent the next 25 minutes showing me how people should come in the door. "Ok so lets say you got off work and you came in the door you could just walk on it and get your guitar or come over and sit on the love sac..."

The best part of the week for me has been watching Brent having fun with Damien. Brent hates monopoly more than anyone alive, years of being forced to play long games with siblings and lose. When we first started dating I could barely get Brent to play any board game, let alone the dreaded monopoly. So it came as a funny surprise for me when Damien announced his favorite game in the world... Monopoly. We played one or two games every day for two weeks. And Brent, being the great sport he is, did not complain once (ok just once on facebook after I crushed him with the railroads and boardwalk).

Other favorite moments include an otterpop lightsaber duel at the ward softball game, playing the yellow car game EVERYWHERE we went, and introducing Damien to the hilarious world of Pete and Pete.

everybody's working for the weekend

Logan Summerfest

+

Super 8

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Gardener's Market

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Pet Adoption Booths @ petsmart

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Sam's Club free samples and demonstration

= the perfect weekend

Wish I had taken the camera everywhere!

Summer Sun-days

I love Sundays in the summer. After we enjoy church in our fun ward we get to spend our afternoons soaking up the sun. Here are pics from the last two Sundays. Since I am taking a full load of courses this summer we do not see each other as much as we'd like. So Sundays are Brent and Katie days. :) Enjoy lots of pics!

Here we are in Merlin Olsen Park

Brent reading his totally un-nerdy book

Re-reading the hunger games. wow my legs are white.

My sad face when I realize my legs are the same color as the pages of my book.

Brent looking at something.

Just laying in the sun.

Love relaxing in the park!

Sitting on a bench outside the temple.

The view from our bench. <3 Cache Valley

π

This is Brent, and I thought that I'd get on here and post a quick update on the things bouncing around in my head........

1. In the spirit of Ashely Reeves' blog, here's a flawed but fabulous story... though it is certainly leaning towards the flawed side of the scale. We need a moral judgment here, because I think that we may be "scum of the earth"-type people. We were on our way to a church activity last night and on the way we passed aKool-Aid stand manned by a group of 11 year-old neighborhood girls. We pulled up, rolled down the window, and told them that we would take one glass of whatever they have. Instead of having the Kool-Aid in pitchers, they had the idea to do glasses of the sugary elixir one by one, made-to-order style. I thought it a great idea; however, complications soon arose. In the interest of teamwork, one girl poured the water, one dumped in the Kool-Aid packet, and one dumped in the sugar. However, they had not quite figured out who would be doing which job, and the proportions of each ingredient were.... let's say.... a bit off. They handed us the cup of Fruit Punch Kool-Aid and Katie took the first sip, which she did a good job of "enjoying" and then asked for a bit more sugar. The little girls kindly added a little bit more (emphasis on the little) and handed it back with a huge smile on her face. Knowing that we didn't actually stop for a cup of Kool-Aid, we smiled back, thanked them for their service, and even left them a 25 cent tip. As we drove off, we started to "critique" their business plan of serving Kool-Aid in a roadside stand in made-to-order glasses. About 200 yards down the road, I hit the brakes, looked at Katie and said, "Are we really critiquing the business plan of a group of 3 11 year-old girls and their lemonade stand? We might be the worst people alive." I don't know if that officially qualifies, but please weigh in. I think that I may very well have lost my mind. Legit shout out to the group of girls; keep that entrepreneurial spirit alive. Lesson learned? Certainly. Life is too short! Stop and smell the roses.
2. Katie and I entered into a debate, and if you feel so inclined, please weigh in. (Note: there are some young boys playing outside our window right now. They appeared to be stacking some stuff to see how high it would get. I didn't actually see it happen, but I just heard a crash and heard the older one yelling angrily at his younger brother as he ran inside to tell his Mom.... this ought to be interesting.)
   
   
   A few nights ago as we were about to go to sleep, a question with enormous implications entered into my mind, and I simply could not rest until I got it resolved. Naturally, I turned to my moral compass in life, Katie, and asked her what she thought. The question is the following: Who would win in an epic battle duel of honor: Albus Dumbledore or Jedi Master Yoda? (I tell you that I get worried sometimes about the absolute idiocy of the things that are bouncing around my cerebral cortex.) Katie sided with Dumbledore, while I loyally stuck to Yoda. I won't get into a full breakdown here, but I need to know what America thinks. Who would win? I think the answer falls into the "obvious" category, with questions like: "What happens if I stick a fork in an electrical outlet?"; "Did Al Gore really invent the internet?"; and "Should we watch this new Nicolas Cage movie?"
   
   

vs.

I mean, I think the answer is clear. It'd be like LeBron James playing 1-on-1 vs. Nancy Pulosi.

gratitude

As many of you know the past week has been a difficult one for us. We appreciate everyone's love and support. We are still heartbroken, but we are starting to get back to life. I debated how much to share on here and because our blog is public I've decided to leave out the details, but if you are a family member/friend that would like to know what is going on feel free to message me.

My goal of this post was to update everyone but also to express my gratitude for the gospel. We have felt a strong feeling of peace this past week and for that I am so grateful. The following verses of scripture have been on my mind.

17Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are ^alittle children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

18And ye cannot ^abear all things now; nevertheless, be of good^bcheer, for I will ^clead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the ^driches of ^eeternity are yours.

19And he who receiveth all things with ^athankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an ^bhundred fold, yea, more.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It has made a difference for us, and we appreciate you.

Rebuttal: The Truth Exposed

This is Brent, and I am going to take advantage of this forum, that for one reason or another, has chosen to post scathing slander regarding my trustworthiness with electronic items.

The prosecution calls Katie Pickett to the stand.

Me (in a very official sounding, lawyer-like voice): Is it not true that it was in fact YOU that were in charge of the original Ipod in question when it was originally lost?

Katie: Why yes, I do believe that it was.

Me: Indeed it was. Is the person that found the originally lost Ipod here in the courtroom?

Katie: Yes, he is.

Me: Would you point him out for me, please?

Katie: Certainly. (she points to ME)

Me: Let the record show that the defendant pointed to the prosecuting attorney!

(general rustling from the peanuts gallery)

Judge: There will be order or I will have all of you thrown out and held in contempt of court!

Me: Ms. Pickett....

Katie: It's Mrs. Pickett.

Me: Mrs. Pickett? Oh, well... my (blushing) your husband must be a VERY lucky man.

Katie: He most certainly is.

Me: Yes I am. Mrs. Pickett, after the new Ipod Nano was found, who was it that located the item in question?

Katie: Why, it was the same dashing Zeus-like hunk of a man that found the first Ipod! This man has the sleuthing instincts of Sherlock Holmes himself!

Me: So it was your husband, or as you put it, this "dashing Zeus-like hunk of a man" that found BOTH lost Ipods in question.

Katie: Yes, I believe that it was. He did find BOTH Ipods and I did not find any lost Ipods. If there were a contest for finding lost Ipods, I would be down 2-0.

Me: Let the record show that the defendant is ogling the prosecuting attorney.

Judge: Noted. Can you blame her?

Me: Not at all. The defense rests.

Note: this actually DID happen and Katie DID actually admit this. Once again, the prosecution (or in this case, the defense) rests.