Grand Caymans

Over Easter weekend, Ryan and I went down and met the Bessey family in the Grand Caymans for a fabulous vacation. Thank you so much Dad & Mom Bessey for such a great vacation, we are really grateful!! It was a blast and we wish we could still be down there... Everyone took a ton of fun pictures so it is hard to choose which ones to post, but I tried to pick just a few. We ate so much good food, I am still craving it. Too bad I don't have any pictures of the food! I ate a ton of seafood while we were there and Ryan is hoping that means I got my fill for awhile so I don't drag him to a seafood restaurant (he is not a fan). We did a lot of really fun activities while were there so here are a few highlights.

Sailing
The first night we went on a sunset sail and it was really fun. I got my turn at the wheel and that boat really did turn on a dime!

Snorkeling/Diving
We got to go snorkeling and diving for conch shells and starfish. It was very cool. Star fish feel a lot different than I expected and conch shells have a really stinky and weird looking creature inside it. All new things I learned!

Swimming with the Stingrays
Okay, this was by far the creepiest thing ever. I really don't like stingrays, they freak me out. We got off the boat into waist deep water and stood there as about 20 stingrays swam around us and through us...eek! I held onto Ryan the whole time I was in the water and I am not sure if my heart rate is back to normal quite yet... It was a pretty cool experience though, even though I choose to stay away from them :)

This is me freaking out as they swim around me...
And this can be noted as a reason they freak me out...

Hell
Yep, there really is a town called Hell in the Grand Caymans. It seriously felt 20 degrees hotter there too, it was kind of funny. Kylie and McKenlie kept getting mad at everyone for saying "Hell" even though we tried to explain that it was just the name of the place. We ended up just trying to not say it so we didn't get in trouble...

Rum Point
Rum Point is a fun part of the island with a fun beach. We just swam and saw some cool tropical fish and then went for a walk on the beach. I love how clear and warm the water is, you can see all sorts of things, good and bad, while you are in the water.

No, I did not steal a baby while down there, but if I did, it would be a cute one like Cami & Jesse's little boy Zach :). Don't worry, I gave him back after they finished snorkeling.

Turtle Farm
The Turtle Farm was very cool and my favorite part was that we got to hold the smaller turtles. They have them in these huge pools and you can go and catch them and hold them for a minute then put them back in. Some lady told us that if the turtle is a little crazy then you stroke their chin and neck and they calm down...just like a kitty. It worked and it cracked me up!

Facials

On Sunday night (Easter) all of the girls did facials. Cami brought the stuff for all of us and it was fun to relax after the day of church and the Turtle Farm. Kylie and McKenlie even put masks on, it was fun!

Helmet Diving

This was also a very fun part of the trip. You may be wondering what helmet diving is...I didn't know before this trip either. But, they put this space looking helmet on your shoulders that covers your whole head. It weighs 80 lbs and they attach a hose to the helmet that pumps oxygen into the helmet. Once you are under water, it only weighs 15 lbs and it acts like a cup turned upside down in water, it leaves air at the top. So you can stick your hands up into the helmet (which was good for me because my helmet kept fogging up so I had to wipe it every few minutes). You walk down a long ladder from the boat and you step onto the ocean floor about 25-30 feet below the surface. You get to walk around and the fish just swim around you. The guide that went down with us gave us fish food a few times while we were down there and the fish come and eat out of your hands. I liked the fish MUCH better than the stingrays :)

George Town

This is the capital of the Grand Caymans and it is the "shopping" part of the island. They have a bunch of the souvenir shops there and a lot of fun restaurants. We walked around on our last afternoon there after we went on the helmet dive. Ryan threw me in a fountain and then got Kylie and McKenlie too, it was fun to play in it. Right after we got out of the fountain it started pouring rain so we walked and played in the rain for awhile. It is nice to get stuck in a rainstorm when you are already in a swimming suit!
So that was our trip. It was really such a fun trip! Thank you so much Mom and Dad Bessey!

A Glimpse Into An Idaho Congressional Office

Today has been one of those great days in my office. I had to share the highlights, mostly for the fact that I just really need to write these down. Here are a few things that happened to me today...

1. A family from North Carolina walked into my office this morning and they came in because one of the sons that was with them, who is in 3rd grade, LOVES the state of Idaho. They have no clue where it came from because they have never been there and have absolutely no ties to it whatsoever. But, he really does love Idaho. So, I gave him an Idaho potato pin (we have hundreds of them courtesy of the Idaho Potato Commission), an Idaho/Oregon onion pin, a copy of the Visitor's Guide to Idaho and a map of Idaho. He had the look of Christmas morning on his face and it was adorable. I told him he needs to go and visit Idaho so that he can see why it such a great state in person. After I said that, his mom told me that he insists that they have a picture of an Idaho landscape as their background on their computer. I thought it was hilarious and adorable.

2. A cowboy walked into my office and asked to speak with one of our staffers. I informed him that they weren't in the office today and asked if I could help him. He shuffled with some papers and took the staffer's card to e-mail him. Then he asked if I was from Idaho and I told him I was from Utah. He then launched into a story about how he rode through Utah when he rode his horse across the ENTIRE country...Georgia to Oregon. This guy is obviously pretty hardcore. Seriously, who rides their horse across the entire country? I would get really bored! After he told me about his trip across Utah and Idaho, he told me that people there "sure are hospitable folk". Then, this is my favorite part, he said "well, thank ya ma'am, have a good day" and he tipped his hat and walked out. I loved that he really did tip his hat at me!

I really do love working for an Idaho congressman, we have fabulous people come into our office all the time. It makes me smile! And it makes up for the people that call in and yell at us...

St. Patrick's Day

I was really excited about this St. Patrick's Day meal that I made last night. I made a completely regular meal for us, which is fettucini alfredo (which I am pretty sure we eat around once a week). I turned the alfredo sauce green, mixed the butter with green food coloring for the garlic bread and then we had green gatorade for the drink. I decided I like turning normal food colors because it makes me feel like we aren't eating the same thing again :)






















My food was a little bit more green than Ryan's because I like spinach in my pasta and he is not a fan. But we liked being festive!

Middle Name Meme

My friend Mandy tagged me to do this Middle Name Meme thing. I love Mandy and so I will oblige for her.

1. You must post the rules on your post before you answer the questions.
2. You need to list one fact about yourself using each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name use your maiden name instead.
3. When you are finished with your answers, you tag one person.

I don't have a middle name and my maiden name is long so here it goes...

Prefers vanilla ice cream over chocolate ice cream, beef over chicken, comedy movies over horror movies, red over blue and ballet flats over heels.

Excited for a trip to the Grand Caymans with the whole Bessey family in a week and a half!

Talkative. Ryan is really wondering how I manage to recount the events of my day in so much detail. I wonder how he can never have anything more to say except "my day was good".

Eats like a bird, but eats often. My stomach is small but likes to be full and happy. Food is on my mind a lot (case and point, three of the answers to these questions mention food in some way). I actually think about what I will eat for each meal as soon as I wake up.

Reading Memo to the President Elect by Madeleine Albright. It is a very interesting book and it is giving me a new perspective about Presidential politics.

Seriously addicted to Dark Chocolate Snickers...really everyone that reads this should go and try one. They are phenomenal.

Organizes a very detailed and orderly schedule for my boss but I still can't manage to keep track of everything in my own life.

Needs a visit to Utah to see all of the Petersons and Besseys. Just ask Megan how much Andrew needs his Aunt Katie...

I tag my sister Megan...I want to see what she comes up with for Peterson...

Shout out to Katherine

My best friend Katherine is amazing and really deserves a shout out for all she did for me to help me with wedding stuff. She is pretty much the coolest best friend ever and I love her a ton. Katherine is an amazing artist and has a creative mind like no other. She made the book for people to sign at our reception which looks fabulous...

She also helped with the centerpieces for our reception since I was completely stumped and had no clue what to do. They looked very elegant and exactly what I was picturing.

As if that was not enough...she also made our wedding cake. We decided to have our wedding cake at our wedding luncheon and Katherine spent a ton of time on it and made it look perfect.

I really could not ask for a better best friend. She has been there for me through it all. No one can make me laugh like Katherine. She is practically like a part of my family and, even though it hurts to admit, I am pretty sure some of my nieces and nephews like her better. Thank you Katherine, I owe you big time!!