Bryan & Brittney Austin

Me holding my new niece for the first time.

 My family and I recently got to visit and camp out in Island Park, ID. It was an absolute wonderful time. The place was so beautiful and pretty perfect weather. We had so much fun seeing all the areas around Island Park and getting to take in all the beautiful scenery. The first day we went to Island Park lake where we had a campsite reserved close to the water. We got there and we set up camp. Bryan and I got to stay in a tent that he borrowed from his dad. Again the one thing that Bryan and I will never be able to storm together is to be able to put up a tent and not get in a fight. It is our kryptonite for sure. We always seem to disagree on the best way to put up a tent and anytime it is a new tent OH watch out. We are not the nicest people to be around. After weathering another tent erection argument, we walked out and enjoyed the docks that were very close to our campsite. We sat out on the dock enjoying the water and the surrounding sounds that filled the woods around us. 

The next day we drove to West Yellowstone and picked up a rental van for us to drive in. We decided that it would be better to drive one vehicle with all 6.5 of us there. It was actually a nice van. I loved the dual doors and how convenient it was. We drove through Yellowstone for the day stopping and seeing quite a few sites including Old Faithful, the hot pools, Yellowstone Lake, Fishing Bridge, and oh so many wild life. We saw the buffalo, coyotes, elk, ospreys, eagles, geese, and the most abundant wildlife of all, the mosquito. They were everywhere once the sun went down. They swarmed our van one time that we stopped to feed Aspen. It was crazy. Once we returned to the camp that night we all talking in the trailer saying how the only animals we did not see were moose, bear, and wolves. Just as we were talking about it, Danny looked out the window and there stood two cow elk only feet from our trailer making there way to the lake through our campsite. It was crazy to see them so close. They were so beautiful. Bryan soon grabbed the camera and headed down to the lake to get some pictures but made sure to keep his distance at all times. 

On the third day we drove to Driggs, Idaho for lunch and to stop by the property my parents own up there. We enjoyed each others company as we enjoyed our favorite local Italian joint. We then drove our way to Grand Teton National Forest. Not to dis on Yellowstone, it very beautiful and full of wild life but I loved Grand Teton National Forest much better. The view of the mountain range is absolutely breathtaking. The wildlife is very abundant as well and everything surrounding the mountains is so majestic. We stopped at Jenny Lake to take a break from the car and do a short hike. We wanted to hike to the hidden falls on the other side of the lake but it was 5 miles round trip and we only had 1.5 hours. So Bryan and I found a small trail on the side of the main trail marked Moose Ponds. We took it since no one else was in the area. We walked for about 30 feet on the trail and saw a white tail deer. He was a young 2 point buck with velvet still on his antlers. He was so beautiful to see in person. It was amazing because he was only 20 feet from us. We quickly squatted down and watched in aw. He saw us and thinking he would run away he did the opposite and walked closer to us. He was only 15 feet from us before he decided to turn off the path and head into the trees. I can say I was holding my breath the whole time. I was one of the most amazing things in the world to see. We were all jazzed up about seeing the deer we excitedly continued on the path down to the ponds. We saw a beaver crossing the path as we got closer to the ponds and it was a big one. We were so excited we just kept chattering on as we continued around the ponds. I was walking in front of Bryan when he gasped and yelled whispered (you know where you are almost yelling because you are so excited but whispering) "Babe, BEAR, BEAR, BEAR!!!" I cautiously walked back to Bryan and looked up the hill to where he was pointing. I watched for movement and saw nothing at first and then suddenly a young grizzly head popped up from the tall grass and he was eating something. It excited and scared me at the same time. There sat this powerful creature only 20 yards from us that we could be the next thing he would eat if he decided to take a bite of us. Bryan and both giggled and whispered in excitement knowing that what we were experiencing was something that most people will never experience in their life. To see a wild bear in the wilderness and only yards from us. It was one of the most exciting moments in my life. We watched for a while in aw before he noticed us and started to watch us. We took it as it was the opportunity to slowly walk away never turning our backs to the bear. It made the hike worth while. We shared our tale with the family when Bryan and I got back to our meeting point before we all piled back into the car and made our way to the huge lodge that sits near the end of the park. We then drove back to the camp for the night. 

On the fourth day Bryan got to experience something completely new. We went white water rapid in Jackson Hole, WY with my sister and her husband. It was an early Christmas present from them to us. It was so much fun. We woke up early and drove to Jackson Hole. We rode the water with Teton Whitewater. It was so much fun. We stuck Bryan in the front with Danny. A little baptism by fire if you know what mean being that Bryan had never done it before. He had a grin on his face most times and he had a real blast with it. Our guide was actually from Provo, UT and goes to Southern Utah University. We had an Asian mother and her two daughters as well in our boat. We had water fights and got drenched. The whole thing was just all around a blast. I love getting to hang out with my sister at any opportunity. My brother in law, Danny, is just a major kidder and loves to make everyone laugh and is just fun to be around all together. I am so glad that I married such a wonderful man that is willing to try anything new and not afraid of anything really. After we rode the river we stopped at a small hole in the wall for lunch. It was the best sandwich, salad, and drink lunch I had ever had. The sandwich was absolutely to die for. It was so tasty. The place we stopped was just a small place and I cannot even remember the name of it now. It was to die for and they just had a little sign on the side of the road. Oh my goodness. New favorite place to go for sure. Below is the link to our photos from the whitewater trip.

http://www.snakeriverphotos.net/p458769826/slideshow

On the fifth day we all decided to take it a little easier and kind of relax. My dad and I decided to go see how the local fly fishing was while everyone else stayed at camp and played Mexican horseshoes. It was a nice day to relax after seeing it all. We went for bike rides, hikes, and mom even took a ride in the kayak. We ended up spending the rest of the night at camp and just chilling and hanging out around the campfire. 

On the last day we packed up and left our site. We drove back to Blackfoot, ID where I have spent the past four weeks there getting my internship hours with Rex a local vet who was kind enough to let me follow him around for a while. I have literally spent almost another month away from home again with all this. It is nice to be home now but it seems like I have hardly been home this summer. Kind of stinks. 

 

We sure had a blast with the family and I know that I am very blessed to have my family and how wonderful they are to me. 

As many of you know I am pursuing a college career in Veterinary medicine. Part of the requirements for application to vet school (and trust me there are many hoops to jump through) is to obtain an internship with a vet and work and shadow with that vet for 108 hours, well at least 108 hours for credit. I originally started my internship with Blackfoot Animal Clinic with Tony Parsons DVM because there are hardly any vet clinics in salt lake that do large production animals and not just pet animals. I really want to work more with the agricultural aspect of vet work. I want to assist people who literally make their living with their animal stock and not what money they already have. I got to do a week at Blackfoot Animal Clinic before I was informed that I could only be there a little more before having to try and find a new place to obtain the rest of my hours all of which was neither Parsons nor my fault but more the owner of the clinic's choice. I was quite disappointed not only had I at the time obtained an injury of my shoulder which was causing me a lot of pain and discomfort I now had to restart my process of finding someone else who would be willing to let me follow them around and ask a lot of annoying questions. I had also really gotten to learn a lot with Parsons. I got to see many things that most would not have the opportunity to do. I saw an amputation of the rear leg of a canine, removal of a bovine eye due to a carcinoma of the eyelid, pregnancy checking dairy cattle (which yes I myself got to do, which means the next time you see me think of the fact that I have had my arm completely up a cows vagina feeling for baby calves), pneumonia in equine, breeding soundness exams, and so much more. It was a lot to learn and a lot of fun with the people that were there.

I let my shoulder heal before searching again for a place. I was referred by a family member to try another clinic in town. It was perfect because I have so many family in Blackfoot that I would have a place to stay while getting the hours I need to apply to vet school. I then tried the Cottonwood Vet Clinic there with Rex Gillespie DVM. It was wonderful there. Everyone was so much fun and nice to me. I did not get to see as much being that they are not as busy of a clinic but I did still get to see quite a bit. Ultrasound of equine for pregnancy check, blood draw from 200 plus head of cow at a feed lot, a lot of spay and neuters, and a lot of dental work done. I was happy to get to see the different practices too and see the different ways that the vets would approach a customer and the animals. I got a good insight to the veterinary world and I am excited to report that it is definitely something I want to do. Rex was nice enough to even agree to give me a letter of recommendation for vet school, another hoop that needs to be jumped thru. A lot of things are starting to fall in place with school and I am hoping to get accepted soon to school. I will be getting to work again at homecare for a few days and it will be nice to see everyone again and make some money for our pockets. The dogs are mad at me today because we took Blue and Chewy to get fixed which since they will be under we decided to get dentals done on them as well. They will hate me for sure but you got to do something to keep your pets alive longer. Someday if I do become a vet, I will be able to do the work for free for my pets. That is definitely a perk.