Friday, November 27, 2009

The Hoepfner's Down Under

We were fortunate this year to be able to take the kids on a family vacation, and Curt's cousin had been trying to get him out to Australia for years!!!
We all had a blast, even though it was only for 7 days. The first day we were there Curt and I went out with Drew on his sail boat and went racing. It was the first time I have ever been on a sail boat and I had fun. We ended up taking 1st so that made it even better!
The next day we all walked down to the beach and just hung out for a bit. We had to get back at a decent hour so we could have Thanksgiving Dinner. Kim's been doing Thanksgiving Dinner for the past three years and it was fun to be a part of it.
Every Sunday, Kim and Drew's girls go down to Surf Club and they learn about the waves, surfing, and saving lives. It was fun to go down and watch them. After Surf Club we all piled into the car and drove up to some sand dunes and went riding in this BIG monster truck and then went sand surfing.
The next day we got on a Ferry Boat and went out to Rottnest Island for three days. It was nice and relaxing but you can only spend so much time on a small island where the only way you can get around is to walk or ride a bike! We went snorkeling, site seeing, and hung out with the Quokkas.
The day after we got back we went to the Perth Mint and watched them make a gold brick! Then we went to the Wildlife Refuge and were able to pet Kangaroos, Pandas, and a Wombat! How many times can you say you've pet a Kangaroo?! It was also my birthday so Kim was sweet enough to buy me a birthday cake that was absolutely delicious!!! That night we went to a restaurant that is owned by Kim and Drew's neighbor. At the end of dinner they brought out a BIG bowl of ice cream with a sparkler in it.
The whole vacation and birthday was perfect!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Catch up time!...

I know, I am officially the worst blogger EVER!!! I just get so wrapped up in everyday life that by the time I think about updating the blog I'm just too tired! I'm gonna try to do better, but here is a breakdown of the past couple months.
We had Kalea with us from the first of June till the day after the July 5th. It was a lot of fun having her up here with us. On the 4th we went to the Stadium of Fire and watched the Jonas Brothers. Yeah Curt was probably the best Dad in the world in Kaleas eyes that night. :) On the 13th I left for Ft. Rucker, Alabama for my Warrant Officer school for 5 weeks. It wasn't too bad, just a pain being away and playing the mind games. I graduated August 18th and became a Warrant Officer. Curt flew out to Alabama a couple days before to see me and actually pin me at graduation, I was really awesome to have him pin me!
The second I got home I was busy! One weekend we went hiking up Timpanogos Caves and Bridalveil Falls, hung out with friends, and tried to catch up on work. In September we went to Zions National Park and went hiking with Kalea and Mom. Then we went camping with Dad, Robyn, Glen, Uncle Roy and Aunt Norma, and the kids up to Otter Creek. At the end of that month we went to DC for the week with the Utah Honor Guard and went and saw the sights. That was really cool to go and walk around that area and just soak up the history! The next weekend we went up to Snowbird for Sr. Enlisted Conference. While Curt was in meetings I hung out with Sam and Stephanie.In October we have just been trying to get things organized in our house and figure out what the heck we are gonna do with the house! Curt started finishing the basement and hopefully it will be done before Christmas. Our neighbor, Nick, has been over a lot helping out so that has been nice. The first part of October Kalea actually danced during the halftime show of the BYU vs UNLV football game so we went down to Vegas and spent the weekend with her and watched her dance.
This month has just really been busy with work so far and it has sucked!!! The only good thing is on Wednesday we are taking the kids to Australia for their Birthday/Christmas. Curts cousin lives in Perth, so all we had to do was purchase the tickets and get out there. Kim has been awesome planning our entire trip out there. It will be something that we will all remember!!!
Other then that we have just been enjoying spending time with each other, friends, and family.
I promise I will try to be better at this blogging stuff!