ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

Work was over for another week, and summer was winding down for another year, but we still had just enough time for another trip to Utah. But this was no football or shopping trip, we were Utah bound to take Alastair's younger brother, Logan, to the Missionary Training Center. The car was packed, half of our possessions were carefully packed by Laleinia for the four nights that we would be away. To cut a 250 mile story short, we arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, and were greeted by Hollie. Not long after, we got back in the car and headed to the airport and finally had Logan in our midst. When we weren't navigating our way through a drive-thru, or eating inside a fast food restaurant, we shopped. Laleinia was pleased to get her hands on a warm coat and rugged boots for the brisk winter that tip-toes closer with each passing day. Somehow, we did find a moment to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing in the Tabernacle building, and went to the Salt Lake Temple. We were also ...

You may be wondering where the Labor-day-Lovers were on the fifth of September. Well, Wyoming. And Idaho. They actually crossed the border a total of four times. And why you may ask? Camping, fishing, hiking and going to Burger King. It all started long after sunset on the fourth, where the traveling two joined forces with the bilingual bunch, Chris and Naty Jankowski, and jumped into the car looking for a green Wyoming pasture in which to camp. They thought they'd found one, but in the morning the truth was discovered. They had camped on a rocky spot of weeds, and now knew why the previous night was so uncomfortable. But that was nothing that a morning camp fire couldn't fix. Laleinia & Alastair recovering from a night on the rocks. After responsibly putting out the fire completely, Alastair and Laleinia took photographs and left tracks. A five minute Idaho fishing expedition was really boring, and so it was to Wyoming again, in search of the world famous Dar...

You may be wondering what happened to August. August This is a picture of a grindstone. Alastair & Laleinia spent August at work. Alastair could be found at BYU-Idaho and Laleinia was spotted at Deseret Industries.

After finding out that Alastair's office was all locked up to observe pioneer day, Alastair and Laleinia went on a spontaneous fishing trip with John Leonard, a friend from the ward. After driving for a while, Laleinia took the role of Forester as she explained that we were in bear territory, and we would have to be careful. Deer ticks were also mentioned. After Lain picked up 2 sticks to beat together (to make sure that the bears weren't startled by us just showing up without warning), we set off down a steep trail towards the water. Every few seconds the bang from Laleinia's sticks scared bears away, and ensured our safety. However, Laleinia did fear for her life as three garter snakes were spotted, but somehow the team made it to the river safely. And it payed off quickly, as Alastair caught a fish with his second cast of the day! A mountain whitefish we think. Guts were removed on the scene, and the fish was kept cool in a plastic bag still in the water. ...

Hip-Hip-Hooray! The deed is done. Alastair has only been fishing five times, and has now caught his first fish! The biggest catch of the day came only half an hour into the Fiesta of Fish. The unlucky brown trout shot out of the water to try an evade the born and bred fisherman, but there was nothing that Jaws could do. Drama ensued. Another angler was summoned to help tame the beast. After an epic 25-30 second battle, the Fish-Fest was over. Here is a picture of Alastair and Nessie, right before mercy was exercised. Big. I know. The fish was released, as it was very early in the day and the fish was too heavy for the four fishermen to haul around. After proving his handiwork with a rod, Alastair showed his skillful side with the reel, by catching a mosquito in it. Mercy was not shown this time. Death happened. Try this at home. Arguably the best catch of the day happened a little further up stream. After fishing, fishing, fishing, Alastair found the fisherman's wife...

The McKee family's first visit to Utah was a short one. It consisted of waking up at 3 o'clock in the morning, driving to Park City, Alastair and his team beating "Pepis" from Colorado 3-1, Lain shopping her heart out at the outlet malls, Alastair scoring the winner in a 2-1 win against "Park City Bums" from the penalty spot, eating at In-N-Out and then driving home. Idaho Falls Eagles Even though Alastair was far from playing his best Football, Laleinia was shopping on a tight budget, and they only got 15 miles to the gallon, it was a great day. I can't believe my Oxfords are in one of these bags!

The sun was shining, Johnny Cash was loaded on the iPod and off we went, due East to chase a dream. The dream: Jackson Hole, Wyoming. After gorgeous scenery of the Grand Tetons and a little too much of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Tim McGraw and Neil Diamond, we had completed our navigation through beautiful farmland and steep mountain roads. We were greeted in the most appropriate way: an archway made completely of antlers. Jackson Hole was beautiful. The buildings looked like they were right out of an old Western film, and the sidewalks were wooden. We looked at awful T-Shirts, stuffed dead animals and even sat down and pondered with Einstein. Upon leaving the Hole, we stopped by the side of the road to pet some horses and stare at the mountains, all while a passing by Coyote trotted around the field in front of us.  Our artistic senses were tingling, so we whipped out some sketch pads and charcoal and went to work. Although close to call, it was decided...

What do you know about winning? A little bit less than the Triumphant Two, no doubt. Spring 2011 Ward Champion status was part and parcel of the marriage ideals, and the mission was accomplished in mid-July, barely two months after matrimony.  It was not smooth sailing as Alastair pushed Laleinia to the limits, chipping off the rough edges to leave a perfectly shined diamond. With the hard work being done on the training ground, there was no blood, minimal sweat and zero tears when kick off finally arrived. Lain became a new sensation in front of goal, like a finely tuned bow, ready to shoot the arrow into anyones chest, and kill them instantly. "I scored a goal" explains Laleinia, "Well, I was playing forward and Alastair was giving me attempts to score a goal, and I attempted a few times but got too excited, and one flew right over the crossbar, and one hit the post. It was very frustrating because I knew I could score a goal, but it just wasn't coming...

1. Buy cheap white T-Shirts (V-necks are still in). 2. Buy tie-dye and elastic bands. 3. Place elastic bands all over T-Shirt (placement will determine final pattern). 4. Add dye to hot water. Mix. 5. Submerge shirt according to what you want the final product to look like. 6. Wait around for the dye to soak in. 7. Once the dye has sunken into the T-Shirt, remove it from the liquid. 8. Wring the T-Shirts so that excess dye comes out. 9. Remove all elastic bands from the T-Shirt 10. Rinse T-Shirt out for a minute or two. 11. Hang it out to dry and Voila, you have successfully created your own clothes!

As the old saying goes, A lake is a wonderful place for a couple. Nestled between the sand dunes and the potato fields of the west lies Egin lake. Warm, shallow, and crustacean infested, this lake is a must see for all people who like good things. Alastair and Laleinia went for a mid-week afternoon of fun, relaxation and games, as they trotted around in the shallow waters playing frisbee and other college freshman type games.