Since having dinner with the friend's sister and brother-in-law in mid-June, we knew that the first weekend in November would be absolutely crazy.

Just didn't know exactly how crazy.

We set out early Saturday morn for the BYU bashing in Laramie, uncharacteristically grumpy and unenthusiastic about the first of three must-appears in three days.

As we flew through the canyon in the sports car (lid on), we saw a ton of parked cars at the turnout.

"Stop," I yelled.

"You've seen it all before," said the still-grumpy friend.

But he stopped.

There were seven or eight big -- big -- elk having breakfast at the fence and folks were taking pictures of them and talking to them.

I didn't have my camera, but had my phone, and took a couple which weren't that great because their heads were in their cereal bowls. But you could see the racks and that was OK.

Then I walked alone down the dirt road to where four or five bison were hanging out. One big ol' guy was right at the fence, so we had a nice conversation.

In those few minutes, I loved that I was alone, talkin' to the bison.

I asked him to smile for his picture and he growled, the same way the beloved dog growls when I annoy him. I had absolutely no idea that bison growl. It was perhaps the cutest thing I'd heard in awhile.

So he didn't smile and I took his picture and the friend came to see what I was up to.

"He growls," I said, and the friend thought I was nuts, until he growled for him too.

Even the Wyoming-raised, long-a-hunter friend didn't know they growled.

In the car, I saw that the growling bison pictures were awesome and I was mighty proud of myself.

The best part about the 22 hours in Laramie was the chance to see good friends and meet new ones at a house party between the football and basketball games.

On Sunday, we returned home to host Mouse and Her Friend at dinner before taking her to the opening Broadway performance.

Dinner went surprisingly smoothly. I was on absolutely my best behavior, limited my margaritas to one and really tried to limit my grilling questions as well.

We all loved the Broadway show, so then it was two must-appears down, one to go.

Monday morning I concluded the Super 25 invitation list, which always makes me feel like the mother of the bride. Hearing the coaches' comments and realizing that what we do really means something to the kids we pick never gets old.

Then in much better moods, we headed south once again to Denver to watch the Broncos.

I was wearing my Bronco clothing purchased by the friend, who took pics of me with Invesco Field in the background. Both of my kids were mortified when we sent them off right away.

Early in the first quarter, the wind came up and the temperature dropped. I went to the restroom to put a sweatshirt underneath my windshirt.

I hate automatic flush toilets.

Yep, standing up, raising my arms over my head to pull the wind shirt off, the phone that I absolutely adored went whooshing away forever, and with it a gallery of pictures that I mentally add to each day.

But I know the growling bison was among them.

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WYOSAS