August 2014

August was a bit crazy for us. Between visits from Thomas' dad, a summer party I was in charge of for work, etc., it seemed like we were always up to something!

We went to our ward campout:

The highlight, of course, was our trip to California when my sister came home from her mission.

My aunt, cousin & cousin's daughters picked us up from the airport. We got to play with my aunt's dog and it was a joy to spend time with these relatives I don't get to see very often!

The next day, we and my aunt went to a different airport to greet Morgan when she arrived:

That weekend, among other things, we had a special surprise homecoming/birthday party for Morgan:

Thomas & I got to spend an afternoon with Lanessa, hiking around Coloma:

After which we met my family at their ward luau:

We were finally able to go back to the Sacramento temple together (for the first time since our wedding!):

...which was a miracle in itself. The temple had been closed for cleaning/maintenance about 2 weeks prior to our visit (other visits we've made have landed us right in that window). The day of, we decided we had to arrive at a certain time for a certain session due to a commitment later in the day. We were running behind, but arrived with enough time to make the session. After dressing, we were informed we might have to wait for the next session because that one was so full (which would mean not being able to stay)! Miraculously, everything ended up working out. We were able to attend that (extremely full) session and get out in time for the later appointment.

All told, it was a great visit and fun to have Morgan home.

oxox

July 2014

July was a very full month for us.

We started off with a neighborhood Independence Day block party on the 3rd. Thomas invited a friend from work and his family, and we grilled hot dogs together and enjoyed the company of our neighbors and the early-evening festivities.

On the 4th, rather than stay downtown amidst the hullabaloo that is the parade (etc.) in Provo, we left home around 7 AM to hike Y Mountain in the relative cool of the morning. We'd hiked the Y before, but this was our first time going all the way up, around the east side of the mountain, and finally to the overlook at the top. It was a challenging, steep hike, but we thoroughly enjoyed getting out in quiet, quiet nature. The greenery and wildflowers were so refreshing! Ultimately, when we made it back down the mountain, we were utterly exhausted. After some rest, we went out for Orange Julius at the mall and window-shopped a while.

On the 12th, we drove up to Salt Lake area for dinner at the Clarks'. What a cute, fun family!

On the weekend of the 19th (you know, just after Bastille Day), we took a trip up to Logan. We stayed the night Friday, and then on Saturday we attended the temple and then saw Les Miserables at the Eccles Theater.

On Pioneer Day, the 24th, we participated in the Temple-to-Temple 5K (and I beat my time from last year!). Then, in the afternoon, we packed up the car to drive to Boise to visit Elizabeth & co. for the weekend.

Pioneer Day activity!

oxox

June 2014

We tried out Red Lobster for the first time thanks to some gift cards!

We hiked the Y on a whim! There were a lot of wildflowers.

Getting out in nature is so relaxing, and really puts things in perspective.

We went to an outdoor concert with our friends, the Hunts!

We took a scenic drive:

We ate our fruits & veggies:

Thomas went to a fathers & sons activity:

Samuel had a birthday:

And we went to Samuel's work party:

We also had Thomas' friend from Seattle, Tony, and his wife visit us for an evening on their way to southern Utah. They took us to dinner at India Palace and we showed them around Provo before winding down with a round of Pandemic. [picture to come... maybe?].

oxox