Sand Dunes

Last Friday night we went to the sand hills with our buddies. Kinda exciting because last year in April it was too cold to go but Friday was the perfect night. It got me all excited for summertime... particularly in Idaho. There is something special about an Idaho summer. We rode four-wheelers, shot guns, cooked tinfoil dinners, roasted starbursts, and had a good talk around the fire. We love our friends. We love the sand dunes. And we love beautiful Idaho!

Springtime in St G

Last weekend Tyler and I hopped in the car with Terri, Josh, Hayli, and Blaykli and headed to St George for a weekend with Ty's grandparents. We left Rexburg Wednesday night at 6:00 pm and through a long series of events arrived in St George at 3:45 am...it was the LONGEST drive..with many bathroom breaks:) 

On Thursday we visited Zions National Park. It had been a long time since I'd been to Zions and Tyler has never been. We enjoyed the day driving/hiking around the park and exploring the little town of Springdale. 

The rest of the week was spent golfing, shopping, eating, playing games, taking naps, and swimming. Sunday was Easter so we had a little Easter egg hunt for my niece Blaykli...she was in heaven!

 I love St George any time of year... especially in the spring. The weather was wonderful. Being outdoors was so needed. And spending time with family was the best part of it all. We are sure blessed with an awesome family!

My only request of the whole trip was that on our way home we try to find a Bajios so I could get a chicken green chili salad. I don't know if I believe in pregnancy cravings...I have never had them so I guess we'll see...but Bajio chicken green chili salad is one of the best things on the planet. There are only 4 Bajios left open in Utah and we stopped at one in Spanish Fork. Doesn't it look amazing?

On a different note..I am officially out of my first trimester! I am 14 weeks and counting.  This whole pregnancy thing has been a little different than I imagined it would.  I remember my mom being pregnant with my brother and sisters and I have been around friends and family members that have been pregnant and none of them really got sick.  So at week 6 when the nausea and vomiting started I had no idea what hit me! I was down and out for about 6 weeks...no work or play or anything.  Just me, my bed, and the bathroom! Now at week 14 I only throw up sporadically but the sick feeling in my tummy is pretty much a constant. I am hopeful that the further I get into my second trimester the less nauseous I will feel:)

That paragraph sounds borderline depressing and doesn't portray the excitement around our house.  At first it was hard to be excited because all I felt was sickness.  One day I came across a talk that put things into perspective for me. It stated that the MOST significant thing women can do here on the earth is to have children...it got me thinking that if having this baby is MORE significant than ANYTHING else I will do during my time here on earth that I can toughen up and do hard things:)  We can't wait for October 12th...it seems so far away. We are grateful, nervous, excited, and scared to death about being parents but we know this little baby will be the best addition to our little family!

Starting to get a little thicker:) 

Our Easter weekend in St George was wonderful!

I'm sure being pregnant will get more wonderful!

And Ty my baby, you are wonderful!

Cruisin' Mexico

Hot sunny days, sandy beaches, drinking pina coladas, and not worrying about school, work, or any other obligations back home. Sounds like a dream right? Well a couple weeks ago this all too often dreamed dream became a reality for us. Ty and I..along with our buddies...cruised on down to Mexico for 7 days.  INCREDIBLE is the word I choose to describe our trip! There are many highlights of that blissful week..I tried to narrow it down to the top 5 but had to make it top 6 instead!

Numero Seis: My first time ever in Sin City! Pathetic that I have never been to Vegas but I experienced it for my first time on the way to California.  I cannot say that I was super impressed by the city...it's pretty dirty in more that one way..but it was cool to see all the chaos that goes on and now I can at least say I've been:)

Numero cinco: Singing karaoke with Hayli and Kandace...we are definitely horrible but if you can't tell we had a blast and that's really all that matters!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150330409661841

Numero quatro: The food in Mexico is amazing... especially the seafood. Everywhere we went Ty and I tried to eat as much authentic mexican food as we could. Shrimp tacos are our favorite! I may or may not have gained a pound..or two:)

 Numero tres: The beaches. Mexico has beautiful beaches that I could play on forever. There is something so simple and relaxing about being on a beach with the sun high in the sky and the waves rolling in. Life just seems to all make sense when your lying on the beach.

Numero dos: Ty and I did this cruise for our honeymoon.  We wanted to go again but this time with our friends.  We talked Hayli and Josh (Ty's sister and her husband) and Kandace and Joey (our good friends from Utah) into going with us. Cruises are meant for groups of people. There are numerous activities on the ship that are constantly going on.  It's fair to say that we hit up everything that we could. Kandace, Joe, Hayli, and Josh totally made the trip for us.  Thanks for coming guys! We may or may not already be planning the next trip:)

Numero UNO: My number one favorite thing about the trip was being with my husband.  Sometimes here at home we get so busy and stressed about the things that go on in life.  This trip was a good reminder that we NEED to relax and have a little more fun...kinda a vacation away from life. My husband is my number one...any day.

  I love you Ty! Thanks for taking me cruisin'!

Girl Time

A couple weeks ago my dear friend Rachel called to inform me that she was coming to REXBURG during conference weekend! I haven't seen her since her wedding a year and a half ago because she lives so far away in Canada.  Her sister Jenae..who is also my dear friend...is finishing up her last semester here at BYU-I. Jenae just got home a couple months ago from serving a mission in Japan. This weekend was the first time in two years that the three of us were all together...just like the good old days:)

                                                             

Highlights of the weekend:

Late night talks. Tanning. Sage Day Spa. Waxing. Not waxing. Little Caesars. Conference. Fruit trays. Justin's wedding. Idaho Falls. Registering Jenae at Kohls for wedding. Big straw hats. $6 blue flats. Cafe Rio. Shrimp tacos. The Help. Smuggling drinks. Ring pops. Too much Dr. Pepper. Not sleeping. Laughing hard. Smiling lots.

Spending time with Rachel and Jenae this weekend reminded me of so many good memories. A lot has changes since the good old days at the Ridge but these two girls will be my friends forever. They are great examples to me and I am so grateful for their friendship.  I love you Rach...el and Jenae!

And when the wife's away the husband will play...

"I was slayin' ducks," says Tyler.

Time

I've been thinking alot lately about time. I've been kinda MAD at time because it seems that everyday life completely revolves around it. I wake-up at 6:00 a.m. to make it to work by 7:00 so that I can finish at 5:00 and make it home in time to have dinner around 6:30 or 7:00 and it's off to bed anytime after 10:00. Then my alarm goes off at 6:00 the next morning to do it all over again.

Sometimes time is something to look forward to. In 12 hours my brother comes home from his mission in Russia :) In 5 days the weekend starts.  In 4 weeks we will be on a cruise down in Mexico and in about 2 months Ty and I will have our 2 year annivesary. In these instances time cannot go by fast enough.

Other times go by too fast and I wish they would just slow down...like my hours of sleep (morning ALWAYS comes too soon), the time I spend with Ty after work, weekends, and when I read a good book (nerdy but I always wish the end would drag out a little longer so I won't have to stop reading).

It's a funny thing how sometimes time goes slow and other times goes too fast.  Sometimes I get tired and like to sit, relax, and waste some time.  Most of the time I worry about what I do with my time...if I am being as productive as I can be.  Lately I've been trying to find a balance. Sometimes I try to live in the past and other times try to look to the future.  I've been realizing that if I try to live in the present and make the most of my time here and now that I will be just fine.  I won't be able to look back and regret doing too much or not enough and at the same time it will prepare me for the things ahead in life.  So slowly but surely I'm finding that time might not be such a bad thing after all...I just gotta learn to use it wisely:)

Before Cole left: Taking a Sunday nap

These last 2 years have flown by.

I cannot wait for him to come home TONIGHT!

I've missed my little brother!

And the livin's easy..

 As much as I hate to admit it...summer is almost gone. This thought depresses me to no end.  I love being out in the sun whether it's boating, fishing, camping, or whatever else my crazy husband wants to do.  So instead of being depressed about summer ending we decided to make the best of it while it's here.  This last weekend we got some of our friends together and went camping/boating at Palisades reservoir.  Those of you around Idaho know that lately it has been unusually hot...which made last weekend the perfect weekend to be in the great outdoors.  You can't complain about a little camping, boating, eating junk food, sitting around the fire, and taking it easy.

We kinda got lazy and decided to do hot dogs the first night and went to the Cheeseburger Factory in Alpine the second night. We all went and got yummy hamburgers and shakes.

And by the end of the trip we were all exhausted...

 Especially Tyler...who fell flat asleep on the ground next to the fire:)

So this is the start of our annual Palisades camping trip.  We had so much fun playing, laughing, drinking Monsters and too much soda, telling "stories" around the fire, and just being with the people we love. Until next year...

My Little Sissy

My sister Bailee decided to go on a huge adventure this summer.  This adventure included leaving family, friends, and her comfort zone behind to go and work in Utah for a couple months.  She left the beginning of June and is coming home TONIGHT to visit for a couple days! I know it has been a good experience for her but from my selfish point of view I have missed her and at times wished she was home to play with me.


I love the quote "Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.  You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." I think this quote is true for both Bailee and I.  When Bailee takes my clothes and ruins them, calls and wakes me up in the middle of the night with a crisis, or steals my car without telling me, I still love her.  And even when I get mad at her for taking my lip gloss that she really didn't take, give her my advice on the boys she dates, or actually tell on her for stealing my car and get her kicked out of drivers ed, I know eventually she will .still loves me too. 

I am so grateful for my little sissy.  Bailee is such a good example to me...more so than she knows.  She has so much energy and at times when I get boring she brings a little life back into me.  Being without her this summer has made me realize how much I depend on her.  Bay, I'd be lost with out you. I'm your #1 fan. I'm always here for you not matter what and I know that you've always got my back too.

I love you sister!