wood chopping to welcome fall

October already?!? seriously crazy. AND my second consecutive day of blogging? Almost as often as I wash behind my ears. rad. Welcome the fall season-beautiful leaves, crazy deer, pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies, and wood chopping!! Today I worked grill from 5:30am-2:00pm so I could go with a group of coworkers into the Kaibab forest to chop wood for the wintertime here at Jacob Lake, Arizona.

It was so much fun! After quite a few attempts, I was able to get some decent sized logs. My friend Juni is seriously an insane beast and always got it right on the first swing. I've given up on trying to figure out how he has the strength/energy. Afterwards, we hauled all the logs in the work truck and made an assembly line to stack it all nicely outside of the lodge. Henry Ford status! In reward for our hard work, management treats us to a delicious dinner & dessert in the dining room.

It was really odd ordering off the menu, instead of receiving the order and cooking it for the usual customer. I almost wanted to put my apron back on and head back to the kitchen and make my meal myself. But my coworkers did a great job, no doubt:) Ahhhh the cheese tortellini with a grilled chicken on top!! Kind of annoying to make for the late prep shift, but so woth it. I was in heaven. And with grilled zucchini slices, cheesy-brocolli soup, and rice pilaf! Sean works in the store, so he made all of our shakes too. Vanilla with a pumpkin chocolate-chip cookie was divine. We had a wonderful time together eating, while still super dirty from chopping. I was shocked to see later how filthy my face got from hauling all the logs!! Mary Poppins, anyone?

  My buddy Mitchell. Don't you just love the dirt mustache?

We were too busy being lumberjacks to take any pictures while we were working, but this is what the truck looked like after about an hour or so of chopping.

I cannot wait to enjoy those cozy nights right in front of the fireplace on those chilly nights in the lodge lobby:)

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!!

When Hunter returned home from his mission, he was so excited to show us pictures of the many people that he had the privilege of teaching. In particular, he taught and baptized the Evans family. I was touched by their story and knew they had an impact on Hunter’s life. We talked about going on a road trip so I could meet them & many other people from his mission. This weekend we took the plunge to the sunny california!! We left early Friday morning in a rental car, that gets MUCH better gas mileage than his Jaguar. The drive wasn’t too bad & we saw beautiful scenery along the way. We filled up at an older gas station in nevada that I thought was so awesome! 

Eventually, we arrived in the beautiful northern california around 6pm. The foresthill bridge was our first destination, which is California’s highest bridge. I love bridges & this one was hecka awesome! 

Afterwards, we blasted classic cali-themed songs on the drive to the Fears house in Lincoln. I met Dave last year when he was in the DC area for a business trip. His daughters were so fun, rambunctious, and adorable. I played mega blocks with Chloe and Emma. We had pizza with them and Hunter enjoyed catching up with Dave. 

We stayed with Sister Blaser for the weekend and found a cute welcome sign for us when we walked in. She is an incredible woman who is so kind, loving, and funny! We were exhausted and couldn’t wait to get some rest.

It felt amazing to sleep in on Saturday morning and enjoy a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from Sis. Blaser’s orchard. I was impressed by how much fruit she grows and picks, right from her backyard! 

We saw the Hume family and had a quick lunch with them. Then we went to the Sacramento temple for the Evans’ sealing. They were going to be sealed together as an eternal family. I was so excited to meet them!! I met all the children & quickly grew to love them instantly. We took some beautiful pictures of their family and I loved seeing how they interact with each other. They have such great love towards each other and you can tell they are best friends. I twirled the little girls and watched big smiles stretching across their face. 

Haley, Betty, and Akasha drove with us to their house for a BBQ. The girls and I walked their dog to the park and we all played in the playground. The youngest, Haley is such a cute girl!! We quickly bonded and became besties as I pushed her on the swings. We played hopscotch and basketball while the meat was cooking. Spontaneously, we rode their four-wheeler around their neighborhood. It was so much fun. The missionaries from their ward joined us for dinner & it was delicious!! 

After dinner, we met up with Gina and Lisa, that I met at conference last april. We went to Leatherby's for a late-night sundae dessert. Hunter & I split a Grandma Grace's Creamery Sundae. Their rocky road, toasted almond, and cookies n’ cream flavors were incredible. and that homemade caramel sauce!!!! AHHHHH so tasty.and creamy. 

I met so many people in the Van Maren ward that Hunter used to serve in that said the most wonderful things about him. Then we raced to the Evans’ ward to see them one last time. I just loved sitting next to little Haley during church, she’s just a doll. I have only just met the Evans family, but I already miss them so much!!! They are such a wonderful family that can now be together forever. We packed up and said goodbye to sis. Blaser. She’s so cute!! I am so thankful for her hospitality and kindness.

Then we headed to Rio Linda for lunch with the Dumm family. haha lots of jokes. They live in a rad little yellow house that reminds me of the movie Up. Jenilyn made a wonderful cheesy brocolli soup with homemade “butt” rolls. haha it was an awesome lunch! Their boys were so hilarious, just like their parents. Stephen is a hulla-hoop champ & Michael can transform to iliterally anything. Their humor compliments ours and we loved playing the game moods with them. 

For our last meal in california, we ate DELICIOUS homemade chimichangas at the Aldridge's house. I love mexicali meals & this was top-notch! Their girls became quite taken with me. It was probably because I can make them fly! haha they kicked by booday in Just Dance. Bro. Aldridge made awesome oreo shakes for dessert while we played the card game And It Came To Pass. I enjoyed hearing about how the parents met at BYU-I and about everything they loved about the ‘Berg. I love their crazy family!!

On our way out, we said our last goodbyes to the Fears, Gina, and other friends. Somehow we drove all night to UT without stopping. 9 hours isn't that bad, right? It was hard with such little sleep, but some coke and jack johnson helped. By the time we reached salt lake city and returned the car, we happily took a glorious 3 hour nap. 

This weekend was incredible & I only wish we had more time in CA!! Our weekend was very packed and we saw so many people, but it also flew by crazy fast! I’m so thankful to all the many families who shared meals and laughs with us. I can now understand how easily it was for Hunter to grow so closely to these wonderful people. They are so full of love, kindness, and happiness. I’m reminded of how magnificent the atonement and plan of salvation is for us to enjoy. Words cannot express how magnificent eternal families are. There’s such peace in knowing I’ll be with my family forever. I was so happy for the Evans family to enjoy and grow from this knowledge and reassurance. Our Heavenly Father loves his children so much!! I loved finally meeting and putting a face to the many people that Hunter talked about in emails and letters. Seeing the Evans’ children sealed to them was such a great experience to see the fruit of the mission labors, "For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." (psalms 128:2). 

Thank you to all the people that showed us love this weekend! I loved every minute and am anxiously awaiting our next road trip. I’m dreading the cold and snowy grounds that idaho will welcome me back with....:( 
forever california dreaming....

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hey there. Happy New Year! It’s weird to think that we’re in 2012 now. Time has seriously just zoomed by! goals, goals, goals…here are my 20 resolutions to keep for the year I turn 20-

 1.      Blog more. (obviously)

2.      Run a half marathon

3.      Develop better study habits

4.      Read more great books

5.      Get into the nursing program!!

6.      Become more organized

7.      Go on a road trip to CALIFORNIA!

8.      Volunteer & give back to the community

9.      Create & keep a workout plan

10.  Spend more time with my lovely mother

11.  Make plans to study abroad

12.  Become a “morning person”

13.  Keep a journal of grand adventures

14.  Hike Rim2Rim again in 12 hours

15.  Attend ALL my 7:45am classes…we’ll see about this oneJ

16.  Eat real, nutritious foods

17.  Go snowboarding

18.  Become better at letter-writing

19.  Learn how to ballroom dance

20.  Develop a habit of scripture study every night

But most of all, I want to simply enjoy life more!! I’m looking forward to another year full of love, laughter, good food, and enjoying beautiful places with those I love. I want to show more gratitude. I want people to know how much I care, love, and appreciate having them in my life. Happy New Year!! 2012-bring it on.

P.S. I fly back to ID tomorrow morning!! I’m really excited, but also sad that I have to say goodbye:( Bittersweet. Also soooo much more packing needs to be done.

'twas the night before christmas

CHRISTMAS is HERE!! woah. These last weeks have literally flown by! I’ve absolutely loved being back home & spending time with my wonderful family. There’s just something about the sights, scents, sounds, tastes, and overall spirit of Christmas. Today was absolutely blissful. My best friend Maura & I spent the day together decorating cookies, caroling, seeing lights galore, and enjoying christmas movies. We also made a clementine candle, thank you PINTEREST. There are some unique things that Vienna does around Christmastime that I completely forgot about. Tonight, it was such a wonderful surprise to see neighbors putting luminaries all over the sidewalks. It completely brightened up our neighborhood & looked like a winter wonderland. I’m so thankful that we were able to spend this time together, as I’ll be leaving again so soon. 

I hope your Christmas Eve was merry and bright as well. Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!!!!

the sunshine state, we're here at last!

Due to hurricane Irene (which was predicted to be the worst east coast hurricane to hit the US in decades), we left for our family vacation two days later than planned. After church, we spent a few hours packing everyone and the car up, and we hit the road to FLORIDA!! I’ve been quite excited for our beach trip, especially since Hunter is flying into Orlando just for the week! Hunt & his friend JC got to our resort on Saturday and have been keeping the fort down while we prepared for the hurricane.

The car ride wasn’t too bad, I finished reading Goblet of Fire while my Mom drove for the first few hours. I took my turn rockin’ the packed mini-van from North Carolina to South Carolina. It only took about two and a half hours & I was singing along to Coldplay. We finally reached FL around 6:30am and each enjoyed a steak, egg, and cheese bagel. From there, I drove to our resort where we unpacked and met up with Hunter and his friend. While the boys got groceries, everyone else went to the beach. 

It’s so beautiful here and the waves are far calmer and more enjoyable than Dewey beach. In the summer, honestly what is better than a relaxing day at the beach? Grant and I enjoyed jumping the waves together, I read on my kindle, and walked on the warm sand. The beach hat that Maura, Sarah, and Ariana gave me for my birthday is so perfect for this vacation!! Thanks again:) 

After they got back from the grocery store, we all took a break from the tides. Since we drove through the night and couldn’t really get the best nights’ rest, I took a cat’s nap. When I came back outside, the boys were playing football on the sand, so I went on a nice run. Then we started making our favorite chipotle-style family dinner. Everyone has their specialty that they prepare; Mckay grated cheese, I made yummy guacamole and put cilantro in the rice, Clark cooked the meat, and Grant was in charge of the refried beans. It was delicious!

Since it’s a Monday night, Hunter and JC planned our Family Home Evening lesson. We watched & talked about these great mormon messages, found here and here. I love the first one, “What Matters Most,” it reminds me to forget the small annoyances in life and focus on the big picture. We ate cookies n’ cream ice cream for our dessert. For the adults that were still awake, we watched one of our favorite movies, Down To Earth. That movie is hilarious! JC fits in just perfectly with our family & is more than helpful with everything. We call him Jay-Z! Our family's so gangsta that we got a rapper on vacation with us!

I love sharing laughs & sweet memories with my family. I can’t wait for more sun, sand and serenity tomorrow. Happy summer & family vacations!