Summer Recap: If I had to describe the feeling it was the best!

So I would like to be in denial that summer is basically over, not that it really changes much for me but still! The days are going to start getting shorter, colder, snowier, I'm sure you see my point :) and Austin has also started school. He was actually really excited but sometimes evenings get boring for me when he gets studious and does homework. Happy he is such a hard worker though! Anyways the rest of our summer was really fun. We were able to get together with all of Austin's siblings and party for a week. That was my first time experiencing the whole family together at once and my first time meeting Austin's oldest brother Derek's family. Of course they were all so great and I had a lot of fun getting to know them all a little better and playing with all of the cutest ever nieces and nephews. We also went camping the end of that same week with my family to cherry creek, where I have been going for as long as I can remember. Austin was really excited because he had heard all about the trip for the past two years and now he finally got to come. Secretly I think he was more excited about bringing Sampson the dog and spending three days straight with him than anything else. Austin's parents also let us borrow their little camper so it was really fun to have our own little area to set up and get ready. I was so happy to have it and not have to sleep on the ground :). We rode dirt bikes and Austin fished a little bit while we were there. It was overall a really fun and relaxing week. I wish we could do it like once a month! And true to form I took no pictures the whole time! I was so annoyed when I realized that but I can only do better from here on out! So if you are reading this and finding yourself bored because of lack of pictures, I understand completely! :). This last weekend Austin got off work a few hours early so last minute we decided to go to salt lake for the weekend to do a little school shopping (obviously Austin is starting school I need new clothes ;) and just one more fun weekend before school started and everything. It was so fun! We stayed Right in downtown salt lake which was perfect because everything we needed was right there! We ate at our fave places we don't have here in Idaho and of course shopped. Austin is a great husband. He really is so patient and is a great shopper. We really did shop mostly for him, since most of the clothes in his closet that he wears the most are from high school! There were some stores I wanted to make sure we made time for that I wanted to look in for me. I was trying a few things on, and I asked Austin if he would mind going and grabbing me a different size. Well bless his heart he came back with something similar, but not the same. I tried it on anyways and ended up liking it better than the original! Funny enough this is not the first time that has happened so apparently I just need to start asking for his picks the first time around :) I did get a few pics of this trip so I failed a little less this time around :) overall it was so fun and I'm so glad we got to go

So excited to go!

Trying to look normal on our way out to dinner :)

night view

delish night in!

Day view :)

summer!

So I am totally lame at posting. I think about it a lot! So that counts for something I'm sure :). We have been having a great summer! Lots of playing and boating. We are so lucky to live close to both of our families and to the lake! We have spent every weekend that we can on the lake because it is losing water so fast this year! Sad but glad we can take advantage of it while we can.

Perfect Day on the lake!

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We also got to go to a friend's wedding this last month. They got married at this cute little event center in Menan, Idaho. It was in a totally random spot, just kind of in the middle of the fields and cows but it was so beautiful! And they picked a perfect day. Austin was actually one of the groomsmen, so we were there for most of the day. Since he had to be there early,and we were so close to Rexburg, I was able to go and visit one of my best friends Mary! I hadn't seen her since my wedding so it was so great to be able to visit with her for a few hours and laugh and remember all the goofy things we did while we lived together. It's so nice to have great friends that no matter how long it is between visits you can pick up right where you left off like it has been no time at all. Mary and I met at BYU-Idaho just becoming random roommates and we lived together for three more semesters after that including the one at BYU- Hawaii. People always asked us if we were sisters or even twins! I can admit that we look similar but I definitely don't think twins :)   So glad to have such a good friend!

From a few years back :)

So also in June we passed the one year mark of Austin having his two week leave from Iraq and also getting engaged!! It seems like so long ago but like time is going to fast at the same time! It is so crazy to think back to the time Austin was in Iraq. Those two weeks he was home were the best! They definitely flew by. I'm not sure how we survived. I was still in hair school, which started at 7:30 in the morning! Since I was still living in Aberdeen, i had to be up and on the road by 6:40! I definitely think we averaged about 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night during those two weeks. So worth it though! I remember the night he flew into Pocatello I was so nervous! His plane didn't land until like 11:15 pm and I can probably honestly say that was the longest day of my life! After being apart for nine months who knew what to expect! But it seemed just as natural as before he left! It definitely wasn't fun saying good-bye at the end of the two weeks but I was happy to have a wedding to plan to keep me distracted :)

A few days after he came back

Another one from pass

Definitely glad to have him home for good now :). We are looking forward to more family parties/reunions and soaking up the sun while it lasts! and maybe, but probably not likely, getting a little more efficient at blog posts ;).

April/May(ish) :)

The past few weeks have been so great for us! I'm gonna take a minute a brag about my cute husband. I had a birthday and turned the big 2-2! This year was kind of a different birthday for me, with Austin and I both working and Austin also being in school, we are basically constantly busy and away from our apartment Monday through Saturday. So as my birthday got closer, it kind of just felt like another day, which was fine. It fell on a Thursday, which meant I was scheduled to work till 8 pm. I knew that my family was coming into town the next day to go to dinner to celebrate, but it still felt kind of strange not seeing at least my parents on my actual birthday. Luckily though, I have the best husband in the world! He was so thoughtful and so sweet the whole day. He had class till about noon, and I was scheduled to work at 2. So he brought me home pizza for lunch (my fav!) and a single red rose. On the card, he had written, "just a few reasons why I love you, #1..." and he had only written one thing. I was confused for a minute, thinking he could only think of one reason why I'm great!? But I appreciated his thoughtfulness anyways. But then when I got to work, there was another rose with another card and another reason. When I got home that day, there were more roses kind of hidden thoughout the house with more cards. I thought it was the sweetest! And so thoughtful. He also got me a cake complete with birthday candles, and took care of dinner and dish duty that night. I am definitely spoiled and so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. More husband bragging, Austin finished his semester! And got great grades in all his classes. He is such a hard worker and so motivated. Its so impressive! We are definitely excited for summer, and have been loving the nice weather that has been going on lately. Our new little jolly is the grill that we bought a few weeks ago. It was kind of just on a whim, we somehow both ended up with a day off on the same day, and we were just like, lets have a barbeque! So we found a little honey of a 'O' at sears for cheap and brought it on home. We have loved it! It just uses charcol, so most times after we grill up dinner we will roast marshmallows on it and make s'mores! Kinda cheesey but it is so fun! We will sit out on our little back patio and enjoy the sun until its too cold to take :). We were also invited by my parents to go to a jazz game last night. A playoff game against the spurs! Better yet, box seats! They had a taco bar, wings, and desert! Best way to watch a basketball game I think! We were able to ride down with Connor and Whitney, made it that much more fun! We are definitely very blessed in life.

Birthday Candles!

We love our ghetto BBQ's :)

Our seats for the game!

Kinda fuzzy but still fun :)

New Blog!

Ok so I'm totally new at this whole thing, hence the blog layout/format looking a bit goofy... I'm sorry .... I'll work on it! :) So I'll be honest, I have never really gotten the point of a blog, other than the people that make a business out of it or whatever. But the other day, I was reading a friends blog, and they were talking about how they used their blog as kind of a journal to remeber different events and stuff in their lives. It makes total sense! So whether or not anyone even reads our blog, it's more for us! To remember fun times/events/whatever :). So this is just kind of the test run, any helpful advice or suggestions on how to figure this all out are welcome :)