The Nitty Gritty

This week we came back to Utah for my best friend Natalie's wedding. Before the wedding we got to spend time with family. The best day of the week was when we got to see Natalie And Sipho sealed in the Mount Timpanogos temple. They are the perfect match and I am so happy for them!! I couldn't ask for a better friend than my Nat Skat. She has so much faith, takes the time to listen, and is constantly helping other people. Sipho is a lucky man! I also want to say that he is such an awesome guy and is everything and more that we wanted for Natalie. Hooray for weddings!! It was fun to reminisce our own wedding almost ten years ago. I love Isaac and cannot imagine life without him. He is so supportive and loves me no matter what. I am truly a blessed woman.

Since we've lived in Tempe, we've had to adjust being together ALL the time. Isaac and I are both off for the summer and Will and Van don't have playgroups or preschool so lets just say we needed a road trip to get out of the house and not drive each other crazy. San Diego was the perfect getaway because it's only 5 1/2 hours away and we have family and friends there to see and stay with. We spent Friday with Aunt Caroline which was a great blessing because she was able to help me with my  tension headache--chiropractic massage, neck stretching, and ice packs. It didn't get rid of the headache but it definitely relieved some of the pain.  We spent the night in her studio apartment which was quite spacious because we all had enough room to sleep comfortably. The next day we went with her to Encinitas beach and met up with our friends the Gibbs. We ate at Swami's cafe and played in the ocean all day. Will was so brave and tried boogie boarding. One time the wave c...

We're here! It's scorching hot so we stay inside or go somewhere indoors Our temporary house. Spacious and perfect for us.  Grapefruit tree, lemon and lime trees in the backyard.  I love Palm trees. They make me feel like I live in Fountain Valley again.  No mice. Just lizards. So cute!  Pretty skies in the evening  Temples close by. Love it.  Van deleted the other photos of the week. We went swimming at Nozomi Park in Chandler. We saw Despicable Me 2 and Man of Steel. We went to the library and got library cards. We had a BBQ and swam with friends. We spent lots of money at Target. We checked out Trader Joes. We watched a firework show and threw pop its on our driveway. The boys made a huge mess of toys all over the house to escape boredom.  In the beginning of the week, our Grandmas and uncle Walker stayed and helped us get settled. It was wonderful having their company and very hard to say goodbye.  Hope you're having a fun summer! 

Our last weeks in Utah, in some ways, felt like I was planning my funeral. Everything I was doing I kept thinking "This is the last time..." I wanted to go on a hike in the mountains because it seemed like I would NEVER get to do it ever again. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with family and friends because I would NEVER get to see them again. I realized about a week before we moved that I will still get to do lots of things in Utah because I will return there to visit and hopefully live there again someday. I will see family and friends again, not as often as I'd like, but I will see them more than once a year in person. I don't think I've ever cried so much in a month as this past month, but it was therapeutic and I'm grateful that I was able to let myself feel sad and grieve over this huge change in my life. Once we started on the road toward Tempe, I naturally began looking forward and dwelt more on what lie ahead rather than what I was leaving ...

This picture was taken after Lana's water aerobics class a week before we moved  The past year and a half I've been so blessed to live a mile away from Lana. She is such an amazing and talented person. She never hesitates to learn a new skill. I've watched her raise a sweet baby girl, sew various things like capes and diaper holders, teach water aerobics (the class has grown from 4 to 18-she was born to be a fitness instructor), teach piano lessons to some neighbor kids, enroll in a Masters degree program, bake all sorts of healthy goods for Nellie, refinish cool finds at DI to decorate her home, ride her bike to my house, the gym, library, etc., cut her hair really short and find all kinds of cute ways to style it, I could go on and on. She is such an inspiration to me. Even though she is only older than me by 2 minutes, she takes care of me and looks after me. She always babysat the boys at a moment's notice, would invite us over for lunch or usually I just invited my...

We got to go to Doug's cabin for music weekend. Dave and Laura and John and Lisa came too. It was the perfect thing to do before our move to AZ because whenever I go there I get an itchin to be adventurous and do something crazy. Doug and Linda have led such a full life because they do things that are totally out of the norm. Speaking of crazy, I  sprained my ankle when i  stepped off of the hippie bus! The pain was so shockingly painful that I fainted a minute after I fell. Once i iced it and took some meds, we decided it would be best if we stayed and relaxed while the boys were with family. Poor Isaac had to help carry me to the outhouse whenever I had to use the bathroom. People were kind to visit with me and keep me company while I kept my foot elevated in the main cabin. We left Sunday morning and stopped at the insta care to get it checked. My foot was not broken and he gave me a boot to help me walk. He advised me to take it easy which I knew was impossible given that ...

I love going to the cabin in Idaho. It's always refreshing to leave the city behind and venture to a place where you have little worries, lots of naps, beautiful scenery, and good food. This year we went to Yellowstone twice and that park never ceases to amaze me. It is truly the most beautiful part of the west I've seen so far. It makes me want to take a giant road trip and visit all the national parks. William kept wanting to hold Gwenyth. He thinks she is so cute. She is!   A rainbow in the front yard of the cabin. See what I mean about the beauty of this place?!  Some other fond memories that I have of the trip are: Walking along the Snake river behind the cabin. I tripped over a rock and fell into a thick bed of grass. It felt like falling backwards onto an actual bed. I'm glad I didn't fall into the sharp rocks that were right next to the tall grass We saw buffalo along the road. At one point, we rolled down the window and Sophie asked ...

William had his preschool graduation in May. They sang songs, recited poems, and shared what they learned during the year. Miss Becky was a wonderful teacher and Will loved her. She always planned fun themes and gave the kids something to look forward to. When I asked him what his favorite lesson was he said "dinosaurs!" William on his first day of school Happy 4th birthday! Graduation! The Schow's, The Leasure's, and Grandma Mayzee got to attend.   William and his best buddy, Will T., singing their favorite song "We are the Dinosaurs"