Christmas break in Salt Lake City.

I wrote about the first part of our Christmas break here, but I should probably write about the second half of our trip before February rears her pretty little head.

Our Utah trip consisted of:

• Comedy Sportz with family
• exchanging gifts
• playing board games
• eye appointments for Ben (he got PRK while we were there...it's like LASIK)
• Netflix binges
• shopping and running errands
• visiting Temple Square and doing baptisms with everyone for the first time!
• meeting up with family and friends
• family pictures
• touring my dad's new office building
• reading by the fireplace
• face masks & fingernail polish
• trying new restaurants
• Cafe Rio pork salads

It's never fun to say goodbye, but fortunately it usually isn't for very long. :) Until next time, Utah!

U T A H // Part 2

We met up with our cousin who is currently an EFY counselor at BYU and got to chat with her for a bit. :)

Hiked to Donut Falls up Big Cottonwood Canyon (I'd highly recommend it for all ages and activity levels).  It was beautiful and so great to be back in nature!

We spent our Family Home Evening out at the driving range.

One of the things we did on Ben's birthday was hike up Timpanooke Trail to the waterfall.  It was definitely a harder hike than Donut Falls, but relatively, not too steep of a trail.  The views were great and we even came across some snow that hadn't yet melted!

Ben requested Funfetti cake with homemade chocolate frosting for his birthday treat, and it was surprisingly ten times better than it sounds!  Also, how fun are those birthday candles? :)

Our week in numbers

Movies watched: 4

Cafe Rio trips: 2

Late nights: 7

Pictures taken: 100+

Birthdays celebrated: 2

We loved getting away from the city for a bit and especially loved spending time with family.

Until next time, Utah!

U T A H // Part 1

Our trip to Utah was so much fun!  We spent quite a bit of time outdoors, saw family and friends, and ate way too much (Cafe Rio twice!).  We celebrated two birthdays, watched a few movies, discovered some new snow cone shacks, baked some sweets, did some shopping, and stayed up late more nights than not.  The best part was just spending time together with each other!  Now for the first part of my photo dump... ;)

Graduation. Lots of air horns, flower leis, and quotes about inches and miles.  And Mexican food after to celebrate!  (Hey, Mom.  Two down, three to go!)

Sister and I drove up the canyon and stopped to check out the reservoir.  The weather was perfect!

I took too many panoramas whilst in Utah.  Growing up in the Beehive State, I always knew it was beautiful and awesome, but going back this time, I could help but think Wow! each time I saw the mountains.  I promise to try to not post as many panoramas in the next post!

Happy Friday, friends!

to the mountains!

I love going on vacations!  I relish getting away from all responsibilities and not having to worry about getting up at a specific time each morning.  I also really like taking a break from running errands and doing things around the house, and using that time to go play and explore.  We're headed to Utah for the next week to celebrate my sister's high school graduation and a few birthdays, and I'm so excited! :)

First stop, Cafe Rio.

i'm ready for a snowstorm.

Remember this post about how Missouri is not like Utah?  Well, I'd like to add the fact that it rains way, way more than it snows here.  I think it snowed three times last winter, and each time it was just a dusting.  However, it pours and pours and then turns to ice.  I really love the rain, but sometimes I just need a good strong snowstorm to get me in the mood for the holidays!  With everyone's photos on Facebook and Instagram over the past few weeks of snow, I'm getting jealous and homesick!  I had to look through my photos from Christmas last year when Ben and I were in Utah; the boys went out to play in the snow, and I sipped on hot chocolate in my sweats and slippers while laughing at them from inside.  Those kind of memories are my favorite.

camping, utah, and such.

I've had pictures from the last month that I've been meaning to post, but life gets busy.  :)  Now commencing, Operation Blog Catch-Up.

Our friends, Braden and Whitney, invited us to go camping about a month ago.  Of course we had to jump on that opportunity since we had never been camping together before, and I had been dying for some s'mores.  We drove about 2 hours south of St. Louis and ended up camping next to the prettiest little river.  We set up the tents, got our s'mores fix, and stayed up too late talking around the campfire.

We spent the next day playing in and climbing over all the pools and rocks (as you can see Ben and Braden doing so in the left picture), and swimming in the river.  Admittedly, it was the first time I stopped and realized that I actually think Missouri has some beautiful spots.   It felt like I was emotionally cheating on Utah...aaaand then we drove back to St. Louis and my heart was recommitted to Utah.

Birthdays are best when you get to request special cakes and summer night walks.  (Also, turning 21 doesn't mean much when you're Mormon. #youngwildandfree #butnotsowild.)

It was probably a good thing that my heart finally settled on Utah after our camping trip, seeing as we flew out to Utah the next week.  We went for my best friend's wedding, a family reunion in Idaho, and just to spend time with my family.  It was fabulous! (Minus having a dead camera battery and no charger for the whole trip.)

I stole this group picture off of Facebook from a stranger.  It's whatever.  Also, I'd like to point out that this is probably the first time I've ever looked semi-tan in a picture.  Can we all just soak it in for a minute?  Okay, thanks.

(Note:  This steakhouse is the coolest place ever.  They bring your meat out to you on a hot stone and you cook your meat as you cut off pieces!  Food and entertainment. :)

We look like babies in this picture, but what can you expect after spending all day at the pool in the hot sun? :)

Until next time, Utah!

they say ice storms are no joke.

Smoothies:  a daily occurrence.

Quilt:  halfway done.

Flowers:  from my Valentine.

After living in Utah for 20 years, you'd think I'd have had a snow day before, riiiight?  Wrong.  I am proud to say that today I experienced/am experiencing my first snow day--in Missouri.  Ice day, actually.  I don't really mind being sent home from work. :) So it's a yummy dinner in the crockpot, catching up on books, snuggling under blankets, making cookies kind of day over here.  

I'm not complaining.

our first Christmas.

(That's half of a dollar bill... a "half dollar.")

Hope you all had the merriest of Christmases!  We have sure been enjoying our time with our families and friends--those we love and have been missing.  The first part of our break was spent in Utah with my family, and we're currently in Colorado staying with Ben's family.  :)

why Missouri is not like Utah.

Targets out here have a whole Hanukkah aisle.

Missourians like to drive 5 mph under the speed limit, and those with dangerous bones in their bodies drive the speed limit exactly.  Utahans don't even know what a speed limit is.

In Utah, you can drive down the freeway and see 50 LDS churches.  In Missouri, you can drive down the freeway and see 50 cathedrals.

Carl's Jr. isn't Carl's Jr. out here.  It's Hardee's.

People out here stop after one child.  Maybe two if they drink a lot.

Everyone drinks and drives.

The weather is not bipolar.  If the forecast show rain for two days and then sun, it will be rainy for two days and sunny on the third.  You can actually trust the forecast.

The streets in Utah are littered with gum.  The streets in Missouri are littered with cigarettes butts.

Walgreens are on every corner.  I don't get it?

Sam's Clubs out here have a wine aisle.

Our apartment building has a bum that lives by the parking garage.  I guess it's just one of those things that comes with city-living.

I've lived here for 4 months and have yet to see an actual movie theater.

People are way more open about their lives.

There are people in certain parts of the state who have country accents that sound just like a Southern accent.


The end.

and we're off.

I keep having these internal panic attacks as we drive across Colorado when I remember that I won't be seeing my family until December. But, truly, we're so lucky to have this opportunity and to have had everything work out so smoothly thus far. So to our family and everyone else out there: feel free to come visit! ;)

we're packing some bags.

I don't post very much, really.  Sometimes I just can't put what I'm feeling into words, or I'm just too lazy to log into Blogger and type it all out.  Usually it's the latter.  But today, the emotions are running a little high and the words to express what I'm feeling are just kind of tumbling out.

See that red state that B's foot is on?  It's Missouri.  And I'm moving to St. Louis in just under a month.

People ask me all the time, "Are you so excited to move and start your life being just the two of you?"  And I usually reply with something like, "It'll definitely be different to live outside of Utah, since I never have before."  But the truth is, I'm really, really nervous about it.  I'm the kind of person who gets attached to places, people, and the security of knowing where everything is.  So going from a county in Utah where I've literally lived my whole life (where my parents went to school, where our first house was, where my parents currently live, where I went to school, etc.) and knowing where the best grocery stores are and cheapest movie theaters are, I'm going to live in a city with as many people there as there are in the whole state of Utah.

I'm leaving behind the streets I've been driving for the past 4 years.  I'm leaving behind Cafe Rio pork. :)  I'm leaving behind the friends that I've made from jr. high, high school, and college.  I'm leaving behind my job, with my fabulous boss and co-workers.  I'm leaving behind my college, that I've just begun to appreciate.  (It took me three attempts to write the next little bit seeing as I had to take a little walk each time so no-one at work would notice by watering eyes and sniffling nose.  It was awkward.)  I'm leaving behind some of the best people I know.  I'm leaving behind my very best friend.  For years she's always been there--having my back, providing the laughs, giving support and advice--and it's no walk in the park to leave all of that behind.  I'm leaving behind my parents, sister, and brothers.  And I can't even begin to talk about that.

We've already started packing things up.  The hallway is filled with boxes of books and clothes, quietly reminding me that it's not too far away.  The emails back and forth with potiential employers are there.  Knowing we have a small apartment on the 28th floor of a building downtown makes it even more real.  I've already started looking up where the closest Walmart and Target is, and have been working to memorize surrounding towns in Missouri and Illinois.

Even with everything that will be left behind, I actually do think that St. Louis will be fun.  I'm excited to see what St. Louis is like since I've never been there.  I'm excited to go try some authentic ethnic foods and see what clothing stores are out there.  I'm curious to know what it's like to live 28 stories above the ground in the middle of a busy city.  I don't mind the thought of starting another job and trying something new, as well as meeting new people.  I'm interested to see what the wards are like out there.  And mostly, I'm excited to experience all of this with B.

There will be trips back out to Utah, or family coming to St. Louis.  There will be phone calls, texts, and some serious Facetiming going down.  There will be an updating of blogs with more stories, pictures, and details.  There will be cards and letters in the mail.  And there will still be those relationships.

People do this everyday.  And I can do it, too.