September, October, and November Adventures

I still have updating to do from the past several months. I have made this a goal to get all the updating done so that we have some sort of documentation on the last several adventures Bear and I have been on. This process has seemingly taken forever. I sit down to go through pictures only to realize that I have thousands of pictures all un-organized and in separate folders because that's the way they have downloaded to my computer… ridiculous.  But hooray for me, I'm slowly making progress on the photo organizing front and updating our life over the post 6 months. 

To those who still read this crazy blog of mine, the months and months of updating will soon be over and I will get back to posting regular posts.

September.
We were still on the hunt for furniture to fill our empty home. I stopped by every yard sale I found and frequently visited the thrift store.  I was able to find some great things, see below the 1980’s record player hutch. With some sanding and a new coat of paint it looked great.

We enjoyed our favorite Chinese noodle restaurants in New Brunswick. 

The weather was so beautiful in September that every moment we had we got outside and went for runs/walks to our local park.

We celebrated Shento, it was a happy 7^th birthday filled with dog cupcakes and a new stuffed animal.  

I traveled to WA to visit Miss. Milly, Whitney & Joey.  I had such a wonderful time. We packed the 5 days with eating Cronuts, wondering around the unbelievably beautiful Chihuly garden and glass museum, went on a girls date and devoured Mexican food, took lots of walks, and explored a little bit of Seattle.

October. 
Bear and I wanted an adventure, and we had always heard that upstate New York was beautiful during  the fall months, so the weekend after I got back from Washington we hoped in the car and drove to the Catskills.  We camped out in our car for a night and explored the little town of Windham.  

Janice came for a weekend visit. We walked downtown Highland Park stopping at the farmers market and our favorite bagel shop. 

Vicci and Charlie, Bear’s Aunt and Uncle, were visiting Maryland and it’s only a short drive from our house so we went to enjoy the day with them. We ate the absolute best crab cakes ever.

November

Bear rang in another wonderful year of life. He was busy the entire day so we celebrated that evening with a stombolli, cake, and the opening of gifts.  

Ryan took a spontaneous trip from D.C to come visit us. Always fun having him around. 

Bear went to Chicago to present a chapter of his dissertation. This was a big deal and I was a very proud grad student wife. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving by each picking two new recipes and making them together. The top favorites were the spinach sausage tart and the mushroom pilaf.

Updates (April.May.June.July)

I feel like I have so much to update that it's overwhelming to even think about, let alone sit here and try to blog/organize it all. But you have to start somewhere, right. So here it goes. A quick and dirty run down of our life in the past 6 months.

At the end of April we found out that we had to move out of our little home in Provo, Utah. It was somewhat of a devastating shock. We had planned on living in that home for the next two years and to find out that we had to move (owners wanted to move in) put a big tilde wave in our plans. The saddest part about moving was leaving our beloved neighbors. They became more than just the people next door. They became some of our best friends. The doors between the two houses were always open. Shento and June (their dog) become lovers and we made some great memories together.

In May I headed to Seattle to meet my adorable niece, Miss Milly Lou Mack. I spent two weeks enjoying every moment with her. Being around my best friend/sister as she took on the role of a new Mom was incredible. Her patients and love for this little human was so moving and such a wonderful experience to be a part of. 

  

Once I got back from Seattle the race was on to pack everything in our house into boxes. Since we didn't know where we were moving we decided that all of belongings would sit in a storage unit until we figured everything out. It seemed like the most logical thing to do in the mist of chaos.  

^Taking a midnight bike ride to Taco Bell^  ^Bear packing all of our belongings into the moving truck^

^We needed a break from all the packing so we took a little ride up to Tibble Fork^

Once everything was boxed up, loaded into the moving van and unloaded into the storage unit, we headed to California for Bear to attend a conference. It was wonderful break from the craziness that had been surrounding us. Bear attended meetings and I got to hang out with my family. 

^Shento and I enjoying the warm ocean breeze^ 

^Exploring the Santa Paula airport with my Papa^

^We toured the grounds of the Santa Barbara mission^

^Bear eating some yummy clam chowder for lunch^

After returning from California we headed to Park City, Utah to stay at my Grandparent’s vacation home until we figured things out. It was a very peaceful and relaxing month of June. I think it was exactly what we needed after the wild and unpredictable past few months. 

We celebrated our 5^th year wedding Anniversary. It's crazy how fast time goes. It still blows me away that we have been married for 5 years. I have been so blessed to have found the most loving, caring, and kind hearted man. We decided that we would enjoy the day together by doing things that represented the past five years of our life.

^We started it off with a breakfast picnic by the lake complete with a heart banner and blueberry scones^

^Afterwards we headed to Heber to have lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Delicious and cheap tacos^ 

^We stopped by the Homestead, the place we said our vows, tied the knot, and left as husband and wife. We walked the beautiful grounds and talked about all the memories we have of that day^

^Lastly, we stopped by the bakery that baked our wedding cake and picked up some mini cupcakes. We headed to the near by river to enjoy them^ 

After five years, I can honestly say that each year gets better and better. 

Happy Birthday to me. I turned another year older. Boy does it seem like years speed by. 

We started the day off by enjoying breakfast at one of our favorites. It was wonderful sitting outside reminiscing on the past year and looking forward to the year ahead. Afterwards we took a long walk around town. This has always been one of my favorite things todo. Park City has so many fun walking trails and so many great things to see. We ended up at the local summer street fair. We hung out on the grass and enjoyed the live music. By the end of the day we were both tired, Bear made me dinner and we enjoyed a quite evening on the deck playing cards.  

At the beginning of July Bear attended a family reunion in North Carolina. And I headed to Nevada to visit my parents. 

^Bear's family enjoying 4th of July^ 

^Me enjoying the wonderful fire work show with my Mom (and Dad... not pictured)^

Later in the month we took a trip to Colorado to see Bear’s Aunt and Uncle. Every time we go we have such a wonderful time, and this trip was no different.  

^We went to the small town of Silverton. A cute town nestled back in the San Juan Mountains. The steam engine rolls into town a couple times daily and we were lucky enough to be able to see it. ^ 

  ^We also got to see the beautiful Box Canyon falls. The creek above narrows and spills thousands of gallons of water a minute over the falls. ^

Some of my family came into town at the end of July and the week with them was perfect. Being around my family is always such a breath of fresh air. I LOVE it... I love them. I wish that it could happen more often. I was very fortunate that this trip I got to spend some amazing quality time with my Aunts. Starbucks runs... Shopping...Lunches...Mountain drives... i couldn't have ask for anything better. 

  

Next up... which way should we turn in this life decision.