My sister and her family are headed to Belgium, but they made one last stop in Utah before their big trip! We had such a great time hanging out with them and playing with the kids!
Some of my favorite activities while they were here included:
Snuggling our nieces and trying to sneak pictures of Hallie G!
Watching Nate woo little J! She ADORED him this trip!!
Hanging out & playing cards with Ty & Dev!
Getting a very special manicure and pedicure from Hallie! My nails were SOOO pretty!
And, of course, cleaning the sink at Angies!
It was tough for us to say goodbye to so many people we love in a matter of 48ish hours, but as with Nate's parents, even though we will miss them fiercely, we are excited for Jess & Phuc and for the opportunities that they will have!!
This last weekend we headed up to Hardware Ranch with my sister and her kiddos! Growing up here, I'm kind of ashamed to say it was my very first time up there, but I finally made it! :) We had a good, chilly time! Here are some pics from our adventures!
And it's done. They've officially done it. The New Yorkers have settled ... until they find a house ... then they'll settle there!
The last few months have been a hubbub of activity and preparation for Carl & Lynnette to sell their home and make the move to the Big Apple! We have been spending an enormous amount of time with Nate's awesome family - cleaning, eating, organizing, reminiscing, talking, memory making and picture taking!
It was sad to walk through the empty house on Thursday. It was sadder to say goodbye to them on Saturday. But even through the sadness, we all know that this is the right move for them and we are so excited for the opportunities that they are going to have! And, I'll be honest, we're really excited to go and visit them :)
Here are a few of the photos that we got over that last little while...
To Carl & Lynnette - we love you and we wish you the best of luck!! AND, we'll skype you later!! :)
Our Valentine's Day this year was pretty low key because we had so much going on! On Friday evening we went to "Valentine's Day," (it was your typical Valentine's Day type of love story, so I, of course, enjoyed it a lot), on Saturday Nate surprised me with some beautiful flowers, and on the actual day of, we hung out with Nate's family to celebrate birthdays and to enjoy each others company before the big move!
To Nate: you already know this, but some days I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life. Not many people have a husband who supports them so much, who loves them so unconditionally, and who is truly their best friend. I Love You! XOXO
"I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could" ... and so far I have.
This is my crazy week. You know, the one that I wanted to punch.
And I'm surviving.
Do any of you watch "Reba?" I don't really, but this morning in the shower her theme song came into my head. I don't really think that her theme song was written about the craziness that is my life right now, but I liked the thought of it anyway. (If you don't know what her theme song is, it simply says "I'm a survivor" over and over and over.)
Today is Wednesday. I have successfully picked up my sister from the airport. (And may I add that I also accomplished my very first drive to Salt Lake City ALONE, EVER! It's kind of a big deal for me.) I now have a piano in my bedroom (yes. in my bedroom. don't ask.) I have written two papers that are due tomorrow. I am taking a break from studying for two tests that I have tomorrow.
After tomorrow, it is all about the family.
It is about spending quality time. It is about taking lots of pictures. It is about saying what you mean to say. It is about saying "skype you later" and "see you soon." It is about being brave and wiping tears.
This week is almost over. I've done it. My hair hasn't been ripped out. My Dr. Pepper supply is still available. My husband still loves me.
Three more days. "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."
Remember our friends, the D's? The ones who have been in the middle of a 2.5 year adoption process? Well, they finally got the call! They get to head down to Mexico TOMORROW to finish up the process and next time we see them, they'll have their kiddos! We are so excited for them and feel so blessed that we have been able to experience this process with them! I CAN'T WAIT to meet Omar & Marisol and to love them as much as I love the other kiddos in my life!! (And to take endless photos of them, of course)
To Eric & Brynn: your strength has been amazing and we are so proud and so honored to know you! Travel safely and we can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks! Love you!
As you know, it has been a busy couple of months for Nate & I! I had a few quite minutes this morning and decided to do a quick journaling blog to avoid having to play major catch up later! So, here goes!
Britt & I threw a shower for our bestest friend Brynners, who is adoptiong two seriously beautiful kids from Mexico! It has been a a two and a half year process and they are getting SO close to getting them home! We love them and we are SO excited for them to get their kids home! (And don't judge the way we look in the picture, this was after the shower and we were all exhausted)!
In the process of cleaning out this house and helping Nate's parents getting ready to move, we have been finding some gems!
This is the Nativity that Nate has seen at his house EVERY Christmas! Because we have a nice Nativity now, he opted to take a picture of it to remember it by rather than bring it to our house to grace our presence every year!
We've also been organizing photos and have found some awesome pictures! I've scanned in a bunch of them and I'll dedicate a post to them later, but for now, here is one! Hee Hee Hee!
Nate & I bought a web cam so that we could keep in better touch with our family that we live far away from via SKYPE! We love it! One of the reasons that we love it is because you can photograph what is happening on the other end! That means pictures of my nephews whenever I want them! That makes me a happy auntie!
There were a couple of days where the trees here were frosted over and they were absolutely beautiful! I skipped one of my classes to take some photos of the absolutely gorgeous trees! Here is a small sample! If you want to see the rest, they are on my photo blog!
We've spent a lot of time hanging out with our adorable nephews and nieces! The other night Nate got jumped by Sam, Jack & Lizzie and spent a good 40 minutes being wrestled! It was hilarious and the kids had a blast! He is such a good uncle!
And we watched the Grammy's! Did you see them? They were so good this year! And they had an amazing tribute to Michael Jackson! I know that most people out there are no longer fans, but growing up, he was big in our house (until he turned strange), and I LOVED this!
Well I think that catches us up until the big Valentine's Day, but I haven't uploaded pics yet!
This week is going to bring a piano to our bedroom, a sister's family from Colorado, lots of homework, moving my in-laws out of their house, and saying some goodbyes! Wish us luck!
If I had 10 different me's this week, I'd be in good shape! We could reconvene every evening to conference about everything that all of my me's should know, and I wouldn't feel like I wanted to break down into tears all the time.
I am being stretched so thin right now because of things that I have to do, things I want to do, things I should do, things I said I'd do ... and it's making me tired.
I miss me. I miss Nate. I miss sleeping.
I miss life.
Soon I’ll be missing people. Important people. People that I love. I’m sad. I’m overwhelmed. I’m emotionally burnt out – and my sad week hasn’t even started yet.
Yikes.
To next week – look out! I dislike you already. If you had a physical form, I’d punch you in the gut (don’t take offense, I hit like a girl).
To the week after next – you are my goal. You will provide me with minimal studies, sleep, and time with my husband. Keep shining bright for me. You are my beacon of saneness. I adore you.
To now – homework, dinner, attempted sleep. Oh, and supportive squeezes from Nate. Those always help!
