Memorial Day

We have had a really nice Memorial Day weekend!

Yesterday I was able to head over to Tremonton with my parents to visit my grandfather's grave and to spend some time with my sweet grandma! She has just been moved to a nursing home and is having quite a difficult time adjusting, so it was really nice for me to be able to spend some time with her!!






(I shot a wedding a few weeks back in the rain and got these cute boots to keep my feet dry! My mom insisted on taking a few photos of them and we snapped a couple other photos as well!!)




(they also come in good when you want to jump around in rain puddles!!)



It has been pretty rainy here, and we actually got a little snow! I had my mom snap a few photos as we were driving home - I was driving and it was too pretty to pass up!!




We picked up Nate on our way back and headed to my cousin's grave in Millville! The clouds were beautiful there too!!


We spent the afternoon/evening with my parents playing cards and chatting!

This morning we woke up and went to the Logan Cemetery to Release a Balloon for our Loved Ones and to visit Nate's aunt's grave!

It was pretty chilly and windy, but the sun broke for a few minutes as the balloons were being released and again, it was a very touching experience! There is something beautiful and amazing about watching the balloons float up with messages that are written for those that have passed on! I got a lot of photos last year, so I thought this year I'd get video of the balloons being released! The adorable girl that is talking at the beginning of the video is Mikelle, the sister of my childhood friend Anita who passed away 7 years ago! She organized this event and I'm so grateful that we were able to take part of it!!






This year, Nate & I added two additional balloons to the six we sent up last year. While it is hard to think of the lives our loved ones could have led, we are grateful for the knowledge that they are in a better place and that we will see them again!

Farmers Market

Nate & I woke up this morning and rode our new bikes over to the Farmer's Market! We browsed the different booths, grabbed a scone from Crumb Brothers, and a bag of fresh giant pasta!





It was a great way to kick off the weekend and something that we're hoping to make part of our weekend tradition!! I can't wait until fresh fruit is in season - we'll have to start taking a back pack then!!

... guilty pleasures ...

admit it ... you've got em' ... i know i do!

one of them, is sometimes typing in all lowercase letters ... i don't know why - maybe because it's a way for me to break the rules without actually breaking any rules or hurting anyone ... a way for me to rebel against the masses!! it's small and stupid, but sometimes i do it anyway!

another, is this:


i remember people talking about this show when it was on the air, but i must have been too young to watch it or to even care ... i found it on netflix while nate was on his trip, and i find it hilarious! the situations that have been created for this show are so ridiculous - that, and the fact that i happen to work at a law office makes this show completely entertaining for me!

there you have it ... just a couple of things that make me smile!

... yummy ...

we pulled out the grill on Monday and had our first grilled dinner of the season, and man oh man was it tasty!!





Nate "won" this BBQ Sauce at his Grandpa's 80th birthday party back in December and has been anxiously waiting for our first grilled dinner so that he could try it out!

The dinner was super tasty and we are already anticipating our next several meals from the grill!!

Temple Square

While Nate was off gallivanting across the country, I headed down to Salt Lake for his cousin's wedding!! I spent some time trying to get some nicer shots (click here to see those), but Nate's sister Carlynne shot a couple of me with her girls that I thought I'd post on our personal blog!!



It was such a beautiful day for a wedding and the flowers at Temple Square were absolutely breathtaking!! I always have such a great time with Carlynne, Lizzie & Eva, and the day we spent together in Salt Lake was no different :)

Coast to Coast in 5 Days

Earlier this month Nate and his two brothers flew out to New York to drive his parents and their moving truck from Mastic Beach, NY to Seattle, WA. They took their time and made their way from coast to coast in 5 days!! Nate fulfilled my request and took a ton of awesome photos with his phone on their cross country drive!! (A few of these photos are also from Tom - thanks Tom!!)


The Route


(map courtesy of Google Maps)

New York

Besides Nate's parents getting stopped by the NYPD to have the moving truck searched and getting separated from Nate, Joe & Tom for a bit, the drive through (literally) the city went pretty well!






New Jersey

No photos from this State, but as a result of the separation that happened in NY, they got to spend some quality time in the ghettos of Paterson, NJ! After determining that they wanted somewhere safe to sleep, they drove on for a while and found a hotel in a safer place!

Pennsylvania

Nothing really exciting happened through PA, but here are a few beautiful photos!




Ohio

The drive through Ohio was much like the drive through PA!




However; if you're forced to stop in Rossford, OH for the night, Nate suggests that you avoid this hotel (unless you enjoy finding bloodstains on your sheets and nasty black smudges on your pillow):


(photo courtesy of www.knightsinn.com)

But, if you are away from your wife on Mother's Day and want her to know that you're thinking of her - they do have a really nice flower shop:


The other positive thing about Rossford, is that Denny's makes a really nice breakfast to take your mind off the disease carrying hotel you just slept in!

Indiana

The exciting things about Indiana were seeing a 60 ft Jolly Green Giant and the top of Notre Dame through the trees - both of which were un-captured due to the fact that Nate was driving and not able to get photos!

Illinois

Apparently, Mother's Day is not the ideal time to drive through Chicago! The crazy traffic allowed for some good window shots as it took 1 1/2 hours to get through the city!




Wisconsin

Besides lots of billboards about cheese, Wisconsin was uneventful - which is why all the hotels must have the awesome water slides you'll see below. However; although uneventful, it is a gorgeous State!






Minnesota

Nate enjoyed crossing the Mississippi River as they drove from Wisconsin to Minnesota! Other than that, just more photos and a beautiful sunset as they were driving in the evening!






South Dakota

According to Nate, South Dakota is pretty flat, has poisonous snakes, sculpture gardens and really cool rock formations! They did stop for lunch close to Little Bighorn Battlefield (where General Custer died) and got to see tepee memorials for the Sioux Indians at all the rest stops.






Wyoming

True to form, Wyoming greeted Nate with lightening and thunder! They stopped for the evening and when they work up the next morning, they were able to drive through this:




Montana

It took Nate & his family several hours to travel through 500 miles of Montana! At this point on their trip, they were ready to push through and just keep going - so much so that Nate had to take advantage of the outdoor facilities and ended sinking up to his knees in snow while trying to do so!






Idaho

The drive through Idaho was quick - just 60 or 70 miles, but Nate came home raving about Couer d'Alene and thinks that we need to take a vacation there because it is beautiful! Here are the few photos that Tom took while Nate was driving:




Washington: Destination Reached

Nate said that the sign for Seattle popped up pretty early as they entered Washington State! The knowledge that they were close made the drive seem to last forever! After hours of driving 40 mph uphill and in the pouring rain, they finally made it to Seattle! Once they reached Seattle, what should have been a 10 minute drive to the hotel took almost an hour due to rush hour traffic! Here are some photos of the drive in:






After they got settled in at the hotel, they headed to a restaurant on the bay for some fish and chips! After dinner, they did a little shopping and a little sight seeing!






Coming Home

Nate flew home the next morning to a wife who was very happy to see him!! He shot these photos from the airplane (shhh, don't tell the stewardess that he had his phone on when he wasn't supposed to)!!







After over 2900 miles, they arrived to Seattle with one burned out CD Player, days of eating at truck stops, sore bums and a bad case of restless legs syndrome - but they arrived safe and sound! Nate had a great time and we're happy that his parents are a little closer to home!!