A Much-Needed, Long-Awaited Vacation

Tyler and I were able to take a trip out to Portland, Oregon to visit some of his family in between semesters. We had such a great time soaking in the beautiful scenery of Oregon, visiting the ocean, and making up for lost time with family. This was mine and Tyler's first time flying together and it was a blast. We are looking forward to doing it more often in the future!

When we landed in Portland, we went to breakfast with Tyler's father and step-mom (Greg and Georgia) at this cute little restaurant in Portland. I got a peanut butter chocolate waffle and it was delicious. :) chocolate peanut butter anything is my favorite. After that, they took us on a drive around Portland. It was pretty rainy and cold (go figure) so we didn't get to walk around as much as I would have liked. We stopped and looked at some beautiful gardens, a mansion in the hills of Portland, and then ended at Voodoo Donuts. They have all sorts of delicious donuts! If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend you stop on in. :)

We then drove out to Greg and Georgia's house. They live outside of Portland in a small town called Yamhill. I say "house" but that's an understatement. They live in this adorable log cabin in the middle of the woods. It was so beautiful with the trees and greenery all around. We spent the rest of the night talking and catching up. It was so nice and relaxing with the rain pattering on their tin roof. 

The next day, Tyler went on a ride-a-long with Greg. Greg is the Chief of Police in Yamhill. They had a blast and Tyler got to see some of the things police officers deal with. In the 4 hour time span Tyler was with Greg, there were 2 reported stabbings and a naked lady running through the streets. I'm glad that's not my job! I think Tyler's favorite part was getting to go 120 mph in Greg's charger. What a rush! 

Once the boys got back, we took a drive out to the coast. We stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (one of my favorites places to visit on the coast!) and got some of their tasty ice cream. I got my favorite, chocolate peanut butter! We then drove to Mo's in Depot Bay and had some of their famous clam chowder. Afterwards the sun came out long enough for us to spend some time on the beach. We drove up to this look-out area on a cliff above the ocean and watched huge waves crash in on the rocks just as the sun was setting. One of my favorite things about the Oregon Coast is the land terrain. You get the beautiful mountains and pine trees right up next to the ocean. It's such a stunning sight. We made sure to get lots of beautiful pictures. When we made it back home, Tyler's brother, Nathan, came over to visit. They were up till 6am talking and catching up! Poor Nathan had a prom date the next day so he was running on no sleep but I think it was worth it. :)

Our final, full day on vacation was a sunny one! Yay! We spent the day on the four wheelers driving all throughout the woods by the house. It was a blast! Everything was so green from the recent rain storms and we were covered in mud! Greg also smoked some AMAZING ribs for dinner and I was in heaven. I don't think I've ever had anything so delicious. The evening was spent visiting and watching Family Feud. What a great ending to such a fabulous trip!

Tyler and I were so sad to leave the next morning. One of the worst parts of a vacation is knowing it will end and that you have to go back to reality. We were so thankful we had a little break to spend time with family in such a beautiful place. Tyler is now back in school and preparing for the GRE and I'm back at work. Needless to say, we can't wait for our next vacation and are excited for all the time we will get to spend with our families this summer who live so far away. 

*Warning, picture over-load below. :)

At the gardens

There weren't any rose bushes in bloom yet but the bushes and plants sure were pretty!

Gotta love a man in uniform ;)

The view from the cliff look-out

Nathan, Tyler, and Greg 

On the quads!

Like I said, so green!

So muddy!

Well Toto, We're Not In Idaho Anymore...

JTyler and I took some time this last weekend to visit Temple Square and see the beautiful Christmas lights. We went with some friends in the ward and it was so much fun! Just walking round the Temple grounds brought back so many memories of when Tyler and I got married :) The weather was perfect and the grounds so lovely. For those who have never done this, this is a must do if you're ever in Utah during Christmas. :)

       Our dear friends, Katie and David, and their adorable daughter, Regan!

On a side note, this post title actually does relate with what I'm writing about. :) We found out after Thanksgiving the bitter/sweet news that my parents will be moving to Kansas in January. My dad received a job promotion within the company he works for, but unfortunately that included a relocation. I'm super bummed that my parents are going to be so far away, but I'm excited for my dad and this new adventure he and my mom will have. They will be moving to a small town called Chanute in the south-east corner of Kansas. I say small town, but in actuality its twice the size of Fruitland! My dad has already been featured in the town newspaper so it seems they are ready to welcome my parents right in! I'm sure they will enjoy all that is about to change, I just hope they don't get swept off to Oz in a tornadoe. 

The older I get, the more I realize that life is all about change. In fact, it seems that's the one thing about life that doesn't change - the guarantee of change. It's so important to appreciate the good things that are thrown your way and make the best of life, no matter the situation. I know that no matter how far, my parents will always be there for me! And thanks to modern technology, I won't even need to buy myself some ruby slippers to see my parents or get over to Kansas! ;)

Happy Holidays! Enjoy the time you have with those you love and travel safe!

Maybe Christmas, Perhaps, Means A Little Bit More...

 

It's here! It's finally here! I LOVE Christmas! You can sense the change in the air as the world brightens up for this special season. Lights glimmer on houses that once were dark, trees sparkle in homes, kids are eager with excitement, and people are just a little bit more kind.

Tyler and I set up our tree for FHE right after Thanksgiving. This was the first year I decided to add burlap to our tree and I love it. :) I've had the fireplace mantle decorated for a while and Tyler was a good sport to help me with that too. We sure enjoyed being able to hang our stockings by the chimney with care this year!

I also made the burlap wreathe that's on our door this year. I had a craft day with my twin sister Ashley, and cousin, Kambria. We had such a blast making them and it was so easy! 

Tyler and I have much we want to accomplish this season such as seeing the temple square lights, making sugar cookies, and wrapping up the Christmas shopping, but we are trying hard to remember the true meaning of Christmas. How thankful I am for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his love for all mankind. I am so grateful for this time of year where we can all take a moment to remember him and the special gift he gave to us.

As the stress, craziness, and excitement of the season begin to swarm around, please remember to take a moment to ponder what Christmas is truly about. Share kindness, share the gift. Merry Christmas!

Sorry, poor lighting!

Our little tree!

It's Beginning to SMELL A Lot Like Christmas...

The other day I was glancing through Pinterest, and I found tons of stove-top scentsy recipes that were supposed to make your home smell like Christmas. Since I have been trying to hold off to decorate our home for Christmas until after Thanksgiving this year, I decided to mix a few of these recipes together and give it a whirl. The results were heavenly! If you are like me and want a little bit of Christmas in your home, try this out!!! This batch is supposed to last for a while, even though it starts to look real brown from being cooked. So far, I've been using it for a week and it still smells amazing! Recipe below :)

1 Orange - sliced up into quarters
1/2 C Cranberries

1/2 - 1 C Apple Juice
2 C Water
3 Cinnamon Sticks (I didn't have any and couldn't find any at the store, so I just used 3 TBSP of Cinnamon instead)
1 TBSP Nutmeg

1 TBSP Cloves

*Combine all ingredients in small-medium sauce pan. Put on stove on lowest heat setting and sit back as the delightful Christmas scents fill your home. Stir occasionally.

All Hallow's Eve

Happy Halloween! October has definitely been a busy month for us!

October is my favorite month because:
1. My birthday :)
2. The leaves start changing colors like crazy
3. Halloween! Which equals FREE CANDY and fun traditions such as pumpkin carving and parties.
4. Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

For my birthday, Tyler surprised me with a trip to Park City. I know, best husband ever. :) We had such a fun time up there and spent way too much money. I even bought some glue-on nails from Claire's. I love putting some on for a week :) I usually hate having long nails so my normal nails aren't the best... it's fun to have them long and pretty if only for a while. The leaves were beautiful on the drive up there. We stayed in a beautiful room that felt just like a lodge. In fact, the place we stayed was called The Lodges. ha It was so nice to get away from the stress of every day life, if only for a weekend. :)

Tyler and my twin sister, Ashley's, husband, Jonathan, had also planned a surprise party for us. We enjoyed spending our birthday with friends and family. We didn't get any pictures, but managed to capture a video of Ash and I blowing out our candles. Ash and I used to always share a cake and I'd always end up blowing out all the candles before Ash could ever get a chance. haha This year, we each had our own cake and candles to take care of, however Ash couldn't manage to get her's blown out in one breath (probably from lack of practice :D) so I took care of them for her. haha Enjoy the video!

This month we also got to throw a baby shower for Ashley. My mom was in town so she got to attend! We had a great turnout and played some pretty fun games. It was the first baby shower in our family so I enjoyed putting it together!

To celebrate Halloween, we went up to my Aunt Cindy's house in Ogden and had a party with my grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had a blast carving pumpkins, dressing up, and stuffing our faces with delicious food. Tyler and I didn't feel like dressing up too much this year so we put some aprons on, grabbed our oven mitts and rolling pins, and became bakers. Get it?? BAKErs haha :) For our pumpkin we recreated Cinderella's carriage. It came in second place! We had so much fun putting it together.

I sure hope you all have had fun this month doing family traditions and are gearing up to celebrate the holidays to come!

Drive up to Park City

My nails!

Happy Birthday!

Baby Shower!

The table - I did the vase arrangements :)

Heather, Ash, Me, and Mom

Carving our pumpkin!

The final results! I love how it turned out :)

Autumn Is My Second Spring

For those that aren't aware, I LOVE FALL! It is by far my most favorite season - until spring rolls around that is. It's so refreshing to have the weather cool off, see the leaves change, pull out my comfy sweaters, boots, and leggings, and burn my fall-scented candles. (Anyone who's looking for a good fall candle to burn, go to Bath & Body Works and buy their Leaves candle. It will be the best decision of your life.)

Tyler and I have already had a busy fall. It doesn't seem like anything has slowed down since summer ended. Tyler is trying to keep up with school while working and still having fun. He is on a soccer intramural team with my little brother, Trevor, and brother-in-law, Jonathan. Trevor has just started his freshman year down here at BYU. They had their first game on Friday and tied 2-2. Tyler and Trevor scored the goals! Both Tyler's parents and mine have come to stay with us and it has been a blast! We get to enjoy one more trip from my parents in a few weeks just in time for my birthday and conference!

Tyler and I attended our first BYU game of the season - Virginia v. BYU. I would have taken a picture, but I was a hot mess - and not in a good way. haha I ended up leaving at half time because it was so blasted hot. I got fried! I love football, but not that much. I'd much rather be at home in my comfies, stuffing my face with food while I cheer on my Cougs. Tyler and I hang a giant BYU flag from our balcony every game day and I'm convinced it's the reason for their undefeated winning streak so far. Tyler disagrees. If anything, it helps our neighbors know who we are and remember us. :)

I've already gotten all our fall decorations up. Tyler helped me do it on Labor day. I didn't waste any time once the month of August was over. Tyler helped me with one of my projects by staining a wooden crate for me while I painted some pumpkins. I'm quite proud of my little creation and can't wait till Christmas rolls around to do something else!

The view from our balcony - it was such a pretty sunset. We've enjoyed watching as the colors pop up all over the mountains. 

Our fireplace/mantel I've decorated for fall! 

The project Tyler and I worked on 

Aren't the pumpkins I painted so cute?! :) Yay for crafts!

Goodbye, Summer. :(

Summer is officially over! And that means so is the daily use of my razor! (Don't worry, I never shaved daily anyway ;D) Tyler's shaking his head as I write this. haha This post is purely about me playing catch-up with the rest of mine and Tyler's summer. Where did it go?!?

I had a family reunion in July and it happened to be over the fourth - what an exciting and meaningful holiday! We were up camping in the woods and besides the shortage of water, we had a great time. We even got to watch a firework show! We ended the reunion/night by singing tons of patriotic songs and learning about my ancestors who fought for our freedom in several past wars. It was a very touching night and reminded me of how grateful I am to live in this free country where I can worship how, where, and what I may. See patriotic nails below :) - Yeah, I'm cool.

In August, we had Tyler's family reunion. This was just up in Idaho, where we're both from. It was so nice to go back and visit all our family - lucky for me a trip to see Tyler's family usually includes a trip to see mine since they live 15 minutes apart. :) We spent most days relaxing, but one day we went out to a place called the Christensen's Pond - us rednecks sure now how to glam up an irrigation pond. :) Complete with high dive, water slide, and zip line. Some people from Fruitland decided to build they're very own water park in their backyard and they are so kind to let anyone use it for free. You just have to call and reserve it. I have spent countless days at this pond from mutual activities to birthday parties. Such a fun place. We also got to attend Tyler's brother's (Joshua) Eagle Court of Honor. That was really neat to see him go join the "Eagle's Nest" with his two twin brothers (Brandon and Tyler).

Christensen's Pond

Tyler on the zip line 

Full view of their pond - cool huh? :) 

King of the Dock - it didn't take long for the rest of the boys to join them. For those that don't know, Tyler has 6 brothers... you can imagine that someone probably got hurt. 

Tyler jumping off the high dive 

Tyler and Brandon think they're soooo cool. haha Can you guess which one is Tyler? 

Joshua getting his Eagle Award

Joshua joining his brothers and looking just as "cool" haha

I made this picture extra large because I wanted you all to see just how beautiful Idaho is. My home away from home. :)

I also got to attend two weddings in August for two of my very close friends (who happen to be triplets!). One was up in Boise during Tyler's reunion so I got to go to that and the other was in Vegas. I hate Las Vegas. Such a dirty place. But the Las Vegas Temple is such a gorgeous temple! Definitely a safe haven in that town. I am so grateful for the beauty of life that surrounds me from nature to weddings! 

Tyler is now back in school, there are football games happening right and left, and the leaves are changing colors which can only mean one thing.... FALL!!!! See next post :)

Love, 

Nat