apparently it's zion not zions

a few weeks ago we went to southern utah for a family reunion with grant's family. it was a high adventure trip and very action packed. no kids were allowed except for our trudy baby. we spent a day in zion national park which included little day hikes. trudy was such a champ in the scorching hot sun. she put up with it for almost 6 hours. the next day was a high adventure canyoneering hike. it deserves it's own post. i wasn't able to go on it since trudy only drinks the good stuff. my sweet family drove down to see us trudy since we'd only be 5 hours from them instead of the normal 10. i met them and we were able to visit for a few hours while most everyone was on the hike. that night we had a game night and it was super fun. we played "minute to win it", which is really the perfect game to play for a big family. the next day we did bryce canyon. i have been to zion before but never bryce canyon. it was absolutely breathtaking. my family took trudy for most of the day (i was prepared. if ya know what i mean) so that grant and i could hike together. saturday we spent the day in kanab (trudy and i decided it was romper day and loved being twinners) because that is where grant's grandma is from. she had fun showing us around too. we were lucky to be there during their annual "kanab days" which included some artsy booths, a parade, and lots and lots of old old western actors that you could visit with. after that we went to the grand canyon. the trip went by too fast and we are looking forward to seeing all our family again soon! oh and clearly i have a hard time looking into the camera when the sun shines brightly.

dodger spring training

back in march we spent a weekend in phoenix for spring training. it just so happens that leisa's fiance, paul, is a huge dodgers fan. naturally when we got married a few years ago, my dad and paul were instant friends. so my family (dad, mom, spencer, mckay & cameron) and some of grant's family (leisa, paul & luke) all met in arizona and had a fabulous weekend together. my only complaint is that it was way too short of a trip! i hope we can make it a yearly tradition. especially because next year we could have a little girl decked out in pink dodger gear stealing all the attention away from the team.

evidence that we were in hawaii

the ranch

labor day weekend was spent on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. it was a blast and just what we needed. good company. layers and layers of bright stars on clear nights. no phones. no internet. no makeup. jumbo smores. fourwheeling. and just running wild in the mountains. i love to go camping, i think it's just a necessity every year because it helps us to really recognize how beautiful this world is.

summer in new mexico

i wanted to make sure and put some pictures up of places we've been this summer. we're aren't going anywhere... just wanting to stay caught up. we've had a fabulous time here. i love it here. especially our ward. i looooooooove our ward so much.

i'm horrible at blogging and email right now. i've been working hard on updating my etsy. i've got some new & fun things in store and i'm excited to share. i've also found some beautiful shops in etsy... i think i had forgotten how many treasures are hidden there (and basically waiting for me). i love to browse through shops though... it's so fun!

Blue Hole in Santa Rosa


Santa Fe


Roswell (there are aliens EVERYWHERE)
Sidenote: do not ever go to Salvation Army Thrift in this town. or a mean lady will yell at you and tell you that they are a closing. even if it is a half hour before their closing time.


Curry County Fair (Clovis)

the bahamas- can everyone see them now?????

we are back. we had a blast, especially with our friends. we played "nerts" every single night and it's my new favorite card game. i'm to lazy to do any captions, i've spent enough time trying to get caught up with my exploding google reader and uploading pictures. but basically the water in the caribbean is absolutely breathtaking, i love staterooms with no windows because it's like sleeping in a cave and maybe i know what it's like to crash on a scooter with my husband.