Time...Priorities...Temple

A new chapter in our lives. Our girls are at school all day, Eric works from home, and I no longer teach seminary. I am not sure what exactly I am supposed to be doing. Finding a job just to have a job isn't really what I feel like I have time to do. So as I am still searching for my purpose in this new life...I have chosen to make the temple a priority. With Eric having a very flexible schedule we have made a goal to go together every week. I love the temple and I love the the peach it brings to our family when we make him a priority. 

Stanley Canyon Adventure

The girls had a day off of school so we decided to spend the morning together as a family hiking. It is a little strange that after only three days of school we had a day off for testing and then nothing. It was great because Eric didn't have anything to do in the morning so he was able to go with us. We couldn't decided what hike to go on so we choose the hike that is closest at the Air Force Academy. Eric had been on the hike but I hadn't gone. He wasn't sure how far the girls were going to make it because there are some crazy steep parts and it was almost three miles just to the reservoir.

At first the girls were a little skeptical with the dirt roads...boring. Then the fun began when they were able to climb rocks. Brittlynn took off and we could barely keep up with her. After more than half way we decided we had to go the whole way. It took us almost two hours to make it to our destination. I had brought snacks but left some in the car because I was thinking it was going to take closer to an hour.

We made it all the way in had the little snacks that we brought and headed back down the mountain. We were making good timing until we hit the down hill on the rock side. So we ended up taking longer coming out then going in. I was just so excited that the girls stuck with it and we were able to have a wonderful morning hike. The weather was perfect and we ended up missing the rain storm. The views were amazing. It was a great day to be with family.

First day of school!

Summer has gone so quickly. I can't believe we are already back in school. These girls are so excited for school new teachers and new adventures. Savannah is excited to show Brittlynn all about her old school.

Brittlynn is in first grade. She has Mrs. Sullivan for a teacher and is excited to make new friends. 

Savannah is in third grade. She has Mrs Tucker for her teacher and already has a best friend at school. They aren't in the same class but she is so excited to be with her again. 

Starting the day off right we said our goodbyes. Now I need to figure out what how to be productive with my day. It's a little bit of an adjustment because Eric is working from home so it will be interesting how our days work out.

Back to school BBQ

I guess I am a little crazy...two weeks after I moved here, I decided to have a little back to school party with some of my friends. Call me crazy, but this is what I love. I love having people in my house and I love to entertain. So with a little notice, I put a small party together with some of closest friends and a few new ones. My house was full. The kids had fun. We ate amazing food. The neighbors got a little mad. Memories were made...and the good times of the past came back. I told myself that I was going to wait until Eric was working more, but I couldn't. This is my life. This is what I love. I love people and I love having them in my home, the crazy, the noise, and the food.

4th of July...good bye

Sometimes you have to say goodbye for a little while. To help Eric get a head start on his new career we decided to have him go ahead of the family and start working. Our friends the Sidwell's said he could stay in the basement and I was going to stay in Idaho to get the house ready to move and then go to Colorado when our house would be ready. We decided to drive to Utah together to break up the drive for Eric and to spend sometime with my family. John had Kohyn for the 4th of July so we went and had dinner at his house. My mom decided to drive up from Vegas to spend some time with her grandson and Quinn wasn't working so he was able to come by. It was all last minute but it was great to see them. We had a great dinner and saw my brothers get a little crazy with some fireworks.

We stayed at a hotel that night and said some goodbyes to Eric before he made the rest of the drive to Colorado. Its not fun to think about doing everything on your own. I am not excited to be without him. I still had sometime before I was going to go back to Idaho so we went back to my brothers for some breakfast and swimming in the pool. The girls were in heaven being in the water. If I let them they would have stayed there all day.

We decided to drive up to Ogden to John's girlfriends house to eat dinner relax and watch some fireworks. It was great to see my brother with someone that makes him happy. The next morning the girls and I went to kneaders for breakfast. We got our favorite french toast and then we met up with some of my friends. I was trying to not go home, because I didn't want to go home without Eric. I am grateful I haven't had to say goodbye to him that often.

Our Heaven on Earth

After the craziest week of driving all over the west and back we needed a little break from the world so we could have a better perspective of what is in store for us. We also knew it would be awhile before we would be able to go together again because a goodbye was just around the corner. With the help of a friend letting the girls come over for a play date, we were able to make an afternoon trip to the temple. 

As I attend the temple I am reminded of family, of sacrifice, and of a love so eternal you can't compare it to anything in this world. My heart finds peace when I go to the temple. I find joy that we are both helping our family members receive the same blessing that they are given. I truly love the temple. It gives me strength to take on the upcoming challenges that I will be facing.

It hasn't even been 4 months since we first went to the temple together. It has been an amazing experience creating a habit of going together and learning from each other. Eric has been going every week except when we were in California. Because he goes so often...I can go more. I love that we love going. 

Friends make everything better

After days aid disappointment we decided to take a detour on our trip to visit Liz Reed, my best friend from college, and her family. We spent the day at the beach. This is just what we needed after all the crazy.

Savannah was in heaven. Brittlynn wasn't so sure about the water at first. She spent most of the time in the sand with Dash. After awhile she decided to be brave and she had a blast. We stayed there longer than we had plan that we stop by a local pizza place for dinner and then a donut shop for treats. It was a long day and everyone was exhausted. The next day we went to church relaxed at their house and I learned how to make tamales with my friend. It was a great end to a long and terrible week. Not sure what I would do without the Reeds.