Ready, Set...Go!

So the past two months have been absolutely jam-packed. 2011's spring and summer have been absolutely amazing so far, and I've fulfilled a couple of life goals along the way.

First, on April 21, I graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English Teaching. Thursday was commencement, which included all of the graduates from the entire school, and Friday was convocation, which is where I graduated with the other school of Humanities majors and we walked on stage as our names were read. Both days were very busy and exciting, and I'm so grateful that my wonderful family came to support me on both days. Thursday was especially exciting because it was my dad's big 50th birthday! And he absolutely does not seem 50--he's definitely still a little boy at heart. After the ceremony we went out to Tuscany for dinner to celebrate. That weekend was also filled with more excitement; Sara had her baby boy Riggins Lorin! I love seeing all the adorable new babies that are coming into the family. Last, but not least, Easter Sunday wrapped up this eventful weekend. We went to our parents' ward to be together as a family and shared a delicious Easter dinner together. 

Not quite so much occurred in May. Clarence finished up his semester (yay!), I began tying up my 7th grade classes, and Clarence and I went to Montana for Memorial Day weekend. It was a nice break to get out of our routine for a while and visit his family for a long weekend. The weather was beautiful two out of the four days we were there, which isn't bad considering the usual cold weather we get. We spent the weekend eating at all of our favorite restaurants,--Hu Hot, Naps, and of course getting jo jos at the Merc--playing cards with Jo and Ed until all hours of the night, visiting family, and enjoying Jo's to-die-for chocolate cake. 

June--another whirlwind month! It started off with Derek's high school graduation on the 6th. It was surreal to see my little brother graduate, when it feels that mine was only last week, but I'm also happy that he's moving on to bigger and better things. That same day he also received his mission call--to Pennsylvania, of all places! We're all so happy and proud of him. 

Shortly after graduation we all left for our week long vacation to Oregon and Northern California. All I can say is, I'm definitely going back there again. We spent a few days in a cabin in Sun River, OR, which is just outside of Bend. There we biked, hiked, swam, kayaked, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. From there we wound our way down through Northern California, exploring the Redwoods, searching for Big Foot, and enjoying unbelievable Very Berry Pies at Beckie's restaurant. Our trip rounded off with a night at a resort hotel in Reno,  NV (go figure), until we made it back into the good ol' Salt Lake Valley. Although I don't have an exact estimate, we drove about 40 hours in the car during the course of the trip. Yes, our legs were a bit cramped, but it was all worth it.