Apple Days

Clarence and I kicked off the fall season with a weekend in Montana, complete with beef jerky, apple cider, and fall leaves. We left Wednesday night pretty late and were quickly surrounded by the complete darkness of the countryside. We made it to Clarence's house safe and sound though, and very exhausted.

The next morning we lazed around and recuperated from the drive. We went into town for Jo Jos and chicken strips and went to check out the cider situation. We were a bit worried after leaving Frost Top because they said with the late fall they hadn't even made any cider yet. We were told to come back Saturday afternoon to see if their batch was ready. That day Jo had to work so she got home later that evening, so Clarence and I went to Pizza Hut--the famed Pizza Hut, the best one in the country! Ed was also working, so we hoped to see him--he was nice enough to let us use his employee discount.

On Friday we spent some time with Jo since we hadn't seen her much. For breakfast we had bacon, eggs, and peaches and cream! I was in heaven. Later we went into town for some jerky and a bite to eat. Sadly, A Place to Ponder has closed down. I was pretty bummed because Clarence always talked about it as the best sandwich place he's ever been to, and I was really looking forward to it. We have plenty of other places we look forward to eating in Montana though so we made up for it. That night Katie invited us over to their house for dinner. I always love seeing her and Derek and all their kids. I hope our family will be as happy and beautiful as theirs is.

Driving up to Katie and Derek's. The colors are so pretty!

Katie and Derek's. I love their house--the inside is even cuter than the outside! 

View from their house. Peaceful.

The next day was Apple Days! We went over to the festival with Ed and Paul. The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and warm with a chill in the air. The festival was full of booths, people, and delicious food. Clarence and I split a flat bread with honey butter as we walked around with everyone. For lunch we decided to get Nap's instead of the food at the festival. As usual, it was amazing, if not more crowded than I've ever seen it. Definitely worth it though. After lunch we tensely drove to see if there was any cider available. To our relief there was!! We were able to get quite a few gallons as well, enough for ourselves and for others we had promised a gallon to.

I'm really bummed we didn't get a picture of the two of us at Apple Days. Here's a cute one of Clarence as we're walking to it though! Love the plaid.

The Frost Top apple orchard and cutest red barn!

 That night Selikah came over with the kids so we got to visit with them a while too. They're all getting so big! I love seeing all of Clarence's family up there. For dinner Jo made us fried chicken and mashed potatoes per Clarence's request for his birthday dinner. She also made us corn on the cob, jello, and butterscotch brownies. Ari and Inga came over during dinner and got to visit with us too--love those two girls! After dinner we played cards with Jo and Ed; Jo won of course, and felt guilty about it. While we were playing a storm started up outside, and it felt so cozy to be playing cards together while it rained outside.

This morning came way too fast. We woke up later than planned so had to hurry out the door. It's always sad saying goodbye and driving away. Along the way we saw some beautiful fall foliage and we were also able to catch up on some of the General Conference sessions that we had missed. We were happy to finally make it home, and  I was especially happy to have a letter from Derek! He flies out early tomorrow morning to Pittsburgh. Listening to conference made me think of him so much, and I'm so proud of him!

I'm hoping we'll have a long fall this year. I can't wait to have a fall camping trip with my family, or at least have a cookout in Spruces if the weather  turns out rainy this weekend. I missed them this Conference weekend. It's hard being married and balancing spending time with both of our families, especially when both are so amazing and we love them so much. I'm very much looking forward to this holiday season and being with those I love the most.

I have a lot of catching up to do....

Got a bit behind with the photo challenge, what with my brother leaving on a mission and all.Finally found a spare moment to catch up with my pictures!

Day 9: Faceless Self Portrait--I'm not sure how this is best accomplished...

Day 10: Something I made... Rach's genius idea for fall candles.

Day 11: Something fun...I found this set of napkins and a table runner at the consignment shop! I absolutely love the burlap fabric and the embroidered design. LOVE. 

Day 12: Close Up...One of the world's greatest creations. It definitely deserves a closeup.

Day 13: From a distance...I love my little fall arrangement. Add a mason jar to any design mix and you've got gold. 

Day 14: Flowers...These are the flowers on the grounds of the Provo temple, where we went before dropping Derek off at the MTC. He suggested this shot to me. Oh I miss him. 

Days 7 & 8: Something New & Technology

Something relatively new is the wedding band Clarence got me for our 1 year anniversary. He gave it to me after we finished our dinner at Cisero's, an amazing Italian restaurant on Park City's Main Street. My ring goes perfectly with my diamond  and I love it. 

And I can't think of anything more technological in my life than Clarence's recording/art studio. This room is packed with some serious stuff, including his long-coveted electric drum set. It's all pretty awesome; too bad I don't know how to use any of it...except the keyboard, I guess. But yeah, if you have any questions about macs, design programs, recording programs, or instruments, he's your guy. 

Day 6: Childhood Memory

So this was one of my all-time favorite books from about my 3rd-6th grade years. I related to it exactly because it's about a girl who's the middle child in her family--one older sister and one younger brother--just like me! As you can tell, it's pretty worn. It's all water-warped too because I dropped it in the bathtub a couple of times. (Yes, I'm an avid bathtub reader). If anyone else is a middle child then they know what I mean when I say it's hard sometimes, because you really do feel squished between the other siblings and you can't help but feeling a little left out at times. This book made me feel better and "the middle of the sandwich is the best part" became my sort of mantra. Power to the middle child! 

Also, whenever I see this book it brings back so many memories of reading not only it, but reading so many other countless books, of going to the library almost every day, of reading late at night while everyone else was asleep....Thank goodness for books! 

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. 

"I Love to See the Temple"

Going to the temple was something I looked forward to my entire life. I knew that it was sacred and important, and temple marriage was was my goal. Clarence and I were fortunate enough to be married in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, and it was beautiful. Even though we had to wait the year after he was baptized (and that year was probably the hardest year of my life), it was definitely worth it.

We made it a goal when we got married to attend the temple at least twice a month, if not every week. We've try to go every week, but some weeks it is literally impossible to go. It is still a huge sacrifice for us to go even twice a month, because we can't ever go on a weeknight due to our intense homework amounts and class schedules. So, we have the option to go either Friday night or Saturday morning. You can see why it'd be a sacrifice to go on these days. On Friday nights everyone is wiped out from the week and you just want to lounge and watch a movie. Saturday morning is the only day we have to sleep in, so it's hard to give that up.

But we've been doing it! And I'm so proud of us. I know that there is nothing more important than going to the temple, even sleeping haha. And what's a more awesome date with your spouse than a night at the temple? Nothing else wil improve your relationship more, not going out to dinner or to a movie. We get to spend three hours together focused on eternity. We get to escape the world for a while, and it is very much needed. Going to the temple makes me feel so blessed to be a woman, to be Clarence's wife, and to have him forever. I now understand why the church wants every member to go through the temple. It is so essential and so beautiful.