More DC Trip pics...

Todd and I have been telling Heather for more than two years that we would take a trip to DC to see her and we can now be counted amoung those that have made their way to see her and that beautiful city! Here are a few more pics to add...



I was a little nervous about how Tanner would do on his first real family vacation, but as you can tell, he LOVED it! He was such a good boy the whole time.


This is right outside Heather's house. Tanner was so excited to see his aunt!


My only complaint about living in Texas is the grass - you can't run around barefoot because of fire ants and it is so prickly. I was overwhelmed with happiness when I found out the DC has fabulous little parks everywhere and soft grass! Tanner on the other hand, did not share my excitement. He wasn't so sure about the new texture in between his toes.


The weather was so nice the day we went and saw the monuments. Heather was the best tour guide!



This was inside the Capitol building. Heather new more about the tour than our actual tour guide and she was much more interesting to listen to. She is so smart!



One of my favorite stops. I didn't realize how large the Iwo Jima sculpture stood. It was in a beautiful area right above the city.


We left DC with a checklist of things we want to see on our next visit - Thanks for letting us hang out with you Heather! We love you!

loving this and him and them and that hair and that smile

best friends never go out of style.

though this is a late report... i have to mention what a great time i had when katelyn came to visit.  it has been years since she and i were able to spend a few days together without watching a clock or a kid (soon to be kids).  i am glad we have kept each other all this time... i guess we know too many of each other's secrets to back out now.

you can check her timely travel log for more snapshots of the trip...

spring 08 is turning out to be one of the best yet.... the weekend before this i came home for haley mae's party and the easter bunny; the weekend after this, mom and dad (and a new vacuum) came to see me; tomorrow todd, abby and tanner get here; and in two weeks, mom, ashley and i take chicago by storm!

Cute Litte Ky

Conrad and Jamie's little girl, Kylie, is the cutest thing around! And the cutest thing about her is how much she adores bobby. She chants his name, prays for him, cuddles with him, and even flirts with him. Its funny because at the beginning I was the favorite, but oh no, it has changed and everything is "BOBBY!" She would sometimes even sneak down the stairs and knock on our door and when I would open she would just look at me and say "Bobby home?"

the big bang

i got my haircut today.  you should be aware that:

1. my hair grows really fast.

2. never looks right when salon styled.

3. i took these pictures using mac photobooth, which i now want to use everyday because it is fun.  one push of a button and it just snaps away.  (mom, just wait until you "go back to school"... mac will change your life.) 

Pelting Paintballs

We took a road trip a couple weekends ago with our best friends, Conrad and Jamie. They are the ones that lived above us (they are moving today, as i'm typing this blog, and im so sad about it). Well we went to Rexburg for a couple different reasons but the main one was PAINTBALLING! He works for APX security systems so we got a free retreat of paintball for like 6 hours and dinner!

Just a funny story real quick: All week leading up to our trip Conrad and Bobby were like, "Are you sure you guys want to paintball? It hurts so bad. You have to wear a hundred layers becasue it stings and leaves welts......" So, needless to say Jamie and I were fully padded, we were the only girls playing and the only ones with literally 7-8 layers. Sure enough the guys played in long sleeve-T's and thats it. It was quite comical. Jamie and I kicked some butt, and the paintballs didn't even hurt us, talk about being prepared!

And the Flood came....

There's nothing like coming home from a beautiful day of snowboarding to a FLOOD! We were a little shocked when we saw a couple inches of water in our house and needless to say it was just the beginning of quite an adventure!

This picture is pre-a million fans in our house; I can't believe I don't have one documenting how many huge fans there were. Notice all the furniture stacked in our kitchen - it was nuts!

This room and our bedroom were the only dry places, hence everything we own piled high!

This is when creativity
emerged! Our little romantic dinner

Life can change in a second!

We have a new reverence for the power of nature as it was a grueling night in North Texas. The weather bureau is still determining if it was tornados or straight line winds. But in Hurst, several power poles that were rated to withstand 125 mile/hour winds were snapped off leaving most without power. In fact, 250K people were without power throughout the night/day and ours just went on about 3ish - 12 hours later.

Andy's neighborhood took a heavy hit knocking down many fences and yanked their bbq right out of the granite! The pitty-patty pattern of destruction is mind boggling forgiving one and taking down another.




The biggest scare was with all the fences down, Ginger got out and roamed the neighborhood fighting the high winds, incredible lightening and rain.
Andy braved the storm at 4am looking for Ginger and Haley Mae called saying, "Gwamma, will you say a prayer for Ginger? Our dog is lost?" A real tug on heart strings and grateful she has the faith Heavenly Father would bring her puppy home.

After a long morning, canvasing neighborhoods, posting a lot of signs, and more prayers, a kind soul brought home Ginger. She is a tired puppy taking a well deserved nap! Happy ending to this story and a new perspective on how quickly things can change ... not to take ANYTHING for granted ... count our blessings ... live and serve in a manner to draw claim upon the blessings of the gospel ... hug more ... and know i love you! xo ...

dc trip report - Cherry Blossom Festival

The blossoms in full bloom were a beautiful backdrop everywhere we went. Heather's charming street even has the blooming color - this is off her front porch.

This pic is taken off the Masonic Temple tower looking straight down King Street in Old Towne Alexandria. Heathey's house is just behind the big hotel on the left of King St right off the metro stop. Great location!

We rented bikes and rode the blossom-lined beltway in just a few hours. Fortunately the bikes come equipped with little tingy bells to alert pedestrians we are coming up on their heels!

It was awesome to go to the National Archives and view the original documents setting our nation apart, and thought it fitting to take a day field trip to Philly to see where the drafting and signing took place. Between the two places, freedom rings loud and gives overwhelming pride and gratitude for the patriots that so valiantly paved the way for our freedoms and the truth and light the restoration needed to come about. It left me with a firmer resolve to follow their examples of integrity, conviction and courage to continue to let my voice be heard.

(While in the birthplace of America, we also had to check out all that talk about philly cheese steaks being the best. Honest critique ... the bread was fabulous, but Italian Place in Provo does it the best!)

Anyone Need A Smile?

ANYONE NEED A SMILE?! This should do the trick! (Grandma Vickie, this one is especially for you - tax season is almost over!) Remember to pause the music at the bottom of the page before you play this.