Daydreaming is Good For the Soul

Lately I've been daydreaming a lot (a favorite pastime of mine;) about green and warmth and I've been missing Florida which I was fortunate enough to visit twice in the last three months to visit family each time. I also visited Las Vegas for the first time and Sun Valley, Idaho for the third time. With all the travel I've done lately, I guess you could say I have a little bit of "wanderlust" as they say (I don't really care for that term, but that's basically what it is).

I am particularly craving trees and green grass and ocean sand and warm lake water. Darn you, summer for being the shortest of the seasons.

At least Utah has been pretty good to us lately with temperatures considerably warmer than they could have been. This is me trying to count my blessings.

Anyway, here are some pictures of places I wish I could escape to right now. Just me, Dalin, and little Tenley.

Aren't they lovely? For now I'll just have to keep dreaming ;)

Where do you want to escape to right now?
Or where do you typically daydream about going? I honestly want to know.

Catching Up After Travels

Sorry blogger friends! I was having too much fun and as a result, kind of slacked off with this thing. Confession: Since getting my first iPhone ever (and first smart phone actually) a couple of months ago, I've actually gotten worse at blogging because I've basically stopped using my camera. I use my phone whenever I need to take pictures, mainly due to convenience, and unfortunately, it's harder to get my pics on here as a result. I'm going to try and work on that.

Anyhow, we were in Sun Valley, Idaho the last three days and had a wonderful, relaxing time with Dalin's parents, grandparents, three sisters, their husbands, and my brother, Donovan. It was pretty great. To briefly sum up the trip, we...

• visited with Dalin's aunt, uncle, and cousins at their gorgeous home in Hailey
• shopped in dozens of ski and gift shops in the little town of Ketchum
• skiied Dollar (well, Donny did) 
• shared an incredible huckleberry shake (twice!)
• enjoyed the heated pool (basically a giant hot tub)
• had a big family breakfast out together
• played in the giant toy stores
• basked in the "warm" weather
• ate some amazing pizza with everyone
• bowled (at least, the boys did)
• had some excellent conversation
• shared a king-sized bed (at least Dalin and I did ;)
• took a photo of Tenley with the picture that gave us her name inspiration one year ago when I was four months pregnant...

Among other things. It was awesome. I can't really describe it all in detail--Dalin had to work at 4pm today so we left Sun Valley around 11am. Then at home I did a few dishes, washed a freaking ton of laundry (from this trip and Florida), then Donovan, Tenley, and I went grocery shopping, and now I need to fold laundry, do some homework, and pick up the house. Sigh. If I wasn't so stressed about school, it wouldn't bother me so much. Anyway, I had better go, but I will do my best to take the time to blog about our Las Vegas trip (I sort of left you guys hanging) and Tenley's and my adventure in Florida.

Hope you all had a sweet weekend!

Pending Adventures and Spring

When I read popular blog names (or even unpopular ones) I can't help but feel like I'm in the Hunger Games and the Capitol is real. You know how some of their names are like Cashmere and Glimmer? Yeah, I always am seeing stuff like that for blog names. But I won't pick on any blog in particular, I just think it's funny. Everyone tries so hard to be original. Sometimes I wonder how humans have not run out of things to say. Hasn't everything already been said? Hasn't every possible song been written already? Nothing should be original anymore, yet somehow a new song comes on the radio and it is completely different from anything else. It's pretty remarkable really. Humans are pretty talented.

Today the weather was beautiful here in Provo, Utah. Tenley and I went for a walk outside to feel the sunshine after saying goodbye to Dalin for the evening as he left for work. He had brought me (us ;) some colorful flowers before leaving today. He always does that kind of thing at the most random times, which to me, is the very best time to do it. He also knows how much I love flowers--almost more than anything else. I have a bad habit of trying to dry out and save every flower he gives me though...I can't help it! They just bring me happy memories! Anyway, spring always makes me feel so hopeful and positive. I am so looking forward to the coming months. I think I sometimes really struggle with being fully satisfied with the present. I am always looking to the future. I'm kind of a dreamer in that way. But I do love my life right now!

I love the colors!!!

Tenley and I are going on an adventure in the next few days. We are flying to meet up with my mom and brother--we had flying credit that had to be used up--who really just want to see Tenley, but I'm okay with that ;). I am excited, happy, nervous, and a little scared all at once. Nervous mainly because I've never been apart from Dalin for more than three days since we've been married. But I am doing my best to have faith because everything will be okay and no matter what, we will be together forever. I'm scared because I will be flying with Tenley alone which I have never done before but I have had many people reassure me that it will be great. Tenley is going to be an old pro at flying! By the time she is one, she will have flown to and from New Hampshire and Florida twice! Eight trips! She is a pretty wonderful little girl and I am so thankful to have her. I have been feeling so grateful for my life lately. Grateful for the promise of joy that comes with being a Latter-day Saint. I am thankful to have been raised a Mormon. It gives one such peace having a purpose. God has been so good to me and my family.

I am thankful that Dalin is so forgiving. I am so imperfect and he sees that more often than I'd like to admit. But he cares greatly about my happiness and I see how hard he works to support our little family and give us the very best. Ugh, it is going to kill me to leave him, but I know he will be right here for me when I return. And I'm going to give him a huge smooch so he knows that I really, really missed him haha. I already miss him and we haven't even left yet!

Anyway, wish Tenley and I luck with our travels and pray that this adventure goes smoothly. I so love adventures!:)

And thanks a million in advance!

Catching Up

Happy belated Valentine's Day! I love Valentine's Day because I love the color red and I love stuff with hearts and getting fresh flowers. But Dalin and I had a less traditional celebration because we were in Las Vegas for our good friends' Jason and Halie's wedding! The two got married on the 15th in the Las Vegas temple.

Anyway, the trip was awesome (and tiring) and included warm weather, last-minute hotels, visiting the strip, awesome food from a Las Vegas buffet, a temple sealing, a luncheon, a wedding reception, sleeping in our car overnight, long drives, and lots more craziness. Plus I almost got kicked out of several places for looking 16. One, I have a kid and two, I turn 23 this year, folks. But it's all good. (Also, I realize that saying I have a baby doesn't help since half the teenagers these days are getting pregnant but oh well). I will have to catch up with these stories later though because I am just so exhausted...it's been a long, long day. And I pretty much never want to get in the car again. 

Time to go snuggle my husband and baby girl (lucky her, she's been asleep the last couple hours already ;). 

Hope you all had an equally exciting Valentine's weekend! Here are some favorite pics, just to give you a sample...

I stinking love this girl.

Freaking precious for Valentine's :)

BFFs foreva'

What was your favorite part of Valentine's Day? 

Have you ever been to Vegas? What do you think of it?

Our Little Missionary Experience

Dear Guy Who Sat Next To Us On The Airplane to Orlando,

Thank you for making our third flight that day more entertaining than it otherwise would have been, particularly because we were on an old plane with no wifi which meant entertaining ourselves the old-fashioned way.

We enjoyed hearing about Kansas which was a state we knew nothing about and about your cute grandkids which you showed us several adorable pictures of on your tablet. They had sweet curly blonde locks like our nephew Maddox, which we told you.

Thank you also for complimenting our daughter's behavior--that made us feel really good (even though we did nothing to teach her how to behave her then four-and-a-half month old self on an eight-hour trip).

We really did enjoy talking to you even when you made a few beer references that we (well at least I) didn't understand. Everything was great, even when you mentioned Margaritaville and said, "You guys like margaritas, don't you?" I then told you that we actually don't drink alcohol but we like drinks that are similar to margaritas. You seemed surprised but continued to talk to us.

When you learned we were from Utah, you asked if we were Mormons and we told you we were. Your next comment was, "That show 'Sister Wives' must be giving you guys a hard time." Your wife sitting in the row in front of us reached behind her seat and gave you a smack along with a look that clearly told you to drop it, causing you to smile sheepishly.

I almost burst out laughing right then but I didn't want to embarrass you so hiding a smile I responded, "Actually that show is not about our church. We don't believe in that at all." You said, "Oh," then I explained further. "That's actually a branch that broke away from our church." Then I added, "Trust me, our church doesn't support that at all."

You nodded then we changed the subject, and for the remainder of the trip we had a nice time talking about our individual plans in Florida. We only brought up subjects like going to BYU and other beliefs in passing. But I hoped in my heart that our brief discussion about the church would stay with you, and that because of it you would someday open your heart to hearing a little more about the gospel.

Since our trip, I've wondered about you a few times, mainly wondering if you met an LDS missionary whether you'd be more interested about our church because of the example we set. If we had gotten your name, I might have looked you up at Kansas State University where you teach and sent the missionaries your way (don't worry though--I didn't have your name so I couldn't).

Anyway, thank you for being friendly and talking to us and also allowing us to have that little missionary experience. It reminded me of why I love living in the world (but not of the world) so much. I am so looking forward to having more of those experiences wherever we end up after BYU because I know the joy the gospel brings me and want to share it with everyone.

So thank you for that. And I hope you had a marvelous Christmas with your family in Florida.

Sincerely,

Olivia Gunnell

P.S. And thank you for being so personable! I always appreciate that quality in others.

41 Weeks Pregnant (Blah!)

I'm a little miffed to say I did not think I would get to this point but here I am. The part that is slightly relieving (and slightly stressful) is that I've been scheduled to be induced for tomorrow Monday morning apparently at 6:30am! Umm, we were told to call and pick a time...obviously we would have chosen a more reasonable hour like 8 or 9am or something, but oh well. I guess she'll be here sooner than we thought! I'm slightly stressed because I did not want to be induced and it makes me anxious that we now know when we are going to the hospital and that after that we will have our baby girl here, but I am excited, too. I haven't been scared about the giving birth part for a while, but I am scared about being put on Pitocin since that is most likely what they'll do, and it bothers me knowing that almost everyone who is put on Pitocin needs an epidural because it brings the contractions on so suddenly and intensely. I really don't want one. I am not opposed to epidurals, but I do not want to pay for one. So my plan has been to try and go natural this whole time but I feel like that dream is slipping out the window. I'm really frustrated about that but I can't let myself get stressed out or I'll probably get emotional. My doctor told me I'd be in charge but the lady on the phone from the hospital didn't make it sound like she was taking requests. If I had it my way, I would have them first try using just Cervidil to see if that was enough to push me over from a 3 to a 4cm (it worked for my friend), and if that didn't work, put me on Pitocin for a short while--just enough to get me going.

I just learned that my mom was on Pitocin the whole time when she was induced with me and she still didn't get an epidural so I guess it's not impossible. That's slightly relieving. I hate that I'm getting induced because I hate that I have time to attempt to plan and worry about the situation. If I had just gone into labor in the middle of the night I would just be worried about getting the baby out, not about all the stupid drugs everyone is trying to give me. So frustrating.

Well I'm trying to stay positive and have courage because I am really excited for our little girl to be here. More likely than not, we'll have her by tomorrow!!!!! So unreal. She has been very much anticipated for practically a year. (I can't believe I've been pregnant for 41 out of the last 52 weeks of a year...that's such a long time!) Week 40 went by a little faster than week 39 because I took everyone's advice and kept as busy as possible. When I get the time, I will share what's been going on lately. It's been awesome having my mom here and I can't believe she leaves in 10 days. We have plans to go to New Hampshire in 15 days! Our little girl will be two weeks old! I guess August has kind of flown by even though I didn't think so the last two weeks. 

Dalin is so ready for her to be here. I catch him in her room pretending to change her diaper and sitting in the chair in there. He tells me he is going to just hang out in there while she's sleeping and watch her and read to her. He always gets so happy when we talk about her being here. I'm convinced he's going to be the cutest dad of all time (I'm sure every wife thinks that, but I know it's true for him:). I can also tell he's going to be the nicer parent of the two of us, but we'll talk about that another time...

Wish me luck for tomorrow! Thankfully I have Dalin who can give me a blessing beforehand. I'm so blessed to have him! 

One of the last times it will be just the two of us! I love our family! 

End of May Celebrations

Last night, we finally stopped being anti-social (not that this was ever our intention--we're just really busy) and had our friends Daniel and Rachel over for dinner. We had delicious cold chicken breast sandwiches with DELICIOUS corn on the cob (it's 4 for $1 at Macey's right now!) and lots of juicy watermelon. After we ate Rachel's warm chocolate chip cookies. Everything was so good. We had a lot of fun talking about our pregnancies (Rachel only has 3 weeks left, max!) and sharing notes with each other about our individual experiences. After, we cleared the kitchen table and played this card game that Dalin and I love called Bohnanza. We played it for the first time at Daniel and Rachel's one Sunday and thought it was fun and different. It's like some German card game and involves various types of beans and harvesting as many as possible. Anyway, it is a pretty awesome game. We played a few rounds of Bananagrams after (which I somehow owned at for once) and then said goodnight. It felt nice to have people over again.

Random picture of me at 29 weeks pregnant. As you can imagine, the baby is pretty heavy.

Now we are just beginning to get excited about this Memorial Day weekend! We both work tomorrow, but I have Memorial Day off at work, and then Tuesday evening we leave for Lava Hot Springs near Pocatello, Idaho to go camping with the boys from Dalin's work! I LOVE camping, for the record, and am especially pumped because my family always used to go camping on Memorial Day weekend to the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, Vermont, but I haven't been in forever. So the plan is to camp at Lava Hot Springs on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then drive over to Boise from Thursday to Sunday to visit Dalin's family! It's going to be so much fun and probably one of the last time's (if not the last time) we get away before our little daughter is born!

Now we just need to find someone who will let us borrow their sleeping bags and hopefully a sleeping pad, or I'm going to be one sore pregnant lady.

What are you doing this Memorial Day Weekend? 
Do you have a family tradition that you do each year?

The To Do List: Provo & Orem Edition

I'm not going to lie--I am starting to like Utah a little bit. You may be thinking, "Sheesh, it only took two whole years..." but seriously, we have found a few things around here recently that we never knew about until now (like a sweet short-cut to Orem for one...) and it has changed my outlook on living here dramatically. Not that I would want to make it a long-term thing--I'm still an east coast girl who needs the clear blue lakes and ocean--but I need to take the advice of numerous sisters in the church and "bloom where [I'm] planted." 

So I'm creating a "To Do" list, which will also be a bucket list of sorts, or basically a compilation of ideas and suggestions from people in the area (or previous residents). It can include restaurants, cafes, sights to see, or fun places. Or it can just be something we should do at a certain time of year and get a good deal (like near particular holidays for example).

What I would like from those who make suggestions are the following:

• the name of the place
• a summary of what it is/what there is to do (or what YOU did/ate there)
• the general location (preferably Provo/Orem area because we don't travel much)
• an idea of the cost (FREE, cheap, or kind of costly)

If you could give me a few ideas, I would SO appreciate it! We have just one year left here and I'm going to do my best to make it fun. So please,

Give us your suggestions! :)

Just not my thing

Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that Utah is just not my thing. I do not really enjoy living here or much about this state in general because I was raised in a place that was simply so awesome, it's sad to even compare the two. My family isn't here, and I miss the landscape and greenness of New Hampshire. But, I will say, that today was a nice day here in Utah. Don't get me wrong, it was freezing rain out and deathly slippery, and the nasty smog was trapped around us, but it was nicer than it has been in a while in my humble opinion. I like the rain. I liked that 32 degrees felt kind of warm. I liked that I was able to stay inside most of the day because of my job and that I didn't have to expose my little one to the poor air quality by being outside. It was just a better day. 

At work, we had a discussion about Utah in comparison to New Hampshire. It sounds like the majority of people involved liked or even kind of liked Utah. This came as no surprise to me. But in my defense, I am brutally honest when it comes to my personal opinions. The conversation started out innocently enough: I was just suggesting that my favorite types of pizza are all New Hampshire types. I had not even realized that that was the case until that moment, but as I listed off Pizza Express, Gilford House of Pizza, and Papa Gino's, I thought, "What the heck--none of those are out here." When someone asked me why I dislike Utah so much, my first thought was the people. Then right away I felt bad about that because I have met some wonderful people from Utah. I certainly know they are not all bad. But the culture of the Church out here is tremendously different from what I had expected and from what I'm used to. I quickly discovered this as an innocent east-coast Mormon girl on my first visit to Utah when I was a Junior in high school. I had been so excited to come to a new place and be surrounded by members and feel like I was a part of a huge LDS community. I thought that I would get to see the best parts of the Church and feel empowered from the experience. Then I came out here and the people were not what I expected. They say the Church is true, the people aren't. That proved to be the case for me during my visit. The competition within the Church out here is something that truly bothers me. Who cares about whose house is bigger or nicer? Who cares about having nicer clothes than your neighbors? Who cares about having expensive things? Why do people judge each other on their Church attendance or calling? That stuff doesn't matter! 

I was raised in a small house in the east. When I was in middle school, I was embarrassed because our house was small. It was only one story. Yet for some reason, people always just wanted to come over to my house. I did not really understand why. Most of my school friends had way bigger houses than me. I wondered why they didn't mind that my house was small. It wasn't until high school that I realized that they probably could feel the Spirit within my home. My mother kept our house extremely clean and full of good books, beautiful paintings (some Church-related, some not), and full of things to do. It was around then too that I realized I loved my home. I loved it and wanted to have one just like it someday. I realized that no one cared about the stuff we owned. When I went to the homes of my friends who similarly had small homes, I didn't judge them. That was not an important part of my upbringing. My more wealthy friends didn't judge us either. It just wasn't a big deal. 

When I think of my home ward, I think of how wonderfully strange the people are out there. And how wonderfully black and white their "status" is. No one pretends to be doing all the right things and goes to Church to put on a facade of being righteous. More than half of my ward members live in humble homes. They manage their money and do not go into debt for a home or for expensive luxury items just for show. No one would be impressed by that. There are so many peculiar people who live such different lives than the people out here. I cannot imagine a person going out to bars and drinking and then going to Church the next day. If someone chooses not to live the standards of the Church, they just don't go. They don't fake it. I was so shocked when I saw how the youth dress out here. This is supposed to be a gathering place for the Saints! We were a little strange in our high schools because we did not wear immodest clothing and so we stood out. Many people in my high school asked me, "Why are you so happy all the time?" and "It is so cool that your family is religious. I wish I had that." They would ask me about what Mormons believe in and I had so many sweet opportunities to share my testimony and give a little insight into what Latter-day Saints are really like. I brought many friends to Church, efy, Girls' Camp, and Mutual activities. I loved those missionary opportunities. It felt so good to bring a little light into the lives of those who were surrounded by moral darkness. I love those non-members. I love how imperfect they are and how much they appreciate kindness and the good they see in others. 

Since I have lived in Utah for more than a year, my insights have changed. Just a little. Yes, Utah has cool mountains and some pretty cool parks. Yes, I love how there are dozens of temples here and knowing that the prophet is nearby. And as I said, I have met many wonderful people from Utah who are just as great as one would expect for a place where there are so many Latter-day Saints all together. I am still disappointed with how many of the members choose to live when my little tiny stake in the east lives in the midst of moral chaos and still manages to follow the standards of the gospel with careful diligence. We have hardly any examples around us except each other. It is something that I truly don't understand about the culture here but I am trying to. And I accept that I do not have to feel like a part of it and that it is okay if I don't want to be. I need to make sure that I do not make assumptions about all of Utah just because my experience here has not been very positive. I will not be here forever but while I am here I need to strive to set an example and not be guilty of the judging of others that bothers me so. I am not even close to perfect. But I am thankful for my upbringing which has given me a very clear perspective of people. I love the people of this world who are just looking for something greater. They live imperfectly but they are real. I miss that about my home. 

I am not sure what the purpose of this post is. It certainly was not intended to bash Utah or the people who live or love it here. But I do think the members should know that they have it pretty good out here, and so many do not even realize it. Practice what you preach. Do not judge others. And most of all, do not compare yourself to those around you. Like I said, it does not matter who has a nicer home or more Church members in their family or fewer family problems or what your economic status is. In the eyes of our Father in Heaven, we are all equal. We are born into different situations, but we can all be the type of people we ought to if we are trying hard enough. We had better start treating each other like we are all children of God, because I know--whether you believe me or not--that all of us are.  

Do you agree with me? Or do you completely disagree?

Do you think the culture of the Church is different in Utah? 

Or maybe just different than you expected?

Day 20: Thanksgiving Break!

I am so grateful for breaks from school!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to be in Boise with our family members! We are leaving this afternoon--Shaina, Layton, Dalin, and I and we are most likely picking up Marisa Johnson on the way.

I LOVE Thanksgiving! 

I love family and food and games and laughter!
Although I will most certainly miss my wonderful family in New Hampshire especially because we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year, I always have fun with my brothers and sisters-in-law.

I hope that everyone has a terrific Thanksgiving! I am grateful for these few days off to get the heck out of Utah and be with some family.

And who knows, we might drive home in a new car... ;)
But more about that later...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!! <3

Let me know what you are doing for the break!

It was only just a dream...or was it?

Well, we are home. Our home is at little 300 Wymount Terrace in little Provo, Utah. We just returned from a marvelous trip to my lovely home state of New Hampshire. While Utah will never be my real home, I am starting to accept that it's okay if it is my temporary home...for a little while. We have about two years left of school at BYU and then we are free to do as we like. 

Can I just say, that being married while in school is so much easier. Probably because the boyfriend who was a huge distraction before is now a permanent, less obvious distraction that I see daily and who is more helpful and less likely to make me want to skip class. Our overall priority is to learn, earn some major moolah, graduate, and begin our family a.s.a.p. So far, the only thing we have succeeded at doing is learning. In our marriage, we are learning lots of things, like how to communicate better, trust one another, have patience, and share our thoughts. It is a lot of work--equivalent to a full-time job--but it is the best job I've ever had! ;)

Now it's time to re-cap our trip. 

A Little Visit to New Hampshire 
August 4 ~ Our travel day & arrival

Finally got to see my mom after an entire year. Wayyy  too long. 

I cried the second I saw my family waving to me from behind the glass. Especially when I saw Donovan. I can't believe I am missing him during his growing years. He is going to be a teenager this month which is simply unbelievable to me. It was so nice also to get home and see Payson again, hug my mom and dad, and to see my little doggie back in the comfort of my parents' home. 

August 5 ~ Visit to my old ward & visit with my 96-year old great grandmother

How nice was it to be back in my home ward? So nice. I realized I had missed everyone and just the spirit of the meetings back home. After church, we visited my great grandmother, Nana Kane, at the nursing home where she lives. It brought me to tears seeing how tired and worn she is, but she still brought smiles to our faces as she hugged and kissed her great grandson, Donovan. It was so nice to catch up with family. 

August 6 ~ Pirate's Cove beach, downtown Portsmouth & lobster with best friends

Today was a good day to visit the ocean. We opted to go to Pirate's Cove, which is more public than the beach we typically go to, but Donovan had wanted to show us how he could wakeboard and so we humored him. It was a very pretty, sunny day. As you can see, we all enjoyed the soft ocean water. 

  Donovan and I had fun burying Payson in the sand. 

Then Donovan had fun dumping cold sea water on me. 

Here's us, being a cute married couple out on the town haha. We ate chips and salsa in downtown Portsmouth then headed home where we had Megan and Sarah over for lobster (which, for those who do not know, is my absolute favorite food)! 

Hanging out with my best friends, eating some amazing lobster. Or as they say in New England, "lobstah." ;)

August 7 ~ Haircut, trip to Boston Temple, Quincy Market & Red Sox game
On this morning I got a haircut. Finally. Then we headed down to Boston with Donovan and Mom so that Dalin and I could do some sealings at the temple where we were married just over a year ago. We had a fun time taking some pictures in front of our gorgeous temple, too. 

 

After our visit to the Boston temple, we took the T to Quincy Market for a clam chowder bread bowl and a delicious $7 smoothie. But it was totally worth it. We had had both on our honeymoon  the year before which is why we made it a point to stop there for dinner.

After, we took the T to Fenway and watched the Red Sox play the Rangers. We had ridiculously good seats and had a blast even though we lost the game. 

Home-run smooch

Please notice how amazing our seats were. My dad is awesome for getting those for us. Also notice how cute my little brother is. I love him so much! Anyway, it was a terrific day in Boston.

August 8 ~ Beans & Greens, Mill Falls, Jetskiing, & Johnson's ice cream
We began the day by visiting my old workplace, Beans & Greens farm, and getting some delicious panini sandwiches for lunch. Then, Donovan, Mom, and us drove to Mill Falls and walked around the fun bookstores and quaint shops. We also spent some money at the candy store. 

 

After, we jetskied on Lake Winnipesaukee and then went out for ice cream with the family. 

With my boys :) Dalin, Donny, Payson, and Dad. 

August 9 ~ 21st birthday, Ice House, Fort Stark, mall trip, steakhouse & Silver Fountain Inn

Well today I turned 21. I really had nothing in mind for my birthday, so naturally my decision was to go to the ocean. We went to Fort Stark and scoured the beach for sea glass. We ate lunch and ice cream at the Ice House, and then went to the Fox Run Mall to shop. The only thing I really wanted for my birthday was a cute toe ring. We found two, and I love them. After the mall, we met my dad at a steakhouse for dinner. The food was extremely good. Then, as a little surprise for my birthday and for our upcoming anniversary, my mother reserved a place for us at the Silver Fountain Inn--the very place we stayed on our wedding night. It's a complicated explanation, but basically we ended up staying at home with the family despite her really thoughtful gift. We wanted to save Mom's money but more importantly, we knew we only had limited time to spend with the family and so we made that choice. 

August 10 ~ Rainy day, Moultonboro Country Store, & Moulton Farms
It poured today, and I loved it. I had been waiting for rain for too long. We decided today to visit one of the oldest country stores in the country--Moultonboro Country Store. It has lots of fun gifts and old fashioned candy there, too. We walked around together and then headed to a local farm-stand to get fresh food for lunch.

View of the store in the pouring rain

Who got me those sweet blue jeggings, you ask? None other than my smart, tasteful husband.

August 11 ~ Kittery, Maine, Fort Foster, & Bugaboo Creek
It was another ocean day today. We went to Fort Foster and even though it was overcast, who doesn't love a sweatshirt day at the beach? I endured the windiness, knowing once I returned to Utah I would regret not loving every moment spent at the ocean. 

Skipping rocks at the ocean

With my best friend and eternal companion

After the beach, we drove to downtown Kittery, Maine to visit a huge candy store and Kittery Trading Post. We ate at Bugaboo Creek for dinner. 

With two cuties in Kittery

August 12 ~ Church, Andy & Molly's lake house, water volleyball & word games
After Church on Sunday, we took a few family pictures outside. They came out pretty great, and I especially like this one where everyone is all smiles...and no one blinked. 

My eternal family :)

I cannot share how much I love this picture

We headed to Andy and Molly's lakehouse for some water volleyball and quality family time. We stayed late and played word games like Boggle and Bananagrams. It was a great Sunday/family night.

August 13 ~ Fort Foster, browsing around downtown Portsmouth & ice cream at Annabelle's
Very nice day today. Because the weather was good, we went back to Fort Foster (my favorite beach because it less busy than most) and soaked up some sun. 

I loved watching them play :) Dalin, Payson, and Donovan

Once we were tired of the beach for the day, we packed up and went to downtown Portsmouth for ice cream at Annabelle's. We finished the day with another lobster dinner.

Eating lobster (again!) at home. The best.

August 14 ~ Lunch at Uno's, Tilton Outlet Mall & friend's night
We had a difficult time deciding what to do with the day, but since we were exhausted, we ended up taking it easy and going out for lunch--just the two of us--then we did some light shopping at an outlet mall. 

We had friends over for a game night later on and it was really enjoyable. 

August 15 ~ Funspot, dinner with grandparents & parenthood practice

We tried to take it easy today as well. We went to Funspot--the world's largest arcade--located in Meredith, New Hampshire, and played lots of games just for fun. On one game, I won the "Monster Jackpot." Not even just the regular jackpot. I won over one thousand tickets and it took forever to get them all. But it was so cool, so it was definitely worth it. 

Shortly after I won...these are only a fraction of the tickets 

Later that night, we went back to Andy and Molly's lakehouse to babysat our cousins, Jack and Cael for the night. My grandparents took us all out for dinner then brought us some ice cream. They are so wonderful :)

He is going to be the best dad. The boys loved  him. 

Out to eat with my grandparents

Handsome boys :)

August 16 ~ Panera Bread & Canobie Lake Park
We went out for lunch at Payson's favorite cafe chain and then to New Hampshire's amusement park called Canobie Lake for our very first time. My dad couldn't make it, which I felt bad about, but we had a good time--particularly on the water rides. 

After getting soaked on "The Boston Tea Party" ride

A really good picture of us on the log ride--pre-getting soaked

Waiting in line to ride the Corkscrew...ouch

My mom came on a ride with us! She hardly ever can, but it was so awesome that she did! 

In the photo booth...with our own camera ;)

We stayed until 10pm, when the park closed, and slept on the way home. It was a really good close to our trip. 

August 17 ~ The Sad Return 
The dreaded day. I was so anti-leaving, I would have been willing to quit my job and switch schools if I didn't have Dalin. But life can be hard, and though leaving New Hampshire and my family was really hard (and we were all in tears at the airport though we had promised we wouldn't be), I am comforted knowing that my family is forever and that no matter how long we are apart in this life, I have them for eternity. Knowing this, and having the loving hand of my husband to hold as we went through security leaving my family behind, were the only things that comforted me as we got on our plane to return to--what is temporarily--our home. 

Bye New Hampshire. I love everything about you. 

Our backyard on a wonderful rainy day

Gorgeous oceans