November ~ So Blessed

 Justin has experienced some amazing classes at Utah State.  Here's just one of his many field trips.

Koop & Kato ready for the election, grand-doggies enjoying the first snow, Koop cruisin on his bike, Jeff & LeAnn enjoying the awesome movie - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (best childhood book and show!), Nick & Justin playing frisbee golf

We came home from the movie to this…. Our crazy and very anxious dog Nutmeg did all this, ugh! 

Now this is not the first time she’s destroyed things in our home or backyard, but it’s been a little while. I was hoping at age 8 she was finally outgrowing destruction but looks like that’s not the case. Nutmeg tried to escape through all the windows, chewed up the bottom of the door, and was whining and shaking when we got home. We think it was because the battery on the smoke alarm was going out and beeping sporadically, which she obviously didn’t care for. 

I was a little frustrated when I walked in the door to this mess, well maybe a lot frustrated, and I didn’t want to talk to Nutmeg for a little while as I was cleaning up. But as I thought more about the situation, it actually makes sense that when we’re feeling anxious or scared, and want to get out of something, we’ll do just about anything to escape. 

My favorite quote: “You either love someone or you don’t understand them.” There are things I don’t understand about our crazy dog, but I still love her. Even though in the moment I was not liking her actions very much.

Our dear friend Liz turns 60 and she still runs faster than me:)

Justin & Nick enjoying more frisbee golf

Played a duet in church with cute Laura ~ before and after pics (I was shaking the whole time, but did it!)

Jeff surprised me with Mannheim Steamroller at The Fox ~ so good!  Then we had a delicious meal at The Melting Pot, such a fun date💙

We love our weekly hangouts with Koop!

We were spread all over the US for Thanksgiving.  Koop in TN, Jeff in CA (his yummy meal from SWA), LeAnn & Kurt (last minute change of plans at the Korean BBQ), Brandon & Sarah in AZ (table all set), and Nick & Justin in UT with Grandma, Grandpa, Steve, Steph & fam ~ so grateful for everyone!

Dollywood

 Sure enjoyed going to Dollywood with the Cardons ~ Kimber is amazing at planning trips and packing in lots of fun!

Of course stopping at Buc-ee's there and back was a must😂

So many delicious restaurants, beautiful sunrises & sunsets, passed a random Trump store and had to stop to get pictures for our kids that voted for him, and our cabin was just off Kissing Way💙

Love mountain roller-coasters

2 days at Dollywood ~ LeAnn was brave and road ALL the roller coasters!

Dolly Parton is amazing!

Nativity, lots of eagles, and delicious food

Perfect weather, fun rides and shows, and great friends!

Opportunity to make a blown glass ornament ~ so cool!

Look forward to many more Dollywood adventures with our family~

October Fun

 Logan kids playing frisbee golf, Cannon loving his $2, Grandma & Grandpa Sweden adventure, Justin animal brains

October 5th in the pool with pool temp 78 degrees

Jeff's new Blackstone grill from working with SWA for 20 years ~ he cooks the best veggies and meat!

This year, I’m all about connection. It’s my guiding word and one of my favorite things! 

 Every day, I’m finding new ways to connect ~ with my spirit, my body, and my mind. 

For years, I’ve had one BIG goal: to do just one pull-up. Kurtis got me a pull-up bar years ago, and it’s been hanging in our doorway ever since. I walk under it daily, sometimes giving it a quick hang, but I never truly believed I could pull myself all the way up…until now! 

For the past 18 months, I’ve been working with my incredible trainer Nathan, and decided it was time to finally tackle this goal. Starting out, I didn’t have much upper body strength ~ my sweet grandma passed her cute shoulders down to me, and let’s just say most of my strength is in my “tail hiney” area😉 But with Nathan’s guidance and a lot of dedication, I’m proud to say I did a pull-up!💪 

Nathan’s been capturing my journey on video, so I can see just how far I’ve come. In the beginning, I could barely hang from the bar, let alone lift 10 pounds. And now…I’ve achieved my pull-up goal! Okay, so it’s not an A+ pull-up, more like a solid B ~ but it’s MINE, and I’m proud of the journey that has gotten me to this point. I’ll continue getting stronger, and have more dreams to pursue🌱 

*Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way, that might help you with whatever goal you’re chasing:

1. Keep Going. The only way to fail is to stop trying. 

2. Celebrate Every Little Win. Progress is progress, no matter how small! 

3. Follow Your Heart. Choose goals that light you up, even if others don’t get it. This is your journey.

 

Connecting with my body, mind, and spirit this year has been life-changing. I’m in awe of the growth I’ve experienced by being intentional with these connections.

Loved having Kristen & Koop come to our neighborhood party.

Keeping the homemade root-beer tradition going😋

Our favorite K's came over for Halloween.  Stopped a few friend's homes and enjoyed a golf-cart ride seeing the classic spooky yard.  Got to finish the night off with a Georgie story.

Utah Fun and Exciting News!

As soon as I landed in SLC, got to meet Steph for lunch.  So grateful for her!  Nick came and picked me up and drove me to Logan (best uber driver ever!) and we walked in Brandon & Sarah's home to very excited grand-doggies AND....

Brandon & Sarah are having our first baby girl!

Sure enjoyed time with Nick, Justin, Brandon & Sarah💙

Yummy dinners and frisbee golf

Got to have lunch with my 3 dear Logan friends~

Beyond thankful for Lori, Jenni & Stephanie!

Blessed to go to Logan temple, such a tender experience.

Last LDS Life Coach Retreat in Bear Lake.  This is my 4th year, I've been to them all.  Sure enjoyed connecting with all these amazing people!  So fun spending lots of time with Leah and learning more about my nervous system.  Rooming with Michelle again was a treat too.

Heather did another amazing job putting together this awesome last retreat!

Hawaiian Adventure

Kurtis & Kristen took us and her parents on a Hawaiian Cruise ~ such an amazing adventure!  We left a couple days early to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and see the temple.  We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott next door on the Northside of the island and it was glorious!  Those couple days were definitely favorites, and we won't go to Hawaii without going to the Cultural Center and doing all the fun activities at that hotel if possible.

Blessed to get on both flights even though they were overbooked ~ wearing The Chosen shirt helped:)

Such a beautiful temple and visitor's center.  There are rooster's everywhere.

We learned how to play the ukulele and do some hula dancing at the Marriott Courtyard ~ so fun!

The Polynesian Cultural Center is amazing!  Anytime we go to Hawaii, we're going there.

Doing a tour is the way to go here, they know all the best shows and activities see.

2 different places to get temporary tattoos ~ we did warrior and family ones

Learning about all the different islands is incredible.

The most delicious luau and show after ~ The Breath of Life

Such a nice hot tub, pool, and relaxing deck to chill on.

Another fun hotel activity teaching us to make leis and bracelets

Met up with Kurtis & Kristen and Darrin & Jennifer.  Went to a yummy Tiki Restaurant and walked to a donut shop.

Pearl Harbor was a somber experience and so educational. 

USS Missouri Battleship

Submarine 

Curvy and beautiful drive up the mountain with 3 short awesome hikes.

Our first snuba diving experience ~ we loved it!

Incredible views throughout the Volcanoes National Park

The youngest couple on the cruise ship;)

Kurtis & Kristen did an amazing job of planning this vacation.  We loved all our time with them.  I even got to do a gym workout with them both💙

Kona is amazing

Tandem Parasailing is delightful, along with a dip in the ocean.

Thought it would be fun to see the temple after parasailing, but didn't know it was under construction.  We walked up a good hill to find it and thank goodness a church building was next door to it and they were having a blood drive so we could take a bathroom and water break.

Tubing through 5 caves, lots of spinning and fun!

Kooper's flight to Ohio and fun while we were in Hawaii