"The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead"- Majorie Hinckley

We sure have been enjoying these last few weeks! Instead of the normal "seven week break" most BYU Idaho students are experiencing mine is only four weeks because I'm student teaching this semester so I am on the little kids schedule! And I have to say... I don't currently have the the problem Sister Hinckley is describing! At least not in the short term sense.  I'm nervous and stressed about teaching so I'm hanging on to these last days of my short little summer with all I've got!

Warning... This is a very long post with lots of pictures! 

When school ended for me at the end of july we started the little break celebrating our friends graduation and hanging out with Brian and Jennica who came up for the Warnke family reunion that didn't quite involve as many Warnkes as it did Bagleys, Van Blerkoms, and Dustins.  Haha we were small in numbers but it was a good time!  After that first weekend I headed to California to pack up my childhood! haha Dad's finally cleaning out the house and asked us to come get whatever we wanted, so I did. And man was it a lot! Christopher and I are now the proud owners of a storage unit! All I really did was pack and sort and pack and sort.... All day every day! However, I did at least manage to eat some really good food from a lot of my favorite places!

Best sandwich ever from Brass Bear! Can't believe I only got one

Delicious pizza from Ascona's

Absolutely delectable fruit from Costco

And of course a yummy snicker doodle from a super quick stop in at the mall

I also got Basil Leaf Cafe which was incredible! Anywho.. the week was also full of fun surprises like finding the doll and matching dresses I always try and describe to people! I can't believe I still have both outfits!

I even got to see Janelle and then Amy (for the first time since getting married!). It was  fun! But boy was I was glad to see my sweet husband when he arrived at 1:30 in the morning on Saturday! He and our awesome friend David drove all the way from Idaho just to come and get me.  They spent one crazy day in California before heading back to Idaho.  We were able to take David into the city for a few hours and show him around a bit.  My favorite part was seeing Christopher's face when he got his seafood lunch from Joe's Crabshack. I don't like seafood so he really doesn't get to eat it often enough.

The view from our table at lunch!

View of the Golden Gate from a spot near one of the old military bases

Lombard Street! Always freaks me out going UP the street in order to go DOWN this one.  And this time I had fair reason to be freaked! We got backed into by some girl who couldn't get her car to move forward (no damage thankfully)

We even stopped in Oakland on the way home and took a quick walk around the terrace of the temple Christopher and I were sealed in!

 After the city we were all exhausted and talking about naps but got to work instead! I still had to run through my mom's closet one more time which I did while the boys messed around with whatever they could find, keeping me company.  And then came the fun part...packing the truck and trailer.  It took us 6 1/2 hours total! We weren't done till past 11 but still took a quick swim in the pool before hitting the bed for a few hours.

My bright, bright, empty room.  Sooo weird!

I couldn't be more grateful for these two! Seriously amazed at all they did for me!

So after that crazy Saturday it was back to Idaho! We spent one day in Rexburg before going out to Driggs for the week so Christopher could get a little more sleep.  Then that weekend was the Dustin family reunion! They are so good about doing it every single year as per Christopher's grandparent's request.  It is always the first weekend in August so we missed it last year do to a wedding.  Christopher was really excited and so was I! We had lots of fun! Hanging out, swimming, watching a movie on the lawn, farmers market, golf.. it was a great weekend!

Sophie was so tired after swimming she konked out on the grass! She just looked so cute!

Cute little sleeping babies with their cute little feetsies!

Christopher and Todd just hanging out

Tyson and Christopher tried to play basketball with a football...

Isn't he handsome :D

Christopher playing ball with one of his cousins kid

We played these awesome minute to win it games that were just hilarious.  This one was called mad dog

He can't ever be serious!

Emma did one were you put vaseline on your nose and move cotton balls from on bowl to another

Christopher had to transfer three empty cans and three full ones between his two hands without dropping any

This is cute little hayden and his dad Kyle

After the reunion we spent a couple days in Rexburg organizing the storage unit of stuff I brought back from California and using it to make some changes around our apartment.  I wish I could display more of my mom's things but there's just no space! I love our little place and I definitely don't want to move any time soon with how much stuff we've just got... it was bad enough before! But before we really finished with the apartment we went out to Driggs for a few days and FINALLY got to go horseback riding! (I've been wanting to for three years now).  It was my first real ride on a trail and it was a bit scary at parts! Some of it was pretty steep and narrow, I would have been nervous even on my feet! But I enjoyed myself immensely anyways and can't wait to go again!

My cute husband and our trusty guide/friend Nick who let us borrow his gorgeous horses! 

Well after our ride we came home so that we could get to bed since Christopher has to be up so early for Bishopric meetings! But we got everything done with the apartment so heres some pictures of that too cuz I thought they'd be fun to have for our kids to look at some day.

This is right inside the front door to the left

This is inside the door straight on

This is the living room (or just inside to the left of the front door)

Our small little kitchen with Christopher being a goofball

The bathroom

We have to close the door cuz the sink is a little alcove behind it. Its messy so don't look to closely! haha

The hallway has the bathroom to the left and then a bedroom on either side

This is our bedroom. Theres a closet to the left of the bed and thats a big dresser on the right that I didn't get pictures of

This is the new addition... my teenage furniture in our guest room!

A view from the small closet in the room

My cute husband being goofy yet again! 

Welll that's all for now! I told you it'd be long!  I'm off to get some things done and have some more fun before its back to school for me!

Stay Smiling
:D