Utah

Every time I come back to UT I feel like I am coming back home.  Some of the best times of my life were spent here w/ my siblings and many of the greatest friends for 7 years.  A quick weekend trip actually turned into a 5 day trip since my preceptor was also on vacation.  I came up for Allison's wedding reception (we've been roommates for 4 years and she is the greatest) and of course to see my sister and brother-in-law and their newest addition to the family.  It amazingly worked out to see my little sister as well the first day I was in town so the 3 of us hung out all afternoon and evening w/ a cupcake picnic up at Sundance.  I LOVE THEM TO PIECES!  I also got to catch up w/ many UT friends and even finally catch up w/ and see a boy I've been in touch w/ for the last several months :) No, I am not dating anyone yet.  But there are a few possibilities on the horizon.

This is my cutest ever new little niece.  She is all smiles and wide exploring eyes.  Can't wait until I get to see her again!

Elise decided to let Erik take care of the new baby while we went out and had some fun adventures (her first adventure since before having the baby!).  We went to the Provo Farmer's Market, stopping at all the baby boutiques and admiring all the delicious eats for sale.  I was happy w/ the fresh peaches we purchased.  Then we headed off to Utah Lake for some good 'ol rafting.  It's always an adventure w/ my raft!  Typical for Utah - people out having picnics and blasting country music.

That night Amy and I headed up to Allison & Stew's reception up past Park City.  The 3 of us had been roommates for 3 years and we were finally being split apart!  Good thing we both approved of the man of choice :)  Such a cute and happy couple! Sorry about my abnormally large chin......

On Monday we hiked up to Stewart Falls, probably one of my favorite hikes in UT.  I have yet to hike Timp though, which I hear is pretty amazing.  Even the baby accompanied us!  What a trooper!  I decided I really enjoy hiking and need to do much more of it, especially when I go back to Oregon.  Ever since getting into mtn. biking, I haven't hiked nearly as much.  That's about to change!

My one regret of my visit to UT - not eating at J Dawg's.  But I'll be back at some point soon....it's inevitable!  I'm really going to miss these mountains.....

4th of July Weekend

My roommate, Abbey, got married last Saturday and so I flew to UT for the wedding. Elder Holland performed the ceremony. Bonus. It was AMAZING to be sitting there in the same room as him AND in the temple no less. It was a beautiful ceremony (Salt Lake Temple) and he had some really amazing things to say. I'm lucky I got to be there. Plus he said "hi" to me. Oh yeah!

The wedding was perfect timing as it was July 4th weekend. Double bonus. I love the 4th in UT. Celebrations started early on Saturday. My roommate, Amy, and I started off the celebrations with some shave ice (LOVE it!), followed by a rockin' pool party and BBQ. I got to see a lot my peeps from my old ward (MISS 'em!) and then we played some basketball in the pool. Yes, I showed all the boys up. It was a lot of fun.

After the pool party I met up with Elise & Erik for the Stadium of Fire. First time for all of us. And boy was it sweet! My favs were the sky divers that landed IN the stadium, Brad Paisley, and the fireworks. Oh. My. Gosh. The fireworks were AMAZING. Best finale I've ever seen, partly because they shook the whole stadium and my sis and I were going crazy. Just ask Erik. According to him we were screaming and shaking like crazy. Bahahaha. K, I admit it. We kind of were.....

Sunday night was a midnight BBQ (aka annual 1st BBQ of the 4th). It was SO much fun. Sariah, Amy, Dave and I were sparkler-ing it up. Take a peek.

After going to bed at 2:30 am, I woke up at 5:30 am to go to one of my fav parts....the balloon launch! Except they ended up not launching them due to weather. Bummer. Talk about disappointment. Didn't matter though. Anything with Sariah is guaranteed to be a blast.

I hit up the parade afterwards with some friends and then topped it off with a picnic up the canyon with my family. It was one of the most fun weekends ever. I miss UT tons and all my family and friends. Guess I'll just have to go back soon is all.

Sonya & Tyler Holt

Friday, June 11 was the day of all days for Sonya and Tyler......they were married in the Mesa, AZ Temple. Here are a few pictures for your delight of my little sis and new bro in law. Welcome to the family Tyler! We're so excited to have you!

Later that evening there was a luncheon (slash dinner) at the Arizona Grand Resort to celebrate. Lots of family and friends came to share in the special occasion, enjoy the delicious food, preview the wedding video, give toasts, and listen to Sonya and Tyler give their thanks and appreciation to each other and their families.

It was such a wonderful day and the weather was very cooperative, not too hot despite it being the middle of June in AZ. Everything was SO nice. The reception in Thatcher was last night and now they are off to Cancun, arriving back next weekend for the next reception in Sacramento, CA. Pics to come!

All photos by Erik Lono

Thatcher Reception

Sonya and Tyler's reception was AMAZING!! Sonya had come up with all of these ideas from looking at various blogs so we put them all together and the final result turned out much better than expected. Her colors were Tiffany Blue and Yellow with a hint of green and pink. Here are some pictures from Erik Loño, my bro-in-law, with his artistic eye. Probably one of the best receptions Thatcher has ever seen! The time flew by too quickly chatting and catching up with old family friends. It was so good to see everyone again!

The Gila Valley Temple Dedication

Yep, there's now a temple in my hometown. The desert of the Gila Valley now boasts gorgeous temple walls surrounded by fields and fields of equally beautiful white as snow cotton (well, only in the Fall that is, but who's telling?) Elise and I flew home for the dedication.

Saturday night was the TCC, or Temple Cultural Celebration, which they apparently have for each temple dedication. We unfortunately didn't get to go to it live at the football field, but watched a broadcast of it at the Stake Center. It was fun and entertaining, but also a bit cheesy. Lots of song and dance to tell the history of the Gila Valley - cotton farming, coal mining, Gila Valley Academy (now EAC), Spencer W. Kimball, the mormon battalion, etc. Pres. Monson opened with a few words and he and President Eyring actually sang a Spanish song. They are quite the pair!

Sunday was the actual dedication and I'm super glad that we were there for it. My mom, dad, and Elise got be inside the temple for it and Sonya, Tyler, and I just watched the broadcast from the Stake Center. It was really nice. Elder Holland gave a fantastic talk among others. President Monson is quite the character! He was outside for the cornerstone sealing and just chattin it up with everyone. He said they were expecting him inside, but he was having too much fun outside :) Unfortunately, we never got to see him in person, but nevertheless it was a lovely weekend.

In addition Elise and I threw Sonya yet another bridal shower (her third one to be exact).

In the Salt Lake Airport on the way home we saw Elder Bednar, Elder Cook, and Elder Gonzalez. They were on the escalators just in front of us. That was my first Apostle sighting! Closer than the Conference Center that is. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend with perfect weather - 90 degrees and sunny! (Might I just add it snowed all day in Utah the following day. Yuck!)

Weeked of CRAZINESS!!!

This last weekend was a busy one. My sister Sonya graduated from BYU from the College of Nursing and had two commencement exercises, Thursday & Friday. Congratulations Snowb! What an accomplishment!

Then my brother and sister-in-law had a party to reveal if their baby they are expecting is going to be a boy or a girl It was a lot of fun. They gave everyone a present and had them open it. Baby toys. But of course Erik took his sweet time and opened his last.....a yellow baby outfit. YELLOW?! What the heck does that mean?! Then they brought out the "real" present....pink outfits. A GIRL!! I am so excited for them and wish them the best. But let's be honest, I'm way excited to be an Aunt for the first time.

Saturday morning we had a bridal shower for Sonya. Good food, good games, good presents :) It was nice to have so much family from both our side and Tyler's.

My Little Sis is Engaged!!!!

Congrats to Sonya & Tyler!! I'm SO excited for you guys!

More Wedding Pics....by Will Duris