My Best Friend's Wedding

Debra has been one of my very best friends since we were in the same kindergarten class over 17 years ago, so you can imagine what an incredible treat it was for me to support her at her wedding on July 22. My mom accompanied me to the sealing and luncheon, and Shane was able to spend the entire night with me at the reception...it was such a beautiful and fun day!

Look at that BEAUTIFUL dress!
Carter, Debra, Debra's Mom, nephew, and Dad

Debra and Carter...they just adore each other.

Karlie, Sidney, me, Debra, Franki, Kiera (and little baby girl!), & Jenny.

At the reception I was able to visit with Katie and Abby... we also went to elementary, junior high, and high school together. Katie now lives in Chicago and I haven't seen Abby since high school so it was very fun to see them and hear about the wonderful things they are doing with their lives!

Carter, Debra, Kenzie, & Shane

I feel so happy that Debra found such an amazing guy to spend eternity with. It is so clear how much he loves and cherishes Debra, and I don't know if he will ever realize how important that is to so many people!

I LOVE YOU DEBRA!

our summer hasn't been uneventful...

We have had tons of fun!!

We began our 4th of July holiday by hiking up Adam's Canyon. We experienced beautiful scenery, but even more beautiful was being able to spend that time with Shane!

Also in July we happily enjoyed the annual family vacation at Bear Lake. Boating, swimming, band-aid tattoos from my latest excursion at the doctor, bike riding... and my personal favorite, dancing on the deck with my love while the sun set over the lake.

Here was something new... I have been dying to visit this place for YEARS. Shane took me to Utah's very own,

HOGLE ZOO!
And I must say, I had more fun than I had even expected!

The bird show was INCREDIBLE. I never knew I could be so fascinated by flocks of doves and roosters, and it was amazing to see some of the more exotic birds. Shane and I learned so much during that 30 minutes!

Ah, the armadillo! I was so excited to see one of these cuties. It was my FAVORITE animal as a child, and I think it still might be...just look at that awesome little creature! (he was a little nervous...hence the head buried in the sand...)

And of course... the giraffes. Always a crowd pleaser.




It was really exciting to see mommy elephant with her baby, Zuri. Little Zuri would mimic everything her mom would do. It was so precious.



We also stopped by to say hello to a few of Duke's family members. We apologized for not being able to take them home with us because we know Duke would just LOVE having them around! Oh well, I guess we can visit often enough, right?

Well this summer has been much different from the other 3 summers Shane and I have spent together as a married couple. We have finally been able to actually enjoy playing together without ending up in the hospital with some sort of terrifying injury!

Hmmm...maybe I should go find some wood to knock on...wouldn't want to ruin our chances of FINISHING out the summer the way it STARTED! :)

:)

Beautiful Bryce Canyon

In June Shane and I went camping down South to Bryce Canyon National Park with two of our greatest friends, Mike and Rachel. Shane and I had both been to the park and fell in love instantly with the beautiful natural formations, but neither of our friends had been there so we knew that it would be a perfect trip!

We arrived in the park at 1:00 AM and COULD NOT find a site to set up our tents. After searching in the dark for an hour, we settled on sleeping in the car at Ruby's Inn parking lot (hmmm... ghetto? yes.) Keep in mind there were all four of us packed in there!



"Wall Street" hike on the Navajo Loop trail




Just coming out of the Navajo Loop trail

Can you find the statue of Queen Elizabeth?

Back at camp, eating our DELICIOUS tinfoil dinners. This was a first for Rachel... she loved them so much I worried that she was going to eat the rest of ours! ;)

Starting Day 2 of hiking

Awww... how sweet

Cute Rachel and Mike, enjoying the little bit of shade we could find

'Inspiration Point'

Shane, Kenzie, Rachel, & Mike at 'Bryce Point'

You can see how far we hiked on Day 2! Shane is pointing to our campground, and I am pointing to 'Bryce Point', the furthest place to hike in the park. GO US!

After dinner on day 2 we went exploring on part of the 'Rim Trail' just a few steps away from our campsite. We saw some pretty amazing things while the sun was setting!

Shane & Kenzie

Rachel and I climbed into a small archway that looked out over the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. It was also a drop off... fun!

And no vacation would be complete without Shane testing his limits and scaring both Rachel and me HALF TO DEATH... but hey, he's one adventurous fellow and I've got to hand it to him that he kept his balance despite the cliff he was hanging over.

Day 3, on our way out of the park...

On our drive home we stopped to do one more 6 mile hike called 'Calf Creek'. It was HOT and very SANDY but very worth it because we made it to....

THE MOST AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL WATERFALL!

The hike was SO worth it.

Mike, Rachel, Kenzie, Shane

What a wonderful vacation spent with wonderful friends. We laughed our hearts out all day and had a blast together. Now we need to decide where to go next, if you have any suggestions let us know!

Grand Canyon (Shane and I haven't been)

Arches National Park (Shane and Rachel haven't been)
Mesa Verde (Shane and Rachel haven't been)

One of the nights at Bryce Canyon Shane and I went out late onto the Rim Trail and looked up at the diamond-filled sky. Everything was full of such beauty, and it was impossible to not thank our Heavenly Father for creating such masterpieces for us to enjoy!

Once Upon a Time...

There were two casts of cute green grasshoppers, one cast of sunshining beauties, and one darling little Christmas tree that danced their way on the stage for Clytie Adams' 2011 Recital.

(Fables: "The Grasshoppers and the Ants", "The Sun and the Wind")

And of course, the recital wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without my sweet neice, Savanna, who played the Christmas Tree in the story of "The Little Match Girl". I was fussing over her the entire time as if I were her mother! Poor thing... but she was absolutely ADORABLE! I couldn't help myself! ;)

I don't ever want to forget how blessed I feel to teach at such a wonderful ballet school. I get to work with such amazing little children who fill my world with so much sunshine, not to mention the amazing teachers who have all become best friends and mother figures for me! I know that I have the best job in the world... :)