I'll take what I can get!

Shane and I only had three weeks of summer together before school started... at first I had a terrible attitude that three weeks was such a measly amount of time, but before I knew it we had plans every single day to do something FUN. I had been able to create such valuable memories with my love in the past few weeks than I had during the entire year!

On one of the days we took some friends out boating...

Kenzie & Rachel

Although this picture doesn't show it, we were flopping around like goldfish out of water... WOW.

Shane...my MR. INCREDIBLE

Oh yes, I had to prove to Shane that no matter how hard he tried to get me off...

I STAYED ON THAT TUBE!!

Really it was just that I was terrified of the tiger muskies eating me alive... but hey, it worked! ;)

Welcome, baby angel

Halo Serene...

7 pounds

18.5 inches

Grandma, Aunt Kenzie, and baby

baby and Mommy... Nina

Look at that adorable face!

Grandma and baby

Happy family... Nina, Eric, and baby Halo

Eric (my brother), Me, and Halo

It is hard to try to explain with words how touching it has been to have this baby here. Nina allowed me to experience so much of her pregnancy, including being at the ultrasound where we found out that Halo was a girl. Eric and Nina have been so good to allow me to be a part of their experience...it has filled a small void that my own heart has been yearning to fill.

Baby angel,

On Christmas Eve I heard the incredible news that you were on your way... my whole body was filled with excitement, so much so that it poured out of my eyes! As tears ran down my cheeks I noticed that Uncle Shane's did too; we were so happy for your Mommy and Daddy to have you...you were a miracle for all of us. As you grew stronger I thought of you... I wondered what you would look like, what kind of personality you might have... I yearned to hold you and tell you how much I loved you.

The night you arrived my heart grew. The moment I held you my love grew.

You are a very special one, Halo...

You are our very own baby angel.

I will love you to the heavens and back...always.

Unexpected Adventure

Since Shane was finding his own adventure at scout camp a few weeks ago, I found some for myself! My oldest brother invited me to go hiking up Bear canyon early on a Saturday morning because Shane was gone. 6:30 AM rolled around on Saturday and Cory (my oldest brother), Danny (my other brother visiting from Texas), Mat (my brother in law), me, and Dundee, Griswold, and Fletch (a shelty and 2 golden retrievers) prepared ourselves for the hike.

It was gorgeous! About halfway through we came to a jungle. HUGE ferns were growing everywhere (most of them taller than ME), and the trail could hardly be seen!

Eventually, despite our unpreparedness, we all decided that the hike would only be worth it if we could go all the way up to the radar towers. This picture is showing the last tiny bit of the hike UP (it seemed straight up) to get up to the trail leading to the towers.

Almost there!

Made it! (Cory, Me, & Griswold)

I can now say that I have hiked up to Francis Peak and all the way back down! It was a challenge, but it feels so darn good that I did it!

7.27.2011 = 4 YEARS!

Our anniversary started off with Shane riding up into Snow Basin to arrange the most beautiful bouquet of wild flowers for me... Shane is so sweet! That arrangement of flowers meant SO much more to me than if he had run to the store and bought some just like it!

That evening Shane surprised me with dinner at The Roof in Salt Lake. We had $96 saved up in our piggy bank...a perfect amount to spend on an incredible dinner spent with an even more incredible man!

We then took a stroll around temple square...


Then relaxed by the water fountains to watch other couples just beginning their lives together. We saw three couples taking wedding pictures and one girl get proposed to!

We then wanted to go up to the roof of the Conference Center. We hopped on an elevator with another couple who were visiting from China. None of us could figure out how to get up to the roof! (we also didn't know that the elevator requires a certain "key" to make it up there...) The couple we had just met seemed sad that we couldn't figure out how to get up to the roof, so we had them follow us to find someone who could take us there. We eventually ended up with a VIP tour of the top of the building! Most people don't get to walk and see what we were allowed to see. It was so fun, and at the end of our tour, our new friends gave us each a penny to make a wish into the fountains. What a fun way to finish out our anniversary date!

I feel so blessed to have Shane to share eternity with. We have had our fair share of trials over the past 4 years (resulting in health insurance paying over $100,000 for us), but each of those difficult experiences were accompanied by many, many blessings. What an amazing experience it is to spend every moment with the person you are madly in love with!

Now let's just keep our fingers crossed that the wish Shane and I both made with our pennies at the water fountains comes true...soon!

xoxo