the big M.

M is for Move.

we did it. we really did it.

the day after my dads party we packed up our cars with belongings, a cat, two dogs and a little brother and left bright and early with Salina, KS in our sights! 

we decided to take the scenic route since alex hadn't been to wyoming or colorado and none of us had been to kansas or oklahoma. it was so so so worth it. we made a quick stop at little america for ice cream and made our way to colorado. wyoming was surprisingly pretty and i especially loved the billowy clouds there.  

colorado was sooooooo pretty! it is hard to decide if it was my favorite part of the trip, but it was definitely one of them. we drove down through (around) denver and over into kansas. we were right behind a rain storm and it was perfect because everything was so GREEN and the skies looked amazing. this picture doesn't do it justice, but i knew none of them would so i just admired it as alex drove. the colors were all so vivid, alex and i couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was.

we amazingly made it to salina, kansas in one day. it was almost two in the morning by the time we got the dogs and cat settled in the hotel room and everyone in bed. we all slept really well, but woke up bright and early to two happy doggies! 

soon after leaving salina the next morning, we started seeing signs for a swedish town called Lindsborg. we obviously had to stop and i am so glad we did! it was the most adroable little town and we (especially jon) love allll things swedish! we purchased some swedish themed books, cards and pictures for our future home.

tomten heaven.

you guys have no idea how pretty kansas is. or do you? i shouldn't speak for you, but SERIOUSLY-i want to move there. the sky was so blue and the green fields went on for miles. there were trees every once in awhile and silos here and there. someday i will live there and be very happy.

we got out on the border of kansas and oklahoma to take pictures at both signs and let the dogs run free. sooo pretty, right? the dogs loved running around and it looked so funny to see them bobbing up and down in the tall grass. it was all fun and games (literally) until i found a tick on me as we drove away, stopped the car and jumped out to get it off of me only to find that i couldn't see him anywhere and then a day later had jon search me and discover a real live tick sucking my blood on my back. disgusting. 

oklahoma was a short drive, although we did make a quick detour through Moore where the tornado hit. jon was uncomfortable with driving around looking at other peoples misfortune but i didn't see it like that. i wanted to see the damage mother nature is capable of and it was shocking and really sad. we didn't stay long.

our new home.

bandit was so over this.

BBQ in forth worth, tx!

a couple hours from home i put bandit in the large dog kennel and let logan ride up front with me. i think everyone was happy except me who had to smell logan and his breath the entire rest of the way (he got a bath our first morning in texas).

1,658 miles later, we finally made it to the hagerman compound! i've never been so happy to see such a beautiful house! we made it at about midnight on saturday, june 8th. i can't believe it's already been three weeks! we are slowly but surely adjusting and are so excited for our next adventures...

we did a lot of things in utah.

and i would like to go back, please. 

we had so much fun while we were home and saw alllllmost everyone we wanted to.

 my dads heart had been on the fritz for a few weeks, so he couldn't do his usual things. i mowed the front lawn and jon mowed the back while we were there. the first day we were there jon was at his moms house when i text him saying i mowed the lawn. he said 'prove it', so i did. isn't that a great lawn?

 we got reunited with this kitty!! he was living with our friend for 6/7 weeks while we were living at the isaac's. i missed him so much that i wasn't even mad when he cried while i was trying to sing on the way home. jon drove straight to moab from san diego and i drove straight to salt lake. i was looking forward to driving by myself in hopes that i would cry the whole way to utah and get it all out of my system. finally around santaquin i turned on a sad song to get myself to cry it out and it worked. i cried for at least an hour while bandit was in the back seat crying right along with me. it was nice and i am glad i did it because i haven't cried about leaving san diego since! it's the little things. 

 my sweetie gurl started volunteering at an old folks home which is actually what she was born to do. i took her photo while she delivered her ombre cake to her 96 year old patient who really appreciated it.

franklin, id is a special place for our family. our family (generations passed) actually founded franklin. my dad grew up there and my grandma lived there until she died. she and my grandpa are buried in the cemetery there along with my mom. jon had never been to franklin with me, so i was really excited when we were going to be in town over memorial day. we drove up with my aunt and uncle and got the ultimate franklin tour, cleaned the headstones and put pretty flowers down. it was a nice day, i really loved it.

we don't see my uncle warren and aunt joan much, but we love it when we do!

 we stopped at casper's to get ice cream and it definitely delivered. my grandma had a never ending stock of casco's so even though i never liked them that much, i got one in her memory. :)

 we got to spend a night with jill and jason!!! they are newly engaged and i could go on and on about how much i love them. hanging out with jill is never ever a let down and my abs always get a work out from laughing so much. she and jason are great together and have an amazing house that they recently PURCHASED!

 we hiked mount timpanogos!

 how fun does this game look? my cousins made homemade ice cream and left the icy salt water on the table. we decided to see how long we could all leave our hands in for. my cousin brian literally had his in there for 15 seconds. jon obviously beat everyone out at 2 minutes 15 seconds and i beat the girls at a whopping 20 seconds! my little robbie set out to beat brian and did. by one second. 

(please don't try this at home)

this stupid little kitty is never not surprised!

 look at jon with our puppies! we had to introduce them because they made the move with us to texas!!!

 my father got a quadruple bypass while we were in town. his heart hadn't been doing well, so he bit the bullet and got the surgery just a couple weeks before his 60th. he didn't want to, but we are all sooooo glad he did! his recovery was so fast and he had all his daughters and sons in law in town to help him out when he needed it. here he is walking around the hallway for the first time after the surgery, so proud of him!

guess what, we hiked mount olympus!! we had 5 hours and 15 minutes to do it because we were going to see our sweet niece at her ballet recital and it was the hardest thing ever! jon was such a hiking machine and was so encouraging when amanda and i were tired and when my hands nearly froze and fell off of my body. we were on the trail at 6 am and were some of the only hikers and had the tip top mount to ourselves. it was the very best.

amanda wrote about it here. 

don't you think this looks yummy? i might have thought so too the night before i ate three of them in a row. we hung out with our favorite people mike and kim and devoured a 12 pack box of them. it was so sad and i hated myself for a long time, but we had so much fun besides that!!! 

we ate a delicious dinner at their place and then hiked to ensign peak (before it got vandalized). it was the same day we hiked mount olympus and that proved to make the hike to ensign quite difficult! we went off the trail which got us to the top in a timely manner but also destroyed our thighs. kim wrote about our night with them here. we seriously love them! i can't wait until they move to san antonio to go to trinity university........................

jon was such a good support to my dad. it was incredibly painful for my dad to blow into this thing and expand his ribcage but jon was so encouraging and was doing it all out of love!

we got to spend time with this cute family and loved every second! travis and jon get along really well and addie and i have been friends forever, so it just works. we love all three of them! the best part of the day was when we were playing 500 with the frisbee and addie picked it up and yelled a high number. she threw the frisbee and jon, with such determination, ran his heart out allllll the way across the field and made it to the fence just as the frisbee dropped into someones backyard. it was quite the throw!

my sweety gurl smile

those mountains sure are something, aren't they?

my sisters and i planned to have a big celebration for our main man for his 60th. we were going to do it on june 1st (his birthday is the 19th) since lizzie, jon and i would all be in town. a couple weeks before the party my dad found out about his heart and decided to get his bypass surgery while we were all there. i know that the party probably was never meant to happen and we all came into town so that we'd be there to help him. it's so amazing how things work out. since he was still recovering at this time, we decided to do a small get together with us and my dads sister and brother in law. it was perfect. 

my dad lovesss to golf! so my sisters and i got him personalized golf balls with his last name and birth year! i used one of the balls for his cake. (i got the idea off of pinterest. but i just looked at the picture and did all the rest myself! does that count for anything??) the cake was a hit and i think it was mostly because of emma's buttercream frosting. 

the main event was his present from the four of us. for about three months we have been collecting letters from people who know and love our dad. the day before his party we had about 40 letters and were really proud of ourselves, but somehow we managed to get 20 more straggling letters and reached our goal of 60 for his 60th!! i think he was really surprised and know he loved it. he cried when he opened it and that man doesn't cry often. it was so sweet to see his reaction!
i love my family so much and wish that i could have stayed there forever, or at least for the summer. it was a much needed visit and i couldn't be happier that jon and i were able to be there for my dad during his surgery and recovery process. we left a bit sooner than i felt comfortable with, but my sisters have done such a good job keeping him company and helping him recover even more and he is such a champion!
one more thing. my bff lyndsi is living with her parents right now with her little family while they are trying to sell their condo. almost every morning lyndsi and i were able to meet halfway (seriously!) and go running around our neighborhood. it reminded me why i loved growing up in murray so much and why she is my best friend. we have our own things going on, she graduated over two years ago and now has an eight month old while i'm still finishing school and am moving around, but we have stayed in such good contact and i am so grateful for her friendship! i love her and loved that we got to spend so much time together while i was home, someday we will live in the same state again and preferably the same neighborhood! :)