Summer Wrap-Up

Well it's official - summer is over {well on Sunday I guess}.

As much as I LOVE fall - the leaves, boots, scarves, soup, pumpkins, etc - I am just a summer girl at heart so I'm slightly depressed to see it go. I just love the pool, being tan, flip-flops, popsicles, warmth! But I guess it's time to let go and embrace all that fall has to offer so here are the last of my random pics from this summer.

My BFF Brina came into town and we had a little high school get-together in my parents backyard like the good old days. Such a blast from the past and it was such a fun night!

Um remember that time when I went in for a quick touch-up to my roots and they went BRIGHT RED?! Oh ya, that was fun - NOT! 

Turned into a 3am hair session, for reals. But luckily my hair girl is amazing and after 6 HOURS she redeemed herself and I loved the outcome! And we are close friends so we had a blast staying up late coloring my hair over and over. I am slowly but surly going darker and closer to my natural. 

AND we wore the same outfit that night - great minds think alike! Too bad she just moved to DC so I no longer have a hair girl - HELP!

We always have to go to the Downtown Farmer's Market at least once a summer - even if all we get is the amazing Mint Limeade - seriously the best!

Meg and Jon surprised us all and came up for a visit! Love having our BFF's in town!

Al has become a major road biker this summer - love me a boy in spandex! :)

Hanging out on the porch with the nephews

Grilled peaches and banana's - the BEST summertime dessert!

A few weeks after Meg went back to AZ, Brooke and Chad came into town. Since all 4 sisters haven't been together since last Thanksgiving we needed to have some sister time via FaceTime!

BEAUTIFUL sunset - perfect view from my parents deck

While Brooke was in town she arranged a cousins night and it seriously was so much fun! Please excuse the iPhone demon eye situation going on up there!

We went to Copper Onion downtown and really could have stayed all night chatting away. 

Love my cousins and can't wait for our next date night!

Last but not least, Abby was in town so we met up once with our DG friends for dinner and shopping at City Creek, and then again with these Daybreak girls at Trio! So glad to have made the very best friends in my neighborhood, and so glad to have had Abs in my life since the college days. Don't know what I'd do without all my groups of amazing girlfriends!

Well there you have it folks - summer 2013 is o.v.e.r. AND I am officially caught up on my blog posts, yay! Never thought I'd see the day! Hopefully I can keep this thing a little more updated now. Goodbye summer - can't wait to see you again next year!

Summer Saturday

Has summer flown by for anyone else?? It's like I blinked and all the sudden it was August.  So once I realized that it was August and summer was coming to an end, I immediately made a Summer Bucket list to hurry and check off!

A few Saturdays ago we started on the list and I must say, it was a pretty perfect day! 

We started the morning off by driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon, past Alta to hike Cecret Lake.  Since my parents live at the mouth of Big Cottonwood I rarely go up Little Cottonwood and while driving up there I was just in awe of its beauty! I seriously can't get over how much I LOVE Utah, especially in the summer!  Our mountains are so amazing, I need to remember to not take them for granted! 

Fun, 1 mile hike (straight uphill) to a gorgeous little lake!

After our hike me, Al and Katie went to {finally} check out Saturday's Waffle. YUM! Why haven't we tried this sooner?!

Bud, Lize and Tommers met us there

I spent the day at the pool with my fam and then we met up with friends that night for my FAV, Pizzeria Limone then mini golf and batting cages at Mulligan's. 

TRYING to take a normal picture but we couldn't stop laughing

Love these girls!

Hike, waffles, pool, pizza, mini golf - it really was the perfect summer day!

Timp Half!

A few weeks ago I ran my second half marathon, the Timpanogos Half down American Fork Canyon to Lone Peak High School! I wish I had trained a little more but I still had a lot of fun and was happy with my time. 

EARLY morning on the bus!  We had to wake up at 3am to be the busses by 4:30!  The early morning and stupid bus rides to the start are the worst part about races!

Sara, Brittney, Eryn and me

So glad I had these girls to train and run with - I couldn't have done it without them!

Kylee, Keri, me and Linds

Loved running into friends at the finish! 

Man was I glad for the race to be over! At mile 10 I got THE WORST side ache and literally had to force myself to keep running for the last 3 miles.  Stupid cramp! If that hadn't happened I would've gotten a better time! Grrrrrr.

Eric, Tara, Me

Two of Al's cousin also ran the half and it was so fun seeing them at the finish! Cousins who run together, stay together!

We did it! 13.1 done and done!

I signed up for my next half solo and I am SUPER nervous.  I wouldn't have made it through this half if I didn't run next to Britt the entire time so wish me luck on having to run 13 miles totally alone {eeek}, unless someone out there wants to do the Big Cottonwood half with me in Sept?!

10 Year Reunion

How is it possible that I have been graduated from high school for 10 years??  I still feel like I'm 18!!  As depressing as it was that I was having my 10 year reunion, all of my friends decided that it would be fun to go to the reunion (sans husbands) and just hang out all night.

The actual reunion was pretty lame - it was in the Brighton cafeteria and catered by Costa Vida, pretty ghetto.  But at least all of us had fun catching up and hanging out!

We seriously had THE BEST group of high school friends, hands down!

All the girls on the "Senior Ramp" where we used to always hang out

Pretty sure none of us had ever even been in the cafeteria until the reunion?!

Had to take a pic with the same car I drove all through high school, LOTS of memories and good times with this car!

All the girls went to Red Mango after and hung out there until midnight! So much fun to catch up and hang out.  So blessed to still be best friends with all of them after 10 years!

Next up, 20 year??  Eeeek!

twenty-eight

How I am 28 years old?? I literally still feel like I'm 18! Too bad I'm almost 30 :( That seriously makes me want to cry! Despite the fact that I am somehow aging at a crazy rapid pace, my birthday this year was so much fun thanks to my cute hubby, family and friends! If you don't know, I looove holidays and like to make them special and a big deal so Al always likes to make sure my b-day is a fun day for me! 

The celebration started a few days before my birthday at Al's parents.  Me and Al have birthdays within the same week so Sunday's dinners are always a big party for us.  Al's fam knows me well - a big tub of Starlight Mint ice cream couldn't have been a more perfect birthday cake for me!

The day of my actual birthday I got up and got ready for work as usual, Al made me a green smoothie and I headed downstairs to leave when I saw this!! Isn't he the cutest?? Such a huge surprise! Each letter had funny names, words, drawings - and then 2 huge things of balloons AND flowers! He's a keeper! :)

Love these birthday Snap Chats from Meg and Kate!

 I took a long lunch break with my parents and Jack to go visit Ben and Rach in the hospital to see baby Russell who was born the day before. 

I am seriously obsessed with all of my nephews!!

 That night we went downtown to dinner at The Copper Onion

I can stuff my face full of food on my birthday, right?! So delish!

After dinner we went to see the gorgeous tulips at Temple Square and shop at City Creek

I'm pretty sure that when someone gives you a ton of balloons you have to go run around outside with them! :)

 It doesn't stop there! A few days later my friends took me out dessert at The Chocolate, my absolute favorite place!

Seriously love them all so much!!

Thanks to all of you for making my birthday so much fun!! Here's to another year!