Fall 2014- Part 2.

And... here's part 2 of our travels/experiences as of late.

My mother-in-law came to stay with us for a few days and we loved showing her around! We shopped, ate amazing food and played with the dogs.

Beach days with my little family are the best. 

After spending some time here in Palo Alto, we journeyed down to Carmel and Monterey.

I love traveling with Cindy because she helps me find fun scenes to paint. :) 

The Carmel Mission is absolutely beautiful and extremely peaceful. 

I'm probably going to paint this window next, so I will have to show you the finished product once it is done. 

Then, after all of that fun in the Bay Area... I went up to Oregon with Cindy for a week. We played and painted and got everything ready for Kelsey to come home from her mission!

Unfortunately, that preparation also included sending Anne in for some minor procedures... she was hating life.

I titled this photo... "Clueless." She had no idea what was about to happen... 

And.... after.... 

Let me just tell you-- if you want a crash course in early motherhood, have your hyperactive dog undergo surgery. After a few nights of staying up until 4 am, I was definitely feeling amazed by all the mothers out there who do that every night for their little ones.

But I also think that this experience gave me a chance to learn a few lessons (especially before kids), including how to accept help from other people. I tend to be a very proud person and I wanted to be able to do this all on my own (Bryan was still in California for work) and I hate being a burden to other people, but after a few nights of no sleep, I had to swallow my pride and let other people step in. And I am so thankful that I had loving family around me who were willing to sacrifice their own sleep to help me out.
PS-- I also quickly gained a deep appreciation for animal tranquilizers. (Not sure how that plays into motherhood, but I'm sure there's a lesson there somewhere...)

After all of that, I got to be there for one of the most amazing moments ever...

Yeah... we had all lost it by this point... 

Is there anything sweeter than this? 

I know Kelsey will probably kill me for putting this picture up, but I just love it so much. It's such a big sacrifice for a mother to send her child away for 18 months...

LOVE. 

I'm surprised that you can't really tell in this picture-- but we were all crying like babies. The whole experience made me so excited for that moment when I will get to hug Courtney again... 

Family! 

So happy to have one of my best friends and sisters home! 

And....

This picture didn't really fit in anywhere, so I'm putting it here. I popped in a little late to one of Cindy's painting lessons and tried to catch up to the rest of the class. I really do love to paint and I'm definitely getting better. Cindy has challenged me to start sharing my art, which is something that is really difficult for me-- I don't really know why. But I have to start somewhere. So... ta-da!

"A Horse Named Magic."
Not totally finished, but pretty close-- I don't have a picture of the finished painting yet...

I have a few more random things to share, but for now-- I think I am mostly caught up!
(Are you so proud of me, mom?)

Thanksgiving 2013

I was lame and took zero pictures this Thanksgiving break. Oops.
We were just having too much fun. (Not sarcasm, we really were having so much fun.)

We spent our break in Bend, Oregon. {In our top 5 favorite places on Earth.}
I have loved all the time we have been able to spend with Bryan's family this year. I can't believe how quickly they have become some of my best friends and closest family.

The unbelievable view from the Briggs' home. 

We watched lots and lots of unbelievably fantastic football.
We ate more food than anyone wants to admit.
We saw Captain Philips, Ender's Game and Catching Fire.
We watched home videos of Bryan playing soccer.
We ate lots of pie and chex mix.
We helped Bryan's family with their family history.
I spent hours painting watercolor with Cindy. (My new favorite hobby...)
We talked about Stanford and Palo Alto.
We went shopping on Black Friday. (Macy's gives out chocolate while you wait in line...)
We definitely played Monopoly Deal.
We walked the dogs.
We wrote letters to Sister Briggs.
We laughed.
We Skyped my family in Utah.
We created new memories and traditions. (Like de-feathering our own turkeys...)
We did lots of dishes, but so enjoyed the time spent together in the kitchen.
We read books.

And eventually, we had to say goodbye to dear family and come back to Utah.
I love Thanksgiving in Bend with the whole Briggs family. I love them.
I love this holiday. I love spending time thinking about what I am thankful for.

Bryan and I are so very blessed. We have wonderful families who are our closest friends. We have been receiving wonderful education. We have a shining future ahead of us in California. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have each other. I think I am the most blessed girl in the whole world.

Happy Thanksgiving.

City by the Bay.

Well.

After two months in San Francisco, Bryan finished his internship.
So we packed everything up and headed back to Oregon.
We will be here for a few days before meeting up with family in Alaska.

I cannot believe how fast our time in SF flew by.
We absolutely loved living in the Bay Area and I hope we can get back sometime soon.

After Bry finished his last day of work!

This is only half of the clothes I miraculously fit into that one suitcase. 

Where we stopped for gas on our drive to Oregon.

I love the old car festival in Bend. 

I love that man. 

We are so happy to have a few days in beautiful Bend. We love this place. 

San Francisco, we will miss you-- thank you for being wonderful.

Future-- look out! We are coming! :)