yellowstone & island park, picture overload

each year ben's side of the family ventures up to island park or jackson hole for a little family vacation. 

they did this even when they lived in california. 

i have been hearing about this infamous island park trips for a while now and this year did not disappoint. 

 we had a blast!

we played at the lake everyday, went into west yellowstone and yellowstone, had a few campfires, rode four wheelers, played endless games, ate yummy food and laughed a lot. 

it was a nice little weekend getaway. 

& can't wait for next year. 

ok, so this picture does not do "old faithful" justice. in this picture the water looks about a foot high. but it was actually pretty sweet in person. 

i had not idea that people came from all over to see something that has been an hour and a half away all along. 

we met a family from france and a million asians. crazy.

the only bummer part was that ben and i had to leave the fun a day early so that we could both get back to work. 

that was rough. 

but thats life.

it was a fun time with our family regardless and we loved it!

ps. 

i realize that about three quarters of these pictures are just of our nieces and nephews but we can't help it. 

we're kind of obsessed with them.

san francisco

a couple weeks back i was able to spend some time at home in fresno. 

it was so so good to be able to be at home with my family again and spend quality time with them. 

while i was there my dad, 2 bothers, sister and i decided to take a little day vacation to san fran. 

i hadn't been there in a while so we took advantage of the good weather and hit up pier 39 and an A's game. 

i seriously love that place. 

i wish ben could have gone too. he grew up in the bay area and i know he would have loved to have gone back. 

needless to say, we had a great time:)

i felt bad my mom and other sister were not able to come. 

but only a little because mckenzie was in NY and my mom was in washington. 

boo.

here are a few pictures from out little adventure. 

AND...


on my way home i got to see this woman.

seriously...HIGHLIGHT of a lifetime. 
i almost peed my pants. almost. 
i had a layover in phoenix and brooklyn picked me up. 
we drove around in a freaky thunderstorm while i ate taco time (don't judge) and then went back to her house and had girl talk. 
it was the best. 
i know i look a bit haggard in this pic but i had been in an airport all day, ok?


AND this girl.

who just had her sweet baby boy and is now a MOM!
seriously so crazy. 
but he's the sweetest little man and i can't wait to meet him. 
it kills me that whit and i don't live closer to each other. 
because if we did i would sleep over at her house nineteen days in a row...just like the old days. 

one year's time

one year ago from this past saturday i made a promise to spend the rest of eternity with my very best friend.

i remember every detail of the way that ben proposed to me and i wouldn't change a thing about it. 

august 20, 2011...

second best day of my life. 

nature at its finest

as mentioned earlier, we went to mesa falls with my parents while they were here. 

clare and kevin loved it!

it's so so pretty up there. 

idaho truly does offer some of the most beautiful spots that often get overlooked. 

ps. 
it's wednesday. 
which means i get to see benny tomorrow. 
cue the hallelujah chorus. 
i CANNOT WAIT.

and then i graduated

this is the first of a slew of update posts that are sitting {unchecked} on my to-do list. 

let's start for the beginning.

___

about a month ago i finally "graduated". 

i say "graduated" because technically i don't actually get my diploma for about three months.

but until i have the hard evidence you'll just have to take my word for it, okay?

graduation was a blast! 

my parents were able to come up and spend the weekend with ben and i and ben's side of the family. 

they joined us for my graduation festivities, we had a BBQ with the webb's, played lots of volleyball, and were able to take them up to mesa falls. 

it's still weird that i am actually graduated. 

i got my bachelors degree in sociology and don't regret it for a second. 

i loved everything about my major and will seriously miss my little home in the ricks building. 

here are a few pictures. 

it was a real good weekend. 

a quick hello

my goodness the past few weeks have been cra-zay.

the parents visit.

i graduate.

fresno for a while.

san francisco.

we move.

job hunting.

start internship.

house organizing/decorating.

it's been crazy but oh so fun. 

minus the part where i didn't see my husband for 12 days. 

yeah. that will never be happening again. 

no one should ever have to experience that. 

i wish i was uploading pictures. 

but truly i have no idea where to start and i don't even have my camera with me right now. 

so that will have to wait until i can mentally prepare myself for the process. 

anyways, i'm currently down in utah teaching swimming lessons to young little kiddos. 

i love it. 

the kids are hysterical and adorable. which keeps me entertained. 

however i cannot wait to go home to my husband tomorrow night and then leave for island park this weekend for a little webb family reunion. 

we're REAL excited.

welp. 

now that this has been the most random and semi-pointless blog entry, i will leave on this note....

i was watching a really interesting news segment earlier. 

it was about our nations current economic status, our nations credit and the spirit of entitlement that is sweeping our country.

anyways, in no way am i trying to make some political statement. 

i haven't even really decided how i feel about mitt romney. 

but i do feel that pertaining to this issue, he couldn't have said it better. 

so i thought i would share. 

that is all.

watch the clip here.

hopefully i will find time to do a major picture catch up soon. 

but until then...

happy wednesday!

ps. 

just stumbled upon this quote. 

a great reminder.