Coach Riley!!

The time has come!! Taylor and Brandon are coaching again. They have the same team that they had last year at Hillcrest. It's really fun to see all of the kids and parent's coming back this year. They all know that Taylor and Brandon have really turned this team around and are so appreciative that Taylor is coaching. They are such a nice group of kids and parents. We really couldn't ask for a better team and support system. All of the moms are extra supportive of me. They all know that I have no kids on the team and no real reason to put so much of our time into this. They tell me all the time that they are grateful that I not only let Taylor coach this team but that I come out as much as I can to support them. Let's go Huskies!!! It's going to be a fun year.

Down on the Farm

Taylor's little sister Rosey

Farm

This is a PIG!!!

Grandma and Grandpa's House

Taylor and had the opportunity to fly up to Washington and spend a few days on his grandparent's farm. His mom's family was having a family reunion because his uncle Joe, who lives in Australia, had come home for a few weeks. I really enjoy Taylor's mom's side of the family. Most of them live in other states so we don't get to see them very often. It was really cool to have everyone together for the first time since Taylor's uncle Jim past away 8 years ago. Taylor's grandma even turned to me at the family reunion and said "can you believe that two people created all of this?" Taylor's grandparents had 9 kids so you can imagine it's a pretty big family. We were actually able to surprise his mom. She thought that we couldn't get the time off of work and was sooo surprised to see us when we drove up to the farm. She came out crying and gave us a huge hug. She was so excited to see her baby boy. It had been over a year since we had seen his mom and little sister and we were over due for a visit. While I learned that I am no way cut out for farm life it was still a nice little vacation. Here are a few pics from the farm.

4th of July

Ok I know I'm way behind but I have a fairly good excuse. First July was just crazy busy for us and second, the power cord for our lap top is broken and it's not very fun trying to get this thing to charge once it dies.

We spent the 4th of July this year at my aunt Michelle's. We just hung out with friends and family. Our good friends Brandon and Kendra came over with their little munchkins. We had tons of fun lighting all of our fireworks. Here are just a few picks of the kids and Taylor. They loved helping him pick out which fireworks to light off next.

Riley Retreat

Taylor and I went up to his parent's cabin last weekend to help get some things done. Taylor's dad decided to build a cabin about two years ago and it's been a long, and I'm sure very frustrating process to get it where it is today. It's still pretty much a shell so we are still "roughing it" when we go up there but we had a ton of fun. We moved dirt, put in the doors, and got some of the deck done. It's going to be a long time before it's finished but even now we love going up there. The cabin is located between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant and it is just gorgeous. I know we'll will have many memories made at that cabin.

Front view

Sunset


The View

Moxley and Trouble had TONS of fun playing

Building the Deck

Back of the cabin

Front of the cabin

More deck building

Our temporary house within the cabin

Feeling Fortunate on Father's Day

Today is Father's Day and I can't help but feel completely fortunate and grateful to have my father in my life. He stepped up to the plate and took on a role that he didn't have to. Never once has he introduced me as his step daughter. I have always been his oldest daughter, one of four children. My dad is an amazing teacher. Not just professionally, he's a high school teacher, but in general. I have learned so many life lessons from my dad. He always knows just what to say to comfort me and help me through good and bad times. He's crazy and funny always makes me laugh. The above picture totally shows his personality. He is loving and kind and truly an example in my life. I don't know what my life would be like without him. I know that his heart is heavy today. This is his first Father's Day spent without his own father. But, I know that he is grateful to have his own children with him today. Happy Father's Day dad. We love you.

Baby Nicole

Baby Nicole

Taylor's cousin Kevin and his wife Kammi had their 4th child yesterday. They had a little girl and named her Nicole. Taylor and I decided to head over to the hospital tonight since it's just across the street from us, and visit them. She is an adorable baby. Congrats to Kevin and Kammi on their new daughter and to Aurora, Courtney, and Damon on their new little sister.

Clever Wiener

I guess Moxley was cold the other day and the blanket just wasn't cutting it. She some how managed to get herself under a pillow to stay warm. Quite the clever little wiener!

Regan's Recital

Our good friends Brandon and Kendra's daughter Regan had her dance recital last night. She asked Taylor and I if we would come way back in October and she was so excited to see that we really came. Her program was at Kingsbury Hall and they did a Wizard of Oz production with kids of all ages. Regan was one of the scarecrows and she did such a good job. She was very precise and was always checking to make sure the other girls were doing what they should be. It was very cute. We were so proud of Regan and are really so grateful to be a part of these little munchkins lives.

P.S. Totally bad pictures of me but very cute of Regan and Taylor. Long day at work + getting sick + rain = scary!!

Road Trip

Taylor and I decided to take a little road trip yesterday and head up to Evanston to get some fireworks for the 4th of July (all completely legal in Utah). My cousins Dillon and Laura drove up with us. We got to the Phantom Fireworks store knowing that we would probably spend a fair amount on fireworks, we always do, but we were shocked by how many fireworks we got for free. First off every firework was by one get one of equal value free. What a deal! Then if you spent $129.00 you got $140.00 in FREE fireworks. We quickly found out that non of the free fireworks we were getting for spending $129.00 were legal in Utah. We thought that we were just going to get kinda screwed but we didn't. They were totally cool and willing to swap the $140.00 in free fireworks for ones that are legal in Utah. All in all we came home with nearly $500.00 in fireworks and didn't spend even close to half of that!! I'm so excited. The 4th of July has always been one of my favorite holidays. I LOVE lighting fireworks even if they are just the silly Utah fountains. On our way back from Evanston we stopped in Park City and had lunch/brunch at the Loco Lizard. I had the yummiest egg casserole. I would definitely recommend it for brunch. After we had full bellies we ran over to the outlets because I had wanted to get some croc flip-flops. They are $40.00 here at the mall and they have a new crocs outlet in Park City so I figured I'd see if they were cheaper there. We ended up getting 3 pairs of crocs shoes for $30!!! We had so much fun yesterday. It was really fun to just hang with Laura and Dillon. My family really is so close and we love spending time together. All in all it was an awesome day.

Going Veggie

Taylor and I have decided to go vegetarian. I'm extremely picky when it comes to meat. I don't like to cut it, I'm always examining it for fat, I won't eat meat on the bone, and the thought of touching raw chicken makes my squeamish. I had slowly been eating less and less meat and had been thinking about going vegetarian for a while but when Taylor brought it up to me a few weeks ago we decided to take the plunge. Today was day one of our veggie life and I have to say that I think that this is going to work out great for me. Eating veggie style isn't as hard as shopping veggie style. You don't realize how many things have meat in them until you really start looking. My Aunt Michelle and cousin Laura have been vegetarian for a few years now and that makes it easier. They have tons of good meal ideas and great advice to make sure we are still getting all of the protein we need. Hopefully this will be a healthier way of living for us.