8.20.2015

LAKE POWELL


After two weeks of living in Houston I decided it was time to go home...for lake powell!!!
It was a total last minute trip and I couldn't be more happy that I went, since I missed out last year being in Japan.
(I was so beyond sad that Brian, and Django, couldn't come!)

The trip started out with my flight being delayed, driving to LP that night and getting in at 2:30 am, and our room not being available!!! 
Like literally there was no one to contact and our room key was supposed to be left in the lobby, so we made camp on the lobby couches! 
There were only two couches and it was me, my mom, and my brother so my mom and I bunked up!


So we have a houseboat that we share with a family we've grown up with---the Paulsens.
The peeps in my family who went were me, my mom, dad, brothers and one of my brothers girlfriend.

^^my old man dad still skiing!

^^My brothers gf, Ashley, didn't know how to wakeboard and Derek taught her. 
Her face when she got up was priceless!


Every year everyone always has a new gf/bf and usually they have never been to Lake Powell,
one year I brought someone who knew about the coolest "crack" near where we park our houseboat. 
You climb these big rocks into this massive "crack" and walk across to the other side and jump back into the lake. It is so hard to explain but the coolest thing to do!
Only a few of us went this time and it was harder than I remember. 

 ^^the sunsets were killer!

^^although I love the wakeboard, I throw on the ski every now and then

^^my mom

^^cutie derek&ashley

 ^^Kirk skiing with the best background

^^it always looks way higher than it is when you're about to jump!
^^hike down from the indian ruins

 ^^not a fish I caught, will do anything to get a good picture of the wallet!


 @mercedesbrenz

Lake Powell is literally the best vacation ever, and if you didn't grow up doing it then you just don't understand how great it is. I would seriously choose this vacation over any in the world. 

After LP was my 22nd birthday!!!
So sad I couldn't spend it with Brian and Django, we grew up with breakfast in bed from my mom and our rooms being decorated. I was not expecting this at all, but before my mom left for work she got me a starbucks hot chocolate, a delicious croissant and made me delicious maple bacon!


I spent the day with my dad doing grocery shopping for the assisted living homes and he spoiled me with some cotton candy. Seriously bacon and cotton candy? My day was complete!

We met the rest of the fam that night for a movie night to see Mission Impossible and they surprised me with the sweetest gifts!


(These minions are from when I came home from Utah, Brian saw the workers at McDonalds throwing these away and asked if he could have them haha. They were the funniest surprise...don't mind that he spelled "birthday" wrong, I promise he's a smart guy!)



Happy Birthday to me!

8.19.2015

HOUSTON!!!


HOUSTON! My home now, and it is not what I expected! 
My in-laws drove down with us, thankfully, and we instantly found an apartment to live in and tried to do a few fun things while they were in town. 
We went to Galveston for a few hours to see the beach:

^^Wait, I don't remember Bri's beard looking that thick!!! 


@mercedesbrenz
Django seriously loved the beach so much!

^^They are best friends and sometimes it makes me very jealous...

Tom, my father-in-law, has a love for Bucee's! It is a huge gas station that has unlimited options of everything and they are known for their big, clean bathrooms haha!


Our first Sunday we hit up the Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston and it is quite beautiful!


Every weekend we are trying to discover a new, fun area--because there is seriously so much to see!
Like the #biscuitpaintwall

^^Seriously discovering new places with Brian is my favorite thing in the whole world!!

 ^^he shaved his beard without even warning me first, I walked into the bathroom and it was half gone! I wasn't too happy about that...but I mean his face is still adorable.

@mercedesbrenz

Houston is so diverse, there are different markets and restaurants from all around the world. 
Our favorite of course is the Japanese market! Ahhh, they have everything we love from my fave drink and Bri's--melon cream soda and calpis, to mochi ice cream, our favorite real Japanese ramen and our favorite, favorite rice triangles wrapped in seaweed!!!

&& of course there's Pocky, that you can find anywhere, but our first time trying cookies and cream!


We've been taking Django to the dog park, which are everywhere, so he can make new friends and he surprisingly likes jumping in the water which makes him look like a rat...


There is this massive Water Wall, right next to the Galleria mall, and it's pretty amazing!


Shipley's Donuts, I think, are super famous here because they are literally on every corner. 
Sweet Bri woke me up one Saturday with a dozen of them...I won't admit how fast we went through them.


Sunday's consist of naps and the dog park!


We went to the Museum District in Montrose, which I think is the cutest town to ever exist, and there are TONS of museums----that are free!
(We also loved going into the air conditioned museums because it is so hot here!)

 ^^love this guy

^^we did a little @framedwallet shoot with the pretty green fences!

Houston has been pretty fun, especially on the weekends when we find new places to visit and eat!
We love our ward and people have been beyond so nice to befriend us!!!