Seattle & The Salazars ♥

For a little while it looked like this might be my first summer without going home for a visit. Well, thank goodness for best friends who fall in love and decide to get married in the Seattle temple! Matt and I were both lucky enough to get the time off work for a drive up to Washington to witness the sealing of our great friends and even stay a few extra days for some fun family time. I'd say it was a nearly perfect trip. Despite my random intense irrational fear of hitting a dear as we drove through the night, we arrived safely, packed a whole lot of fun into 4 days, and then drove all the way back to Utah without any problems. We enjoyed making memories with mom and dad, Kevin and Carli and their girls (our fun with them was unfortunately under-documented), and Brayden who was visiting from Texas. Thank goodness for no dear in the headlights, a functioning car, beautiful weather, wonderful friends, and happy family!

Perfect day for a wedding!

The Salazars ♥

Couldn't love this girl any more than I do. I am so grateful I was able to be there as she was tied to Lee for eternity! From birth to death, this girl will be my sister forever and I love that we've been able to share so many life's special life experiences together.

Lee, you're a winner of a guy! So happy you and Rachel found each other!

This has to be one of my favorites from the day. It was a rather hot afternoon during the luncheon, and Matt was able to provide some relief for the beautiful bride as she ate her lunch. What a gentleman I married :)

Mom and dad, we had so much fun hanging out with you! You still owe us a hand & foot tie breaker though... 

And in case anyone missed it, i'm crazy in love with this man. We loved being able to attend a sealing almost exactly 6 months after our own and reflect on the wonderful blessings of eternal marriage. I'm so grateful to have him by my side as my life partner every single day.

What kind of true blue Mariners fan would I be if we didn't go to a game while in Seattle?! Safeco Field is easily on my list of top 10 favorite places on the planet and I was so happy to take Matt there for his first major league baseball game! Plus we stole Brayden away from his visit to Kevin and Carli and the girls to come with us and that was awesome too. I love Mariners baseball!!!!

And nothing can beat a view like this. Seattle, you're forever a winner. 

2nd Annual Bear Lake

The Davis side of Matt's family held their 2nd annual summer family reunion trip up to Bear Lake this year! I attended last year as the girlfriend with potential to stick around, and I have to admit I enjoyed going this year as the new wife who is officially part of the fam. I have loved Bear Lake every since the Perry family did a reunion there many years ago, and I always love the chance to go back. Laying on the beach, cramming family into an awesome house, eating tons of good food, and cherishing the world's best raspberry shakes. We also couldn't pass up the chance for some good old fashioned leg wrestling. Such huge thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Davis and everyone else who helps make this happen, we love it!

Matt vs. Jessica
Hey Jess, DONT WAKE THE BABY!

Jess vs. Jannette

My comeback

Until next year!

Texas Forever, 2015

Texas beckons, and I answer.

Maybe not so much just Texas itself, but the people there who I love so much and can't go too long without seeing. And actually, McKinney has my heart in many ways too after 15+ visits in the last 8 years. 

This summer I couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce Matty to our future home... well thats my big hope and dream anyway, that some day in the next 5 years we will move there. As many may remember, before I started dating Matt I had solid plans to move to Texas to start my big girl life, but falling in love and getting married changed that course for the time being :)! But oh man, going back there again, something inside me just clicks and it all feels so right. Plus its rated by many sources as the best city in the United States as far as raising children, careers and income, general cost of living, etc. SO... fingers crossed.

We had a fabulous time visiting with Kirstin and Tyler and the kids over 4th of July weekend!

Foursquare in the street in front of the house (once the sun goes down a bit of course). I hadn't played foursquare since elementary school and i'd forgotten how fun it is! Also these kids are so good at it. The competition is real. I got my butt kicked more than once.

Pool day! We didn't let any wind and rain stop us. We enjoyed having the pool all to ourselves for the afternoon!

For the 4th of July we kept it simple. Kirstin, Matt, and I killed ourselves that morning with a long run, then lazed most of the morning and afternoon away. We all headed to the soccer fields for fireworks later that night. 

Notice anything different? :)

Unfortunately Matt was only there for a couple of days and had to leave us on Sunday to go back to work. We were all sad to see him go!

In addition to Matt leaving, Ty and Brayden left early monday morning for scout camp. So for a few days we had a girl party! Bagels and shopping and nail painting!

My last day we went to the pool again. It wasn't that sunny, we weren't going to be there for long, and I foolishly chose to neglect my sunblock. So when I talked about how summer is the time for getting tan... in reality this is actually what usually happens to me.

 Texas changed Matt in more than one way! For one thing, he said to me, "Yeah I could live here" (!!!!!!YES!!!!!!). And for another, he shaved the ginger beard. I loved that thing, and my husband was a stranger to me for a few days after it was gone. But he's still my handsome Matty and I love him no matter what!

TEXAS FOREVER.

Summer: Hiking with some goats and puppies

It's funny, even though I finished school over a year go, I still start to get that end of summer impending doom feeling right around this time. I'm all like oh no, summer is over!? Back to the stressful difficult school grind?! But honestly not too much changes for me anymore. Sure, Matt will be back at UVU for the year and still working which means less time to play with me (boo) but I'll still go to work several days a week, working as a nurse which I love, come home without homework... and then get paid every once in a while for doing it. Graduating and having a job is the best! Don't worry friends (and dearest sister) I know many of you are almost there too! :)

This was my first full working summer, and while that can be a major bummer sometimes because there is no real full long break and sometimes having to miss out on things, there is still a different feel about this time of year. Its a time for bocce ball and fun vacations and reading Harry Potter and playing in the sun and weddings and getting a tan!

I have far too many pictures for just one post, so we'll take it a few steps at a time. Lets start with the very few times we've been cool enough to venture down to Provo and hang out with other cool people. Coupled wiiiiith... puppies and goats of course.

Early in the summer we did a monday night FHE hike to Stewart Falls with Rachel and Lee.... who are basically our favorite couple on the planet. 

Millions of peaches!

Then theres these girls. I can't believe its been two years since we met as counselors at BYU Sports Camp and became the best of gal pals. I love them like crazy, but it takes a serious miracle for us all to be available at the same time on the same day. But we finally made it happen for one whole hour, and what a glorious time it was!

Matt's parents' goats had baby goats! So tiny and hilarious, we had some fun playing with them when they were only one day old.
|| that beard though... more to come on that in a later post ||

PUPPY BARN! We dedicated a date night to go to a place in American Fork where you can just hold tiny little adorable puppies waiting to be adopted. This was so good for my soul.

 

Too hilarious of a face not to share!

Summer, to be continued...