Utah in the Fall

We just returned from an unexpected trip to Utah. We celebrated the life of Robert A. Pixton and did the things that he would enjoy doing with us:

Temple Sealings:

Picking Raspberries, tomatoes and Grapes from his garden (and then enjoying how delicious they tasted!)

Going to the Mountains:

Spending time with family:

More to come.

Phoenix in 24 Hours
My company had extra American Airlines flight vouchers that had to be used within the next 4 weeks so they gave them away to employees.

I was lucky enough to snag one and find a flight to Phoenix to attend a family friends' wedding. Lou Anderson has been my #1 supporter since I was 15 years old. He was my families home teacher and actually gave me my first car (a 1981 yellow volvo- classic); he cheered me on as I studied abroad in London and also attended my wedding in St. George (in addition to attending all of my siblings weddings to date). He is an incredible person and forever our Home Teacher. I feel so blessed to have been able to support him on his big day.

Outside the temple waiting for the happy couple.

 Other things I did while I was in Phoenix:

• Lunch with Holly Hansen and Scott Selin -- two of my favorites from grad school. 
• MIM- Holly works at this amazing new museum in Phoenix- the Musical Instruments Museum. If you live in the Phoenix area you MUST go! It's incredible. 



Isn't this the biggest instrument you have EVER seen?

• Parents - my parents were also there for the wedding so I got to spend some extra time with them. 

Nanie and Popsie and Aunt Jewels.

Cousins-in-law.

• Merrills/Stapleys- Nanie and Popsie met me for lunch along with Uncle Brent, Aunt Julie, Megan, Brandon and Logan! We had a blast!!
• Nodstrom Last Chance- It's always worth stopping into... you never know what you are going to find there!

I made it home in time to catch the awful BYU vs. Utah game with Ryan and teach my YW in church on Sunday. Quick trip but so worth it.

Celebrating 2 years on Lake Michigan
(note: lots of photos-I crammed a potential 2-3 posts into one.)

As our 2-year anniversary approached, we wanted to find fun little ways to celebrate it here in Chicago, since our real celebration will begin in Italy next month!!

Ryan kicked things off with a gorgeous dozen roses Friday night before we went to Fondue at Gejas (which was so special, reminding us of our honeymoon-- we ate fondue at the top of a mountain in Tahiti overlooking the ocean). I have to say, the food was much better at Gejas, but the view left us wanting.

Saturday, we made a Cracker Barrell breakfast (the brunch we had the morning after our wedding day).

Then we headed over to Navy Pier to go on a Tall Sailboat! It was THE-MOST-PERFECT weather to be on a boat on lake Michigan. I loved it!

My favorite.

Of course we had to ride the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel while we were there on such a gorgeous day:

That night, we had the most romantic dinner on the patio at Prosecco. The food was delicious and got us excited for our upcoming Italy trip!

Outdoor eating at its best! Such an amazing night.

2 YEARS!!

We ended the night with carrott cake (the type of cake we had at our wedding) and a small gift for both of us to share -- sheets!! :)

This is the same milk glass cake platter from our wedding.

Happy 2 Years to my best friend and most admired husband. xoxo.

Ravinia
Another thing to cross off our Chicago Bucket List!

We have heard so many great things about Ravinia ever since we moved to Chicago. It's this gorgeous outdoor concert venue in the Northern Surbubs that has been hosting Summer Concert Festivals since the early 1900's!! We decided at the last minute to take advantage of our friends extra lawn tickets. It was raining that day so we weren't sure how it would be on the lawn...but lucky for us it was a beautiful night! (and what's a little rain going to do to you anyway?)

Guster and Jacks Mannequin put on such a great show, and it was so fun to see them in an intimate venue like that!!

Can you tell it was raining?

Ravinia at sunset.

Blurry but shows the stage and pavilion.

Wishing this photo showed the gorgeous landscape at Ravinia!

Love this man.

Our view as we laid on a blanket on the lawn and listened to Guster... not too shabby for a summer night!

Can't wait to go back next year!

2 Years Later and I'm still trying to impress my husband. 

You would think that after 2 years the drive to impress your husband would die down. To some extent it has (there are many days my husband comes home to see me working in the office in my sweats...sorry babe). However, trying to keep up on a mountain biking course is a different story.

I've only gone mountain biking with Ryan once before, and I told you how that went HERE. However, this time, I had high hopes it would be different. I was confident coming off of my last experience that I could handle this. Under normal circumstances, I probably could have.

We should have heeded the warning signs of the ominous clouds in the distance. We didn't, and hoped that we could get through the course quickly.

One-way trail. This was of course the easy part.

Happy before the rain started.

Needless to say, we got caught in the storm and the slippery roots and rocks were not kind to me. I fell at least a 1/2 dozen times and at one point I yelled "Ryan, can you help me?" -- Ryan leisurely came to my aid, only to be surprised to find me tangled up in my bike, with my bike lying on top of me. Yes, I was stuck. I fought back tears that time as I picked myself up and kept going. We finally got out of the course and I had plenty of bruises to show for my effort. But I have to admit-- I came out feeling tough and proud of myself.

A little wet, and a little dirty.

This dirt is covering up my red leg full of bruises to come. Yes, 2 weeks later and they still hurt!

Ps. See those hard-core bikers in the background? Yeah, I'm not that hard-core.

 I will say, I would love for Ryan to have a real mountain biking partner. I have so much fun trying to keep up with him (when I'm not falling flat on my face) but I don't think his inexperienced wife is what he's looking for when he wants to hit the trails.

Relief Society Spotlight. 

Just in case you guys didn't know this stuff about me ... I thought I'd share.

1. Where are you from, and how long have you lived in Chicago? I am from Bakersfield, Ca (no, not Baker, that desert town in Death Valley with the large thermometer that you see on I-15 driving from CA to UT). I've also lived in Sacramento, Orange County, Utah and Minneapolis before moving to Chicago 1 year ago.

 

2. Who is your significant other, how did you meet, and what do you do for a living? Ryan Merrill. We met at BYU-- I first knew Ryans cousin and his roommate before I met Ryan. We went a few group dates (not as each others dates) before we found each other and started dating. The other twist to our story is that we were in a long-distance relationship for a year before we were engaged. My day job is that I am a professional networker--I manage a network of 50 Global Recruiting Execs for super big super global companies. I help them connect with each other to learn best practices and share knowledge on future trends, etc. I organize meetings so they can establish trust and relationships that leads to intimate conversations and dialogue. I work from home and travel occasionally.

On our Honeymoon in Tahiti

 

3. What do you like to do when you have free time? Running, biking, blogging, travel, exploring, shopping, chatting with family and friends, taking pictures, cooking, baking, eating, mountain biking, reality tv, mutual, reading the news, etc.

 

4. Where are your favorite places to eat and go to in Chicago? I love this city -- one of my favorite things to do is go to concerts in Millennium Park. We take a picnic and enjoy diverse music under the gorgeous Jay Pritzker Pavillion. We love to eat -- but I'm the type of person that always likes to try new things, we are always at a new place. Some favorites include: Spacca Napoli, Meli Cafe, anything in Greek Town, Cafe Babareeba, Xoco ...

 

5. Do you blog? If so, what is your blog, and what are some of your favorite blogs/sites? (You guys know this one)

One of my favorite things- smelling peonies. On Mackinac Island

 

6. What is your favorite book and movie? Favorite Book - depends on the mood I am in. I love Devil in the White City -- Chicago is such an interesting city with so many compelling stories on how it became what it is today. I also love The Guernsey Letters and Potato Peel Society. Movie: Do TV shows count? Friends.

 

7. What was the best thing you did this summer? I had such a great summer. It's hard to nail down the best thing -- my favorite thing was being in the LA temple doing sealings with my family who was all together for the 1st time in 3.5 years. Another favorite was exploring Mackinac Island and taking a step back in time.

 

8. If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be and why? Jerusalem, I can't wait to visit there and walk in the same places our Savior walked. And Italy - because I am going there with my husband in October!

 

9. What do you think is your greatest accomplishment to date? (Ok, I personally don't like getting asked this question ... I always come up blank) but my answer is: I always try to share my testimony of the gospel with others-- striving to be a good example, and a good friend.

 

On a run in Keystone, Colorado

10. Who is something inspiring that you've recently read or heard in the scriptures, or a talk at church, from the ensign, etc?  Let us have gratitude for our friends. Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband. --President Monson.