Home Sweet Home

When we got back from Chippewa Falls, the weather had turned gorgeous here in Hopkins and we decided to do a little yard work. I was so grateful for the rain we got because it turned our grass SO GREEN.



And in case you forgot what our house looked like 3 weeks ago -- here's a picture:


I still can't believe how fast our trees grew leaves.

Unfortunately, I also can't believe how fast weeds grow! We didn't get a chance to put down weed killer in our yard, so we had to go through and kill these weeds one by one. Ugh. Seriously weeds are terrible! At least we were able to kill them though! I am quite proud of our yard right now.



I have also been amazed to see everything GROWING! Look at our tree in the backyard! Here's a before shot from April 16th.



Now look at all these leaves!! This is why it took us a million hours to rake our leaves last fall.



Also, do you remember this picture from a previous post?




I was surprised to see what bloomed on that little bush/tree. Look how beautiful these Lilacs are!! I love the vibrant purple color.




We also spent an FHE putting these flowers in our flower boxes. I really thing they make our house look so cute with the fun flowers. I also bought Flower pots for our deck (shown in picture above with the big tree) See? I LOVE flowers!!!

WISCONSIN

We've been wanting to get out and explore the mid-west a little more, and this past weekend we did just that. We took our first ROAD TRIP as a married couple and went to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful drive out, and just 100 miles away and we were in this quaint little mid-western town. We stayed Pleasant View B&B, which is right on Lake Wissota-- with gorgeous gorgeous views! Although the weather was being a little tricky (it snowed during dinner) we still managed to have a fabulous time!!

Our hosts at the B&B were so welcoming and hospitable. I definitely recommend Pleasant View! The rooms were awesome and the breakfast was also amazing.









After breakfast we decided to go exploring at Lake Wissota State Park. We found a cool little trail and I got out on my bike to get going when all of a sudden I felt water hitting my face.



Me: Ry-- is the lake spitting on me right now? Or is it raining?
Ryan: It's definitely raining.
Me: Why is it raining so hard?
Ryan: Because that's hail!



(after a few photos of the hail) We jumped inside the XTerra to wait out the storm. My excitment for our bike ride was deflated, but luckily Ryan was determined to go so we hopped on our bikes and even saw some sun!!







The trail was beautiful as it followed along the lake, and we seriously had the whole park to ourselves!! I love mountain biking!





After our little adventure we went to historic Chippewa Falls and found Irvine Park, which has a FREE zoo!! We saw Black Bears, Tigers & even Cougars (mom's favorite). Ryan's cougar sound effects made for a great time at the zoo! The Park also is home to Glen Loch Dam, which was pretty sweet.














And here's my cute husband :)


We worked up an appetite exploring and had lunch at Lucy's Deli. We capped our trip with Olsen's Homaid Ice Cream -- so delicious. What a fantastic trip!!




I highly recommend Chippewa Falls to any of my local friends.

Grill Master

There's just something about the grill.



Impromptu BBQ Saturday night. Brats, Kabobs & BBQ Chicken. Yum.

Being from California, it should be no surprise to anyone that I have been excited for this day for at least a week. An excuse to make guacamole and tacos and celebrate the glorious occasion of Mexican food in this State where they really don't know what REAL Mexican food is? YES PLEASE!

Nickelodeon Universe

When I was younger, the only thing I knew about Minnesota was the Mall of America. Now that I am older, I realize there is a LOT more to Minnesota than a giant mall. However, I can still say that it is a pretty amazing mall and I do know my way around it better than I know the freeways in Minnesota :)

The Mall of America is sometimes the only thing people see or do when they are in Minnesota; I have to admit, it was one of our first dates when I came to visit. However, it wasn't until ConAgra Employee Appreciate day that we finally enjoyed the Amusement Park, Nickelodeon Universe inside the mall.

We had so much fun on Saturday letting the inner-child inside each of us out! We rode the bumper cars, killed ghosts, and rode a few roller coasters. I can't say its as magical as Disneyland, but the lines are short and the rides are legit. All in all, I LOVED IT! Thanks ConAgra!!







Here's me & Dora! (This one's for you, Nicolas & Caidence!)

MY LOVELY LADIES

I am so so blessed to have so many incredible women in my life who I can count as friends. I have moved around a bit over the past few years, and each time I have, I have cherished the friendships that have developed because of my place in life-- I often think of you wonderful women as angels who have lighted my path and given me inspiration in my life. I can not say I would be the woman I am today without you.

This last move to Minnesota was especially difficult for me because I was entering such an unknown place. I moved out far away from family and friends -- with no connections. However, within a short period of time, I have been blessed -- yet again, with the most amazing girl friends. My Heavenly Father sure does take care of me.

We try to get together once a week for a ladies lunch. Its one of my favorite things.

BYU Graduation 2010

Congrats Ashley & Olivia & Lexy & Everyone!

The stats:
# of Graduations attended by Ryan: 4 in the last 5 years (1 of which was his own)
# of Graduations attended by Kiley: 4 in the last 4 years (2 of which were my own)





This one is just so beautiful.


While we were waiting to take photos of Ashley and Olivia at graduation, Ryan ran into a convert from his mission that he baptized! The two were equally happy to see each other, and it was such a fun surprise! Isn't it amazing to see people that you introduced to the church still strong in the gospel 10 years later?









Ashley, you are LOVED!


The Happy Couple (only 5 weeks away!)


Olivia, you are LOVED!


The Happiest Couple :)


Love Love Lexy!


We hosted a celebration dinner for Ash at the Merrills home in Pleasant Grove. Why buy a cake when you can buy a dozen Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes? AMAZING. If you live in Utah, you have to go to this bakery.





Congrats!

I love Plane

I have decided that whether or not I completely agree with the above statement, my actions prove this to be true. Do you want proof?

Trips Taken:

Jan 2010- CA/Utah Christmas/New Years Trip
Jan 2010- San Francisco
Feb 2010- CA for Ashley's Bridal Shower & Anna's wedding
Feb 2010- Del Ray Beach/Boca Raton Florida
March 2010- SF/Walnut Creek
March 2010- Boulder, Colorado
April 2010- Chicago
April 2010- Utah for Ashley & Olivia Graduations

Planned:

May 2010- New York!
June 2010- LA/Bakersfield CA for Ashley's Wedding
July 2010- Seattle/Alaska Cruise!
August 2010- recovering.

Hopefuls for 2010:

Charlottesville, VA - Check out my parents new place.
Albuquerque, New Mexico - Kelsie & her bump/baby.
Phoenix, AZ - Hells Bells, Scott, and all of our AZ Family!
Charlotte, NC - Lexy Lou & Jared are a must.
Hawaii/Cancun/Bahamas - One-year Anniversary Trip?

Summer Road Trips:
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Duluth, Minnesota
Boundary Waters
Nauvoo


... that's as far as we've gotten! Crazy, right? It's a bad sign when the TSA people start to recognize you by your ID.