DANGER ZONE


I always knew my husband was a mountain biking lover. I always thought I was hard core enough to handle a trail or two with him. I may have been wrong.

We went to Lebanon Hills in Eagan, MN. A favorite trail of his out here.


Stats: AKA what I should have read prior to going...

Difficulty: Intermediate*
Length: 8 miles
Tread: Singletrack
Avg. Speed: 9.11 mph
Avg. Time: 1hr 2min
From the website: "This singletrack is really fun. It's fast, it's smooth, and it's winding. There's a good mix of everything... trees, rocks, roots."

*Ryan definitely told me it was a Beginners trail.

This is me 1/4 the way through the trail.


Caption: "You didn't tell me about all the boulders and trees in the middle of the trail!"




This is Ryan 1/4 way through the trail.


Caption: "Gavin, please move back to Minnesota so I can have a decent Mtn Biking buddy to ride with".

Luckily after a few Mtn Biking tips I was able to handle myself a little better- and those rocks and trees didn't scare me (as much) anymore! At one point Ryan had stopped ahead of me to tell me I could walk my bike down the boulders in the trail, but I just went for it. I had to yell at him to get out of the way or I would be running him over!




Another favorite moment was when I realized I had to go over this tree stump -- with a 2 foot drop off. I screamed as I flew over the tree stump- and Ryan thought I had crashed (I thought I was going to) but I hung on and was flying down the trail. I have to admit, it was pretty fun.

The trail was beautiful, and I even caught a picture of this sweet dragonfly.





I was relieved when it was all over but kind of excited for our next Mountain Biking adventure- that is, if Ryan will ever choose to take me mountain biking again! Poor guy, we really did go slow. Thanks, babe for taking me on a great adventure!!

Pool Days

Not too long ago I had a friend who lived a mile or so up the road, and had a sweet little pool at her apt complex. There were a few days where I would spend my lunch break out at the pool with her. Seriously, does life get any better than a day where you can spend just a few minutes laying out at the pool with your girlfriends? I LOVE summer!!

Driving up to her house reminded me of the oh so many good times I had in high school and college going to meet my girlfriends to lay out at the pool, or lay out at the beach, or just walk out to my backyard and lay out on the rafts in my parents pool with my mom. I love love it.

Wedding Part II

I know you are all dying with anticipation for this post. Here is a recap of what happened once we got back from LA.

We all wanted to do this:


But we knew the show must go on! So instead we hurried and took some photos and got everything ready for the big party.

One of the centerpieces


Close up of the Flowers


The kids tried to be patient.




This is my favorite one of charlotte-- it was the first time she smiled since her nap!


But pretty soon they crashed:



Even the bride needed a break!


We had a ring ceremony just before the reception, since I was standing at the front of the room (and Ryan was racing off to Costco to grab a 16x20 photo of Ash and Brandon from earlier that day) there are no photos of the ring ceremony. Sorry, folks.

Cutting the cake.


So, at this point in the night, I lost my camera. I searched high and low and pretty soon gave up. Another hour and a half into the reception I started looking for it again. I couldn't believe I had lost it. Then, to my surprise, Tarin said "Kiley, have you seen what Nicolas is doing? He's pointing to places and having Caidence pose for a picture." Sure enough, I looked a little closer and saw my 5 year old nephew with my camera! It was the cutest thing ever. And when I reviewed my pictures, I realized he had to have taken at least 100 photos that night.

Wedding from a 5 year old's point of view






So, then I got my camera back and was able to take a few photos for myself. Here's one of me & my best friend of 20+ years-- Miss Corky Blain


Me & My husband.


I was glad I got this picture of me & ryan. He was MIA most of the reception. Want to know why? Here's why:


Ryan and Marc, my brother in law, and his brothers were working on the getaway car. I have to say this was the best I have ever seen! They even pulled out the seats... and yes, that is 10 lbs of flour on the car.


My gorgeous sister and I:


And, finally-- how we felt at the end of the night!



And there you have it! My little sister's wedding-- all recapped for you, as if you had all been there with me. It was a beautiful night and full of lots of fun memories with our family!

Wedding Video

Ashley's dear friend was with us all day for the wedding and without us knowing it, took video clips of the day and then put then together for a little wedding video for Ashley. Its so short and sweet and you won't regret spending a few minutes to watch it!! :) Be sure to watch the very end....

Ashley Hunt and Brandon Fontes Wedding from Ashley Graf on Vimeo.

Sissie's Wedding Part I

I spent a week at home helping my mom and sister prepare for her wedding. My mother & her friend suzanne totally out-did themselves this time! The wedding was gorgeous gorgeous and it was so fun to be at home and help with some of the beautiful details that make weddings so amazing.

I'll let the photos tell the story:

Pre- Wedding

Hello, gorgeous chandelier


Even the little kiddos were helping!


Friends for 20+ years


Our Little Mermaid


Wedding Day
We started early with Hair and Make Up


Of course Caidence wanted make up and her hair done by the "special hair ladies"


We drove from Bakersfield to the LA Temple for the ceremony ... and since I was on flower duty, we were running a little behind!! Luckily we made it there in time for the ceremony (as if they would start without us!) and it was beautiful, as my Uncle Harold sealed them. Very special moments.

Outside the temple:


Daddy & Caidence


Grandma and her younger sister, Lorraine, and my Aunt Jani


The Happy Couple!


Mother Daughter




The cute kiddos.


After all of this we raced back to Bakersfield for the rest of the festivities...

Lust or Love?

I went for a quick run a few weeks ago and discovered that my neighbor had these GORGEOUS (and HUGE-- 2 fists-size) blooming peonie bushes. So gorgeous, in fact, that I went back to smell and lust after them. Peonies are my absolute favorite flower -- and these were so gorgeous and fragrant that I just had to have more of them.

I would frequently walk by her house to smell the flowers, and try to catch a glimpse of the owner. Why? You might ask? So I could naturally compliment her on her amazing flowers, ask her what kind of peony bushes they were, and possibly, ask for a few flowers to take home. They need to be harvested, right? And with hundreds of flowers in bloom, I was sure she was grant my request.

Sadly, I never saw the owner (and yes, I was even so bold as to knock on her door), and when I returned from CA, all the peonies were gone. I was a little heartbroken when I saw that.

This has created a new determination to have my own gorgeous peony bushes bloom while I live in the midwest. I understand this is the perfect climate for their full bloom.

See how gorgeous?


See how MANY?

Jarron & Olivia

We had Ryan's brother & his cute wife, Olivia, join us for Memorial Day weekend in Minnesota. We covered a lot of ground in a few short days--- St Paul Cathedral, State Capital, James J. Hill house, Lake Minnetonka Beach, Walker Art Center Statue Garden, downtown Minneapolis, Chain of Lakes, Duluth, Purgatory Park, etc.

I have a ton of photos but here's just a sneak peak:

Save the Drama for your Momma


My mom was out here on a quick visit last week. It was so much fun to have her around and show her some of our favorite springtime things in Minnesota. Like running on these cool trails.

Happy B-lated Birthday Ryan!



My husband is the coolest guy, ever:

He knows lots of neat facts about the grocery store.
He is so handsome.
He makes me laugh all the time.
He is so patient and sweet with our primary class.
He surprises me with flowers just to see me smile.
He works on the Orville Redenbacher popcorn brand.
He loves to hold my hand.
He's a great snuggler.

And there are so many other things I could say but I don't want to bore my readers too badly. I just want to say, Ryan, you are the most amazing man and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for bringing you into my life. I am so lucky to you are my husband!