Sending our Love. 

I feel so incredibly blessed to have married into such a wonderful family. Since the first day I met them, Grandma and Grandpa Pixton have showered me with love--through hugs, kind words,  (cinnamon rolls!) and their great examples of love and service to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I have only been able to spend a limited amount of time with them since I've known Ryan, but when I do, I savor every second we share.

One of my favorite stories from Grandpa Pixton is about a painting hanging up in their living room. It's a painting of Red Fish Lake--- where he took Grandma on their honeymoon. He had a photo from their honeymoon painted, and it is now framed in their living room where Grandpa can see it every day and remember those sweet happy memories. Isn't that so romantic? I loved hearing him tell that story, and now every time I see that painting (or think of it), I remember Grandpa's sweet love for his wife and the happy marriage they share.

They celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary on Sunday.

I can only hope to have 59 wonderful years with my sweet love. Grandma and Grandpa show their love for each other in everything they do. They make a great team -- for example, when Grandma makes (amazing) raspberry jam, Grandpa is sure to tell us that the raspberries came from the backyard where he grew them and picked them. I love Grandma's laugh and Grandpa's smile-- his eyes just light up.

It's definitely hard to live far away from family but Grandma and Grandpa are so supportive and so proud of us (and all their grandchildren) for what we are doing. They give great advice and encourage us to continue to succeed. We admire them so much for their great examples of faith and temple work--- they inspire me to be a better person and strive to love the temple and do temple work like they do.

We love you Grandma and Grandpa Pixton!!

Michigan Part II
Mackinac Island

Friday afternoon after working, we drove up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Mackinac City, where we caught a ferry to Mackinac Island. I didn't know much about Mackinac Island, just what Ryan had told me and what I had heard from Nanie and Popsie (Popsie took Nan there many years ago, and Nan swears it's her favorite place on earth). I soon learned why.

One of the longest bridges in the world (or something like that) we traveled over it to catch the Ferry to Mackinac.

First glimpse of the island and The Grand Hotel (Known from Somewhere in Time)

Sun over the island.

So festive and so cute.

Sunset over the harbor.

Mackinac Island is somewhat untouched from the rest of the world. No cars are allowed on the island -- people get around by Horse and Carriage and bikes. There are quaint B&B's in old historic houses, and the Grand Hotel, which boasts the largest porch in the world, also has an old-world charm. We enjoyed hikes, riding tandem around the island, lots of fudge, the butterfly house and escaping the hustle and bustle of city-life--however, my favorite part of the island was that the flowers were in full bloom: lilacs and peonies were everywhere and I stopped at every chance to "smell the roses" (or poenies in this case).

What our hike looked like -- most of it was on paved paths, but we definitely got lost at some point and were in the weeds!

I love the wildflowers.

Cool arch.

Us in front of the arch ... "Can we get more arch in that picture?"

Click on the photo to see it bigger. Gorgeous views of the water.

Yes, this is how people get around. It's weird to wake up to the sound of clattering horse hooves at 6am.

OMG. LOVE.

The poppies were gorgeous too.

I was in heaven right about now....

Beautiful butterflies.

Ryan was lucky and got to make friends with one.

Funny, right?

Ah, the lilacs were amazing!! Going out for dinner.

Dinner on the bay. Delicious and gorgeous.

You guys, I am obsessed.

The grand hotel

Dahlia the size of my face. Seriously.

Grand Hotel rules and regulations. You can't get into this place without wearing a dress after 6pm. That's why we went back the next day to sneak in (you typically have to pay $10 just to get inside the place). It was cool but not that cool.

Yes, those are ALL peonie bushes in front of this gorgeous house overlooking Lake Michigan.

Manicured lawns. I kind of miss those in Chicago.

Us on the longest porch in the world!

Our B&B - their gardens were so beautiful.

Bike ride around the island. The views were like this the whole time!

I loved riding tandem! We actually did this ride twice -- once on single bikes, then on tandem. So great both times!

One more sniff before we left the island...

I can't wait to go back to Mackinac Island! Looking at my photos, I am realizing they don't do this place justice-- you must go some time! It's absolutely stunning and a great chance to get away and enjoy the simple things in life. Like your amazing husband and beautiful flowers.

Michigan
Part I: Traverse City

I haven't spent much time in Michigan, so when Ryan said he had a busines meeting in Grand Rapids, and did I want to tag along and explore the state, I jumped at the chance! (One of the perks of my job, is I can travel with Ryan and work on the road with him). I worked from Grand Rapids, and then we drove up to Traverse City, a little beach town with fjords from Lake Michigan. We found a cute little hotel on the beach and enjoyed awesome diner food, long walks on the beach and I even snuck in a little tan!

Here's a map of our trip:

The view of Lake Michigan coming down the hill... we have learned to appreciate hills now that we live in Illinois.

Cute Resort.

The beach at our hotel.

Gorgeous sunset over the water.

Transformers 3 in 3D

Super sweet shades.

We totally had a movie night and saw Transformers 3 in 3D and it was AWESOME! Ok, so the storyline was a little weak, but the special effects and the shots of Chicago were super cool. Perhaps we are a little biased because we live here and we got to see them film parts of the movie here last summer. Chicago makes movies that much more fun to watch.

A few of our Chicago favorite movies are:
Ferris Bueler
Futitive
Home Alone
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Batman Returns/Dark Knight

Come to Chicago and it will make you want to watch one of these great Chicago films. Or maybe another one.

 Summer Lovin'

When we lived in Minnesota, Ryan was a mere 15 minute drive from home to work. We met up for lunch quite frequently -- I would pack a picnic and we would sit on a bench swing in front of a lake by his office. We loved it.

Now, Ryan is living the city life with a train commute-- approx 60 minutes each way. Every now and then we'll look at our schedules and plan a lunch date. The stars don't line up too often, but today was a beautiful day and if I hit the traffic just right, it only takes me 30 minutes to get to Naperville. So I drove out there, and picked up my cute husband. We headed to old town Naperville where there are cute cafes and a river walk. We wanted to enjoy the sunshine so we ordered to go and had a picnic lunch by the river.

Sitting by the Naperville River Walk

I love days like today where I can enjoy the summer weather and catch a glimpse of my husband during the day.

Ps. The closest Sonic in Chicagoland is near Ryan's work so I totally stopped and got a drink on my way home!

Please Note: I am a passenger in this photo -- it was taken on a recent trip in Michigan. I failed to photograph my sonic drink today!

From Play to Work. 
Laguna Beach to Keystone, Co? Does it get any better than this? (Ok- it does when your husband can come along!)

Immediately following my trip to CA I flew directly to Colorado for a work meeting. I feel really honored to be in the room with these top Talent Executives. We were in a gorgeous setting (Keystone, Co) and spent time on group runs and in Vail for dinner. I can't wait to go back to these mountains with my family so I can play a little more!

Drive up to Keystone:

A 90-minute drive from DIA to Keystone goes by fast when you get to drive through these mountains. 

Amazing.

View from my balcony.

 We drove up to Vail and walked around the shops and boutiques before dinner. Dinner was incredible- we sat right next to this river, it was amazing.

View of the river from the restaurant. If you are ever in Vail, go to Sweet Basil, you won't regret it.

Looks like Disneyland!

I also got to have dinner with some family while I was in town. Bob, Jeanne and Cameron Meldrum live just south of Denver, so I drove down to meet them. It was so fun to catch up with those guys -- they had me laughing SO HARD all through dinner! I can't believe I didn't take a group photo at the restaurant, the food was so good & I thoroughly enjoyed myself. They also drove me by the Denver Temple, which is beautiful. 

My favorite words on the temple.

My last day in Keystone I went for a speed walk (yes, I speed walk on occasion, 9000 ft does a lot to your lungs!) - which I LOVED.

Saying goodbye to the beautiful mountains.