BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Ben!! Welcome to the "upper" 20s. I love you and and am thankful for you.

Holiday Weekend

I love three day weekends. Even better when you have family here to enjoy it with you! My mom, my sister and her kids, and my brother and his wife and kids came this weekend. We had a full house and I loved it! It was a pretty long drive for both my brother and sister and I'm thankful they decided to come. On Friday we went to the park and went on a really long "nature walk" which Trevor reminded us several times was "too long", and I'll agree (who added that extra .9 miles anyway!?). Saturday we spent the day at the Zoo. We had not been before and it was fun to go with the kids. We very briefly lost Kayla though at the zoo and I went into instant panic and search mode. It made me rethink all those times I've made fun of those monkey leashes parents put on their kids! It was rainy Saturday night so we bagged the fireworks and made our own fun at home.
It was fun to take up almost a whole pew at church today too. I miss those days! Overall, it was a great weekend. I loved "breaking my house in" to being at capacity and getting to use rooms and things we hadn't yet. So glad you guys came!

update

We were only out of the "student life" for a few months, but now we're back in it! Ben started his MBA program this week and has loved it so far. Before Ben and I were serious I applied to OSU for their Speech-Language Pathology program and received acceptance after we began dating. I REALLY wanted to go there but, obviously, love prevailed and I received a great education at the U. It's ironic that we're here now and that is where Ben is going. I'll just have to live my OSU experience through him!
So, while being a student classifies you as being young I had a realization that we're old. When we were out this weekend we bought a big American flag and pole for our house. Don't get me wrong, I love this country and am so thankful to live in this great land but something about buying and hanging a flag, on your own house is so adult. Weird.
In REALLY REALLY fun news, Ben and I are going to Hawaii in September! We've been wanting to go for awhile and were able to save up so we can. It will be our birthday and anniversary gift (and maybe Christmas). We've heard only good things from everyone that has gone so we are really looking forward to it.
Well, that's us lately!

Bear Lake

Oh, back to reality. We got home LATE last night from our trip to visit family and stay in a beautiful cabin at Bear Lake. We had so much fun playing games, eating amazing food and just spending time with people we have missed!

The first weekend we picked Grant up from a movie in Salt Lake and he spent the weekend with us eating at Cafe Rio (the love of my life, aside from Ben of course) and watching movies. We took him back to Provo and filled up his tiny kitchen shelf so we could help him in his efforts to "bulk up" this summer!

This trip was planned because Thomas will be leaving for his mission soon and Ben's parents wanted to do something with everyone before then. We still like to think that Tom is 15 but he will be leaving in September to serve in Argentina. He will be such a great missionary!

The rest of the week was spent in Idaho at Bear Lake. It was so gorgeous! The landscape was breathtaking. The weather was a little chilly but it didn't stop the men from going swimming on day (it was only 60 degrees!). The rest of the time was spend exploring, playing games and of course eating like crazy. We are so thankful for Ben's parents and all they did to make this week possible. We had a great time! Enjoy some photos:

A visit to Galesburg

I really think I might have the cutest Grandma in the world! She's 91 now and still sits on the floor to play cards and read the newspaper, makes yummy food and gets around like she's 50. Not to mention, she's beautiful. I told her that one day while we were there and she covered her mouth, started giggling and said "now THAT is really funny!".
My aunt and Grandma were the best hostesses and I know that it's not easy to have a house full of people. They provided TONS of food and fun all weekend. Aunt Kay even gave up her own bed for Ben and I - she doesn't think twice about sacrificing what she has.

James and Ben just couldn't stand sitting around talking so when James went searching for a "project" Ben was the first one to volunteer to drive to Lowe's. They ultimately decided to redo the bathroom, which really needed a makeover due to it's outdated fixtures, peeling paint, and cracked plaster walls. Usually it's Scott and James that do projects at Grandma's, so Ben got to be James' wing man this time! Grandma loved the finished product and the boys got out of "girl talk" and card games. At the close of the first day, they both had moments of thinking they bit off more than they could chew on a "short" long weekend. But they plugged along, stayed focused, and the finished product is beautiful! So, besides the possible lead poisoning from the old paint dust...we're happy Grandma loved it!!

Before & After

lately.

I've been thinking a lot about faith and hope, what they really mean and how they're different. A few weeks ago, Ben's cousin wrote an email about the two and it has made me think even more. I saw this quote/definition today and love it "hope: The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best." Any thoughts or wisdom you have, pass it my way.
Well, onto other things, we planted our shrubs last weekend! They are tiny but look great and will hopefully look better next year when they are bigger. Our brother-in-law, Ryan, created a great design for us and we just implemented his plan. It's such hard work but it pays off. I want to do some flower window boxes soon as well.
We're going to see my Grandma and Aunts over Memorial day weekend. It's a lengthy drive but I'm really looking forward to seeing them and some other family members. Just a few days after that, we go to UTAH to see Ben's family and Grant! It's going to be a fun next few weeks
Well, that's that!

Festival 500

A few months ago my sister decided we should do a "Family 5K" as incentive to get in shape and do something together. Well, today was the big day. To be honest, I had a SERIOUS lack of preparation and had only ran a handful of times before today. Ben was really diligent though and has done a great job getting ready. The "Family" 5K turned into Ben and I and my sisters but we had such a good time! Throughout the race Ben helped push me along and I was able to keep up with him most of the way. When they said "1/2 mile left" I turned to Ben and happily told him that I was feeling great and that I could "totally do this". Within seconds I has a crazy sharp pain in my side. I desperately wanted to walk but this was the portion where they have the finish line in sight and people are sitting in bleachers cheering you on. How can you WALK the last 1/2 mile!? So I ran/walked through the finish line but I finished. I know, this is a Saturday jog for most people but it felt great to complete. Ben finished the race at 27:39 and I finished at 27:59. We were proud of ourselves and it felt good to accomplish. Maybe we'll run the mini-marathon next year?
After the race we got to spend a little time with our good friends Val and Adam and meet the newest Clark member, Miles. He's so handsome!