Disneyland!

 Us and Mickey! In February, Kyle and I had the opportunity to go to Disneyland for a day! Kyle was in AZ and drove over to CA and I flew in from SLC. It was a truly magical day! We love Disneyland!!

 In motion on the Jungle Cruise.

 Disneyland is fun for children of all ages! We plan to stay kids at heart forever!

Kyle gets a pic with Aladdin and Jasmine in the background. See you next trip, Disneyland!

Mild January Day

We had the most mild January in Utah in years and years. This was a beautiful warm day up in Midway, Utah and I was able to hike around this lake on a trail that is usually covered in snow at this time of year. It was a stunning afternoon. 

I tried out this shot after seeing something similar to it in a movie I recently saw. I like how it turned out! Kind of retrospective and artistic. 

Nature just makes me soooo happy! Isn't it gorgeous!

 So placid...

Wes and Camryn Pitman (our niece and nephew) were with us during the first week of January this year. We had a blast with them, tubing, cross-country skiing, building a snowman and enjoying sushi! 

 Us after cross-country skiing. It was our first time and we had a great experience! It's a lot of work, but is lots of fun to be out in nature in the grandeur and quietude.

 Cam and Wes were very excited it snowed while they were there. There was just enough snow to build this little guy. :)

 Camryn rockin' it on her skis!

Fall in North Fork

We love fall in the canyons! We took a nice afternoon drive with Grandpa Ricks and my brother, Jake, to see some gorgeous fall colors and beautiful views. The sky was vibrantly blue above us and the turning fall colors were stunning.  

I love connecting with nature. For me, it's vital to my well-being. I feel so much happier and grounded when I get out and just breath in some fresh outdoor air. 

Jake owns the world!

       Sometimes the beauty of nature just takes my breath away!

Oh, how we love this sweet old man! We try and take Grandpa Welby on outings with us whenever possible. Sometimes we're doing things like rock climbing or mountain biking that just aren't quite right for a man in his 90's, but whenever we're headed somewhere he can come, we love to give him the chance to get out with us. 

                                              

  Grandpa Welby enjoys the scenery and the drive.

   

We fall for each other every day! (hee, hee!) There's nothing like getting out and doing something you love to keep your passion for life alive!

                                      

Nothing beats a bunch of beautiful aspens turning golden yellow!

Grandpa Welby looks around and shares memories of his home territory - 

he's lived near here for the past 50 years!

                     

Wow! I can't get over how beautiful this is! And it's right in my own backyard! (Well, pretty much - only a few minutes drive up the canyon from where we live!)

                 

We had fun taking pictures in this location that kind of reminded me of a studio. 

Doesn't it almost look staged?  

Happy Autumn!

Bahamas Cruise!

Happy Anniversary celebration! Kyle surprised me by taking me on a cruise to celebrate 4 blissful years of marriage. It was my first cruise and I really enjoyed it! It was relaxing and entertaining. We got a reputation as being the "dancing couple" as we had fun on various dance floors. After going on a cruise, I totally recommend it to others! Go! It's so fun!

There was plenty of quiet time for contemplation and relaxation during the cruise. Sometimes I look back and think about where my life would be if I hadn't met Kyle a few years ago. I'm so glad I took the leap to get married and to trust that he could love me, even with all my health problems and challenges. I feel that pretty much everything good in my life has come because I trusted that things would be better together than apart and that we could make a good life together. There've been ups and downs, and I know there'll be more, but it's really a wonderful journey!
                                

The Bahamas reminded us so much of the cayes (pronounced "keys" - go figure!) in Belize! We kind of felt like we were looking at something we'd already seen, although that didn't decrease our enjoyment of the experience. 

It was familiar and gorgeous.

Love my man, and this gorgeous place!

We found a beach away from all the cruise crowds! We opted out of all the cruise ship's offers and went on our own adventure to find this - and we're glad we did! We had lots of sand to ourselves, beach lounges and umbrella, snorkeling and access to a sea kayak and paddle boat. Ahh...this is my happy place!

       

       

We ate at a little cafe on the beach that advertised a free conch shell with every purchase! 

We had the ceviche salad. It's a bunch of different fish in a lime and pico de gallo sauce, 

served with tortilla chips. Yum - my fav! Reminded me of Belize.

  I liked this conch shell tree. It kind of reminded me of Christmas somehow.  

Just enjoying the view!

                

Click, click click! We love the self-taking feature on our camera! It takes 3 in a row but not until you look directly at it. Even so, we don't always make it into the right position before it starts clicking away! 

Four years and counting! Life is good!

The cruise dining was divine! I didn't know you can eat as much as you want on a cruise, so I was surprised when Kyle kept ordering dish after dish at each meal. I was a little worried, thinking it would end up being a big bill at the end, but after the cruise, when I mentioned something, Kyle let me know cruises are all-inclusive (exepting alcohol). I would have ordered many other dishes had I known sooner! :)

I can't wait until our next cruise! After such a great experience, I'm ready for the next adventure!