Idaho Youdaho Road Trip

A couple weekends ago Mike and I set out on a little road trip up to Idaho Falls to see Mike's parents!  And you know what driving in the car with me for three hours means?  I start to get pretty obnoxious with the camera.... poor Mike.

 

look at his face... he doesn't even humor me anymore by looking at the camera!

 

 Idaho the beautiful.  The clouds were phenomenal.

It just so happens that Kari, my sister-in-law, and her four kids are living in Idaho falls for the summer before they move to Ohio, so we were stoked to see them too!  We miss having nieces and nephews that live close by!  We made it safely Friday night, had dinner and then played games and hung out.  Saturday morning Mike and I went running around the Greenbelt (where the actual Idaho falls are), then we all went to Clate's t-ball game. 

 

 the kid knows how to play ball

 this is my favorite picture Mike took- oh to be 6 again playing t-ball and running the bases!

Afterwards, we made our way to the world-famous (or Idaho famous at least), Big Jud's.  You don't understand how excited I was to try this place!  Ever since Mike and I started dating over two years ago, he's talked and talked about how amazing their burgers are!  The best part is that the restaurant is in this old podunk building that used to be a gas station that's in the middle of nowhere.  I take that back- it's smack dab on a cow pasture in the middle of nowhere!  Man vs. Food (one of our guilty pleasure tv shows) actually went to Big Jud's to attempt to finish their 1 pound cheeseburger a while back.  We ordered one for the sake of trying it and it took up one whole plate!  It was the biggest cheeseburger I'd ever seen.  Sadly I was drooling too much to even think to take a picture, but it did not disappoint!  It was juicy, not too greasy, and cooked to perfection.  I can't wait to go back!  I joked about eating the whole thing by myself, but it actually ended up feeding five of us! Maybe next time...

After stuffing our faces, we decided to go swimming!  We drove up to Heise, this old water park nestled in the mountains of eastern Idaho next to the Snake River.  It actually had natural hot pots there as well as normal water park stuff, which was so cool! 

After we finished up at the water park, we had a picnic on the river, skipped rocks, and went home and crashed.  Sunday we went to stake conference, had a bbq, played with nieces and nephews, and relaxed before heading home to Salt Lake. 

 

Halle & Chloe

 baby Thomas- I wanted to take this kid home!

Thanks Gary and Carol for a great weekend!  We love you!

Stacie's Wedding Part 3

Okay, I promise this is the last installment of the wedding for those of you who think all I'm ever going to write about anymore is Stacie's wedding day!  She's my sister okay?  Lay off people!

Where was I?  Okay, on to the reception and all of the chaos that ensued...

The reception was held at a beautiful new place in Sugar House called Cucina Nassi.  After freshening up, Mike and I were driving to the reception hall to get there in time for pictures when I got a call from my mom.  She proceeds to inform me that my dad and two of my brothers (all of whom were dressed up in tuxes at the time) got into a minor car accident on their way to the reception.

Debaucle #1: Yes, my dad got into a car accident on the way to his daughter's wedding.  Talk about a money pit, man!

Once my mom assured me that nobody was hurt, it actually became quite hilarious.  You see, my dad doesn't pay attention when he drives (any family member will agree).  In fact, I'm truly surprised that this hasn't happened before.  As Ethan tells the story, they were just a few blocks away from Cucina Nassi when my dad turned to my brothers and made some joke about the party not starting yet because the three of them weren't there, and then BOOM..... they ran into the car in front of them at a stop light.

Luckily no one was hurt, there wasn't too much damage to either car, and my dad was a good sport about it.  He was laughing about it five minutes later and didn't let it ruin his night.

 

scotty h. post car accident

Literally thirty seconds after I hang up with my mom, I get a phone call from Stacie.  The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi Stace

Stacie: Hey, have you guys left yet?

Me: Yep, we are just a few minutes away- almost there.  What's up?

Stacie: Weeeeeeellllllllllll...............we have a situation.  Ummmmmm, Bennett lost his pants.

Debaucle #2: Yes, you read that correctly.  Bennett, the groom, misplaced his pants.

The first thing I thought was 'Seriously?  You already got busy at the hotel?'  But it turns out, dear old Bennett, with the stress, excitement, and craziness of his wedding day, had left his tux pants in the dressing room at the temple after taking pictures.  And now, minutes before he was supposed to be the focal point of more pictures, he was pantless.

Talk about a crazy predicament.  

So, here's what happened next:

 

beware of teenage boy half naked

Desperate times call for desperate measures.  As fate would have it, Bennett and my brother Ethan just happen to be about the same size.  So, Ethan handed over his pants to Bennett for the sake of pictures, and ended up lounging around/worshiping his body in his white shirt, bow tie, and underpants for a good hour or so.  Like any sixteen year old would, he loved having an excuse to hang out half naked.

Don't worry...my grandparents went to the temple, found the pants, and Bennett changed into his real pants (the ones that actually matched his tux) just minutes before guests arrived.  

If you thought that was the end of outfit malfunctions, think again.

Debaucle #3: Lipstick meets my booty

Everyone had made it to the reception hall safely, the pant situation had been solved, and I thought the rest of the night was going to be smooth sailing.   We started having fun with my camera.....

After snapping a few pictures, Allie stopped me dead in my tracks and told me that I had something on my butt.  

Oh no.

Oh yesssssssss.  At first we thought it was chocolate, but after my mom tasted it, she determined it to be plum lipstick of some sort.  

First of all, I don't even own plum lipstick, so how in the world did it get on my bum?  It remains a mystery to me still to this day, weeks later. 

my back side.

Now, I know it wasn't my wedding day, and nobody was going to be paying attention to my bum besides my husband, but still, I'm not exactly comfortable walking around with spots on my booty, especially spots that could quite possibly cause people to believe that I am currently experiencing womanly problems and need a tampax.  YIKES.

We scrubbed with club soda, hand soap, water, and Mike even ran to the store to grab a tide pen.  To my dismay, nothing worked.  The lipstick wouldn't budge, and I walked around all night with spots on my butt!  Fun!  As I was complaining about it, my little brother Preston assured me in all seriousness that nobody was going to look at my butt, and if anybody did they were a PERVERT anyway.  Oh bless his fifteen year old heart for thinking that even glancing at a girl's bum is perverted.  I hope he stays that way for at least five more years.

Anyway, the reception turned out to be a smashing success.  After planning my wedding, and now Stacie's, I'm trying to convince my mother to start a wedding planning business because she would ROCK IT.  She is so amazing and detail oriented! The venue was magical, flowers and decorations were classy and fresh, the band was awesome, the bride and groom looked amazing, and the italian food and gelato were delightful (it should have been- the owner hails straight from italy and owns one of the best italian restaurants in slc).  It was a perfect party, and a perfect evening.  

 Congrats Bennito and Stace!  Love you guys!

Stacie's Wedding Part 2

The morning of Stacie's wedding, Mike and my brothers decided that in honor of Stacie's upcoming marriage they would go golfing (how thoughtful of them, right?).  So, I being the worrier/control freak that I am, told Mike that I thought going golfing all morning under the hot sun was a foolish decision considering we had a major event packed wedding day to attend to.  I didn't want him to be sun-burnt, grumpy, or tired and so naturally sleeping in that morning and making me breakfast (kidding, but not) was a much better idea.  He didn't seem to think so, and in the end they went to the golf course at 6 am.

When I woke up I was bugged nobody was there to make me breakfast (kidding, but not), and so I decided to go on a run.  (This is subject matter for an entire blog post in and of itself- bottom line: I've begun running again).  I started on my normal run, thinking about how dumb my husband and brothers were for being outside all morning.  They were going to be pooped by the end of the day and I wasn't going to feel sorry for them.  I don't know if my ipod simply got the better of me, if the heat made me dillusional, or if I was overly emotional because my baby sister was getting married in four hours, but by the time I got back to my house I realized I had ran nearly seven miles.  (Mind you, running seven miles might be a normal day occurrence for you, and if that is the case, I praise you.  You are a better person than me.  Considering the fact that a month and a half ago I ran 1.5 miles and literally told Mike I needed to go to the hospital because I was going to die from cardiac arrest may help you understand that running seven miles is IN NO WAY NORMAL FOR ME. )  In fact I started to wonder what the heck I'd been thinking when I had to hold onto the railing and limp up the stairs to get to my apartment.  I was supposed to be wearing my beautiful new five inch camel heels all day, and the thought made me want to cry.  I decided to go eat breakfast with my parents and help Stacie get ready for the wedding, and so I hobbled to my car and drove to my parents house.

Mike and my brothers met me there, and while I was already feeling the sorry effects of a long run, they had experienced a relaxing, rest full morning on the green.  I'm pretty sure karma, or something evil like it was at work here because after all my nagging I was the one with the tired, broken down body.  Go figure. 

Anyway, the important thing was that Stacie and Bennett did it!  They got married!  And neither one of them were even nervous (something I cannot even remotely begin to understand- I was a nervous wreck on my wedding day.  It's just who I am).  It was a lovely ceremony, and the only thing that would have made it better is if I had worn waterproof mascara.  I was a complete mess by the time it was over, and I had makeup dripping all over my face.  Let me tell you, I looked like one HOT clown. 


I was going to wait and post some of the professional photos-- but it's summer wedding season folks and that means a 4-6 week wait (those of us who tied the knot in the dead of winter certainly didn't have that problem now, did we?)  In any case, here are some photos from the day!

 waiting outside the temple

 the sibs

 the happy couple! 

 stunning, gorgeous, timeless, classy, and lovely all rolled into one tiny little package

 aren't they perfect together or what?

 brothers being goofy as always

 parents and surrogate parents

 

After the photographer released us from picture duties, Mike and I decided to go to a nearby cafe for lunch to enjoy the cool air conditioner since it felt like an oven outside, and it was hot as hades in our apartment.  Hello it's finally summer in Utah!  This is how we looked/felt:

 

I realize the lighting is horrible and over-exposed, but the face says it all.  I just want a full body massage and a popsicle.  And maybe an ice water.  Is that too much to ask?  

Stay tuned for more (funny) wedding adventures!

Stacie's Wedding Part 1

My little sister is a real life wife now.  They're back from their honeymoon (they went to New York City, by the way), they no longer require "chaperons" around the clock to make sure they are keeping their hands to themselves, and she's even making her husband peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the morning before he goes to work.  Isn't that cute?  (Tonight I asked Mike if I was a bad wife because usually when he leaves for work in the morning I'm completely incoherent and dead to the world.   I realized that I've never once made him a peanut butter sandwich to take to work.  He assured me that I have other good qualities- sandwich making just doesn't happen to be one of them.  Maybe someday.)

Anyways.  As usual, I have about 5,000 pictures from Bennett and Stacie's wedding (if you think that is an exaggeration you are wrong), and wanted to get some of these up on this here blog for documentation purposes.  So I might be lousy at keeping a journal lately, so I figure this is the next best thing.

Okay, so the night before Stacie and Bennett got married, his family hosted a beautiful wedding dinner at the Joseph Smith building.  It was intimate, classy, and best of all, I had a love affair with the food!  I was slightly nervous because I had a small 'speech' to give later on in the program and so I kept shoveling the food in to keep me distracted. (I know what you're thinking- you LOVE hearing yourself talk, especially in front of large groups of people... how could YOU be nervous? Well, once I get in front of the microphone I'm in my element, but beforehand I'm a bundle of nerves. Trust me, every two weeks when I teach relief society it's the same scenario.  It's a great way to instantly lose a few pounds.)  

lone ranger #1

lone ranger #2 (I tried to get them to pose as a 'couple' for me, but as usual I got the stink eye

They're thinking, "Sweet, in less than 24 hours we'll be married and no longer have to put up with all of these annoying "chaperons"!

We have a tradition in my family, that when one of us gets married, the siblings give a gift to the person getting married and their (almost) spouse.  It's not meant to be a roast, but it's supposed to be light, humorous, and fun.  Bennett's siblings and my brothers and I came bearing gifts that night, and we each gave a short little ditty to talk about our gift.

I told a few stories about Stacie not trusting me because I've been known to play practical jokes on her since we were kids. Example A. One time while attempting to pour ice water on her while she was showering, my plan failed miserably when the shower curtain came slamming down.  Next thing we know she, fully naked, and I, fully clothed, are tangled in the shower curtain with hot water running all over us. (she wasn't too happy about this one) Example B.  One night I hid in the fetal position in her closet for 45 minutes while I waited for her to come home.  I then proceeded to scratch on her closet door after she got in bed and scared the pants off her.  She ended up sprinting to my parent's room screaming that there was a man in her closet, and pretty soon my dad showed up in his underwear ready to attack.  That was fun!
I digress....
Anyway, I then related the fact that at first when I told Stacie I had met her future husband she did not trust me, and swore she'd never go out with this guy (can you blame her after all the years of torment?)  But alas, I was right, and knew it all along.  Just so they never forget who was responsible for bringing them together, I decided for my gift, I would give them one of their first pieces of artwork for their apartment! So I gave them a copy of my MISSION CALL!  I even framed it so that they could put it up right away on their wall!  They better or else! (Maybe I'll get some professional head shots done so that they can tack that up next to my mission call- or better yet, they could make a whole shrine to me!)

So I've got to tell you about my skirt.  I fell in love with it a couple months ago at anthropology.  I tried it on longingly, but in the end decided against it because it was 150 bones.  Skip ahead to the day before the wedding dinner.  I went to anthropology and was at the counter buying a different skirt, when my mom walked up with the floral blue (originally 150 bones skirt) and said "isn't this cute?"  Turns out, there was only one skirt left in the store, and it happened to be MY EXACT SIZE.  Oh, and guess how much it was? THIRTY NINE DOLLARS.  Yeeee-ha!  Bless the heavens above!  Can't beat saving $110 bucks on a skirt!  Like I've always said- Never buy anything for full price at anthropology, because three weeks later it'll be on sale!

Stay tuned for pictures and wedding stories that will make you pee your pants! (well, i almost did!)

temples and barbeques are two of my favorite things

A couple weeks ago my sister Stacie got to go to the Salt Lake Temple for the first time.  In our faith, being able to go to the temple is a privilege, a blessing, and a holy experience that we plan, prepare, and look forward to from the time we are young.  It is in the temple that we make covenants, or sacred promises with God, and learn more about the plan that he has for us.  I love going to the temple because it is a sanctuary from the world where I can ponder on the meaning of life, experience peace and quiet, find answers to prayers, and most importantly, feel God's love for me. 

Here is a video I love that explains more about temples and why they are important to our faith:



Being in the temple that day with Mike, Stacie & Bennett, Alex & Allie, my parents, grandparents, and some aunts and uncles was really great.  It was a wonderful day, and a great reminder for me that God is constantly blessing me more than I deserve.  God is so good.

Afterwards my parents had a big BBQ at their house with our family and Bennett's (my sister's now husband!) family.  I love any excuse I can get to enjoy a good burger!  Here are some of the photos I got....

my Hymas grandparents, Bennett & Stace

Allie & Alex, Pres & Mike

Ethan texting high school women

Dad doin what he does best at the grill

my grandma Joan and Darlene- so lucky to have them in my life!

Bennett's grandpa & my grandpa Sheldon becoming friends

cute grandpa hymas

when i try to get mike to pose for pictures he likes to pull weird stuff- like licking my face