Wrapping Up My Summer...

My favorite time of the year came to an end about a week ago. I thought I'd try to squeeze in some fun things before it gets cold and it has kept me pretty busy the last couple of weeks! Two weekends ago, Thomas and I went camping at Don Pedro Lake with Steph and her family. It was so beautiful all weekend long. The picture above is the sunset from our campground Saturday evening. We barbequed good food and took the boat out on Saturday and Sunday. I hadn't wakeboarded in awhile but I was determined to get back up and did pretty well considering it had been so long. I wish I was able to do tricks, Steph's dad makes it look so easy! Thomas wanted to find a cliff to jump off of so we finally found one on the last day for him. I let him and Orrin go ahead first and once I saw that they were ok I went for it. Don't worry mom! Randy went over the whole area in the boat to see how deep the water was first ;) By Sunday evening we were all exhausted. We stopped and ate at In n' Out (which seems to be the tradition when we're on the road), went home and went to bed. Steph and her family did a good job preparing for the weekend and we had so much fun hanging out with them. I try to go camping every year but next summer I want to plan a longer trip. A weekend just isn't long enough!

I'm back!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted a blog but I have been so busy and the longer I wait the more things I have to write about. I know my mom and sister are just dieing to know what is going on in my crazy life! Well to start off, the rest of my vacation in TN was great. It was so good to be able to spend that much quality time with my sis, bro and little Sully. Thomas even came out to visit the second half of my trip. We did lots of fun things! I showed him the Country Music Hall of Fame, downtown Nashville, the huge mall, and the Opry Mills Hotel. We even got in some good quality time playing the nintento wii. Now I can say I'm better than him at golf, tennis and baseball. Either I'm really good or he sucks real bad but either way works for me ;) The last night we were there Thomas and I cooked dinner for Tracy and Tyson. We made chicken tetrazzini and it wasn't too bad but I think I'll do a better job my second time around. The worst part of the trip was having to say goodbye. I always have a hard time leaving my sister but this time was worse becsause I had to leave Sully behind as well. Leaving a family member is especially hard when you don't know the next time you will be able to see them. Sully is at the age where he is going to grow so fast and will be in a whole new stage of his life next time I see him. He'll surely have teeth and maybe even be walking. I hope it won't take too long to reacquaint myself with him and hopefully he'll remember me! It was good to have Thomas there with me because he has gone through the same situation with his family so he was really supportive and made me feel a lot better. He and I had such a great time with my sister and Tyson. We were so grateful for our visit and we can't wait till the next time we get to hang out with them!!! This is the only picture I have from the trip right now. I'll post some more when I have my camera...

Since I've been back home, school has started and I am back to my normal routine. It feels good to have some responisibilities back in my life. A whole summer off kind of gets to me after awhile and I start to get anxious and antsie to do more. I've really enjoyed my classes so far. They are all really interesting and it makes me feel good about the major that I chose. I can already tell that it's going to be an important semester for me and I'm going to learn alot. I decided not to buy a parking pass and have been riding my bike to school every morning! It's a great way to start my day. I have a few minutes to enjoy being outdoors and get some good exercise. Not having to deal with parking is also a huge bonus. I've been riding my bike alot lately. Last weekend Thomas and I rode our bikes to the Sac State football game and then all the way downtown for Second Saturday. Every second saturday of the month they close down J St. downtown and have a huge art display, wine tasting, live bands and crowds of people hanging out, eating and stopping in to all the different bars, shops and restaurants. Shannon even met us downtown to visit and get some dinner. It's always so good to see my friends from home because I'm always missin them up here in Sac!

my vacation begins...

My sister, Sullivan and I arrived in Nashville last night and my brother-in-law Tyson picked us up from the airport. It feels so good to be here! A couple of my friends and family members have blogs and wanted me to start one so I figured now would be a good time since I'm on vacation and I'll have a chance to write and maybe some good things to talk about. Tomorrow, tracy and I are going to clean up around the house, do some shopping and cook a dinner to bring to her friend's house. People in the south are really hospitable and a good way to show you care is some good home cookin'. My goal is to make some good meals that I have never made so tomorrow I'm gonna find some good recipes and do some grocery shopping. My other goal is to adjust to TN time (which is 2 hours later than CA). That way I can make a habit of going to bed and waking up early and I will be ready for school by the time I get back.

I've been waiting for this trip for a long time now because I am so excited about no work, relaxing, and having some fun in Nashville. Most of all I am excited about spending time with my family, especially my little nephew Sully. He's so cute, and such a ham ;) He got mad on the plain when other passengers weren't paying enough attention to him. He focused on the ones who were sound asleep and made loud yelping noises until they awoke to his glowing smile and huge beautiful eyes looking back at them. Surprisingly nobody complained and a few even complimented on how happy and well behaved he was. By the end of the flight, we were surrounded by Sully's new friends.

It was so cute to see him looking out the window... he was so amazed. It makes you realize how innocent and pure in nature a baby is because every little thing is so brand new and exciting to them. I look forward to being around to witness this little guy experiencing more and more things for the first time.