Connecticut Trip

So I haven't updated in a while because I spent a week with my family in Connecticut. I wasn't planning on going back this summer at all but when I heard my sister Andrea and mom were driving back I thought "hey, I could drive with them and save a plane ticket!" And that's exactly what I did. It turned out to be a completely free trip because I drove home with them and then we used our miles to get me a one-way ticket back. Pretty great, right?

I had a fantastic time in Connecticut. And even though the drive back there took us three days, it was actually really fun. It gave my mom, sister, and I plenty of time to talk (about everything), stop for ice-cream cones, listen to music, sleep in cramped spaces, and stop for an afternoon drive through Naperville, Illinois (where my mom grew up) and Chicago.

 The house my mom lived in from kindergarten til middle school

 The house my mom lived in from middle school til high school

Chicago!

And actually, I really loved Naperville and Chicago, so if Grant ever gets the option to apply for a job in that area I would be really excited about the prospect of living there!

We finally got to Connecticut Monday night around 7:30. We had dinner together with my dad and brother Trevor, and then all watched a documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. And if you're looking for a good documentary to watch, I recommend this one--it was great. Tuesday my mom, sister Andrea, and I went into Brooklyn to help my sister Courtney move into her new apartment. We also got to hang out with my brother Brandon at his apartment in Brooklyn. We ordered Korean BBQ and ate it at his place while we waited out the rain storm. After dinner we helped Court move some more, and her new apartment is really fantastic!

Then on Wednesday while Andrea was in NYC for a school business trip, my mom and I got lunch at Panera Bread with her friend, then got pedicures, and lastly went shopping at Anthropologie in Westport. It was a pretty great afternoon :) That night we went to dinner with my dad in New Canaan and then went and saw the movie The Help, which was fantastic!

Thursday was another shopping day with my mom. We met up with Andrea later for a drive around town and then met my dad for dinner. Afterward I went out to ice-cream (well frozen yogurt) with my friends Matty and Kyle. I haven't seen either of them since they got home from their missions and it was really fun to catch up with them.

Friday night my family had a little get-together at my parent's house. My brother and sister came home from New York and we all had dinner and played games. My mom made salmon and burgers, corn on the cob, and a great salad. And after dinner we played a game of mine called Loaded Questions. We also looked through some old family photos and took some new ones :)

I know, I know: all those pictures are pretty much exactly the same. But I love them all, I just couldn't choose. I thought it was so funny that when we said we should all do "funny faces" my brother Trevor (bottom left) just pursed his lips and my other brother Brandon (top right) only raised his eyebrow; meanwhile, the rest of the family was really into it. The only thing that could have made the pictures better is if Grant had been there--I really missed him the entire trip.

I flew back home on Saturday, but not before a very long motorcycle ride with my dad. We rode all through the back roads of Connecticut--it was a gorgeous day and I really enjoyed looking at all the beautiful houses. Before we left on our ride my dad let me drive around the driveway, and then my brother Trevor drove it around as well. After that my sister Andrea came out for her first ever motorcycle ride, and despite her screaming, I think she liked it.

 

Then we took off for our ride!

We ended our long ride at my dad's house he's selling. Since I last saw it my parents have furnished and decorated some of the rooms, in order to make it more homey feeling. And if anyone is in the market for a $7 million dollar home, you should definitely check out my dad's house--it's amazing!

 Parking the bike in the garage :)

It was a really great trip. I loved seeing my family, my dog, my house, my town, the beautiful green trees--all the things I miss so much about Connecticut

Editing-Friends Party

I have so much to update about! And first I'm going to start by posting some pictures of a small party I had with my really good Editing-minor friends. I haven't seen any of them since we graduated in April and we had such a blast catching up.

I made a cake, chocolate covered pretzels, and muddy buddies for everyone and Sarah made cookies and Melissa made a peach cobbler! So we definitely had enough sweets :)

The table set-up (before the cookies and peach cobbler were added)

We had a great time sitting around and chatting about what everyone's been up to since graduation, and of course re-telling all the funny stories from our editing classes. We really missed the others that weren't able to come though--and they really missed out on some awesome prom-pose photos!

It was great seeing them all, especially because it might be the last time for a while. Marianne and her husband are now living in Florida, Grant and I are moving soon to Texas, Sarah and her husband and moving to New Mexico, and Melissa is starting a teaching job at BYU in the Fall!

More Fun :)

We've had another great week spending time with family and friends and having so much fun.

Monday morning we got back from our trip to Idaho and I immediately got ready and then headed down to Springville to meet up with my Mom and sister. We went out to lunch at Art City Trolley, which was delicious, and then headed over to the rehab center where my Granny is staying (she had back surgery about three weeks ago). We stayed and visited with Granny until about 7:30 that night, and then said goodnight to her and raced up to Thanksgiving Point, where we were meeting Grant to see Harry Potter (again). It was even better the second time! This time I didn't have the high expectations I had the first time seeing it, so I was able to enjoy it much more. Plus, I just can't get enough of HP :)

Wednesday night we saw another movie -- this time we drove down to the Water Garden Cinema in Pleasant Grove to see Super 8 with the Fillmores and the Woods. I can't believe we waited so long to see the movie -- it was incredible! I mean we really really liked it! If you haven't seen it, go!

Friday night the Fillmores and the Woods drove up to our place to hang out (which we always appreciate, since driving down to Provo three times a week wears on our gas), and though it took a while, we finally decided to go mini golfing and to the batting cages. We had a blast! The pictures aren't the best quality since they were taken with my phone, but at least it's something!

 

 From last to first: Me (71), Holly (62), Grant (60), Justin (59), Nicole (51), and Jamie (48).

Saturday night we went out to dinner with Miranda & Dan to catch up and also say goodbye since they're moving to DC next Friday! I can't believe it -- I'm so excited for them! We had a great time eating Chinese food at Fortune Cuisine and talking and laughing about everything. We never saw them enough before, and now we're hardly ever going to see them, so I'm glad we were able to do dinner one last time while we're both still in Utah. Good luck guys!

After dinner we said goodbye and Grant and I enjoyed a little date night :) We got ice-cream and then saw the movie Horrible Bosses, which was so funny! Since we used one of our free movie passes, the entire date only cost $10! And we had a great time spending the night just the two of us.

Then on Sunday we drove down to Justin and Holly's place to celebrate Justin's birthday. It was great to hang out with all our friends and enjoy the semi-cool weather. We had a Badminton tournament (which Grant and I placed second in), played Boccie Ball, hung around and talked, and ate lots of delicious desserts thanks to Holly :) And we got a great surprise: we got to see Natalie and Finn!!