Flathead Lake

Mountains and water. The perfect combination. 

That is why Flathead Lake will always be one of my favorite places.

Easter in Montana

We were so glad Easter Sunday feel during the time we were in Montana. I love nothing more than spending holidays with family. It was nice to have kids around as we celebrated. They bring such an excitement to it all.

We dyed eggs with Sterling and Quincey. (Quincey also dyed her pants thanks to an inevitable spilled cup of dye.) 

I think the dye accident happened only seconds after this photo was taken as I turned around to put my camera away. That's what I get for being photo obsessed!

Baby Carlee in her Easter dress. She has such blue, blue eyes. Look how they match her dress!

It was such fun introducing Patrick to everyone at church on Sunday.  It is crazy how long I can be away from the ward and then come back and still know most everyone. Yes, many people have moved away over the past several years but there are still a handful of old timers left to get a hug from and catch up with.

Andrew shared a short message during Sacrament Meeting. He gave a power testimony of the Savior's life and atonement. I feel so blessed to have such amazing examples to look to in my family.

Sunday afternoon was spent with friends of Andrew and Nicole. There was delicious food, an egg hunt, and sugar-loaded children. Good times all around!

"I looove this place!"

Some of my best childhood memories are of my family's weekend getaways to Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. Every single person in the family enjoyed being there, which is saying a lot because it can be hard to please seven different people all at once. We spent every moment we could swimming and sliding. Whenever I think of Fairmont, I can hear my mom saying, "I looove this place!" in a really silly and enthusiatic voice. And she will still say it the exact same way anytime someone mentions Fairmont. It makes me happy!

On our drive up to Montana, my brother Andrew and his family met us at Fairmont.  It was wonderful to have so much time to swim and play with our nieces and nephew since we don't get to see them very often. It was our first time meeting our little niece, Carlee. She is such a sweet and beautiful baby. Both Patrick and I both feel in love with her instantly.

Sterling

Quincey

Baby Carlee

These two spent a lot of time together.
Carlee's little floater was awesome. Kind of wish they made them in adult size...

She could be a Gerber Baby model.

Sweetest thing ever.

I loved introducing Patrick to Fairmont and sharing with him fun memories and stories from my childhood.  It was such a perfect time and we have wished we were back there already many times since our return to Utah.

P & M in Montana!

I am so, so happy this fortune came true! After several failed attempts in Patrick being able to join me on one of my trips to Montana (due either to his work or school schedules- not lack of desire), we were finally able to hit the road together this month and head to Big Sky Country!

An excited Patrick.

The reason I am a mountain snob.

 Six whole days in one of my very favorite places with my absolute favorite person. What more could I ask for?!

A Year of Dates: April

*Click HERE to read what my "Year of Dates" is all about.

April's date was a trip to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium! Both Patrick and I were so excited to visit but we worried this outing might have to be postponed to a later date because the aquarium's expected grand opening in December 2013 was delayed several months. However, the doors were officially opened the end of March welcoming in visitors and we were able to make our date happen as scheduled. Phew!

So, the aquarium was beyond amazing and beyond busy.  Yesterday was cold and rainy and it seemed all of Salt Lake decided to stay dry by spending their Saturday inside checking out the aquarium. One of the Aquarium Presenters we spoke with said it was the busiest day they had had yet. Luckily, the aquarium is offering bounce back tickets so visitors can come back for free sometime in the next few months. We'll make sure to go on a sunny weekday next time!

Inside the jaws of a Megalodon.

We watched "March of the Penguins" in preparation for our visit.

Both Patrick and I agreed the penguins were our favorites.  They were so entertaining (and fast!) and I could have watched them playing and swimming for hours. 

Patrick's Graduation

Last Friday was a perfect spring day. Patrick and I drove downtown to Temple Square for his graduation from the LDS Business College. The sweet scent from all the lovely flowers was so strong you could smell them from inside the Tabernacle where the graduation was held.  It was one of those days that felt like the world was celebrating right along with you.

I am so proud of Patrick for finishing up his Associate's Degree.  He has been working hard to figure out what he'd like to do for a career and how to go about it.  He still has more schooling ahead, and although we don't know the exact steps we'll be taking next to accomplish that, it was just nice to recognize what he has accomplished so far.

The Graduate

The Proud Wife

A Favorite Story

The story of how my parents met is one of my favorites. I never get tired of hearing it. The Reader's Digest version goes something like this:

Once upon a time, a twenty-something named Nancy decided to leave city life behind and move from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Missoula, Montana. She packed her VW Bug with her belongings and drove out west for a change of scenery and new adventures.  Nancy informed her new friends and acquaintances that she was looking for a red-headed farmer to marry.  Well, one day it turned out that some friends did know a red-headed farmer and she was promptly set-up on a blind date.  The farmer's name was Garr.  On the first date, he thought the city girl asked lots of silly questions about farm life, animals, and the such but the two continued to go on more dates and eventually fell in love and were married.  If you ask Nancy the moral of this story, she will tell you, "It pays to advertise!"

It wasn't until recently that I found out that my parents went rollerskating on their first date. When they were younger, my mom was super athletic, but my dad wasn't. However, he did love rollerskating and went often enough that he was pretty good.  My mom said she was so impressed by his skating abilities and got very excited that her red-headed man was not only a farmer, but an athlete, too!  It wasn't until later that she learned he didn't quite excel in all sporting activities. In the end it didn't matter because all of his great qualities made up for him not being an Olympian. (And because my mom was so athletic, all those brothers of mine still had someone to teach them to ski and throw a ball so it all ends well.)

We've been trying to get together with my parents once a month for a double date.  After learning more about their first date, we thought it was only fitting to headed over to Hollywood Connection for some skating.  

  At the end of the skating session, everyone was invited to participate in the game Shark Attack.  Two skaters were designated as the sharks and they went around tagging people out. The last skater remaining won a free skate pass.  And what do you know- my mom still has it after all these years... She won! If you look at the above photo, she is the blur on the left side.  Looks like we'll be going skating again soon!