Palouse Falls

We have not been blessed with good weather this spring...so when the good weather does come, we feel like we have to take advantage of it! Last weekend was really nice, so we headed over to Palouse Falls in Washington.

These falls and the surrounding area were carved out by glaciers.

Here are the upper falls. Not nearly as big, but pretty none the less!

On our hike down to the falls we passed this cute little train track!

We were able to hike right up to the top of the falls. It was really impressive.

Here is some of the spray coming up from the falls. The walls were so green. It was really pretty because the rest of the terrain was pretty deserty.

Here is Adam looking over the edge. I'll admit, it made me very nervous!

These rocks were right on top of the fall. They looked so cool.

There is a little picnic area back by the beginning. We hiked back and ate our lunch. There were also a bunch of Marmots that wanted our lunch. Adam kindly shared the crust of his sandwich with the greedy little guys!

Here is another view of the falls. This is from the park where we ate our lunch. It was a great day for a hike!

On the way home we saw these Longhorns. They really gave new meaning to the name "longhorn". This picture doesn't do it justice! I've decided that everything is NOT bigger in Texas. Washington has them beat...at least in the cow department!

Busy Saturday

We had a very busy, but fun, day a couple of Saturdays ago!

Our friend, Thuy, got baptized! Her and her husband, Aaron, got married a week after us. She was able to get baptized on their first anniversary. Aaron's youngest brother, Isaac, was also baptized on the same day by another brother. Thuy asked me to give the talk on baptism. What a good experience!

Since we were in our Sunday clothes, Adam and I decided to head to Spokane to the temple. While we were driving there, we saw this Moose run across the road. It looked scared to death and was running around crazy on the side of the road.

We made it safe and sound to the temple and had a great session. After that we met a guy near Cheney, WA where we bought a whole bunch of fly fishing stuff from this guy on craigslist. I think we got a steal of a deal and Adam was very happy with his "anniversary" present!

After the temple we met some friends at Kamiak Butte. It was "butte"iful, as Adam put it!.

The Ritchie's, The Boizelle's, and Adam!

From the top you could see all over the Palouse. We could see Moscow and Pullman. It was pretty impressive.

Here is one last view!

After Kamiak Butte, our stake was having an ice cream social in Pullman. We stopped in on our way home and got some ice cream. I was pooped out by the time we got home. Adam spent the evening perusing his fishing stuff and I went to bed early!

One Whole YEAR!!!

I can't believe that is has been a year since we got married! The time has gone by so fast. I have loved nearly every minute of it!! There is definitely a lot of learning and progress that happens in the first year (especially the first couple of months!). I would most definitely do it all again if I had to go back.

I truly feel so blessed to be married to a righteous man who works hard and has a great sense of humor. I am impressed and grateful that he can go to school full time and work and still come home and spend the evenings with me. We have loved being able to experience life together. I love all of our little adventures and thought that I would do a quick recap of some of my favorite memories of the year.

Sealed together forever in the Houston, Texas temple on June 6, 2009.


Didn't we look so young back then!

Honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Moving from Houston to Moscow (okay...maybe that wasn't one of my favorite things, but it was monumental).

Spending the weekends exploring. (Brundage)


Dave Matthews Concert at the Gorge.

Family pictures at Christmas time!


Riding motorcycles in Placerville.

Dress up parties!

Seattle

Fishing on the St. Joes!

It really has been an amazing year and I feel like the luckiest girl ever! I love you, Adam!

Weekend Away From Moscow

Since it was our anniversary last weekend and it has been miserable weather in Moscow, we decided to leave town. We have come to realize that we are a very indecisive couple. We changed our minds quite a few times when deciding where to go. Everywhere, within reason, was also having cold rainy weather so we headed to Boise and Placerville. I'm really glad we went. It wasn't necessarily a romantic getaway, but it was so good to see Adam's family and just get out of Moscow!

I didn't take any pictures in Boise, but we headed there first. We took Madeline to a "diary of wimpy kid", (which Adam loved!) and went to a production of "the ark" with Adam's parents. Both we enjoyable. Adam and I headed to Placerville Friday night and the rest of the family came on Saturday. Adam really liked how the cars looked parked diagonally. He's the photographer for all the Placerville pics!

The backyard of the cabin! It looks great!

Another great shot!

Here is Vic grilling us some delicious steaks!

Erika and Chris are the only ones who stayed the night with us. We stayed up late playing cards and laughing. The next morning they got up early and cooked us breakfast. They're so nice! We love them!

We headed home on our actual anniversary. The rivers were all running so high, we had to stop and watch the rapids. These pictures don't do it justice. They were huge.

Lovely!

When we pulled up the people there said some kayaker's had just gone by. We waited around for quite a while to see if we could see some, and we did!! They were crazy!!

Some of those rapids looked to be around 10 feet high. You can see how little this guy looks in the middle of it all.

The rest of the trip was beautiful and uneventful. We made it home in time to watch our wedding video and play some cards. What a good weekend!

Excite Truck Racing

One of our favorite video games is "Excite Truck Racing". We hadn't played it in quite some time, so we broke it out again. The obsession started all over again! We've been trying to pass all of the levels with an "S" (which is important), and just can't get a few.

One afternoon I walked into the front room to this! Apparently, it takes sitting on the whole couch to pass the levels. It kinda works...at least he's the one that been passing them all!

To Cut or Not To Cut?

I've been debating the last few weeks with doing something "different" with my hair. I've had the same hair cut for ages and think I would like something new. The only thing is...I'm chicken...and my hair doesn't seem to be that great here in Moscow. It doesn't curl as well and I just don't love it. My friend had a book on hair by Nick Arrojo. There were some curly hair styles in there. This one in particular peaked my interest.

Here is what it looks like curly. My hair isn't quite the same kind of curly as her, so I'm not sure how it would look on me. Plus, I haven't had bangs since high school.

I really like how it looks straight. My hair is also thinner than this girls. I just can't decide and I need help. Please comment and tell me yes or no!!

Preschool

As most of you know, I have been teaching preschool here in Moscow. I really have loved it. It is so nice, especially after teaching in a public school. Last week was our end of the year celebration where the kids performed songs for their parents. It was a really cute production!

Here the kids are doing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"...one of the favorites!

Here is "Stomp Crash". It's a dinosaur song! If you look at the little girl in red you can see how into it she is. Not out of character!

After they finished singing, we put the chairs away and made a big circle and had the parents join in some songs. This one is another favorite. It's the "Bunny Song". They have to go to sleep and then we wake them up in the song and they get to hop around. Weird...but they love it!

Here is one of my favorites! She is so cute. With every song we sang she would get so excited and say "This is my favorite"! Throughout the course of the year she has gotten an eraser stuck up her nose, a lentil in her ear (who knows how long it'd been in there), and after getting paint in her hair she washed it in the sink in the bathroom! I love it!

Moscow in May

So...Spring in Moscow has not been my favorite place in the world. May was colder than February. It is kind of miserable.

The first week of May this is what we woke up to most mornings. These pictures were actually taken on May 6. Ridiculous!

I can't wait for summer to come. June is not proving to be much better than May. It is warmer, but it has been overcast and rainy for weeks. I can't wait for the sun to come out!

Thrift Store Inspiration

About a month ago I was driving down the road and saw a little thrift shop that I'd been in once and felt like I should stop and go it... so I did (who can turn that down?!). When I walked in I was told that they were having a sale that any clothing you could fit into a grocery bag you could have for $3. I looked around and found some shirts I liked and some awesome ties for Adam. As I was looking at the ties it dawned on me that Adam had been looking for a new suit. I kinda looked through the 4 or 5 suits they had, but couldn't remember what size Adam wore.

I called Adam and told him to stop by on his way home and check them out. He walked in and saw this suit right away. Lo and behold, it was just his size. He tried it on and it fit like a glove. He put it in a bag and walked away with a stunning $3 suit! (My dad will be proud!)

Knitting

My friends, April and Chelsea, taught a few of us how to knit. I was really excited to learn a new skill. April actually tried to teach me last summer...and I failed. I was more determined this time, however. Here is my first wash cloth. I made it for Alona for her birthday and bless her heart, she liked it! I look and it, and can tell it was my first one! I also made one for mine and Adam's moms for Mother's Day. Funny that a little wash cloth could make me so happy!