Summer in the blink of an eye

Our Summer has been jam packed!
Between buying a house(!!!) and cramming in as much fun as possible I can't believe it's the end of August.
We were able to get to Sun Valley for the 4th of July, Lake Powell for the 24th of July (with the Jensons), Bear Lake for the kickoff of the Olympics, and Lake Powell one last time to bid summer goodbye (with Claflins). I also managed to get sick for two weeks in July, get certified as a High Fitness instructor, and Dan and my family rode their bikes all the way to Las Vegas in the Saints to Sinners relay.
July was hot hot hot, and August is finally giving us that 85 degree perfection that I wish I could live in year round. Friends have come to visit (Jeff, Catherine, Ann, Webbs!), and we did almost nothing but watch the Olympics for two weeks (good job Phelps, Simone(s), refugees, everyone).
Little by little we are getting settled into our home. We still don't have a kitchen table, and pictures still need to be hung, but it's ours and we love it.
Fall brings all sorts of exciting and fun things, but I will miss our sweet sweet Summer.

Photo review below.....

^^^All American 4th in Sun Valley

^^^High Fit at Stein Erikson Lodge

^^^Lake Powell for the first time this Summer!

^^^Everything Dan loves most in a photo

^^^Goodbye til next year Lake Powell 

^^^Officially teaching High Fit at my studio! Come try it out!

 (kacey.ism 385)

Home sweet HOME

We bought a house!

It was sudden, unexpected, and a whirlwind of a month,

but that beauty behind us is all ours. 

We love our little house and can't wait for all the memories we will make here. 

Three cheers for a mortgage! 

(kacey.ism 384)

One year down!

On Monday (6/6/16) Dan and I celebrate our first anniversary! We really have made it a whole year. Wow!
We decided to celebrate by heading down to Laguna Beach for a few days. If you know us, you know we look for any and every opportunity to take a vacation, and we thought our anniversary definitely called for one.
We flew down last Thursday and spent the next few days playing tennis, sitting by the pool, lounging at the beach, and just relaxing. Our life has been a little bit crazy at home so it was nice to take a breather.
On our anniversary we went to DISNEYLAND. And despite the crazy crowds I can't think of a happier, more magical place to celebrate. I wore my Minnie ears, and we even got anniversary pins (yes, we are those people). We probably walked 10 miles and were so tired by the end of the night, but I loved it.
Most of all, I just love to be with Dan. We have so much fun together and when I'm with him I always feel happy and I know without a doubt that the life I have with him is the very best life I could possibly have.

Since we weren't home for our anniversary, and since my wedding dress isn't really packable, last night we celebrated again. This time I put on my dress, Dan put on his suit, and we ate the top of our wedding cake and danced under our wedding lights. I have been waiting a year to put that dress back on, and it was everything I dreamt it would be.
It felt pretty magical to be dressed as a bride again, looking at my groom. It was simple and sweet and a moment that I will cherish forever.

Happy Anniversary to the one I love. It's been the happiest year, and the best is yet to come!

(kacey.ism 383)

Happy Birthday Dan! & A weekend away!

Last Thursday was Dan's birthday! Although he wasn't counting down, I definitely was.

For Dan, his birthday is just another day. He wouldn't ask for anything, but I make him.  He wouldn't want a big deal made out of it, but I make a big deal anyways. 

In my world birthdays are a BIG deal. I keep telling him I'm just going to wear him down year after year until he loves his birthday as much as I love mine.
I love to celebrate Dan any chance I get because he has made my life better in every possible way, and is truly my favorite person in the entire world. So, too bad Dan. On May 12th your are going to be celebrated!

This year we both had to work, so I got up early and made him banana pancakes for breakfast before we parted ways for a few hours. That evening he won "Husband of the Year" for helping me set up for the Relief Society party in my ward, and then I won "Wife of the year" by taking him to get curry for dinner.
Afterwards, he opened a few gifts, ate a big slice of banana cream pie (we've been taking a break from treats for 8 weeks, so it was extra delicious) and then we hopped in the car and drove down to St. George for the weekend with the whole Jenson family.

^^The selfie stick does it again!

St. George could not have come at a more perfect time. We have been itching for a quick getaway. A big dose of sunshine, and adventure was just what we needed. We drove razors through the sand dunes, hung out at Sand Hollow, took a windy road up to a hidden oasis called Toquerville Falls, and celebrated Dan and our nephew Dallin's birthday. And BONUS! We had a mini reunion with Ann and Nate while we were down there. Any chance I get to see friends who live far way, I take it.

It has been a while since we had all of Dan's family on a trip together, so I'm so glad we were all able to make it work! It was the perfect St. George weekend.

(kacey.ism 382)

Keep on going.

"Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever."

-Elder Jeffrey. R. Holland

(kacey.ism 381)

Spring Break 2016

Have I ever mentioned how much I love adult Spring Break? Because I LOVE adult Spring Break! 

Dan has never been to Palm Springs (our destination of choice), so I was eager to show him around. I have 20+ years of memories down there and it was time to go from telling him all about it to showing him all of it. 

Palm Springs is also completely interwoven with my sweet Grandpa Noland who passed away 11 years ago. Dan may never get to meet him in this life, but the best way for Dan to get to know who he was is to take him to Palm Springs. 

Our week was filled with playing tennis, playing pickle ball, playing golf, lounging by the pool, and going to the BNP Paribas tennis tournament. 

We landed right when the heat really settled in, so we were hanging in a 90+ degree temperature every day. I love warm weather, so you won't hear me complaining, but it was HOT. 

Another first for Dan was going to a professional tennis tournament. Tennis quickly became a big part of our life together (thank goodness!) and he couldn't wait to see the pros in action. I don't think it disappointed. He even got to cheer on Monfils (his favorite Frenchman). And while we missed cheering on Federer, we proudly sported his new shirts to remind Djokovic where our loyalty lies. 

My sisters and brother-in-law headed home on Thursday, so we spent our last few days hanging with my parents. As usual we were doing our best just to keep up with them. They managed to beat us in tennis most mornings, and showed us a thing or two about golf in the afternoons. Dan and I are both very much a work in progress in that department, but we had a lot of fun and I wouldn't mind improving my golf game this Summer. 

As usual, the trip went by far too quickly and I was sad to see our week in Palm Springs come to an end. It truly is the land where the sun always shines.

(kacey.ism 380)

Laguna!

Last week Dan and I made my annual trip down to Laguna Beach for President's Day weekend. It's one of my favorite traditions, and I look forward to it every year. In the past I always went down with girlfriends, so this year was a little different because it was just Dan and I, and it was our first married Valentine's Day. The trip always goes by too fast, but we did our best to really make the most of it this year. 

We were up bright and early on Friday and Saturday so we could get a couple rounds of tennis in.

We sat at the beach, read books, and relaxed.

We had friends come and stay with us! Scott is one of Dan's best friends. He and his wife Julie have lived in LA for almost two years and have a baby girl coming in April. We loved getting to spend some time with them. Thanks for coming and hanging out with us, guys! 

Dan and Scott did some surfing, while Julie and I did some watching. 

We picked up hippo cookies on Balboa Island and donuts at Seaside Donuts in Newport and sat in the sun some more. 

Dan and I made dinner on Valentine's day, and exchanged homemade Valentine's. Every card Dan has ever given me has been homemade with love. I cherish them and look forward to opening them every holiday. I decided it was time for me to make him something too!

On Monday morning we cleaned and packed, took a nice long stroll on the beach, and were able to sit in the sun and soak it all in for a couple hours. 

And before we knew it, we were back in the car driving back to Utah. 

It really was the perfect weekend. So grateful to have a such a beautiful place to stay (thanks grandma and grandpa), a fun, adventurous husband to go with, and wonderful friends to visit! 

(kacey.ism 379)

Snow Valley

A couple weekends ago Dan, my parents, and I traded in the Hawaiian sunshine for some snowy Sun Valley.
I must admit, although I'm no fan of Winter, Sun Valley is the one place I welcome snow--the more snow the better, in fact. And this year is the first year in a while that it's transformed into a real life snow globe up there. Out with the light dusting of a few inches of snow, and in with the 3-4 feet of snow!
We took full advantage of our time in winter wonderland. We skied on Saturday and then again on fresh, glorious powder on Monday. We spent an afternoon wearing the dogs (and ourselves) out playing in the snow in our backyard. We cross-country skied (one of our favorites), and we took lots of walks down Fairway.
Dan and I had so much fun with my parents. They are the best example to me of what I hope to be when I'm their age. Nothing stops them, and it's awesome. I really cherish this time of life with my family. I know this newlywed/no grandkids/everyone is an adult now life is fleeting, and I just want to take it all in before a new, equally wonderful chapter begins.

(kacey.ism 378)

The Happiest Hawaii Christmas Vacation 2015

For most people Christmas comes on December 25th. For my family, Christmas came on December 26th. At noon on the 26th my family was on a plane to Hawaii.
We've been fortunate enough to go to Hawaii the past 5 years around Christmastime and it truly is a slice of paradise.
This year tops the list because it was my first year there with my husband. Last year Dan and I weren't even engaged yet. So much really can happen in 365 days.
Hawaii could not have been more beautiful. The sun did nothing but shine on (and brown up) our wintery, pale faces, and the water did nothing but sparkle apart from the occasional (fabulous) whale breach.
We went whale watching and snorkeling on a catamaran, we went scuba diving early one morning, we played tennis every day, and we jumped off of black rock on New Year's Day.
We also spent every day digging our toes in the sand, reading books, playing paddle ball, and taking dips in the ocean whenever we wanted.
It's such a simple life over there. You wake up, put on your swimsuit, sit on the beach until the sun goes down, eat fresh fish for dinner, and usually fall asleep by 9pm. I just love it.
I love spending those 10 days with my family.  I truly do look at them as my very best friends. I also love to see how well Dan fits in. It feels like he's always been there, and I love it.
As always, it's like I blink and the trip is over. Suddenly I'm shivering at my desk at work dreaming of being back in paradise.
Hawaii, you were wonderful. We'll see you soon, but never soon enough.

(kacey.ism 377)