Sacramento Temple open House Aug 22nd

Cooper and I drove to Sacramento and meet my mom and cousins there. We took a tour of the beautiful Sacramento Temple before it was dedicated and walked around the grounds. We then stayed at my brothers house in Sac and shopped and went to the Zoo the next day. It was so much fun and a great day trip!

Fallen Leaf Lake August 19th

We took a beautiful day hike up to Fallen Leaf Lake which is located right next to Lake Tahoe. The walk was beautiful through some meadows and then around to the lake which was breathtaking! The lake is tucked away in the Sierra Nevadas surrounded by the mountains and beautiful evergreens. We found the only beach on the lake and it was very peaceful and relaxing. We all stuck our feet in and are looking forward to going back with our suits next week. The water is much warmer than Lake Tahoe- about 70 degrees.

Lake Tahoe August 12th

We have been enjoying the beautiful beaches and lakes up here. Here we are with some friends at Sand Harbor- Lake Tahoe. The water was crystal clear and it was SO beautiful! We were in a little cove with a small beach. The tempature of the water is a balmy 60 degrees- so too cold for us to get in! But we enjoyed the scenery and sun.

Ok. Back to reality August 1

So it's official! Joe is a working, fillin, drillin dentist! It's been a week since he started and he is still nervous and anxious as can be. It is all so overwhelming and there is so much he is responsible for that it will just take some time to get use to. His boss is a very respected but stern dentist whom is a perfectionist. But it's a great opportunity for Joe to learn from someone as good as him.
I am doing ok. It's been a rough adjustment for me and hard for me not to work since I loved my job so much. But I am making some friends and trying to stay busy. We are enjoying the lake weekly and taking advantage of it while it is still warm out. For now, our plans are kind of up in the air still as to what our future holds. We'll see!

Utah here we come... July 20-26th

One last vacation while Joe is still unemployed and able to get time off. It was really last minute and spontaneous but it turned out great. We got to visit with family and friends, go to the rodeo, go to the Fiesta Days parade, go to the fair, go to the swim center, go visit Herriman where we found a really cute water park, and shave Cooper's much need mop head! Joe got to go on a horse back ride with his brothers and Dad and we all just got to enjoy Utah- which we miss and love!

Were goin' back to Cali to Cali...July 13-16th

Shane had his reception in chico. It was nice to see my friends and visit with family. The reception was simple and my mom kept us busy with decorating and preparing food. It was really fun besides Cooper being a total stinker the whole time!

Shane's taking the plunge! June 29-July 2

My brother Shane is FINALLY getting married! It only took almost 7 years! But we are all happy and the wedding was beautiful. They got married in the Long Beach temple which was very new and beautiful. They then had the reception in her back yard over looking LA. It was very elegant and beautiful. They had a pool that Cooper fell into twice so Nikki's mom made Cooper wear this hideous bathing suit!

Trip to Las Vegas June 21- June 25

Joe had to take one last test for his license in Vegas so we decided to make a trip out of it. We visited with his brother, Jason and his family, went to Lake Mead and visited with Joe's old friend Whop.

Home sweet home... for now.

Yeah!! A real house all to ourselves!! A yard! A driveway! A garage!!! Sidewalks! Mountains! It's so fun to finally have all the things we took for granted back. After the initial excitment of moving and getting all set up we had a little (ok a lot) of culture shock when we first moved in. It is SO beautiful here and we missed the mountains so much. It is very nice to be back on the West Coast but I think it will be a pretty tough adjustment for all of us. We are so use to the hustle and bustle of the BIG city that moving to a town on five thousand people is a GIANT change for all of us. Luckily we have a couple months to adjust and go on a few fun trips before we get settled into the swing of things.

Coast to Coast: May 26th- May 31, 2006

For the most part our road trip was a blast! We saw so many historical and famous attractions and so much of the northern US. We had to time everything just perfect with Cooper and trade a little sleep for sanity. But it was well worth it! We enjoyed seeing Palmyra, New York where we stopped at the Smith farm. Then we were on to Niagara Falls where unfortunately it was completely overcast and we could hardly see a thing! The next day we went up through Canada and on to Michigan where we passed through Coopersville and then caught a ferry across the lake to Milwaukee. Joes sister lives in Milwaukee and we decided visit while she was still there. The ferry was a blast and went over 40 miles an hour! Lake Michigan was beautiful but very cold. From there we had a nice visit with Julie and then Joe dropped Cooper and I off at the airport to fly into Utah while he drove the rest of the way. While I visited with my friends and Joes family Joe was busy driving 14-16 hour days through Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming and then to Utah. We met up there and spent some time with his family then onto our new home in Nevada!

Bye bye Boston!!

After 4 exciting, trying and adventurous years we are surprisingly sad to leave the great city of Boston. Saying good bye was a lot more difficult than we initially thought it would be. Leaving this stage, our friends, school ,work, and so many great memories is both relieving and sad. But on to our next adventure! Goodbye Boston- Hello Gardnerville, NV!