The last 6 months...

Hello blog. It's been awhile.. haha. No excuses this time. I just haven't had anything to say. 

 Last time I checked this was in July, so I will start from there. 

August was a very exciting month! First, I got to visit Austin in Arizona! That was a much needed and overdue trip if you ask me. Being in two places for 3 months was not easy. However, looking back on it, we both learned and grew so much during that summer. I learned to be more independent and use my free time wisely (and sometimes unwisely too.... I watched a lot of Friends re runs). I was also able to work a summer job that kept me occupied and interacting with people. I am super grateful for technology. Because of cool phones with internet and Skype, Austin and I were able to talk multiple times a day. I'm also very grateful for all the friends in Utah who spent lots of time with me while I was alone. We had lots of fun adventures boating, riding bikes, going to lunch and just hanging out watching movies and talking.

 After Arizona I headed off to Seattle to be with family for the last 2 weeks of summer. Corey returned from his mission and the next day we took a family vacation to Hawaii! It was a blast.

 After a wonderful visit with my family, I headed back to Utah to get ready for the 1st day of school! I'm now in my second year of teaching 3rd grade down in Spanish Fork and I absolutely love it!
September arrived and Austin finished out short season with the Brewers! He headed straight to class upon arriving. Fortunately, his teachers were okay with him missing the first week of school.

 In the fall we both celebrated our 24th birthdays! We spent Austin's birthday golfing at a beautiful golf course in the canyon and my birthday was celebrated by going to.... the Carrie Underwood concert!!! Best birthday present if you ask me. I really like Carrie Underwood and Austin does too so it was a perfect date/birthday celebration. The concert was phenomenal. She has an amazing voice.
 

Other fun events this fall include; seeing Aunt Patty and Grandma James! We love you both so very much. Glad we got to enjoy some delicious Mexican food with you.

 Halloween is a big deal in elementary school. I was a spelling bee this year. The kids were all so creative. There was a ghost-buster, Mitt Romney, ninjas, Mario, the princess from Brave, etc.

 In November we were lucky enough to fly out to California for Thanksgiving to be with the Hall's. We love visiting them. They are so generous whenever we are there. Full blown breakfast buffet every single morning. I love Kraig's omelets and bacon. We got to see lots of new movies that weekend, eat amazing food and see The Lion King on Broadway! San Francisco is so beautiful, especially during the Holidays. We took lots of fun pictures at Union Square in front of the big Christmas tree.

In December we pretty much hunkered down. Austin studied lots in preparation for finals and I enjoyed Christmas shopping and making fun crafts in school with my students. For Christmas we flew to Seattle. It was the first time EVERYONE, (since Austin & I were married) had been together in 2 years. It was wonderful. We kicked off the trip by doing a family lunch date to Taco Time. I know it doesn't seem like that should be a big deal... but when we were younger, if you ever got pulled out of school for a doctor's appointment or decided to go run errands with Mom, you always were rewarded with a little Taco Time lunch. Super delicious. It seemed perfect to be there all together. P.S. Taco Time in Washington is amazing. Everywhere else.... not so much. Not sure why. The rest of the week we spent time with family, saw ELF the Musical in Seattle, went shooting and watched movies.

For Christmas, Austin surprised me with the most amazing gift ever. Tickets for a Caribbean cruise that left 2 days after Christmas. I panicked. I was so excited because this was something we had been talking about doing forever.. and stressed because that I would be missing the first 3 days back to school. If you're a teacher you understand why this is such a stress-er. Writing sub plans is the worst. I would rather get out of bed and go to school when I'm sick than write a sub plan. But to my surprise, Austin had already taken care of everything. My principal, secretary and entire team were all in on the surprise and had taken care of everything school related. BEST GIFT EVER!  And that's where 2012 ends for us. First official post for 2013 will include all the pictures and details from our wonderful New Year's cruise!