Weekends Are Made For Adventures (Part I)

Among the chaos and stresses of life stem the opportunities to

explore.

love.

adventure.

learn.

laugh.

Transitioning into grad school and a new job position has posed quite a challenge this semester.

It surely hasn't been a walk in the park.

But here's the thing: we can still choose joy!!

It's incredibly important to take time away and really focus on things that matter.

The past three weekends have been full of lots of exploring, love, adventure, learning, and laughing.

First, I went to Sac Cru's Fall Retreat.

Then, Aly (my super cute and funny sister in law) came to visit! Before spending a few weeks in Fallon, NV for training, she came for a weekend in Sacramento before my mom and I drove her to Nevada.

Aly flew in 10 hours early and was able to surprise my mom at her birthday dinner. It was so nice to be able to spend the whole day with her before having to share her with everyone else in the family.

Ready for picture overload?

Good!

First, this text came confirming her visit!

Then we were reunited Friday afternoon!

We hid in the bathroom of the restaurant until my mom arrived so Aly could surprise her. 

The girls in our family went out to dinner at Rio City Cafe to celebrate my mom's birthday! (missing Aunt Toni in Maryland!)

Saturday morning my dad came and took us out to breakfast. Here's their album cover photo.

I love my daddy!

We went to Fox and Goose in the historic district of Sacramento! If you ever go, get their lolliberry scone. You' won't regret it!

Then we hung out at my grandma's house to see more family and then we were off to Nevada!

First, we took a pit stop at Apple Hill...but everything was closing down.

Luckily, we were able to get some apple cider for the road!

We stayed in South Lake Tahoe for the night. We had a yummy dinner and enjoyed quality time together. 

We had pancakes for breakfast made by this speedy pancake machine. We were seriously fascinated. 

We dropped Aly off at the base and after a tearful goodbye, we headed home. 

This was the first time I've hung out with Aly since their wedding in April and it was so much fun. She made the reservation for the hotel and when they asked the last name it was under, she said my last name! It caught me off guard for a tiny second and then I was just reminded that she gets to be a part of our family for my whole life. 

Thanks Ian for picking such a fun and loving wife. 

We sure do know how to have fun!