a fall break to remember

i had the most lovely fall break with the most lovely girls in my life (minus two and plus jake)

we didn't have much time or money to head somewhere far away but we decided even just a weekend getaway to park city during the most beautiful time of the year in utah sounded great.

so we found ourselves a good deal (via groupon) for a suite in park city resort for the first two nights.

Celia "our mother" made some good breakfast

shopping! - we found some good deals at the park city outlets

fall colors photo-op

random statue we had fun with

afternoon nap by the fire

relaxing/chatting by our mountain view

carolyn came up to join us one night!

night out on main street

jake was a trooper for putting up with all us girls

coastin' on the alpine coaster

pretty sure we screamed & laughed the whole way down

we then headed up to the cabin (do you like how it's always referred to as "the cabin" haha) for the last night of our little getaway.

our cabin host was good to us as always

cookin' up some grub

love my leech

most of the crew eating din-din

i'm sure glad i brought up twister.... trev & i were the champions. nobody wanted to challenge us.

brother bear came up for the night too :)

we spent the afternoon before we left exploring our surroundings. it was so beautiful up there & i'm glad we got to really soak up some of the beauty of fall.

practicing my shooting skills

lucy always forever ahead of us

glad i could re-live this little trip, thanks blog!

{and one more special thank you to aunt colleen- your cabin always provides for the best memories}

dirt roads & pretty colors

it was one of those evenings where i needed time alone.

so i drove. and drove. until i found myself on a dirt road high above the noise & surrounded by nothing but peaceful silence. the sun was just gracing the earth with its last bit of rays and

made the fall colors seem even more enchanting.

the air felt cool & crisp and the earth felt raw beneath my feet.

i just wandered and sat. and stood and watched.

it was exactly what i needed.

{and i had no cell phone service... a little nerve-racking for this generation, but ultimately a refreshing feeling}

isn't fall just the best?

p.s. don't mind the awkward self-photos. that's what happens when you go on an adventure alone.

here it goes

life since i got back to this place i call home in good ol' utah has been [as good as i imagined it to be].

i could finally sit on my bum all day long for the first time since i left & it felt great. this song (p.s. the video is pretty funny if you want a laugh) was sung manyyy times during our travels & it quickly became our theme song. although we loved every bit of it. it was exhausting. so a day of nothing was definitely looked forward to.

there was a beautiful wedding for adam&lexi that i got to be part of.

i started working again & although that isn't the most exciting thing that has happened; money is nice. money is helpful. money is really just needed after four months in europe.

halloween with my girls was one that will never be forgotten. we surely spiced up the night!

birthdays have been celebrated {lyssa, celia, devin}.

11.11.11 went out with a bang. you can find the details here.

games have been played. ohhh yes they have definitely been played. mostly with ty&jame {my settlers of catan partners in crime}.

thanksgiving was as great as ever. football, feasting, & family. what more could you need?

then there have been other lovely things in between that have kept me from sitting at this computer & blogging about my europe adventures. i'm okay with that though because i've enjoyed the past seven weeks so very much. but i'm afraid my travels will all fade to distant memories if i don't get them down somewhere. 

so the time has come. now where to begin...

this picture was taken the day we were leaving to spain back in june. it makes me laugh now. cause we just had no idea what awaited us. so many experiences, emotions, adventures, good times & hard times, excitement & exhaustion, things seen, things learned, new friends, cute little kids, yummy food, languages, cultures, & so much more. there were so many unknowns at that time but we couldn't wait.

after three months in mallorca which i've already shared bits & pieces of; the travels began.

one backpack

two of my besties

three weeks

four airplanes

five trains&hostels

six languages

seven countries

deep breath.. here i go..

a day of giving thanks.

thanksgiving was wonderful.
it was especially wonderful because i had two thanksgiving dinners. one with dustin's family and one with my family. i love that thanksgiving gives us a day to be with our families and eat a lot of yummy food & pie. 
and even though we all act like we don't want to do the talent show every year... i really enjoy watching everyone perform (the ones who still have talents anyway). so thanks for starting that tradition grandma, it was so fun to skype you. it sure makes me thankful for technology this year as well. 
i went black friday shopping yesterday with dustin for my first time ever. yep, people are pretty insane. but i actually don't mind the crowds, just maybe not the lines. we got what we went for though so that made it all worth it. 
and right now i'm really thankful that thanksgiving break isn't over just yet! i still have the rest of today & tomorrow to enjoy. its already been so lovely too.  


p.s. sorry i don't have any pictures from the wonderful day. guess i was distracted this year.

today is a rather blustery & chilly day.

{pictures from my parents deck}

i have been listening to the wind whip at my window all morning.
i told myself i'd be productive today and i honestly haven't gotten nearly as much done as planned, but i'm loving just sitting around in sweats doing whatever i feel. this doesn't happen very often lately so i'm thankful for this crappy weather day because i feel it gives me the right to just enjoy being at home.


and through out today i have been thinking about how thankful i am for warmth.
the warm bed i woke up in, the warm shower i took, the warm oatmeal i ate for breakfast, the warm fireplace going in our family room, the warm sweats i am wearing, & the warm house i am lounging around in.
i think i take it all for granted; but today i am truly thankful for these simple warm pleasures. 

goodbye october.

it's been breathtaking.

p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN

*pictures from camping over fall break