Beautiful Arizona

We just got back from Arizona / St. George and I have so many memories and pictures I want to post about Amy's wedding, my family, and just the whole trip.
(Itty-bitty disclaimer: I took way too many pictures on this trip. This is the lean version of my picture taking madness). I did want to post a lot of these so I could pass these on to my family... so you've officially been warned :-)
Congratulations Amy and Greg!

On the road: We left our house @ 2:00 AM and drove through the night. It was a long drive; Jared decided to pull over and rest his eyes for just a little while and Austin decided to join him.


Arizona: We got to the house we rented in Cave Creek with a few hours to kill before the wedding party dinner in Mesa, so we decided to unpack and of course, try out the new pool. Such a beautiful place!











The Wedding: We all met up at the Mesa Temple at about 8:30 in the morning for pictures. It was such a beautiful morning and Amy looked gorgeous in her dress. Everything was perfect. A few of her bridesmaids were so sweet and helped watch our boys in the visitor's center while we all were able to be there for Amy and Greg's sealing. It was a special moment for everyone there.








The Reception:





Playing at the House: We were so lucky to have some extra time with my mom, Chad and his little girl, Sakura, (Natalie just had their little boy a few weeks ago so they stayed home), Kent, Carly & Braelynn, and Greg had to go back to work so Amy even came by to see us for a day. I loved seeing my family and spending time with them, talking about childhood memories, our dreams, raising our kids, etc. etc. We're all so spread out and we don't see each other often, so this was such a treat.
























My Mom's Birthday:








I couldn't resist:




Our last night:


Some more pictures of the Cave Creek house (I loved this place!)












Favorite Memories: So have you ever heard the quote "if life is worth living it's worth recording"? I think about this often and I try to record as much of it as I can. So for my memory's sake, these are the thoughts/moments/feelings I always want to remember:
* Waking up to the early morning sunrise and watching the sun break through the mountains.
* Talking and philosophying with my brothers and looking at the stars till midnight
* BBQ's and roasting marshmellows
* Early morning runs and tuning out the world
* Dancing with Jared at sunset listening to Kenny Chesney's "When I Close My Eyes" and smelling a trace of Eternity on his shirt... I still get those butterflies in my stomache.
* Sitting by the glassy pool that mirrors hills in the background and thinking to myself, this is just a piece of Heaven on Earth.
* The vivid colors, the serenity and the beauty of nature

St. George
We decided to break up the trip head to St. George on the way home for a few days.
We invited Jared's mom and dad to join us and we all had a great time.