-Hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim-

This post is long overdue but hey, at least I'm catching up right?  We started on the north rim and hiked to the south rim.  The troopers were Aaron, my dad, Thomas, Hannah, and me.  My dad and I have hiked it from rim to rim two years ago and we were eager to go again.  I'll give you a brief rundown of our trip.  Our trip was from August 7th- August 9th.  We hiked down about 8 miles on Tuesday and stayed in Cottonwood Cove.  We played in the water, played card games, and ate food.  We woke up bright and early at around 5 AM on Wednesday morning and started our 8 mile hike to Bright Angel.  We had to wake up that early because we were hiking through Box Canyon (the hottest area of the canyon) and you don't want to get caught dead in Box Canyon with the sun up.  Well, we beat the sun!  We played in the water some more and Aaron and Thomas made a damn in the river.  We ate some more food and played more games.  We tried to go to sleep early because we had to wake up at 2 AM to begin our 10 mile ascent.  We groggily woke up, packed our things, and started our last stretch.  After about 20 minutes of hiking we came to the enormous bridge that is suspended over the Colorado river.  Last time my dad and I hiked it we couldn't see a thing because it was so dark.  So we were crossing this massive river blind.  But this time there was a full moon and tons of stars.  Our eyes adjusted and we were able to see the roaring river beneath us.  It was a very neat experience.  We hiked and hiked and hiked and it seemed like an endless journey to the top of the south rim but we made it!  We got to the top at around 10:30 AM.  Last time I did this I think we got to the top a little later and ate lunch at the top.  I had a huge hamburger and fries and naturally I was expecting the same thing this time around.  But no..lunch was not available yet so I had to settle for pancakes.  I was pretty upset!  I wanted my hamburger and fries!  Isn't silly how excited I was for that hamburger?  Well, on our ride home we stopped for dinner and I was able to get my burger and fries.  So it all turned out in the end :)  It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad that I was able to share it with my sweet husband this time around. Here are some pictures to show you how beautiful the canyon is!

We Finished!!!

-Feed the Birds-

Toppins a bag!  Aaron and I went to the Tracy Aviary a few Mondays ago.  Did you know that if you have the pass of all passes that its free on Monday?  Oh yes you heard me right.  FREE!  That's what I'm talkin' about.  The birds were hilarious.  I seriously could NOT stop laughing.  Sorry for the poor quality of pictures.

OWL

Bear Lake

Aaron's side of the family has this fun tradition where they go to Bear Lake every summer.  Count me in!  We went three weeks ago right after Aaron's birthday and had such a great time!  We toured Minnetonka Cave the first day (which was really incredible,) camped, played sand volleyball, swam in the freezing water, went kayaking, and played bocce ball.  I was actually able to go with his family last year while we were still dating.  Of course his little brother Thomas says, "Hey Rachel, why did you even come with us last year?"  Oh hey thanks Tom I'm glad you're so found of me haha.  I'm actually really glad I went last year.  I got to know his family a lot better that way and it was such a blast.  This year was way better though.  Do you want to know why?  I didn't have to sleep in my own tent this year :)

Stairway to Heaven inside Minnetonka Cave

Kermits Castle

Lots and lots of bocce ball

The kids LOVED playing in the water all day long.

-Happy Day of Birth Aaron-

Hey hubbie!! Happy Birthday!!  It was July 25th so obviously I'm a little behind on blogging but here are a few pics of the celebrations.  I asked him what cake he wanted and of course he chose a Killers theme.  So we did his name in the font and the lighting bolt from the new CD.  Awesome idea Aaron!  Then we went to my parents house and had a little party.  We also celebrated in Bear Lake with his family later that week.  That post is coming shortly.

Making "The Killers" Cake

In the process..



Awww he is darling.  All finished!

He LOVED all of his presents!

For The Love Of

Deseret Book. Aaron and I met at this fabulous place in May of 2011. It sure seems like a marvelous place to work right? Well it definitely is, but only for the first few months and then it just goes downhill from there. I started working there in August of 2010. The Distribution Center and Deseret Book combined in May so they needed to hire new people. My parents and I were on a lovely vacation in Europe at the time of the merger so when I came home and went back to work, there were a ton of new faces. Aaron caught MY eye! He finally asked me out and of course we were history from there. Aaron is a very hard working, trusting individual. He immediately became a favorite with the boss. He was able to get his cousin Scott in on the job. A few months later he was also able to get his third cousin Stephen to work there. Aaron loved his job for a while. After all, he was working with two of his best friends and his girlfriend! When Aaron and I got married he was offered a supervisor position. If he were to take to job I would of had to transfer stores or quit. I was totally fine with quitting. Let's be honest. It was actually a really nice way to leave. A really great excuse anyway. So now Aaron is the lone survivor out of his two best friends and his now wifey. Stephen left to go work for the MTC as a security guard a few months ago. Scott followed in his footsteps and also got a job at the MTC as a security guard a few weeks ago. What will Aaron do without his best buds? I was able to come into Deseret Book on Scott's last day at Deseret Book and take a few pics for the besties. You know, as much as working at Deseret Book really made me have a sour taste in my mouth for that particular store...Deseret Book did give Aaron and I a great love story.

-A Weekend With The Goblins-

Aaron and I have a fun filled summer planned!  All of our vacations this summer have been, and will be outdoorsy (which is awesome).  Aaron has always wanted to take me to Goblin Valley because he has some really fond memories there.  So we planned a lovely vacation with Scott (Aaron's cousin) and his wife Amy.  Scott and Aaron go way back.  Let's just say they've been best friends since before they were born.  We all have a lot of fun together and Aaron and I look up to them and their marriage a lot!  They are a wonderful couple.  So here are a few fun pics from the trip!

Well yes, of course we have matching tents!  What else would you expect?

Ruins

Cute Amy

We hiked through some awesome slot canyons.

The NAUGHTY boys hiked into a dangerous mine!  Tisk tisk tisk

We came home on Sunday to this lovely surprise!  My cute family decorated our home for my birthday.  I love them so much!

This really was the best trip.  So many memories were made and Aaron and I will be taking our kids there one day.