On Saturday we went on a 5 hour, yes I said 5 hours(!) horseback ride up Payson Canyon, and my rear-end is still feeling the aftermath of that! Zachary was taking us to some lake, that we never made it to. Once we finally decided to stop and have lunch at this spot that was kind of a lookout point, of course we saw the lake we were trying to find way off in the distance. We were just a little off course.... It was totally worth it though because it was GORGEOUS! The leaves are all changing right now and I kept telling Zachary I was so feeling like a princess in a movie, it was just so pretty!

Of course I took a million pictures, thankfully Z was being a good sport that day. I got the best "Senior Portrait" of him that he refused to let me post, but if you need a laugh I will definitely e-mail it to you! Can you believe how pretty those colors are?!

I love where we live, we have so many beautiful places all around us. On Sunday Zachary and I went on a little motorcycle ride (another story in itself- why does he love those blasted things?!) anyways, we rode over to Mapleton, and again gorgeous everywhere. I am just lovin' this time of year!

On Friday night we went out to dinner with Zac's co-worker and his family and got to take my niece Josie along. We had a little movie night at our house after dinner, and these 2 girlies were cracking me up! Totally reminds me of when I was little and had sleepovers with cousins and friends- too cute!

SO good

My new favorite snack lately is fresh cut apples dipped in carmel. Mmmmm, they are so delicious! I usually just buy the small to-go packets of carmel at the grocery store made by Litehouse, they have a low-fat one that is really good, and are great for when I am not home. I also am loving this homemade carmel sauce that my sister-in-law Jamie made last week. She was nice enough to share the recipe.

Make it, you won't be sorry.

You'll Need:

8 oz. Cream Cheese

3/4 C. Brown Sugar

1/4 C. White Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Tbsp. Milk

Just mix it all together and enjoy!

I wish I had something new and exciting to post, but I don't! Zachary and I have been busy busy lately it seems. I started school again at the beginning of this month, and I am really enjoying being back in school. It is so nice to finally be around girls my own age on a daily basis to interact with! I am really enjoying my classes and feel like I am learning such great things I will always be able to use. School has been great, but the schedule change has definitely been an adjustment. I am just grateful for an amazing husband that is always there to support me and help make my life easier any way he can. Zachary is love love loving all the football he can watch this time of year and is always reporting to me on his Fantasy Football teams. For those of you who don't know what that is, I don't understand it either and I probably participate in about 12 conversations a week about it, so don't feel bad. We have gone to a few Salem Hills High School football games and it has been fun to watch kids we know from the ward and see my Sunday School kids out and about. It definitely makes me excited for our future kids to be part of such a great school! We are definitely enjoying this cool crisp weather, I just am wanting to enjoy being outside as much as possible in the next few weeks. Pretty soon it will be too cold! Yuk!

For sure this morning I woke up to Salem's High School band practicing right outside my window! Well, maybe not RIGHT outside, but it sure sounded like it! I have a feeling this is going to be a very long Football season.........

Labor Day Weekend in St. George

Last weekend we headed to St. George for some family fun with the Johnsons! It was beautiful weather, and just the perfect way to end my summer! We got to spend some time at the pool swimming, hiking at Zions, shopping, playing the Wii, Scattergories ( I think Google should be outlawed!) and just loving spending some relaxing time with the family! Thanks for inviting us Ryan and Jamie, we had SO much fun!

Hiking in Zions, we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather

Zachary found a little squirrel to play with, I was just hoping it didn't bite him!

Ryan and Jamie's cute little family, love those kids!

Our little "adoptee"for the weekend :) Our little niece Andrea is such a doll we just love all the time we got to spend with her!

Riding on the tram in Zions was an interesting experience, I think we were the only Americans on board!

We took a little Sunday walk down to the golf course, these swans came right up to us, they were so pretty, but got a little feisty at times

Zachary was loving playing in the pool with Isaac and Reid, a true kid at heart! Him and his bros were quite entertaining in the pool playing football, I think they were scaring everyone away!

Zachary, Issac, and Reid in the pool

We had so much fun spending time outdoors! We are sad to see summer go, but we're excited for fall and all the fun things that come with it!

Camping Trip up Payson Canyon

A few weeks ago we went camping with one of Zachary's co-workers and his cute little family. Let me tell you the Nielsons know how to camp! Brooke made us a delicious chicken pot pie in the dutch oven for dinner and pancakes and eggs for breakfast. I'm usually a foil dinner, or hot dog kind of girl when it comes to camping, quick and easy, but it was nice to have a cooked meal while camping. I love camping and we were glad the Nielsons could come with us!

Maisie was so cute, she kept us entertained all night!

We borrowed this air mattress from Zachary's parents and had to blow it up by mouth! It took forever, but it was worth it when the night time came! I love camping, but I am always afraid a bear is going to eat me!

Greg, Brooke & Maisie

We were so glad we got to go camping and spend a little time in the great outdoors!

Oregon Coast

In August I got to go home and spend a little time with my family. We spent a little time at the Oregon Coast and then the rest of the time at home with a trip to Silverwood in there! We were definitely busy but it was SO good to be home! It is always so fun to spend time with the fam, I just wish I could live closer!

Keldon and Collin on our "small" 7 mile hike! None of us were expecting that!

This year we went to Fort Clatsop which we never have done before, it was definitely educational and interesting.
The kids found a little costume box and dressed up like Lewis and Clark and their Camp.

Kristin, Carmen and Kendall at Fort Clatsop

Here are some more pics from our hike, it was horrible we didn't bring any snacks or water, and the beach we were supposed to be hiking to never appeared! It is definitely an adventure we will remember!

Me, Kristin, and Kira

We had so much fun, I only wish Zachary could have been there! I can't wait for next year!