Life is always changing!

(Just a warning, this is kinda long)

OK, I know I have been totally slacking on the blogging world. But, life has been a bit crazy...you know how it is. So, here's what has going on in our lives lately. 

1. If you haven't already heard, I am going back to school! But, it has nothing to do with my previous degree. I am going to Cosmetology School, and I could not be more excited. I can't wait to start tomorrow! (I am sure I will post more about that later.)

3. Because I am going back to school, both Kyle and I are gone all day. We feel bad keeping Howie inside all day by himself. So we decided to do the responsible thing, and give him a better home.   :(

It is amazing how attached you get to a pet. I keep finding myself watching where I step, making sure I don't crush him. Every time we come home, we expect him to run to the door and greet us with his little paws. But, Howard is no where to be found.

Howie is in good hands. He went to live with my sister, Kristi - far, far away. But, it is such a better life for him. He no longer is stuck inside our little apartment all day. He has other dogs to play with, and kids to keep him company. And, he has acres of land to run around on. He has got to be happier now. 

It is nice, however, not to have to take him out to "go potty" the moment we wake up, or right before we go to bed. (We couldn't let him go by himself because of our fabulous apartment lifestyle living.) But, other than that, we miss our little pup.  He was the perfect little dog. 

Kristi, thanks for taking care of Howie. 

3. Because I am going back to school, we probably won't have a lot of vacation time in the next few months. So, we took a last minute trip to visit the fam. We first went to Idaho to visit Kyle's family, and then we went to Wyoming to visit my family. We also had a couple of stops in Utah for a bite to eat at the ol' Cafe Rio. 

Here are some pics of the trip.

When we went to Idaho, Kyle's dad took us boating. This is Kyle skiing on glass!

Kyle getting some wicked air

Mel also getting some wicked air (on one side of the board)

Our good friend "Boom." He and his wife joined us for the day on the boat. It was great to catch up with them!

This is Boom's foot after a freak accident with the ski rope. This pic was taken just minutes after it happened. Luckily, it turned out to be only a bruised bone. Poor guy. He was such a trooper, though. 

We wanted to see Howie swim in the lake. This was his first time in the water. And, he swam really well, but HATED it. 

When we went to Wyoming, my dad took us on a little 4-wheeling trip near Flaming George. 

Kyle and I getting ready to ride.

We crossed the river behind us multiple times, and it was awesome.

My pop and I standing on a sweet rock overhang. 

These rocks that I am standing on have nothing below them. It was really creepy.

While we were out, it started to rain really hard. So, we took cover until the storm passed.

The storm never passed, so we ended up riding out in the rain. We were soaked by the end. But, it was totally worth it!

Because we live so far away from the fam, we hardly ever get to celebrate birthdays with anyone. Luckily, while we were in Wyoming, it was T's birthday. She just loves birdies and duckies, so she had a ducky birthday party. She looked so cute!

During the party, me and JJ shared a root-beer together. 

On our way home, we made a pit stop in Utah and stayed at Kyle's brother's house. It was so fun to see him and his wife. While we were there, they took us to see the new beautiful Draper Temple. 

Overall, our trip was great. It was so fun to see our entire family and all our nieces and nephews. We had a blast. Thank you all so much for letting us come and visit in such short notice.