Spring to Summer Recap - Part I

So to get things more or less caught up, we need to start with last spring. The girls finished up kindergarten and had their first of many graduations to come. They did so good in all their parts and singing their songs and did all their gestures perfectly in singing along with songs like "This Land is My Land". We were so proud!

The little graduates

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Afterwards everyone shared in cookies and juice while Halee ran around trying to chase down her crush so that she could get a picture with him. It was like Mission: Impossible. I watched as she tried to approach him each time and just as she would get ready to talk to him, he would walk away to do something or talk to someone. It was nothing he was doing on purpose, he just wasn't seeing Halee. I'm hoping that this would help Halee realize that she doesn't need to invest a lot of time and energy into worrying about liking boys when she's only 6 years old!! But lo and behold, just like last year she has a multiple little boys she is crushing on again this year. She'll learn lol.

The girls have started first grade this school year and have been loving it. Their teacher, during our initial encounter did not leave a fantastic impression as she seemed a little adrift. Not to mention that Eric dubbed her "Shrek's Grandmother"....jsut because she seemed a little....ogre-ish haha. But since that time as we have had more contact with her we have found her a very capapble and kind teacher. The girls are doing well in her class.

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Now, returning to the past......over the summer Eric introduced me to the world of fishing. I don't really remember having gone fishing since I caught my first fish, a time during which my excitement resulted in my dear fish having his eyeballs squeezed right out of his head! But I am happy to report that on mine and Eric's fishing adventures, all of my fishs' eyeballs stayed in tact.

Eric with one of his many fish

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Me trying to catch something to keep up with Eric

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The only unfortunate catch we had was one poor little fish that just didn't recover quick enough from being caught and went belly-up sporadically in between attempts to swim back out to the deeps. One of his belly-up episodes was just a titch too long for the quick and hungry eyes of a passing seagull. The great circle of life in action.

On the upside, we did encounter a river otter that was spying on us from between the rocks. For anyone that tries to lure an otter closer, a quick, Nacho-Libre-like chip throw doesn't do the trick. Maybe the otter didn't like chips?

I'm also happy to report that thanks to the good luck that I bring Eric, he caught his largest fish ever up at Strawberry. However, my luck was not so great because it seems like the general ratio of caught fish was 6 of Eric's to every 1 of mine. Nonetheless, I had an absolute blast and I see lots of fishing in mine and Eric's future. The girls love to go fishing too, but they will have to wait a few more years to develop the mountain goat-like skills needed to slip and slide your way down to the secret spots along Strawberry.

Climbing down to the water to fish

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Eric's goal now is to get a go at fly fishing, so I expect we'll have some good adventures with that as well!

There's still more to cover from the summer, but it's hard to recap 10 months in a way that do them justice, because our life has been pretty awesome. There'll be more to come!

Time of My Life!!!!

Well, I guess after nine month of marriage, I should post something about that! It's been a busy year so far but I suppose I should start at the beginning. Eric and I got married on January 8, 2011 in the Portland Oregon Temple, and it was a day to remember! It rained most of the day (in true Washington/Oregon fashion) but it held off just long enough for us to take a few pictures. We appreciate everything that was able to be there!

The reception was amazing, graciously hosted at my aunt and uncle's house, and it was so great to see so many people that have been a part of our lives.

The Bradys and the Rigbys!

After a couple of hours at the reception, Eric and I set off on our honeymoon! We stopped in Portland for the night at a hotel that I don't even remember the name of now (I guess that's what happens when I wait until now to blog) and it was AMAZING! Our dinner, after eating absolutely zero at the reception, consisted of sparkling cider and wild boar gnocchi! Interesting but delicious and a great way to kick off our post wedding vacation. The next day we flew to Florida (talk about taking AAAALLLLLL day to cross the country!) and spent the night in Ft. Lauderdale where we had a Taco Bell feast, and I don't think Taco Bell has ever tasted so good either before or since then!! Next day......all aboard and bon voyage!!!! We set sail on the Carnival Dream (I think lol) to check out the adventure of the caribbean.

Where we hung out onboard until we actually set sail.

A pic taken from the deck as we're coming into Half Moon Cay

We had some great adventures! It was a lot of fun and another bonus is that our table mates weren't crazy awkward psychos or anything. I was really hoping that in the dining room we would be at a big table with like 4 or 5 couples, but the first time Eric and I went to the dining room to scout out our spot, what did we find? A real cozy booth built for 4 nestled into a corner. No chance for escape if the other couple were real nuts! We kept our fingers crossed that no one would show up....but eventually the other couple came along and while we didn't end up bosom buddies, they were normal enough. Wonder what they thought of us? LOL.

All in all, a pretty awesome trip and a great way to celebrate the beginning of our life as Mr. and Mrs. Brady!! We returned to start our family life along with Halee and Kennedy......and it's been great!