Flashback Friday

July 2005
House shopping in Kentucky... this is the house we now own.

Happy Anniversary

July 29, 1994

Sealed for time and all eternity in the
Denver Colorado Temple

July 29, 1994
Reception in Broomfield, CO
(weren't we cute? love that 80's hair)

July 1999, 5th Wedding Anniversary
Three days in Breckenridge
(sorry, can't find any pictures... not even sure I took any!)


July 2004, 10th Wedding Anniversary
celebrated a couple of months later with a 10 day cruise in Hawaii
(loved every minute)



July 2009, 15th Wedding Anniversary
five day trip to Nassau, The Bahamas
(loved every minute of that, too!)

15 years, one daughter, several cars and three houses later we are still loving being married.

More Kentucky Touring

Today's destination: Midway, Kentucky

Today we visited Midway, a cute little town not quite an hour away. (It's close to Frankfort. It doesn't seem like it should take 50 minutes to get there, but it does.) It was established in 1833 around a railroad line, and the rail tracks still run right through the middle of town.

We had lunch at Darlin' Jeans and shopped some of the stores. Nana found a neat ice cream scoop, I got a couple of cute Christmas ornaments, and Rachael is the proud owner of yet another stuffed animal. (He's an adorable dog that was named Diggory Doggerel, who has been re-christened Spotty).

For Nana's last night in Kentucky, we went to a new restaurant in Lexington, Five Guys. Several people said it was worth the trip and some even said it was better than In n Out - blasphemy! - so we figured it was worth a try. The place was packed but we got right to the counter quickly. The burgers were excellent! Definitely someplace we will go again.

Keeping Busy

We had a busy Monday! We started with playgroup - lots of fun. I had planned something different, but somehow we got talking about bean Soup, so we bean souped for awhile. We rounded out the morning with cotton candy; Alex was so enamored with his that he didn't want to eat it all.

In the afternoon we took a field trip out to Bybee Pottery, which was much closer to our house than I thought it would be. It's relatively basic stuff, but it's not very expensive, either. The pieces are very simple but pretty.

Bybee is special because they have been making pottery in the same place for 200 years. They use clay from a deposit somewhere near the Kentucky River.

When we got home, the youngest member of the household graced us with her Resplendent Rachael costume. Beautiful!

We rounded out the day with Family Home Evening and homemade strawberry ice cream. We're so glad Nana is here to visit!

Vacation - Mommy & Daddy style

My mom is here visiting for two weeks for the sole purpose of taking care of Rachael for 5 days while Ryan and I had our very first vacation with just the two of us since she was born. (A couple of years ago we had to go to Indianapolis overnight without her, but that doesn't really count - it wasn't anything near a vacation). We are celebrating nearly 15 years of wedded bliss. After mulling over several options, we went for a few days on the beach in Nassau in the Bahamas.

Day 1: Flight from Lexington to Nassau (with a 3 hour layover in Houston)

The Kentucky River from the plane. More correctly, the fog on top of the river. So cool.

Cheesing it up for the camera. First flight with just the two of us in more than four years.

View from the hotel room - seriously. Relaxation starts immediately!

Day 2: Sit on the beach.

Matching beach chairs and a fantastic view. Take a break in the middle of the day for lunch and a nap, then head back out for some snorkeling.

Watch a rainbow arc through the sky after a brief thunderstorm. (Even the rain is great on vacation!)

Settle in to watch the sun go down over the aqua ocean.
That evening we noticed Ryan sunburned himself rather a lot when we were snorkeling earlier. We spent some money on some aloe vera lotion (with lidocaine!) and spent the next three days rubbing copious amounts into his back. But it didn't hamper our good time.

Day 3: Repeat.


Added a midday walk and found a Burger King for lunch.

On the way we saw several lizards in various sizes and colors.


That evening, we noticed Ghost Crabs (commonly mistaken for sand crabs) on the beach. We enjoyed watching them dig holes and throw sand.

Day 4: Repeat. (Is this getting old? Not for us.)

Opted for lunch at a restaurant in the Fish Fry area. Most of the food was unremarkable, but the conch fritters were pretty good.

Take lots and lots of pictures of the beach, the hotel, and the beautiful water.


Finish up all the books we brought.

Day 5: Head home. With an afternoon flight, we were able to catch a few more rays in the morning. We then headed to the airport for an afternoon flight with another 3 hour layover in Houston, and some yummy food at Chilis.

Happy 15th Anniversary to us!

The Arboretum

In an attempt to do some sightseeing in the local area, we went to the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens on UK's campus in Lexington. Having never been there, we didn't know what to expect, and we were pleasantly surprised to find it is a really large area, with lots of trees and lots and lots of flowers. We also were blessed with beautiful fall weather - in the middle of summer!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the afternoon:

Hide and Seek

Here is a video of Rachael playing Hide and Seek with Nana. She's hiding... really. (It's actually kind of hard to play with someone who giggles every 10 seconds with the idea of their own cleverness - so funny!) At the end, she says, "I laughed and then you peeked!"

Flashback Friday

Our last trip to the Bahamas, December 2002

Fun with Nana

My mom is here visiting for the next two weeks. Ryan and I are headed off on vacation next week - just the two of us! - but before we leave Rachael and I are having fun shopping with Nana.

Voguing it up while shopping for clothes

Trying on shoes

Trying on more shoes

And riding the penny horse

All Geeked Out

Well, we have officially joined the 21st century. Ryan and I went out and bought new iPhones today... we are the biggest geeks. Ever.

Happy early 15th anniversary to us.

Plus now we can take pictures with our phones... cool.

Flashback Friday

July 2006 - Rachael finally walks!

Fun Filled Fourth

Field Trip
Ryan had the day off on Friday the 3rd so we took a trip to see Abraham Lincoln's birthplace and boyhood home in Hogdenville, KY. (We did it a little backwards, we hit the boyhood home first.)

Replica cabin of where Lincoln grew up until his family moved to Illinois

Five feet of hay

On to the Birthplace Monument

This monument was erected around the log cabin where Lincoln was born

And this is the log cabin inside

Family picture

Fourth of July
Fishing

Fresh beans (from the garden!) and fabulous ribs and homemade French bread

Fountain Fireworks

Fun with sparklers

And fireworks show at night... which we viewed from the car because it was raining.

Flashback Friday

July 4 2008 - Patriotic Toes

and this year's toes...