A Sunny Day in Seattle

During our trip to Washington we took a small road trip up north to Seattle to visit my brother Steve and his partner Jason.  It was so great meeting Jason, who I have heard much about, and he is such a great guy! :)  My Mom, Celeste, Brooks, Aves, and I drove up Tuesday night and met up with my Dad and Corrie who had just spent a few days backpacking together in Northern Washington.  We stayed in an adorable condo that had a view of the city, Space Needle and all. Sadly Dad had to leave early for a business trip, but the rest of us woke up and made blueberry pancakes, which we enjoyed with the most delicious pastries Steve and Jason brought from Macrina Bakery. Brooks and Jason watched the cars from the balcony (Brooks was in heaven) and we got lots of smiles from Ava in Uncle Steve's arms. We packed up and headed out for our day in the city. First walking through the incredible Olympic Sculpture Park, then the Public Market for lunch. Oh the clam chowder hit the spot. Brooks was not a fan of the fish guy ;) but absolutely loved the street musicians, he's got rhythm in his bones. And I'm now regretting not buying a bouquet of those fresh flowers. :) After a non-stop morning and afternoon, our little Brooks was more than ready to catch some zzz's...he fell asleep on the way to Steve and Jason's and continued his nap while we looked around their house/gallery. Steve and Jason are both incredible artists and their place is dripping with creativity! It was awesome seeing their work and talking to them about it all.  We ended the gorgeous day with a picnic at the park. Thanks so much Steve and Jason for such a fun day! 

Can't wait to go back! Next time, with Adam. :)

Bear Lake - Circa 2010

Later today we're heading to Bear Lake for the bi-annual Robert & Gladys Stum Family Reunion (with my Dad's side). The pictures above are from 2010 (the last group shot is just of our immediate family, which is about one quarter of the whole Stum bunch!)...and looking at them gets me so excited to be back up there with family!  I really think our once-bald little Brooks is going to have a blast, and his little sister Aves will be his smiling shadow. :) And getting my man to myself for multiple days in a row, with our toes on a sandy beach, I think I'll be in heaven.

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And on a sidenote...thank you so much to those that shared such thoughtful comments on my last post. This really is such a time of growth for me, and I'm so grateful to know I'm not alone and there are other mothers out there just doing their best. *Cheers* to motherhood, and cheers to a new day every day. :)

Dropping my sisters off at college...

The current weather up in the college-town of Rexburg, ID is unheard of...chilly, but not frigid...and there's almost no snow. In January?? Here we stood on one of the 5 patches of snow in the city...

Jimmy John's for lunch...SO good...

Kisses in front of Celeste's freshman dorm...

Helped move Celeste in...yay for Freshman year!

Moved Corrie in to her new apartment...Brooks loved shooting some hoops...

Went out for dinner at Craigo's...er, I mean Pizza Pie Cafe...different from my days up there :)

Bath time while Celeste unpacked and set up her room...

Enjoyed the gorgeous, yet chilly, weather while walking around campus...

Purchased text books...

Said goodbye's and wished good luck to our girls this semester!

To say I'm excited for my sisters Corrie and Celeste to be up in Rexburg, going to college at the same time, is a huge understatement. I'm actually trying really hard not to be jealous down here :) Corrie is on the homestretch and only has a few more semesters 'til she graduates from BYU-Idaho, so she'll be able to show Celeste the ropes of school and how to get the most out of college life. It makes me giddy just thinking about all of it! I love them so much and I'm excited to hear about how their semesters go :)

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Spiritual Health:

Read "Living the Abundant Life" - January's First Presidency Message, by Thomas S. Monson

"Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently."

Physical Health:

Going to the gym for a little date with the elliptical...it's a love/hate relationship ;)