Exercise Pays Off

Eric and I have been going on walks almost every night lately. It's nice to get some sort of physical activity when I work at an office job and Eric sits in a classroom all day. Some nights we have been sweaty messes when we get home because it's so freaking hot here this month! But some nights I come home in a happy mood. Yesterday was a happy day because:

#1 It was the first night in a very long time that there was a tiny bit of cool to the breeze.

#2 Eric and I walked past our dumpster and stumbled across this headboard:

It didn't take long before we snatched it up, sanitized it, and put it in our room! (And no, it wasn't actually in the dumpster)

We all know I like free stuff, but even more, I LOVE free stuff that I would actually pay money for. A month or two ago Eric and I went to a garage sale and I really wanted to buy a headboard and footboard that we found for $50. I thought it was a great deal, but Eric reminded me I can't just buy things because I want them. So instead of paying $50 on an impulse buy, I found a FREE headboard at random.

Just thought I'd share my good news! Life is great sometimes :)

4th of July Weekend

Besides Stadium of Fire, Eric and I had a nice vacation in Utah. On Saturday morning we did a session in the Provo Temple for family names. That afternoon we went to the Freedom Festival with Spencer, Sara, and Drew. It was deathly hot so we only stayed long enough to get a free cinnamon roll and 5 cent water bottles.

On Sunday was the blessing of Mark and Lauren's baby. It was a great blessing! Then we just spent the day hanging out.

Look at this impressive watermelon ice cream that Eric's mom made! Mmmm...I want some of that right now.

I don't remember what Holly was doing, but I think this picture is so funny.

Eric trying to catch the parachute firework!

Sunday night was full of fireworks, junk food, and friends. We love these guys!!

We also discovered Drew's little secret...

Thank you to everyone who came to visit us! It was so good to see ALL of you!!

Stadium of FIRE!

Eric and I went to Utah for 4th of July weekend. We left on Friday after work and came back on Monday. The visit went WAY too fast!

We chose this weekend so we could go to STADIUM OF FIRE. It was my second year going and Eric's 8th, 10th, 15th time going? That's what you get for growing up in Utah, I suppose.

The fam before the show started!

Holly and Phil. So cute. Mark and Lauren were also there but they came a little later so I didn't snatch a photo of them.

At the beginning of the show parachuters launched down to the field. I thought this one got lost or landed in the middle of nowhere, but he was just saving the best for last (flag and all)!

The little dancers made some awesome shapes.

The opening act was David Archuleta. He did about 5 songs and I knew almost all of them. David is great to hear live. You don't get that far on American Idol without having some real talent.

And for the main attraction...Brad Paisley. Can I just say AMAZING?! Brad is such an entertaining performer. His lyrics are hilarious and his electric guitar playing is out of this world. If only I could play that well!! Eric and I loved watching him and listening to his songs.

After watching Brad perform we watched some fireworks. They weren't the greatest this year because the music was pretty lame. But I'm not all that big into fireworks anyway.

I was waiting for this photo opp for the longest time. Eric and I saw the outline of the Statue of Liberty but I thought they would do it at the beginning of Stadium of Fire. Nope! The dancers ended up forming this shape during a patriotic song when the fireworks went off.

I think I get a little more patriotic every year. I've never really had great 4th of Julys growing up, so it's nice to have Eric to share these fun times with. Thanks to his parents for taking us! This was probably my favorite 4th of July ever, and not just because of Stadium of Fire. More to come on the next post...dun dun dun!

City of Art

Yes! I am finally posting something that happened in June. And since it's already July, I'm still a month off. Dang.

Anyway...I am always hearing about how there are so many art museums around Kansas City, so a few weeks ago Eric and I decided to check out the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Because there is so much to look at, we decided to break up our visit and focus on the statue park behind the museum.

The park is probably most known for these shuttlecocks (Eric's favorite). There are 4 shuttlecocks total, each weighing 5,500 pounds! The artists designed it so that the museum is like a net and the grass is the playing field.

I thought this one was funny because it's supposed to be a "sensual" pose. My first guess was right on!

Again, Eric loved these! This just shows you how tall they are.

There's a great view of the "net" and another shuttlecock.

This statue was my favorite. It's called Ferment aka a state of agitation or turbulent change. I love it because it symbolizes anyone's life, no matter what stage they are in.

We walked through part of the museum on our way back to the car. Eric started pushing me toward this security guard telling me to ask him something (I can't remember what). I only saw him out of the corner of my eye, and if you know me, I always make Eric ask people questions for me. I guess I'm a little shy that way. I kept pushing back on Eric and was starting to get mad until I looked up and saw that he was fake. Haha. Good joke on me. Now they are the best of buds.

We had a good time at the museum. And like most weekends this summer, it was freakishly hot. Luckily our next trip to the museum will be to see the rest of the indoor exhibits. And for anyone who wants to visit, we now have another place to take you!

Short Little Visit

My mom and little brother, Jeremy, came to visit us for a few days after they toured some church sites. I wanted to make it fun for Jeremy...so the whole trip kind of revolved around baseball.

Jeremy is a Mariner's fan, but we want him to love the Royals so we got him a souvenir. He obviously loves it and thinks he is the coolest thing on the block when he wears it.

Thursday night we all went to the park to play some softball. I definitely was not the worst player out there (sorry Mom), but I was still the one who got hit with the softball -- TWICE! No bueno. But don't worry, I survived.

Jeremy rarely gets to see his siblings so it's always fun watching him and Eric play!

Friday night Eric and I took them to a Royals game. We got cheap tickets through Eric's school that included a free BBQ dinner before the game. It was so tasty!

Sporting our Royals wear! One of these days I'll have more than 1 Royals shirt haha.

Jeremy couldn't take his eyes off the field (except in this pic). He wouldn't even get a drink with us because he needed to see the WHOLE game. It's the first time I've watched a baseball game from beginning to end.

We don't look anything alike do we?!

Our seats weren't too awesome, but we were able to see the entire field.

Like every Friday, there were fireworks after the game. This show wasn't as good as the last one because we couldn't hear the music, but it was still fun!

Yay for baseball!

The next day we went to the Strawberry Festival and mainly drove around. It was freakishly hot outside so Eric and I were EXHAUSTED from the heat. Despite the heat, we had a nice little visit with my mom and Jeremy!

Winter Quarters

After Jeff's wedding in May, the family and I went next door to Winter Quarters. When the pioneers headed west to Salt Lake Valley, they stopped to camp and take cover for the cold winter ahead of them. Consequently, the pioneers named the place Winter Quarters. Fitting right?

A plague hit the community thanks to a swamp, and many of the pioneers died. Eric's great-great-great grandma was one of those who fell victim -- Eliza Ockey. Those who were buried in this cemetery can be found on this slab. And yes, Eliza's last name is spelt wrong.

This is the statue in the middle of the cemetery.

Us in front of the visitor's center.

There is a visitor's center by the grave sight. Eric and Jeremy were playing with the odometer that the pioneer's used to track the distance they traveled.

We are huge compared to the Salt Lake Temple! :)

One of the sister missionaries put a grave stone together for Eliza's burial spot. It was determined that she was buried under this step.

It was really interesting to visit a place where Eric's ancestor actually lived. Eric and I enjoyed learning about Winter Quarters and had even more fun trying to find the grave lot. Now I feel like I need to work on my genealogy!