Our Travel Back

The summer is over!!! And we decided to make the most of it... SO, we went ahead and finally did some traveling for ourselves on our way home from South Carolina and Georgia.  First stop... NASHVILLE! It was a blast since it was both of our first times there.  We absolutely had to see everything it had to offer! Turns out if you don't like to drink, then your choices are limited. Haha that is mostly a joke, but seriously... We had a blast though; we went to a bunch of different cowboy stores and saw the live performances. Just take a look for yourselves! 

 This is my handsome cowboy!! And this is as country as you will ever see Blake look (you should have been there when I was trying to convince him into trying on cowboy boots). I guess I can't turn this city slicker into a cowboy. I love him no matter what!!

 Apparently this is Elvis Presley's hometown..we found him on every corner and he only has this one move... here it is. Now he is our homeboy!! 

 Tribute to Tombstone. One of our favorite movies!

 In Nashville beer goggles are a must, so we decided to try them out. We recommend this to kids of all ages

After Nashville, we went for the complete opposite experience and headed over to Nauvoo.  It was Blake's first time there and I loved going back and seeing everything again.  It's such a beautiful little town with so much history within it.  If you haven't been, you should make time to go.  It was just as good the second time as it was the first!

 We had quite the experience trying to find a place to sleep when we got into Nauvoo after twelve. Luckily, we found something. I guess they work off of reservations rather than showing up at the hotel. Looks like we missed the memo..Nauvoo MUST be a holy place cuz God watched out for us that night and helped us score a sweet cabin!

Carthage Jail is incredible. From the moment we stepped onto the grounds we could feel the sacredness of this historic site. It was one of my favorite places when I went on the CHT with my classmates and I really wanted Blake to see it. Blake and I couldn't help but feel the spirit when we heard the testimonies and reflections on Joseph Smiths life. What an incredible man. This was the actual door that the mob broke through to get to Joseph and the other men. It was surreal to think that we were standing in the place where this tragic event happened.

 The Blacksmith shop was one of Blake's favorites for obvious reasons..

Here I am sitting in the very spot that Emma Smith sat when she became head of the Relief Society.. False none of that was true, but that would be totally cool if it was. I just loved all the beautiful gardens around Nauvoo.

 Our favorite statue

This picture looks like an earthquake happened, but it didn't.

My Hometown

The older I become the more I appreciate this beautiful valley..

Two weeks ago I flew to Utah for my best friends wedding and I also spent some time with my family. I have missed my family very much.. they're my best friends. I am grateful for each and everyone of them. Being far from home this summer has given me the chance to reflect on how blessed I have been. Not only for my family, but growing up in Lyman, Ut. Traveling this summer has opened my mind completely to realizing how lucky I have been...

Was I raised on a farm?? Not really, but kind of.. we have cows and chickens. I moved pipe with my friends growing up and that's about all the knowledge I have about farming. Cool huh? haha Lets just put it this way the kids that grow up in Wayne county are not lazy for the most part.

My pretty sis about to go into our chicken coup

K this post may be lame, but when I went back to Lyman this time out of all the times I appreciated it more. The reason I am who I am today is because of this little valley of wonderful people who raised me. Like the proverb says: It takes a village to raise a child.. I am related to the majority of the people in Lyman, but even if your not related you feel as if you are. It has been fun for me to introduce Blake to the "WHOLE" family..

My fishing buddy and our dogs. ( No I didn't spill water on my pants..it's paint from previous years working at the FS)

Fishing is absolutely one of my favorite things to do!! I have so many cherished memories going fishing with my fam!!

Another pleasure of living in a small town is that there isn't any traffic unless someone is herding their sheep or cows that day. Lauren and I have done an anual bike ride since I don't know how long.. she was really tiny when we started doing this tradition every summer. We ride our bikes on the backstreets to Loa and its about 3 miles there. Back then this trip felt like an accomplishment!! When we arrive to Loa we park our bikes wherever we want to eat that day. This trip however we didn't have much of an appetite. 

This is a shout out to my Grandpa Chappell he turned 91 yesterday. This picture up above is the secret to staying young. My grandpa has a brilliant mind and he doesn't waste it.. he has been inventing since I can remember. I loved watching him in church sketching a new project and then when he finished I would ask him First, What is it? Second, What does it do? He would then tell me the engineering behind his project. Many of his inventions have been to  make life easier for him and my grandma.
You know how scents remind you of certain things? The smell of sawdust reminds me of my grandpa he always smells of sawdust. I loved sweeping the sawdust in the shop when I was young and listening to old school music. I love you Grandpa....

I bought the whole family a Georgia peach and the most excited people were my grandparents (as you can tell by the pic). They served their mission in Atlanta Georgia . A peach... brought back some special memories for them.I enjoyed listening to their stories..

 Wow what to say about this special women.. she just gets my heart. She is my grandma and one of my best friends. Like I've been saying I feel extremely blessed and here is another one of my blessing.. 

Georgia

For those of you who haven't read my sisters blog we are now in Augusta, Georgia. We moved here right after we got back from Hawaii and it has been nothing short of a whole new experience. From their famous peaches to the wild alligators its been another big adventure.

The Savannah River

The homes across the Savannah river are BEAUTIFUL!! A dock in the backyard?! Are you kidding me?

 We've never had to worry about this before.. You will have company swimming in the lakes around here y'all

The alligators live in a pretty place.. very deceiving

When it rains it pours..