I Miss My Cousins.

I haven't blogged in a long time.
I haven't blogged stalked in a long time either (except the couple of HOURS I spent on craft blogs before Halloween to find something cute and free with which to decorate our Tree House).
So I just want to put out in cyber space, this; I haven't stayed in touch with my cousins and I miss it.

Why? Because unlike many people, my cousins are some of my closest friends.

 We aren't all in this picture. And a lot of us have spouses. And a lot of couples have children.
For example:
A little blurry, yes, but still SO adorable. Little Jaela :)

The reason I am missing my family is not because I am unhappy or bored or anything like that. (I am so happy that I am soon changing the name of this blog to something happier than "Lemon Tree.")
No, it is because my family has meant more to me over the past couple of years than it ever has before.

From losing Steven, to losing Rolf, to losing Grandpa, to our nearly losing Jaela, and all the happy and sad in between, we have become so much closer than we have ever been before. I now KNOW that families truly are a divine organization, and the most important organization.
I love my family: My Grandma's, Aunt Cristy, all my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my two nieces, my parents, Steph, Brian, Eric, my wonderful in-laws, and last but definitely not least, Robert.

I'm excited for the Holidays and spending time with both sides. Yipee!

THE Cabin

Let me preface our trip to THE Cabin with this epic video.

'Nuff said.

At the Ranch. Looks like the one in Wyoming.

Mesa falls for lunch. Everyone looks way too happy. Especially the mosquitoes, who were eating US for lunch.

Sister-in-law. Love her.

The whole Bennion crew...minus Michael :( (Dad is taking the picture)

Sunday afternoon. See above video.

We decided later that rolling huge rocks off the edge of a cliff isn't the safest thing to do. But we weren't able to realize that in the moment due to it being Fast Sunday.

Before the 56 or 58 mile ride Robert, Dustin, Angelyn, and I did. Fun times.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

We sat about 30 yards away from the lighting point and the fireworks exploded right over our heads. It was amazing!

All in all, a wonderful trip to THE Cabin.

My first word was "Bug"

After our trip to Moon Lake, we ventured up to Island Park, Idaho. Before I go into detail about the trip and the barrel of fun we had, I will introduce the one and only downside; MOSQUITOES. For some odd reason, probably heavy snowfall and extra moisture (I hate that word), there were a lot.

I mean...A LOT.

So much so that I was compelled to write a poem about it.

Mosquitoes

Buzzing, whining, high pitched “weee”

Hover slowly, dart so fast.

You bit my brow, you bit my knee!

Your next slurp will be your last.

As I sit to eat my meal

Navaho tacos with fruit and juice

A blind SLAP towards your awful squeal

In hopes your population to reduce.

All I want is evening rest.

To lay my head and sleep the night,

But you are such a little pest

I have to wrap the sheets ‘round tight.

The morning comes. With sun’s first ray

I fumble down the narrow stair.

My arms, a feast for you by day

My face, a feast by night to share!

Back home where you don’t run a muck

Where your swarms, a cloud less thick

Still haunted by your sucker stuck

I swat thin air like a lunatic!

I'll be posting about the highlights, but for now those pesty bugs are still on my mind. Why? Because I have been doing intense yard work at out new apartment and that backyard is a jungle. And a jungle has a lot of weird bugs. 

I have gone through wasps, huge black bumblebee things, earwigs, beetles that are black, beetles that are green, spiders of all kinds, little black ants, big black ants with wings, and of course mosquitoes. 

But the more I drive east with my rake/hoe/old hammer I found, the less will be coming west into my house.  Right now I have a weird bite on my neck. Maybe I'll get super powers! Or maybe just West Nile Virus. 

Before and After

I wish I had taken pictures of our apartment Before and After the remodel. It's still small. As my mom mused, "It's too bad you can't knock out a wall and have two apartments."

...yeah, life is rough.

So, we are in and we're having a blast finding a place for all our extra tupperware. Thank you all for the gift cards and checks. We've been putting up towel racks, laying welcome mats, installing curtains, and shopping for a vacuum.

Before the After pictures are up I've got to decorate a little more. In the mean time, here is our trip to Moon Lake with the Naegles. We moved in a day or two before we left for the Uintas.

Of course, the best part of getting together with family is seeing the Staggs. Especially Steph and her cute little belly! We're so excited.

Robert killin' it on the court. 

That is a tired pooch.

Meet Brahms.

A few answers to a few questions.

You know how when you meet someone it's always the same questions:

"Where are you from?"
"Where do you go to school?"
"What are you studying?"
"How long do you have left?"

"Oh, for sure, for sure. That's legit."

Turns out that after you are married the question are a little different. We have been having a blast figuring out the answers to those questions and I will tell you everything I know right now:

So how long have you two been married? 
About a month and a half...er, I guess a month and three weeks now.


Where'd ya go on the Honeymoon? 
We went to Lake Tahoe.

Yeah, it was beautiful weather for that time of year.

We hiked a little bit,

 made tinfoil dinners on the beach,

 and took a lake cruise.

 It was fun...

 ...really fun...(trail off)

 
Cool, cool. So where are you guys living now? 
Um, we're actually in Robert's grandma's basement because our apartment is being remodeled. We're hoping to move in on Monday. (We say that every week. I think we're up to five Mondays...)
Yeah, it's about a mile south of campus and we're actually the managers.

Nice, how'd you land that? 
Robert's sister works at a law firm and one of the lawyers buys and fixes up old apartments. So he was looking for a manager and Robert's sister referred us. There are of two 6-plexes we're managing. So rent is going to be nice and cheap. Plus we really like our apartment.

That is where we're at right now. Robert tries to find time to ride his bike, and I try to swim and ride as well. We're looking forward to a few upcoming vacations with the family to Moon Lake and to the Cabin!

We're enjoying the summer!

Mrs. Bennion

A long time ago when I actually spent time on facebook, I joined a group called "I demand nothing less than Mr. Darcy" or something like that. (Juvenile, I know.)

Well, I'd like everyone to know that, not only did I NOT settle for less, but I found someone better than Mr. Darcy.

His name is Mr. Bennion. 

And you may now call me  Mrs. Bennion.  Mrs. Bennion: Completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy.

Here are a few pictures from the amazing Amanda Castleberry. For more, go to her blog. (If you click on a photo, it will take you to her Flickr where you can enjoy even more of her pictures!)

He is so handsome.

 

 My mom made me buy these shoes. At first, I felt like an elf, but I ended up getting attached to them.

 Thanks Mady and Karin for driving the hour and a half at 5 in the morning to do my make-up and wait on me all day.

The luncheon centerpieces. Loved 'em!

The ridiculous cake that I just HAD to have. 

My amazing Aunt Cristy found these reflective vases the night before the wedding. What a hit!

Agent Bennion. 

I LOVED my peony bouquet!

 My wonderful bridesmaids.

My gorgeous sister, Steph. 

 

Coming up...

Stay tuned for a post about, ya know, the wedding!

Also on the way: Beautiful pictures from Lake Tahoe and the scenic drive through Nevada.

Just kidding about the drive. But Lake Tahoe was gorgeous!