Virginia Beach Getaway

Neal and I left early Thursday morning, and spent the weekend at Virginia Beach. It was HOT/HUMID, but the water was c-c-c-cold so it really cooled us off. We stayed in Chesapeake, which was about 20 minutes from the actual beach, but we wanted to get the most out of our Marriott points! It is also notable that movies in Chesapeake are FOUR DOLLARS (here in the DC area they are 12.50!!!!!) so we saw Inception and Sorcerer's Apprentice-- we really like both, but Inception wins the WOW factor. I'm anxious for my sister Taylor to see it, because she will undoubtedly hate it. (She loves to hate movies, and it's highly entertaining to talk to her about them).
The beach was CROWDED, but such is to be expected during the summer. We rented a beach umbrella (best $15 we've ever spent!) to battle the sun-- I was disappointed to discover that you can get sunburned in the SHADE-- seriously?!?!

We had so much fun together-- it's so nice to be around each other 24/7 (yes, we're still in that honeymoon phase!) and the beach is an added bonus!
I also made a list of things that should be illegal on the beach: first and foremost, this swimming suit:

I simply HAD to take a picture of this girl.... this is UNDOUBTEDLY the most HIDEOUS swimsuit I have ever seen in my entire life. I didn't even know trikini's existed, and they really, really shouldn't.
Second on the list of things that should be illegal on the beach: bringing a cup of beer into the ocean and spilling it in the water in your drunken frenzy.
Third: this one should actually be illegal just in general: tattoos of lips on your butt-cheek.... sorry, no picture, Neal wouldn't let me (although it's best if you don't see it). We saw not one, but two girls that had this tattoo! GROOOOSS!
I'll stop there, but I do think it would be a good idea to have a nonsmoking area of the beach as well.... it's so gross that people use the beach as an ashtray! Anyway, it was an amazing vacation and I love Neal!

UTAH!!!!!

Okay so after the amazing MEXICO vacation, Neal flew back to DC and I drove to Utah with my family. I love Utah so much! First and foremost, my family is there. Secondly, a lot of my best friends are there, and thirdly, CAFE RIO! I only went once, and you can bet that now I regret that.... oh, also I love the whole "cooling down at night" concept... I wish DC did that!
So: family time. Now that Matthias has his mission call, I was more motivated than ever to spend time with my amazing family. Kaitie and Logan spent a lot of time with us too (THANKS GUYS!) and it was just all around good times. Pictures of good times with the fam:









I know, my family is the cutest. I also got to see a lot of my closest friends, which was SOOOOOO NICE! This might surprise you, but I don't actually make close friends easily-- so once I have a close friend, I try my darnest to keep that relationship going! I didn't get to see Rachel J or Trent, which made me sad, but luckily Rachel J is moving out here soon and Trent... sorry dude.

Jake Mabey and I have been friends for about 12 years-pretty good if you ask me! He is the bomb. and single, ladies! ;)

Shanny and I have been friends since 2005-- we met out in DC and immediately became BFF's. We hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years, I think-- so it was EXTRA GOOD to see this girl! She is now a hot mommy, and I really admire her and her baby is adorable.

B and I... man...... we've been best friends since we were 11 for crying out loud! I love, love, LOVE this girl! She is gorgeous, smart, motivated, cheerful and a great mom. She even drove down from Logan to see me-- 10 points for dedication, B!

What can I say about these girls? We lived together for 2 years in college, and I LOVE all of them! Katie is HILARIOUS, Damage is super thoughtful, and Jaimi is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met in my life. My life is better because I know these three hotties!

So yeah, the trip was a great success. Poor Neal all alone in DC though, I was too happy to be with my family and friends to be sad we were apart, sorry about that babe! But of course, it was GREAT to see him-- he is kind of the greatest man in the entire world. Now we're back in DC and already anticipating our next vacation to Virginia Beach! Thank you Marriott points!

MEXICO!

Well folks, I'm back. Did you miss me?!? Mexico, as you might be able to guess, was FABULOUS!!!! Mostly it was just really great to be together as a family. First and foremost, this stud got his mission call:

He is going to Jacksonville, Florida and leaving on October 6th. Don't even get me started about how crazy that is!!! It was so nice to all be together as a family when he opened it! The week was super chill... you could be as active or as lazy as you wanted. I usually opted for the latter. ;) A typical day was as follows: up by 7 at the latest (unless you're going fishing with Dad, then it's 5:30), breakfast, slather with sunscreen and hit the beach. We kayaked, snorkeled and played in the sand all week! By about 11 it was too hot to enjoy it, even the water was warm, so we went inside and ate lunch, read, and visited. We were back out by 3 or 4 and we played in the water until dark. Then we had a delicious dinner (each couple was in charge of one night) and hung out until bedtime. We really didn't even watch movies or anything, we just enjoyed each other's company, and it was SO NICE!!!!! Words cannot express how much I love my family, or how grateful I am for them. I want to talk about each of my family members and why I love them, so bear with me. Or just skip this part. ;)

Mom and Dad: Mom is so cheerful and helpful! She was a master organizer for this trip, and did a great job. Dad is adorable with his grandchildren, and the King of the Fisherman! He was out every day at 5:30 fishing with someone, and was giddy every time someone caught a fish.

Kaitie and Logan: Kaitie is a darling little pregnant girl (albeit not really showing) and energetic and fun to be around. Logan is hilarious and thoughtful. It was really fun to be around them so much, since it's so rare!

Cali and Josh: LOVE them! Cali is happy and level headed. Josh is hysterical and a great dad. Piper is my favorite of course, but that's a given. ;)

Taylor and Shawn: Taylor is such a great mom! It's so fun to see her interact with her kids. She is very witty and easy to talk to. Shawn is an adorable dad and plays hard. I'm so glad I'm going to Seattle to visit them in a couple of weeks!
Matthias and Cale: Matthias is the most adorable teenager on the face of the earth. He is funny, witty, and VERY MUSICALLY TALENTED!!!! Caleb is loving, helpful and very creative--he was the mastermind behind the Sandcastle competition.

Neal... what can I say? He is cheerful, helpful and easy going. He impressed my family on this trip, as this was the first big get together with Neal. I LOVE HIM! Now just a few more pictures to make you even more jealous:











"Twas an AMAZING VACATION!!!!!