When Life Gets You Down, Make Caramels!

One of my favorite things to do is make homemade caramels. It is somewhat of a process but caramels are one my favorite treats so it is always worth it.

Chocolate also helps... So I covered some of them in chocolate.

Life is good in the Tri-Cities. I feel like our ward is really friendly and everyone is so nice. Yet, I still find myself having rough moments. Then I have to remind myself that I really have a good life. There are days that are hard and days when I wish more than anything that I could just be a mom instead of a student but my family really keeps me going. Last week my brother Doug texted me last minute to tell me about a little concert his choir was doing here in Kennewick. So I quickly drove over to the Kennewick High School and got to go see my brothers Doug and Blake perform. I was grinning so big the entire time because I was so proud. I love those guys to death and it is sharing moments with them and the rest of my family that makes life so much more worth it!

Swimming with Dolphins Excursion

Just after we bought our cruise we started looking into excursions. I know I wanted to swim with the dolphins and that it was on my bucket list. I think I was the only one in our party of four that was overly-excited about it but I am so glad that we were able to do it! It was an experience I will never forget. The dolphin were the sweetest animals.

Sea lion... not sure why they had us take a picture here...

There we are just behind all of the jumping dolphins. Amazing!

Two dolphins are push me here (each have their noses on one of my feet).

My favorite part was riding on the belly.

We watched them and heard them make their noises right under the water. I am the one in front, trying to get really close to the dolphin and Brandon is to the right of me and our friends to the left.

I still cannot believe we were this close to them in the pool!!

Here Brandon is getting pushed on the boogie board by the two dolphins.

We had many of opportunities to touch the dolphin's stomach as it was ride on by us. I kept wishing the entire time that all of my family could have been there experiencing the dolphins too. It was a remarkable experience!

Canyon Canopy Excursion

I'm not sure that words can really express what it feels to zip line at 30-40 miles per hours through a canyon thousands of feet above the ground. It was incredible! This was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at an 8-course adventure center called "Wild Canyon." They told us to lean back and keep our pullies straight. Well, one time Brandon and I were riding tandem and ours got a little twisted so we had to flip around at the very end and pull ourselves up. It was not so fun. Eventually they gave Brandon a new pully because they figured out his was not working right... scary huh? Oh, and I cannot forget to mention that this place is out in the middle of a desert and it was a little sketchy getting there. Gotta' love Mexico!

Mexican Riviera Cruise

Brandon and I had the opportunity to take a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise on the Carnival Splendor the week after the bar exam and our big move. I was pretty apprehensive about being too stressed to enjoy myself with all of the changes happening in our lives but it was a good trip and we are so glad that we decided to make it happen. We went with our friends, Ashley and Alex and that made it even better.

My friend and I spoiled ourselves the second day on the ship and got a spa treatment (massage and all). Definitely a favorite activity!

This is our first night at dinner. The food was great and our waiter was such a nice guy. The only thing I don't miss is the slow rocking of the boat while we ate...

Each night the matron makes your bed, cleans your room, provides you with information for the next day, a few mints, and makes you a nice little towel animal. This was one of our favorites (a frog).

Jumping picture for our dear friend Sylvia... So I kind of got sucked into the beach water after this and the waves were thrashing me around. I couldn't stop laughing but I also couldn't get myself up and out of the water. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy and finally our friend helped me out. Let's just say my suit was full of sand after that.

The first day that we were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, we did a kayak and snorkel excursion. Brandon really enjoyed this one and especially looking down at all of the fish.

Our cabin- number 7279.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was my favorite stop because it was so green. I also like looking at all of the little Mexican shops and this town had lots of those just outside our port.

Our evening in Puerto Vallarta, we caught the sunset from atop the deck.

Zebra couch.... LOVE it!

Here we are in front of our dinner restaurant called "The Gold Pearl."

Dinnertime!

One of the last days aboard the ship, Ashley and I went to a little animal towel making demo.

Here's my cute little elephant.

By the last night, we were pretty much ready to be off the ship and home. It was a fun trip but we knew we had to get back and attack life again. Overall, our favorite part of the trip was the on land excursions. Swimming with the dolphins and the zip line adventure were definitely highlights. Pictures of those will be coming!

Friends

We left Moscow, ID a few weeks ago and although we have made many memories there, it feels nice to finally be out of the college scene. A few days before our departure, two of my very good friends went out with me for a little girl time. I will miss these girls and all of the friends I made in Moscow!