We just got back from visiting my mom and brother in California.  We had such a wonderful time!  We split the time between San Diego and Palmdale.  We flew into San Diego where my brother lives.  Saturday we did some hiking.  My mom drove down and we all had dinner on the beach.  Sunday we went to Temecula.  Monday we took a trip to Disneyland for Mark's birthday.  He had so much fun spending his birthday there. (And so did I!)  Tuesday we went to Old Town San Diego and then walked along another beach that afternoon.  On Wednesday we headed up to my mom's place.  We stopped an In 'n Out Burger which is my favorite fast food chain.  Thursday we took a day to relax at my mom's.  I did go for a nice run on the aquaduct.  The view was absolutely beautiful.  Friday we took out the UTV and did a ride to a pumice mine and opal mine.  The pumice mine was really interesting.  It's abandoned now, but we could see where the did all of the mining.  We also saw some rattlesnakes which is definitely not something we see in Indiana.  On the way back to my mom's we stopped at the musical road.  It's this really cool part of a road that plays the William Tell Overture when you drive over it. 

Then we headed back home on Saturday. The week went by way too quickly.  It was nice to spend some time out in California and we're looking forward to going back soon!

We had so much fun when family came to visit this past week.  My mom and brother flew in from California and my sister and her family flew in from Texas.  Our niece turns 2 this week, so we had the opportunity to celebrate her birthday over the weekend.  She loves Frozen, so we had a Frozen 2 party for her.  Many of our extended family came to our house and we had a great time.  Lots of cupcakes, fun, and love was had by all.

Mark and I also had our nieces overnight on Thursday while my sister and her husband went to Purdue for a work event.  We took time off of work and took the girls to Tuttles Orchard.  They played in tractor town, which is a large area for kids to play.  Then we picked apples.  This was the first time we had ever picked apples and it was really fun. I think our oldest niece, who is almost 4, had the most fun.  She spotted a lot of the apples and with help from Aunt Kristin and Uncle Mark, she picked them off the tree.

On Monday, we went to the zoo.  The girls had a blast seeing all of the animals.  They rode the carousel, had face painting, ice cream, and saw the dolphin show.  Everyone left this morning and it's incredibly quiet in the house now.  It seems weird after all of the excitement. 

We can't wait to see everyone again for the holidays!

We've been busy improving our outdoor space.  It's only taken 10 years :).  Over the weekend, Mark's parents came to help us put up a pergola.  Mark's dad also farms on the side and he brought us a bunch of pumpkins and gourds.  He grows not only pumpkins and gourds, but corn, green beans, zucchini and corn.  The farm is actually Mark's grandmother's.  It's been in the family for over 100 years.  This year, he had over 200 pumpkins.  He had all sorts of sizes and colors.  We put some on the front porch and around the house.

My sister and her family are coming to visit this week.  We're really looking forward to it.  Our neice turns 2 next week, so we plan to host a birthday party for her on Sunday.  She loves Frozen, so the party is Frozen themed.  It should be a blast! 

Fall and spring are my favorite times of year.  Although, I think I like fall slightly more because I know the major holidays are right around the corner.  (Mark is more of a summer fan.)  Don't get me wrong, I find beauty in all of the seasons, but I'm definitely partial to fall.  The colors, fall bonfires, chili, baking, cooler weather - it's just so great.  Since it's September, I had to put up the fall decorations.  I also added a few things to the fall decor this year.  It turned out pretty well.  Mark's dad does some farming and grew a lot of pumpkins and said he has plenty to give to us.  We're looking forward to carve some jack-o-lanterns for Halloween.  Happy (almost) fall!

Last weekend was Labor Day weekend.  It was nice to have an extra day.  Saturday we did some things around the house andOn Sunday, we headed to Mark's parents house to celebrate his dad's birthday.  Mark's sister and her family were also there.  It's always so much fun when we get together.  Our nephews love games - board games, card games, video games - you name it.  So Mark brought along some old Wii games and extra controllers.  The boys picked out Mario Party and they had an absolute blast playing with Uncle Mark and their dad.  We'll see them again in a couple of weeks when we go to Cincinnati to watch their soccer games.

On Monday we hung out at our neighborhood pool since it was the last day it was open for the season.  I took a book to read and made some good progress on it.  It was a nice way to end the long weekend.

On Sunday, we decided to go hiking.  We haven't done much hiking this summer.  The weather was finally cool enough so we could enjoy the hike without sweating too much.  We went to Mississinewa Lake and it was just gorgeous.  We took a picnic lunch and ate close to the water.  Then we found a trail and hiked about a mile and a half.  Another trail we wanted to hit up, was not in the main portion of the park.  We drove about 5 minutes to the trail head and hiked another couple of miles.  Nearby, there is a natural wonder called The Seven Pillars.  Since we were nearby, we decided to check it out.  It was so pretty!  It's right on the Mississinewa River.  The pillars look like little caves.  I think people can swim over to them, but we didn't do that.  There's also another trail near The Seven Pillars, so we decided to hike it as well.  This trail was much tougher than the first two.  It had a lot of uphill hiking.  Overall, we hiked 5.7 miles and had a great day.  Labor Day is coming up this weekend, so we might do some more hiking.  Mark's dad has a birthday this week, so we plan to celebrate with family on Sunday.  We're looking forward to the long weekend.  Have a great week!

Last weekend we headed up to the lake for the last time this summer.  The weather was a little cool, but overall very pleasant.  On Saturday, they had the very first regatta.  There were nearly 30 sailboats that had four races throughtout the day.  It was really neat to watch them.  They couldn't have had a more perfect day - the weather was clear and there was a great breeze.  It was also nice to spend time with my grandpa and aunt.  We had pizza on Friday night from a local pizza place and grilled out on Saturday night.  On Sundays we always make pancakes.  I took a walk before breakfast and then enjoyed some coffee out on the patio.  It was so peaceful.  Then we packed up early Sunday afternoon and headed back home. It was a nice quick weekend getaway.

How is it mid-August already?  The summer has absolutely flown by. We had Kristin's cousin and her family over on Saturday for a cookout, a fire pit, and s'mores. Despite a short rain shower, we were able to eventually get outside and enjoy the backyard. We've recently made some improvements to our yard. Last year we removed the deck and added a patio. This year we redid the landscaping. It's so lovely and we enjoy spending as much time outside as possible sitting on the patio. We even caught some of the meteor shower on Saturday night. We really line to entertain and hope to have some more friends and family over soon. 

Last weekend, our oldest nephew turned 11.  We traveled to Cincinnati to help him celebrate.  It's hard to believe how quickly he's growing up.  He's very into Legos and Star Wars so we got him some Star Wars Legos.  I think he had it put together before the party ended.  We had a great time.  We played a lot of games (Apples to Apples, CLUE, and magic tricks).  And of course both of our nephews like to rough house with Uncle Mark.  :)  We hope to have them up to our house soon for a weekend and take them to the zoo.

Every summer in August, we make a trip to the Indiana State Fair. We took Friday afternoon off of work and spent it at the fair. It was extremely hot this year, but we had a great time. The food was delicious - we always enjoy trying out the new foods each year (and going back to some old favorites like elephant ears).  We also enjoy seeing the animals and exhibits.  You can even buy a cup of food and feed some of the animals. We didn't try that this time, but maybe next year.  Overall, we had a fun day and we're already looking forward to next time. 

Mark and are I very lucky to work for a company that has a summer shutdown where we can completely disconnect from work.  We traveled to visit my sister and her family for the week and to celebrate the Fourth of July.  (They recently moved to Houston.) We had so much fun!  The weather was quite hot, but we were fortunate to be close to a pool or in the AC.  And we had a great time with our nieces.  We spent a day at the beach, lots of time swimming in the pool, playing games, baking cookies, and watching movies.  We also had the opporunity to visit the Houston Interactive Aquarium and Animal Preserve.  It was such a cool place!  We were able to touch starfish, stingrays, chickens, horses, and even got to feed the kangaroos.  It's a great place for kids and adults alike.  We're looking forward to going back to visit again soon!

We recently celebrated our 13th anniversary.  It's hard to believe we've been married for 13 years.  Time flies!  We went out to dinner downtown and it was wonderful.  We reminisced about our wedding day, ate way too much yummy food, and enjoyed the warm weather.

We're also planning a some time away to continue the anniversary celebration.  We'll add three more states to our travel list.  It'll be a hiking/history trip.  It's been fun to plan and we're excited about traveling to some new places.  I'm also really looking forward to some time off work to recharge and relax.

On weekends, we really enjoy going out to eat and love trying new restaurants and places we haven't been.  Last weekend we tried a new (to us) place in downtown Indy and absolutely loved it.  The atmosphere was fun and the food was delicious.  After dinner, we walked a few blocks to an arcade.  Neither of us had been to an arcade in ages.  We had so much fun!  I hope to do it again soon.  It was great to let loose and act like kids for a little bit. 

We also celebrated Mark's mom's birthday.  Mark put his baking skills to use and made a beautiful Black Forest Cake for the celebration.  It looked like it was professionally done.  I'm always amazed by his baking and cooking. 

This past weekend we went to dinner at a place we had not been in ages.  We then went to a local ice cream place for dessert.  It was so good!  We like to try new flavors each time we go.  Sunday we cooked dinner together at home and caught up on some TV shows.

We're really looking forward to the weather warming up so we can do more activities outside.  Lately, the weather seems to be warm during the week and freezing on the weekend.  You have to love this midwest weather.  I'm looking forward to hiking and picnics at the park.

Mark's birthday was over the weekend and we had a great time celebrating.  His parents came up and we went out for dinner on Saturday.  Then we headed back to our house to eat some birthday cake.

We also took a couple of days off of work last week and did some of our favorite fall activities.  The art museum hosts Harvest Nights in October.  It's full of fun Halloween decorations, music, and fun.  We enjoy going to this each year and it's become a tradition.  We also spent a day at the zoo.  We're excited to someday bring a child to the zoo.  This time of year, it's always fun to see kids playing in Pumpkin Town and dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

We also spent a day hiking.  The fall colors were so beautiful.  We buy a state park pass each year and we're trying to make our way to each Indiana state park.  We're about halfway through.  I think we'll try to get in a few more hikes before it starts to get too cold this year.

Last week, we traveled to Florida to visit Kristin's sister and her family.  We had so much fun!  We spent time with our two nieces.  We swam, watched fireworks over the Fourth of July, baked cookies, played games, danced, read books, and just enjoyed spending time together.  They'll be coming to Indy to see us in a couple of weeks, and we can't wait.  

The drive home was long, but we made it back safely.  Sunday afternoon, we spent time with Kristin's mom, aunt, and grandpa.  It was a fun filled family weekend.  Next weekend, we will be visitin Mark's parents.  The town he is from has a festival every July and we plan to go.

Summer is such a great time to make memories with family.  As a child, Kristin's family used to go camping around Indiana.  One summer, her father brought home a camper.  That very night, parked in the driveway, her family had their very first camping adventure.  The following weekend, her parents packed up the camper and the family and headed to a campground.  She remembers cooking dinner over the campfire and make s'mores.  The entire family had such a great time and it was always something to look forward to when summer came around.

Mark's happiest memories of summer are going on a family vacation. His extended family went to Disney World, Nashville, Virginia Beach, Niagra Falls, just to name a few.  Disney World was definitely his favorite vacation.  He had a great time riding the rides and seeing the characaters with his cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Even as a child he had a passion for traveling and seeing new places.

Summertime always brings happy memories of having fun in the water as a child.  We both love the water and spending time at the lake or pool.  As a child, Mark and his sister enjoyed playing the classic game, Marco Polo.  Kristin and her siblings competed to see who could do the best cannonball jumping into the lake or trying to catch minnows.  We spent endless hot summer afternoons giggling and splashing each other.  We look forward to passing on these fun family traditions. 

We had our first official weekend of summer - even though the weather has been well into the 90s the last couple of weeks.  Our weekend was pretty low key.  We love trying new restaurants, so on Saturday night, we went to Prodigy Burger. It was so good!  After dinner, we treated ourselves to some ice cream from Handel's.  This will definitely be our go to for a sweet treat this summer.  We cannot wait to take a little one here someday for some hand dipped ice cream.  Sunday we stayed home and caught up on some things around the house.  We also enjoyed our new patio along with the cooler weather on Sunday evening.  Now the new week is off and running.  We'll be visiting Kristin's sister and her family next week over the Fourth of July. We're excited to spend some time with family.  Have a great Monday!