bap national conference - hello east coast!

so way back when, at the very beginning of august was the beta alpha psi (bap) national conference. it was my first time going as i just became an officer this year for our byu chapter. it was fun to get to know the other officers and see all the sights. it was held in baltimore, md this year! it was my first time there and it seriously made me fall in love with the east coast even more:) and yes, it was very humid.

can you guess where i went for dinner?

we went to the aquarium!

hi dory!

creepy huh?

there was a dolphin show

and don't forget the jellies

i got to share a room with this lovely girl, seriously so much fun

life

so i have been pretty busy with this little thing i like to call life *ahem*school*ahem* and i have lots of updates about whats been going on over here in provo! just be patient, i promise i will post before the week is over:)

two years

last year we got to take a little trip to park city for our first anniversary, but this year we had to stay local because of work. we decided a night out (meaning after 10 when we got done working) is exactly what we needed. the melting pot was open late and is definitely something we wouldn't normally do and so our plans were made. for anyone who hasn't gone or doesn't know what it is, the melting pot is a restaurant where the courses are served as fondue. there are 4 courses; cheese, salad, meat, and dessert or chocolate.

we got a yummy spinach artichoke cheese dip for our first course

for the main course you cook everything in broth

best for last!

the flambe

WARNING: Sappiness Ahead

it was nice to do something special like this to celebrate being married for two years. i can't believe that it has been that long, it seems like the time has flown by! i feel so very lucky to have been able to spend it with my best friend. he is someone that can always make me laugh and i look forward to every second i get to spend time with him. zack is one of the hardest working people i know and i am so grateful for him every day. happy two years hun!

dark knight rises

we were able to go to a midnight showing of the dark knight rises a little while ago. z said it was the best movie he had ever seen and i am inclined to agree with him. if you haven't had a chance, i would definitely suggest seeing this flick. i had bought the tickets for the show on fandango based on what was closest and cheapest and we got a fun little surprise of a movie theater/restaurant combo. we got extra leg room and a table to put all the treats we had brought on, pretty sweet. we also decided that since we could we would order some milkshakes! this was definitely the coolest theater i have ever been in, minus the fact that it was the quietest midnight showing i've ever been to (and if you know me, you know why this is a negative haha). i hope we can find a theater like this back in utah for some fun date nights!

holiday pt.3

for the last part of our vacation we spent it up in z and i's hood. we went to provo first and while the rest of the family bowled, i went and said hi to some friends. upon my arrival back at the alley i found that z had gotten 2 turkeys in his first game!! yep, my husband can bowl really well sometimes:)

then we made our way up to heber city for the harris family reunion. this includes all of my great-great grandparents descendants, which although not everyone could make it, is somewhere around 550 now if i remember correctly. i remember there used to be a harris family reunion every summer while i was growing up and now they have been every other year. it is always such a special time to be able to see so much family for even just a couple days. i really feel blessed to have such a big family and a family that cares about each other so much. i may not know everybody, or if i know them, i may not remember them, but it is truly a blessing to see the legacy that william and zina harris have left behind.

my favorite part of the reunion was when there were stories told about will and zina. it was so special to hear what life was like for them and their family. one of the stories that stood out was on their wedding day they took train from portage, ut to logan, ut and got married in the logan temple by themselves and then took the train back and had their reception and zina's house with a cake her mom made. i think i might have messed up some of the details, but it was so wonderful to hear these stories that you never knew about your ancestors. and if anyone can remember some of the other ones or fix my telling of this one, please leave them in the comments for me!

our family stayed at a hotel in heber city and drove up to the campground during the day for the reunion. on our way there the first day i spotted this little beauty and we pulled over so i could document. . . only in utah.

why yes, this is an entire fence made up of skis, and a few snowboards on the other gate

Aunt Ullala is actually my great-grandmother. i remember always getting to share a room with her when we visited grandmas' house.

this is william and his four sons

my great-great grandparents william and zina on their wedding day

zina and her four daughters

my great grandma, or granny, and two of her younger siblings. she was the oldest.

the whole family

my cousins jacob and lindsey

my brother brandon and his girlfriend erin

z and my cousin kyle

my aunt kathie and cousin marky

my uncle mark and cousin tyler

my mom and grandma

my aunt jill and cousin tyler

uncle scott and aunt kathie

it was bound to happen. . . 

my aunt jill and cousin tyler

my cousins allie and haylee

saturday after the reunion ended a few of us drove to slc for dinner at hires big h. my dad decided we should take the scenic route, literally. it was really cool to get to the top(ish) of the mountain and look down at the valley. the whole valley looked so peaceful and picturesque.

not everyone was excited about the view

my dad and z

the jug is almost a part of our family now. . . jk

my aunt kathie and cousins nathan and allie

i love all the trees!

after dinner we got to make a stop and zack's brothers house and see our newest nephew, little boston. he is so precious and there is something about newborns (he was only a week old!) that makes my heart melt. i seriously cannot wait for the fall when i get to see this little guy all the time!

lastly we stopped in provo for the night at olivia and braedens, before we drove back to colorado. i met olivia my first year in college (which i realize was not that long ago) and we have been friends ever since. we decided to head over to fat cats for some bowling fun and even though i was kinda tired it turned out to be a great night, i even tried a couple rounds without the bumpers (i know, it got pretty crazy). it was a lot of fun to see some familiar faces after basically being on our own since we moved to colorado. i cannot wait till we move back to provo and get to go on dates with other couples!