La Maison

I need to take a picture of La Maison, but I can't help but write a little something about it before I actually get a picture because it is so wonderful! La Maison is a little Bakery/Cafe in Newport where I am working for the summer. It is very small and quaint. It feels like you are walking into Grandma's Kitchen when you walk through the wooden door with glass panes. Today was only my second day of working there, but I am already loving it. Yesterday the Chef, Cliff, made me a caesar salad, potatoes gratin, and beef wellington for lunch and it was fabulous! Today he practically forced me to try his soup of the day, chicken noodle soup, and it was amazing. He also made me a side of potatoes gratin and cooked duck drizzled with a  savory raspberry sauce... WOW! I hope there is food in heaven, because everything I have eaten there has been divine. I'm going to be 30lbs. more by the end of the summer I just know it... pretty sure if I do it will be totally worth it! I love food; I love my job. It's super fantastic! :)

A Day at the Beach with the Kids

Mom and Dad went away for a few days in April... when mom and dad are away the kids PLAY! I took Maddie, Conner, and Isaiah to the beach on a Friday because there was no school so I also was off of work. We built a sandcastle and had a sand throwing fight. I also showed the kids a piece of kelp that had dried out on the beach and they were pretty entranced by it; they didn't love the slimy part, but it was cute to watch their expressions as each of them touched its long and sticky body. The beach is so full of excitement with surprises on every sandy shore!

Festival of Colors

During my week in Utah for Spring Break in March my friends and I had the opportunity to attend the festival of colors in Spanish Fork. It was my first time ever attending this crazy celebration! It is a huge festival that happens every year for the celebration of spring. It is a Hindu festival and there is a chalk toss every hour on the hour beginning at 8am on Saturday. Basically people go in white shirts and clean faces, but leave the festival practically unrecognizable. It's awesome!

Salt Lake for Spring Break

There is no way I could go to Salt Lake in the winter and not go snowboarding, so naturally Heather, Rebecca, Kelsey, and I went night boarding at Brighton Friday night the week I was in Salt Lake. It was amazing! Honestly it was the best night of boarding I have ever experienced! The weather was perfect, there was fresh powder, and I had all of my own boarding gear on for the first time ever. It was so incredible it was insane! We enjoyed cupcakes in the car on the drive to the mountain and enjoyed a perfect night of boarding... it was a beautiful thing. :)

Hair Chop

This is pretty old news now, but I chopped my hair off to about chin length in early February! I am a pretty spontaneous person and I just needed a change (if moving home and getting a completely new job were not enough). I loved it at first, cried a little when I realized it was gone, disliked it for several months, and now I am starting to appreciate it again... I am a woman, need I say more?

A Trip to the BIG City... Downtown Kansas City Missouri

Tracy, Kristy, and I went out together on their date night and toured a small portion of Kansas City. I love big cities, especially all the lights and laughter that fill the crisp air late in the evening. We enjoyed gelato and each others' company as we walked around admiring the window displays and design details along the exteriors of the buildings. I felt like a child in a candy store as we strolled the streets, finding excitement on every corner! In one store that sold outdoor products such as hiking backpacks, climbing gear, snow clothing, etc. I found this sign that read "Never Stop Exploring." I quickly adopted it and decided to make it one on my new life mottoes. I will never stop exploring my world or all of the fascinating things it has to offer! Thank you Tracy and Kristy for sharing your first experience in downtown Kansas City with me. I will treasure it forever.

Crazy Aunt Covina

If there is one thing I absolutely love, it is being an aunt! I found random mismatched costume items downstairs in the playroom and brought them out for the kids and I to play a game. I told them that we were super heroes and we had to get the bad guys and save the world. Belen found a wand, sparkly white boa, pink glasses, and a snow hat to wear - super stylish super hero. Aurianna found a pink and purple cape, a wand, and her energetic-self. Lincoln found a flesh colored gun holder that looked like random pieces of flesh wrapped around his body, a wand of course, and a black witches hat, which kept flying off in the wind. He thought it was hilarious when the wind would blow it off his head. I found a vibrant red wig and I didn't need anything else to complete my costume; the wig alone was enough to stop traffic and scare the average passerby! The kids and I had a blast saving the world by eliminating one bad guy at a time. I am pretty sure my little nieces and nephew will never look at their aunt Covina quite the same...she's a crazy one! ;)

Visit to Missouri

Belen had a surgery in March to remove a large tumor in her leg, so I went to Missouri in the first part of March to help out with her recovery. Belen was amazing! She was so brave; she was up and moving around without her crutches two days after the surgery. It was such a spoil for me to go to Missouri and spend time with their family. They are so wonderful and I wish they lived closer to us.
It was a special opportunity to spend time especially with Kristy, because Tracy had to work a lot, and the kids were in school part of the day (other than Lincoln). Kristy is so wonderful and such a great mom. She loves her kids so much; Tracy and her kids are her world. I feel so grateful for Tracy and Kristy to have found each other, because they are both such incredible people. Kristy is a gem and she is so down to earth and fun and beautiful. Way to go Tracy, you made the right decision when you chose her!
Kristy recently told me that since I left Missouri in March, every time that Lincoln sees an airplane in the sky he says, Ina come to see me on the airplane! How cute is that!