The way life is.

Before we got on our flight for our adventure to Maryland, we got to stay in Scottsdale for a couple days.  And, well it just so happened we got to be there for Jakey's graduation party!  I know Ellie's popular, but Jake's party really put a nice cherry on top of it....he had SOOOO many friends come!  It was so fun to get to be there and celebrate with him. 



He is currently staying at mi casa, and I am so happy! He is so thoughtful, and always does my dishes and takes out my trash...we may just keep him around!  Since he has been getting ready for school I have been helicopter-sistering him.  I can't help it!  I work in an advisement center afterall, so it's was I do all day.  I have helped him with his schedule, and where to live, and what to eat, and we'll just say that he's ready to move into his apartment :)   It really has been so fun though; I am so happy to have some family still close to me!  

Here's us all sporting our Y paraphernalia!  I take care of everybody and make sure we all have at least one 'Y' shirt at all times.  Even the nieces and nephews (yes, all of us are wearing a BYU shirt...the pic's just a little blurry!)






In Maryland we kept busy, without going crazy! We slept in (maybe too much? nah...it was a vacation!), went to D.C., walked around the monuments, went to the Holocaust Museum, went to the zoo, went to Virginia Beach, ate crab, went to Chincoteague Island (for Aaron's cousin's wedding where he was a groomsman) and lots of other fun stuff.  

My first time eating crab was interesting.  Aaron and Johanna kept telling me that when we got crab all I had to do was break it open.  Aaron didn't want to tell me how to do, because he said he wanted to watch me and see how I went about it without anyone's help...luckily Hanna's on the more compastionate side and gave me some tips.  So, when the crab showed up on the table, it was quite the experience.  You, literally, crack (hit them) open, and then yank their guts out!  GROSS! They're like all dark green and yellow..and I won't tell you what that reminds me of.  And then you have to fish around for the meat. Apparently this is supposed to be easy...but I would not say so!  A crab has compartments, where the body (meat) is separated from each other, and you have to break apart and open each compartment to get the meat...and boy are they sharp!  Sliced my finger up on the first attempt (but then no more after that!)   It was fun though.  I do think it is interesting that crab is Aaron's favorite food when it takes so long just to eat it!  Aaron took about an hour and half to open 4 crabs up so he could make a pile of meat and THEN eat it.  It was sure delicious though!  

Apparently we got the small crabs of the day.... (these ones were still alive. ours were dead, cooked and seasoned when we packed them up in the car, thank goodness!  

Can anyone say Jumbo Shrimp??

Aaron's hard earned crab pile...half eaten I might add!

Like I said, we went to the beach for Aaron's cousin's wedding.  He grew up with Aaron, they were always buddies.  It was fun to be around so much family, and get to enjoy the beautiful beach and scenery.  It was cool because on one side of the beach you had the ocean and the other side, what they call, "The Sound" cool!  Also, it was weird because you're at the beach and then like 1/4 mile into the Island the land is like a forest, with big trees and marsh land... and lots of wild life.  There are wild horses on the land!  We looked so many times to try and find some, and got a tiny glimpse (they were far away).  It is a gorgeous place!

The bride and groom!  

We even went to see the sunrise! We tried while at Virginia Beach, but we just couldn't get ourselves to get up! I'm glad we did here though...amazing!

Here are some from Virginian Beach! We layed out and got some good seafood here! It was the perfect 2 day beach trip!  On our way to Virginia Beach we also stopped at Mt Vernon and Williamsburg, both of which I enjoyed very much.  We made the mistake of not getting a caramel apple at Williamsburg.  Luckily, luckily! Aaron's mom was behind us (coming up to Virigina Beach also) and got us two on her way...so scrumptious I want one right now!

  

Well, this is an overload of a post, but I still have a more where that came from!

Drum roll:

The beautiful Kensington home!

Some unique things about Maryland (the east coast?)  People do not have fences!  They just mow a line to mark territories!  Even in the backyard...I thought this was funny because you could tell where "people drew the line" sometimes, if you know what I mean.


Also, there were photo radars EVERYWHERE!  I couldn't believe it!  The were like ever 1/2 mile or something..it was crazy.  Another thing that I thought was funny, was that the lanes/direction of travel changed depending on what time of day, even what day, it was! If I were to live here, I would probably get my licesnce revoked!  

I have a hard enough time staying in my lane when I am not paying attention to the time
...I can only imagine!  

The zoo!   There were some cool looking ducks...as you can't really see in this pic!

We went to get cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcakes, and there was this!  I'm so inspired!  Can you tell what it is?? And I thought my pink kitchen aid was the cutest...

We also went to the beautiful temple!  If you were to see this temple from the other side you would see that it is "floating."   I finally understand why they used to say it made people get in accidents on the freeway (also on the other side), because it truly is a sight to see!

We are almost to an official 6 month marriage, and already so many adventures to write in the books!  I am so grateful for Aaron in my life.  He has a wonderful family, and is so good to me.  I wake up every day feeling as excited as the first, and am so excited to see what more our lives have to offer.  As Aaron has been getting ready to apply to med schools, I have had a lot of time to think about how I want our life to be, and you know what? No amount of money, beautiful home, or any other material thing could ever give me what I have already-an eternal family.  

That's just the way life is.

Hard work and determination are invaluable through life, but an eternal family is what life is truly all about.  I am so excited for new experiences to be coming our way, because I know we will be happy and optimistic as long as we keep our temple covenants and always remember the Savior in our lives!  Can't wait for another 6 months, years, decades with my best friend!