A Little Bit of Fall

Fall definitely has to be one of my favorite times of year. I love the feeling of a changing season. Even though I'm not in school anymore I still feel like Fall is a fresh start! We kicked off the season by welcoming a beautiful new niece to the world! Lola Hale Baker was born on September 29 and could not be sweeter! I was really excited for this baby because it would be the first niece or nephew that was born since I have been in the family so she officially made me an aunt! We just adore her!

We spent a weekend in Sun Valley to celebrate Kacey's 25th birthday! The leaves were starting to change, it was beautiful weather, and the company couldn't have been better!

 We have made sure to take advantage of all the Halloween activities there is to offer! Frightmares is always a favorite of ours. We went with a fun group and ran around till we couldn't anymore.

 Daniel and I saw a Disneyland commercial a couple months ago and decided we had to go for Halloween! Daniel has a pretty flexible school schedule so we took a couple days off work and headed on a road trip! We drove to St. George on Thursday night and then woke up early on Friday and drove to Laguna Beach. We spent the day walking around Laguna and then Balboa Island!

 Our next stop was Disneyland. It was incredibly crowded since it was UEA weekend but we didn't care, we were in Disneyland! These two Utah girls who have started their own companies Hoodie Love and Fawn Design happened to be in Disneyland too and were doing a giveaway! We found out about it through Instagram and had to get in on the action! We waited around all day for the clue and sprinted across to the park and I won! I never win anything! I won a $50 gift card and a beautiful handmade bag! 

 After Disneyland, we drove to Palm Springs where my family has a place. After a weekend of running around and lots of driving we finally got to relax! It was a solid 90 degrees! I laid out by the pool while Daniel worked on some homework, played some tennis, and went shopping! We woke up Monday morning and started the long drive home! It was the perfect spontaneous vacation! 

 My mom did her annual pumpkin carving night with the family. She makes homemade soup in bread bowls, a pumpkin shaped cake, and we all carve pumpkins! This year Daniel and I decided on an owl this year and it turned out pretty great if you ask me!

Halloween was finally here! We had the nieces and nephews over for a little pumpkin decorating night! It was definitely crazy but fun to hang out with the kids! The Claflin's had a big party the night before and then we did a party with our friends the night of Halloween. We were Peter Pan and his shadow and our costumes were a hit!

I don't think I am quite ready for Winter, the Fall has just been too good us!

xoxo

The Endings of Summer (and everything inbetween)

Our favorite tradition the past few years has been the 4th of July in Sun Valley and this year did not disappoint! We went on bike rides, ate good food and were patriotic in every way! There is nothing quite like the Schneider's on the 4th of July! We love our weekends spent in our home away from home!

It wouldn't be summer without a few trips to Lake Powell. We did our annual Memorial Day trip with the Mulcock's and then for the 24th of July we took the entire Claflin clan down. Our Claflin family trip to Bear Lake was cancelled so we thought what better way to make up for it than Lake Powell? It was a complete success and one of my favorite weekends of the summer. I loved having both my families together, it was magical! Our last Lake Powell trip was a couple weeks ago with a group of mine and Kacey's friends. It is always a trip we look forward too. Full of paddle boards, trick ski's, mexican train, and lots of laughs!

We made a big addition to our little family this summer. Daniel has been begging for a dog since we got married. I don't know how it happened but I finally caved. There is a company in Provo called Puppies for Rent, I saw the most darling puppy on there and just had to have him. We rented him for an afternoon and were in love. We applied to adopt him and were so excited when they told us he was ours. We changed his name from Clint to Bauer. Yes, after Jack Bauer. Those who know us well know how much we love 24 and Jack Bauer! He has been the perfect little addition and we just adore him!

It wouldn't be Summer without our Saints to Sinners bike ride! It is the thing we look forward to most! We had 70 people as Creighton Riders this year! It was such a blast doing it with my parents again. We love the atmosphere of it and of course the cause! We are always rooting for Creighton in his fight against ALS!

It has been a busy summer when it comes to showering friends. My best friend Meisha who I went to London with got married in August to her dream guy! It was a beautiful backyard wedding and such a party! It is always fun to be a part of friends weddings and the celebrations! My best friend from high school is having a baby next week! I can't believe it but am so glad I was able to help with throwing her a shower. It was so much fun to do a baby shower and go shopping for darling little girl clothes. I can't wait for baby Mitchell to come!

The summer came to a great end with Labor Day weekend spent in Sun Valley. My parents and Daniel did a 60 mile bike ride to Galena Summit, a bucket list of my Dad's. We relaxed, watched the US Open, took care of 3 crazy dogs and had fun! No better way to finish off a fabulous summer!

 xoxo

The Beginnings of Summer

It has been a long time since I have blogged and I blame it on the crazy summer we have had. From trips, to family, to big changes, it has been a summer to remember! The last time I checked in I was graduating from BYU and does that seem like a long time ago now! For graduation, my parents sent Daniel and me to Washington D.C for a few days. It is one of my favorite cities and it was fun to get to show Daniel around!

 

  

My best friend from childhood and college roommate got married in May! It was such a great day and I loved being part of her wedding. She married a Tongan that we have known and loved since high school so that meant we had a Tongan wedding dinner which was awesome! Daniel and I loved getting on the dance floor and celebrating the night away with the lovebirds!

At the end of May, Daniel and I headed to St. George to be in the Sand Hollow Sprint Triathlon. I had signed us up for Valentine's Day and although we weren't the best trainers we survived! It was such a fun experience to do it together. I felt very accomplished after and we will probably end up doing more, I think I'll stick to the sprint distance though!

The biggest news of May and of our whole summer was that we decided not to move to Logan for school. Daniel was going to be in the Landscape Architecture program at Utah State but after doing an internship he realized it wasn't what he wanted to do. After a lot of thought we decided to stay in Salt Lake and Daniel will transfer to the U this Winter and be in the business program. It is always funny how everything works out exactly how it was suppose too. As the summer has gone on we have realized that we are doing exactly what we were suppose to and are so happy to be staying in Salt Lake!

I was the Assistant Director of our Stake Young Women's Camp. It was crazy, busy, and stressful but so worth it in the end! I loved getting to spend time with the Young Women in the ward. It was a completely different experience being a leader. I gained a lot from being at camp and hope that I can return again!

June was a month full of emotion. We lost Daniel's brother Brain early on in the month. It was a difficult time but we are grateful for the time we were able to spend as a family and for all those that reached out to us. Brian lived in Berlin, Germany and I was never able to meet him. I had a few conversations through Facebook but the thing I will treasure the most is the video he made for us for our wedding. He gave us such great advice that we will make sure to live by. We had a lovely service for him and are grateful for the friends in Berlin that have reached out and told us so many stories. 

xoxo

A Big Catch-up

April and May have been busy months around our house! There is a lot to catch up on! I graduated from BYU last month! The past year has been rough with commuting to Provo everyday but I made it through and graduated! It was such a great feeling to know I never have to do papers or tests again! I got to graduate with two of my best friends. Lizzy and Anna and I have been through junior high, high school, and now college together. It was so fun to celebrate the day with them!

Then, it was Daniel's birthday! Being only a few weeks apart makes April a busy time for birthday's! We celebrated at lunch with our parents, a couple's massage, and then sushi for dinner! That weekend we went to Classic Skating with friends for a little party. It was a full week of celebrations!

For graduation, my parents sent Daniel and I to Washington D.C. My very favorite place! It was so much fun showing Daniel around the place I lived and all my favorite sites. It was incredibly hot but we survived!

We made it to Lake Powell for our annual Memorial Day trip! It was cold this year but Lake Powell is always fun. Wetsuits and lots of time on the beach! We were down there for our 6 month anniversary mark, couldn't think of a better place to be!

Last weekend we headed to St. George to do our first sprint triathlon! We have been wanting to do one for a long time so for Valentine's Day I found this one and registered us! It was hard and hot but we loved every second and can't wait to do another one! We stuck together the whole way through, it was such a fun experience for us to do it together!

xoxo