Our Journey to Texas

It is official ladies and gentlemen.  We've arrived in the great state of Texas and our boxes are unpacked.  I love Austin.  What is not to love about beautiful trees, hills, rivers, and lakes?  Okay there is one thing...the heat and humidity.  Of course we literally came during the hottest time of the year.  AUGUST.  blah.  


We hired movers to take our stuff cross country rather than rent a truck and drive 50 MPH in a UHAUL with our car trailered to the back.  Just the thought of driving 50 mph is giving me a headache. 


We broke up our drive by stopping in Las Vegas to see our friends the Green's.  Brian and Ryan know each other from their mission in Romania.  The Green's have a boat and took us out on Lake Mead. Chailyn's sister Kristin and brother-in-law Matt were also in town so it was one big party.  We had a blast swimming in the lake and wake boarding.   The water was the perfect temperature.

Ryan and I were beginners at wake boarding, but we sure had fun trying.
  

(Beginner)

(Seasoned professionals.  Notice Brian is holding their little girl and he and Chailyn are smiling at one another, not even looking at the water.)

We stopped at the Hoover Dam on our way to Phoenix.  This dam is massive.

(There were no railings.  They simply have a worn off painted message that says keep off.  If I leaned too far over, I would have been meeting my maker that afternoon.)

In Phoenix we saw lots of friends and family.  I got to see Christi and her family, and thanks to Christi's sister-in-law I got my hair done for a killer deal.  Bentley is such a handsome little man.  I can't imagine how beautiful their little girl is going to be.  I guess we'll find out in a couple of months. 


I had fun with Grandma Rohner visiting my grandpa's brother and going through family history with her.  Everytime I see my grandma I am amazed at how much she does at her age.  She is like super woman.  She even has a lead foot.  What lady in her eighties actually drives faster than the speed limit?  We also went to lunch with my cousin Veva and her adorable girl Millie.  Millie loves to dance just like her mama.  My aunt Verla and cousin Derrick also joined for part of lunch.  I don't get to see my immediate family all that often let alone my extended family, so it was a special treat.

Ryan and I also saw Tyler another friend from Ryan's mission.  I was bummed I missed getting to see Kristen, their kids, and their new house, but Ryan said it's really nice on a big chunk of land.  I'm sure their family will enjoy all the space.


We were bummed we didn't get to hang with our close friends Jared and Mary. He started a new job recently and they're working him like crazy. Mary is about 7 months pregnant so she's probably enjoying these last few months of peace & quiet before their little boy arrives. Fortunately, they came to California a few weeks before so we got plenty of play time then.