August = Craziness

This month has just been out-of-control busy! I am feeling greatly in need of some down time but life just doesn't slow down. We have traveled almost every weekend of the month and with two little babies, it hasn't been super fun. The month started with the roomie reunion, which was a blast. We left the very next day for Park City. We had a pretty relaxing time and are so glad we were able to get away...just some extra travel but we happily paid the price!

Our Park City week ended with Shane's 10-year class reunion. I wasn't really sure what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised. It was really fun!!! I think it is always interesting to see what people are up to. We went to a family picnic and then went to the Vineyards in Buhl that night without kids. It was fun to have some time to visit with some of Shane's old buddies. It was also a treat to spend the weekend with our good friends, the Welches. They came for the reunion and we got to spend some extra time with them. I am missing them a lot. They lived right around the corner, and it was just so easy to hang out with them. So it was nice to spend the weekend with them. It also made me kind of excited for my own class renunion just a few years down the road. Everyone needs to go! With everyone there, it could be so much fun!

The very next weekend, my brother Aaron and his cute family came to visit. They blessed their little Wesley and spent the following week in Twin. I stayed the week in Twin to spend time with them. It was so great to all be together but crazy at the same time. We got to see a lot of family but it is just hard being away from our own place for that long. The babes were definitely feeling it too. They get cranky and tired and don't seem to get the real, good sleep that they need. I guess it is to be expected. You just have to pay for it when you get back into your normal life.

Our weekend ended with the dedication of the Twin Falls Temple. I'm so grateful that we had the blessing of witnessing that great event. We got to see the Youth Celebration, which was way cool and then were able to be in the temple during one of the dedication sessions. The spirit was so strong and witnessed to me the truthfulness of this, the Lord's work. I'm just grateful that I got to witness a small part of it all. The temple is amazingly beautiful. I'm not sure when I'll get used to seeing it in Twin Falls...SO cool!

So, we finally got back to Boise for good on Sunday only to have another thing take us out of our home. Last night there was a huge fire that broke out in our neighborhood...okay so not just in the neighborhood but like 2 blocks away from us. We were evacuated out of our home around 7:30pm. Shane started gathering things that he thought me might need and then asked me what I thought was important enough to take with us. I haven't ever been in this situation before so I just started panicing. We grabbed our box of financial info. and our photo albums, loaded up the boys and left. The smoke was so thick that you could barely even see what was in front of you. We called up our friends Kyle and Cara and asked if we could crash at their house. We are happy today to still have our home. We stayed the night at the Schnoor's house. They were awesome for letting us stay and being so hospitable. In the end, 10 homes were completely destroyed and 9 others were severly damaged...19 homes total that were touch by this fire. We so far know of 4 families in our ward that have lost their homes. I am still in shock and can't seem to wrap my brain around the thought of losing everything. Needless to say, it quickly puts everything into perspective. I am grateful for my little family and grateful that our home is still standing. It might have a little smoke damage but nothing that can't be taken care of easily. I am also grateful for great friends who help when we are away from family. We have certainly been blessed.

I am looking forward to the month of September! As of right now, I don't think we have anything planned! It should give us some quality time at home! Don't get me wrong, it's fun to get away and spend time with family. Love it! Sometimes, it just helps you to appreciate all that you have under your own roof. September here we come!!!