Catching up.

Okay, here it is!

1. Becky and I went out to breakfast the weekend before school started (yes, I realize that was 4 weeks ago, but get over it). We walked from her house down to Gourmandise The Bakery and it was wonderful. We got to catch up, get some exercise, eat, and then get more exercise after eating. Here are a few pictures of the place we went. It is owned by the Hanssen family and is on 250 South 300 East in Salt Lake.








2. We went to a wedding in Deer Valley on Sunday, September 7th. On our way up we saw a hit and run on the highway and Matt got to have his hero moment and chase the guy down and call him in. It was pretty exciting. Anyway, the wedding was beautiful and was a wonderful testament to God's provision and timing. The ceremony was in the midst of a grove of aspen trees, there was even a slight breeze which made the leaves sing. After the ceremony, we were served memosas and yummy breakfast food, only to be followed by an amazing lunch buffet. At our table we sat with a friend named Laura who was hilariously trying to get people to say the word "family" because she's convinced that there's a "Utahn" way of saying it. Now, I definitely agree that Utahns have their own special way of speaking (including my sweet husband), but her efforts were in vain for she could not get anyone to say it the Utahn way. Her trying was so funny though. "So, would you say that Jacqui is in your extended ____________?" trying to get them to say the word family. It was like playing charades with people who didn't know they were playing a game. We also sat at our table with the bride's cousins, one of whom is a professional barista! He lives in Seattle (imagine that) and is gearing up for his first barista competition. Yes, I said it, barista competition. Did you know that there were such things? They are graded on originality, flavor, presentation and something else I can't remember. I didn't know how professional the art was of barista-ing. It was intriguing. Here are some pictures of the wedding.




the Barista is in the middle, and Laura (right) is trying to get them to say the word family. Great.



3. Moab. I had never been there although I have lived here for 14 years and it was breathtaking. It is at the top of my favorite places list. So beautiful. We went up there the weekend of September 11-12 for a friend's wedding. They got married at the vineyard that is up the main canyon, it was breathtaking! The band they hired was pretty funny, though. Called Vanilla Pop, they were very unique. I think they'll play Vegas someday. We camped that night by the river, which was pretty funny. We set up our tent by moonlight dressed in our wedding clothes. All through the night you could hear the Colorado River rushing right past our tent. We even got to go into Arches the next day and hike up to the infamous Delicate Arch. It was so much fun! What a great weekend escape. P.S. Matt and I want to buy some rafts and raft the Colorado down through Moab someday. Let us know if you'd want to come!!!




The river right by our tent!



4.Surprise Parties. We threw my mom a surprise 60th birthday party on Friday. We've been planning it since July and it was a huge undertaking, but it was totally worth it! She had no idea and was so surprised. Huge success. She was just glowing all night. My parent's neighbor, Dara, even made a custom fondant cake just for my mom. It was amazing and DELICIOUS! Here's her blog. If you're ever looking for someone to make a cake or cupcakes, she did an amazing job! The best thing of the night was the scrapbook we made for my mom. Each person took a polaroid picture of themselves and put it on a page and decorated it and left a personal birthday message for her. It turned out so cute, she loved it! Here's some pictures!