Europe was definitely the highlight of our summer, but we have still been so busy and luckily had a few more trips planned! After returning to America, we had two weeks to wrap up our lives before moving up to Salt Lake. David worked as a sports camp counselor at BYU and also at his research lab, while I packed up our tiny apartment. We were so excited to move, but also very sad to leave our first home together and all our family and friends in Provo. Luckily, we are only an hour away. Plus, we LOVE Salt Lake! So fun, much more diverse, more to do and just beautiful this time of year!
Our current living situation is unique but we are really enjoying it. We live with a very old man. We call him "grandpa" Reed, even though we have no relations. He is just the greatest and we love living in his basement. Here are a couple pictures of our space:
About 3 days after we moved into our new home, David left for his Commissioned Officer Training (COT) for 4 1/2 weeks. Now that he is an officer in the U.S. Air Force, he needed to learn how to walk, talk and do all things military. Although he had no idea what to expect, he ended up really enjoying it. Mostly they learned to march (drill) and had a lot of classroom time to learn about different aspects of the military. He was at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL. I expected him to sleep in barracks and be yelled at constantly, but apparently it's not all like the movies. He had a great dorm room and private bathroom with a roommate that was also from Utah. And although they did get yelled at a lot the first week, it got easier and he made some great friends and had good experiences (like camping in a tent with air conditioning?) Luckily we did get to talk on the phone every night, and by the end we were both so glad to be back together :) Here is David trying on his new uniforms before he left:
Here he is with the birthday package I sent him. I was sad to not be able to celebrate with him for his 24th!
Here he is on their plane tour. They wore their ABU's (airman battle uniforms) everyday:
And here is a picture of his official Air Force picture. So Handsome!
Luckily I did not spend those 4 1/2 weeks alone. I am grateful for great family and friends who helped me stay busy during this time so I wasn't too bored and depressed. First, I met my parents in Colorado and spent a week at the condo for the 4th of July. We had a blast road biking, hiking, and just enjoying the beautiful scenery.
We took a boat out with some friends onto the lake and watched the fireworks being shot off above the lake. It was so beautiful. Here is the stunning sunset on the lake
Basically my parents are awesome and I was so glad to tag along with them for the week. After Colorado, we road tripped back home to Kansas where I visited for another week. Some highlights included visiting the KC temple, biking with my parents (they are so fit!), and just eating and being lazy at home...nothing better ;)
I then returned to Utah and the next week I road tripped with two of my girlfriends, Jessica and Carly, to Los Angeles! Here are a few pictures. I only have some phone ones, because most of them are on Jessica's nice camera. Here we are in front of the Hollywood sign. We took the wrong hike and didn't actually make it to the sign, but had some great views of it:
After our hike we went to a food market:
On the beach for an outdoor concert at the Santa Monica pier! This is where we also saw Des, the Bachelorette!!
The pier all lit up
At the beach during the daytime!
I had an absolute blast with these girls, and we decided girls trips should be an annual tradition! We loved California and were so grateful we could stay with Jessica's sister and have her show us around Beverly Hills. After we got back, I only had a few days before David came home. It was just the greatest to be back with him! Our summer has been busy and one of the best ever!
Tomorrow, David starts dental school!
