Our Summer in a Nutshell

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!

Our first anniversary!

David and I got to celebrate our first anniversary in Paris. (I know, this is over a month late!) After all the family time, we stayed another day by ourselves to celebrate in France. We booked a dinner cruise ride on the Seine, which was really neat! Unfortunately it was raining so everything was overcast and chilly but still so fun to eat amazing food while seeing the sites. 

It has been an amazing year and we were just so excited to have a romantic night to celebrate! I love this boy so much and I am so glad that he's mine forever. 

^^ I snapped a picture of the professional photographer's photo...whoops ;)

Mont st. Michel

This rock/island/mountain is the coolest place! We drove over the day after the Normandy beaches and had the best time. It is a tiny town built on a rock right on the coast. When the tide goes down in the day, it is accessible and apparently inaccessible when the tide rises at night. We went and toured around the abbey on top of the town, and we didn't have to pay thanks to some town strikes. After that we walked around and looked through the shops, and then we had to head back to Paris. It was short but very sweet! 

Normandy!!

After Paris we rented a car with my brother in law, Andrew, and drove up to Normandy. We went straight to the American Memorial and Omaha Beach. It was such an incredible experience. We were blown away at the sacrifice these young boys gave for people they never knew. We were there 2 days after the 69th anniversary of the D-Day invasions so there were still a ton of flowers and memorials given to remember those who lost their lives. Also, it was very cold and windy which made me realize how miserable and hard this was for so many of these men. What a humbling experience. 

After the beaches and American Memorial, we headed to Point du Hoc. This was where 200 army rangers climbed and scaled the cliff walls from the ocean to attack the German military. The land is broken and disturbed by bombs, a forever reminder of the blood sacrificed here. It was amazing! The German bunkers were also left partially intact, which was fun to climb around in/on. It was also the windiest place! 

^^directing traffic...haha

^^it said "do not climb on"

Next stop, Paris!

We were so excited to go to France! We took a train from London to Paris, the Chunnel, which was really neat. The whole ear popping thing? Happened to me. It's cool to say I have taken a train under the ocean. 

Once we got to Paris we checked into our hotel and then walked around. It included walking by Notre Dame, and then to the Gaykery (really a gay bakery called le gay choc). They have delicious breads and pastries that my sister discovered on her study abroad. That followed with a bus ride and walk to the Eiffel Tower! We didn't want to pay to go up so just laid in the grass until the sun went down. We also walked across the river and were quite entertained by some street performers. The night ended with a river cruise on the Seine. A perfect day to start in Paris. 

^^crepes, yum! 

The next day was packed. We went to Notre Dame, the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, the Orangerie, the Arc d'Triumph all while walking the whole city. We were exhausted by the end to say the least. 

^first time seeing Mona

The third day we went to Versailles. It was spectacular and a warm, sunny day! The line to get into the house was huge and took forever, but afterwards we had lunch and rented bikes to ride around the gardens in. The bikes are awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone going to Versailles! 

^^how cute is my sister, Aimee!