world adoption day

we are so excited to celebrate and join the first ever world adoption day as a hopeful adoptive couple.

we know adoption will change our lives (it already has).

we look forward to the opportunity to grow our family in so many ways.

and can't wait for that opportunity to come.

we have been overwhelmed by the love and support from so many around us.

so many are spreading the word about us and our hope to adopt a child.

we have so much love and gratitude in our hearts.

we know our day will come.

life lately...

francis peak, farmington, utah: we went from 0 to 9560' in just a matter of days

our brother in law asked us if we'd like to hike/climb mt. olympus with him.  we said yes and our bodies have felt it ever since.  it was difficult but oh so amazing up at the top!

our town's temple is up and running!  the dedication was beautiful and we feel so blessed to have a temple so close to our home.

harvest moon festival: i love this girl.  priscilla is a co-worker and good friend of mine.  she lives in ogden too and loves our town just as much as i do.  we play a lot together.  

celebrating our blonde beauty's upcoming wedding day!  college besties forever.

gordon's church calling has him over the youth organizations in our ward.  i am so happy about that because that means he gets to participate with me in their activities.  our latest adventure was a temple quest with the primary.  i got to talk to them about baptism and he got to talk to them about temple recommends.  it was a beautiful night filled with lots of wonderful people.  i am so blessed to be able to serve in the primary.

rollerblading is back! at least my sister in law and i think so.  and we're pretty freaking good at it too.  let this fantastic fall weather last so we can keep on blading!  skate or die.

i am a yogi.  ogden had a yogafest.  i attended the two day fest and pushed myself to new levels.  and had a lot of fun doing it.

meet la tortuga blanca (the white turtle).  it's our new vacation house.  see those red plaid curtains? those are custom-made by gordon himself.  yes ladies, he sews and he's all mine!

the wedding.  the beautiful bride.  and the best of friends.

ogden had a spooktacular bike ride.  first one.  priscilla and i went.  we dressed up, got some treats for our tricks and had a great time.  seriously, ogden is the best.

witches night out at gardner village.  first thing little miss said to me "tonight we're princesses dressed up as witches.  nice witches of course." it was a super fun night.

surprise gift from my mister.  i've wanted a pendleton blanket for years.  he's too good to me.

first session in our temple!  it was perfect and gave us both some much need clarification and guidance that we were needing.  i love the temple!

halloween work party and witch costume number two.  love these girls and i am so grateful i have such wonderful friends that i get to work with too.

i voted.  it was kind of a big deal.

year seven.

saying it feels like you've been together forever shouldn't be a bad thing.  there's no one else i want to feel that way about than with gordon.  our relationship just continues to get stronger as we move forward together.  i thank my heavenly father each time i pray that gordon is the one i get to spend forever with.  i feel very blessed that he is mine. to celebrate our love (i kept saying that phrase and gordon kept looking at me with this look of "are you serious?"...he loves me, promise) we went on a little weekend getaway to the homestead resort in midway, utah.  it was my surprise for gordon this year.  we swam in a natural crater, enjoyed dinner at a delicious and local mexican food restaurant tarahumara, had breakfast on the deck with a beautiful view of the mountains that surrounded us, relaxed at the pool, went for a hike to cascade springs in uinta national forest, stopped for lunch at cafe galleria (best homemade bagels!), and slowly made our way home.  it was a relaxing and perfect weekend together with just the two of us.   this is our year mr. hardcastle.  seven is my lucky number.

grizzly ridge yurt, ashley national forest - utah

every now and then a girl is taken to a secret getaway by her husband. this was one of those times.

just outside of vernal, utah is ashley national forest.

i have been telling gordon forever that on my adventure wishlist is to stay in a yurt.

he made another one of my wishes come true.

i was surprised and didn't ask once where he was taking me.

he realized how much i trust him wholeheartedly because i never asked once where he was taking me.

i trusted he wouldn't take somewhere or do something i wouldn't like.

i was right.

we had to backpack to get to the yurt.  it was a slow few miles, up a slight hill, in snowshoes.

i've done easier things...

but i still enjoyed myself.

i was so proud of my pup, briggs, who, at 11 years, showed this snowy trail who's boss.

this was a lovely sight to see!!

glamping?  why yes, don't mind if i do!

melting snow for water.

warming up and drying off by the wood burning stove.

looking at the moon through the sky window at the top of the yurt.

morning view.

outhouse (i told you we were glamping).

mountain folk.

i may or may not have told gordon i could live in a place like this...

down the mountain we go!

rabbit tracks everywhere!

and the wee one leading us all the way back to truck without us picking her up once.

seriously, my little pups are amazing!

adams canyon waterfall - layton, utah

trekked new territory this weekend.

halfway up gordon said "i think we took a wrong turn and may be headed to the peak" because it was getting very steep.

turns out we were on the right trail all along.

 it was just a bit more intense that we had planned.

nothing too crazy though.

and the frozen waterfall was breathtaking.  and cold (i got a little too close).