Way to Go! Idaho!

I've mentioned before that Seth and I were able to take some mini-trips recently. It has been so nice because school and work tend to wear us down. If we didn't find these little ways to relax and rejuvenate, I'm sure we would be burned out by now. Provo is great and has its own unique quirkiness, but sometimes it's so nice to get away.

The first trip we got to take was to Idaho to see Seth's sister Heather who just had a baby!

I'd like to introduce you to our newest niece, Hailey Darlene Leavitt! Here she is with mommy Heather

And daddy Ryan.

Seth's mom came down from Washington for a few days so we got to spend some time with her too. It was so nice. We really miss our family up there.

And we got to hold the baby a little bit too! She was so sweet.

(Don't mind my fat cheeks, I had my wisdom teeth out two days before.)

We also got to play with our adorable nieces Elaina and McKenzie. They are just little balls of energy! And they've grown up so much since the last time we saw the. Last time we came to visit, Elaina was playful but Kenzie was just a quiet baby. She's still pretty quiet most of the time but she has turned into a real little toddler and loves to play and be silly with her big sister. Elaina has developed a love for singing since last time. She dances around the house singing random songs that she makes up at the top of her lungs. Sounds just like me when I was little :)

Both of them love their new little sister and try to take good care of her. Even if they don't quite realize that they can't be quite as rough with her as they are with each other. They're learning.

And here are all the girls. Thanks so much to Heather and Ryan for putting up with us for the weekend. It was great to see our family again.

We also got to spend the nights at Aunt Julie and Uncle Ron's house so I got to meet some more extended family. That's one thing that I love about married life. It's so much fun to meet new relatives and be accepted into a wonderful family. I really lucked out when it came to my inlaws :)

This trip was such a relief for us. School was really starting to get us down but as soon as we left, we relaxed. We spent the weekend stress-free (which may have had something to do with the fact that Heather and Ryan don't have internet so we couldn't work on homework) and felt so relaxed by the time we got home. 

While we were on the road, we listened to a book on tape of a fantasy book Seth liked when he was a kid. It was so fun to enjoy the simplicity of a children's novel again. I loved spending the weekend next to my husband, laughing enjoying free time together. 

* * *

This trip was great for another reason. It was one year ago (or close to it anyway) that Seth and I decided to make a spontaneous trip to Idaho. (I've  included pictures from the trip too.)

We had just started dating a couple weeks before. It was nearing the end of the semester and (just like this year) we just needed a change of scene. We were talking one day and Seth mentioned that it would be fun to go up to Idaho to visit his sister and her family. And the rest of his family would be there too on their way to Utah. He was really joking about the idea, but I jumped at it. I thought it would be so much fun to go on a mini road trip. So the next day, we packed our bags and drove up to Idaho. 

On the car ride there, we were able to talk for a long time. Our conversation turned to relationship matters and we both expressed our opinions openly. This is when I feel we really started to understand each other and what we wanted in this life. 

Saturday morning, we spent the day playing with the girls. We played monsters with Elaina. At one point, Seth and Elaina were the monsters and they chased me into the kitchen where they backed me into the corner. I was acting terrified so Elaina looked up at me and innocently said, "It's ok!" Seth's head dropped and he started laughing. It was just too cute. Then as he was taking her back into the living room, she turned to him and said, "She doesn't like you." We both cracked up and still quote that to this day. What a sweet girl.

Throughout the day, I was able to watch Seth roll around on the floor with Elaina and hold Kenzie and make her laugh. It was then that I first realized how much I really liked him. I didn't know it then, but that may have been when I first realized I loved him. It just hit me that this was the kind of man I wanted to spend the rest of forever with.

Later that evening, the rest of Seth's family got in so I got to meet his Mom, Dad, and younger brother Kyle and Jordan. I noticed right away how open they were to me and what a loving family they were. I admit, I was nervous to meet the family, but it was a good experience once it happened.

On the way home, Seth and I talked some more and, because it was getting late and would be Sunday soon, we decided to listen to church music. We spent the next couple hours filling the car with the Mormon Tabernacle choir and singing at the top of our lungs. Funny as it might sound, it was one of the most romantic things I've ever done. (Just one of them. Seth is quite the romantic. And not in the cheesy movie way.) We also stopped for a minute to look at all the stars. The sky was perfectly clear and it was beautiful.

That night when we got home, Seth told me he loved me for the first time. I didn't respond because I didn't want to say it unless I knew I truly loved him too. It was ok because he didn't think he was going to tell me and he thought I didn't hear, so he acted like it didn't happen. (I told him I loved him too a few days later, once I had realized what I felt for him.)

That trip is full of special memories for me. Another fun part of going to Idaho this year was thinking back to that time and remembering how nervous we were, yet how comfortable we felt with each other.

Seth, I love you too.

*amber*