The World From Aly's Camera Lense

So, let's have a little catching up, update on Aly, shall we?

Before COVID19 she was a true social butterfly, attending the temple with friends, hiking with friends, going to concerts with friends, going on road trips with friends, you get the idea.

Well, two weeks of Quarantine with her Aunt and Uncle, as much as she loves them and as much fun as it was, were quite enough for her.  Once they were over she promptly moved into an apartment with a friend.  So, what did COVID life look like for Aly?  Well . . . 

. . . There was school online (outside, in a hammock, whenever possible) . . .

. . . she became a pro at cleaning . . . 

. . . and she learned how to grocery shop and transport groceries without a car.

But she was still our outdoor, adventure-seeking, friend-loving Aly.  Not even a coronavirus could keep that girl inside or away from people.

There's been a trip out to the Salt Flats. . . 

. . . a snowmobile trip with Grandpa and Uncle Matt . . . 

. . . and as many hikes into the beautiful Utah mountains as humanly possible.

Then there was the trip out to Florida to visit the fam.

Lise and her friends made a lovely poster to welcome her back.

Aly took advantage of having access to a car and the ability to drive as much as possible.

Of course, there were multiple Tropical Smoothie runs. . . 

. . . trips to the beach . . .

. . . and even trips to Walmart were exciting!

Sign reads, "If you lived in your car, you'd already be home." #VanLifeDreams

The funny thing is, even while Aly was visiting Florida, she was coordinating plans for her next adventure when she got back.  She and her friends Rylie and Adi went on a road trip down to Cedar Breaks and Zions before Adi reports to the MTC and Rylie received her mission call.

Fun times.  One thing you can say for Aly, she really does know how to stop and smell the roses and live life to the fullest.

Welcome Back, Friends! (May 2020)

On May 1st Florida started to reopen - FRIENDS - PLAYDATES - PARKS - THE BEACH - HALLELUJAH!  Quarantine had been fun and all, but we were ready to get back out into the world and hang with our peeps.

Pool Parties with friends resumed.

There was beach ball volleyball and jumping on a soapy trampoline mess.

We went to the beach with friends.

Also, there was walking & tubing down Turkey Creek.  Good times.

So pretty much I'd say we started summer early.  We still are doing virtual school for a couple more weeks, but the partying has begun.  And once it's started, it's hard to shut it down.

Another fun thing was that Aly came to visit for 10 days in May.  Super fun to have her around - you could definitely tell an extrovert who could drive was back in the house!  The house was much louder and much busier.  She joined us in our newfound freedom, as well as having adventures of her own with friends.  She was also here for Mother's Day, which was pretty cool.

I got a cast iron pot to make my artisan loaf bread in.  Love it!

The other thing we did when Aly was here was take the opportunity to get some family pics before Chris heads out on his next year-long deployment.  They turned out amazing.  Here's just a sampling:

 I love my crazy, silly girls, my amazing, supportive husband, and I love it when we're all together.  This is my home.