Quite Lovely

Today was a fine, fine day. 

We set out bright and early for the coast, with the intent to stuff ourselves full of delicious strawberries [and possibly bring some home in boxes as well as our stomachs]. If you've never been to California's Slow Coast, I'd say it's bucket-list worthy. The drive out there from our home on the Peninsula is full of gorgeous, windy, woodland roads [that remind me of the Pacific Northwest]. And then once you reach the coast, well, there's things like the above picture. Gorgeous clear ocean waters and the raddest farmland dotting the coastal slopes. I love it. It's invigorating. One of those places that makes you feel more alive just for visiting.

I tell ya what - if any of you make it out here to visit, we'll make a day of it. Deal??

So, anyway. I've waxed poetic enough for now. On to the berries!

 that box Chris is holding right there?? yeah, we filled it. to the brim. above the brim, actually. nearly five pounds!!

blurry, but this strawberry was shaped like a jalapeno. so many fun berry shapes!

 my berry-pickin' pal. Daisy wasn't a huge fan of the bracing ocean breezes up there, but I think she was pretty intrigued by all of the goings-on.

it was so gorgeous!! rolling hills to your right, and the ocean on your left. pretty darn picturesque.

Stacey and Steve Truman! our very dear friends. we love these guys to death. Stacey went to BYU with Chris, and they both work at Dreamworks now! she shares my obsession with nailpolish, among other things. it's wonderful.
[also, my Dad's sister and her husband are also named Stacey and Steve, so I really appreciate how easy it is to remember our friends' names ;) hahaha!]

                                                   
a few of the more interestingly-shaped berries. after we filled our 5lb box, we discovered that the OTHER strawberry patch closer to the ocean is where they were hiding all of the gigantic monster strawberries! so we picked another basketful...and ate them all before we left. [did I mention that you're allowed to eat as many as you want while you pick?? it's lovely]

some of our other dear friends, the Greene's! Stacey's cousin Lauren and her family. they are the cutest.

have I mentioned how stinking pretty it was?!

this berry. this berry was huge.

we should be models, I know. we get that one ALLLL the time.

our little fam-damily! [and some port-a-potties in the background! we didn't even have to pay to have those props in our picture. they came absolutely free of charge.]

oh, and we found a ladybug on Steve and Stacey's car when we got back!

And now just a few words about the farm we picked at:

 

 and a quick photo I snapped at the SlowCoast Airstream store [which was exactly what it sounds like: a little shop set up inside of an Airstream RV. so neat. all the things they had were made by local artisans]:

 Yep, it was a pretty fabulous day. I can't wait to go back for more! I'm really intrigued by Ollalieberries. Definitely want to pick some of those when they're in season.

After we picked our fill of berries, we meandered back towards home to pick up our new car and stop by Costco with the Truman's, who also happen to be our #1 Costo Pals. Then we went home to cool our sunburns and take naps and be generally lazy for the remainder of the day.

Oh, what's that? You want to know more about that whole NEW CAR thing I mentioned?!

TA-DA! 

She is beautiful. 2003 Honda CRV. The previous owners loved her a lot and took excellent care of her...so she both looks and smells like a new car even after ten years. And the previous owners also got the "fully loaded" option when they bought it brand-new, so it's all tricked out with things like a 6-CD changer. We are rollin' in style. And we need to go dig out all of our CD's so we can use them in the car and they can have a life again.
I guess I should also mention that Chris thinks the CRV is a "he", because he will probably take offense to my choice of anthropomorphizing pronouns in that previous paragraph. But I am pretty sure she is a girl. She speaks to me. We have a connection, her and I.

So, our Memorial Day weekend is off to a great start! I hope yours is too - let me know what you're up to! Love you all!

PS - I am not sure the "follow" or "subscribe" feature will work with this blog, since it's all private and such! BUT, if you add it to your bookmarks, it will be easy to find on a regular basis and maybe you will remember to check it occasionally :) I'm planning on updating at least once a week!

SARAH'S WEDDING!

So, on May 11th, my sister got hitched!!!

First, we took a plane to Salt Lake City. DAISY'S FIRST PLANE RIDE. She was a champ.

 snoozin' in the airport while Mom horked down some Burger King and a large amount of Dr. Pepper [don't judge, that bacon cheeseburger was delicious]

 after ten minutes of hollering for no discernible reason just before takeoff, she chilled out and didn't make a peep the rest of the flight

 I was trying to be artistic, and I was drinking an additional complimentary Dr. Pepper [I may have consumed entirely too much DP on this trip and gone through caffeine withdrawals the other day...]

the sling is probably the most adorable thing ever. she loves looking out at everything, and just the top of her head peeks over while she's looking around...yeah, it's precious.

And the next morning, it was off to the temple!

 cuties. sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos temple.

my brothas are snazzy.

Anyway, that was a completely gorgeous and lovely and wonderful day, and we all love Adam so much and are stoked to have him as part of our family! And it was a blast to see old-friends-that-are-practically-family at the reception. I'm sure I'll have more photos to share soon :)

As luck would have it, some funky schedule-shifting occurred at Dreamworks, and Chris was able to take some time off of work, and we spent an entire additional week in Utah and Idaho with family [and a couple friends!] it. was. awesome. here are a few random snippets to prove the awesomeness to you:

 kind of blurry....but Daisy ADORES Aunt Michelle :)

Oh, and Grandpappy too ;)

We went up to Idaho Falls for a day to see Grandma Annie [and quite a few of the Rydalch cousins/aunts/uncles! Forgot to take pictures though, boo!]

And the day before we left we met up with the Utah Rydalches for some delicious burgers and shakes! This is Chris' youngest cousin, Dylan. Chris and Tori had to help him figure out how to hold Daisy, but it was adorable.

And no trip to my husbands' childhood home is complete without cleaning out some boxes and finding gems like these...

there are so many drawings akin to this one in all of his childhood notebooks and journals...I am so excited to have sons someday.

 

he worked at a Scout camp when he was 16

yep...he met Elder Holland while on his mission. Some local church member stood by and took pictures, even though you weren't really supposed to...hahaha :)

and someday, eventually, I will be better about remembering to take photos while we are on trips. there was so much we did this week that I didn't document, that filled my soul with joy!! and I just can't find the words to paint a mental picture for you at the moment. Maybe after I eat some lunch or something. I'm pretty hungry. We'll see how I feel after that ;)

Blessing Day!

Daisy's baby blessing was on the first Sunday in May!
...which also happened to be Cinco de Mayo...totally did that on purpose.
[jk we didn't even realize that until like two days before it happened].

It was a beautiful day - my immediate family was all there [including Sarah's fiance HUSBAND], along with two of my dearest friends [hi Jon and Sariah!], and we were so happy that Chris' parents and one set of Grandparents could make it too! It was so much fun having everyone together. We even managed to fit all 16 people into our tiny little house for dinner. WIN.

Here are some photos from that morning before church, courtesy of Grandpa Vernal. We're so lucky to have him and his camera to document moments like this.

 snuggles with Grandma Sally :)

 Great-Grandma Annie!

 Chris + Daisy + Grandma and Grandpa Rydalch

 Our familia :)

 the *newest* Grandma and Grandpappy Rydalch + family!

All the men....and Daisy. Four generations of Rydalches :)

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures with my side of the family :( but here are some pictures from the dinner later that day [courtesy of my Mom's iPhone, Orion]:

better photo of just Daisy and her blessing dress [the same dress that Sarah and I wore for our blessings. too!]

myself, Sariah, Jon, and Chris

Matt, Rebekah, Joseph [somewhere in there], Jacob, Mike

Mike, Adam+Sarah, DAD! [Steve]

...and that is how we fit tons of people into our home. 

[not pictured: the kitchen, also filled with people. and food. and Daisy was over there somewhere with one of her Grandmothers]

Anyway. It was a beautiful day. And a beautiful blessing. Life is so wonderful, and I love my family, and I'm extremely grateful for my husband who holds the Priesthood and uses it to bless our family :)

two and a half months

Daisy is now a whopping two-and-a-half-months-old!

- she's getting real good at finding her hands to gnaw on, but still loves the binky
- sleeps through the night, like a boss!
- also takes naps and puts herself to sleep, like a boss!
- we are pretty sure she is teething [yes...already]
- gained exactly 3lbs and 2.25in within the first two months
- likes to try to sit up/lift her head....she's getting pretty good, but isn't quite there yet
- happiest time of day = MORNING. she loves waking up. smiles for days!
- smiling on purpose now, all. the. time.
- she's just starting to notice the toys that hang on her bouncy seat, and I think they scare her
- first trip to the movie theatre = Iron Man 3
- took her first plane rides! To/from Salt Lake. Hardly cried at all. more on that later.
- Chris gave her her first taste of real food [it was a Bugle. she didn't suck on it for long.]
- doesn't like snuggling or facing toward you, unless she's sleepy. She always wants to look out and sit up. Or hang upside down.
- she is LOUD when she cries. which isn't very often, but she definitely doesn't whimper. Ever.

We like her.
I think we'll keep her.
:)