ALASTAIR + LALEINIA

The Golden Gate Bridge has been the talk of the town lately. That lovely metal structure turned 75 years this weekend. In celebration, Californians flocked to San Francisco to celebrate this historical event. Instead of partying on the bridge, Laleinia and Alastair headed to Angel Island. Pic of the day!  They brought some bikes, bagged lunches, and helmets (of course). Right when they arrived, the ferry was ready for departure. They dashed towards the line of people and made it for the earliest ferry ride. They only had to wait five minutes. It was their first boat ride together, so exciting. Once they were on the island, they dodged the pedestrians and headed to the bike trail. The rest of the afternoon was spent snapping pictures of the beautiful views, city structures, boats, and old ruins. The 5 mile bike ride around the island was such a fun adventure, they both loved it!   Once they finished the ride, the ferry was ready to depart from the island...

 No, not the band, just some old fashioned fun. Laleinia took Alastair out on a date. There were no flowers or chocolates. Two fun passes were bought at Funworks. They spent hours running around and having fun. Here's what they did: Three rounds of putt-putt golf Three rounds of go-carts Rock wall Arcade games Bumper cars Air hockey  Two thumbs up for a great date night. Good job, Laleinia!

This weekend, Alastair and Laleinia packed their bags for a weekend getaway to Sacramento. They attended the reception of the Hunts, who served in the NYRM with Alastair. The reception was a blast, and Alastair loved seeing some of his friends from the mission. We stayed the night at the Mickelson residence, hence, the clowns. Paul and Natyeli were planning on running a 5k the next morning, so Alastair and Laleinia decided to join in. There was no training beforehand, no preparation, nothing. Laleinia was very nervous because she has never ran over 2 miles in one run. This was a challenge for her! The people of Marysville congregated by some park, and within 15 minutes, the race was on! Alastair suggested that they run faster to beat the crowd...bad idea! Within a few minutes, Laleinia was out of breath. She motioned Alastair to go on without her. Alastair went on to finish in 3rd place and Laleinia successfully accomplished her first 5k. It was hot, tiring, and rewarding. We...

Monday we went to support the local baseball team, the Modesto Nuts. If you bring something to donate, then you got in for free. A fair trade, a couple of cans for the Nuts. Most of the game was spent people watching, smelling fried foods, and cheering whenever the crowd would cheer. All in all, the tickets were free and we had a great time with our friends, Breanne and Steve.

Goodbyes are never fun. Especially when parting ways with family. Laleinia and Alastair thought of many ways where they could prolong their stay. Just a few more hours, another day, or even a cheap flight. Nothing could work. We ripped the Band-Aid off and headed back to California. The drive was long, nothing much to look at, and very flat. As we drove through the salt flats we noticed that some drivers were so bored that they decided to veer off and drive on the flats. We didn't do exactly that but we stopped at a rest stop to take a stroll and stretch our legs. The rest of the drive was filled with funny conversations, sage brush, singing our hearts out, and watching a lightning storm at night. The last hour was very rough because we were so tired, but we made it and went straight to bed.

Remember when Laleinia dressed up as a miner?    Her impersonation came back when we visited the Bingham Canyon mine. Before visiting, Laleinia was so excited that she researched all she could about this site. It was a good thing she did since they restricted the use of cellular devices. As they drove up the canyon, Laleinia treated everybody to some "fun" facts she learned. While we were at the site, Laleinia even had a conversation with a friendly old man. Their conversation was filled with silly facts they knew about the mine. After they parted ways, Alastair asked how the conversation went. Laleinia said it went well and all she wanted to do was to share what she knew. For those who have been to Utah and have not seen the copper mine, do it. Go. This place has been one of our favorite places we've visited. Of course it's a big hole in the ground, but it's a ginormous hole in the ground!

Alastair and the girls (Hollie, Laleinia, and mum) headed over Park City to enjoy some shopping, food, and shopping. Did we mention we went shopping? The only way to shop at outlet stores is to divide and conquer.Once we stepped out the car, the ETA was set and we split up. Alastair found some sweet deals at the Adidas store and Laleinia was not pleased with J Crew but found some great discounts in Banana Republic. If anyone knows how to get more bang for their buck, it's Laleinia and Alastair! 50% off!   Once everyone arrived at the car, we hopped in and drove to end up at a Mexican restaurants. Can't remember the name but the food was delicious! After lunch we walked around Park City and window shopped. We found tasty treats like caramel apples and lollipops. Alastair chose a green apple flavor while Laleinia went for a classic cherry. Taking pictures with Connor's Kings shirt.  The best part of the trip was when Laleinia spotted some Russian nesting doll...

Driving to Utah from California is not something someone wants to do. But you have to do it. After work, Alastair and Laleinia drove straight through the night to arrive in Provo around 6:00 in the morning. No naps were to be had during the ride. It was difficult, but we did it! The drive was worth it as we were greeted with warm hugs from mum and Hollie. We weren't able to fall asleep, so the four of us took a morning walk to the bakery to grab some cinnamon rolls for the brunch later that day. The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent at Aunt Sarah's. The food was delicious and the entertainment was enjoyable. Alastair's cousin, Emily, was the belle of the ball. Aunt Julie gave Emily a beautiful yellow dress, in which she instantly put it on and twirled around the living room, dancing to the song from Beauty and the Beast. The Family  After brunch, we all headed to Provo for the ceremony. Most of the graduation ceremony was spent snapping pictures and recor...

Well this is where we find ourselves after twelve months! We have lived in Idaho and California, and we have visited a couple of states, and also spent a night in Canada! We have some plans in the pipeline for some more traveling, and we are really excited about it. What a year it has been! We are looking forward to the upcoming year, we are sure it will be a lot of fun!

Well we are literally days off completing a whole year of marriage, and so in celebration, we went off to Los Banos for the night, followed by a trip to Casa de Fruta and Santa Cruz! It all began with Alastair picking up Laleinia from work, and surprising her with lunch! Alastair planned the trip to perfection, and even made a wonderful driving CD that gave Laleinia a lot of laughs and even tears at the appropriate times. Mr. & Mrs. McKee  It was a great weekend where we could spend some quality time together without having to worry about work, homework or anything else, just each other. It was such a fun time, where we ate a lot of food, went swimming, walked on the boardwalk, shopped and even played basketball in the park! Casa de Fruta, Hollister, CA We hope you enjoy this picture of dried fruits at Casa de Fruta. Here is a list of what we ate this weekend: Taco Bell Large Pizza from Mountain Mikes Wine Gums Red Grape Martinellis Pulled Pork/Tri Tip Sandwhi...