First Annual Berning Family Vacation!

This year for our first family vacation we went to ARIZONA!  It was such a fun trip and we definitely did not want to come back!  We took SO many pictures (we were proud of ourselves) but most of them would probably only be fun for us, but I will still put lots up - point being - WE HAD A BLAST!

We left Garden City after work on Tuesday night and drove down to Draper and stayed with my parents at their house.  We then woke up early the next morning and started our trek down to the AZ.  We thought that since we were going to Arizona that our problem would be getting too hot - we had loaded up with sunscreen and the like and instead we ran into this -

We stopped at an overlook to take a peak at what was coming up...

And this is what we saw laying ahead of us...



And here is was...Lola (our WONDERFULLY AWESOME car) stated it was a crisp 32 degrees!

We pulled into Phoenix around 8:00 PM.  We basically just crashed once we got into the hotel.  I don't know why sitting in a car is so exhausting, but for some reason - IT IS!  But we woke up early the next morning and hiked up Camelback Mountain.  We didn't make it the whole way but we hurried back so we could shower and pack up and then head off to the Phoenix Zoo.  Apparently it is one of the top five zoo's in the nation for kids and it REALLY was fun!  We didn't really take any pictures of us at the zoo, but we took lots of the animals.  I love that Mark likes to read all of the information with me and so neither of us has to wait for the other, we both like knowing all the details about everything. 

ANYWAY, but it was so much fun.  We couldn't decide which animal was cutest.  But these baby ducks might have just won the award.  But we basically decided that any "baby" animal is ADORABLE!



Then we hurried over that afternoon to go over to the Mesa Arizona Temple.  I LOVED IT!  They didn't have anyone helping with sealings so we actually ended up doing sealings instead of a session.  It was the first time Mark and I have been able to do them together and it was great.  We were the only couple so they kept us busy but I loved it.  Afterwards they let us go up the celestial room and that was WONDERFUL! 

There was NO ONE around to take our picture - so this was our best attempt

After the temple we changed in the visitor's center back into our regular clothes, stopped and ate at IN- N-OUT and then drove back into Phoenix to go to an Arizona Diamondback's game.  I had never been to an actual "professional" baseball game.  But I LOVED IT!  I spent the majority of my time figuring out how to keep record of what happened in each play in my little free booklet and it was fun. 

Them setting up the field for the game

After the game we then drove two hours up to Flagstaff (luckily the game finished fast) and we stayed there for the night.  We then woke up early and drove up to the Grand Canyon.  Mark had never been there before and I hadn't been to the South Rim before - and it was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!  It was in the 60's both days we were there and it was PERFECT!  We took so many pictures of tons of different views but I will only put a couple on here - I PROMISE!

The first day we went and walked around the visitor's center a little bit and then did the Bright Angel Trail.  There is definitely no easy trail down the Grand Canyon and this one proved the same.  We only went down a mile and a half but it was pretty steep.  And I am so incredibly grateful for a husband that is so understanding and sympathetic to my horrible fear of heights.  He let me hold his hand and squeeze it the whole time we were there - even while hiking.  His only comment was "Okay, so we may have to switch hands..."  Haha, he was so great though.  I love that boy. 

This little nook is where we stopped to eat lunch - FAR away from the cliff

The view from our turn-around point

  

We spent the day looking at the beautiful canyon and then looking at the village.  There were honestly times when we would be sitting on the shuttle and couldn't understand a single conversation around us because there were so many foreigners.  We felt like we were at the Tower of Babel - it was pretty funny. 

The next day we went and took the shuttle around the park and looked at lots of other stops in the canyon.  It was beautiful - we couldn't get enough of it.  We then went on a hike around dinner time.  This one was less than a mile but VERY STEEP.  It was a little frightening but gorgeous. 

The steep switchback trail down

The sun going down...

Looking at the trail on our way up...

We had a WONDERFUL vacation!  Arizona was a lot of fun and we would go back in a heartbeat.  So grateful that I have such an amazing husband where we truly love to just spend time with one another.  I can't wait for our next vacation - SOUTH CAROLINA 2012!



Aggie Graduate!

I am now an official graduate of Utah State University!  Last Saturday was the commencement ceremony and I am so glad that I was able to walk.  I technically graduated in December but because of budget cuts they only do one commencement a year now.  So it felt a little weird to go back to campus because it feels so long since I have been on campus because of early graduation and student teaching in Preston and the like.  But it was such a fun day. 

When we got back from our trip from Denver we went over to my parent's house in Draper and they had decked out the house in graduation gear.  It was so thoughtful of them and was a lot of fun.

The walls were decorated with all sorts of this stuff.  

 our front door

 the garage door

We then caravaned up to Logan early the next morning.  All of the family went to the Spectrum where the ceremony was going to be and I walked over to the QUAD where all of the graduates were supposed to assemble.  It was so much fun to see some old friends that I haven't seen in awhile and find out what people were doing. 

We then walked over to the Spectrum and had the whole University Commencement Ceremony.  I am so grateful to an absolutely WONDERFUL family that sat through the ceremony.  It is probably not the most exciting way to celebrate your Saturday but I am grateful that they did.  My parents and sisters came up, my Grandma Dixie, Mark's parents Gus and Darlene, and later my Uncle Wayne and Aunt Lucy also came down.  It was so much fun just to spend time with family. 

After the first ceremony we went over to Texas Road House and had a huge scrumptious dinner there.  It was fun to catch up with everyone and see how things were going.

Then we headed back over to the Spectrum and took loads of pictures and then got ready for the college commencement ceremony.  Again, SO wonderful to see so many friends that I haven't seen in awhile and have the great support of my family.  It is so crazy to already be done.  It feels like college was one giant blur.  It went by so fast and was such an amazing chapter of my life.  I feel so grateful that I had the support of family and friends as I was able to go through my education.  Thanks to all of you!

LOVE HIM!

My wonderful parents



My amazing sisters

My incredible Grandma

My GREAT father and mother-in-law

One of the greatest teachers ever, my wonderful Aunt Lucy

The whole gang (ALMOST)!

WOOT WOOT!

Apartment Hunting

Last week Mark and I went on a little trip down to Denver.  We got there Wednesday and we were on a hunt for an apartment.  Mark and I came to Denver for our honeymoon (for his interview) so we had been there before, but we had stayed in a hotel downtown so I had never seen the area that we would actually be living.  I will admit, I was a little nervous when we initially started driving around. 

Before I get too ahead of myself I should say that the campus itself is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  I loved the medical campus.  Mark kept laughing at me because I LOVED the Children's Hospital that is there.  I thought it was so cute and they have things hanging from the trees and I just thought it was just great.  I kept saying that if I could find some sort of educational job there - I would take it!  All of the building are beautiful and it got me really excited for Mark to be able to spend the next four years there. 

However, the downside was the campus is on this really sketchy street.  For any of you that may (for some reason) be familiar with the Denver area, the campus is located east of Denver in a city called Aurora, and is specifically on Colfax Street.  We were looking up some stuff on the internet later and were led to the Wikipedia page for Colfax Street in which it described it as "associated with prostitution, crime, and a dense concentration of liquor stores and marijuana dispensaries."  AHHH!  It was a little freaky.  The page went on the say that it is the "longest, wickedest street in America."  SERIOUSLY!  I am telling you - it is a little sketchy in some parts.  I was a little shell shocked.  I like to think I can be pretty tough, but I am not sure if I am tough enough for the street. 

The university had sent a list of 25 apartments in the area to check out, usually because they gave some sort of deals to students.  So we just started going down the list of apartments.  We started the day going into all of the apartment buildings.  But by the end of the day we got a tad more selective - we decided that if it had graffiti or barred windows that we weren't even going to go in. 

Day 2 proved to be more encouraging though.  We learned that even though it would be very convienent to be located close to campus, that feeling comfortable and at ease in our home was more important.  So we started looking further away from campus.  AND we found an absolutely BEAUTIFUL place!  In fact, when we pulled up we thought there was no way we would be able to afford to live here - but we actually can!  We were so excited.  The choice was pretty easy for us after we went there. 

We drove by a couple other places but our decision was basically made.  We decided to drive down to the Denver Temple and it was so beautiful.  It made me appreciate the blessing of the Spirit so much more.  Just being around some of the places we were before was so hard and even just walking around the temple grounds was the most "at home" feeling I had the entire time I was there.  I feel so blessed that we will still be so close to a temple.  ONLY THIRTY MINUTES! 

On the temple ground, a little shady but it was the best we could do by ourselves with the self-timer :)

On Friday we signed the papers and are now officially going to be apart of the Gateway Park Community.  I am excited for our little apartment and so glad that we both feel so at peace about it.  We even went and found where our church building will be too.  It still hasn't sank in that we will be moving in two and a half months.  It is still a little nerveracking to move to a place where we will be so very much on our own and so far from family.  But it will be such a growing experience for Mark and I as a couple and that will be good.  Denver here we come!

Some pictures of our new place!

Two Month Anniversary!

A couple of weeks ago we were able to celebrate month number two of our marriage and we were pretty excited.  It was a pretty low key day filled with work, scouts, laundry and other everyday tasks, but we were able to have dinner together and then after scouts we played Mario Brothers on the Wii.  Nothing too exciting but it was fun just to spend time together. 

I am just so grateful that I was able to find Mark and that he was patient enough for me to finally come around.  Every day he does something that makes me love him more.  He is absolutely perfect for me and I love him so much.  HAPPY TWO MONTHS!  WOOT WOOT!

Easter

Easter this year was so wonderful!  We were able to go up to Soda Springs and spend Easter at my Grandma Dixie's house.  My family came up as well as my Uncle Wayne and Aunt Dori and their family.  Grandma prepared an Easter feast that was so yummy and I am pretty sure we laughed the entire time we were there.  Megan was particularly in rare form and was making us all laugh with her stories and commentary on different subjects.  It was a simply perfect day. 

It did make me a little sad to realize on the drive home that I feel like these moments are not going to be as common as they are now once we move to Denver.  I guess I will just have to soak in all of them as much as I can.  I feel so blessed to have a family that is so much fun and where we can all share our appreciation for what our Savior did for us.

President Thomas S. Monson said:
"No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord: "Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen.

With this pronouncement, those who have lived and died, those who now live and one day will die, and those yet to be born and yet to die had just been rescued. 

As the result of Christ's victory over the grave, we shall all be resurrected.  This is the redemption of the soul."

Playing with the Kiddos

I absolutely LOVE living in Garden City.  The Bear Lake area is beautiful and the people are wonderful.  What more could you ask for?  Well, another one of the many things I love about living here is I get to be around little kiddos a lot.  It hasn't been quite as frequent since Mark and I have been married, but we are still around them lots and I love it. 

I have two cousins that live here in Bear Lake too and love them and their sweet families so much.  This month Mark and I had the chance to watch both sets of kiddos and it was so much fun. 

Landon and Gracie were able to come over to our house for an afternoon and we had fun eating ring pops, dancing and watching a movie.  They are some of the cutest and most animated kids I know, and I LOVE THEM!  I am so sad that they will be leaving soon.  They are moving to Rock Springs, Wyoming at the end of the month and will actually be our closest family once we move to Denver.  But we will miss having them just down the street. 

Gracie kept making these grunting noises while she danced and it was just way too funny!

We also were able to watch my other cousin's kiddos for a night and had lots of fun.  We made some playdough and these kids were VERY creative.  They made Christmas trees, enormous snakes, dinosaurs, and even the entire solar system.  They cracked me up and we had a great time. 

It is so much fun to be around these kids and their sweet spirits.  LOVE THESE KIDS!