Kennewick

We realized in June that Allegiant flies from Mesa to Pasco, so we had to take advantage and fly up there for the weekend to visit the Channers.  We were originally going to go explore more of Washington, but everything was on fire, so we stayed in town.

They showed us a bunch of parks and around town.  We also helped unpack some boxes, ate a lot of treats, and had a really great time. Of course, Brynn forgot to take pictures.

Seth convinced Brynn to get on the world's sketchiest teeter totter.

At one of the parks, the Parks and Rec department gave O a beach ball, which he had to carry in his mouth.

We loved visiting! I just wish we lived closer!

Biking in Flagstaff

We took a day trip to Flagstaff this weekend to go mountain biking. We were gone most of the day and ended up biking for about 5 hours. It was quite the adventure! In addition to enjoying the incredible views and temperatures we got a little taste of the effects that high altitude has on the body. The elevation in Phoenix is less than 1000 feet above sea level and, after driving a couple hours, we started our ride at 8000 feet and rose to over 9000 before coming back down! It was pretty cool, but we were catching our breath, getting sun burns, and feeling light-headed much sooner than we were used to.   

 We rode on a dirt road for part of the loop.
Temperatures in the high 70's. 

Part of the loop we did was on the Arizona Trail which goes 

all the way across Arizona. Maybe we'll do it one day... 

More Populus tremuloides than we have ever seen in Arizona!

Birthday Weekend

This year for Brynn's birthday, she wanted to go camping.  Because it was monsoon season (which means flash flooding), we weren't able to go overnight.  But we did go hiking in Payson for the day, which was gorgeous as usual.

On Sunday, we explored the Riparian Preserve by our house.  We had been meaning to go for a while, and the weather was sort of cool enough to be outside for longer than 15 seconds.

It was starting to get dark when we got there, so we weren't able to stay very long. We can't wait to go back for the observatory and explore some more!

San Diego

Over the Fourth of July this year, we decided to take a spontaneous road trip to San Diego.  Neither of us had ever been since we were kids, so it was fun to explore as grownups.  We decided to drive over Sunday and stay until Monday.

La Jolla Beach

We also made a quick stop to see the San Diego temple. It's gorgeous!

We spent most of Sunday at Balboa Park walking around.

Monday we went to the zoo.  Yay for Skyfari!

It was nice to be able to walk around outside and not melt.

Yes, this is a GIANT PANDA eating bamboo.  Dream come true.

Seth also found the world's largest agave.  (Not really, but it was big.)

This is a lion, but you can't really tell.

We made one more trip to the beach (Coronado this time) before heading back to Phoenix.  

We had an awesome time and can't wait to go back!

New Bike

Seth got a new road bike, and it's beautiful.  He was able to buy it through Al's, the shop he used to work for in Logan.

We can't wait to start road biking more!

Oak Creek Canyon

Brynn has been dying to see Sedona, and she finally convinced Seth to take her for a day trip.  There is so much to see, but we decided to start off with the West Fork of Oak Creek Canyon, the most popular.  And for good reason.

The canyon had a beautiful mix of red rock and greenery

The trail is super flat, following (and crossing) Oak Creek about a million times.

The trail ends in a gorgeous slot canyon.

We can't wait to explore Sedona more! This is just the beginning of many trips up here.

2nd Master's Recital and Graduation

Brynn was able to perform her last recital at ASU this past weekend.  She was so glad that she got to play some of her favorite pieces, as well as play with some of her favorite people.

Playing the Faure Piano Quartet (!!!)

She couldn't have done it without Seth.  He's been awesome through this whole crazy last year of school.

Brynn's parents were even able to fly from Boise to visit!

It's been an amazing program, and it's sad to leave.