Eight is Great, Great, Great!

Today is our 8th Anniversary!  We feel so blessed to have found each other and to have the opportunity to build a life together.  Like most years, we stayed pretty close to home.  We decided to take a little family trip to Manti, Utah.  The destination was determined when we found out that our dear friends, the Howe's, had a missionary homecoming and farewell on our anniversary.  They live in Ephraim and we love the Howe's and didn't want to miss hearing Jan and Jens speak.  So, we made a weekend trip out of it.

Joe and Kjirsten Howe recommended the Yardley Inn to us.  It's a quaint Bed and Breakfast located a few blocks from the Manti Temple.  It's run by a a darling woman who was as hospitable as they come.  She seemed to be snagged right out of a classic fairytale!  When we got there she took us for a tour of the house, she showed us to our room, and brought us some fresh water to drink.  Everything in this place is natural . . . she uses essential oils, purified water, and she cooks with vegetables and herbs from her own garden.

We took this picture after Mrs. Yardley made us a delicious breakfast (9-grain carrot waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon). We asked her if we could get a picture with her and she didn't hesitate at all and was quite pleased with our request.  After debating what spot would be most perfect, we decided the front entrance to the house was the winner.  When we got there, she asked if she could stand in the middle.  She's a hoot!  She loved Evie and kept calling her "Precious."  She is spot-on with that one!

After breakfast we finished getting ready for church and headed to the Howe's ward building.  It was PACKED!  The Howe's are such great people and the way that chapel was filled was living proof that they are loved by many (it seriously looked like Stake Conference in there).  Jan is on his way to Nicaragua, and Jens just got home from the West Indies Mission.  The Howe's provided a lunch after sacrament meeting and they decided to have it at the Elementary School down the road because they had so many people attend.  

Kjirsten, Joe, Emilee/Evie, & Beau

After lunch, we headed back to the Yardley for an afternoon nap.  Mrs. Yardley said she didn't care how long we stayed and we were welcome to stay all day.  We took her up on that and all three of us snoozed for a while before we made the drive back home.

We LOVED our little get-away.  It was nice to drive out to the quiet country and break away from our busy life at home.  As always, I love any amount of time I get with my sweetheart and it was so enjoyable to have him for 24-hours without anything else getting in the way.  I love my Beau and look forward to many more years ahead.