Summer Starts with Saving a Turtle

Summer, the time for red-skinned shoulders, short-shorts, hot cement, and driving with the windows down. There's something strange about the summer to me, it's scents and outings, adventures and warm air. Honestly, it's never been my favorite season, there is something odd in the summer-magic that doesn't quite click with me like the crispy fall leaves or the sparkle of snow do. Yet, this summer has proven to be a little different and I'm feeling much more of that magic.

It began with Rich rescuing a turtle. Perhaps this should have been a sign of all the adventures to come. We were driving to Gerilyn's house when Rich asked "Was that a turtle?!" I hadn't been watching the road and shrugged it off, surely it was only a rock. But Rich was distressed and rapidly made a U-turn, he could not drive on in good-conscious without checking. Well, sure enough there was a turtle in the middle of the highway! Rich rushed across and grabbed the shaken turtle. We took him in the car and drove him across the road, in the direction he was headed. We found a grassy area by a pond and left him there. And this was the beginning of our summer adventures.

After that we headed off to Utah! We crammed our suitcases shut and he warned me that he's a terrible person to travel with (this was after I had already checked three times to see if I had the tickets and proceeded to see if I could fit my fifth pair of shoes into my suitcase). The trip was fine, the airport food expensive, and our layover delayed. Yet we made it to Utah, hungry but intact. 

Utah started off marvelously, day one consisted of Cafe Rio (how could it not?), friendly faces, and nostalgic trips around Ogden, showing Rich Weber and taking him up the canyon. We absolutely love exploring! Rich definitely channels his inner puppy, frolicking about among the river, trees, and horse poop. My favorite photo of the day was when I caught him climbing on the road block barrier. He is definitely a wanderer and adventurer and will keep my soul young. 

For our next feat we decided we needed to conquer some mountains! Rich has seen photos of Zion National Park and I had been there when I discovered that I would be attending Purdue, so it was not difficult to decide that we would be road-tripping down there. Rich rented a car and we were off! He was fascinated by the way the scenery changed from the glorious blue mountains to the red-rock of the south. I must say, I have desperately missed my mountains. The scenery in Utah is absolutely breath-taking. As he was entranced by the surroundings I knew that Rich would love our hikes. I immediately selected Angel's Landing for our first hike, knowing that Rich would experience pure bliss as we climbed that last part of the hike. Sure enough, he loved it! We had so much fun climbing up the ledges and taking in the view. I must say, however, that I was surprised by the way the altitude affected me! After being gone for nearly a year my body was screaming "Give me more oxygen!" in the mean time I'm like "Hey, Body, we lived here for years, what is your problem?!" Yet, despite my inner battle, we managed to enjoy this hike as well as the Emerald Pools. It was a short trip for us, but we don't regret a minute of it! 

Once we were back in the city we hopped over to the Great Salt Lake. Rich is a water-boy at heart, loving sailing and the sea. He was very intrigued by the idea of this salty lake and was set to go swimming in it (us Utahns thought "Okay, Rich, you can go swimming," and like a good fiance I put on my swimsuit along side him.). But when we arrived the water was so low! So we set out to walk to the water, leaving Mom and Dad behind as they protested against the stinky lake-sludge. We walked out to the edge of the water, barefoot in the odd-smelling salt-sand and got our toes wet. The water was great, I was fascinated by the way the salt stuck to my legs even after the water dried and Rich enjoyed the view. We laughed as the wind blew our hair around and we chased down some tourists to take our picture. The worst part about the trip? Bird carcasses encased in the salty mud. 

We had so many wonderful adventures, but as always it is the best to see family. Jordan and Buttercup still needed to approve Rich (good news, they like him, the wedding is still on!) and Jesse had yet to meet him as well. So we had a barbecue, went to the chalk-festival, the flea-market, and the aquarium. The aquarium was a special day, as it was Mom's birthday. All she wanted to do was visit the aquarium, and she was passionate about us needing to go. She is so adorable when she is excited about things, and I must say, I could have watched the penguins with her all day (love you, Mommy!).

Our trip was over before we knew it! We had such a lovely time! Saying goodbye to my family was hard, but I'm so grateful that we were able to spend the time together.  

Our summer adventures have continued as we have returned to Indiana. We both started jobs, initially working as strawberry pickers. I am now also working at a testing center and Rich has started his brand ambassador job. The strawberry picking has been really nice (and really hard!). We have really enjoyed getting to spend so much time outdoors. Also, Annie's Orchard has some amazing strawberries! If you haven't tasted a strawberry fresh off the vine you definitely should. Amazing!

After exploring Utah we realized that we don't really know that much about Indiana, so we are making it a summer goal to travel around to different parts of the state and explore. So far we have been to many different parks and over the weekend we went to Delphi and took a ride on their old canal boat. Again, we are loving the time we get to spend surrounded by nature! 

Finally, we have been working on wedding planning. We plan on most of the wedding decor being hand-made. Rich and I both love to create things and it feels special for us to get to work on these projects together. We are finding that we have a great creative dynamic together and so far everything is working out beautifully! It's wonderful to have over a year to plan, there's no pressure and we get to play as much as we want. Also, it's been interesting testing our banners around the apartment, it looks like a giant obstacle course! 

So here's to a continuation of summer bliss! May your adventures continue on as ours do!

Sending love!

-Kelsie