SpRiNg BrEaK!

Whew! Spring break was just what my mind, body, and soul needed! AJ and I had first thought about driving to Oregon to surprise his family for spring break a few months ago. I am so glad we did. It was a quick trip but full of fun and relaxing. I was not a great blogger and didn't take many photos (not one with the whole fam, I so regret that!) but here's the rundown on our break! Hope you had beautiful Easters and enjoyed the beauty of time with loved ones. I hope and pray that "He is Risen" is not just a once a year hashtag in our lives, but a way of living with grace, courage and love. In the words of one of my favorite songs, "Because He is, I am."

Love road trips with my man 

Wednesday AJ came to my class for the last hour of the day and read to my kids (he had the day off). My kids adored him and loved asking him questions. I just love seeing him interact with my students. So cute! We hit the road about 5 minutes after the bell rang and made a pit stop at Starbucks so I could change into car clothes (yoga pants/t shirt/flip flops) and get an iced cinnamon almond milk macchiato because holy smokes it's good. Then we drove....and drove....and drove some more. We arrived at our hotel in Ontario, Oregon (right on the Oregon/Idaho border) at around 9:00 and went straight to bed.

The next morning we were ready for the final 4-5 hours of our journey to central Oregon. We had the drive to plan how we were going to surprise AJ's mom (his dad knew we'd be there. They are retired and footloose and fancy free and we didn't want them to go on a spur the moment trip and leave us there alone!). We decided to have AJ call his mom and chat casually and then I'd go up and ring the door bell. I heard her talking to AJ and say, "Just a minute, I need to get the door." She opened it and screamed!!! AJ came out from around the corner. It was so fun. She kept saying, "I can't believe you're here!!" We just relaxed that evening and we had BBQ ribs and all the fixings for dinner. AJ and I went for a pretty walk after we ate.

just a minute away...shhhhhh! 

gorgeous walk Thursday evening

Friday morning AJ and I went grocery shopping for the fam and then we headed into Bend for a day together. I wrote this on Insta, but I just love when AJ and I have date days in Bend. We went in all sorts of cute shops and walked all around. I have a love for cute coffee shops (Libby,  You added to this obsession) and we went to this cute one called Sparrow Bakery. Yummmmy! That afternoon we relaxed and read (I read 2 books on the trip, I'll do a book post soon!). We got some take out for dinner and it was so amazing to rest, relax, and hang out all together.

Saturday AJ's mom, Susan, and I went to get mani/pedis. After that we picked up the guys and we all went to see the movie "Going In Style." It was super cute!

We got ourselves packed up so we could hit the road super early on Sunday. We grilled burgers and just enjoyed time being together.

Sunday morning we hit the road and celebrated Easter with some of our fave church songs and this beautiful sunrise.

toes on the dash.....the best way to travel 

We drove drove drove and arrived home to Utah around 6:00. Whew! It was such a great short time in Oregon: low-key and great family time. We are excited to return for our annual Oregon summer trip in July!

Today (Monday), my mom and I went to see Beauty and the Beast (way cute!), to lunch, and she was my pal on all my normal weekend errands that I did today instead. We had a fun "Girls Day Out."

first show of the day and an empty theater? Why yes, we will sit in the luxury reclining seats! 

The break was a bit hard (especially on Easter) with missing our Hadley. I am glad to say we have made it through the whole year of major holidays post-loss. THAT is a good feeling. In the immediate after math, spring time felt impossible to get to, like we'd never make it that far. But here we are. Smiling and still standing. So thankful for this time off and enjoyable break. Now onto the final stretch of the school year!