Rahlf Stories: July 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Photo Shoot with Lena Michelle Photography:

Dane and I did a photo shoot at the beginning of the summer. We wanted to do a photo shoot of just us because-- well really just because! Plus I have always wanted do do a photo shoot at the Provo Castle and orchard because all the photos I have seen here have turned out beautiful.

We found a woman in our ward that was doing a summer promotion and we were glad we found her! She did an amazing job. Here is a link to her website. Book her for your own shoot and tell her we sent you!

I’m so glad we did this and the photos really captured our personalities. I definitely going to frame some of these ones. Here are our favorites:

Our Weekends Including the 4th of July:

As most of you know Dane, started a new job in Idaho Falls. He loves it and is learning a whole lot. It’s funny because we will be out shopping and he will tell me “Oh this color is going to be a big color next season” (he working as an Assistant Brand manager for a clothing company so it’s his job to know this stuff). He is becoming a better person to shop with, with this new knowledge! We are excited to move out to Idaho in January after I finish school.

When he first got this job I went out to Idaho with him every week and we would come back to Utah every weekend because we usually had some kind of plans. I don’t like change, so it’s hard for me to adjust to living in Idaho especially because I didn’t know anyone and Utah was still technically my home. I never thought I would miss Utah but I found myself longing for it during those slow weeks in Idaho.

Once his parents and brother came to Utah to prepare to leave for their mission I stayed in Utah to help them get everything taken care of. After they left things still have been crazy and I haven’t been back in Idaho since. Being away from Dane for 4 days every week simply sucks. I hate being away from him but at least I have people to hang out with and things I need to get done before I start my last semester of school.

Luckily Dane got the Friday after the 4^th off so he came back Wednesday night. We had an amazing 4-day weekend. We started the 4^th of by eating a new found favorite lunch at Malawi’s with their balsamic steak salad. It’s not an American restaurant but it sure seemed like an American meal!

After lunch Dane really wanted some shaved ice so we found a stand and we ordered The Captain America because we were trying to be patriotic. It was the best shaved ice I have had but it was GIGANTIC!

Our cousins Casey and Sarah had their second child at the end of May. She wasn’t due until the end of July so she has been in the NICU. The morning of the 4^th they got to bring her home! So we decided to celebrate both the 4^th and the bringing home of Scarlett with a BBQ and fireworks.

She's so tiny!

Emme (their older daughter) was funny because she wasn’t too sure if she liked fireworks but she eventually warmed up to them. Especially since she figured everyone was celebrating that her little sister came home.

Our fourth was amazing. We spent it with great people and had lots of delicious food!

The rest of our weekend and this past weekend were a lot of fun. We are really trying to document our summer and spend a lot of time outside so these are the pictures from my phone.

My hat is giant! But my face didn't burn

We decided to check out the Provo Rec center and we were glad we did! It was a lot of fun.

We hadn’t seen Meg and Adam in a long time so we wanted to double with them. We went to dinner and then watched Warm Bodies. They had some leftover watermelon that they wanted to get rid of so we each had a huge piece.

I LOVE farmers markets. We were recently in Seattle and I visited Pike’s place, which is the best farmer’s market, and I fell in love with them. We decided to check one out in Provo. It was good but they didn’t have fresh flowers and that made me really sad because those are my favorite things to buy at the market.

We decided to check out the SLC farmers market the next weekend and it was a lot better. We had a lot of yummy food samples and it made me want a dog because everyone was walking theirs. I also saw someone pushing a Bugaboo and we had a conversation about how amazing the stroller is.

We bought some pomegranate balsamic vinegar and used it for dinner on Sunday. It is so good! I would recommend it to everyone.

In front of Tony Caputo's. They had a stand at the farmers market and I loved their samples so we decided to go there for lunch. They had beautiful flowers outside.

We went to City Creek after and had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Our weekends have been so fun. It isn’t fun to be away from each other for 4 days but we are making it work!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Our Favorite Trips part 1: Maui Hawaii

Recently Dane and I were talking about our favorite trips that we have been on. One of my all time favorite trips was when we went to Maui, Hawaii. We went a few Christmas’ ago but since I didn’t have a blog then I thought I would blog about it now to kind of keep a journal about our experience.

This was our first time in Maui and I instantly fell in love. The Grand Wailea Hotel quickly became my favorite hotel of all time when they placed a fresh lei placed over my head. I love that tradition! The hotel was filled with tons of Christmas trees a gingerbread town and festive music. It’s surprising how lovely Christmas is with outdoor hallways to take in the beautiful scenery and breathe in the tropical air. I did not miss the snow or cold one bit!

The rooms were pristine and elegant but the best part was pool area and beach. This is the perfect resort for families because it has multiple small pools each connected by a waterslide, a rope swing, a water elevator and lots more. There were plenty of places to relax and palm trees everywhere! The breach was also amazing. I judge a beach by the texture of the sand how much of the beach is included with the resort. The sand was perfect. It flowed between my toes when I walked and it was perfect for building sand castles. There was so much space that we never felt crowded while playing in the water.

The Grand Wailea breakfast was simply wonderful. There were so many spreads that you could eat something new everyday if you wanted to or you could stick to your favorites everyday. And dining at the hotel was equally delicious. The scallops and lobster at the Humuhumunukunukuapuaa (we learned to say it but it took a while) are to die for. The Bistro Molokini had some dang good fish and chips and the service was as warm as the weather.

After taking this trip I have 5 things that are a must do in Maui Hawaii:

1 1. Stay at the Grand Wailea. If you can’t stay at the Grand Wailea you at least need to pay to spend a day at their pools.

2 2. I LOVED the spa. It was been the best spa experience to date. Before your massage you get to enter this room that has a hot tub, different salt baths, pressured showers and other relaxing things to do while you wait for your massage. A few minutes before your massage you go into another room where they wash you off and scrub you down. Then you go to your massage. The massage is relaxing and the view is amazing.

3 3. Two places that are a must eat at are Mama’s Fish House and Spago. All food in Hawaii is amazing but these two restaurants in Maui stand out above the rest. Check out a post I did about Mama’s Fish House.

4 4. Another thing I would recommend doing in Maui is scuba diving. The diving here is amazing and if you aren’t certified this is the perfect place to do it. If you think Hawaii is gorgeous above the water, wait until you see the beauty under the sea.

5 5. The road to Hana is also a must do when visiting. It is an amazing view and the drive is beautiful. But if you do get carsick viewing it from lower down is just as pretty as from the top. The road is very curvy.

There are many more amazing things to do in Maui but these are just some of my favorites!