The First Part of Summer 2013

Disclaimer: I have resolved never to start a blog post by apologizing or remarking on the fantastically long period of time that has passed since the previous post. I love blogging and posting pictures and writing about our adventures so that our friends and family can enjoy them (after all, that's why I take pictures in the first place - so I can share the fun memories with everyone and remember them down the road!) BUT... life is busy, and sometimes the pictures are slow to be posted... and I think that's okay. I don't want to be one of those moms that doesn't have time to jump on the trampoline with her kids because she's too busy posting pictures of them jumping on the trampoline.

Anyway.... On with the post. To be honest, this summer has been one of the hardest, if not the hardest. Ryan and I have both been SO busy with work and things. Between our regular jobs, lawns, sprinklers, invoicing, working around our apartment complex, housework, groceries, and our side ventures of Party Pak and selling furniture, often we don't stop working until 9:30 or 10:00 at night, just in time to talk for a few minutes and go to bed. It wears on you after a while. However, we still had time to do some great things, go on some trips, and enjoy the free time we find. More to come on the rest of the summer in a future post (once I get the pictures off Ryan's phone... :)  )

Working at the Physics department party

Hot air balloon festival at Art City Days

Putting up the shelf in the back room (and Ryan's elephants...)

Watching Art City Days fireworks

Going to Bear Lake with the Brockbank side and being very entertained watching the people lift couches through balconies

Ryan jumping into glacier water near Bear Lake

Ryan driving the go-carts at Trafalga

Re-siding my mom's shed

Hiking in Park City at the Sommerfeldt reunion

Making my first double-layer cake for my mom's birthday

And doing my first roses...

Bowling for my mom's birthday

 

I broke 100!

This one was awfully close at the end...

Blowing out matches instead of candles on the birthday cake :)

Grandma Brockbank's 80th birthday party. It was SO hot. I only took pictures of the cake. It was delicious.

Aaaaaand this is me in my very first maternity dress (which is completely unnecessary, obviously... but soooo comfortable). Sommerfeldt #3 will make a grand entrance into the world and our family at the end of January. We're extremely excited! :)

12 weeks (this was taken a few weeks ago)

Springtime at the Sommerfeldts

Dear faithful blog-followers - sorry for the long absence. Here are some of the causes/excuses...

Valentine's Day dinner!

Valentine's cookies

Competing in DanceSport with our Social Dance class that we took together

Ice carving date *note to self: don't EVER do this inside again...!

Ryan finishing the Provo Temple

My penguin carving

With my cousins at my Grandpa Parks' funeral in Boise, Idaho

With my dad outside their old house - now a cafe in Eagle, ID

Graduating from BYU with a BA in Spanish Translation

With my family! *Ryan's family attended, too, but I think the pictures are on Lisa's phone because I don't have them...

My graduation gift from Ryan! Roses and a new blender :)

Visiting the zoo!!!!!!!!!

My favorite exhibit :)

Going flying (and camping) with the Matthews (Ryan and Michael took turns flying - Katherine and I watched :)  )

He loved it :)

Overall we have had a great spring - along with these fun adventures, Ryan has been working two jobs, I've been working as a project manager at a translation company. I just switched to full time hours and Ryan works probably 40-50 hours a week between his jobs. On top of that, we have our church callings, weekly visits to members of the ward, family dinners and events, and our party equipment rental business to manage. We're busy until 9:30 or 10:00 most nights... it's been crazy and a little difficult at times. But it's worth it to get us through school :)

Ryan also just got accepted to the Accounting program at BYU, so he will start that in the fall. He hopes to do an internship next year and has an interview set up already with WalMart corporate for their combined Accounting/Finance internships they have in the summer. We may end up in Arkansas next summer, but we'll see.

2012-11-02

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3.14

To most of the world it's a day to eat a lot of pie, but for Ryan and I, it's the day we remember that four years ago we realized we couldn't live without each other - and we'll never have to.

Happy March 14!

Our Trip - Part 5 - Barcelona

After Palma, Scott and Lisa flew with us to Barcelona (about a 30 minute flight). We stayed in a hotel there for five days before flying back to Utah. We spent most of the time walking around the city looking for people, trying to visit everyone that Ryan remembered. We also saw Park Guell, the Sagrada Familia cathedral, the Christopher Columbus statue, and did some great bargain hunting in the souvenir stores. I finally got my I Love Barcelona T shirt (since my original one was cheap, iron-on letters that peeled off).

Us with Scott and Lisa and Julio and Lola

With Israel, Teresa, and Coral Ledo Morales (Ryan baptized one of their other daughters, Sabrina)

Up on top of MontJuic

Barcelona from the top of MontJuic

On MontJuic

With Rocio Popo (we ate lunch with her)

The Barcelona metro system

Sleeping...

Scott and Ryan riding the metro

Lisa assuming her usual position on the metro... just kidding :)

With Jorge and Gina Olmos and their daughter Sofia

One of Gaudi's creations - called La Pedrera

With Mila Sabogal (we visited her in the hallway because she was locked out)

Outside the church building for the ward where Ryan served

With Gladys Casco (we ate lunch here after church)

Ryan at Park Guell

Park Guell

Park Guell

Me and my in-laws... just kidding :)

Outside the Barcelona mission office

With Isabel Rivera and her sons Jean Pierre and Alex *I had to balance the camera on a coat rack to get this picture... it was crazy!

Ryan dancing in the kitchen... :)

In the Barcelona train station

With the Rojano family in Vilafranca (just outside of Barcelona)

With the Becerras in Vilafranca

With Susana and her son in Vilafranca - Ryan baptized her when he served here

Outside the church in Vilafranca

With Lusmila in Barcelona (we ate a third dinner with her... )

With Rosa and Carlos in Cornella - another suburb of Barcelona

With Ana Maria, Alberto, and Iveris in Barcelona