Buckle your seatbelts, ladies & gents...

Have you ever been SO far behind in blogging, that just the thought of sitting down to update things was overwhelming, let alone the act itself? Yeah. Me too.
BUT...just in case there are any folks out there that have even an ounce of faith left in the Ames family, I am forcing myself to sit down to do what feels impossible: update a sinfully outdated blog.
To make this more interesting for those of you who, like us, love to look at people's pictures, this will be more of a Pictionary style update with as little commentary as possible. So without further adieu, our lives for the past month.

Let's start with a little jaunt to Springville -- in the 7 years I lived in Provo, I had always wanted to eat at Cracker Barrel and never had the chance too. I can't tell you why I was so intrigued with the restaurant, but I was:), so we got up early and Brian took me out to breakfast on our last Saturday in Utah. It is seriously the cutest store/restaurant I have ever been to and as such, I've decided it will be a family tradition to go there for a meal each time we're in Utah:)

Does it get much cuter than this?

Next on the calendar would be my last day of school. Without going into too much detail, let's just say that this was one of the hardest days I have ever known. It involved many crying (and some, even clingy) first graders (break my heart), a blubbering pregnant woman (hysterics were involved in my private moments), as well as several crying parents and co-workers. Oh my -- if I'd of known how many tissues I'd go through that day, I would have bought stock in Kleenex MONTHS ago. Seriously.
Geneva Elementary & all that I loved and learned there will forever hold a place in my heart. What an incredible school I had the privilege to be a part of.

My empty classroom...

My Nameplate...

My team... (pardon my tear-stained face)
My School!

Coming up next, a life-altering move to Southern California. Brian, his parents, and a dear friend from our ward spent all of my last day of school and the day following cleaning and packing loose ends away at our apartment while I flew home for a wedding and baby shower. Seriously, what would we ever do without family and friends? Brian and his dad then drove the truck down to L.A. and got us all moved in (I know what you're thinking, "Emily -- how about helping out a little?!" But I did -- I told Brian exactly where I wanted all of the furniture:) I was 30 weeks pregnant at the time).

The Manly Movers (and a plug for Budget?)
Several mile markers from the drive:
An "Iceberg" onion ring from Brian's lunch -- at about 1 1/2 inches thick and 4 inches in diameter, it automatically made "picture-worthy" status.

Baker, CA - home to the "World's Largest Thermometer!"

And now we are here! It's taken some time to adjust (mainly for me -- Brian moved down here at the start of May for his job) but we are really loving it now. We have a fantastic ward who has taken us in as family, a very comfortable apartment in a great area, and lots to do: we're only 15 miles from a great beach, there are parks and hiking trails everywhere (not to mention a duck pond with hungry ducks - unlike the picky eaters on 700 N.!), and tons of community events to fill the summer evenings with. We feel very blessed.

We will always miss and love Utah and all of our dear, dear friends there; but don't worry, we'll be back to visit. And if any of you are ever in town, Hotel Ames will ALWAYS have a vacancy!