California Trip!

Well after visiting Colorado for a week, and then Lane's parents in Missouri for 2 weeks, the last vacation was California! I got to go for 2 weeks- the payoff for working for schools is having the summer's off. I got to see my bro/sisters games, go to the beach, In-N-Out & Golden Spoon several times, Dodger games, Rodeo Drive, Universal Studios/City Walk, several movies, the La Brea Tar Pits, visit with friends, and so on, but mostly just hang out with my family!

Pioneer Day- our Stake's annual carnival

Universal Studios and City Walk!

Dodgers vs Mets baseball game
Our favorite thing to do at night, sitting around the firepit
I guess these girls wanted in the picture too!

Baltimore with my Sisters

Since i'm in California visiting family, I found some pictures of Baltimore from a month or so back I forgot about.

This should tie it over untill I get picture of my California trip up!

They were so excited to touch "the Atlantic Ocean"

I'm gonna be a mom!

After much anticipation (and patience), we're finally going to be PARENTS!!! We have a due date of December 29th, and as of today I am 13 weeks along, so I guess that means I'm in my second trimester!!! We couldn't be happier, and not only that, but, my older sister Jensa just informed us that she is also pregnant and due 2 weeks before me! My mom sure is going to be busy this winter!!

"Sweetest Place on Earth!"

Hershey Park that is! Lane's work had their company summer party at Hershey park on Saturday, so we got free tickets and a catered lunch with all the co-workers and all that other good stuff. I can't believe it costs as much as Disneyland, and I didn't think it was nearly as cool, but for people out here, this is the place to go for summer vacation! Thanks Schreiber for the fun day!

We just can't get enough

of those Baltimore Orioles baseball games!

Weekend at the (East Coast) Beach!

Lane and I decided to take off Thursday morning and head to the beach. It's about a 5 hour drive from our house and it was well worth it. We stayed in Ocean City, MD a cute town with a huge boardwalk. We went with some friends of ours and had such a great time just relaxing! I'll put the other pictures that they took up when I get them.

The Boardwalk!

Enjoying the beach!

Happy Mother's Day

Here are a few more pictures of when my mom was out here visiting a few weeks back. Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you! And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the Mother's Day gift I got you this year! I even had it overnighted to make sure you got it in time!

Spring is finally here!!

Oh how I love spring! I wondered if it would ever come out here in PA-I'm sure our dog was thinking the same thing! Now that it's nice though we have really been enjoying the outdoors. Trips to the lake, hikes, BBQ's, Lane's favorite activity of sitting in the camping chair and making Cole chase his ball, and I'm especially excited about my tulips that are coming in. I know I should wait till they all open up to take a photo, but it's been weeks now of just waiting for them to open up and I can't take it anymore! On either side of the tulips are a ton of daffodils so it will look really nice once it's all in bloom.

Lane's Softball Adventures

Lane is on a softball team that plays on Tuesday nights. This team is far more serious than his last team in Logan where they just showed up and played. They have practices, you have to be there an hour before the game and there are like 30 something people on the roster. Oh and they have 2 coaches who are a total riot. They are these older guys who try and be all tough, but I don't think anyone really listens to them. This is a shot of Lane up to bat (his team is in Blue) and the other one is Lane's battle wound- 1 week later, from sliding into 2nd base with shorts on. You should have seen what it looked liked last week!!! Ouch!

More Visitors!

About 2 days after my parents and sisters left, my Grandma and Grandpa Raiser drove all the way out from Utah to visit us. They stopped to see my Great-Grandma in Chicago who is 99 now!!! They felt it was just "on the way" so they kept on driving! My Grandma did a lot of Family History work while they were out here, and I even went with them for a day looking for a County Courthouse, certain documents and a few cemeteries. We even found a monument of one of my Grandpa's Great-Great-Grandfathers, who was an early settler out here in PA!! Who knew I was so close to home out here!

What A Week!!!!

Wow, talk about a marathon sightseeing trip! My parents and two sisters came out to visit and we went to see all the local spots. We started with Hersey, PA then did Washington D.C., Philly, Gettysburg and Shanksville on Easter Sunday, New York City we did Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday we did Baltimore! Did I mention that this was all 1 week? We had such a good time and I loved being tour guide! I can't wait for more people to come visit- in fact my Grandma and Grandpa Raiser will be here next week. Someone must have spread the word that we have a nice big guest bed or something... It sure would be nice if anyone else wanted to come out. Lane's really been wanting to take someone out ocean fishing and I don't think it's going to be me. See below for a sample of the pictures we took!!!

New York City

We spent 2 days in NYC and saw: The Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Times Square, Rockerfeller Plaza, NBC studios, Letterman Show, Central Park, The Manhattan Temple, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, NYSE, Wall Street, Ground Zero, Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo and i'll just stop there!!!!

Philly

In Philly we saw, Independence Hall (took a tour), the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, Ben Franklin's final resting place, had a Geno's Philly Cheese Steak, and got pastries from Isgro's. We also stopped by Valley Forge on the way there!!

Washington D.C.

The Cherry Blossoms!

Lincoln Memorial

We also saw: The White House, WWII Memorial, The Constitution/Declaration of Independence, Washington Monument, and Arlington. *no time for any Smithsonian museums!

Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C.

The Cherry Blossom Festival started in DC on Saturday and the cherry blossoms came just in time! They are in full bloom, though for now they are mostly white blossoms and I think they are supposed to turn a pinkish/red color. The festival lasts two weeks, so there should be plenty of time for the blossoms to do their thing. If any of you consider a trip to Washington, D.C. in the future, I would highly recommend that it be around this time of year!