What a glorious summer!

 It's been an epic summer.

I know that word is severely overused right now

(I mean, literally, it's used all the time... haha)

but seriously, it's been impressively great,

which is the definition of epic.

I mean, come on, I moved to Utah.

But first,

I just visited  Utah.

And went to this beautiful wedding.

Seriously, so gorgeous.

Then, only like 3 days later, I went to this wedding.

It was exceptionally wonderful, and I cried like a baby!

Plus, it was in the Manti temple where my parents were married.

So it was seriously the coolest thing to go to a sealing there.

(I love this photo of this wonderful Robinson family!)

Then, to top off my little trip,

after that Robinson family wedding,

I got to hang out with my Forster grandparents

and Aunt, Uncle and cousins.

Having time to see so much family is why I love summer.

Then I went back to Texas for some final partyin'

before packing my car to move.

Partyin' in Texas = lots of good food,

but also, we visited some Texas treasures--

like the Grist Mill in Gruene Texas.

AND, during a backyard BBQ,

my dad found, and killed, a Coral snake,

and made it into a hat accessory...

I sure love my dad.

And Texas.

Then my brothers went to EFY

(Logan was a counselor);

good gracious this is the cutest.

And Emma started her career as a fashion designer

by making Dylan and his buddy Sam

matching ties.

These cuties of Grandparents celebrated their 

60th wedding anniversary!!

My parents traveled to Rome,

and wore color coordinated outfits.

Stop it right now.

And my absolutely most wonderful friend Melissa,

while being an impressive law student studying abroad in England,

sent me this picture.

It completes my life.

THEN, I moved to Utah!!!

And ironically, the first people I got to see

were the people I'd grown up with in Houston.

It was the BEST.

And like a month later, my mom and brother Max

came up to drop of my little

(or gigantically tall, actually)

brother, Jesse Austin, to start school at BYU.

Whew! Seriously,

it was a life changing summer.

Grateful for:

family,

friends,

summer BBQ's,

durable toyota corollas,

and the many, many  temples 

in Utah

Sara Jane.

My family's sweet little yorkie-poo Sara Jane passed away today.

She was pretty old and sick,

so we were grateful she lived as long as she did,

but so sad to see her go.

She put up with a lot from our big, obnoxious family.

She survived through little Emma's years of 

slightly smothering adoration,

 And being the "sheep" in our Christmas play

Every. Single. Christmas.

And Sophie dressing her up in a SNUGGIE...

...and whatever this bedazzled thing is.

I'll admit I was the last one to warm up to her

(thanks to a fear-turned-dislike of dogs, that stemmed from

an encounter with a dog that pushed me to the ground when I was little)

But she always came and laid on the floor
next to the piano when I'd play.
And then one Christmas morning,
she just came and sat on my lap like we'd always been besties...

So eventually I just couldn't help myself.

She was the sweetest (littlest) poochie,

and we loved her so!