Florida

Dan and I were able to join Donna's family in their yearly trip to Florida this year. It was nice to be able to take a break from homework (for the most part...I took advantage of driving time) and enjoy time with family. This year Donna found an amazing mansion in a little, quaint town called Watersound. We got a great deal because of so many cancellations with the oil spill. We got extremely lucky and only saw a few tar balls but no major effects from the oil. It ran so much while we were there but we were able to get 2 really good beach days in.

Beginning to make a sandcastle

my sandcastle kept on getting ruined so I kept on moving up farther and farther and the waves kept on following me:)

Dan and I eventually created a very successful sandcastle! We planned on coming back the next morning to see if it was still there but it rained way too much the next day.

Our masterpiece

Bam playing football with the boys

Paul Ocean Kayaking

The boys

Dan ocean kayaking

The waves were HUGE! He had a great time getting covered by them.

We went to Pensacola one day and saw this neat upside down building.

U can see the trees, bushes, and even upside down light pole if you look really close.

Across the street there was a Riply's Believe it or Not Museum

Shawn, Angel, me, and Dan

Dan and Paul

Donna playing tennis

Angel

Paul

The official cheerleader..I actually played a little with Angel. She was very patient with me and we had a great time!

Dan

3 of the 4 girls on the beach. My camera started not liking the humidity too well.

It rained so much that they had to drain a nearby lake (one right by our mansion) into the ocean. It was cool to watch the water flowing into the ocean.

You can see the water is a little brown here from the lake water.

Dan playing football

Last day in front of the gorgeous sand dunes

Shawn and Angel. We hope to go on vacation again someday with everyone. Shawn and Angel fit us perfectly. Shawn loves to play in the Ocean all day with Dan while us girls sit on the beach!

Pretty view!

Our golf cart that we got to drive around in all week. I loved driving that thing! I felt like Wilma Flinstone!:)

The remaining pictures below are of the placed we stayed. It was huge and such a pretty place! We had like 5 balconies, each our own master suites, etc...

Visiting Grandma Crandall

While Kristen was in town for Mike and Natalie's wedding we decided to drive down to St. George for the weekend to see Grandma Crandall. Dan had to work and Spencer is deployed so the four of us had a fun girls only weekend!

We drove down on Sunday after church. Kristen read Stephanie Meyer's new book: "The Short Second Life of Bre Tanner" to me on the way down. We arrived just in time for dinner with Grandma Crandall and Uncle Jo. We watched a movie with Grandma and then stayed up way too late letting Abby kick our butts in several games of Phase 10.

The next morning we got up and helped Grandma clean for a bit and played a few more games with her before we had to say goodbye.

Abby & Grandma Crandall

Abby's new best friend, Rex. She had fun taking care of him while we were there.

Kristen, Abby, and Grandma Crandall

Grandma Crandall and I

We stopped by to visit Grandpa Crandall's grave on the way out.

Abby and Kristen in Beaver during a pit stop on the way home.

Kristen then finished reading the rest of the book on the way home and we got back just in time for me to go to my night class on Monday night! It was a very short but fun trip filled with lots of great memories!

Mike & Nat's Wedding

Natalie's Bridal Shower

The best things come in 3's!

As many of you have probably heard before Dan and his mom share a birthday. His younger brother's birthday is the day before. This year we decided the best way to celebrate was to just do all three together at our house!

Birthday Girl (#1)

Birthday Boy (#2)

Birthday Boy (#3)

Cami and Andrew came to celebrate as well! Mike and Natalie too...not sure why I don't have a picture of them.

We gave Jordan a Jon Bytheway book on CD

I made Dolores an Apron and Oven Mitt

Dan got skittles from Andrew

Yard stuff from his parents

and a BBQ from me! I had an extremely busy school schedule this summer so this gift was the perfect thing! Not only did he want it but it gave him an easier way to help with cooking dinner each night while I was in class.

The 3 cakes...

Singing happy birthday!

We celebrated his birthday the following Sunday with my family. My parents made a great meal for him and spoiled him to death as well! If I only would have taken pictures for you to see...

Easter 5K Fun Run

Dan was able to run a 5K on base with his mom the Saturday before Easter.

Before the Race

Dan coming through the finish line. He got a good time...just don't remember what it was now.

He then went back and helped his mom finish. It was neat for them to be able to run together for the first time in a long time!

The cheerleaders! Jordan and I were thrilled to come and watch but it was freezing outside! So we chose to watch from the couch inside with our hoods on to warm up and ran out just in time to see them come through the finish line.

Entertaining ourselves while waiting!

Dan has loved being able to participate in races with his family since we moved back. He also did a half marathon on base in May with his brother Andrew. They both did great! I wasn't able to go because I had school that morning or else I would post a few pictures of that as well!

All the Crandall boys are actually planning on running a marathon together this fall. Dan is currently to the point in his training where his long run for the week consists of 18 miles! The other days during the week are significantly less, but still! He runs more miles in the week than I think I drive sometimes!:)

Spring Break

I am back to the blogging world! Well, at least this week while I have a break before Summer semester. Back during Spring Break Paul and Donna came to visit and it was so nice to have them! Paul recently returned from his deployment in Iraq so it was the first time any of us had seen him in over a year. We also miss seeing them all the time in Louisiana so it was nice to have them with us for a week!

We started off the week by officially celebrating Mike and Nat's engagement (they got engaged a few months before).

Dan was so excited for all the Cajun version shirts of the Saints winning the Superbowl that they brought. I was more excited for the cute girl pictured that followed me all week. I told Paul and Donna they could leave her with her Aunt Sierra when they left to head back home:)

One of the days we all headed up to Park City to eat yummy food and snow tube. Who would have thought snow tubing and spring break went together??? Seriously, Utah snow is something I have to get used to all over again. I thought it was crazy it snowed then but it's still snowing now after Spring semester has ended!


Great picture of Paul...

Heading up the lift. That's the best part of paying to go tubing is that you don't have to walk up the hill yourself! The lift does all the work for you!

We had a good time. Part of that is for sure fake excitement..the snow started to melt quite a bit so our tubes would get stuck halfway down the mountain. Dan and I had more fun throwing snow balls at each other while going up the lift than anything! Just that part alone was totally worth it.

Snow and sweat do go together when your name is Dan Crandall.

Dan and Paul.

They decided to race each other the last time down the mountain. Every time they got stuck they would hurry, jump up, face dive onto their tubes, and hope to push the tube a just a few more feet.

March Madness started during Spring Break, which was fun for the boys since they were all together as the competition began.

Dan did AWESOME on his brackets of who would win the first week. He guessed 15 of the 16 teams correct and was like in 81st place nationally. Sadly to say, that didn't last long. The following week he found himself in like the 2 millionth place.

The rest of the week we just enjoyed one another's company. Each set of kids got a day alone with Paul and Donna. On our day Paul helped Dan in the yard and Donna helped me with some decorating I have been waiting for time to do. It was so nice to just have a relaxing day together, doing what we used to always do in Louisiana! Donna and I had lots of fun cajun cooking too! She even brought back some things we have all been craving!

It was sad to say goodbye, but we can't wait to see them again in Florida at the end of June!