Hello 2014 :)

Happy 2014! Hope you all had fun New Year celebrations :)

We rounded out our trip to Oregon with a few more days of fun and relaxation. Last Sunday, Steph and Brent had us over and we ended up playing my new favorite board game:

Awkward Family Photos! Yes, they made a board game out of the website. Haha :D My abs hurt from laughing so hard!

 After spending time with them, we headed back to Matt's family's house where we found them watching old family home videos. I guess the theme for the night was family memories!

Of course we joined in, and Daniel got this picture at the perfect moment: 6-year-old Matt being goofy. :)

And now, after watching family movies with them, I finally understand some of the family inside jokes I've been hearing. :)

The next day was Mike's birthday (Matt's dad). We celebrated by spending the day at Silver Falls State Park, which was a wonderful way to spend the last day of our trip!

I had been one time before, just after graduation when my parents and sisters were in town. This time was just as beautiful as I remembered with lush green all around and happy crowds visiting the falls. 

We hiked under the main waterfalls and up to the crest of the mountains. 

Every step seemed prettier than the last, and it was great to be out in nature.

In this picture, Barkley thought we were pulling him into the river and was resisting by putting his little paw on the tree. Haha. I think it makes the picture even cuter. :)

After a fun day we rode home under a gorgeous pink, purple, lavender, and gold sunset:

And we even stopped to take pictures of it and goof around a little bit

Mary's Peak in the background. I love seeing it becasue it reminds me of college :)

It was a perfect way to end our trip, and I'm so, so grateful to the Neuffers for making all these fun memories happen :) Thanks again, you guys!

The next morning it was time for Matt and me to head home. Before we left I took a short run with Barkley. Oregon trails are hard to beat and I already miss them!

Soon we were all packed up, and left early enough that we'd have time to stop and sight-see on our way back.

Our first stop was Portland!

We stopped in at a German restaurant and deli that Matt loves. 

It was charming and cute!

Then a quick stop for lunch at Chipotle...

And then it was time to go. :( We made a few more stops before arriving in Boise for the night, including...

A pretty lookout:

A roadside waterfall: 

With a little walking path around it: 

Perfect for people who have been in the car too many hours!

And finally, Multnomah Falls!

The falls are one of the top tourist attractions in the state and I'm surprised I hadn't been before. It was my first visit!

It was so pretty and we were both glad we stopped.

Barkley loved it all too and it's safe to say he's a big fan of Oregon.  :)

By the time we made it to Boise for the night it was close to 11:00pm, so we headed downtown to see what they were doing for New Years Eve. 

Turns out, they celebrate by dropping an enormous styrofoam potato off their tallest building, similar to the NYC ball drop. Ha! You can read about it HERE.  We didn't stick around to see the spud drop, but instead stopped in at Matt's grandparents' house to say hi to the aunts, uncles, and cousins were staying there for the holidays. The next day we drove into Provo, and it was good to be home!

The rest of the week I worked a LOT to make up for being away for the last week and a half, and taught 3 yoga classes. (I have six coming up next week because I'll be subbing for an injured instructor - it will be the most I've ever taught in a week! Utah people, you're welcome to join!)

Last night we went to a BYU basketball game. It was a fun date and the cougars won by a landslide!

 Matt did flag detail at the start of the game, meaning he put on his uniform and helped with the flag during the national anthem.

Let's wrap it up now with a few more pics from the last 2 weeks:

Lobby of a hotel in Morocco where my parents and sisters stayed over Christmas. 

Matt's dinner on our last night with his fam. It was really, such a huge steak.

Concert in the living room!

What I flipped through in the car on the way home.
Boredom can make you do crazy things!

We saw Ender's Game at the Dollar Theatre and loved it. Actually, we liked
 it so much we saw it twice. It's easier to do that when admission costs $1.50!

My most recent PR!

Enjoy your Sunday, friends! :)