The Zylstra's: Where Do I Even Begin?

Wow. It has been so long since I've sat down and wrote! I had an upload error during uploading all of my summer pictures, and lost 3/4 of them, and was devastated. I didn't stop crying because they automatically deleted, and weren't able to get backed up. Thankfully, I found a nice & smart man named William, and he repaired my card! Now my pictures are backed up on three different devices and I'm one happy camper.

We were able to have all of Tanner's summer break together as I was in between jobs, and it was the best time together. Four weeks non stop being together was really what we needed after that rough first year!

We started off the break in Arizona (I don't know why we always decide to go in the summer...) and it was great to hang with family. I really wanted to do some fun things with Tanner as a family that we haven't had time to do before. Usually we go for a quick weekend or for a wedding or special occasion, and don't have a ton of time to explore!

We started off the trip with dinner at Carolina's and a Diamondbacks game. Tanner was really worried about the baseball game in the afternoon. Little did he know Chase Field is awesome and Air Conditioned!

One of Tanners friends' was practice catcher for the Diamondbacks and the little boys thought Tanner was the coolest for knowing him.

If anyone knows my dad, you know he hates ANYTHING L.A., especially the Lakers and Dodgers, so sometimes I don't know how him and Tanner get along. :) I love to wear my hat in front of my dad because he goes on and on about L.A. fans, etc. It was fun to go to a game with those two teams though!

After the game a few of us went to Last Chance and scored (of course!), dined at our favorite restaurants, swam lots and lots, golfed, and visited with friends.

Growing up we had a cabin in Payson that my dad built. I was only 5 when it was built, so I really loved spending our weekends escaping the heat, and growing up there! We sadly sold it when I went to high school but it was a great time before the market crashed!

Flash forward a couple years, and the family that we sold it to now lives across from my parents currently- small world! I have always wanted to take the drive to Payson with Tanner, and when the Rogers (yes how funny that their family's last name is the same as my maiden!) heard word of this, they offered to let us go stay in cabin! Tanner and I drove the beautiful hour drive north, and I instantly had all of these memories on our drive! I couldn't stop talking!

We drove into the community, and our first stop was the club house. The music was playing, and the elk were roaming around not bothered by us. I showed him all of my favorite places in the community, and then we went "into town" for some dinner at the good ole Chilis! We then rented a redbox and had a good night in. It was actually kind of creepy feeling like the only ones in the woods in a big cabin.

The next morning we went for a hike at the Tonto Natural Bridge and it was SO beautiful! As we drove home we stopped at the market going on downtown Pine and it was such a cute town party!