By request, the other eight pictures.

I went on vacation, and you get...nothing.

It's official. I am completely unreliable when it comes to documenting anything memorable in our lives. When Allan and I went to Europe five years ago we only took about twenty pictures. And we aren't in any of them. Just some old buildings that no one would recognize. We just got back from a fabulous vacation in Utah where we saw both families, and I took NINE pictures--with no one but me, Jack, and Allan in them. Pitiful.

I am even worse at getting pictures developed. I have a lovely picture frame in our guest bathroom that has three empty slots. It has been hanging for a year now. My dad even gifted me Photoshop a few months ago--I'm sure my parents would appreciate seeing some evidence that I have used it more than a few times.

I hope to do better. I just feel like I have nothing to show or say these days. Life is pretty uneventful...

Actually, I know what's wrong. We got DirectTV and a DVR. That is really when blogging went out the window.

Provo was lovely. We saw most of the people we love best in this world. We were able to stop by some of the restaurants we still dream about. I stocked up on modest undertees (isn't that what every young mom does when they stop in Utah?). I ran a 5K without having run a single mile in the last four months. And Allan scoured the entire Wasatch Front for some size 13 hiking boots and a HUGE backpack.

We also saw Grandpa Welling for--unbeknownst to us--the last time. We paid him and Grandma a visit a few hours before he came down with pneumonia and went to the hospital. Our conversation was meaningful in the moment, and even more precious in retrospect. He was truly an amazing man by anyone's standards. And he knew that the Lord's standard is what matters most. You can read more about him here.

Allan and his brother, Brett, flew out for the funeral from Oakland, while Sarah and I stayed behind with the kids. I have a sliver of sunburn on my back to remind me of our visit to the waterpark (and the necessity of making sure to spray your ENTIRE back), and a pile of books Sarah graciously let me borrow. As expected after such a fun-filled weekend, Jack is yet again aware of how lame it is to be an only child.

But at least he has his magnifying glass to keep him busy: