Louisiana in October

Say "hello" to the first new and exciting thing (or rather, puppy) that I got to meet/experience on my trip to Louisiana last month. This is Shrimp, my brother Michael and his wife Natalie's adorable dachshund puppy. He and I became best buds while I was there. We snuggled everywhere, he gave me puppy kisses and was just SO MUCH FUN to play with. What a good little pup!

 I got to visit my grandparents in Lake Charles on my way up to Alexandria. We had lunch at Ryan's, the classic buffet to go to with them. My grandpa Eddie and grandma Mary were so sweet and kind and I was glad to be able to spend some special (albeit short-lived) time with them. It'd been too long since seeing them and as they are getting older, who knows how many more times I'll be able to see them. My grandma squealed with joy when she saw me and my baby belly. It was such a cute moment!

And the reason I took the trip in the first place...

My best friend's wedding! Heather Gross (now Anderson) has been my best friend since 8th grade. That girl got me through teenage years and was maid of honor at my wedding 4 1/2 years ago here in Utah. It only made sense that I go to her wedding. I just love her! She was absolutely gorgeous and it was a beautiful wedding and ceremony. How lucky I feel that I was able to stay with her for a couple days and have some special one-on-one time before she tied the knot.

Her husband, Jay, is such a fun and kind-hearted man. Being around him for those few days, I could tell he was a perfect fit for Heather (and I'm not just saying that). He did the cutest thing for their wedding video that was showed during their ceremony...all I'll say is "country boy voice and impression". It was hilarious and adorable. I'm so glad that Heather has found someone down to earth who knows how to laugh and have fun and does all that with her!

These following pictures are from my Sunday lunchtime visit to my dad's grave. They were taken before the heavens decided to open up and pour down torrential rain upon me! I had to run under shelter of a tree, wait that out for a few minutes, then book it to the car until the rainstorm died down. Yeah, I miss those types of rainstorms. Wish we'd get those in Utah, but, alas, it's the desert.

 This is the headstone for my father's parents, who died a VERY LONG time before I was born.

Cue the last few pictures from the trip, which consisted of car pictures. I was loving the clouds and actually enjoyed driving in the rain. There is something so nostalgic and soothing about it. 

 This was as I was on my way back to Denham Springs, to spend the last night with Michael and Natalie. Anybody who has driven this stretch of road from Lafayette to Baton Rouge, knows the forever long bridge you have to drive on. It seriously feels like it will never end and I just wanted to document that!

It was such a fun trip and I am so glad I was able to take it, as baby girl and I are very healthy and there were no problems with the flights (except for some serious motion sickness on my way into Atlanta that first day). But, all is well, and it was wonderful to spend so much sibling time with my brother. We don't get to do that often enough, so I loved every minute of it. Can't wait until we get to see him and Natalie again (hopefully sometime soon)!