Hello, friends!  We’ve been to Utah, back home to Illinois, and then back to Utah again since my last check in.  It was a whirlwind week filled with lots of family time!  I’d like to share some tidbits from my life last week as well as an accompanying photo recap with selections from my Instagram and Snapchat (@prettyneatlivng) feeds with you.

My folks came to visit us out in Utah last weekend and departed on Tuesday.  We had such such a good time together!  It’s always a joy to share the beauty of Utah with our nearest and dearest.  One of my favorite things about being in Utah is the big sky effect of the mountains and valleys.  It’s amazing to watch the sunset (left) and sunrise (right) with such clear vistas all around.  To me it feels freeing to be in a place that reminds me just how small I am and just how big our beautiful planet and surrounding atmosphere is.  I find it very comforting especially in such a busy world.

Another thing I love about being in Utah is the beautiful countryside that surrounds the family home.  My in-laws lease out the majority of their land to a local farmer who grows alfalfa for feed.  Every summer I look forward to seeing the alfalfa grow tall and then watching the tractors come cut and bale the crop.  They usually get three crops out of our field each year, so we see at least one cutting during our annual summer stay.  This year I’ve been able to really enjoy the scents of the alfalfa with my heightened sense of smell thanks to my pregnancy.  I couldn’t believe how fragrant the alfalfa blooms were, which blossomed right before the cut.  And of course, the smell of the freshly cut grass is sweet and oh-so fresh.  There’s nothing quite like it!

Don spoiled us all week with his tasty meat creations.  He turned the leftovers from his amazing beef brisket last weekend into the most delicious chili ever.  On Friday, he welcomed Aunt Julie to Utah with a beautiful smoked rib roast.  We put out the family favorite snack spread, invited friends over, and made a real party out of it.  We always eat well with chef Don at the helm!

On Friday, Don and I decided to take the morning and spend some quality time just the two of us.  We hiked one of the many, beautiful trails at Deer Valley.  It couldn’t have been a prettier day!  Afterwards, we relaxed during a couple’s massage at the amazing Remède Spa at the St. Regis and followed it up with a tasty lunch at the hotel restaurant.  What a treat!

Our pup, Winnie, celebrated her sixth birthday on Friday.  I can’t believe how time flies!  It seems like just yesterday she was just a little puppy.  It was an extra special treat for her favorite Aunt Julie to fly in on her birthday.  The two of them cuddled all evening.  So cute!

Don and I flew home early Saturday morning for what was supposed to be a surprise weekend visit to see my Grandma who moved to San Diego earlier this year.  My Aunt and Uncle, who she now lives with, were going to bring her back to visit with the family.  Unfortunately, those plans didn’t pan out and she couldn’t come at the last minute because my Aunt got sick and they had to cancel their trip.  We were bummed to miss seeing Grandma and my Aunt and Uncle, but it ended up being a nice weekend despite this disappointment.  My brother’s family made the drive up anyway so we flew home, too, for a little family reunion.

It was great to see everyone and I was grateful we were able to celebrate my niece, Jaidyn’s 10th birthday with her while we were home.  We shared a lot of laughs and good food together, as we always do.  Family time is the best gift of all!

I vlogged during our weekend at home:

We’re on our way back to Utah as this post goes up, so you can expect more Utah scenery in next week’s check in.  I’m excited to have a couple more weeks in my favorite place ahead of me.  I hope you have a chance to spend some time in your favorite place this year.  I’d love to hear what that place is for you if you care to share!
Take care 🙂

* This is not a sponsored post.  All opinions are genuinely my own. *