life is so good when you choose to be an active part of it.

i got up this morning determined -- determined to do something more than i did yesterday, specifically to start the day more active and involved in the outside world. so, i went to the grocery store. :) i loaded up adelle in the stroller and walked down the long street to hy-vee, where we browsed a little while, got some things we needed, and walked back home again. this is one of the nicer days we've had in a few weeks, so it was really great to be out in it. adelle fell asleep on the walk home and i was just trying to keep her legs shaded (i'm sure i looked silly walking to the side of the stroller, pulling it rather than pushing it from behind).

this has been a really busy week and i've really enjoyed it:

on thursday evening, i got off some time from work and went with my sister kelly to the mormon tabernacle choir in kansas city at the sprint center. we had a lot of fun and even got there a bit early. we were playing games on her iphone watching people running in at the last minute (this is one of the most embarrassing things for me about the LDS culture... always late! ... and i am guilty of this at times as well, but not for something like this -- there were lines of people walking in through the first song). i probably wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for my friend Greg who is in the choir and sent me 2 tickets, but i am glad i got the opportunity to be there. it reminded me of some goals/desires i once had that got pushed to the backburners while life happened... more on that later.

friday after we worked half a day, luke, adelle and i packed up the car and drove to st. louis to my brother Craig's house. we stayed there overnight and then went to the St. Louis Temple on Saturday early afternoon to go with my brother Eric and my sister Kelly, both of them going for the first time. my brother Eric is preparing to leave for the Mission Training Center to train to be a missionary in the Salt Lake City South mission. it was a really great experience to be in the temple with so many family members... i just wish that everyone could've gone. i am definitely grateful to Craig and Vanessa for being willing to stay and watch the kids. it was a really great trip and just reminded me of how Luke and I need to be making a better effort to go often. there are always reasons not to go... it's so easy to say you're too busy or that you can't get off work, but when it's really important to you, you make it the priority and honestly, when we told our boss how important it was for us to go, she found people to be on call for us herself and made sure we got to go. that was such a huge blessing and definitely not something that always happens.

i'm tempted to start rambling, so instead i'll just end with a super cute Adelle picture from today.