June came and went quickly. I started off the month on a sweet girls trip to Phoenix, AZ. I have been very blessed in my life with incredible friends along the way. There have been many people that have impacted and changed my life for the better...from grade school to high school. DTHS is where I was blessed to meet some of the most genuine and kind souls ever! After taking off to Utah for college, serving a mission in New York City, and getting married, I have continued to meet and create friendships that were unforgettable and special. I am so grateful for the people the Lord has put, and will continue to put, in my path. I am so blessed to have met and befriended so many incredible souls throughout the world.
When I received an invite for a girls trip from my friend Toni, I just knew I had to make it happen. I was thrilled to meet up with her, Anna, and Kylea for a three-day "Momma's Retreat" in fabulous Phoenix. It was a very memorable trip away. I booked us a sweet stay at the Waldorf Astoria. It was such a beautiful resort. Almost too beautiful, haha. There is a song that came to mind as we pulled up to the front of the hotel called "Beautiful People" by Ed Sheeran. As we walked in, we saw people dressed to the nines who clearly had some money. I couldn't help but laugh thinking about how the four of us just rolled up in our little blue rented Nissan dressed like Mommas who needed a break, haha. We may not have looked as though we belonged, but we were the ones that probably needed the trip the most, haha. Here's a look at what we saw and did.
Loved all of the cacti.
This was a really cool sitting area. I loved those chairs. How cool are those?! I want some ;)
They had these super cool lanterns hanging from the trees. I also enjoyed looking at this type of cacti. It looked fake yet so AZ, haha. It was awesome.
Pool Time!
Heading to the pool in our matching hats ;) A little rest and relaxation was calling our names.
Such a sweet view of Camelback Mountain.
I thought these cottages were so cool. You could rent your very own.
Such a cool way to use a bike to disguise a fire hydrant.
Love me some trees.
The resort had like four or five pools. For reals! This was the adults only pool. You could kick back, order drinks, snacks, food, and just let go for a few hours. They also had a family pool with a big water slide, a lap style kind of pool, and another one tucked away.
The Biltmore
One of our mornings while we were there we ate at the resort for breakfast. I had my very first eggs benedict. Pres usually orders this when we do breakfast out. He always talks so highly of "eggs benny" so I had to try it for myself. It was to die for! Absolutely delicious. I will definitely be ordering again.
The gang!
Right before heading out to get pedicures and do a little shopping we snapped a quick pic.
The crew enjoying pedicure time. Does anyone else hate being the first one in the "selfie" pic of a group?! Haha. Grateful I could get us all in though :)
Then off to a tasty lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. Some of the BEST pizza I have ever eaten in my life! I had heard really good reviews about this place and it did not disappoint.
Loved every single bite!
Found this door at the resort and I LOVED it, haha. So pretty. I may need a door like this some day :)
Suns going down.
How beautiful is this place?! This is what you pull up to. I mean, seriously!
The other side of the front of the resort. It's massive!
One night I went out for a swim in the "lap" pool. I captured this cool pic with my phone while I layed back and enjoyed the sky above.
After a sweet swim, I made sure to treat myself to a little facial time :) Nothing like a little lavender relaxation on the pores. Everyone else zonked out, haha. Lucky for me I was on CA time :)
Crumbl Cookie for the win!
We love these cookies, so this was a must do on our list. So happy we did.
The following day we went shopping and headed to dinner to my favorite place :)
Waiting on our reservation to be called in this beautiful place outside.
Toni, Kylea and Anna chillin' while we wait.
After dinner we hung out at the bar in the middle of the resort. We talked, sipped on some water and took in our surroundings one last time.
The girls all took off at like 7am for their flights home. I rolled myself out of bed right before we had to leave and took them to the airport. I came back to the resort for breakfast and a little workout session. My flight didn't leave until 5pm so I was blessed to hang out in Phoenix a little longer. I did my work out at the sweet gym the resort had, did a little shopping, got a manicure, and treated myself to a delicious lunch and dinner. I met some fun new people along the way and enjoyed reading my Magnolia magazine while waiting for my flight. It was such a fun weekend to get away but dang it was nice to see Pres and the kiddos when I got home.
Once I was home I took the kids on a little trip to the duck pond. We were surprised to find like 15 ducklings hanging out at the pond. It was so fun to see these guys. They have grown so fast!
I was so happy to be invited once again to Carrie's live fan club party on June 8th. We had so much fun listening to her sing some of the bands favorite songs. This time she did a little Q&A with the band so we could all get to know them a little more. It was fun to hear their touring stories, likes, dislikes, and a little about how they got to where they are.
Loved being able to listen in the comfort of my own home and still feel like I had VIP access.
Thanks for another sweet year Carrie!
Clarks take on Bentonville!
We were so excited to head to Bentonville for a week of family and fun. We had been counting down to this moment for a few weeks. We couldn't wait to see Grandma and Grandpa Clark, Aunts and Uncles, and of course all of the cousins. We had an absolute blast! Here's a look at our Clark vacay/reunion.
Goodbye Sacramento.
My seat buddy for the first leg of the flight.
The second plane we got on in Denver was so small. It was the smallest plane I have ever flown in. It was a two, one seater. I sat by myself across from the boys. They loved being seat buddies.
Pres and Quinn were in the two behind them and me all by my lonesome. Not a bad flight ;)
Staying entertained on the journey.
We made it!!
Taking turns on the jeep.
The view from the front porch of the house. I could sit here every day and it would never get old.
Play time.
Ella Bean just waiting for someone to drive her around :) How cute is she?!
Isaac practicing his mad skills with Brian and Pres.
Meanwhile, we all watched and chatted on the front porch. How cute are these three?! Love these girls!
The next day, Grandma and Grandpa rented a giant jump house. The kids were in heaven. Such a cool idea and SUPER fun!
Beckham boy going for the dunk!
Grandma and Grandpa even joined in on the fun!
We had this for the entire day and it was well utilized. The kids loved jumping for a while, taking a break and then they were back at it again. It was a beautiful way to get some energy out :)
Water fun!
While the guys were on kid duty, us girls took off for a little girl time. We went to Brian and Shelby's and had such a great time being spoiled by Sandy for a little while. We ate the best cookies EVER! A lemon lime sugar cookie that is to die for, drank delicious drinks, and spent some good quality time all together.
SO SO blessed to have these women in my life. I have been gifted with incredible in laws. Sadly we were missing Mikale. Her fam hadn't made it into town just yet. I think we may have to schedule a little girls weekend soon so we can all be together again though ;)
Ella and her puzzles.
I am not sure if Ella was always into puzzles, or if it was something we introduced, but this girl LOVES puzzles. We had brought these for the flight and for church so Quinn could do them. Quinn absolutely loves doing puzzles as well. I had no idea Ella would find such joy in doing them as well. I am so happy we brought them. We would often find her right here or up at the counter doing a puzzle. She would just keep doing them over and over again. It was fun to watch her.
Time at the park.
A little walk to the creek with Grandma and Aunt Staci.
More water works.
Golf day for the boys!
One morning, the guys all headed out for a little golfing adventure. I think it's safe to say they all had a good time.
A trip to the creek for some rafting and swim time. The kids had SO much fun floating down the river and looking for fish. We spent a couple hours here and it was a TON of fun! I'm so happy we did this.
This rock bank made life a little easier for us. The kids would raft down and then walk back up to do it all again.
Shelb waited at the bottom to grab who ever floated her way.
Go Quinnie go!
Hi cute girl!
Here come all of our little rafters :)
Taking a little break next to Grandma.
Go Ella Bean!
A little one on one time with Uncle Brian.
Quick snack time with Grandma.
Heading home after a fun day at the creek. All smiles in the back seat!
All smiles from Isaac Judd and myself as well. We had a blast!
Our family LOVES bowling so when we found out that we were going to have a bowling night, everyone was ecstatic. We were really hoping to get some bowling in this summer and it was even more fun with cousins!
I just love this girl! Every time it was her turn she would push the ball down and then turn around and dance. She wouldn't even look to see what pins she hit. It was darling to watch. She was thrilled just being a part of it.
Three cool dudes just hanging out.
Cousin bowlers!
The whole gang!
Pool Day!
On one of our last days in Bentonville we spent it at the pool. We only had a couple days left and wanted to make sure to get some good quality time in at the pool. We sure do love to swim and spend some time in the sunshine.
A family walk on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
The Williamson and Machanzi families joined everyone on Saturday. We were so excited to have the entire family together. A little walk, close to home, on this incredible path through the woods was just what we needed.
Personalities coming out loud.
Cousins in age order. How cute is this crew?!
Tari, Brianne, and Ella girl. Loves these guys!
There's a cool cafe and barn area along the trail. It's super cute.
How darling is little Miss Piper? Such a sweet girl.
Giant swings for the win.
Love these kiddos and the swing shots I got. Personalities are coming out of each one of them :)
Cutie Patootie Teagan girl.
Getting some wiggles out of Lincoln and sweet Teagan taking a sec to smile for the camera.
These two darling girls were thick as thieves.
Crazy girls ;)
For Father's Day the kids all sang "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home". It was the cutest!
Happy Father's Day to these incredible Dads! We loves these guys!
One hard part about living so far from family is that we can't attend all of the fun sporting events and dance recitals like we wish we could. Lucky for us, cute Claire put on a solo performance for us. She did such a great job. Love that sweet girl!
Jumping from different heights. Fearless!
Climb, jump, bounce. So much fun!
Swing, swing, swing!
Jack and Quinn loving life.
Go Kai Go! He climbed so high and then jumped effortlessly below. NO FEAR from this guy!
This one is called, "Where's Preston?" Haha
Everyone, including Piper, had fun in their very own way ;)
Go the distance!
Mikale and Sadie girl hanging out and watching the fun.
Family Photo Shoot!
While we were all together we jumped at the chance to update our family pictures. We had so much fun posing and smiling :) Here's our new family pic.
The gangs all here
Clark Clan's new family pic
Love these three cuties!
Me and my love
That night we did a little taste tester. We first had to guess what the Pringle chip flavors were. Then, everyone had the chance to be blind folded and guess what kind of chocolate we were eating. It was super fun. Thanks to Staci and Sadie for putting us to the test. Loads of fun!
Gracie and me waiting for our turn to test.
Judd and Mr. Lincoln.
Liv with those darling braids.
Judd and Preston being put to the test!
Grandma and Grandpa taking a shot at it.
This was our last night in Arkansas. We had such a great time with family. It was filled with fun, laughter, trying new things, doing some of our favorite things, and spending time with the people we all love and adore SO much! Can't wait until the next Clark Reunion!
Beckham and Quinnie on our flight home. They were so excited to be seat buddies. Poor Beckham boy got two tick bites while there. He had an allergic reaction to the bite causing a swollen eye. He luckily was back to normal in a few days. We had to treat it with some drops and some Benadryl cream on the bite marks.
Me and my seat buddy. Ready for take off.
After a few minutes up in the air, Jack turned to me and said, "Mom look!" He lost a tooth on our flight home, haha. This kid will have to start eating mashed potatoes and smoothies if he keeps loosing his teeth at this rate, haha.
Pres got the loner seat this time around :) Goodbye Arkansas until next time.
June was an insanely busy month but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We traveled, made loads of memories, and spent time with the ones we love. How grateful we are to have so many amazing souls around us. Now buckle up for July because a TON more of adventure is coming our way!
