new canaanites

have i mentioned how awesome the east coast is? if not, let me say it now. the east coast is AWESOME. day and weekend trips can just happen in other states like it aint no thang. 

this particular weekend we went to new canaan, connecticut to stay at friend natalie's house. 

(which i was pumped about since i can now cross connecticut off my east coast bucket list!)

the drive was green and gorgeous and slightly claustrophobic since you can't ever see anything but trees. 

made it! nat's house in the flesh everyone

3 hours later we had arrived at our destination and then went with natalie's brother and mom to see a community theatre rendition of joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat. 

it was outside under this cute little tent 

and was actually done really well! it took a lot of self control to not sing every song the whole time so i compromised and only sang along about half of the time (when my desire became too overwhelming). 

can you see in our faces how much we loved joseph?! we are all so doe-eyed in this photo it kills me.

 (that was obviously taken before i looked down and noticed how awkward my scarf was being.)

when we got home a few more people had arrived so we all sat down and watched the olympics. i never understand the olympics and wonder why it is always on gymnastics or swimming. we got to see michael swim in his last race and receive his last gold medal which was cool but made me sleepy. i'll be better at caring/watching the olympics next time they are happening, promise! 

the next morning we woke up bright and early to head to candlewood lake where we would be spending the day. everyone wanted to get there early so they could ski on glassy water...i went so i could have good picture lighting. 

and let me tell you the light was the best. it was super humid and foggy so the light came through the trees in the perfect amount. i was dying the entire ride because it just felt too beautiful to be reeeeal. 

greeeeeeeeen

(and this part looked just like taiwan to me and it felt like taiwan too since it was so crazy humid) 

dreamy sun shadow trees in the back were my favorite in this portion of the ride

and really if we hadn't been moving so fast these pictures would be ten times better but you kind of get the idea. 

upon arriving we came to the knowledge that nat's family actually had a lake house there which was way convenient for storing one million life jackets, kayaks, tubes, wake boards, and skis. 

i'm not used to lakes on the east with all of the trees and fog so i just died over and over again at how beautiful it all was. the fog was really so cool. 

we had a real nice time (obviously) on our first run and i water ski'ed for the first time in my life! i've always been partial to wake boarding but i decided there would be no harm in trying to ski so nat's dad kindly taught me some lessons on form and then i gave it a try. i started on two and it didn't seem all that difficult so i was excited to try just one but spoiler : the water became too choppy so that never happened. wah waaah

the later group came and brought with them cutest baby stephen. every time i'm around a baby it makes me realize just how much i miss my own little nieces and nephews and that makes me sad. you all need to move out here so i can see them more!

we spent time hanging out on the dock 

and kayaking 

and then having a great idea for chelsea to pull me since she was going to be paddling anyway

and then we went out again for some tubing 

(i liked the picture of the people watching tubing rather than the picture i took of the tubers so just deal)

j man doing his thing (and me doing mine)

i don't think i ever even talked to this kid but i liked taking a picture of him laughing i guess.

love this nat friend of mine 

and this gem of a human being. these pictures don't do his stance/pirate flag justice

and look at gem #2.

 so glad he offered to wear my shirt so i could wear his long sleeved one because the sun was making my skin sad and my head hurt 

(maybe i was getting a heat stroke? who knows)

it was just a really fun and relaxing lake time that i think all of us native utahn's really appreciated. the quinn's fulfilled so many summer needs that had been long neglected! 

this picture isn't the best but it displays pretty well my favorite thing. i LOVE how certain homes are set back and have this short mossy grass with tall skinny trees in front of their house. i think it looks so nice (especially this time of day with those shadows!) and i just want to live somewhere like that so bad!

we came back from swimming to have a backyard bbq, play football (of course i didn't), and enjoy their beautifully landscaped park i mean backyard. the quinn's were just so nice to let us come in and eat all of their food and play with all of their things! they really were the best hosts.

(and yes! those sweet quinn's have a pond in their backyard)

afterwards was a much anticipated moment that i like to call going to the world's largest dairy store :

which i clearly had not prepared myself for. 

it was like a mix between ikea, trader joes, a farm, it's a small world ride, and chuck e. cheese. 

so many out of control animatronics singing about dairy and vegetables and fruits. cows that moo'ed at you. a petting zoo. it was everything you ever wanted the world's largest dairy store to be really. 

we (and by we i mean john) bought their well known chocolate milk and chocolate chip cookies and then on our way out grabbed some of their ice cream. i would like to tell stew that pistachio with coconut was such a great twist combo and i look forward to returning some day for more. 

i think the other 20 or so people who were lame/stayed home to watch the olympics/do whatever it is they did really missed out on the best part of the trip and i'm so glad i found three people willing to humour me and go because i honestly loved every second of it. 

even the few seconds after i got there when i lost it and was laughing so hard i started crying and when i tried to stop crying i just cried even harder (all while john was stroking my head and saying "i know. i know. it was just all too much too soon" hahaha)

and for journaling purposes i'm going to go ahead and say how much i thoroughly enjoyed that couple who went with us (curt and anne marie) and would like anne marie to always be around me so i can laugh at all the funny things she says because that girl has some great one liners that just catch you so off guard. 

also for journaling purposes i would like to say that new canaan was so dreamy and i'm excited to somehow get myself there on christmas eve so i can see everyone gather in the town square and have a sing-a-long and then go to every single community play they put on next summer and then secretly move into the quinn's pool house without them knowing because i loved it so much. and steal baby stephen. and eat pistachio coconut swirl ice cream every day. and go to candlewood lake. and the end.