Summer at YaYa and PapPap's

Posted by Tracy

Now that I have access to my laptop and the other pictures which were scattered over a summer of craziness, I thought it would be nice to post a more detailed review of our stay at YaYa and PapPap's (Hanna's Parents). First of all, I would just remind everyone out there to always double check the date on your plane tickets. Hanna and I got quite the surprise after planning on leaving on a Saturday afternoon but realizing Thursday night that we actually left the next morning. I'm sure the story will be funny enough to tell after a few more months. It is still too near to me for humor...

Somehow we made it to Pittsburgh and made our way down to the Frazier homestead - what we would call home for the next 2 months. All I can say is that I will never forget the opportunity to stay with Hanna's parents over the summer. They were the very best of hosts and I couldn't have been happier to see Sophie playing with her grandparents all day long. Sophie still seems to be walking around the house looking for YaYa and PapPap - hoping they'll pop out to play with her. I will treasure those 2 months for years to come and although things didn't work out with the firm I worked for over the summer, I will never regret going there to have a summer of fun with family.

Rather than give a detailed written account, I think it might just be easier to tell our summer story through pictures (with a caption here or there). So here goes:

Hanna's parents put up a wonderful gate so Sophie could play on the porch.

They practically re-did the entire backyard to make a kid's paradise.

And what would a summer be without bubbles!?

YaYa even made a "My Pap is a Survivor" shirt for Sophie when we went to the Cancer Walk.

Sophie sure did enjoy feeding the ducks at YaYa and PapPap's.

While there are hundreds of more pictures and stories I wish I could tell, a blog isn't exactly the easiest way to share photos. Hopefully, I'll get around to updating and organizing our Flickr page eventually. Until then, I hope that from these pictures you'll get a sampling of what it would be like to spend the summer at YaYa and PapPap's. For indeed, it is a grand life and joy afterall.

Summer of Memories

Posted by Tracy

I'd love to be able to say that I am turning over a new leaf and that this blog will stay updated. However, I've built a reputation as crying wolf in that regard, and I'm not so sure there are enough leaves out there for me to keep this up. Perhaps I'm trying to turn over the whole forest, but nevertheless, I apologize for the long absence. In those fateful words: "We'll try to do better this time."

I just wanted to be able to update everyone on what we have been up to lately. As many of you already know, we were able to go back home to Pittsburgh over the summer while I worked in an internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Not only was the internship a wonderful experience, we were also able to stay with Hanna's family; which was a wonderful opportunity for Hanna and Sophie to spend time with "YaYa and PapPap". It was amazing to see all the things that Sophie learned over the summer.

(Sophie showing off at YaYa and PapPap's)

Although the internship did not end up with us receiving an offer to work in Pittsburgh full-time next year, it was a great experience. I'll post an update on that front soon - but it looks like we may end up further east than originally planned (in D.C., NYC, or maybe Conneticut?). Either way, it will be nice to be closer to family: Nana, GrandPierre (?), YaYa, PapPap, and the rest of the gang.

In more recent news, Hanna has been very busy lately taking care of Sophie and somehow managing to make a "Home" out of the ridiculous schedule I maintain. Hanna does an excellent job though and keeps things in order just long enough for Sophie or me to mess it all up again. She really is the glue that holds the whole operation together. Although she hasn't been able to work 'officially' for quite some time now, she has been rather good about taking a few clients and working out of the house. She ends up having a hair appointment pretty frequently that way, and it is always great to see her doing something she is so gifted at.

Beyond 'holding down the fort', Hanna has been infected with some kind of passion and vigor about this final year in Provo being "The Year". She is determined to make good on our many "we should go/do..." discussions and has been arranging my schedule accordingly. Armed with her gym membership, friends, maps, and lists; she is out to make our final year in Utah a truly spectacular one. I've caught myself wondering when I traded in my wife for a motivational speaker; but it is exciting to have her by my side - often leading the way to fun and adventure. It's hard to keep up with her these days, even though she did just turn 26! *hides*

Sophie has been very busy. As seen in the video above, she has learned so very much. Thanks to Hanna, she is learning all her colors, numbers, shapes, and words - surpassing all of our expectations. She came with quite an attitude attached to her when she showed up in our lives and it has been a blessing to watch this ball of passion pave her way in life.


As for me, it is back to work and school as usual. I have a very busy year ahead of me, but I am thrilled and excited with the opportunities that have come up. Even though things didn't work out with PwC in Pittsburgh, a number of even better opportunities (career-wise that is) have come flooding in our way. Hopefully we will know soon where it is exactly that we will be moving to. (I say that laughing while Hanna looks at me with 'that look')

I will still be working at Novell Inc. in the Internal Audit group for the next year, and will be trying to put in around 35 hours a week there. They have given me wome wonderful projects and it has been a great blessing in our lives that the job at Novell worked out. I've taken on a second job this year again (last year I worked as a Research Assistant for some accounting professors), and will be working with a Professor Wilks as a Teaching Assistant for his graduate Accounting Research class. It is truly an honor to work with such a respected scholar in the accounting world and I am excited to be working on the class. Of course there is always school mixed in there, and with another 18 credits this semester, it is hard to ignore. However, the classes I am taking are extremely interesting and I look forward to all the learning which my brain is about to experience.

All in all, Hanna and I (and Sophie) are looking forward to a wonderful year out here in the mountains. We have loved being here and will surely miss it when we're gone.



We hope all is well with you (whoever you are - I'm not sure if anyone reads this after all our 'crying wolf'). We hope to get better at the internet communication and socializing - joining ranks with the 21st century. God bless!