TWELVE MILES LONG

I was not feeling too great this morning and Tyler was pretty exhausted himself, so we pretty much rested and relaxed until the early evening. Around 6 p.m. we made our way over to Lynchland for dinner and the giving of all the Australian goodies we brought back for them. When we got there, however, Suzanne had taken Jason to the ER because he was having lung problems. We helped make dinner and then they got back. After dinner Jason went running (twelve miles, I might add), which I'm sure wasn't the greatest thing since he just got back from the ER, but nobody can talk him out of it. While we waited for him to get back, we watched some LOST to kill the time. I was not feeling super great, but Nicole did let me give her a shot of insulin—I felt so legit. Finally, Jason got back and we told them about our two weeks in Australia. Tyler's dad wanted the long version, so we gave a day by day account of all of our doings. Everyone was on their different devices, following along with the pictures we had posted on Instagram; it was quite comical. Finally, we were able to share all of the goodies and treats we brought back for them: 100s and 1000s Oreos, Cadbury chocolates, Crunchies, Milo, and Tim Tams.

HE DOES EXIST

After a much needed Skyping session with Tiffany and Steve tonight, Stephanie called me to tell me she was engaged. Now, this wasn't really news to me because we have been talking back and forth about this guy and their dating situation for a long time. They actually met back in June and the way things were looking we knew she'd be married by the end of the year (just like us; you try not to be "one of those Provo couples," but it's inevitable). So, it happened, officially… tonight! I was so ecstatic for her; so much so that we decided to meet them halfway for some yummy dessert at the Denny's in Lehi (because yes, he lives in Provo). We had a jolly old time and we are so happy for them. After the drive home, I started getting sicker. We were plum out of cough medicine, so we made a run to Macey's. While there we ran into Tyler's mom and sister and chatted it up with them in the ice cream aisle. We got home very late and I felt so sick that I fell right to sleep.

BLUEBERRILY

We are trying to test out more recipes to make it into our Lynch-favorite list of good things to make and eat that we both like and we could see as a traditional favorite for our family down the road. That cookbook we scored has sparked our interest and we bought the necessary ingredients to try our hand at a few. Tonights experiment was homemade blueberry cheesecake popsicles; Tyler bought these popsicle molds just for the occasion. They're so clever because they have those little straws coming out of the base so that you can slurp up anything and everything that has dripped off of the popsicle—genius. I can't wait to taste them.

TOSTADA CUPS

While we were out buying birthday gifts for everyone, we got a mad deal on a cookbook at Deseret book that we absolutely could not pass up. Last Friday we tried one of the recipes in it and we are hooked, for we ate it the next night and tonight. They are called tostada cups and they are actually quite simple, but so delicious. It's lettuce, tomatoes, corn, black beans, chicken, cheese, avocados and a Mexican vinaigrette all tossed together and served in these little crispy tortilla cups. Tonight, we both feel like we are getting sick; at first we thought our throats were a little scratchy from all the cleaning supplies we were using on Monday, but tonight we feel like we're really coming down with something. Side note: we wanted to watch one episode of Psych before I went to bed and Tyler started his homework. The next episode we had queued up was about "Scary Sherry." Let's just say that after the episode there was no way I was going to go to sleep by myself in our room while Tyler was in another part of our house studying for a long period of time. Yes, I am a scaredy cat, and yes, I made Tyler bring his homework into our bedroom until I fell asleep.

OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL

Today was a pretty regular ho-hum day, but Tyler came home tonight wearing this shiny new tag. I'm so proud of him. He has been working crazy hours AND going to school, studying for tests and writing papers. I'm proud of this scrub-wearing CNA of mine—even though his tag has papyrus on it, I'll let it slide.

#DUNCANSELFIESRULE

Yesterday while Skyping with Tiffany and Steve, we were all making fun of people who take selfies on Sunday (we just don't get it). So we declared today #duncanselfiesrule day; all day long the Cramers, the Riches, the Hamrens, and we have been taking selfies of all that we've been doing on this fine Labor Day via social media. It's been pretty comical, and a great way to see what everyone is up to today. We deep cleaned our house: washing dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, unpacking, and cleaning the bathroom. Tyler had to go to work in the evening, but we were pretty successful nonetheless.

FAMILY FILLED

We went to church and left a little early to make it to my parents' house for a bit of an Aussie celebration before Tyler had to go into work at 6 p.m. We brought all of the Australian goodies that we got for my parents and for Aubrey and Jordan. We told them about all the chaos at the airport (on the way there, and the way back), all the animals we saw and learned about, and all the yummy and exotic food we ate. Later we Skyped with my siblings and their families. In the evening my parents gave us an invite for my grandpa's 90th birthday party at the end of the month. I can't believe he is 90!