bon voyage

Seriously y'all, have you been to Temple Square yet this season?  It is gorgeous.  

We walked around Temple Square yesterday after church with two of our favorite people, Austin and Janessa Hatch.  Matt and I know Austin from home, back when he looked like this:

I don't like to play favorites, but that's exactly what Hatch is.  He's my favorite.  Hatch was one of my very best friends through high school.  Some of my favorite memories and scariest moments include him, like mudding off of Avery Ranch, water ballooning cars on Hairy Man, being chased by the people we water ballooned, that time I let him drive my car down Avery Ranch and he ran into a deer (the deer tried to escape, Hatch did just the opposite), numerous trips to the roadside fireworks stands, the list goes on.  Hatch is also one of the best story tellers I know.  His favorite story to tell when we're with a group is the time I checked a girl into a wall when I was fifteen (don't ask).  One time he was telling the story to a group of friends late at night at my parents' house.  The build up was so good that everyone simultaneously slammed their hand down on our glass dining room table, causing it to shatter everywhere at two in the morning, waking my parents.

Hatch has known Matt for even longer than he's known me, and they are very good friends as well.  During our "off" periods, Hatch often played the middle man between Matt and me.  He would call me telling me how that day he'd asked Matt what his girlfriend was like, and when Matt started to talk Hatch would say, "I mean, compared to Taylor, how is she?"  See?  Such a good friend.

Austin lucked out by meeting Janessa, who I now love just as much as him!  The four of us have so much fun together.  These pictures are from Matt's surprise birthday party.  

Children.  I swear we had no idea.

Anyway, we were so sad to see them off yesterday, as Janessa flew to Haiti to be there the rest of the summer as a Project Director for Sustain Haiti and Austin flew out today for military training in Chile.  They are awesome and I'm so excited for them to pursue their dreams and goals this summer, but we will miss them terribly.

Have fun Hatch's!