COINCIDENCE?

I think not!

I got home yesterday and I walked straight to our back door to let our pups inside and I found Telly eating a huge stack of papers comfortably laying down on the grass. (what the). I thought "where on earth did he find these" and "what are they"? I picked up all the chewed papers scattered across our lawn, pried the rest of the papers out of Tweeters' mouth, and took them inside to inspect the damage. I found the title page soaking in saliva and read "Brokerage Agreement Contract". (eye roll plus sigh). I called Sweets a little panicked and asked him what these papers were and if they were important. His response was a little different than I had expected. He started laughing on the phone really loud and was cheering! (startled and confused). I asked if this was a joke and he told me those papers were his new contract for work that he needed to sign. Mind you, this contract change over the past month has been extremely frustrating and ridiculous. I joined in the laughter and we both congratulated Telly on eating the contract. I guess Sweets cannot agree to the new terms! Dang it! (joke)

FALL BACK INTO FALL!

This is just a little somethin' somethin' to keep you occupied while I finish downloading, uploading, tweaking, writing, and posting the rest of the "catch up" stuff! Until then...

THE INFAMOUS "TOUR de FRANCE"

The Tour de France started July 2nd and ended July 24th. It is a crazy-awesome bike race consisting of 22 teams and 198 riders pedaling about 2,143 miles with only 2 rest days!

HOLY CRAPOLA! 

They bike in rain and shine! 

I mean, it is seriously INSANE! 

For the past few weeks this tour has been on our TV constantly. Every morning before work we would turn it on and every night before bed we would turn it on. There wasn't much else that we watched or did besides the "Tour". It is always exciting to see the cyclists and their teams bike hundreds of miles in a day, day after day, to win the race around France. There were some pretty nasty falls this year that took out some cyclists, and then there were some pretty awesome stage wins! 

I am totally unsure about this year's outcome of Tour de France! 

Although I don't really mind Cadel Evans, winner in yellow, I much would have preferred Andy or Frank Schlek, the brothers who took second and third. However, anyone that beats Contador, a not so friendly cyclist or person, is a winner in my book! Overall it was another great race and I can't wait for it to start again next year!

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

Quite literally! 

Where does time go?

Time is not infinite!

Case in point of me not blogging for the past while. There is just no time. It seemingly has flown out the window and got lost. 

Not really, but I don't seem to have enough of it. 

Every night Sweets checks the clock and sighs. He complains that there is never enough time in the day to get things done. I couldn't agree more with him.

Until I find 'time' and lasso it under control to download all the gazillions of photos I have and share with you some of my 4th of July extravaganzas, here are some fun facts about where time does in fact go.

If you take 2 minutes in the morning and 2 minutes in the evening to brush your teeth, in a week that is 28 minutes. In a year it adds up to over 24 hours. That is an entire DAY devoted to brushing your teeth! 1 out of 365 days is lost to brushing your teeth! 

Imagine brushing your teeth nonstop for over 24 hours...could you do it?

Here are some other examples about where time goes...

30 minute TV show once per week = 26 hours (1+ days)

60 minute TV show once per week = 52 hours (2+ days)

10 minute shower everyday = 60 hours (2 1/2 + days)

Ask yourself: "Could I sit down and watch 26 hours straight of TV?" My answer is yes, if there were reruns of Keeping up with The Kardashians and The Real Housewives of ... (any of them will do. I love them all)! Just joking! My honest answer is NO! I couldn't do it!

It is just crazy how fast time flies and how we decide to use the time we have! 

 I am convinced that if we just prioritize better, stop procrastinating, and cut back on wasting time, then we will have more minutes in a day that add up to more days in a year to get the things done! 

For instance, if I read less this week, cleaned less this week, worked less this week, attended to my pups less this week, cooked less this week, exercised less this week, drove less this week, beautified myself less this week, and slept less this week, I could have blogged about the holiday to all of you!

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

maybelline

I have the so pearly pink and I absolutely love it! Funny thing is, it really does last all day! 

nordstrom bp

Who doesn't need, or could not benefit from these? They are adorable, fashionable, and subtle enough for summer!

jonathan adler

Oh goodness...need I say more? So freakin' cute and it would be the perfect touch for any outfit or occasion!

5 boxes for $1 at fresh market

The absolute most refreshing snack on a hot day. Just pop them in the freezer and enjoy!

whole foods

Weston's cousin introduced this to me a month ago and I have not been able to stop drinking it since. I found my new weakness! It has just the right kick and it is the perfect change up to the regular juices.

treehouse

I believe pilates is the transformation that any body needs and I am so excited to be doing this every week! What a great way to relax and get toned for the summer!

jcrew

What would summer be like without a wide-brimmed straw hat? Not only is it fashion forward for the beach, pool, boat etc, but it blocks the sun too; in all the right places!  

LEARNING TO TRUST

"This life is an experience in profound trust--trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings for happiness now and for a purposeful, supremely happy eternal existence. To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Prov. 3:5-7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.

"To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you.

That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love." 

- Richard G. Scott

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS!

Do you ever feel like this?

I have felt this way a lot lately. It is almost as if I am in the movie Groundhog's Day and every day is 

M-O-N-D-A-Y!

I am one of those who suffer with S.A.D.S. and with the weather and all being out of whack this spring, it sure has taken its toll on me. It has sucked me up in a whirlwind frenzy of emotions, drenched me with mounds of water from constant floods of tears, tossed and mangled my body with fear, nervousness, anxiety and then spit me back out again to this ever so unpredictable and unreliable world.

I hope for brighter days ahead and more positive situations.

My day yesterday went a little something like this:

woke up twice in the middle of the night for puppy pee time with Telly,

hit the snooze button several times in the morning to try and catch the last few minutes possible of sleep that I didn't get during the night,

got Tahoe, Telly and our doggy-sat dog Callie outside and fed them breakfast,

got myself dressed and ready for work at half awake capacity, 

drank breakfast on the go,  

drove frantically on the freeway to work to ensure I wasn't late, again, while listening to "Radio from Hell" on x96,

fanned myself off with a work file-folder because my 'hot flashes' last more than just a flash,

remembered that I forgot to put out our frozen steaks to thaw for dinner,

yawned a few times and google searched "why my left eye won't stop twitching",

did computer stuff that somehow reflects my job description but I had no clue what it was that I was doing while using the function of only one eye,

fanned myself again and used an entire box of tissues to wipe away all the sweat dripping down my face,

got home and checked in on all my pups giving them lots of hugs and kisses, 

became overwhelmed for the fifty-hundredth time and cried uncontrollably again, 

forced myself and Tahoe on a jog down Wasatch trying to count the many blessings in my life that I have been given,

headed to the grocery store to buy new steaks,

started the never-ending loads of laundry that seem to be stalking me around the house in heaping piles,

yawned some more and wished for a D.P. to rid my migraines, 

started building the A.R.K. for primary that is a gazillion feet long out of teacher butcher paper using only 30% of my potential function due to lack of sleep, 

texted Sweets to find out what time, or how long, he would be home for,

grilled up the seasoned steaks and paired them with a steamed spinach, grape and almond salad, 

cleaned up after dinner and loaded the 2nd dishwasher because I never unloaded the 1st dishwasher from the day before,

fed my pups dinner and snuggled with them until they could no longer stand me,

attempted to sit for a nano-second without having to feel guilty and catch my breath while the laundry room kept beeping at me to change loads, 

changed the loads of laundry and folded all the clothes, 

yawned again, 

stuck my head in the freezer and realized I was still sweating so went for the whole body in the freezer thing, 

shed one or two more tears before Sweets invited me to Home Depot with him to buy a drill,  

cleaned up the last bit of dishes and wiped down the kitchen while putting the laundry back into its respective place, 

binged ate a handful of BBQ chips, 

showered and got ready for bed,

let out a big and much deserved sigh,

watched True Grit with my Sweets, Tahoe, Telly and Callie, 

fell asleep feeling completely worn out!

I am usually not one for such a Debbie Downer post, but I got to be honest with all of you! This is what goes on inside of me every day and each day it continues I feel worse and worse. Sorry Sweets for not confiding in you earlier, but thank you for being my constant rock! 

I love you!

THINGS THAT MUST GO

Does anyone listen to X96 in the mornings on their way to work???

I DO! and I love it! 

On wednesdays' they have a game called "Things that must go". I seriously love listening to this segment because it is all about the pet-peeves that people have and how the feel about them. Hence the title, 'things that must go'. 

I have peeves too!   

Lots in fact.  

And they are quite legit!

But to save on time, and hate comments from you non-existent readers, I will only tell you a few:

1-Horrible Utah Drivers. 

(preferably this week with the weather. We get a few drops of sprinkled water on the ground and all the crappy drivers that have been hibernating emerge from their homes and start driving 50! or even 60! mph on the freeway, slamming on their brakes for no good or warranted reason with no other car close to them in crash distance and yet they all seem to think that the far left lane has their name personally written on it just for them to drive in! HELLO PEOPLE! 

the speed limit is like 90! (not really, but it should be) and its a couple drops of rain. Either start driving, move to another State, get off all the major roads, or drive cautiously in the right lane where you are supposed to be! I seriously don't like my commute to take longer than it has too with accidents up the the wazoo all because "you" can't seem to drive in the 'Utah' weather that we get EVERY YEAR at roughly the SAME TIME! Horrible Utah Drivers Must go!)

2-  Pushy Grocery Store Customers

(This is my warning to all of you! If you see me in line and crowd my personal space in the checkout line, breathing down my neck in hopes of getting the checker to move faster or touch my groceries or my grocery divider, most likely (but without fail because I have practically done this) I will juno-chop you in the jugular, drop kick you and go all crazy tomahawk on you! SO BACK OFF! I have proximity issues. Seriously, I do! I get all anxiety ridden when people stand close to me and if I can feel you in my zone, I get scared and go on the defensive. I just don't like it when people touch my space or my things. I do give the benefit though, and I will slightly 'adjust' and shift my weight forward to create more space, but if you move with me every time I move, you are not going to like what is about to come your way. Oh, and do not walk around me while I am at the counter putting away my wallet as fast as I can, even if the checker has started checking out your items, because more hell and fury will be upon you than previously described. Pushy Grocery Store Customers Must Go!)

3- Dog Farts

(they just stink in every way possible and there is no conceptualized way of thinking they are anything but BUTT! Seriously though, why must they singe your nose hairs off? I am positive I don't feed my dog acid! Yet they waft in the shroom cloud, sniffing it up, looking around the room to see what that Chernobyl Explosion was that just went off behind them as if humans could actually produce that stench! Sorry pup, it ain't human! IT'S YOU! Dog Farts Must Go!)

4-Phil

(I know, I know, but you really need to hear me out on this one. Phil from 'Modern Family' must go! He is a creeper! A bad man who looks and sounds like he hurts little children! Every time I see him or hear his voice, I honestly get the chills up and down my spine! Sure he is weird (and yes I can't think of anything else that he is that some-what resembles a positive attribute) and all, but so too are the candy/ice cream men who snatch up kids from the playground or walking home from school. Phil Must Go!) 

C'MON D.J.

Lately I have been into music. It comes and goes in spurts. I guess it's because I listen to the same songs over and over and over again until I am sick of them and then go on an all out search for new songs to beat into the ground. Anyway, here is the latest music craze that I am addicted too but keep in mind that some of them are not newly released and they are in no particular order or genre:

Brett Dennen (new album  Loverboy) Sydney, I'll come running

Pit bull (ft. T-pain) Hey Baby

Mindy Gledhill ( album Anchor) Crazy Love

Three Graces (Three Graces) Requiem

Blake (Blake) Hallelujah 

Paper Tongues (Paper Tongues) Get Higher 

Jerrod Niemann (Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury) What do you want

Josh Kelley (Georgia Clay) Georgia Clay

Easton Corbin (Easton Corbin) I can't love you back
Thompson Square (Thompson Square) Are you gonna Kiss me or what
Mason Jennings (Bonus Track Version) Something about your love
MGMT (Oracular Spectacular) Kids
One Republic (Waking Up) Good Life
The Airborne Toxic Event (Bonus) Sometime around Midnight
Bart Crow Band (Finally) Wear my Ring
Glass Pear (Sweet America) Say it Once
Glee - anything from here

If you haven't heard of some of these take a listen and see what you think. I don't hate any type of music but I definitely have my preferences so I through in a bunch of random but awesome tunes. If any of you have favorite songs please pass them along. I'd love to hear what all of you are into these days...

MY DARE TO CHALLENGE MYSELF

When I started officially making goals a number of years ago, my weakest link was having self worth and confidence. I was unable to accomplish those goals and I felt horrible about myself and spent most of my time beating me up about the failures. So, this past year I have made great efforts to learn more and understand myself better in this area.

As I look back on my life and the goals that I have made over the years the questions of "why this time? How is this time different than the last? Am I really capable of completing this?" have entered my mind over and over. Setting numerous goals that mostly are out of reach with very little confidence in myself, I have realized is just plain crazy! But as I ponder now I think to myself, why not make goals to better my self-esteem? I am sure plenty of people think this is crazy! I am sure I would if the tables were turned. Practicing confidence and self worth for me, can be uncomfortable at times, tiring and quit frankly painful. I get extremely nervous around people I do not know, I have a hard time making conversation with others and I usually end the experience with anxiety over what just happened. So, then why do I care? I care because I keep hearing confidence is attractive. And who doesn't want to be attractive? Confidence is a positive outlook about yourself that shows the world that you are beautiful, fun, loving and proud of yourself just the way you are. It shows that you are accepting of different situations no matter if the conclusion is good or bad.

I have concluded that I need to know how far pure desire can take me. The acute notion that desire is what we are after in this world, be as it may, and my desire is to love myself unconditionally. The only way to really get to this understanding is if I strip away all the negative thinking and feelings of my everyday living and get down to the most basic human instinct, survival. There are many ways to challenge this pure desire to strive for survival and I can do this through building my self esteem up with setting and accomplishing goals, entertaining positive interactions with others that I do not know or who do know me and developing self worth through learning experiences no matter the outcome. This opportunity gives me a much needed push to set goals for confidence that make me stretch and reach to achieve them.

I believe many people would benefit from testing their own possibilities as I am hoping to do. Sometimes in life we stop the journey early and find out that we have limits, while others might loss their life trying to discover their limits, but to dare something that is difficult is a very admirable goal. 

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt

WHO PEED IN YOUR CHEERIOS!?!?

This is most likely what you will be saying after you read this post, and I would like to say that 'no one' peed in my Cheerios this morning. I, in-fact, didn't even eat Cheerios this morning. I ate something entirely different and more scrumptious. Nonetheless, every once in a while I get these motivations so say what is on my mind, and this is the perfect outlet for me. If I try to exhaust my efforts of conversation on feminist issues with my husband, he kindly walks away smiling at me saying I am being stupid. Thus, this is the next best thing. OK, so let me start by saying:


There is no level-headed reason why a woman in 2011 should have to abandon her family’s last name in order to prove her fidelity and allegiance to her man! Ok, so I am not THAT opinionated, however I would like to point out that this concept is archaic and patriarchal and I do support it. I mean really, is our name not good enough? Is it less of a name? Are we less of a people if we keep our original name? I certainly don't think anyone should be expected to take their husband's name. It should be a choice. A mutual decision between you and your husband, not the rest of the world and the demands of what society thinks. 


The reason why women started changing their last names in the first place to their husbands last name was ownership rights. Take for instance "MRS." for a married woman. How did this term originate? It came from "MR'S." without the apostrophe. Yep, the very title that we woman claim comes from the possessive form of "Mr." and implies that a woman is indeed a possession.  This tradition dates back to the times when women were legally property! Can you believe it? WOMEN=PROPERTY!!! Anyway, that is another subject for another time. The marriage ceremony shows a transfer of ownership from her father to the husband and the change of her name solidifies that partnership. But since we are not viewed as property any more, there is no longer a good reason to change our last name. Wait, I take that back. one good reason is the fact that I can pick up laundry, do or get anything for him and vice versa and pay with his credit card using the same last name. But back to the topic at hand and I repeat, there is no longer a good reason to change our last name! 


There are many pressures to keep with 'tradition' for women and this issue. For instance, when I was getting married Sweets and I talked about this a lot. Actually, we talked about it our whole dating relationship, so he knew what he was getting into beforehand. I was very clear about my love for him and that I would do anything for him...anything but change my last name. Why? Why wouldn't I want to change my name? My answer lies in the innermost defiance layer of my body that tells me to not do what is expected of me to do by others. I will do things on my own accord when I am ready and feel no need to feed into pressure from others all because 'tradition' says so. Sweets was a little peeved by this whole thing but if he wanted to marry me, he would have to marry my feministic views as well. And he did! I love my husband and he loves me! We were able to compromise about the use of my last name and agree that I would use my original last name as my middle name and in addition take upon me his last name and not hyphenate them. I officially go by Julianne Gardner Arnell and I use all 3 names!


For some of you haters out there, I am all too familiar with your backlash. You claim that I am a half-ass kind-a-girl and I am not really a feminist but rather one who just wants to pick a few issues and battles those for women. In response, I would probably say you are right, but not really, but right. Yes, I am all for women. I am all for women to get paid the same in the workforce! I am all for women to vote! I am all for women to hold high CEO, CFO etc position in corporate america! I am all for women pilots! I am all for women in sports! You name it, I am for it, however, I am also for men opening my car door, and for men paying for my dinner, and for men doing things for me. I like to think of it as mutual equality. I do things for them and they do things for me, yet I do things for me and they do things for themselves. It all comes out in the wash anyway. 


So, in closing, I do believe women should not be pressured or expected to take their husbands last name and they should have the right to keep their own last name as a testament that they belong to no one else but themselves. I do also believe that there needs to be a 50-50 take and pull. It is personal choice and they should respect their spouse and make this decision together for the benefit of their marriage and their future and should not be looked down upon for whatever decision they choose! 

UTAH SNOW!

This is what Sweets and I were driving in Monday night trying to get to our house! We could not believe just how much snow was falling and how wet the snow was. It was definitely a slick drive but we loved every minute of it. 

Tuesday morning we woke up to this massive pile of white! 

YAY! 

The snow literally blanketed the valley!

Happily, Sweets set his alarm super early so he and T could play with the "beast" in the snow. After snow blowing our driveway, Sweets made the rounds to the other houses on the street and did all the walks. What a trooper and a lover of his "manly" toys!

Seriously, look at the teeth on this Beast! It certainly does mean business! 

And of course, after running up and down all morning long with dad, T decided it was nap time. He made himself a comfy bed in the snow and laid down! He is such a funny dog... 

MOTTO:

WE BE JAMMIN'

That's right...we were jammin' out at the MONSTER JAM TRUCK RALLY! 

this one is just so dang cute with the horns...love it

I seriously love going to the monster jam. It is so much fun to see just how huge the trucks are, watch the trucks compete against each other and jump cars, people gaze at the white trash peeps there and listen the loud roaring hum of the engines. (If I could capture that sound for my car, I would be so happy!) We had a blast and I couldn't have asked for a better activity on a Friday night. Although I didn't get a pic of all of us there, we did have quite a group; my brother and his family, Mic and his family, Sweets and I with the Martin girls (our nieces) watched the rally with excited. All our cheers were for the GRAVE DIGGER! 

maverick (white truck) is from west jordan!

"grave digger" during the freestyle competition 

bounty hunter

ZZZZZ...

every morning sweets are i are racing to get out the door and to work on time.

we have been snoozing a bit longer than we should have.

not for lack of sleep, but for the purpose that we just can't get out of our amazing bed.

you see, our bed is the most comfortable bed.

it is soft, cushiony, plush, posture perfect and relaxing.

it is practically made of hopes and dreams.

we have to drag each other out of it kicking and screaming!

i love our bed and i love intelli-bed for making the worlds best mattress.

STORY OF MY LIFE...

This is just too funny to pass up! I secretly feel like this is my brain under review...

Ever wondered how a woman’s brain works?
It’s finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration:

Every one of those little blue balls is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.

E L E C T I O N D A Y

Don't you just love Election Day?

Don't you just love how we are able to make a difference in our community, nation and world?

Don't you love the feeling of knowing that our voices are being heard?

Don't you love voting for what you believe in to be true?

Don't you love the self-satisfaction that you get by honoring your country?

Don't you love the internal reward knowing that you are upholding your part of citizenship?

I DO!

We are a blessed people to be living right now in this world, in this nation and in this state! We all have a moral obligation to The United States of America to get out there and vote! All of those lives lost, injured and still battling here and across the seas were and have been fighting for our liberty and rights...and that is the freedom to vote! We must all get informed with politics and government on all levels and do our part as citizens! It is our job to get to the polls today and vote! If you do not know what is going on, go anyway and vote for whatever, but you need to exercise your right to vote. As a human being living in America, there is absolutely NO excuse why you can't vote!

Change lies with us.

A better world lies with us.

VOTE!

happy election day!

(my apologies for those I may have offended...but I do believe that it should be constitutionalized that if you don't vote, you don't get to stay in the U.S.. it is our obligation as citizens to do our part here. thanks)

Books Devoured!

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

~ Joseph Addison ~

August came and went without me.

I was happily consumed by the written word cuddled up with my kindle in bed.

I had expectations from the start and was rewarded by the ending with profit.

Here are a few books that kept me from reality this past August:

A Particular Sadness of Lemon cake

The Heretic's Daughter

The Poisonwood Bible

Push Not the River

CANDY BOWL

This is the candy bowl at my work for all of the employees, clients and business partners to enjoy. They periodically throughout the day come up to the front foyer, pause at my desk, grab a candy and make small talk with me. It is so fun to watch people fight for a conversation relative to the both of us just so they can have a piece of candy.

Are people embarrassed at grabbing a treat?

Do they think I will judge them for wanting a small square of chocolate?

Is their pride hurt for enjoying useless calories?

The employees come over to my desk and just take a piece of candy with a swift grab and leave. It is almost as if they are rushing back to their desk for a very important phone call that I did not send into their office because no one called. They do not talk to me or make eye contact with me. No random questions to justify their actions but instead they hold their head up high with pride as they snack on that candy from the bowl.

Then you have the clients that come in and grab a candy as they ask for whomever they are meeting. Usually, I have them take a seat and wait until they are ready to be seen and without fail, in the meantime, they always sneak back up to my desk and take another piece. The hand motion of getting a chocolate and unwrapping it is almost always followed by statements like:

"Oh I am just SOOOO hungry"

"These are my favorite candies."

(and my personal favorite, whispered with a stooped head holding up the candy to my eye level)

"I am just going to grab another. I am sorry."

Lastly, our business partners strangely make their way down the hall and to my desk, suspiciously looking at me and then the candy bowl and back to me asking me all sorts of questions. Questions I believe they already know the answers to but they just would rather have me fill up the conversation time so they keep their mouth busy eating a delectable piece of sugar and not look so guilty. They stand there for moments at a time pushing the conversation into further awkwardness to alleviate their red-handed pleasure of only wanting candy and not really caring about me but trying to seem polite.

WHY?WHY?WHY?

Trust me, I am not judging them. I don't care what they eat throughout the day. I am not counting their calories or finding them rude if they don't talk to me. Chances are, I have had more candy than they have. They just need to own it! For those of you who know what I am talking about, isn't it great? I just love watching and deciphering their facial expressions as they approach my desk. For those who have no idea, you are missing out! Truly!

SO LONG, FAREWELL, AUFIDERZEIN GOODBYE

It is so sad when summer is over! The vacations with family and friends cease to exist, all the neighbor children are back in school and not selling lemonade on the street corners and the hours for the swimming pool and other amenities change to open later and close earlier!

BUT...

I am so happy when summer is over! The outdoor adventures of hiking, 4-wheeling and whatever else start because the weather is perfect outside, there are no crowds at movies, malls or restaurants due to families staying in for early bedtime, the leaves change to red, orange and gold which brings light jackets and pants with flipflops everyday!!

Here are some random pics of stuff we have been doing over the summer, but that didn't get lucky enough to get their own blog post...

some golf games

jewelry shows and boutiques

nap time outside

T swimming and fetching rocks

evan lysacek at the SV ice show

long days and nights playing guitar hero

babysitting the Bowens'

hiking shoreline and millcreek