july 2014…

so the renaissance festival is something all must experience at least once.  i’m not sure how to explain one…yes, it’s a medieval castle with entertainment and food, but the people there are so very interesting.  people watching at the ren fest is always very entertaining.  we had a blast with our turkey leg, candied almonds, and jousting tournament.  the best part was camden up on stage…she’s a little funny duddy!  it was a great family day, which makes me the happiest spending time with my favorite peeps.

[wpvideo mCyYmzyM]

2014…

we did trek last year in our last stake, and was asked to do it again this year in our new stake-to be a ma and pa.  alex was able to go twice also.  that’s a lot of camping for me within a year, but we were happy to go, and had a good time.  we walked close to 30 miles in 3 days, with our 10 children, and outhouses, but it was a memorable experience.  i hope alex was able to build more of a testimony also about the strength of the pioneers, and their determination to do and sacrifice all they had to follow our Savior and the gospel.  the best part was being with jarom and seeing alex throughout each day.  great experience.

july 2014…

i have only been back to my home town a couple of times since i graduated from high school 20 years ago.  there’s something about this small town, that i never really cared for.  and most of the people i grew up with still live in this small town, or have moved not very far away.  for me, that was never an option.  i couldn’t wait to get out, see the world, and experience new things.  small towns can be really annoying, and weird.  but nevertheless, our 4th of july trip was entertaining, enjoyable, and a trip down memory lane for me to share with the hubby and kids, and the family friends we stayed with were so much fun.  their daughter has three kids, and our kids all played together so well.  and we did jamberry nails, which are the cutest things ever!

our weekend consisted of the 4th of july parade, a concert and fireworks on the ‘ol high school football field…my 20th reunion, and you’d think after 20 years, people have maybe become more confident, or have changed, but mostly everyone was the same, and sitting with the same people they hung out with in high school.  so weird! 

on our way out of town, we stopped by the snowflake temple, four corners, and stayed the night in durango, co.-thank goodness for the green mountains, and streams that we were able to come back to! overall it was a great trip, and really had a lot of fun with the hubby and kids.

2014…

we love doing outdoor movie nights!  so we have started a semi-annual tradition, hosting a summer outdoor movie night.  getting to visit with lots of great people, watching a movie under the stars, kids running around happily playing, just something about it all…i think the youth-kids-adults played volleyball for a couple of hours before the sun had set.  so much fun:)

2014…

did i mention our ward here is awesome?  and also, colorado is just amazing.  our girls went to lake dillon for girls camp, and on the way up, went ziplining, and on the way back home, went white water rafting.  what memorable experiences, and awesome adventures.  i love that our girls were able to go and have such a great, positive time.  thank you amazing women in the young women program in our ward!

And the after girls camp party and video…

2014…

cam is at such a fun age, and her little buddy hannah is such a great friend.  they baked chocolate chip banana bread together, and it was amazing, of course i ate too much of it.  love having girls that like to bake and cook!

2014…

our girls are loving meeting new friends, and building relationships.  it’s so great when they find someone they play so well with.  grateful for good friends.

2014…

i absolutely love peonies. for they are such a great vintage flower, with lots of depth and layers.  love them.  and was completely ecstatic when we had bushes of them growing in our yard this spring.  so awesome, and something i’ve wanted to grown and haven’t, so there it was, check it off my list. 

2014.

so we decided, or i decided, and everyone was great in following, no sugar for a month.  we ate meat, fruit, veggies, and almonds for a month.  there were a handful of times we did have some chocolate, because frankly, i thought i would die without it.  but we did awesome, all six of us.  we are already gluten free because we have to be, so not having bread wasn’t hard.  no i just crave delish meals like these…

2014.

when we moved into this new area, new house, new ward, we had no idea how much we would love it.  we have loved the people here, the location, and this awesome house so much.  we feel very grateful, especially having lived in very interesting places in the past…i won’t mention them as to not offend those people.  but nevertheless, here we are, happy.  finding a “mature” home has some great perks…we have an apple tree, established yard, and lots of character with the home.  we have a great sized yard too, lots of wildlife, and good neighbors!  thankful for this good move!