Summertime

Holy smokes! I'm behind! We're still alive if anyone was wondering. This summer has been quite the whirlwind! And it's already over halfway over. Can you believe it?

June:

We went for a visit to James’ parents’ in Preston to (do laundry) spend some quality time with our dear family. Vickie was on the computer looking for airplane tickets for Bethann (James’s sister who was working in Alabama, but was ready to come home.) Long story short, we volunteered to fly to Nashville, TN, meet Bethann, and drive home via St. Louis, MO, Carthage, IL, and Nauvoo, IL. We had a blast! Here are a few pictures from that excursion:

Favorites:

· Doing a session in the Nauvoo temple
· Going on a river boat ride on the M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i
· Swimming in hotel pools
· Playing the “Animal Game” (there was a point system for different animals we saw. Antelope were degraded to 1 point in Wyoming because we saw so many)
· Eating lunch on the Winter Quarters Visitor’s Center grounds because that is the only place we felt safe in Omaha.
· Getting a steal-of-a-deal on some shoes at the Sierra Trading Post store in Cheyenne, WY.

Unfavorites:

· Changing Bethann’s car battery in a Nashville Walmart parking lot
· Running to the riverboat ride (we got stuck in construction on the way). Good thing James had the tickets… it was like breathing in water. I started walking halfway.
· No leg room
· Humidity (I love UTAH!)

July:

James and I are apartment mangers, and I tell you what, filling an apartment in July is tough stuff! HOPEFULLY, we have them all filled though. I’m also sick of painting.

We went to Alturas (near Red Fish Lake), ID for a camping trip with James’s family. It was a blast and a half! Except for the occasional rain storm. Here are some snapshots:

Favorites:

· Roasting kabobs over the fire. I think James and I had at least 4 or 5 each. · Building the coolest sand castle of all time. I was the landscaper. · Watching the “men” spend most of their down time working on their baseball bats to hit rocks with. They even took them home! · Eating so much good food. · Playing with the babies. · Kayaking on Red Fish Lake. · Sitting around a campfire. · Fluffing up the dirt under our tent. So worth it. · Flush toilets. · Lumber Jack Jim cutting a slit in his shoe with an axe.

Unfavorites:

· Getting sunburned. Somehow I got burned on the back of my knees. James has a hand mark where I stopped applying sunscreen. (He told me to stop, it’s his own fault)
· Some little kid smashing our sweet sand castle while we were roasting hot dogs.
· Mosquitoes (they weren’t that bad, but were still present)
· Aaron slicing his knuckle with a saw. The Dryden family has some great doctors.
· Cleaning up.

And now we’re home. James and I were talking the other day about how our apartment now feels like home I just love it. Even though neither of us want to stay in Logan, our little one bedroom apartment is perfect because it’s ours. That doesn’t stop us from dreaming about owning our own house someday, however.

We have gone on a couple camping trips on James’s days off. It’s just fun to get away for a night and roast some hot dogs.

Speaking of dogs, our little Sophie is 6 months old. She is fully potty trained, and is much more obedient than she used to be. That doesn’t mean we don’t find one of these occasionally:

But, we still like her. How could you not, look at that face!

Other than that, we’re just living life. James still works at Lee’s in the middle of the night, and I am still looking for a job. (Anyone know of a good job for me?) I have been sewing lately, and I’m slightly addicted to a bunch of craft blogs. I have a crazy idea that I’d like to start my own. Maybe I’ll put some tutorials up on here to give it a whirl.

Most of all, I’m just crazy about this guy. We’ve been married for 7 months and going strong!

Whew! Put that in the record books of longest post known to man.

Next up: River rafting on the Snake River, the Eddington Family Reunion (hopefully) and St. George! Then on to school…