Pioneer Day

We had a lot of fun over the weekend. Celebrating the 24th of July (big to-do here in the Beehive State) has never been much of a thrill for us. But this year my little sis suggested swimming and hanging around a beach all day. Bring it on!


First, Strider ran his first 5K, and got third place. Okay, so it was just a little local thing. But still!

Then we forced him to take a lightning speed shower so we could leave.

The kids had a blast.  And our fish-son, Bugs, was in the water almost before we shut off the engine. 

We were the first ones to arrive on our section of the shore.  Didn't last forever, but it was grand to be alone so long.

We even had Wendy's good friend Jamester with us. (Okay, fine, her name is Jamie).

Jedi blowing me a kiss

So many rocks! We are glad we had shoes to wear in the water.  And glad they floated, too.

A little time for reading.

The kids only came out to eat. We almost had to force them.

This was a favorite game: "Let's sit here and feel each wave lift our legs up!"

Such a fun day.

The Alchemist

I have been a reading fool lately. Every spare moment. Do you ever do that? My reading is very streaky. Lots, then nothing.

Anyway, my latest was The Alchemist, recommended by my brother on a mission. It was first written in Portuguese and that's the language of the people he is teaching in Mozambique. It came up in conversation and those Africans were so excited to hear that Matt had read it. So I figured why not.

The story reads like a legend/fable and is about a boy named Santiago who goes in search of his true heart's desire, his personal destiny. Many people give up just short of realizing their treasure, but Santiago demonstrates perseverance.  I don't agree with the title.  In my opinion The Boy or The Journey would be more appropriate since it's about all the realizations and learning he makes.  But whatever.

The author, Paul Cohelo, explains more:

"It’s [your Personal Legend] what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend".

He tells us about the obstacles we will face and about some things that stand in the way of individuals realizing their dreams. And the moment I read them I started to weep.

Here are the quotes that spoke to me.

Fourteen Years

I'm the luckiest woman in the world.  I have had this guy by my side since I was 17.

That's half my life!

Fourteen years ago we knelt at the altar and both said "Yes".

We've never looked back, and life is bliss.  Truly.

Happy Anniversary, hon!

She wore it

...and liked it!

Here she is after church yesterday.  Success!

And speaking of success, yesterday was her first time in nursery (the class for toddlers at church).  Two hours without us and didn't cry once.  She is our only child to ever do that without clinging onto our legs for weeks.  Mom and Dad cheers!!!

Finally, a pattern

So here we are. I tried my first dress and my first pattern.

Rosebud really really needs so church clothes, so I wanted to make something for her.  Plus, I had this "Freshly Squeezed" fabric by Moda to use.  Shows up as kind of reddish but it's a pretty orange with lime and yellow dots. 

I can't do fasteners or anything like that so I opted for this pattern ($10/10 at Joann's) because it's just elastic arms and neck.

She's such a stinker.  When I tried it on her she screamed like I was ripping her head off, then ran away any other time she saw the dress.

My sister back east wanted to see pics, so I took it out a few days later to do so.  Of course she loved it then.  Rosebud stole the hanger and ran through the house showing it off.

Here she is convincing Princess to watch her.

And she tried to put it on, feet first.

What a character!

Garden, July 8

This is our garden last week.

First attempt at corn.  Nothing spectacular, but we're trying.

First full-size tomato.  Strider said it was great with our quiche.

Whole bunch of cherry tomatoes.

Zucchini #1 getting bigger!

Lawn: before and after

Here is all I can find to show what the back yard used to look like. This is in May, as we started prepping the garden area.

If the weeds were knee high in May after a month of rain,

just think what they looked like by the end of June.  Yeah.

This is last Wednesday after two weeks of major labor on Strider's part.  Till, shovel, rake, repeat.  Add in a week of building and repairing a sprinkler system and you have a BIG job.

Sod ready to go.

Four hours later:

It is so peaceful back here.  I just love it.

The kids are anxiously awaiting the official word from daddy that they can play on it. 

For right now they tiptoe to the playground where we have mulch for them.  It's awesome.