library

This summer hasn't been all play. A tiniest portion has been dedicated to work. I just finished clearing out our family library, which includes not just books, but movies, journals, audio books, violin music, piano music, strings for instruments, manuals, vases, pictures, a large number of fake plants in baskets, and a collection of magazines dating back to the seventies. Phew! The thing is, I could have finished a long time ago if I didn't have the need to sit down with every book and re-read it. Now that I think about it, I was probably the worst person for the job.




Anyway, my favorite thing about this project was seeing all the books that have been ripped into four or five sections due to hard wear. Beverly Cleary paperbacks just don't stand a chance when four daughters read them over and over through the years. I found six pieces of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Pride and Prejudice was missing its cover and back cover, and I found the Babysitters club book that I spilled tomato soup on when I was nine. What's the moral of the story? Maybe invest in hardcovers. I don't know. But I'm glad I come from a family of big readers, even if it meant that I had to search through piles of rubble just to find the missing middle section of Harriet the Spy. I probably should have been cleaning anyway. :)

Christmas in July

When you marry someone like Christopher, you have to accept that for every birthday and Christmas, when you ask him what he wants he'll probably say nothing. And he's SERIOUS. My lists are always endless and detailed so I don't understand this at all. So for Christmas last year, I was so fed up trying to think of a present that he would actually like, I bought him a paragliding flight. He hasn't ever expressed interest in paragliding. We had never even talked about it. But a paragliding trip is what he got. That's what happens when you don't a-s-k.

Luckily, he liked the idea, and insisted that I come along with him. The weather was finally good enough for us to go last night and we had an incredible time. Here's a video that Christopher took of me in flight.



If you are wondering if we felt sick after half an hour of flying like that, the answer is yes. But it was totally worth it. Merry Christmas!

one year!

On July 15 2008, I married Christopher. I feel like we've celebrated for an entire year, but we had the best time on our anniversary.

Chris left for work on Wednesday morning promising that he would be back around 5:00 so we could go out... 10 minutes later he rolled back into the driveway with beautiful lilies and a plan to play in Park City all day on the zipline, alpine slide, and the new alpine coaster. He took me to breakfast at my favorite bakery and then we got nice and sunburned playing in the mountains. During Harry Potter 6 (which I LOVED) we had a picnic lunch, and then found our quaint little bed and breakfast. We strolled main street and shared a caramel apple. Heaven.

The best part of the day was when Christopher completely surprised me with gorgeous diamond earrings. They sparkle like crazy and I can't believe they're mine. I open the box they came in every time I pass by, just to check them out.

I feel so lucky to have this guy for another year!

summer

I thought our Fourth of July festivities would be lonely. And admittedly, I really did miss boating and eating my mom's potato salad. But Christopher and I did pretty well for ourselves. We had pancakes with coconut syrup at our ward breakfast bash and laughed at an old guy wearing a flag imprinted gangster bandanna over his bald head.



Then we hiked to Timpanogas Cave and marveled at the stalactites before heading home to clean up and make it to Ruth's Diner for dinner. You guys. If I ever find out that you went there and didn't order the banana bread pudding for dessert, I'll be speechless. So so good.





After fireworks and listening to our talented friend Suzy Lind sing, we headed home and I fell asleep before we got there. Chris swears I was singing in my sleep to 'Mama Mia' but I'm sure he was imagining things. :) God bless America!

payback...

Here is my extra hot husband who made my morning by shaving off his beard in stages.

I'm nice

So today, just because I'm the best, sweetest, most gorgeous wife on the planet, I got up early and cleaned out Christopher's car for him under the pretext of being on my morning run. What can I say? Sometimes I just can't contain the goodness flowing through me.