Maybe Next Time...

As we left the house and headed down the block, I thought for a second, hmmm, maybe we should bring our camera in case we see something cool. But since we've taken this little trail by our house many times, why would this time be any different?

So we (Spencer, Jack the dog, and I) continued on our evening walk. We made it out of the neighborhood and were heading down the wilderness trail, when Spencer and I noticed something laying on the trail ahead. It was fairly large, and at first I thought it might be a dead deer. We walked a little closer until the thing started moving. It was a porcupine! A big one! We called Jack over to us and put his leash on while the porcupine slowly walked off the trail and into the bushes.

I should have brought the camera.

We continued walking along and were joined by about a million dragonflies! Okay, maybe not a million, but they sure seemed to be everywhere! On the way back down, three F-16's flew overhead. Right above us in the blue evening sky.

I really should have brought the camera.

"So, ... what do you DO all summer?"

As a teacher, I get asked this question a lot. I may not wake up early every morning and spend the day teaching a bunch of six and seven year olds, but I do stay pretty busy.

Here is a quick sampling of how I have been spending some of my time.

First, I love going for walks with my dog Jack.


I can walk from our house, down a couple neighborhood streets, and right onto a great single track trail. It is mostly shaded with trees and has a bunch of wildflowers everywhere.


After about two and a half miles the trail leads to this little bridge.


It's a great way for me to get a little exercise, and of course Jack LOVES it!

A good portion of Spencer's and my time has been spent running from one family event to the next. We spent the 4th of July in Fillmore with my family. What a great small-town parade!


My cousing surprised us on the way home from the parade festivities. He was perched on my parents porch like a gargoyle! I was very impressed with how long he stayed there, motionless and with that gargoyle expression on his face!


Speaking of family, we had a surprise party for my Grandma's birthday in mid-July. I even made a cake!


Spencer's side of the family has kept us busy too. We went with his brother's family and parents to a Salt Lake Bees game a few days ago. It was my first professional baseball game. It was fun!


Sometimes I spend my time "supervising" Spencer. He has been working a lot on the cars. He washed, waxed, and buffed my car the other day while I watched. Okay, I did help a little.


And just now, Spencer and I got back from a quick walk around the neighborhood with the dog. Waiting for us on the front porch was this huge, disgusting bug.


I didn't want to get close to it, so Spencer put his foot there to get a size comparison while I took the picture. Yuck!

Now we're planning our next adventure, which you will here about in a few days. I love summer vacation. I really love summer vacation. A lot.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I'm another year older. Zippee! I just turned 27 on June 30th, and while I have heard from some (okay, most) people that I am now in my late 20's, I have to say that 27 should still be considered mid 20's. It's just as close to 25 as it is to 29, right?

Anyway, Spencer planned a great birthday surprise for me. He is always so thoughtful with his gifts, and this time was no exception! He took me up to Park City for the day to ride the zip-line at Olympic Park and shop at the outlet malls.

Here are a couple shots while riding up the ski lift to the top of the zip-line.



And here we are getting ready to go on the zip-line.


It was so fun, we had to ride it twice! The second time, Spencer took video on the way down.



Thank you Spencer for the great birthday!