Made For You

My friend Dessa has started her own company, and makes these gorgeous fruit and vegetable arrangements. They are beautiful and so delicious! Dessa did her first wedding yesterday and I got to help her with some of the preparation. Not pictured, she also does gorgeous chocolate covered strawberries that she arranges as a bouquet of long stemmed roses. She can provide delicious, gorgeous centerpieces for any event you are planning!!

He's Legal, and other things

The kid is finally a legal driver!! He passed his written test the second time around yesterday, and having already passed his driving test, Josh became a legal driver!


So what else have we been up to? Trying to pack as much into the summer fun as possible!

We've been playing at the lake.


I've been traveling for work & going to some of my favorite towns, seeing some very cool old buildings!


I got some gorgeous new lily plants for my garden!!





We've been going to wedding receptions, which is the summer norm! Such a fun way to hang out with friends and enjoy a great party! Of course, nothing beats a back yard bbq reception put on by the Wahlens!!

4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th of July!! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and has the opportunity to spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. I am looking forward to good food, good company, and awesome fireworks here!

I hope we remember the reason for this holiday. We celebrate the birth of our country this weekend. While our country isn't perfect and has it's problems, it is the greatest country on this Earth and I am thankful for my citizenship. I am thankful for the long history of patriotism that my family has. I am grateful for the brave men & women, including some of my ancestors, who had the courage to leave everything they knew and travel the oceans to this country. I am thankful for the incredibly brave men, including some of my ancestors, who fought for freedom and founded our country. My mom told me once that in our family, we have men who have served in the military and fought in every war since the Revolutionary War. I am proud of that heritage. I am thankful to the men and women who dedicate their lives to ensuring the continued freedom of our country. I am proud of my brother, who has dedicated over twenty years of his life to serving our country and has served in two wars. I am proud to be an American.

We kicked off our weekend with a 4th of July breakfast at the church. Other than it being so cold, it was a wonderful time to visit with friends and a delicious start to the day! Angie asked Josh and two of the other older Scouts to take responsibility for the flag raising. I was proud to watch Josh participate in this and see the respect that he has for our flag and what it represents.

James

I don't even really know how to start this post. I haven't spent a lot of time talking about some of the trials that James has been going through in the last 18 months, mainly because they are personal and private and it's not my place. So I'm still not going to talk about them. Suffice it to say that he has had some trials in his life that included coming home from his mission and year early and working through some things.

From my perspective, the last 18 months have been long, frustrating, challenging, heartbreaking, and a cause for joy. It's so, so hard to watch someone that you love very much struggle and flounder and lose his way. And it's hard to know that as much as you're hurting for them, and cheering for them, and praying for them, there's nothing you can do to fix the situation. I have a hard time with that. I like to handle things and take care of things, and when a situation arises that I can't, it's hard for me.

But it has been a privilege to watch James mature. He has become so strong. He has grown into a man. He has come to understand what it is that is truly important in his life, and has set his priorities in a manner that is going to bring him long term happiness and fulfillment. He has goals and has plans in place to accomplish those goals. He would not be the person he is right now, making the decisions he is right now, if he hadn't been through the trials he's suffered in the last 18 months.

James made the decision to return to complete his mission. He made a two year commitment and decided that he needed to fulfill that full two years rather than just one. He left very, very early this morning to complete that mission in the Albuquerque, New Mexico mission. I am so very proud of him for making such an honorable decision. I am excited for him to serve his second year and return home next June. I love you James and very very proud of you!!

Summer basketball

I'm slow these days. Josh is doing summer basketball again this year, and last week was the tournament at Snake River. The team is awesome this year, having won the first three tournaments!

Father's Day

Tomorrow is Father's Day. A day that is both very hard for me and also a wonderful celebration of the man who made me what I am. I was blessed to be given the most amazing man in the world as my father. I never doubted how much my dad loved me. Growing up, he was my hero. He still is.

Dad always had time for me. He made a special point of he and I having "daddy/daughter dates" every single month. I knew that was a time for just me and daddy and that no matter what, we would always have those. I was a big priority in his life and I knew it. He believed in me. He had confidence and faith in me. He was proud of me. He made me want to live up to everything he saw in me. No one knew how to have fun more than Dad. But he also knew when to be serious. My friends all loved him. In fact, I don't think there was ever a kid born who didn't love him. And who he didn't love. Dad saw the best in everyone and taught me the importance of doing that.

Dad's been gone for almost 16 year now, and I miss him more every day. Sometimes I wish I could talk to him, take a problem to him, or share a concern with him. I wish he could tell me what I should do or how to fix a situation I find myself in. An amazing friend reminded me today that my dad is always with me and that I can always talk to him. I forget that sometimes. So as we get ready to celebrate Father's Day, please take the time to tell the amazing fathers and men in your life what they mean to you and how important they are to you. Cherish not just this day, but every day you are given to be with them.

Happy Father's Day Daddy. I love you so much. I miss you and I hope you're as proud of me as I am of you.

Our new residents

My friend Jenni has 4 adorable little kittens born at her house a couple of months ago. She needed to find a home for them, and somehow, I volunteered. So we now have four fuzzy, cute little residents. With a little bit of luck, they'll grow up to be lean, mean, fuzzy mouse hunting machines!

So for Jen's sweet kids, who let their baby kitties leave and come to my house, here are some pics of them playing!

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays!!!

This last week has been a birthday week in my family! Two of my brothers and one of my nieces all celebrated birthdays last week. My brother Andy, who is the closest to me in age, celebrated his 40th birthday on the 8th. My niece Andrea, was born on her uncles birthday, hence her name. Andrea turn 17 on the 8th. And then on the 11th, my second oldest brother, John turned 46. Happy birthday you three! I love you and hope you all had fantastic days!

Andy


Andrea


John

Congratulations Desiree!!!!

One of my favorite people in the world graduated from high school on Thursday night. I love Desiree and love her mom, Angie. It was fun to be at graduation to watch her and to be included in the family party after. I definitely see where both Angie and Desiree get their spunk!!

Desiree is headed off to college to study to be an x-ray tech. She's going to be amazing and I am so excited for her, but I will miss seeing that sweet face pop in around here all the time! You better come visit every time you're home Des!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day. Enjoy the time with family and friends, doing something fun. I hope you all take a moment out of your day to remember the reason for this holiday, and it's not picnics, BBQ's, water skiing, or 4 wheeling. Take a moment to remember the men and women who gave their service and their lives to ensure that we have the freedoms we do today. The military has a special place in my heart. Both of my Grandfathers served, my dad served, my brother serves, and the love of my sweet nieces life serves. I am proud of and honored by the heritage of military service in my family.