Victoria! Victoria!!

I don't know if you've noticed the little countdown icon on the side of this blog, but it's been steadily ticking off the days until Don and I go to Victoria, British Columbia!! Yeah! I'm so excited. It's funny, but a lot of people have asked me what we're going for. Apparently BC isn't a normal vacation place for most people? But I'm so excited it's hard to sit still! I've wanted to go to Canada ever since Launi Leavitt went and brought me back a miniature size pack of playing cards and told me mesmerizing stories of lush, green forests. It's going to be beautiful, and they have better chocolate than we do! I'm also mildly obsessed with anything French, so I'm sure that I'll fall in love with the cadence and undulating rhythm of their language. We'll be staying in this sweet pastel colored condo that over looks the inner bay, how cool is that? So Adieu to all of you for a while, I'll let you know how awesome it was when I get back! Here are some pics to give you an idea of how gorgeous the area is...

Belated 4th

Okay, I know that this is a super late 4th of July blog, and normally I wouldn't even bother, but I was threatened on pain of death if I didn't post about it! Plus I've got some kickin' pictures to share. The reason I haven't posted lately is because I've been turning over a new leaf by trying to be the Domesticated Goddess of our universe. In plain language it means that I've been trying to regularly cook.
Anyway, this past weekend I was really good, and planned out the entire menu for this week. This is a big thing, because I can happily eat cereal for dinner. And I do. Don't tell.

Here's a Reader's Digest version of our weekend:
















This is my crazy, fearless, monkey of a husband and my step-father-in-law, Bruce. We helped build a garage at his parents house this 4th of July. They just barely moved into their new house a month ago and are putting some of the finishing touches on it.




































The top picture is me grouting. I believe that I have now grouted enough this year to have a title, I'm not asking for much. "Grouting Queen" would be nice. Notice the toes. I only paint my toes on special occasions, like holidays, or mitzvahs. The bottom pic is my mother-in-law, you can't see her lovely face, but notice the beat-up knee? Yeah, she's crazy. Even though she hurt her knee a few days before, she was a trooper and we grouted her beautiful travertine floor together. It turned out really nice.
























This is the cutest red-headed freckled kid I know. He likes Popsicles, and I liked to give him Popsicles when no one was looking. We got a long just fine.
















This is Annie Johnson and I, we look like gypsies with our "magical" jewelery.
















This is Kaylee Johnson. She's a gypsy too, but super cute one. We bonded this fourth of July, and by the end she was calling me, "my Erin," which made me tickled pink.

All-in-all it was a great weekend with good food, and good company. On Saturday/Sunday we stopped at my parents in Richfield, which was a lot of fun. My parents are cute. Thanks to all the Russell, Johnson, and Goodwin families that made our Independence Day great!!

Hi! Adventure

A few weekends ago Don went to the Narrows and Navajo Lake with the Young Men for high adventure camp. As you can see, he had a lot of fun, biking, swimming, and hiking...all without me. As a token of goodwill, I decided to post this being the dedicated, and sweet wife that I am to show off his awesome pics of his adventure. I'm not bitter. I just want to point out that Don missed me while he was away, because he's reverted to kissing frogs.

Jay-do

Jay-doo
Originally uploaded by uglypeaches

A few weeks ago I decided to bust out the hair gel and give Jaden a new 'do. He's stylin' in this pic, complete with a Mohawk. The last time I did his hair I parted it on the side, and combed it really nice. Everyone said that he looked like a sissy, but I thought it was better than his "Albert Einstein" look. Everyone seemed to approve of this, though. For those of you who don't know, my awesome nephew is now walking hard core. He can take about six steps at a time, when he wants to.
Jaden is also my biggest fan when it comes to cooking. I made some cake the other day, and that his little hands were shaking from excitement making it hard to get the crumbs in his mouth. Jaden's pretty much a big deal.

A Discovery

I just returned from Summerfest. I love Summerfest because it's become somewhat of a tradition for me. When the trees leaf out, and the sun starts baking the sidewalk, it's time to go to Summerfest. There's really nothing extraordinary about the entire thing: it's really just a gathering of artists, some are local, some aren't. Last year I got a wreath for my door. This year I came back with a discovery. I found a booth that immediately captured my attention with it's vibrant picture of two monks, dressed in red, leaning out a window. It was phenomenal; a work of art. And then glancing around, I felt like I'd stepped into a National Geographic photographers studio. There were pictures from every place imaginable-Nepal, Guatemala, Zimbabwe, China,...just about every people, place and culture. Every picture was beautiful, and powerful in it's own way. Some made you laugh, some made you want to cry, and others just made you think. The artists name was Emerson Matabele, and he has somehow managed to capture hundreds of the various facets that make the human spirit sparkle.