July has been a crazy busy month for us this year. It’s almost been busier than last year when we were building our house. I was really looking forward to just relaxing and not having any set plans. I’ve had a great month and managed to relax, but I didn’t manage to keep our activities to a minimum. Aaron and I have worked really hard (mostly Aaron) to get our yard in and looking nice. We now have grass in the front and back, and it makes a huge difference! We’ve both been shooting our bows practicing and getting ready for archery season which opens in less than a month. The girls have been taking care of their lambs, they went to a craft camp, and they’ve had swimming lessons. It’s been jam-packed, but fun!
For those of you who don’t know, I am terrified of heights. Simply put, I. HATE. THEM., especially when they are unstable (think Space Needle) or you can see through them (the steps on top of one of the buildings at the Depot used to kill me everytime I had to go up them!). Until this month, I have always avoided crossing the Bridge of the Gods because of that fear. I was lucky to be photographing a wedding in Skamania, at the Columbia River Interpretive Center, early in the month, and there was no more getting around it – I had to cross the bridge. Not only did I cross, I even stopped in the middle and took a picture looking down through into the water! I can safely say I will probably cross it again, it wasn’t as bad as I thought – I won’t, however, be riding any rides at the top of the Stratosphere anytime soon!
Emma had a wild hair earlier this year and colored her hair really dark. It looked great, but it just wasn’t “her”, so when she said she thought she wanted to go back go being blonde, we went for it! Harley & Reagan’s step-mom, Brenda, did it for her, and it looks great!
Emma, Katelyn, and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was a great movie – though if you haven’t read the books you might question a few of the events. The tradition when you go on dates with Mom, is that you have to take a self-portrait before going into whatever it is you’re headed to do.
Our whole family was finally able to get away and go camping for a weekend. We spent lots of time in the water – even Tod enjoyed a dip or two. Aaron was able to go on several hikes, and I spent the weekend catching up on my reading. Tod spent most of his time camped out under my lawn chair.
When we were done with the construction of our house and my parents moved back to Cove, Tod was devastated that his best friend, Luna, moved away, too. Every time she’s been here and gone home again since then, he sits around depressed and mopes for days. A few weeks ago, we dog-sat for Aaron’s dad and step-mom, and when Tank went home, it was the same old story. Tod moped and pouted for several days afterward. We finally decided that he must really be lonely and we started looking for a companion for him. Originally, we were just going to get another dog – breed & gender didn’t matter, but the more we thought about it the more another Yorkie sounded good. We found Susie in the Nickel. She is about 4 months older than Tod, and she is just the sweetest, cutest little thing ever. Tod is in seventh heaven now that he has a full-time friend, but he does tend to get a little jealous at times.
One morning last week, the girls came running into our room to let me know that Tod and Susie got married. All sorts of thoughts started running through my head, “oh no, what on earth did they just witness”, but when I pressed the girls, they explained what happened. Apparently, the girls decided Tod couldn’t have just a girlfriend, he had to have a wife. They took the dogs’ collars off of them and performed a little wedding ceremony, so now, I guess, they are officially married! 🙂 Too funny! The first thing Reagan said was, “Now that they’re married they can have puppies!” Um yeah, I’m sure that was stopping them, honey! 🙂
Last weekend, I played in the Irrigon Watermelon Festival Softball Tournament, and we took the girls to the parade. I am sore – we’re talking walking funny still 5 days later sore! I discovered exactly how out of shape I am! The girls loved the parade, and then spent the afternoon on a HUGE home-made slip-n-slide Aaron made for them at home.
We have these really great friends, Dan and Meredith Young. Their kids are way older than ours (well, Ryan is 2 years older than Emma). Many years ago, when Aaron’s dad was still the principal at AC Houghton, the school removed an old Merry-Go-Round and sold it to the Youngs in a yard sale for $25.00. Dan and Meredith dug it up and delivered it to our house on Sunday for our girls! Not only did they give the girls such an awesome “toy”, they gave them a piece of Irrigon history that was impacted greatly by their grandfather. I will treasure it forever, and I am sure they will, too!
There is only one week left until the Morrow County Fair, and the girls have been working hard getting ready. Monday we went to Heppner for the Fairgrounds clean up day with the rest of their 4H group. I am so proud of them, they all worked really really hard, and never complained once! The girls are looking forward to showing their animals and selling them at auction.
I am looking forward to my last week and a half before I return to work full-time. It’s hard to believe summer has flown by already, and I am finding myself wishing I had more time. More time to relax, more time to hang out with the girls, more time to see my family, and even though I feel like I need more time, I treasure every minute I have spent and have left.
Nature Girl. Mom. Wife. Friend. Photographer. Sewer. Crafter. Artist.
To borrow a phrase – “Yeet Ye Riche”