Just a few Insta pictures

This is what I sent to Mexico today with my normal letter:

Woah Instagram city. I hope he likes it.

Dear missionary of mine, meet the social-media-me! Wahoo.

On a different note, a small miracle happened this weekend called I made brownies and they lasted more than a day. That, ladies and gents, is a success story! 

Also, I went hiking and played Nertz yesterday, all with good people, which is a good combination under any circumstances. 

Success again.

As if that all wasn't enough, I have had a few run-ins with old friends lately, which is always a beautiful thing. I'm never very good at keeping in touch with people, but I also never forget a great friend. So when I re-meet someone I haven't seen in forever, I just want to chat for hours. Anyways, I only have one picture to exemplify this (and I had to steal it from Emma), but it's a beaut:

I adore that Emma. Yeah, don't worry, we only talked until like 11 after that fireside. NBD.

As for today, it's been a lot of 
:: reading The Kite Runner
:: cleaning the house
:: watching movies
:: and eating KFC.


I am just lovin' this summer, folks. 

Some happenings that I haven't blogged yet

I just uploaded a boatload of pictures from my camera to my computer and realized that I haven't even mentioned some of this summer's activities so far! So here they are in picture form.


Strawberry jam making:

Memorial Day:

My neighbor

Summerfest:

Day one: stinkin' hot.

Day two: FRIGID.

And finally, our Mexico party on Joe's 1-year/Jeff's almost-18-month mark:

Not pictured: churros. And Nacho Libre.

Summertime is just lovely, don't you think?

And considering the first day of summer was technically only last week, I'd say this year's off to a great start. Woot!

Free stuff.

Look! I got a new phone background today:

And it's super cute. And it was a freebie. And there are others. And it's all right here. 

So yeah. You should go get one, if you want.

On a year

One year ago, my mom snapped this photo from the front window:

It's one of my favorite photos. 
And that porch is one of my favorite places. It has been for years. It's my "thoughtful spot." (Winnie the Pooh, anyone?)


Tonight I sat on my porch and thought a lot about years. 
Here's what I concluded:

A year sounds long, but it goes by quickly. 

Lots of things can change in a year, but most things don't. 

And the way time passes is utter craziness.

I've tried to write all sorts of my thoughts to go along with these conclusions, but it's getting late and I'm not finding a good way to get my points across. So here is the main thought that I really like: 


Last year on this night, I cried far more than is becoming of a lady (and far more than I expected to or wanted to). 
This year, tonight, I spent my time smiling.

Lots of things can change in a year; most things don't. I always prefer things that don't have to change.

But this particular difference is a pretty darn good one.

And I really like that one missionary a lot.

I'm reading a good book right now.

These Is My Words

Nancy E. Turner

#whyilovedad

Today's been a great Father's Day. 
We took some daddy-daughter pictures.
We ate lots and lots of cookies.
(And a little bit of salad.)

This is him yesterday, when he set up an old TV and watched Tangled in the garage cuz it's his favorite movie:

And this is from today:

I just really love my father.

He is a right gem.

The end.

Funny things.

My sister Jenna and I send things we find online to each other all the time. Most of them are pictures we think are funny (yes, even those terrible internet memes that make you want to bash your head against a wall), some of them are funny Facebook statuses, I send Jenna every picture of every cute baby animal I ever see anywhere, and she sends me things that make fun of math. We're pretty funny people, so please enjoy some recent highlights:
(PS: If any of these came from your Facebook profile or blog or are otherwise connected to you, sorry that you didn't receive credit. We never credit anything in our back-and-forths. But we do think you're funny.)

Probably I'll buy this for summer

A great quote:

If any of my children show even the most remote interest in Stephanie Meyer's work, I will be dropping them by the fire station with a note that says, "Take care, but not too much because this one has terrible taste."

Cutest gif in the world.

Proud of this one. It made Jenna jump.

Life story.

Some LDS humor:Mother: Now remember, what does your necklace say?
3-year-old: I am a trial of God.

Very seriously almost bought this.

From someone's Instagram. Captioned: "Yes, that is a dog."

If/when I get one of these from one of my children, I am framing it.

Dust bunnies.

I don't know why, but this makes me just laugh my fool head off. Favorite of all time.

And now you know how we spend our time.

The end.

How my day was made today.

Sometimes, when you post a wish on your blog, it really does come true.

Cuz look what showed up on the porch today:

For inches

For centimeters

I don't know why I'm a sucker for fantastic packaging, but I am. 

Millions of thanks to the good human who sent this.

And on another note that's really not very unrelated, my dad rocks.

(Funny post coming tomorrow.)

A picture

There's a super funny post (well, I think it's funny) on the way, but I just realized that in working on it a lot, I've neglected to actually post anything for reals. So in the meantime, this is a preview of sorts:

Ok actually that doesn't really tie in at all, but I think it's great. Plus, it's saved on my grandma's old computer. Why? We may never know. Anyway, see you tomorrow.

Wish List

Things I am very tempted to buy at this moment:

[via]

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Yeah, so if anybody's looking to get me a really cool present for no good reason, these would be a great place to start. 

1 June 2012: a good day.

June is such a good month. Such a good, happy month. 

Also, I would take a pair of jeans in any of those colors, but I really want mint.

I don't have class on Fridays, so I have a list of things to fill my time that I keep on my bedside table. 

Today I didn't do any of them. 

Instead, I went to a movie with my mother and little sister. 

And I made a new playlist for myself (in preparation for the annual Summer Survival Mix).

And I did my hair like 17,000,000 different ways. 

Bad hair day. It's fine.

And I Instagram-stalked like nobody's business.

And I read for at least two hours on the deck, but it's hard to say how long I was really out there.

And I did some math.

And I played some classical music. 

And I pinned my first pin, ever. Because I decided to become a giveaway enterer of the all or nothing variety.

I realize that none of this is interesting, but for some reason, I felt like I should document this day. Do you ever reach a point in your day when you do something like look at the nearest mountain and think how beautiful your life is? That's the other thing I did today. I do that just about every day, actually. I have absolutely nothing to complain about these days, and I love it. Why doesn't everyone feel like this all the time? What in the world is ever important enough to stop this feeling? 

I know this is a sweeping generalization, but we should all just be happy already.

That is all. Have a lovely June everyone. 

(And thanks Ruth for always posting super cool things on your Tumblr.)