The Sweet

So I think I did a fantastic job of going over the sour moments of my summer, but I did't quite get to the sweet.  And really, the reason we like Sour Patch Kids is that after the lemon lips we pull, there is a delicious chewy sweetness that has us going back for more.  Now onto the sweet . . .

And you know me . . . pictures do speak a thousand words.

Girls Camp: Yep, I get weepy even thinking about it, the kind of weepy that makes you feel alive and whole and blessed.  I loved every beautiful, amazing minute of it! Running in the early morning with the dozens and dozens of deer watching me as I passed; seeing a mouse perfectly outlined on top of aptly named Moose Hill; listening of the Brave Moments of my friends and brave young women; eating fresh hot donuts in the wild wind; and most of all sitting in the sun laughing and chatting for hours on end with wise, kind, gentle, hysterical, insightful women.  Best Girls Camp EVER (yes, I say that every year).

Evenside

Hike

John got to come up and go with Phoebe on the overnight hike (he had to come back early, got really lost, and ran into a group of women doing a sunrise hike--he's quite sure they're still not recovered)

SUMMER SOLSTICE PARTY

Pictures says it all.  FUN.  You'll all be there again next year, yes?

Good by longest day of the year . .. 

Hello Party!!

The kids starting the S'moreing 

The adults finishing up!

COLORADO:  PAGOSA SPRINGS

My sister Doreen has a house in Pagosa Springs, CO that she invites us to every summer.  It's pretty much PARTY for six days straight.  But the kind that has lots of reading, boating, eating, laughing, sun tanning (my favorite), and playing.  Oh yeah, and S'mores.  Lots of S'mores.

Piper and Finn's Favorite part:  Catching a slimy baby snake.

Mini Golf.

TV watching between swimming and fishing.

Horse Ranch dinner with beautiful horses to pet and meet.

Train ride from Silverton to Durango. Holy cow was it beautiful.  Course, I had taken a Dramamine for the horrible carsickness I'd gotten on the ride up . . . so I may have had the best sleep of my life on the way down.  "You missed a lot," the kids said.  Maybe, but that sleep was sure sweet!

Treasure hunt.  We may have made them CRAZY, but the treasure was worth it.

Jacobs Arch (I think), driving back.  Pretty much the BEST trip ever!

But really . . . Meetting Evie was pretty much the highlight of July.

THE HILL CUMORAH PAGEANT wasn't too bad either.

My friends, Lori and Heidi (we were in all our scenes together--sort of like hours of chatting with some of the smartest, funniest, and wise women I've met)

The blind see!  John as the blind man.  He looks pretty amazing in his old man get up, yes?

Only Family photo (which might have made phoebe crazy).  Yep, we wore this every night for two weeks.

One of the best parts of Pageant was . . . family (here with Joseph's kids--my brother)

Joseph and his kids and that darn Blind Man

And these are the twenty 13 year old boys I got to spend every day with.  I'll admit it, I totally loved it and cried when I left them.  

My sister Jayne.  Two week being tent neighbors.  Much much better than New Hampshire and Utah.

Bec and Bryce (John's sister and family) came to visit (from Canada!!)--more sweetness and family.

But this might top it all.  That massive ice cream is REAL and it's only a MEDIUM.  She swears she eats one or two a week and eat's it ALL.  Goo Chill and Grill.

Oh, yeah, Niagra Falls with Cousins.  Wet and awesome!

And this is only two of my siblings and their families.

I know, how could I have a hard summer with all this fun and family and beauty.  I am, it turns out, very very LAME.  But I am fully aware that I'm insanely lucky and blessed.  I'm telling you, there was a LOT of SWEET.

My little sister Barbara came to pageant to be with all of us.  We got to have a morning walk through the quiet of the Sacred Grove talking about and maybe crying a little bit about our Sweet Mary.

Mary, my namesake, has a condition that makes her incompatible (what an ugly word) for life outside the womb.  So we get to enjoy her and meet her while she's kicking around in the safe womb.  And I'm telling you, when I talked, she was listening.  Mary's know Mary's.

Four of the eight.  Pretty darn Sweet.

And back . . . to EVIE (and Kyra and Patrick . . . but really EVIE)

And here's where the car broke down . . . but honestly, isn't it breathtaking?  And this is just one of the countless mountains surrounding the Ranch.  I'm telling you, breathtaking.

My favorite picture from Calgary . . . pretty much a week of wilderness and then city deliciousness (Bec may be one of the best cooks EVER . . . yes, I always wear my stretchy pants when I'm visiting her.  I can't get enough of her cooking!)

That's the photos of the sweetness.  I don't have photos of the breakfasts and lunches with friends who made me laugh until I cried or of phone calls chatting about nothing and everything or my kids literally making me pee my pants.  But I have them in my heart.

I'm not sure I emphasized this enough in my last entry, but I'm coming right out and saying it in this one, most of my weeping was caused by my own stupid pride and self pity.  I'm not saying that there weren't a few things that helped matters along, but thanks to a lot of factors (probably mostly not sleeping enough because I was having too darn much fun), I stopped being able to see clearly and everything got cloudy and I forgot to let in and open up to the people around me.  Then darn self pity slips it's lonely hand in mine and I'm done for.

That's why I'm so grateful for tender mercies of a loving God.  Or I think in my case, a swift kick in the butt, reminding me of my sister-in-law and all the times I didn't know or see and really, GET OUT OF YOURSELF!

I cannot tell you how much the last three weeks have changed me.  I feel completely renewed.  I wish that meant I was perfect, but alas, my yelling at the kids as they woke me from a rather delicious sleep this morning throws that right out the window.  But I feel soft and tender and open.  I feel like giving the benefit of the doubt (or I'm trying to) and feel like life is beautiful again.

So here's to all of you who helped me.  Who love me despite my obvious blindness and pigheaded self pity. You know, I couldn't do any of this without YOU.