today's the day you two...

we're so excited!  happy wedding day!

doggie friday

it's been a very long time since i've done a "doggie friday" post.  i like those posts.  so i'm going to bring them back.  because my dogs are just that adorable and i love them a lot.

this doggie friday isn't because my dogs have done anything spectacular this week.  just the usual "eat, sleep, play, give mom kisses, be good dogs, go on walks" week for them.  but this picture sure is cute of Briggs and his grandma.  he loves his grandma.  she gives him lots of treats.

i think i need one

I often get my wants and needs mixed up, but I’m pretty sure this is a need. I need to feel the wind in my hair, adrenaline rush from no seat belt – doors – or any sort of boundary and constraint a normal vehicle has, and the common bond you have with every other motorcyclist on the road. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can’t live without any of those things. And I thought the world looked different driving in a Cruiser. Boy was I wrong.

have you ever seen anyone so excited?!

 Of course, Gordon would be my biker man. Heavens no…I will not be driving one myself. That I don’t need.

i'm sure his wife would say he's smokin hot!

It's my father-in-law's birthday today!

Here are 5 reasons I (& Gordon too) love Kim.

1.  He is fantastic dad and husband.  His family is first in his life and it shows.

2.  He loves the outdoors.  And goes hiking year around.  Shoot, he goes hiking daily.  I envy that.  Oh, and the backpacking trips...I've see the pictures after they are home and the places they have been to are out of this world!

3.  He holds and honors the priesthood.  And has a unshakable testimony of the gospel.  He's a great example to all.

4.  He is unselfish.  He's always willing to help, no matter who or what.

5.  He is very smart, knowledgeable, and intelligent.  He knows it all.  And if by chance he doesn't, he'll research the heck of it and then know all about it.

Happy Birthday Kim!  We love you!

24 hour vacation

It was nice to get away, even if for a short while, to one of my favorite places – Bear Lake. We’ll be visiting there again soon, but we’re staying much longer this time. 24 hours is just long enough to for a taste…I want to indulge myself in all that it has to offer. Bike rides, beach walks, morning runs, raspberry shakes, cinnamon & sugar donut holes, suntans (or sunburns), wave running, snow cones with cream on top…oh I can hardly wait!

It’s what we do best when we get together as a family

Eat. A lot. Yummy delicious food. And homemade ice cream. Can’t forget my Uncle Larry’s homemade ice cream.

My Uncle Tim, Aunt Yuka, cousin Mat, and their adorable dog Ivy are visiting from Texas. My family had a BBQ in their honor this past Saturday which also happened to be Pioneer Day. Lots of laughs, story telling, I made homemade guacamole (no pictures…can you believe it?!), and we had a big group dog walk lit by the moonlight that evening. Family time is the best.

closet hobby

the box to this hobby Gordon has taken up (not recently mind you, but just got into it again) says "this is not a toy, but a sophisticated hobby product." 

for dorks. 

Gordon will admit this hobby is very dorky, but fun.  i'll admit, i have fun watching Briggs chase this desert truck all around.  he thinks it's a toy.  a fast moving, 50 mile an hour toy.  he gets pretty close to catching it too.  he's pretty fast.  it's very entertaining to watch.  although i don't think Briggs will be so gentle with it if he ever actually catches it...and i don't think Gordon will be so gentle with Briggs if this happens either.  let's hope that it just continues to be fun.  for both of them.

when it's 100 degrees outside you've gotta cool yourself out somehow

and we choose to do that with food.  frozen yogurt to be specific.  topped with whatever we feel like that day.  very cooling.

in the still of the night

i love fireworks, but hate the traffic that follows them once they are through.  this year we've been fortunate enough to either ride our bikes to see go see them, or hike up our street to the get a mountain view.  the mountain view was nice and probably my preferred way. the dogs got to come since we were far enough the noise didn't scare them.  and it was very quiet and still up there at night.  it was just me, my husband, our dogs, and fireworks.  it was wonderful.

happy birthday abbi girl!

Saturday, July 17th was my dear sweet Abbi's birthday.  She turned five.  I think this was a hard birthday for her.  She's 35 in dog years...she's not a young pup any more.  She's out of her twenties now.

We celebrated with new delicious all natural peanut butter doggie treats, a new squeeky toy with ropes that she can chew on (and it gives her an advantage when she's playing with her brother), and a beautiful new necklace (aka collar).  And lots and lots of attention, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for her.  She's my princess.

favorite summer treat

grilled pineapple, topped with vanilla frozen yogurt and caramel.  try it, then thank me.

won't you be my neighbor?

Yes, they will!  And we're super excited about it!!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

Only 3 more weeks til you're Mr. & Mrs. Matt Hardcastle!

root root root for the home team!

especially when they win; it's much easier to root for them then.

aren't we just the cutest siblings you've ever seen!

all my hard work

to be ruined after one bite.  one delicious bite.  i guess that's why i work out.  to eat things like this.

  orange dreamsicle cookie

thank you Jodi for one of the best cookies i have ever had.

a tradition to jump start you into domestic living.

tying a quilt makes you that much more domesticated...at least i think it does.  but i love this tradition that Gordon's family has for wedding showers.  and i'm sure Jenny does too, since she just got a very beautiful quilt.

and to add to my list of domestic talents, i got to make my favorite things for the shower...cupcakes. 

Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.  yum!

i'm a fan BUT

i'm not one of those fans.  Yes i have a team (team Jacob), but i didn't go and see the midnight showing of the movie.  i waited a good long week before i went and saw it.  but i'll tell you what...i wished i would have seen the midnight showing because i thoroughly enjoyed every second of the movie.

And it's a great excuse for some of the girls in my family to get together (and my dear friend Misha who just so happened to be in town from sunny California when we went to see it...she's one of those fans).

we went to Sonora Grill for dinner.  i got salmon tacos.  they were delicious.

and fresh guacamole made right at your table...can't get much fresher than that.

he loves me this much

Believe me, he wouldn’t have done this if he didn’t love me. Because he didn’t do it for Briggs.

i just couldn't live without this mug!

it was totally worth the seventy five cents i paid for it. 

awh, the joys of thrifting.

now if only i could find some more skirts that i just can't live without...

four dollar skirts are the best!

saturday

Gordon will agree with me on this one, this past Saturday was one of the best days ever. Why? Because our mode of transportation was our bikes. We rode our bikes to lunch. The dogs came too (in the bike baskets of course). We went to Pelotons. And when they brought out our food they brought out 2 doggie treats. This may be my new favorite place to eat! Not to mention, the food is yummy. But it was the complimentary dog biscuits that sold me.

Later that night we rode to watch fireworks. Stopped to get some firework snacks: mint chocolate chip milk shake, onions rings, and fries…Heart attack! Best part? No waiting in traffic after they were over.

We could get use to this whole commuting by bike thing.

bocce ball champions? not quite.

We had a great time celebrating the 4th of July with our family. Yummy homemade hamburgers (hand pressed and all…Gordon is becoming quite the grill master where hamburgers are concerned), delicious salads, a patriotic dessert made by Jenny (oh so fancy), and backyard games. Don't those things not just scream Independence Day! Or maybe just summer.

happy holiday weekend!

I'm proud to be an American. 

America: where the donuts are bigger than your head.

to be funny, my friend Teresa gave me this giant donut on my birthday. 
she knows i never eat them...i did have a little of this one though.  just the frosting part.  that's better right?