3 MONTHS Since My Last Post? Shame on Me...

I cannot believe how much time has passed since my last blog! My only excuse is...nope, I've got nothin'. There is no excuse.

Still, a lot has happened in these last 3 months.

In April, shortly after my last post, Eric and I took a little vacation down to Salem, Oregon. We visited Willamette University, his alma mater and football stomping grounds. What a beautiful campus! The same care that I remember going into the campus at BYU, just a lot smaller. We also saw a wonderful production of WICKED. My 4th time to see it, Eric's 1st, and he loved it. The theater was beautiful, with an incredible green and white basket weave design inside. They also added to the fun by having green apple flavored drinks in the lobby during intermission. Eric got a green apple smoothie that was to die for!
In May I took a trip to California. No Disneyland adventure this time, but I did have a lot of quality time with my nephew and the trip, as a whole, was a lot less stressful. My first return to CA back in January was spent wrestling with the unemployment office (that has all been sorted out, thank goodness,) and tenants at my CA house over 2 bounced checks (also straightened out.) We also had a little family get together, which was great, because I hadn't seen my aunts and uncles and my cousin, Laura, who was my maid of honor, since my wedding last August.

I digress for a moment to point out that in less than a month, Eric and I will be celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. Isn't that amazing? And, if possible, I love him more now than I did then...*sigh* (happy sigh)

In June we had another CA trip planned with the 2 of us. The purpose was to attend the church wedding of my cousin, Robby, who is in the Air Force and was married 3 years ago in a small civil ceremony. The plan was to make it a big vacation...hotel, rental car, Disneyland, and any other fun that we could pack into 5 days. Unfortunately, life had other plans...

Our white kitty, Ramius, who is only 2 years old, had a dramatic reaction to a vaccine and we ended up taking him to the emergency vet the week before our CA trip. It was a 4 hour, 80-mile round trip odyssey that started at 10pm and ended up costing $300...all for a quick consultation and some under the skin fluids.
The very next day, as we were recovering from a horrible night's sleep, the washing machine died. More $$$.

The following Monday, Eric sprained a ligament in his leg and was in a lot of pain. By Wednesday (we were supposed to leave Thursday, June 9) we still planned to go, but it was not to be. Thursday morning we got up and Eric was in such pain that he just didn't think he could go. I called the airline and cancelled his reservation, and cancelled with the car rental and hotel. I thought, OK, I'll go alone and just stay at my mom's house like in the past.

The kicker came when I called my grandma to change our plans for a visit while I was down there. My dad's wife answered and alerted me of the tragic news...my dad's older brother had been killed in a horrible head-on collision the day before.

At that point I just felt all the wind go out of me. I didn't want to get on a plane. I didn't want to leave my husband. I didn't want to go through all of that. My sweet grandma had lost her remaining child. I felt so bad, but I also knew that she would need her time to grieve before wanting any company. Which led me to plan my upcoming trip next week.

Eric had taken vacation time for our CA trip and still wanted to use it, so we had to think of other things to do locally that were fun and interesting during those 12 days he had free. One of the things we did was go and visit Mount St. Helens. There are several visitor centers along the highway, but the closest one has a fantastic view only 5 miles from the mountain. You feel like you're looking right into it!
My mom came and visited last week and was here for the 4th of July, the biggest event in town. She and I went to the local outlet mall and raided the Coach store, Eddie Bauer, and the Ralph Lauren outlet where she found some beautiful bedding for when she has her bedroom redone. We also took her to Mount St. Helens, which she loved, and enjoyed the 3 days of holiday festivities, all of which take place right down the street at Lake Sacajewa, culminating in a 20 minute firework show the night of the 4th. Although, backyard fireworks are legal here, so the rockets red blare went on until nearly midnight!

See? Busy?

Other than that, life is nice and quiet. I was called to be a teacher in Relief Society at church. My first lesson is on Sunday...Lesson 35 on Obedience. I'm an over-planner, so I'm sure I have more material than I need--I finished prepping yesterday morning--but better to have too much than not enough. I'm just amazed at the church website...so much information! The last time I was a Relief Society teacher, the website didn't even exist (the internet barely existed!)

This Saturday I'm also hosting my 2nd "Ladies Movie/Karaoke Night." The first one, 2 months ago, was a rollicking success, with 12 ladies total from church enjoying a viewing of Tangled on blu-ray and a couple of hours of karaoke using our little homemade setup, plus lots of yummy munchies and a chance to relax and laugh together. We had a great time. This Saturday we're watching Emma, and it looks to be another fun night.

I'm also trying to finish the book for my book club (of which I'm now the leader!) The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. A complicated story, but worth the time and effort.

Happy Summer to all! I'll try and do better about staying updated!