WOW, it sure has been a while since I have been posting. I have been keeping really busy lately. Let me post some updated pictures of my work... though... like usual, they are a little outdated.... heehee!












This is when I was at the "half way" mark in laying the flagstone... anyway! It has been a lot of work, but very enjoyable! I also painted this door frame that leads from the garage to the outside (back) door.... it says "Adventures Begin Here"... Kind of fun!
















Other than laying stone on the weekends, I have been keeping busy getting things ready for winter. There is just so much to do. One thing I have been doing for school lately is service learning. That is where I do community service hours for an organization as part of my class. I have LOVED it! I volunteer at Hooper Elementary in their resource class. I have 3 cute little kids that I work with, and they have a special place in my heart. These kids are so smart. I truly believe that if parents and teachers would be more encouraging (not saying that they are not....), than kids with disabilities would have a better self esteem (heaven knows that they are not receiving it from their peers.) Anyway, we have fun! It has strengthened my desire to go into Special Education!

And last but not least... I am really enjoying the Student Ward that I attend. I just received a calling... Ward Missionary! Yup! I am really excited.... I think this excitement magnified when I got my companion... she is so adorable. I know that we will work good together. This is a growing area for me, even though I was a full-time missionary before, but this will help me to overcome my fears of meeting new people and talking to them. Yes, over the past 6 years I have developed a bit of a phobia... but this will help me get back to how I used to be!

TTFN

Flagstone

I have been doing something very therapeutic lately! I know this will sound far from therapeutic, but I think it's been that way for me. I have been laying flagstone around our fire pit. It has been a lot of fun for me. For those who know me, I really love puzzles, and I look at this as a giant puzzle! It is so much fun. I also put out some pea gravel and the bird bath this weekend. I am just determined to get things going in our project area.



I've had my church records moved to a University Singles Ward. I am now a member of the University 12th Ward.... WOOHOO! I have had so much fun there. The Lord's timing always amazes me. I know that it is where I am supposed to be right now in my life. I will miss my old home Ward very much, but I look forward to meeting new people and making more friends.

As I was spreading out the pea gravel this weekend, I found a new friend... yes, he is a bat, and yes, he looks really mean, but he was so cute! I made my brother move him to a ditch pipe to live and eat all the mosquitoes to his hearts desire!

A Sad Day!

I just read the news that Stephanie Meyer has a hold on her novel Midnight Sun (it's Twilight written from Edwards perspective) ... because someone posted a draft of it online without her consent, etc. So she has decided to put it on hold.... she may never pick it back up again..... truly sad for those of us who are honest were excited about its release!

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

Mama Mia!

I went and saw this movie.... I was laughing SOOOO hard that I was not just crying... but sobbing!

I can't say anymore than.... I loved it!

;o)

Camping

I finally got my camping photo's back! PLUS, Dad was good to give me some of the pictures he took too... WOOHOO! I am so excited!! There is SOO much to post, so many stories, so many memories. It was a vacation I REALLY needed.




This is what camp looked like. We are right on the edge of a beaver pond, and believe me... they are fun to watch. Just don't try to talk to one (clicking your tongue) or they will get upset.... believe me... I KNOW!! My tent is the red one in the center... Dad and Sharon's is hidden!!!


Dad and I went on this hike that was..... oh... just over a couple ridges.... and up to a peak! We were gone from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM..... it was a lovely long hike that I will always cherish! The scenery was perfect, and the sounds were calming!! We heard a hawk screech and it echoed all through the valley! That was so cool. I felt like I was in a movie. It was a pretty cool day (temperature wise) and that just added to the beauty of it. Dad and I had a lovely time talking about religious subjects and just plain life. It was wonderful spending this time with him. Something I will always cherish!


My Grandma Leak loves Indian Paintbrushes (the red flowers behind me in the picture). We saw SOOO many up there. They were beautiful.




















We were able to see a couple Bucks (Deer)... They stood there SOOOO still... If we didn't stop to catch our breath, we would have missed them! They were so beautiful!! I named them "Bucky" (the older one), and "Boy" (the younger).























The next day we went on another hike to Bacon Creek Saddle. (NOTE: We both had blisters from the previous hike... so this one wasn't TOO far, but still very enjoyable.) We both took our journals and found this dead tree to sit on. As we were writing, I noticed that this black butterfly was attracted to my camel-back (backpack). I tried many times to get it to climb on my finger. It was the coolest thing when it actually did crawl on there!! No words will ever describe my "Spots". She was the prettiest thing. Her oval eyes were Grey, and her face was fuzzy... she was lovely! After she flew away, she came back to my bag ( I think she was as curious about me as I was her!). I waved my hand in the bye-bye motion, and she flapped her wings. It was sweet! "Spots" holds a spot in my heart!







































The last pictures I will post are of the sunrise and sunset! These don't do it justice... but they are pretty to look at anyway!


















We always had hot cocoa every morning! Here is a picture of my last day drinking hot cocoa with Dad and Sharon~

I had a wonderful time! There is so much more that I didn't include... It was a wonderful vacation!

Beat It!!

Last night, mom and I picked beats and topped them. I was sad to see them go, but I guess that we are coming up on that time of the year when you are able to reap the harvest of your labors. We have really been blessed with TONS of yummy veggies. I am still offering Zucchini's for free!! We didn't have very many beats... which is ok.... I was surprised they even came up this year! We hope to get a half dozen bottles out of them. YUM!
After we picked the beats, I decided to weed my carrots and re-build the row (that is how I like to weed.... just tear it all up, and then rebuild it later!!) I knew I was pushing it with time, meaning, it was getting close to my bedtime, but I couldn't pull myself away! We picked our first tomato, and loads of Zucchini's, along with some squash and peppers. I love this time of the Gardening Year!
To back up a little... I have to go to bed around 9:00 PM, because I have to get up at 4:00 AM. Technically, I should be going to bed by 8:00 PM, because I need ALL the beauty sleep I can get! Why, you ask?! Because our Governor has forced us to work four 10 hour days! That is grand and all, for those who don't want any kind of life during the week. I get home around 7:30 PM, and you'd be surprised how fast an hour and a half goes!! At least it gives me an excuse to not date... that I can thank the Gov'nah for!!
I went camping with Dad and Sharon this past week... I will save the spill for another post... when I can show my pictures!! They are being developed as we speak! I have to just say this... It was incredible! Just what I needed! More to come....
Oh, I wanted to post this picture of this animal. As I was coming in last night, I saw this ... thing... licking the flowers. It was really neat. Pictures just don't do it justice. It reminded me of a humming bird (fast wings) mixed with a butterfly.... maybe that is all it is... a "hummfly"?!?!
Well, happy trails!

Garden Bliss

Can I just say that I truly enjoy gardening?! I finally got my pictures on this computer. Funny thing is.... now my garden is twice as big!! Today I picked 2 peppers and 3 zucchini's. Funny story about the zucc's (pronounced: z-oo-k-s), this year I only planted 5 pockets on my mound (meaning, I poked 5 holes with my thumb and put 3 seeds in each hole) where as last year I did 7-9 holes.....haha, yeah, we had zucc's coming out of our ears! So I thought I was pretty safe this year by just doing 5......and I thought I was even MORE safe when only 4 plants came up....I was wrong! One day, I was out whacking morning glory with my hoe, when I noticed that what I had just hit was either a squash or zucchini plant. I looked around, and wouldn't you know, there were two others just growing out of no where!! Actually, they were from my last years crop.... who knew that they would be annuals?!?! Our neighbor who we pay to come and plow our field must have dragged some seeds to a new location and WALAH! we have even more zucchini that last year! It's kind of funny, because this year I bought a new kind of zucc, so now I have 2 different kinds in my garden. By looking at what is producing now... I will be picking zucc's everyday for the rest of my life!! BUT, I am grateful we have crops this year, and I am grateful for those blasted zucc's!















Zucchini













overall look @ garden













Cute little corn (which has now tripled in size!!)














Tiny tomatoes!! They too have tripled!

Here are a couple of pictures of our flowers in our front yard.... to pretty to not share~