once upon a summer evening

When we were in Idaho, Daniel and I had a chance to sneak away from the family reunion festivities and catch a double feature at the drive-in.  We saw Despicable Me, and Robin Hood.  We both loved Despicable me, and of course, I slept through Robin Hood, but Daniel says it was a good one.  I was looking through pictures this evening and had to post this.  Please excuse the double chin and grainy exposure.  It was pretty dark out, but it's a fun picture to remember our date to the drive-in.  With a baby coming in less than 10 weeks, I kind of doubt we'll be pulling late nights like this for a while! 

Saturday

It was a great weekend, even if it was so busy that I've got a dryer full of whites waiting to be folded (they've been there since Thursday night).

I've been thinking however, that one of the best parts of summer is the busyness.  I love having lots to do and enjoy.

We needed an oil change and tire rotation, and I had this idea that if we didn't have our car at the shop right when it opened, wouldn't be able to get anything else done that day.  So I dragged Daniel out of bed at 7:45 to make it to the shop by 8:00 so I could make it to the triathlon by 8:30.  We were the only ones there, but it was nice to get that out of the way.   

Early Saturday morning, I helped with this years triathlon.  Directing biker traffic was so, so much easier than participating.  A couple of people actually asked if I was participating.  I would have thought the 28 week pregnant belly would have been obvious, but perhaps not.  I enjoyed cheering for all those who did participate, because it made me remember all too clearly the emotional aspect of such a race.

My busy day had a quiet interlude where I had a quick lunch and prepared my Relief Society Lesson on the Church during Christ's time.     

After lunch Daniel and I did our grocery shopping (got some great produce at Fred Meyers), picked up our car from the shop, and then retreated to my parents pool.  There's nothing better than swimming on a hot summer afternoon.  The rest of the evening we spent enjoying the pool and their air conditioning.

We ended the trip with a second trip to Fred Meyer after a helpful tip-off from my mom that they had men's shorts on clearance for $7.00.  Daniel was down to one pair, so this wasn't something to pass up.  He's now got a couple more pairs and should be good for the rest of the summer. 

It was 10:30 when we finally got home, and I decided a root beer float was necessary for putting the finishing touches on my lesson.  It was an easy decision really.  I'd been having a couple days of near constant hunger(which leads me to think this little baby is starting a growth spurt!), and who knows the next time I'll be able to justify carrot cake after dinner, and a root beer float before bed! (Thank goodness I passed my gestational diabetes test!)

Camping part 1

The weekend after we got back from Idaho, we joined our good friends Joey and Brianne on a little camping trip.  This was something new for Daniel and I.  In the five years we've been together (our 4th wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple weeks) we'd never gone camping.  I actually didn't think we'd ever go camping, as Daniel is the kind of guy that really prefers being comfortable to being outside sleeping on an air mattress. 

Anyway, we couldn't turn down the invitation to try camping with our friends, and it worked out to be a really great time.  I was hesitant about camping at 25 weeks, seeing as I usually have a couple trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night and at a State Park, you never know how close to the bathroom you'll be, or ow scary/sanitary the bathrooms are.

We ended up camping at Sequim Bay State Park, and had a site that was almost right across from a surprisingly clean restroom.  It worked out perfectly, and I had no complaints. 

I'd never been to Sequim before but I'd heard it was the driest spot in all of Washington.  When we got there, it looked more like we were in California, and it was perfectly sunny and warm without a cloud in the sky.  I can definitely see going back there maybe in the winter, for a break from all the rain we get!  Here are some pictures from the first part of our adventure!

The view along Hwy 101 on the way up the Peninsula

Apparently Sequim is known for its lavender fields.  This was a lavender farm we stopped at.

Yes, we tried Lavender Ice Cream...it tasted good going down, but burping lavender essence hours later wasn't so great.

There was a wedding going on at the farm.  It was such a nice day and a beautiful backdrop.

I don't have anything to say about this picture, except I was camping...not my most glamorous moment (and still feeling frumpy)!

Daniel was putting his Eagle Scout skills to use monitoring the fire...ha!

Camping part 2, our excursion to visit the Dungeness Spit coming soon!

July activities part 1

Did I mention that Daniel and I went on a road trip a couple weeks ago?  No? How clumsy of me.

Not that I post regularly enough for my absence to even be noticed...

Anyway very early a couple Wednesday mornings ago, we got all loaded up and drove with my two younger brothers to Driggs, ID.  Our route looked a lot like this...and took about 14 hours.

Even though we made good time, and had no traffic it was still a long day! When we pulled our tired bodies into Grandma Green's driveway in Driggs, it was such a relief to be there.  My Grandma Green is the sweetest little lady, and it had been three years since I'd seen her last.  One of her traditions is to make a quilt for each of her grand children that get married.  There were several weddings in 2006, and she had just finished our quilt in time for us to take it home with us.

 

This quilt is so beautiful and I know how much time Grandma puts into a quilt.  I'm pretty sure I'll always love it!

The next happening on our road trip was when Daniel and I ventured to Rexburg. I should explain that we moved from Rexburg 3 years ago, and it took me all three years before I was ready to go back, even for a visit.  One of my best friends and former roommates still lives there, and was kind enough to take some time off work to hang out with us.  When we moved from Rexburg, they hadn't completed the Temple, so I knew it was going to have to be one of the first things we checked out. 

After checking out the temple, we gave my little brother a quick tour of BYU-I, where he is thinking of attending in a couple years.  There have been so many changes on campus that I hardly recognized a couple of the buildings.  It was neat to be back, and I remember why I loved going to school there.

We finished our little trip to Rexburg with all you can eat pizza at Craigos.  It was to die for.  I have missed that pizza more than anything else about that town.  I had way too many pieces, so if you think I look pregnant in the pictures above, I'm sure it was exemplified after stuffing myself with lunch.  We also picked up Sonic happy hour drinks on the way back to Driggs.  I love that place.  We got three huge drinks for $2.69. 

Clearly the high points of my trip involved more food than should be consumed in one afternoon.  I had to pack it all in though, because we don't have either a sonic or craigos in Olympia, and it's hard to justify a 14 hour road trip just for pizza.

The next couple of days were spent at a huge Green Family Reunion in Teton Valley, and because I'm not the greatest blogger ever, I didn't take a single picture and don't have much to say about it.  It was very fun to see cousins that I haven't seen in years, and I got an awesome farmers tan.  I think it comes with the location. 

I'll have another vacation post of last weekends activities coming up soon, so stay tuned for a camping trip at 25 weeks pregnant!

my plan of attack

For the first time all summer, it has been hot! I love summer, and I don't want to complain about the sunshine or heat.  So I've been creating a plan of attack for surviving the long hours stuck at my desk

For those who don't remember, I work in an old brick building and when the sun comes out, it's a lot like an oven.  On these warm summer days, it's hard to stay cool at work.  Yesterday I tried my luck with an icee from Target. It was good, but melted really quickly, and wasn't quite what I was looking for.  Today on my lunch break, I had to get gas, and since the Costco closest to my work, is conveniently close to Jamba Juice, and I had a $1 off coupon, and a gift card I couldn't resist.  I didn't even mind waiting in line for Gas at Costco, as I got to enjoy the air conditioning a little longer.  I'm also looking forward to a meeting in an air conditioned building in an hour.

More than any of that however, I'm looking forward to 5:00, when I can get off work and go swim at my parents pool.  I went last night for an hour and a half and it was quite refreshing.

Here's to hoping the sunshine sticks around for the weekend for more swimming!

is this asking too much?

Dear Birds outside my bedroom window,

If I wanted to wake up at 4:30 every morning, I would make sure to set my alarm.  As it is, I know you're happy to see the sunrise, but I'd rather sleep.  Maybe if it's not too much trouble you can make a new nest somewhere else?!  There's a wonderful forest just at the other end of the parking lot which I think you would find quite suitable.  Any objections to this request will be considered between the hours of 7:00 AM - 10:30 PM.

Thank you in advance,

Alicia

"Celebrate Summer - Sun drenched days and starlit nights..."

As is usually the case during the summer, I had a fabulous weekend with family and friends. On Friday, Daniel and I crashed Mike and Cindy's vacation at my uncle's houses on Mason Lake. It was fun to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I took Friday afternoon off, and it was the perfect day to not be stuck inside a stuffy, old brick building. Friday night we watched Toy Story 2 under the stars. I loved looking up in the middle of the movie to see a sky full of stars. We were out in the middle of nowhere, so the stars were extra bright. I'm still sore from tubing on Saturday, but it's a fun kind of sore. It just means we played hard. I love summer, and spending time at the lake is one of my favorite activities. Sadly, I didn't pull out my camera once, so hopefully my pictures from Sunday make up for it.

On Sunday we went to Nathan's missionary homecoming talk. My parents ward meets at 9:00, which felt really early, but left us with a wonderfully long afternoon. Instead of going to 6 hours of church, we got a substitute for our primary class, and after morning church, spent the afternoon having lunch with family. That evening I got together with two of my best friends from high school since one was here from Utah. We met up at Priest Point Park, and walked down to the water. It was fun to catch up and enjoy a relaxing evening. Thanks Emily and Liz for an evening remembering why I love you guys!

I love Olympia in the summer. I love life in the summer, it fills me with so much hope and gratitude. Some of my favorite summer things as of late are:

Waking up to daylight, even if it's early
Crisp morning air
The stars at night
Playing in my parents pool
Summer skirts
Summer fruit
Popsicles
Spending time outside
Exercising outdoors
Spending time with family
Sunshine!