Summer Highlights, vol. 08

Hoooooo- boy.....

So this is my last weekday before school starts on Monday. Reality is trying its best to sink in, but this beautiful, sunny 85-degree day certainly is not helping. I just don't know how my summer can be over already. But the fact remains that it is, so I've been reflecting on the past three months and the delightful bits that have made this summer special.

Here, my friends, is the 2008 summer highlight reel:

. The first highlight came before my books were even unpacked from last semester. I can't even tell you how much fun it was to surprise every one of my family members and show up at Mom and Dad's at 5 o'clock in the morning on the weekend of Ben's graduation. And this moment made the whole weekend... and of course brought me to tears:

What a moment, to see a whole gymnasium stand and cheer a young man whose strength and perseverance has been inspiring. Go Ben!

. Then there was the race, that day that made me feel really in shape and strong and totally exhausted all at once. Dang, that was fun!


. And the garden! We planted a few pots on our patio with VERY little expectations, and a few months later we ate our first home-grown veggie! That was the BEST little yellow squash I've ever eaten. The best. Sadly, it's not looking so good for our tomatoes...


. The whirlwind family week! Wow, talk about the best 10 days of over stimulation... bonfires, thunderstorms, a trip to the zoo, witnessing an entire combine crushed into a pancake, more bonfires, a stop in Fargo/NDSU, lunch with old friends and a huge family reunion. Phil and I were thoroughly exhausted and thoroughly recharged with family goodness after that little road trip.

(www.lifeneedsicing.com - my sister rocks!)


. Just a few short weeks after our return from the reunion, we got to take part in a wedding that didn't require driving or flying across the country! That is the first time in three years that we could drive home after the celebration and sleep in our own bed... it was quite a milestone. And I just have to say that Phil's best man toast was a winner. He really is the best dude (but I might be biased).


. And then there was the date-night at the Shakespeare Festival, and the dessert at the Melting Pot, and the Saturday morning bike ride to the market downtown, and the floats down the river...

Yes, it has been a delightful summer. I couldn't have asked for a better one. But I think I'm ready to move on, to start the next great adventure.
So round two of art school? BRING IT ON.

I wish these two all of life's happiness...

Meet Jeremy and Katie. Jeremy was one of the first people Phil and I met when we moved to Boise three years ago. A year later when Katie entered his life, we knew instantly that they were one of those couples that is just meant-to-last. They both have such wonderful spirit, strong faith and "joie de vivre." In five weeks they will be getting married, and we could not be happier for them.

This summer I have had the pleasure of designing and making their invitations and taking their engagement pictures. So pretty much their relationship has single-handedly kept me busy all summer!

My prayer for them as they get ready to begin their marriage is that they always carry with them the happiness, laughter and love that they share right now.

Grow little garden, grow!

Yeah, baby! See those little pots in the corner of the patio? That is our garden - all four square feet of it. Kind of cute, no?

I'm breaking into the green thumb business slowly, but gosh darn I was not going another summer without having fresh grown tomatoes. To be honest, the peppers and yellow squash plants were just bonus. All I really cared about were the tomato plants (just don't tell the others...), but now that the peppers have little flowers on them... let's just say I didn't know one could feel any sort of pride for a plant. I might be hooked on this gardening thing...

Happy today because...

- my house is clean.
- my yard is full of life and growth.
- I have a refrigerator full of fruits and vegetables.
- I got a visit from a friend this morning.
- the weather is perfect for sitting on the patio and sketching.



I've been really enjoying just 'being' lately. Soaking in these beautiful early-summer days, brainstorming, bike-riding, laying in the grass. One of my goals for the summer was to be present and in-the-moment, to live and not just survive. To not just talk about doing something, but to do it. And I am happy to say I feel like I am succeeding.

This weekend Phil and I rode our bikes downtown for the city market. We stopped in the park on the way home and listened to a jazz concert. We drank lemonade and grilled burgers in our backyard. It was everything summer should be.

So I guess I will just end this post by saying that I feel grateful; for the husband I have, for friends that brighten my day, and for the opportunity to embrace it all.

ALMOST THERE...

I have one beastly project left to complete before I can officially say I made it through my FIRST YEAR of graphic design school! What a weird feeling... one whole year done with. And what a year it has been. There was a point just a few short weeks ago where I really didn't know if I would make it to this point, but I'm happy to report things are going well.

Just this afternoon I handed in my last drawing portfolio for the year. It was all about color and seeing things "differently." Here is a small sampling:

This one's for you, Maria...

and Mom. I'm killing two birds with one stone. Maria, enjoy the new internet scenery I hear you are in need of. And Mom, here's what I've been doing with my camera lately.

I present: Photos of a Friend of a Friend and His Wife.