Summer miscellany 2010

We got home from Spokane on Sunday and moved into our house on Wednesday. The longer we are here, the more we love it. We like being forest dwellers =0). One of our fun surprises was finding the entire perimeter of our yard is covered in black and raspberries, yum. We picked about 3 quarts of berries every Sunday for about 4 weeks. Then we would eat them with yogurt for breakfast for 3 days. YUM! Other than all of the things we have had to do, we have spent every possible minute down at the lake, relaxing in the sun. The girls love running down the dock and jumping in. I should say Liv's specialty is jumping in, and Gwen's specialty is being up for a swim with anyone, anytime. We haven't spent nearly enough time there. Our permanent goal is to make our summers completely obligation free so that we can do nothing but relax and play. The last pictures are of Nora and Gwen, when we are down at camp together, there always comes a time when they disappear over at the little play house to make "soup" and other play food out of the leaves and branches around. Inevitably, we don't hear from them again for a couple of hours.

So behind, So behind.....Spokane Family Reunion 2010

We spent a fabulous week in Spokane, at my sister KariAnn's house. KariAnn and Chad did a super job entertaining us, all 28 of us. It was so easy, and fun. The best parts: MY WHOLE FAMILY WAS TOGETHER!, the weather was amazing, the cousins had a great time together. I love these kids, and my brothers and sisters. I wish they all lived next door, I'm very lucky to have them.

We spent most of the time at the lake skiing, tubing, wake boarding, wake skating, sand castle making, sun soaking, and at the cabin, hiking, four-wheeling, and adventuring. The adventure this year was a Ranger adventure. All of the kids proved themselves by trying out for the rangers. It may have been my favorite adventure yet. Liv found that she has a special gift to be a healer, and Gwen as a sharp shooting ranger. One of these pictures, was my favorite memory. Elise forgot to bring her cloak to the cabin, so Gwen shared hers with Elise. It was so cute to see the two little girls hiding under the same cloak. If don't know anything about the rangers, they have magic cloaks that allow them to hide without being detected in nature.... amazing!

I always say this, and I will say it again, there is nothing like being with family, it is definitely my favorite place to be. Love you guys!!!

Guatemala 2010

We took a trip to Guatemala at the first of this month. It was definitely one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I might even call it life changing. We were thrown right into the village peoples lives. We interacted with them and they invited us into their homes. I found it amazing how much I was able to connect with people when we didn't even speak the same language. I made friends, friends I hope to see again (maybe not until heaven). We'll definitely do it again, hopefully many times. (if you click on any of these pictures, you should be able to see my whole photo stream on Flickr.)

Angi's visit

We've all decided. . . Angi can move in forever. She is so fun to have around, we loved every minute of it. I'm a lucky girl to have such a great sister. Love you Angi, see you very soon!