Berry Pickin'

Ever been raspberry picking? This was my first time and it was lots of fun...but picking raspberries was different than I thought it would be. For some reason I thought it was going to be more of a leisurely activity. I imagined me in this big sun hat, sipping on some lemonade, and just enjoying my afternoon while gathering up some raspberries...without breaking a sweat.

Don't ask me why I thought that since we all know working in the field is hard work! How naive of me to think it was going to be easy. Only an hour or so of picking was mostly just tiring than hard, but doing that all day everyday would be. All that bending down in the heat had me sweating like crazy and Eric and I combined only picked 2 pounds. I wouldn't last a day in the fields. I admire the people who work in the field so much more now that I've done it for one whole hour.

I learned that raspberries like shade and all the good ones are on the bottom, so you have to get down and dirty to get the yummy ones. But watch out for those nasty creepy crawlers:

Love Leila's face.

Guthrie and Violet.

We took home enough raspberries to make 5 batches of jam. Mmm, it came out so good I'm not buying store bought jam again. Thanks to Laura for introducing us to this hidden gem.

Quarter

A couple weeks ago Emma asked me if I was ready for my quarter life crisis. "Quarter life crisis?" I asked, "yeah, since the mid-life crisis is at 50, the quarter life crisis happens at 25 and it's usually not as sad and unusual as the mid life crisis is depicted to be". Interesting Emma...I hadn't really seen it that way but now it's got me thinking.

As I'm becoming older and doing "grown up" things like starting a family and looking at buying a home, I definitely feel like I'm no longer an adolescent and have entered the world of adulthood. Sometimes I'll look at my life and can't believe that I'm a grown up with responsibilities like a baby and possibly soon...a mortgage! Getting older has never been daunting for me (I guess if you're in your early 20's it never really is) and can be exciting because I'm usually the youngest...I'm the youngest in my family, amongst my peers, co-workers, and close friends. That's not the case anymore so that part of getting old is weird. But I think 25 is a great age... I'm at a really happy stage in my life right now. Life is good. I doubt I'll have the same feelings next year. Well, actually it'll be my golden birthday so the one after that won't be so fun.

My 25th birthday was a perfect day.

Eric made me breakfast, Leila took a nice long nap, had a gourmet lunch at McDonald's, and spent the day at Scera pool (I'm glad Seven Peaks was closed because I secretly like Scera better).

That night only got better...dinner with friends and we were all kid-less! Pics to come.

Summer Lovin'

We didn't have an exciting or exotic vacation planned for this summer...but we've still had a blast around town and have tried to drink up every bit of summer this year. Because no one likes to read a travel log, here are some tidbits of what we've been up to in the great outdoors.

Movies in the park
Nothing screams summer more than movies in the park and under the stars. We saw Big, haven't seen that one in ages!

Park in Cottonwood Heights...I'd love to live in this neighborhood.

Chillin' by the lake
Utah Lake may be the stinkiest lake around, but get past the smell and the gnats and it sure can be beautiful at sunset.

Taste of the Valley Festival

The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce put on a great event at the Riverwoods outdoor mall. For only $10 we were able to try bits of food from about 50ish local restaurants and vendors. After we ate to our bellies' content, we were able to vote on our favorites. My favorite was Crio Bru for their cocoa drink, they won Most Unique.
Other awards:
Best Presentation: La Jolla Groves
Best Hospitality: Goodwood BBQ
Best Kept Secret: Coney's
Best Taste of the Valley: Cafe Paesan

We went with our friends Julie and Curtis and all agreed that it was the best $10 we've ever spent.

By the way, I'm loving the newly renovated Riverwoods Mall. Live music + misters to keep us cool + water fountain for the kids to play in + cool lighting + promenade  = great ambiance.

I'm always taking pictures of Eric mid bite.

Provo Rooftop Concert Series
During the Summer months there are free concerts on the rooftop of a parking garage in Provo. Who doesn't enjoy free concerts on a roof?

Seven Peaks

...we sure have gotten our money's worth out of our passes!

Leila sharing her graham cracker with Daddy.

Little Leila and Jadie in their adorable matching hats. Love these girls.

Leila and Violet

Olympic Park
We took my sister, niece, and her boyfriend to Olympic Park while they were here for Leila's 1st birthday.

K120

We rode the world's steepest zipline (but I think it could've been steeper)...

...and we couldn't forget the alpine slide. We had to show these Californians what Utah's all about.

Happy Summer!

The Hills are Alive

...with The Sound of Music!!!

Hands down, this is my favorite movie of all time. I'd watch it with my sister and my mom over and over again. If I'm down, The Sound of Music (and the soundtrack) will always cheer me up and I sing Edelweiss and Favorite Things to Leila on the daily.

I was stoked when we saw the billboard that The Sound of Music was playing at Sundance. No ifs, ands, or butts...we were going. We waited 'til the last minute to buy tickets and they were completely SOLD OUT! To say that I was devastated was an understatement.

We had to find a way to see the show...and my sweet husband did. He was able to work his magic and surprised me with tickets. Eric tried to keep it a surprise until the night of the show (he's not very good at keeping secrets from me) and when he spilled the beans I was elated...you would've thought I won the lottery.

The resort's outdoor summer theater was perfect for this play and offered amazing views of Mt. Timpanogos. We were able to snuggle on a blanket under the stars.

I may or may not have gotten emotional several times during the show and possibly even got a lump in my throat when Captain von Trapp sang Edelweiss.



BONUS: It was a sing along version so Eric and I both (we were both surprised by how many songs he knew) were able to sing with the audience.

This was definitely a highlight of my Summer.

207/365

I have the day off.

It's a gorgeous day and 90 degrees outside.
What to do?
Go for a nature walk/run up Bridal Veil and teach Leila about the great outdoors!

"Life has no limits if you're not afraid to get in it."

There's always room for a nutritious treat (blueberries, strawberries, carrots, beats, broccoli, spinach, kale, and lettuce all combined in one cup...delicious) before nap time. 

SIDE NOTE: Was a storm in the forecast today? Because it's seriously pouring cats and dogs right now and thundering outside...oh now its HAILING! WHAT??? 

It only started 20 minutes ago and now everything by my open windows is soaked and the rain gutter is gushing out water. It's coming down! 

I love summer thunderstorms...except when they wake up my baby!

Thanks Instagram for helping me capture my day thru my phone (so much easier to capture small moments instead of always having to lug around my beefy DSLR).