Bumble Bees, Monsoons & Jam

Summer days...sitting on the front porch watching a bumble bee in my flowers.

...watching my baby playing in the down-pour from the summer monsoon rains.

....picking apricots in my mom's backyard

...making jam with my daughter.

SUMMER...MAKES ME HAPPY.

Happy #38

I had my birthday July 18th. I turned 38. This year for my birthday gift, I wanted to redo the middle bathroom. I was tired of the urine yellow colored walls and the crappy $15 dollar faucet that is falling apart. (sorry for the sideways picture)

Out with the old....

In with the new!

I chose a turquoise blue paint, beadboard with some pretty molding for the walls.

I went to a antique store and purchased these pretty plates to hang on the wall. Next in the future will be to retile the floors and add a new light fixture. I really love the new bathroom. I think it turned out exactly how I pictured I wanted it. Happy birthday to me!

Down The Comal River

Comal River...fun! One of the days in Texas we went tubing down the river. It was about a 3 hours float. I had to buy a waterproof disposable camera for the river-ride.

VACATION

Vacation 2011...headed to AUSTIN TEXAS. A 2 day trip. Day one, drive 12 hours to Albuquerque NM and stay the night in a Marriott. Day 2 drive another 12 hours and arrive in TX. Grandma Coltrin drove out with us. Going to visit Mason's sister Marie, husband and 5 kids.

Sky somewhere over New Mexico.

It's a good thing we bought a DVD player! Grandma in the "way back". Clover and Shelby got car sick. Clover did throw up once. Shelby had to ride the whole time up front (abt a hour after we started the trip).

The car loaded down. In New Mexico the cops watch for low riding vehicles driving (watching for smuggling illegals). It was so funny to watch a cop sitting on the side of the road, see us drive by and then the cop takes off for us. The cop drives up to check us out, punches in our plate number, then pulls off the freeway to head back. It was funny, because we knew what he was doing and why.

Connor chilling with his DS.

Visiting Cousins!

Visiting Ausitn Texas....(the cousins)

Mason's sister was pretty much bedridden, recovering from surgery.

Emily and Clover....they do look like cousins.

Our gummy worms melted in the hot car, so we made a gummy log...it tasted good (if only we could cut the darn thing)

It was so very hot while we were in Texas...103 PLUS thick humidity. This cousins cooled off in the backyard with many water fights.

Andew...funny kid. Emily...not having fun in this shot apparently.

The cousins loved ending their evenings playing games.

Clover and cousin John are only 2 weeks apart. They had fun together.

Connor and Andrew...are 1 year apart in age. They became very close. Connor cried very hard on our way home, because he just really loved Andrew.

Just outside of Austin TX lives Mason's sister Marie and her family. We have never visited Texas before. Our kids don't really know their cousins that live in Texas, so finally we decided to make the 24 hour drive down. It was worth it!!! The kids loved LOVED LOVED, their cousins! We had so much fun.

Nature's Best Art Exibit

We visited the Arches National Park in Moab Utah

The most breathtaking scenery in the USA....I have yet to see anything more grand to even compare a little! If you have never been to Southern Utah to see the arches, it is a MUST! I'm sorry folks, but after visiting there... I have to say nothing even compares (not Michigan, California, Texas, the South....NOTHING COMPARES TO BEAUTIFUL UTAH)