A Smile from the Lord...

Yesterday we had a wonderful rainstorm that washed away the heat and fed my garden. There was the most amazing double rainbow for about 45 minutes afterward. Aaron hiked up the mountain to take these photos.

I love rainbows... they make me feel like God is smiling upon us.

Incubus...

For Aaron and my birthdays, my father bought us tickets to see Incubus at The Joint in Vegas. The Joint is the venue inside the Hardrock Hotel. It was really nice... all of the tickets were general admission "standing room only," which was so much fun. We were in the pit the entire time, in fact only 15 feet or so from the stage. The opening band was The Duke Spirit. We'd heard a couple of their songs played on Denver stations, so that was kinda fun. The singer was a female, and I'd never seen a band (in person) with a female lead. Her voice was really unique. She wore this sequin dress that was blinding when the lights hit it. That's why I didn't post any photos of them...

Incubus' music has always been a big thing for me. In fact, many of my most significant memories have their music in the background. The first time I fell in love, when that love fell apart, rebuilding, dating Aaron and falling for him... the list goes on and on. It's amazing to me how important music is and how I've always associated it with my most precious and bittersweet memories. Of course there are many bands who have influenced me, but Incubus has a special place in my heart.

I had so much fun going to see them again (the last time was about 8 years ago), but I have to admit that I felt kinda old. I know I'm not at all old, but standing in the crowd filled with teens and college-age kids made me feel... there's no other word for it... old. So I can't say that I'll see them again, or any other band for that matter. I definitely have more important things to do with my time. But it was fun to go and be absorbed in the music that rocks through your entire body. And it didn't hurt that Brandon is easy on the eyes.

Independence Day...

Kaitlyn and Laura waving their flags at the parade.

Kaitlyn dancing to the marching band music.

Preparing for the money grab.

Us after the money grab.

I spent my Independence Day with the biggest blessings in my life: my girlies. Aaron had to work, so I took the girls to the town festivities. We started out our day watching the parade with Mom and Grandpa. It was pretty short, but the girlies still got a good amount of candy (that's all they really cared about of course). They loved seeing Smoky the Bear riding on the firetruck. They always make sure to point out that they know it's a costume (what mature little ladies). After the parade we went home for lunch, a rest, and sunscreen. We then went to the ballpark where most of the action was. The girls jumped in the bounce house and we got to reap the benefits of the watermelon bust. Then it was time for the money grab. I'd never heard of this, so let me explain. The fire department gives away roughly $2400 in change throughout the course of Independence Day, the majority of which is through the money grab. They block off the street running between the ballpark and the elementary school and connect their GIANT firehoses to the fire hydrants. They then turn the water on and spray the street down, creating a puddle to rival all puddles. They have the event divided into age groups, 0-3 year olds, 4-5 year olds, etc. The firemen then begin to toss change (nickels, dimes and quarters) onto the street and thus begins the money grab. While all these little people (and a parent) dash around picking up shiny change as fast as they can, the firemen spray them down with their hoses. Of course they don't directly spray the tiny children (it would be just plain mean to send a child flying from the force of the water), but everyone gets good and wet. The older the group gets, the more direct the aim of the water. Of course I have a 3 year old and a 5 year old, so I got to do this twice. Lets just say that I seemed a prime target for direct spray during Laura's group. Never doubt the strength of a blast of water. I was so incredibly drenched by the time we were done. My girlies collected $8.45 worth of change. They were so proud. In fact, they treated Aaron and I to an ice cream cone.

At 9 p.m. the fireworks show started. We sat on the grass in the outfield and some nice older man gave the girlies glowsticks. Avery seemed to enjoy the lights from the fireworks, and the noise didn't really bother her. Overall we had a great day. And I was the only one with a slight sunburn (and of course I'm the one who dislikes the sun the most). It figures that I made sure to get the girlies plastered with sunscreen and forgot about myself.

I am thankful to live in a country founded on the principles of God-fearing men. I appreciate the many who have sacrificed their time, safety, and their lives, to protect our freedoms. I know God made it possible for the United States of America to exist, and I thank Him for allowing me the priviledge of being born an American.

That Sneaky Man...

Four generations: Grandpa Jim Loveall, Dannielle (Aaron's mom), Aaron and our daughters.

The first formation near the parking area.

Looking up and out from one of the "caves" (it's more like a mini canyon).

This is Cathedral Gorge... it is where Aaron spends his workdays. Yes, I said workdays. Aaron now has a job working for Nevada State Parks. He specifically works at Cathedral Gorge, which is in Panaca and about 15 miles from us, and Beaver Dam State Park, which is 28 miles away in the mountains. Aaron started work on June 29th and seems to be enjoying it so far. He is not a Park Ranger (that requires a degree), but he is a Park Aid. He does general maintenance and helps visitors/campers. Unfortunately this job is temporary... it will end around Labor Day. But, the good news is that on the 13th he finally has an interview at the youth center. We pray he gets the position!!!

Well, about the title... this is going to sound so strange and slightly silly, but Aaron has been trying to get me to go to Cathedral Gorge for the past couple of months. He and his parents went while I was back in Iowa in March and they loved it. For some reason, and I will explain in a moment, I never felt like going. I'd seen the photos and it looked like a photo smorgousborg, but at the time he started pushing me to go, I was getting tired of all the outdoor exploring we'd been doing. That was the reasoning at the time. The past few times he's asked I think I said no more or less to be stubborn and tease my husband. Since he's been working there I've had to take him to and from the park (our VW is in Florida at the moment). On Friday his mom decided to take Grandpa Loveall to see the park and so we went early to pick Aaron up. He met up with us and we ended up exploring a bit and I took some photos. I must admit that despite the heat I really enjoyed myself and I'm looking forward to spending more time there. Of course on the way home he pointed out that he finally got me to Cathedral Gorge (that ornery cuss!).

Happy Birthday Aaron!

So today is Aaron's 32nd birthday. I really enjoy planning his gifts, dinner and cake. This year we've tried to keep things pretty simple due to money being tight. We started out our day by going biking. Aaron had to fix his front tire first... if I've never mentioned it before, he has a lot of problems with the tubes for his tires. His bike has these special presta valve tubes (we have yet to discover what's special about them) and the valve stem always tears off of the tube after only a few miles of riding. Anyway, he fixed his tire and we left. There's a dirt road about 5 miles from the house that we really enjoy. It has hills and we see a lot of wildlife out there. We headed out there and found that whoever owns the land decided to close the gate, so we decided to head back toward town and ride up the mountain to the water towers. After we got to the top we rested for a bit, then decided to head back down. Aaron loves steep roads and trails and usually goes really fast. I'm still a little nervous and tend to use my brakes a lot, unless it's a hill I've ridden several times. Well, on the way down the valve tore off, deflating Aaron's front tire. Aaron heard the air and tried to brake, but the tire deflated almost instantly, causing the wheel to turn sharply and Aaron to fly over his handlebars. Thankfully I didn't actually witness this since I was going much slower than him... I would have freaked out! I pulled up to find Aaron sitting on the ground with a bloody leg and his bike about 10 feet past him. His right leg/knee was pretty scraped up (hence the blood) and his right arm had a few scratches. We walked our bikes down the hill and decide to call his mom to come pick us up. Aaron pulls out my phone, which was in the pocket of his shorts, and finds that we can't call after all. In his fall my phone must have been between him and the rocky road because the screens were both broken. We walked to the pharmacy owned by a member of our ward and called Mom. She came to the rescue. Thankfully Aaron's bloody leg just had some semi-deep scrapes, nothing that required stitches. Let me just say that the next time I go shopping I'm picking up some first aid kits for our water packs.

What I love about Aaron (especially today) is...

*his adventurous spirit (even though I'm not always as adventurous).

*his ability to laugh and make light a problematic situation (there are times when this frustrates me too).

*his blue eyes.

*the way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not looking (makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside).

*when he sings to the girlies and changes the words to see if they notice.

*his good looks (He is SO cute. Sometimes I like to just stare at him and he'll look at me and say, "what?" and I say, "nothing" and I know he doesn't believe me, then I think that he's so handsome and maybe I should just go over and kiss him.).

*listening to him explain something important to the girlies and how he does his best to help them understand why it's important, etc.

*his point of view. We often agree and think similarly, but I love when his perspective is totally different than mine and unexpected. He often gets me to look at things differently. We don't always agree, but that's a good thing.

*his love for his family, especially his parents.

*that he'll let me read, even though he'd rather I entertained him.

*when he reads to our girlies... he tries to do the girly voices and everything. It's so awesome!

I love Aaron so much. I'm so lucky.