Shawna and Bella

Recently, I got to hang out with Shawna and bella

Beautiful girls like shawna make beautiful little girls like bella :)
Kisses.

See what I mean?

Bella attempting to give the camera a kiss.

cuteness.

How could you not love this little girl?

They are both precious to me.

I grew up

here.

In the summers.

My family had a cottage up here on this lake

Every summer was spent here.

Every weekend.

Playing in the water.

I think I could swim

before

I could walk.

I have so many fond memories from this place.

So this week my parents are vacationing

up at the lake

and my dad sent me this pic, below
of a
fawn
he found
in the woods.

He told me it was not hurt
but sensed the nature lover in him
so the fawn did not run away :)

What a cool thing to experience.

My dad is a nature lover,

I get that from him.

Being out in God's creation and adoring

beauty.

Wish I could've been there to have a fawn suck on my finger.

Sweet Bikes

These are my sweet bikes.

I recently got my old sweet beach cruiser fixed up at the bike shop.

I was riding it around yesterday in the alley with molly (the dog ;) just running next to me.

and I couldn't have been happier.

Just riding along

with a smile

on

my face.

The bike was a gift from my mom.

I said thanks.

Packed in my car when I moved out to Colorado

and

her name is

Susie the bike :)

Since in being in Colorado.....
I have bought this sweet mountain bike.
I have also had good times on this bike.
I smile on this bike, but usually
because
I am going too fast on it
or
almost flipped
over my handle bars
from trying
to ride
up
or down
a mountain.

I love biking, its good to feel the air through your hair.

Get out there today. Find a bike
if its your
or someone else's (make sure to ask first, gosh ;)

and....

ride :)

Old Posts

So I was going through some of my old posts, and noticed I used to be a lot more reflective in my blogs. I seem to have lost that touch, well at least here.

I think that is what happened when you are so stressed, which ironically journaling/blogging and getting out my thoughts is a way to destress.

But it takes time. It seems my time has been filled up by not constructive things.

Like drama.

Drama is dumb and I don't like it.

Makes me want to do this

I will probably a grandma who loves Jesus, but drinks a little :)

So work, I love work but I have been doing too much for it because we have been short staffed.

Being stressed makes me not awesome, like I usually am ;)

So I want to get back to being more reflective and appreciate the smaller things in life and

choosing joy.

To do the things that I enjoy, laughing, riding my new/old bike, drinking wine, and just having fun and enjoying every moment.

I am done with stupid things in my life, I am just too cool for dumb things.

Get over it people, seriously!

I miss....

home.

I have two homes, Colorado and Michigan.

However I miss the home where my family is and the place I grew up.

I love living in Colorado, but miss my family.

Those kiddos in pics above are my heart.

They are precious and it sometimes physically hurts to be away from them.

I often know when I have been gone from home too long

when...

I subconsciously picture

random

places from

home.

I don't realize it

until

my head has put a picture of some

random

place in my head.

Then I sigh and wish it wasn't so long until I get to go home

and

spend time

with my

kiddos.

At the end of summer I will be home.

That's a long time.

So until then, I guess I will just keep picturing random

places in

good

ole

g-ville.

Anna's Visit

Anna, a great friend from college.

came to visit this weekend

for the 4th of july

and her bday.

Rach and I, on the 4th

Another shot, just cause we are cute :)
Due to the fact that it rained most of the day on the 4th,
we spent the night watching a movie
confessions of a shopaholic
(def. not as good as the book)
anna and I
anna's bday dinner @ plate

cute liz and anna

me and anna

rach and anna

(she insisted on getting individuals with everyone ;)

The weekend was fun.

Friday night went to a pirate potluck

where I dressed up as a parrot.

Saturday went to Manitou to shop around

then it rained most of the day

so we watched a movie.

Sunday was anna's bday dinner.

Good time spent with good friends.

Recent Happenings

Mel, Rach, and I at the Cattle Run,

Ben was there too but he was kind enough to take the pic
Friends at Sky Sox game last tuesday, $2 tickets, $2 beer = awesome!

Aren't me, melissa, cathy and jen cute??

The whole group, minus a few.

We have a lot of fun, the people around us probably thought we were loud and obnoxious,

but like I said we have fun :oP

The cattle run they had through downtown Colorado Springs

fun

Do you know what was fun?

Last night.

I spent the night driving around Manitou with a great friend.

Erin is leaving for Russia today for a mission trip.

However, we were driving around all the streets, that are dictated by the mountains and looking at all the quaint houses.

We stopped in at a local shop because erin knew the owner who made her own chocolates, this sweet tiny woman, named Kim.

Kim gave me a hug as soon as I met her (I like people like that, cause I am a hugger;)

and she just chatted about the shop, showed us her hand made creations

and then bought us ice cream!

It was josh and john's ice cream, only in manitou!

She said it was in celebration of erin going to Russia, but she just blessed us by her prescence.

She was so fun and then sent erin out with a blessing for russia.

Last night was fun, just to be out around people on a summer night in a quaint, mysterious town like Manitou.

Then I got home and decided to journal in my black yard and so I lit the tiki torches and it was just a splendid night.

I love summer.