A Summer to Remember

This Summer has been amazing! After 7 years of school, I think I forgot what true relaxation felt like. We have made so many incredible memories this Summer, and all of our experiences have really reminded me how our friends and families mean everything to us. This is also the first Summer that I can say we really took advantage of the beautiful Utah landscape that's always at our fingertips. All I can say is that we used to seriously consider moving outside of Utah, but this Summer's activities have really made us realize why we love it here. The chilly air outside and the gradient of color that is beginning to spread across the mountains are both signaling the coming of Autumn. I'll admit, I'm absolutely a Summer girl, but I do enjoy the beauty of fall and the fact that I can start wearing boots again :)

So here's a tribute to Summer through a sampling of what I remember about it...or word vomit, if you will.

GRADUATION! - empanadas - chilean music - guitar - Vicky and Mom dancing - basque/chilean wine - laughter - fresh fruit - amaryllis - Austin's accident :( - hanging out with Austin :) - Nanny and Papa Jerry - pool - sunset hike - missing socks - running - microbrews - hiking shoes - Tamara's banjo - being able to open the windows - my 'summer' ipod playlist - missing Nani - Guinness! the new puppy - three day weekends - Powell Pirates - cliff jumping - night fishing - striper boils - dance offs - fresca and vodka - Laynee! - missing Oregon family - seeing Oregon family - The Baer's and their boats - tubing - cave swimming - Star gazing - philosiphizing -jumping off the houseboat at midnight in our clothes - sleeping under the stars - campfires - frogs - rattlesnakes - laughing - Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel - fish tacos - laughing - crying - laughing - sand - HOT SUN - ice cream - chicken kabobs - barbeque - sunscreen - shade - Tom Robbins - Vonnegut - red rock - nieces and nephews growing fast - tanlines - layoffs - piano bars - salmon - peude..chilean salsa - politics - midnight walks through Daybreak - coffee - pink elephant pinatas - campfires - bigfoot - skinwalkers stories - singing around the campfire - 3.2 Marysvale Blues - Pinkalicious - baby shower - Rappelling off of waterfalls - The Brown reunion - The Fierro reunion - Mary's tamales - Reuniting with family I've never met! - The Wooden Nickel - mosquito bites - biscotti - laughing - cameras - flowers - farmer's market - fresh honeycomb - beevery - beet greens - fresh bread - Tata - Chilean Independence Day - avocado - lemons - watching Lucas - fresh tomatoes - architectural competitions - friends - setting up tents - horseshoes - breakfast burritos - headlamps - unexpected car expenses -sombrero - mosquitos - sunglasses - pine trees - canoes - mountain lakes - paddling - flip flops - fishing - relaxing - dog park - steak and clams - hiking - peeing in the woods - sleeping bags - 11 dogs - Moose watching - reading - lime rickeys - playing cards - making new friends - facebook - funnels - knives - park city - I'm taking videos! - dancing - singing - girls night - laughing - laughing uncontrollably - sleeping in - Indie flicks -fresh garden food - twilight concerts - Incubus - headbanging - sunburn - draft beer - Marysvale - hot tub - Napa Valley wine - good conversation - hugging - laughing - shed hunting - making jewelry - shopping with Mom and Tam - new boots - rockclimbing - chalk bags - garlic burgers - drinking beer on the patio in the rain - guitar - Iron & Wine - crossing the river - sleeping with the windows open - walking Chica - laying by the pool - margaritas - girl talk - crappy economy - movie nights - mexican food - more rockclimbing - more laughing - Wing Nutz - searching for karaoke bars - Woot! Woot! - Arts Festivals - dessert martinis - laying in the hammock - Chica finding deer legs - eating Brandon's yummy cooking - making butterflies with Cassidy - finding KRCL - finding Dexter - pillowfights - Rachel McAdams - the constitution - my birthday - Hippie Party - dreadlocks - darts - fireworks - our fifth anniversary!! - Ruth's Chris - ahi tuna - wine - more laughing - painted toenails - mudbaths - bubble baths - reggae - flowers - tequila - night swim at the pool - and best of all, spending time and making memories with the love of my life Brandon...otherwise known as Bwandon.

Farewell Summer and Welcome Autumn :)

Yes, we have a thing for bright orange and green...

Three of us (Brittany, Benj and I ) got together recently to participate in an architectural competition. This one was an international competition for a new student housing design in Athens, Greece. We submitted two boards and shipped them off to Greece to be judged. There were 272+/- entries from around the world. Our goal was to create a flexible and modular design that could be easily reproduced in different arrangements on various sites throughout the city. The basic concrete "pod" is repeated throughout the project but contains different functions such as dorm rooms, kitchens and gallery space. We didn't make the shortlist, but had a lot of fun doing it and plan on doing more in the future! Here's a link to the competition website www.upto35.com

Have I told you that I love this guy?

I just finished another book: "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" by Tom Robbins. He is truly an inspired writer and I am always stunned by his clever plots and perfect metaphors. I love you Tom.

"Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to describe the nature of the universe -- I think that word would be paradox. That's true at the subatomic level, right through sociological, psychological, philosophical levels on up to cosmic levels."

"In my friend, I find a second self." ~Isabel Norton

I love that quote. So true. Girlfriends are the best aren't they? Especially mine I think :) It was...drum roll please...you guessed it...girls night, and this time we spent it in a condo on Main St. in Park City. It was soooo much fun and we always make the greatest memories on these girl's nights!!

Getting read to go out. The condo was so cool and a great deal!!There were 16 of us...watch out Park City!

No girl's night is complete without a bathroom shot.

Causing commotion on Main Street...

...And on the balcony...

I love you ladies!! Until next time...

Perfect way to spend a Sunday...

Last Sunday, we went rockclimbing with Tamara, Dave and Cassidy. It was beautiful weather and we were able to hang out and climb for most of the afternoon. Rockclimbing is not as difficult as it may seem and it's the best workout and mental challenge! Sometimes you feel like you are stuck and there are no more footholds or handholds to progress up the cliff. Then, you realize, you are either going up or down, and if you don't want to give up you just have to find that next hold...and that's what you do! Even if it is the smallest little crevice, you dig your toe in, push all of your weight into it and reach for the next little ledge that your fingertips can grab onto. It really is so much fun. If any of you ever want to go, let's do it!!

Dave and Brandon are our official "lead" climbers. This is where they have to climb up first and take the rope with them, hooking it into anchors as they climb. They are still belayed from below in case of a fall, but I don't dare to do this yet, considering that if you fall, it can be up to a 12 foot fall. I'm just not that daring yet :) We are sure glad that they are good at it though so that we can climb up after them with a top rope.

We like climbing together, because we can have conversations as we climb. Girly conversations and the boys can't hear us because they are 50 feet below us. Ha.

This little monkey might be the best climber out of us all. She just scrambles up that cliff and her little toes and fingers can grab onto things that our big fat toes and fingers can't. Way to go Cass!!

Like mother, like daughter.

Yup, she made it all the way to the top!

Tamara and I tried belaying each other for the first time. We can't belay the boys because they weigh more than us, so we are perfect for belaying each other! Weeee!

Camping Extravaganzapalooza

We finally made it out to camping with friends this Summer and had a blast! We were able to try out our new (well, new to us) canoe and we love it. We can't wait to do more canoeing in the fall! Camp was crazy and fun. We had ELEVEN dogs. Yes, eleven. We are dog people. The weekend was filled with dutch ovens, yummy drinks, horseshoe tournaments, girl pee parties in the woods, campfires, guitars, pinatas, horses, lakes, fish and great memories.

Camp. Or an XTERRA advertisement, you choose. :)

Mike setting up horseshoes with his old man pipe

Brandon setting up camp..sort of...

What is that you ask? A pinata. A pink elephant pinata.

Little Jack is the cutest!

This is Brittany. She makes me laugh.

Drinks @ Noon! Wahoo!

Meag & Britt

Mehuh?

Play that funky music white boy...

Camping is not camping without a fire.

We love our canoe!

Chica enjoying the ride

Relaxing day on the lake

Dave and his fish

The Thomas Raft

Cassidy and Isabella - Cute cousins!

Sean and his fish