finally, some pictures!

This was the extent of our fourth of July decorations this year:



We both enjoyed going to the parade, watching fireworks, and even watched some of the Washington DC show this year. It was a great time to reflect on the many freedoms that we enjoy each day.

Then one day in July, I received an email from Chick-Fil-A:


I was really excited about getting a free meal at Chick-Fil-A...until I had to actually walk in public dressed like this:




At this point, I just wanted to hide. But once I was "forced" to go in, I saw that there were a ton of people dressed up like cows too. It almost made it bearable for me! But the food was great :) And free for both of us because of our cow-likeness...Which would never be a good thing, except on that day!

Later, for our 3 month anniversary, we decided to go mini-golfing because its something we've never done together. In fact, neither of us have done it in years, which made the game all the more interesting! :) We got pretty good after some practice though. It turned out really fun, and we stayed for a lot longer than we thought we would.



I even got a hole in one!

For FHE one night, it was his turn to decide the activity, and he wanted to build a bird house. He reminds me of St. Francis because of his love for animals. (its OK if you don't know who this is, because I wouldn't either if it wasn't for my humanities class I'm taking right now.) It turned out really fun! We hung it in a nearby tree with extra birdseed! :)


Speaking of animals, we also have a deer-hunting hobby. Ok, not real hunting.. but we noticed that our evening walks around BYU coincided with the deers' walks. Its a little creepy that now we can find them in about 5 minutes. Its fun to see the cute baby fawns - one mother has 3 babies. And Scout - one of our favorites is always sitting in the same spot.


We'll just pretend I took this picture.. I wish I could get close, but I get too scared when the momma gives me the evil eye.

Boyd says that the deer are rubbing off on me - he thinks I walk like one because I have a clippity clop about me.



Here's me trying to look like one..

We also got a sweet deal on a hotel in Salt Lake last weekend, so we took a little getaway, and went to the Salt Lake temple because I have been wanting to go through for awhile. The next morning, ironically, we went to Catholic mass - partly because of my humanities teacher suggesting that we go see the architecture of the Christian cathedral and partly because I've never been and was curious. It turned out to be a great learning experience! The cathedral was beautiful!
I made Boyd go all the way to the front so we could see everything going on. The contrast between the temple visit from the night before made it really interesting. Overall, it was a wonderful thing to see how many people are seeking to worship the Savior and be closer to Him.


This is also the church that has been known to ring its bells at the passing of many of the past LDS prophets. Also, Mack Wilberg, the organist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is playing there in a few weeks as a goodwill gesture. So, the Roman Catholic congregation there has a great foundation of friendship with the neighboring LDS people. It was great to visit.

Needless to say, we have enjoyed the simple treasures of this summer - taking walks together, enjoying outdoors when the weather is nice, and planning fun things to do. :)

We have also recently come to be more grateful for the gift of life because of the passing of my Aunt Carolyn.

Her passing hit me especially because I've known few people as full of life as she is. She is so unique and spunky, and so full of love! Although I couldn't make it to her funeral, I thought about her, and the many lives that she touched.

This life truly is a gift, each and every day.