Some summer fun!

 A little update on adventures from the past month...

We had a few visitors while we were on Nantucket. The kids' cousin came for a week and I would have been happy to have her stay with us all year! She was such a treat! So polite, sweet and fun to be around! She went to bike camp with the kids, so this is a picture I took of her on her first day and sent to her mom.

Ava and Hadley got along so well! 

Ava's personality shines bright in this picture :)

 I took another excursion to Boston for a weekend... and even though I did a whole post on this plane last summer, I just am always amazed when I get inside that I can sit right behind the pilots and get to look at all the gadgets and gizmos they have to fly the plane! Luckily, my flights this time were in clear skies and it wasn't turbulent... totally makes a big difference on how enjoyable the experience is! But, still - zero leg room and it's SO loud the entire time!

 The weekend in Boston was so much fun! I got to spend lots of time with Holland. 

We even went on adventure to Cambridge and got caught in a huge downpour. But, thank goodness for Dave and bringing some umbrellas for us to all use!

In August, the kids took some breaks from camp. We had fun adventures every day and played lots (LOTS) of tennis. We were also frequent pool goers. Some of our adventures included bike rides to the state forest to look for be-bees; A 21 mile bike ride around the Poulpis loop with a stop along the beach and another stop for some ice cream; whale watching; and beach time too!

One of Ava's highlights is hitting the skate park. This time we went it was hotter than heck, but she doesn't mind wearing all her gear and pants if it means she gets to go. I melted just standing there watching her, but she's one cool girl! I love her confidence with this. She does it all by herself... and she's actually quite good for just turning 7!

As noted in a previous post, I celebrated my birthday on Nantucket. It was a beautiful day and just one of many nights ending with a beautiful sunset on the water... accompanied by yummy food as well!

I got to go home for a long weekend just after my birthday. Mer, being the awesome friend that she is, planned a birthday party for me and brought this amazing cake!

This is me (obviously!) before blowing out the candles!

Wish was made. I hope it comes true!!! I really, REALLY do!

Back to the island... on one of our bike rides to the state forest to look for (yet again) more bee-bees... Ava and Jed built a see-saw. I thought it was so imaginative and creative of them!

One of the weekends in August Nantucket has a huge sailboat race. Actually, all week long is called "RaceWeek" and is filled with different events. The day before the race I went to the docks to examine some of the amazing (and large!) boats. This week they also had brought in 2 "tall ships" that are a bit older and they offered free tours on one of them. This one was built in the 1800s but was cool to tour.

This motor boat was just one of the many that blew me away. It has at least 3 levels and a smaller motor boat stored inside it. I can only imagine what it would be like to travel on one. Although... I know I would get claustrophobic after a day or two...

More to come... summer isn't "quite" over yet!!

Love these quotes!

I ran across these two quotes today and want to remember them. I think I should memorize them!

Quote 1:

The Principle of Compensation

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. 

That which is taken away from those who love the Lord

will be added unto them in His own way. 

While it may not come at the time we desire,

the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually

be returned a hundredfold with tears of 

rejoicing and gratitude."

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

Quote 2:

Timing

"The issue for us is trusting God enough 

to trust also His timing.

If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart,

may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best?"

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Tomorrow... You're ONLY a Day Away!!!

Last night I took the kids "out on the town" for an evening play performance of "Annie." I had to listen to a few grumbles and complaints, but nothing was stopping me from taking them because they need some culture (away from silly kid TV and their Itouch games)! And, because I wanted to see it too! I don't think I have ever seen it as a play, but I did see the movie a long time ago.

It was a great production considering they pull from a cast on a very small island! The kids really enjoyed it as well, but I was struck by a message from the play that I hadn't thought about.

One of the famous lines from "Annie" is:

The sun'll come out Tomorrow, 

so you gotta hang on till tomorrow. 

Come what may.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow.

You're only a day away.

I was really struck by this phrase as the play unfolded. I loved Annie's optimism in general. Despite her circumstances she was a determined little girl who chose to see the bright side of life. However, that one phrase from her song got me thinking... and I found it very reassuring. Today and its problems, disappointments, heartaches and upsets only last for a moment in time. The sun really will come out tomorrow, but at the same time, we've got to be optimistic about life and what comes our way. 

Annie desperately wanted to find her real parents, but in the end found out they had passed away many years earlier. That would be very disappointing and upsetting, but instead, she had found Daddy Warbucks and she chose to focus on the blessing of that rather than the fact that she would never meet her parents on earth. She had been through a lot in her 11 years of life, but she held on till Tomorrow and discovered a blessing in being adopted by Daddy Warbucks. It's not how she would have planned it, but... Come What May... it was a blessing to have been able to finally find out the answer about her real parents and find someone she could love like family. 

So, a good reminder to me to just hang on till tomorrow... come what may... and try and be optimistic during the process... because tomorrow is ONLY A DAY AWAY!!!!

31 + 1 =32

That’s the math I did recently to figure out how old I would be on my birthday a few days ago.

My 2^nd birthday celebrated on Nantucket and this one was MUCH better than the first! My 31^st birthday was filled with overcast clouds…rain storms… and honestly – a bit of loneliness as I had the day off and no one to celebrate with!

This time around I worked ALL day (parents left island while grandparents arrived in the evening), but I actually preferred that. Since the parents left on my birthday, they took me out for dinner over the weekend. It just happened to be one of the BEST and FUNNEST family dinners I have gone to with them this summer. They picked a new Italian place that had outdoor seating in town and it was a beautiful evening. The food was better than FANTASTIC. Oh my goodness… I don’t want to think about how many calories I consumed. Every bite was worth it!

The kids were also very well behaved even though it was a more formal restaurant and they were being SO funny. I can’t post all that was talked about, but if you want to know the most hilarious comment that was made about me and Mormonism… just send me an email J Overall, I had a wonderful evening with them and it was the start to a great birthday celebration… which lasted basically ALL week!

My actual birthday was a GORGEOUS day. The humidity had been wiped out the day before and the sun was shining bright! The kids were also going to camp so that was nice.  I dropped them off and then decided to ride my bike in to town to do some errands since it was such a nice day out!

I spent a lot of the day on the phone and on email (love hearing from friends and family!)… while getting some time at the pool J The kids wanted to go back to the pool after camp, so we went back again! I spend a lot of time at the pool. 

We went home quickly to get showered and changed and then headed to the airport… just in time to greet the grandparents off their flight! Then, it was off to dinner at the club. We had outdoor seating and it was such a beautiful night and beautiful sunset! The kids could play games on the lawn while we waited for dinner to come.  The food there is also really good! I don’t think I could say one bad thing about a meal I’ve eaten out on the island!

As the sun set we headed home so the boys could play some baseball on the lawn and watch some Olympics before going to bed. I didn’t stay up too much later than the kids, but I did go to sleep feeling very loved and appreciated by all my friends and family.

Birthdays are wonderful in that you get to hear from so many that you have not spoken with in ages…. Or even if you have, it’s just nice to hear someone wish you a happy day! And, even though I didn’t get to actually see friends or family on my birthday, I still felt very loved and that made all the difference!

I’m excited for this new “birth” year. It started off on the right foot… so that only means good things from there, right?!