Happy 4th of July Everyone!

fyi: R and I didn't get any pictures of the weekend... turns out the camera doesn't work so great if you don't have your battery. Oops.

R and I drove on down to sweet little Bear Lake for the holiday

It was as comforting and beautiful as ever

We arrived at my favorite home Friday. As soon as we unpacked R and I headed outside and started..... yard work. Yes yard work, and it was wonderful. For some reason I love any sort of yard work. Mowing, weed-eating, weeding, tree trimming, gardening, all of it. And I especially love working at my home. While we worked every car that drove by game me a friendly wave, even though we moved away 7 years ago. It makes my heart smile that people in Paris still remember me and still wave and give me a smile. We fixed up the yard and I will say it looks great. I just wish we could live there all summer long and fix it up and make it bright and shiny.

Saturday R + I went to visit some friends on the lake. Guess what. The lake is FULL! It hasn't been that full in about 8 years. Such a happy site. We went boating and swimming and relaxed in the sun. Great company and great scenery.

The rest of the weekend was taken up with family family and more family. We had a full house with tons of screaming/giggling nieces + nephews and brothers + sisters. We played games. We BBQed. We rocked the Paris parade, we hiked to Bloomington Lake. [well we didn't get quite to the lake since there was still 5 feet of snow on the ground and the lake was FROZEN OVER! It's a good thing it's July right] We made a midnight trip to eat at the Ranch Hand [a very delicious + famous truck stop] where we somehow managed to hit a skunk on the way home making R throw up a total of 4 times while Kenny and I continued to laugh for 10 minutes straight.

When everyone packed up for home Monday afternoon we barely made it back in time to see Idaho Fall's fireworks. We were so close we were pretty much directly under the sky show. Now only did we get to see the fireworks, but we also got rained on with all the firework remains. That's what you get when you have such awesome seats.

It was such a great and relaxing weekend. I am so grateful to live in the country and have the blessings of freedom and the opportunity to shape my life into something wonderful. Thank God for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

california trip: part 1

I have finally uploaded some of the pictures of our trip to California to celebrate our grandpa Gill's life. Despite the mournings, it was beautiful and it was definitely a blessing to see all our family.

Newport Beach 32nd street

R climbed clear to the end of the jetty where the waves were getting him

My lovely sister Brooke handing out the flowers we were to throw into the ocean during the scattering of the ashes

R + me waiting on the jetty

Shayla + Todd [brother + sister/in/law]

cute little Gabby showing me her pink flower

My mother + her 2 sisters had went out on a boat to scatter Grandpa's ashes. We stood on the jetty and threw out our flowers in loving memory.

come home to say goodbye

I got home late last night.

Girls week was great.

I got to know my newest family much better

We laid out, we hiked, we shopped,

Mostly we laughed

I did have some bad news that I found out while there

My grandpa passed

I am going to miss him so much

But he's happy and not hurting which makes me happy.

I'm waiting for R to get out of school

We are headed to CA today

It's now time for the Matthews family

I am excited to get there and celebrate such a full life

I hope when I die I have this many people to celebrate mine

crazy glenda

Glenda is one sweet lady.

This weekend I had the chance to spend time with my mother and 2 sweet sisters.

We laughed, we talked, and I reflected.

My mother and I are very different.

When I was young I was probably closer with my dad. We were a lot the same.

Then my father passed. Needless to say it was very very sad and hard.

But because of the experience my mother and I became close. And this I will always be grateful for. We don't always see eye to eye. [actually probably less than half the time] We have different hobbies. But my mother has taught me how to be my best self. She has taught me how to work hard, how to not complain and how to push through and preserver through all that bad stuff in life. She has taught me how to love and to be unselfish [still working on]

Even though we are so different we are so the same.

I am grateful for you every day

Monday night out

It's been a wonderful vacation day

we vegged

we did art homework

we relaxed some more

we went to an antique shop

we went to my mom's and...

took her to get sushi for the 1st time

mmmm... yummy

It was such a great and much needed day.

Why can't every day be a holiday?

blast from the past

Oh ya baby that me + my sister Paige

Aren't we just so darn fancy?

So my grandma Nina just sent me a birthday package including this little gem. When we would visit her in CA we used to always marvel at all of her glitz. I guess we liked to try it on too.

Please take note of my amazing straightly cut and thick bangs.

Also another fav of the picture. Check out my sister's swim bottoms.... she found a useful place for those star-fish pins!

Oh to be young again.

wait! there's more

There were just these 2 more that are actually some of my favorites. I just wish we had the whole family in them.

Nothing better then a gut squeezing family hug

Matthews family pictures

Here is the entire Matthews family (except dad)

Everyone did such an awesome job being a good sport and looking warm. These pictures were taken in 12 degree weather and everyone was freezing! Thank you so much Ryley for taking all these pictures. You are the best. Also, we have a million more photos, but we couldn't post them all. If you want the files just give me a call and we'll figure out a way to send them. I'm trying to put them on Shutterfly, but they won't be a very high resolution (but that only matters if you are printing a big size)

Let me know what you all think

* Brooke and Matt*

We didn't have family pictures of you. I'm hoping we took them on your camera. We didn't want you to be left out!

My hometown Paris

I love going home to visit.

It feels like forever since I've lived there as the crazy tom-boy girl with zero worries who didn't have a clue who Louis Vuitton was, who had never owned a pair of heels, and who could beat up any girl and most boys. Wow have things changed.

Sometimes I'm sad they have.

But I can always count on Paris staying the same.

This is my lovely lovely home.

You can't tell but it's the

Yellow brick house of happiness!

Welcome welcome 2011!

Wow I can't believe the new year is already here.

Looking back on the year it somehow seems like it flew by,

but also like we did about a million things. But instead of

looking in the past, I was to look into the future with perhaps

a few goal. Maybe if I post them I'll actually try harder

to stick to them. Maybe....

Here they are all in a row...

help R graduate and move somewhere happy and *sunny*

stay healthy by exercising all year and eating less candy (my vice)

find a big kid job doing something I love - art of course

make R better dinners and less pb&j's

trying to be the care free girl I once was: - stress + laughing

morning + evening family & individual prayers

be more brave

become a legit professional blogger. (so never stop reading)

I have about a million other things I need to fix about myself, but I figure I'll start here and if I'm perfect by June I'll add some more. ha ha. Ya right.

... and just a little fyi, this is a sneak peak of our Matthews family photos that R took and did such a great job! Hopefully we'll get some chosen and posted soon.

I miss you

I love you

You're my hero

Things that remind me of my dad

Jazz music

waffles, bacon, crepes, or just breakfast

sweat pants with slightly embarrassing t-shirts

Birkenstocks

card games

Star Wars

treadmills

Girl saves man who falls on tracks

knuckles on the back

football

big warm hands

really loud sneezes

hats that sit on top of your head

falling asleep on the couch

fudge

taking it easy, even the hard stuff

Reading the Christmas story (New Testament and Book of Mormon)

little running shorts

tan feet

checking blood pressure at the store

the Messiah

leading the music, everywhere, (slightly embarrassing)

Father's blessings

big bass singing

dance competitions

Aspens

Mr. Fix it

Putting lights on Christmas trees beautifully

Rack-o

Hearts

sideways grins

body surfing

little swim trunks

Sergio Mendez

patience

twinkle in eyes

LOVE

Love Always,

Chels

Camping

Last week R took me on a surprise date. First he whisked me away to Chiz's (an amazing little restaurant in the tiny town of St. Anthony) Food and company were amazing as usual. Next we drove on out the sand dunes. We hauled a little grill and some blankets out for some smores. Delicious. Then R started unpacking a tent. Surprise. We went camping. It was so much fun being out there with the 2 of us, and it made it even more fun with it being a surprise. Sorry girls, my husband is sweeter than all yours.