“If you want to be happy, BE” Leo Tolstoy

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The last Dog Days of Summer

Webster defines “dog days” as...

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

It is definitely muggy and hot but we haven't been inactive at all. Here are some of the fun things we've been doing to finish out Summer.

The Sweet Corn Festival in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. It was exactly what we pictured a small town Mid-west festival to be......Perfect!
You lined up and got a box full of steamed corn and you could butter it and here is where you would salt it. It TRULY was the best corn we have ever had.


Colonel Corn (check out his sneakers.)



Spencer was the only one riding the RIDE THE DRIVE with a tie. People would comment and he would say, "Hey, I just got back from Church". We aren't used to events being held on Sundays

They closed the city and 30 thousand people rode around the city with ....

Lance Armstrong. Spencer was creeped out at Lance staring at him.



We spent the weekend with our friends Mike and Petra in Chicago. We stopped at Potesta's (yes our relatives). Best Pizza we have had East of the Mississippi.


Kate and Kaylee. They have been friends since they were babies. When the saw each other there was squealing and screaming and Kate picked Kaylee up and spun her around.


Petra babysat while we went to dinner. We ate downtown at a fun Thai place. Yeah 7 years!!!!!!


Me and Petra chillin at her house.

Milwaukee. It was such a unique city, great architecture mixed with industrialism. Cool.



Home in Madison. Gathering up some Squash at the community gardens

lounging around in our jammies

Playing with friends (Lizzie and Maka-Lizzie is from Uganda and Maka is from Zimbabwe)


Playing at the park. There are parks everywhere!!!!



Our Kitchen, when we get our couch we will show you our living room. It is really spacious, with tons of storage. We feel really blessed.



Bathroom

Girls Room

Getting ready for School (outfit Kate picked out-it came with pants but she insisted it was a ballett outfit). Kindergarten here we come.

When Jess saw all of Kate's school clothes and shoes, she cried and wanted school clothes so I let her pick some out. She picked out this skirt and a pair of pink shoes with flowers and diamonds.







Friday, August 13, 2010

Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin

We jam packed each day with family and friends before we left.


Jess churning butter at Moyle Park in Alpine
Kate making a candle with Janita Neild at Moyle Park.



Washing clothes the Pioneer way with our cute cousin Kobe

We went to Thanksgiving Point with all the cousins (Jenny was in town so it was a real Party)
We swam and swam







We had sleepovers with our cousins.
Kyle and Ross and Jenny helped us clean and clear our the yard/shed. Jake and Mitch helped us move. We have such great family.

Goodbye House

Two of Spencer's best friends from his youth showed up to say goodbye.
On the Road
Wyoming had tons of these cool windmills.

We saw a lot of cool cars on the road.
Laramie, Wyoming.
North Platte, Nebraska

Kate said, "Why do they have their lights like this (as she tipped head) in this land?"
We found the coolest Pioneer Village in Nebraska. (Stuhr). We road our bikes around. They said the Temp was 93 but the heat index was 102, it really felt like 102.

I found this bike and ran and got Spencer-he wanted it sooooo bad.
Frogs everywhere
We pumped the coldest water over our feet, it felt so good.



There are Big things all over the states, this was our favorite, it was in someone's yard.
We were trying to take a picture of "Mitchellville" for Spencer's brother Mitch but the picture turned out cool, I was quilting with all this farmland in the background.

TREK bikes, just outside of Madison
The Capitol in Madison, it reminds us of Utah's
A boat harbor on Spencer's bike ride to school.
The path we take to get around on our bikes.
I took my bike to the Community gardens. it is about a block away from our Apt. It is acres and acres of garden plots, we get one next year.

The View from the Garden

Our Backyard. We have swings and slides and a sandbox and tons of room to run.

The park by the lake.

There is an Amish Community just outside our County. Cool!


Devin Mitchell and Granpa all came out to move our stuff.
It was pretty humid while they came. The girls loved playing with their cousin.

Go Badgers!!!!!!!
Chicago Style Pizza, they put the sauce on top. Our friends in Chicago introduced Spencer to it while he was interviewing for schools out here. Kate said she "Doesn't like the pizza in this land"