Roosevelt

We had a grand time at Lake Roosevelt for U2's annual lake trip. I am more tan (can you believe it?), more sore, and more upset that school is nearing now that I'm home and back from the fun trip. But, if it's any consolation, I got to take a few fun photos from my friend Hank's camera while we were out there.

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Refresh

It rained really hard yesterday, and things are looking wonderful today. Hopefully there is more rain to come (though not over Lake Roosevelt).

Card Shark

I love games. A lot.

Time Bomb

Drip Drop

Rain rain rain rain rain. Thank the heavens!

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Hibernation

We've had this orchid for ages. Seriously, years. Well, it's finally blooming again, and it's way cool. The even cooler thing? It hasn't bloomed for a long time, so we're enjoying the fun little flowers.

Spitting

It rained today for like four minutes. It's a shame it didn't rain a smidge more, but the temperature dropped and was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I went for a run. Awesome, right? Right.

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Father Tom

We "stay-cationed" this weekend at La Paloma for my dad's birthday. He's so awesome. He's the first to jump up to help, and the last to complain. I admire him a lot, and I think he really enjoyed the family hanging out over the last couple of days. Oh, and those shoes are my dad's. Haha.

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Shove Off

My life's new motto. Thanks, Kendle. :)

Wardrobe

Don't you just love putting on some of your favorite clothes, feeling really good about the way you look? Yeah, today was one of those days.

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Moved

Today we were all really good people because we went to help move someone. It was something that we were not particularly excited to do. We each sacrificed something in participating in the move. Ultimately, we helped someone, and her relief was apparent. While we didn't necessarily feel good when we left, we really did enjoy each other's company and the awesome scenery. P.S. Thanks for posting this pictures on FB, Katie, so I could blog it!

Wired Up

Kendle, remember that one time when we were eating in my backyard with all of those people? Well, we were sitting there, and you said, "Hey, there is a pack rat over there..." Haha. Well it kept coming out of the drain there, so my dad wired over all of the drains in the backyard.

ZJB

Brown is the New Black

This is my... get this... 300th post! Can you believe that? I'm having a hard time believing I've blogged this much of my One Year Project already. Fun right?

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Threads

I got three pairs of shoes for my birthday. I'm in love. And sound like a girl, but it doesn't matter. Looking good is a priority, you know? As Big Mike puts it on Chuck, "In order to get your head right, you've got to get your threads right." That definitely includes shoes.

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Lines

Summer Life

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Rungs

Cuppin' Cakes

For my birthday I got Rainbow Chip cupcakes. The thing of it is, my mom didn't have enough time to frost them, so they sat unfrosted for a while. Well, I too the initiative and was actually kind of proud that they didn't turn out too ridiculously hideous. Haha.

Birthday Boy

Today is my birthday. It has been really great so far - no work, no school, I played some racquetball, and now am just relaxing. The thing of it is... my present are just chilling on the counter, and I'm seriously bummed that I can't open them. It's so tempting! But I'll leave them there to enjoy them later with my family.

Black Keys

I want to be a piano pro someday.

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Sleepy

Today, I took the sheets off my bed. I proceeded to go to lunch with my parents. When I got home, Max had taken it upon himself to take a nap on my bed. It made me laugh and warmed my heart.

Do You Have the Time?

Time keeps ticking... Also, I own too many watches and need to adjust the date.

Quite a Racket

Racquetball was so dang FUN today. Playing again on Monday? I think yes.

Fan Blades

I don't know why, but palms are always so cool to me.

Summer Lovin'

It's that time of year... the time of big clouds, cool sunsets, late nights, laughter, and overall light-heartedness. Summer lovin', had me a blast...

Gratitude

My post yesterday did America absolutely no justice. I really appreciate this country for the many opportunities that are so unique to citizens of the United States. While the other 364 days of the year I have the chance to take these things for granted, the 4th of July is one time that I need to vocalize my gratitude. Here is a (very) condensed list of things that I am so lucky and blessed to have as a result of this great nation. Enjoy photos following the list that accompany my excellent morning with my family and also coincide with some things that I am thankful for.

• I value the chance I have to get an education. Not that an education is properly mandated by the US government, but America has a respectable education system that has created a reasonably intelligent populace. I love that I don't have to wonder if I could finish high school. It was always right there for me.
• This is going to sound weird, but as I have been reading Harry Potter, there is this wretched journalist that adheres to no journalistic values. I appreciate that I can say all the things that I want, but that the government understands that there are boundaries. The government tries (in general) to minimize overall restrictions on people but honestly has my best interests at heart. Always.
• The general freedoms this country affords me occasionally boggle my mind. I can go to whatever church I want. I can own a gun or two. I can not go to whatever church I want. While the remaining freedoms escape me at this point in time, the overarching message here is that I love America. I can't imagine living anywhere else and know that it is a true blessing to be a citizen of this nation.

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My cute, redneck family. :)