Weeds

I have weeds growing in my yard.  Not one or two...  Lots of weeds.  I could argue that I suffer from seasonal allergies.  I could complain that weeding is a never-ending and thankless job.  I could curse the neighboring yard with it's over-grown tumble of weeds that go to seed and infest my lawn and flowerbeds.

But then I find this...

And a little later, I find this...

And then I find this...

And after appreciating the vibrant colors and interesting shapes,
I figure these photos provide an adequate argument against weeding.
And that is the real reason why I have weeds in my yard.

That's my story...  And I'm sticking to it...

The Cabin on the 24th

I know I'm a little behind in posting these photos, but I wanted to get them up before our next little vacation.  We were lucky enough to get to the cabin for the 24th of July (Pioneer Day for those of you not familiar with Utah holidays!).  It isn't very often that we get to go to the cabin these days...  School, dance schedules, sick days...  so many reasons.

But I'm so glad we made it this time!  We brought our new paddle boat and the kids had a blast with it!  It's like that big box at Christmastime.  All the kids want to play in the box instead of playing with their new toys.  Someone remind me, why did we buy the big, expensive motor boat when the kids are just as happy pedaling across the lake...?

The Princess captained the maiden voyage onto Puffer Lake.

 The Buddies all took a turn powering the watercraft.

 Later, we took a hike.  

Everyone was a little apprehensive about the posted warning of BEARS!
(pst, Grandma!  You are supposed to look scared!)

 Then we hiked to this remote location...

 We don't know where it got its name--but if this is poison, it sure is beautiful!

 We climbed as a group and were able to summit with a minimum of whining...
and only a couple grumpy faces...

 The last stop for the day was at the top!  

Above the tree-line and with plenty of snow for a snowball fight!  

No better way to cool off on a hot July afternoon!

Before we know it, there will be more snow than we can handle!  But for this day, this was the perfect ending to a really fun holiday at the cabin!

aaand... Repeat.

Last night I was telling a friend that I feel like I live in the movie Groundhog Day. Although I have referenced that movie in another post, you should not infer that it is my favorite movie. It's just that it happens to have a significant resemblance to my life. 

Anyway, we were discussing the restless point at which we've both arrived. The point at which we are dissatisfied with the status quo. She, being unencumbered by children's school schedules, spouse's work obligations, and other entanglements, is considering making a drastic change to her repetitive life. Me? I am not so flexibly situated.

We discussed her dreams of moving to Europe, Asia, California... And my willingness to visit her in any or all of those exotic locations.  I have to admit, the potential for her to pick and move on a whim is more than a little appealing to me.  Not that I'd ditch my family (really, I swear that I wouldn't!  lol), but there is certainly something appealing about her freedom to change course at will. 

After concluding my wistful pondering of her independence, I decided that maybe it's my own fault that I live in Groundhog Day.  And maybe, just maybe, relocation wouldn't really resolve anything anyway.  After all, for the foreseeable future my life will consist intermittently of packing lunches, walking to the bus stop, afternoon carpools, puking, laundry, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning toilets, and sundry other chores/obligations/duties/privileges.  And all of those things will be a part of my life whether I live right here, or somewhere beachy and tropical...  But maybe I can still extract myself from this persistent, cinematic cycle.

Since I will be doing all the above whether it's here or somewhere else, maybe it's what else I'm doing that I need to modify.  The Boy and I took an excursion to the bike shop on Friday.  I have to say, all those shiny new bikes, helmets with cool graphics, and other nifty doodads made me (if only briefly) reconsider my prohibition on cycling.  But then I reflected on why I ended my stinted cycling phase...  And I remembered that my girlie parts just didn't appreciate that specific form of exercise.  So, I guess that I am stuck in the movie until I can find another outlet for my entertainment needs.  I've considered golf--but who has that much extra time in a day?  I've considered going to the gym...  OK, it was never a serious consideration.  I contemplated cooking classes, but my hips and thighs are begging me to reconsider...  Maybe I'll just take up Olympic-level Shopping.  I'm pretty good at shopping...  Or speed racing!  I can practice while I drive the carpools!  Now, that's an idea worth investigating!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday.  We wish her many more years, good health, and lots of adventures!  We love you!