why I love this picture - and a bit about berry salt lake

This summer has been lots of fun so far. We've done a ton of fun things, spent a good amount of time together as a family. Derek has been going to summer school- which is the sucks, but even with that and work, he's had a decent amount of time to spend with us (mostly because I'm not working this summer. It gives us a couple extra evenings together). It's been really nice.

One of the things we've been able to do is attend Howell Campout in Bear Lake. James was very excited by the prospect of going to "the beach." But he couldn't wrap his head around the name of the place. He kept calling it "Berry Salt Lake." :) Close enough. It was cute.

We didn't actually camp. We went up one day and mostly hit up the beach with Shawn and Mindy and their kids (LOVE them!). It was a fabulous day- minus the horrid sunburns we all came home with as souvenirs. (Hint: Sunblock should not be applied pre-road trip and should be reapplied at some point during a day-long sunshine adventure!) I'm a bad mom. Or mostly, a bad sunbather. The albino in me just isn't experienced enough to know how to do a beach day. Oh well. Live and learn... and possibly get cancer.

We did have lots of fun, though, like I said. After the beach, we went up to the cabin to say hello to the fam. It was good to see everyone. It seems we just don't see them all like we should. Then we came home to sleep (great choice with small kiddos) and came up again the next day.

I love Bear Lake. I love how busy it is in the summer and how isolated it is in the colder months. I totally want to live there. Except for the immense love of here. I love it here. (Warning: tangent ahead!) I'm so glad I came here, so glad I met Derek here, and so glad we made this place home. I miss my family like crazy, though. I always want to pack up and move to Arizona (sorry NM), but then I realize that we'd be leaving so much behind here, too. I couldn't bear it. So we stay. And hope for the day when the cash flow is so great that a plane ride every month is comparable to pocket change. (Derek keeps saying he's waiting for me to make us rich; I say it's his job, so he'd better get crackin. We have this play argument often, lol.)

Anyway- fun times. Berry Salt Lake, we love you.

And now on to "Why I Love This Picture." It's fairly obvious. Look at that little darling. She's the sweetest, most well-tempered little thing ever. She makes my heart nearly explode with love. I cannot stop kissing those cheeks. I love her little smile in this picture, and I love how chill she is just kickin it at the beach (she really was an angel the whole day... though that's really not unusual for her). Then you look a little closer and see two small figures in the background. And now my heart's a goner. My little family, captured in this little memory. It was a great day, but moreso- these are great people. I love them all so much. Heavenly Father gave me the perfect husband; He knew just who I needed and sent him my way. Then He gave us the sweetest, funniest, most perfectly fitting children to complete the group. And we get them forever, as long as we play nice. It's amazing to me. I really love these three people. I don't deserve them, but I couldn't live without them. They are my air, and I am so, so glad they're mine.

Sniff. Ahem. Oh, and did you notice the rockin' 1980s layout? That's right. I'm hip. I'm totally reviving the poofy bangs today, too. You just wait and see ... ;)