making lemonade.

my day so far:

• got pulled over for expired plates on my way to work. thought he would cut me some slack for only being one month late & give me a warning. instead, he gave me a ticket.
• late for work because the officer stared at my license for at least 12 minutes in his car. seriously, what are you doing back there?!
• tried to get a new pack of diet coke out of the top cupboard in our kitchen at lunch and while standing on my tip toes trying to reach, i managed to knock the whole pack off the shelf and onto my tile floor. coke cans exploded, everything got sprayed, pups ran for their lives, you get the picture.
• speaking of the pups, one of them pooped in my house today for the first time in over a year.
• and the only reason i discovered it is because i stepped in it.

still barely scraping by in a good mood. mostly, because i think rebecca is darling, even if she is just 12!

ps. found a ghostbuster, going to see if the renters will do it!

the wedge.

rode our bikes across newport
through incredible neighborhoods
pointed out favorite homes as we went
and joked above living there someday

made it to the wedge
where the waves are the biggest
they were only 12 ft that day
even though they looked twice the size

eventually made it back
sore as can be

but, it's always worth the long ride
to sit on the sand and watch the waves crash

black + white & sometimes blue.

I'll get around to posting my Newport pictures soon,
in the meantime, here is a favorite one that Jon took of me & my Mo.

And just in case you need it like I did, this quote is taped to my mirror right now:

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning, 'It all works out in the end.' Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy if His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

spotted.

out & about in my hood:

1. deer in people's front yards (and also walking casually down the street or on the sidewalk)-very common.

2. man carrying his belongings in grocery cart with hair down to the ground.
for real.

3. neighbors smoking weed in their yard.

this man.

Is coming home tonight.

This man hasn't been able to do that once this entire week.
Because preparing for Law School has become his second full-time job
and his first full-time job was already a doosy.

This man is my best friend.
I always knew that, but now I feel it more than ever.

This man calls me during study breaks to tell me he misses me
And I try to be positive, but I miss him, too.

This man has been my hobby for the past 3 years.
And now that he is embarking on a new adventure...
I think I might have to find a few new ones.

photo shoot with the birthday girl.

My squishy, smiley, giggly, laughing, screaming niece turned 1 while we were on vacation. Just for fun, I crawled around on my stomach in the sand one day and took a million pictures of her in her striped bikini. I realize this is photo overload, but I am posting them all mostly so Christy can steal them off the blog.

Happy first birthday Katie Babes!

1 never looked so good!

ps. Who wants to teach me how to color correct?? No, the sand wasn't green.

she raised us to be huggers.

we took the youngest moffitt to the temple the week before newport.
it was a really special night. i love my family so much.
k leaves next month, but let's not talk about it.

spooky.

Wow.

I just have to hurry and post this for those of you who know me well and know about some of the weird experiences I had back when we were living on Parkway. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, without getting into too many creepy details, I am pretty sure that house is haunted.

Granted I love that home, LOVED the neighborhood, friends, ward & miss everyone dearly. But living there was scary at times and being there alone terrified me for months. I had way too many sleepless nights and eerie mornings in bed after G had left for work. Scary things happened when I was there by myself.

G never felt anything (granted he is not intuitive at all) and I sometimes felt like an idiot for being scared. Well, let's just say I don't feel like an idiot anymore, because G is on the phone with the renter who currently lives there and she just said something along the lines of, "Blah, blah, blah, I think this house is haunted."

And no, I have never said anything to them about it (who would tell potential renters such things?) and we have never discussed anything like that before. I can't believe it. Her stories are even creepier than mine. And I am just so glad I am out of there.

Now that I am more justified in saying that this ghost actually exists, let's give him a name, shall we? We all know how much I love naming things. George? Fred? Freddy K, perhaps?

i just crossed last week off my calendar.

The only good part about coming home was being reunited with these peeps. A whole summer apart was rough and just for the record, the lady who slept in their bed while they were gone didn't even compare.

Yesterday was spent reuniting and eating lots of great food (provided by Kenz. She fed us every meal except lunch. Yes.)

And at the end of the night, frozen bananas were dipped in chocolate and coated with peanuts in memory of our summer vacation. RIP Newport 2009.

and we're off.

greetings from newport.

please ship the pups, because i am never coming home.}