Random Shannon: My July

Hullo again. I've been missing you sooooo much. My trusty blog, you.
Yeah, I know it's only been a month since my last post, but I do believe that's a record-long silence for me.
I have so many things I want to chat with you about, Blog.

I neglected to make any notes at all on my calendar about the sorts of things I did each day of July, so I feel like I'm grasping at straws here.
Without further excuses I'm going to try and recount the month as precisely as possible. If I leave anything out, oh well.

July 2-
Ryan's parents hosted a pre-4th of July party in their backyard. It was a nice relaxing evening, if I'm remembering correctly. It seems so long ago. Plenty of food and good company. And I even made my customary sugar cookies.

July 3-
My dazzling friends Suzy and Natalie were in town. Suz lives in Idaho Falls and Nat lives in AZ. They are two of my fun chums from high school. Same cluster of buddies as Renee and Maria. =) We all met at Suzy's parents' house for snacks and catching up.

I couldn't decide which picture to add here, so I included them both. From left: Suzy, you-know-who, Natalie, Renee, and Maria.

I love these people!
We all had our kids with us, so we only got to hang out for a couple of hours. The evening went by too darn fast, and I was bummed when the time came to disperse. But I was grateful to see them at all, so I shouldn't whine.
Renee's family moved to Florida a few days after this, and ever since then I haven't felt complete. =/
I went to Winco later that night by myself. When I got to the checkout line I waited behind a nice looking guy. (Because it was the shortest line, why else?) I stood there scanning magazine headlines. As it would turn out, the guy ahead of me was checking out more than just foodstuffs. ;0) As I proceeded to the bagging area, he was standing across from me bagging his groceries. To my total astonishment he said, "You're a very attractive woman." Wha??? First of all, I don't know if I've ever thought of myself as a woman. A girl, a gal, a person, a mom... but-- a woman? That is a first. Sounds too mature. All I could do was smile unassumingly and thank him. It's a rare treat for me to get a compliment from a stranger. :) I wonder what he'd say if he saw me wearing that red and white gingham party dress!

July 4-
We (Ryan, the kids and I) went to a Lytle party involving lots of cousins, aunts and uncles, and friends of uncles. Ryan's cousin and her husband own all the Torch Lounges (bikini bars) in Idaho. Basically, they're loaded. They have a beautiful, humongous property in Eagle, with picturesque ponds and a pool and an outdoor kitchen. That's where the party was, in their spacious backyard. It was nice while it lasted, but we left in time to go meet my brother and his family down at Ann Morrison for the fireworks. I don't like to miss the official fireworks display. A grand time was had by everyone. Not that there are any photos to prove it. ;)

July 5-7
Erin, Gavin, Megan and I took early Thursday morning flights to Arizona for Grandpa McCaleb's funeral, which happened on Friday the 6th. It was so good to spend uninterrupted time with them for a few days, even under the less than happy circumstances.
I plan to write more about this in a separate post.

I really don't remember much of what happened between the 7th and the 17th. I'm sure it was extra summery, though.

I do have a few photo clues that represent this otherwise forgettable gap in time...

My cheery kitchen windowsill flowers. The contents of the pot on the left were all dead at one point, except for one or two blossoms, so I nearly threw the plant away. Instead, with a bunch of my special care, it kind of came back to life. Most of it is truly toast, but there is still enough beauty there to make me super glad I didn't trash it.

Jane painted that cute pink and green pot, and Cora painted the one on the right. Both of those pots started out with one little flower when we planted them. Look how much they've grown. =)

Is it silly that I take pictures of my flowers each step of their lives? I've taken more of this one since this photo shoot. The new buds just keep forming every day. I love it. I've actually considered sitting by the window all day to watch as the blooms unfold before my eyes. I haven't, but I'm always checking on their progress whenever I pass. Call me the crazy flower lady. 'Cause that's what I am. Gimme some flowers!!!
This next photo is from August, but I feel like now is the right time to share it. I want you to see how precious these flowers look when they're just about to burst forth.

Awwww...

For a long while my netbook has had a problem staying plugged in. The metal nubbin that penetrates the side of the computer won't stay in unless I hold it exactly in place, which is reeeeally irritating. I'd hold it in ever so steadily with my left hand while typing with my right hand, which was not an ideal situation.
I'm pretty sure it's an internal issue and not a matter of needing a new cord. Ryan suggested I strap a large rubber band around it to hold the cord still. I ended up utilizing a stretchy yellow cotton headband. And it worked! Yay. =)

July 17-
Erin and I met at Meg's house in the evening to watch a DVD documentary about the creation of the Beatles' Vegas show, Love. We ate Papa Murphy's pizza, and cookies (choc chip with sprinkles, made by me) as we watched. It was very interesting. No, extraordinary. (Said in George Martin's cool British accent.) So much work and time and serious talent went into the making of Love. Simply a.ma.zing.

July 18-
It was cub scout day camp, and I had to be there for about 3 hours. The best part of the day, the thing that made me glad I went, was the middle aged man in charge of the archery station. Kinda short guy, maybe my height, slightly pudgy, glasses-wearing, serious demeanor. One boy shot an arrow right in the center of the bullseye. The man decided to come up with a cheer, or a song, to recognize the scout's skill. He proceeded to shout, in a raspy tenor voice, "bullseye boy! bullseye boy! Huh! huh!"
Each huh! was accompanied by an eye-opening forward thrust of his hips. His arms were at a 90* angle, pulling backward with each thrust. None of the scouts or anyone else knew whether to laugh or cry. =) It was quiet until everyone quickly went on with what they were doing. I so wish I'd had a video camera. It was really funny.

July 19-21
The fam and I went camping with Ryan's family, up to Anderson Ranch Reservoir. We stayed 2 nights.

Here's Cora with her huge green hood enrobing her helmeted head. She was getting ready for a 4-wheeler ride.

She looks like a cute Martian.

Heehee. =)

Ryan's niece (20-something) made a teepee between some trees. There was a rope supporting the structure, but other than that it was all sticks and greenery.

Here's the back of it. I was impressed!

July 29-
A random after church shot to show how big my baby Oliver is getting.

July 30-
I took the kids to the special spot at the Boise River behind the MK nature center. I've been there 3 times in the last several weeks, taking Oliver and assorted cousins along with us.