.: Seasons

Where has half the summer gone? I know. I have taken a bit of a vacation from my blog. So let's play a little summer catch-up, shall we?

We started off the summer by taking a short trip to Phoenix, Arizona. The occasion? Our dear friends, Jan and Jeff Skousen, were being sealed to their precious daughters, Mittea Sue and Annaliese Gayle, in the Mesa, Arizona temple. To say this was a joyous occasion would be a serious understatement.

On a beautiful, warm, Saturday morning, these sweet girls joined their parents in the holy temple to finally become a forever family. I can only say that even thinking back to this day makes my throat swell and tears come to my eyes. Some days we are given the opportunity to glimpse eternity. This was one of them. Thanks, Jan and Jeff, for being our special friends and inviting us to share in this special occasion with you.

The love of a mother.

The adoration of a father.

The joy of a family.

Our Gangs.

Bob and I, our dear friends, Jan and Jeff and Dave and Michelle were all newleyweds together. It's hard to believe that over 20 years later, this is what we've become. It's a pretty good-looking bunch, if I do say so myself. It was so much fun to all be together again!

You know you have true friends, when it's been years since you've all been together, yet it seems like just yesterday. We're planning our next trip together. Any ideas?

We also spent some time with Nanny and Pop. The girls stayed with Nanny and their cousins, Julie and Natalie up at Aunt Cheryl's house. They went bowling, swimming and had fun just hanging out.

Blake stayed with us at Nanny and Pop's house in Tempe. Blake loves hanging out with Pop. They went go-cart racing and ate their fair share of ice cream. Blake's favorite is mint-chocolate chip.

Bob's sister, Karen, and her husband, Tom, invited us up to their house in Gold Canyon for a delicious bar-be-que. My, how the area has grown. When we lived in Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert from 1987-1997, we would have thought we were half-way to nowhere where Tom and Karen's house is located. But now, it is a sprawling, beautifully laid out area with growth everywhere you look!

Tom and Karen are expecting thier first baby in October. Their world is about to rocked!!! Truthfully, they'll make fantastic parents. (By, the way, Tom is a master at the grill! If you're in town, try to get yourself an invite. I'll promise you, it'll be better than any restaurant in town!)

AN ENCORE DATE WITH MY AMERICAN GIRL

What could be more fun than an afternoon with my American Girl, her American Girl friend and her Mom? Not anything I can think of. We dined on yummy appetizers and salads. And an afternoon out with friends wouldn't be complete without dessert. What do you think? Doesn't it look like a faboulous time! It was!!

The cutest American Girls ever!

American Girls having lunch with their American Moms and one very cute American Baby

Now, tell me, doesn't that look delicious!

WOO-HOO! MY MOM, SISTER AND HER KIDS

COME FOR A TEXAS VISIT!!

I have been looking forward to having my mom, my sister, Danae and her adorable 4 kids come to Texas for months now. It took tickets to see Andre Bocelli to actually get them on the road to come. But it was worth it!

The kids played, swam, played and swam. Throw in a few (okay, a lot) of video and computer games and a tea party or two and I'd say the cousins had a fantastic time together. Too bad Blake and Braden got 2nd degree burns the first few days outside in the pool. They spent 3 days without their shirts trying not to move. Thankfully, a few days later they could move their arms again.

I love just spending time with my mom and sister. We played scrabble, cooked, shopped and just enjoyed each other's company (all the while trying to keep track of an adorable 2 year old!) Here's a few things we did together.

We grilled outside. These vegetables were awesome!

We made cake balls.
WARNING!!! You can't just eat one!

We treated ourselves to the most luxurious pedicures!
Pretty, don't you think!

The kids just had to sleep out.

Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian tenor.
This concert was absolutely awesome!!

My beautiful mom, Kathy, me and my adorable sister, Danae.

A week later we saw the amazing group Il Divo.

Simon Cowell, of American Idol fame is the brain-child behind this group. The idea behind Il Divo's creation came to Cowell after listening to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's rendition of Con te partirò. Aware of this new appreciation for lyrical voices and classical music, he decided to form a multinational quartet (the members hail from Spain, Switzerland, France, and the United States, and the name being in Italian) that tried to recreate the style of The Three Tenors.

Simon Cowell conducted a worldwide search for young singers who were willing to embark on the Il Divo project, which lasted two years, from 2001 until December 2003, when the fourth member of Il Divo, American tenor David Miller, was signed. The well-established formation of Il Divo comprises a renowned Spanish opera and Spanish baritone, Carlos Marín; two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller; and a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard. If you haven't heard Il Divo, treat yourself, you won't be sorry!

Do you remember having your first crush on a 'rock' star? Was it Donny Osmond? Or was it the Bay City Rollers? Well, my adorable mother has this same kind of crush on these amazing four 'gentlemen'. Half of the fun of this night was just watching my mother enjoy this concert. I learned from my mom that you're never too old to enjoy the voices (okay, 'swoon') over the voices of four gorgeous men. (And, they're not half-bad to look at, either!) Which one is your favorite today, Mom?

A HOT TEXAS NIGHT WITH

A HOT, KEITH URBAN

What better to do on a hot Texas night that to see one of the Hottest Male Country Artists, Ever, Keith Urban. This concert did not dissapoint. I have to say, nearly 24 hours later, my ears are still humming a bit. Worth the temporary hearing loss? ABSOLUTELY!!!

Keith and his band.

It's hard to believe 6 musicians can make that much sound.

My girl LOVES Keith Urban!

I'm not sure we sat down all night!

As amazing singer as Keith is,

he is just as amazing at playing his guitars.

OK. Keith REALLY WAS THIS CLOSE TO US!!!

(And yes, he is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!)

The Encore in a Dallas Mav's jersey!

(An American Airlines Center tradition.)

Awesome. Seriously, Awesome.

What a fun summer so far. It's so great to not be in a hurry to get anywhere in the mornings, to read the paper at a leisurely pace and just enjoy my kids. I love the simple things the most. Thursday morning movies with the kids at Harkins, strolling Central Market for tonight's dinner and just enjoying a good book.

Hopefully, you're summer is just as enjoyable! Stay cool! And enjoy the journey!