Not really a week in ten, but a little update on my life. Here goes, blogland:

A) Went to Grand Portage, Minnesota for a family reunion at my grandparents house on the Indian Reservation. Smoked the peace pipe and danced in some pow-wows. Not really, but that would have been neat. I might put up some peectures later.

B) Went to the Mall of America while in MN (roller coasters in the mall. It's ridic!) and bought this rug at Urban Outfitters ON SALE. Love me some bargain hunting! Gonna be looking fly in my living room next year!

C) Workin' workin' up at the Pottery Cafe. I have yet to actually go in a paint anything myself. Still trying to decide what I want to do.

D) Started a "Tuscan Village" painting. Not so sure how it's going to turn out. Hopefully better than it looks right now.

anddddddddd

E) Officially accepted to Texas A&M! It was an ordeal. But I am so excited for it to be official. Whoop! (I realize I can't really do that... but I am not officially a student. I do what I want!)

I leave in a week for Destin which I am super excited about! Other than that my life is nothing exciting. AKA I have nothing to blog about. THAT IS ALL.

Currently reading: The Irresistible Revolution.

via [here]

This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while. I received this from a former youth pastor two or three years ago and just now got around to reading it. I am actually glad it took me this long to actually pick it up and read-- I don't think I would have fully grasped/taken hold of the message within. This book is challenging, convicting, wonderful, and emotional. It gives me a renewed sense of what being a follower of Christ means and how terrible of a job I am doing following him. 

If you need a good read this summer, choose this. Frealz.

My favorite summertime anytime dessert! Recipe taken from the Osmond Centennial Cookbook. The recipes are compiled from all the ladies of my mom's small Nebraska hometown. My grandma and I both can't eat something sweet without following it with something salty, and this dessert does just the trick. YUM.

Strawberries and Cream

Ingredients:
Crust: 2 cups crushed pretzels, 1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter
Cream: 12 ounces cream cheese, 3/4 cups sugar, 9 ounces whipped cream
Strawberries: 2 packages strawberry Jello, 2 cups of boiling water, 1 pint frozen strawberries

1) Mix together crushed pretzels, 1/4 c. sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of your pan (9x12) making sure to get in the corners. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Then let it cool.

2) Beat you cream cheese and 3/4 c. of sugar together until creamy. Try and beat it enough to get rid of the granulated texture. Fold in the whipped cream, and spread over your pretzel crust.

3) Mix your Jello into the boiling water, add your strawberries. Let the mixture cool in the refrigerator BUT do not let the Jello 'set' into the bowl.  Take the Jello out of the fridge when it is still able to be spread over the cream cheese layer. THEN let the Jello set completely in the fridge.

You can then cover the top of the Jello with more whipped cream. My family and I dug in too quickly for me to get a picture.

Seriously. Try this. It's heaven. Pure, sweet heaven.

As you might know, I have danced my entire life. Mainly ballet, until the middle of high school when I joined the drill team. Because of this I have such an incredible respect for dancers (artists) and the amazing choreographers they work with. I stumbled upon this dance from last season's So You Think You Can Dance and fell in love right away.

The choreography is by Travis Wall. I am not sure what his purpose was for the piece, but in my opinion it seems as if Robert (plaid) is helping Allison (pink) fight through some tragedy. Possibly breast cancer, based on the color of her clothes. A lot of people might not realize how telling every little piece of the choreography can be-- from costumes, music choice, colors, and even footwear that can add a natural feel. It's an amazing art. A beautiful, amazing art.

Something stirs inside of my each time I watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TsR1yiAe9g

It won't let my post directly on here. But watch it, I promise it's worth it. I can't get over the last few seconds of the dance. So powerful.

I have been helping my dad paint the exterior trim of our house each morning for the past week and a half before I go to work each morning. That being said, my biking has decreased dramatically. I usually go for my rides in the early morning when it's a little cooler outside, but that hasn't been possible. However, watching the Tour de Suisse is making me wonder how my little bici and I would fare in a ride in this 100 degree heat right now. I might test this out. I need a ride! For now I leave you with a picture from 4 years ago (I think!) Sara and I decided to bike to church from our houses, our first "real" ride. And of course we documented with some celebratory peectures. This is me with the trusty Schwinn, the ol' guy I replaced with him. My little Schwinn guy needs some lovin'. Maybe I will go try out the new Faulkner Trails!

If I get the pictures loaded, I might post one of my favorite summer recipes that I made the other night. Mmm, mmm, delicious!

This weekend I took a few pictures for my mom. My parents are fantastic gardeners and pride themselves in the beautiful gardens all around the house. Here are a few of my favorites out of her garden. I had a few that turned out very well. I also had a few critters join me for the shoot which I thought made some of the picture really neat.

 Butterflies loved the cone flowers out by the pool. The heat is rough on them, though.

 Sunset colored day lily.

 Mr. Buzzie on one of my favorites, the red Celosia

Gorgeous Blue Salvia, especially gorgeous with the Red Hot Pokers mixed in there with them.

 Emily and I have planted so many zinnias over the years. Now, the front flower beds are completely overrun with a million types of zinnias. So pretty.

 Red Hot Pokers from my Grandma Great's garden. This is the first year they have sprouted. I wish I would have taken the pictures earlier because there aren't many flowers left!

The biggest critter of them all. And also the biggest nuisance and baby. He barks and gets crazy when the camera gets too close to him. He's the funniest goof.

Much like my sister, I too am an avid list maker. Truth be told. Here is my list of goals for month of June!

• Continue running or biking six times a week. No excuses.
• Cut back on snacking (darn you Flavor Blasted Goldfish!) in order to make the above worthwhile.
• Finish reading Crazy Love, The Irresistible Revolution, and one or two stories out of my C.S. Lewis Complete Works. (This should be incredibly attainable!)
• Continue reading a gospel and Psalm every day, as well as journaling.
• Become less anxious about situations I cannot control, bah.
• Complete (3) craft projects I have pinned on Pinterest.
• In addition to the above, continue learning how to work with my sewing machine.
• Learn more about my camera and how to use it, possibly buy the 50mm before we head for Destin.
• Write better and sillier letters to Hayden each week. My letters are probably going to get boring!
• Continue praying about next summer and the possibility of {this}. 

I might come back over the weeks and add a few more that I remember. At the end of June we shall see where I am with all these goals! What are your goals for this month? Make a list on your blog... it's fun!

I don't know what got me thinking about this, but tonight I remembered one of the most monumental annual days of the year as an elementary student: field day.

I don't know about you, but Bell had a BOMB field day. The most vivid memories I have of field day didn't actually take place then, but the night before. I was SO antsy for the next morning to come. Literally. Could-not-sleep. I would wake up at about 5 that morning and be so excited and already bouncing off the walls. Of course one field day was kind of a bummer, my fourth grade year. I woke up at my normal crack of dawn time to hear the pitter-patter of rain outside. Um HELLO how was I supposed to run the third leg of the 4x4 IF IT WAS RAINING? Devastating, I know.

Anyway. The progression of the day went as this: first were the parades with your class flags before the races began (my mom and I had the honor of making mine for Mr. Williams' 3rd grade class- "Mr. Williams' Honey Bees"). My fifth grade year I got to start the races off because I was class president. Yeah that's right. Big deal. Then we would go through the egg toss, sack race, hay hurdles, fox throw, 50 and 100 yard dash. After a quick lunch break we usually went for the tug-o'-war competition held between each of the classrooms. After more events such as turtle races, basketball shoot, and the trading in of tickets for snow cones and sour punch straws came the final event of them all. The mother of all field day events. The 4x4.

In case you aren't knowledgable of the specifics of the 4x4, let me enlighten you. Four boys/four girls (each separate races) of each grade's classes were chosen to run in the race. Each kid would run once around the flagged course and pass off the baton to the next person. Three people later and you've crossed the finish line. But getting chosen to run the 4x4, representing all things holy that is your classroom? DIVINE. I was chosen to run the 4x4 every year of field day. Not to toot my own horn, but uh.... toot toot! I am 99.3% positive that my class won this final race each year.

One of the best feelings is to see your dad cheering for you and coaching you as you run past him to hand off the final baton pass. And winning, of course.