Clearly...

It's been too long since I last blogged. I have to admit, though, that I have been pretty busy. There have been lunches, vacations, car wrecks, tender moments, hectic travels, and even a few deaths. It's been life as usual, only x10.

Back at the beginning of June, my mom-in-law and brother-in-law came for a quick visit on their way across the country. About an hour after leaving our house and heading west, they lost control of the car and rolled it. It was completely totaled. Ben went and picked them up (miraculously unhurt, other than a few bruises, contusions, and a little blood), and after they rested for awhile I helped them pick up a rental car. Mom couldn't drive the last 19 hours of the trip on her own, though, and Daniel was too young to drive a rental car. So I drove with them, then flew back to Oklahoma the next morning.

That was car wreck #1. In the following weeks, my cousin Diane totaled a car, as did my little sister's sister-in-law - in stop and go traffic, no less! The guy who hit her was CLEARLY not paying attention. My friend Heather's brother got in a motorcycle accident, and I think there are a few others that I'm not remembering at the moment. They say bad stuff comes in threes, but at the moment it feels more like sevens or eights.

Then Ed McMahon died (you know, the guy with the giant checks?), followed by Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and Billy Mays. All fairly well-known celebrities - especially Michael Jackson, who has been a pop icon for decades and was only 50 years old. That was weird news to hear.

Then in the real world, a pair of sisters I know lost their mother, and one of my favorite college roommates lost her little brother. It's crazy! All this sad stuff happening - it's madness! Madness!

There have been good times, too, though. I've been on vacation with my mom and baby brother for about a month. My dad was with us for the first two weeks, as well, which was awesome. I only get to see my family once a year or so, and while it's hard being away from Ben (he had to stay and finish his T-6 training in Oklahoma), it's worth it to see my family. We went to Branson, Missouri for a week and had a lot of fun going to shows and mini-amusement parks and such. Then we had our family reunion in Idaho, followed by time in Utah with my sibs and Fourth of July celebrations. Then we came BACK up to Idaho to spend time with my mom's fam, which has been fun. We've played games, gone swimming, eaten out, and even had a girls' night out with my mom, aunts, and Grandma. You haven't lived til you've been bested by your grandmother at bowling, let me tell you.And Evie had been in top form. We were driving in the car one night, and she told me, "Mama, the moon is following us. It's intolerable!" I was a little shocked to hear such a big word come out of such a small person, so I double checked that I hadn't misunderstood. "Intolerable, Evie? Is that what you said?" "Yes, Mama. It's intolerable." I cracked up. What a funny kid!

Then, a few days ago, a sippy cup fell and hit her on the leg. She cried a little and asked for a band-aid. I told her she didn't need one because she wasn't bleeding. Mom reached over with a Hershey kiss and handed it to her, saying, "A kiss is all you need to make it better." So Evie accepted the chocolate, pulled up her pant leg, and placed the Hershey kiss on the boo-boo. After a few minutes of silence (aside from my anguished attempts to not let Evie hear my laughter), she said, "That's better. Can I eat it now, Mama?" Of course, I told her yes.

She's gotten darn good at jumping on the trampoline, too. I've managed to get a few decent shots of her in mid-air. I can't believe how big she's getting!

Anyway, today we head back to Utah for 3 days, in which time we plan to: Go and see the new Harry Potter movie; go to the Distribution Center and buy new garments; have lunch with my sibs-in-law; have lunch with my college roommates; go to my brothers' apartment and scan some illustrations; use Photoshop to put together a book; get that book printed at Carol's Copy Center (where I used to work); go visit my granny; go to Borders and spend my gift card; spend a lot of fun time with Lyssa and Daniel; and several other things, I'm sure. THREE DAYS!!! But then I get to drive home and see my hubby, who I miss desperately. So at least my busy schedule will make time fly. :)

Anyway, there you have it. Everything above adds to my lack of blogging over the past month. I hope I'll be forgiven. My guess is, once I get home to Oklahoma and my schedule frees up some, I'll be writing a lot more. Especially since I'm going to see Wicked in a week and a half, and that will definitely be worth writing about. Huzzah!