Well, July, 15 2011
I haven't seen anyone "sharing", so I will try this out. I figure our lives with the two of us is pretty boring, but it is the first summer I have had Dakota here in Utah with me. It has been a great summer, so far...Dakota ended up telling his Dad he wasn't going to Tennessee this year. His Dad was playing the usual mind games, but this year I found out just what rights I have and Dakota has. The day after the 4th of July the football team went to football camp in Nephi. Dakota had a ton of fun there and really got recognized by the coaches. He has been busy with his friends the whole summer and is playing in a band too. He plays music that I can't handle much of, but he will also throw in some Bon Jovi, or Lynyrd Skynyrd for me. I told him he had to learn some John Denver if he was going to play around others...so he did.
He is a character and a camera ham...He is pretty good at catching himself in some pretty strange poses. He has his 'learners permit" and is a really good driver, he can even get through all the construction in Utah County pretty well. He keeps me rolling most of the time. I am thrilled to have him home this year...and that we both stood up to his Dad...VERY LIBERATING!!!
Our little Tubman went missing about a month ago. He has escaped our house probably about 6 times in 3 1/2 years, but this was his last time. I could see where he had dug to get under my house, but he never came for food and we haven't seen any sign of him. We loved him, but boy he was a naughty little boy...he would stash all the ferret food, so the ants would come and it would be messy. Harriet (his sister) really went into mourning for a good week or longer. And Soldier and Lenny did too, but not quite as long as Harriet. They are all good now.
I adopted another dog...I just love them...and why not?...I only have 1 child. Her name is Sandy, but we like to call her "Sandra" and drag it out as we say it. She is 7 years old and a Chihuahua. She loves me AND she loves Dakota. She knows he is coming in the house and grabs her cow or bone and takes it to him to play with her. She is fun to have around.
I have just been busy at work. No new projects for this summer. Hopefully I can get my backyard graded and get some grass in back there, but for now I am spraying to keep the weeds out. Dakota and I also went to Youth Conference on a handcart trek at This Is The Place Heritage Park. I really thought I was going to die...or maybe wished I had. It is hard to admit that you can't keep up with kids 1/2 your age anymore. That was a hard one to swallow. Dakota was AWESOME! And he saved our lives a few times by man handling the handcart back onto the trail. We had to meet at the church at 3:00am...drive to Salt Lake...go on the trek...and then drive home at 6:00pm. I am sure we had angels because we were all so exhausted...I am glad I didn't have to do the driving :)
Also in April for our Spring Break we went to San Francisco...had a BLAST!! We stayed just a block from the piers and had a lot of fun seeing the street performers and shopping and checking the hills out. Went to Alcatraz for the first time too...it was neat, but don't really have to do it again in my lifetime. Saw some great circus acrobat performers that were AMAZING!! And Dakota experienced the "bush man" and thought that was hilarious.
On the streets of San Francisco
Dakota in a few of his many hats :)
On Memorial Day I relieved Brian watching Dad, a few days earlier. We drove Brian to the airport and Dad kept asking why we had to go all the way to Salt Lake...that they used to always fly out of Provo. Well...not they do have 1 flight in and 1 flight out of Provo airport on Frontier...and it seems to be priced the same as Salt Lake. Anyway...Ashlee and Cameron came down on Memorial Day and we decided to go to the cemetery (that was ridiculously packed). But we ended up driving around East Provo looking for the house Dad grew up in. But we learned that they moved quite a bit, so it was one of the houses he grew up in. He also led us right to Rock Canyon...he wanted to know if it was still there because the 2 grade schools he went to are now being torn down and replaced by a new school and the other by high rise housing, I think.
Hope you all enjoy and think of posting yourself! Love you all!
Nina and Dakota
Okay...here is a picture I scanned into my computer of Dad feeding a bear in Yellowstone. It was Mom and Dad's honeymoon. There are other pictures too, but this one was amazing to me. Those were the days...
I am assuming this was on that trip too, but I love this picture.
On the streets of San Francisco
Dakota in a few of his many hats :)
