ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT FRENCH TOAST

After kind of missing the balloon fest as a family on Friday, Mom remembered she had an eye appointment. We all raced to drop her off and then found one of the giant balloons parked in the Eye Center parking lot! Then we all ran home to shower and still had time to fulfill Ashton's big desire for all-you-can-eat French toast before they stopped serving it.






We played quarters while we waited for our food, and none of us really needed a second plate.

BLOCK PARTY

They close off 2nd east between 100 South & 200 South. (and they do it by Provo City permit!)

They paint the sidewalks with big red & white stars.

They shoot off bottle rockets, making additions and changes to shoot it the highest.

They have a little 'hey ride'.

They have a BBQ.

And then they have a DJ dance party. (Little Sarah has some good rythm!)

ROCKET CHICK

OK I'm finally finishing the Freedom festivities update... This was the special guest at the neighborhood block party.

Her name says it all...


















Actually a photo might say it all...



Or how about a video!? (That's "American Woman" playing in the background...)

123456789!

Dear Provo,

Happy 12:34:56 07/08/09 Day!

Right now.

POST EDIT: after posting, I ran to Marco and asked to take a pic of his amazing watch. I did a tester, and then got the real thing, but without as much focus :( And too bad the date is on the left and the seconds on the right. But still cool. So, so cool.

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

I just spent a good amount of time trying to document Independence Day events. I was procrastinating it. Thank you to BEN who asked if I wanted to blog with him. [Yes, you read right. He's made his first post on my (our?) blog!] I finished most of the 4th's activities. But just you wait:

Soon to come from July 3rd:

• All-you-can-eat Waffles
• Balloon Fest (from Friday and Saturday)
• Freedom Days Ties
• Rocket Chick
• Block Party on our block

THE GRAND PARADE

Nothing like waking up to the parade's cannons in
your own bed.
Your super-nice neighbors staked out the front yard in the early-bird-gets-the-worm morning, so you just take your time, and shower as you hear the pre-parade bustle. You walk out the door and sit down for the show. Your other nice neighbor gives you free Otter Pops, and your ward of nice neighbors provide a crepe breakfast next door.
What could be better? Really?

ok, i admit: i AM the type that would rather camp out for a night of restless fun and an early morning of excitement. yes, i DO think that's fun. but i didn't mind this kind of prime effortless parade-watching either.

click to enlarge to see my sister carmen in the back in the shade,
and awesome claire sanford from our ward on the far left...
GO PHS!

sarah was so interested in the parade, she wouldn't even look at the camera.



{ hi sheffields! }

i think ben said the bagpipes were the best part of the parade.

i think this guy was my favorite part of the parade.

FAMILY ON THE FOURTH

Nothing like a family BBQ on the 4th of July. We're grateful to have made it to Timber Lakes with Ord fam and to Midway with Knudsen/(Birch?) relatives. We don't see cousins, aunts, uncles, nearly enough. It's nice that we at least have holidays to help us show love. I didn't manage to take a picture of myself soccer-ing it up with the Andrus grandkids, but just picture wild happiness. Maya was gracious enough to take snapshots of the swingset behind Tyson's cabin. I haven't swung swings for a long time. It was a thrill. Really. I laughed uncontrollably.



Thanks to amazing aunts for organizing the gatherings!

Dragonflies

Dragonflies are valuable predators of mosquitoes and flies. The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years while the adult stage can last as long as five or six years. Wow.

*Taken with my Panasonic FZ28 Lumix Camera

STADIUM OF FIRE!!! (sing it)

I was kind of stubborn about wanting to watch Provo's fireworks showcase. Special thanks to Ben for allowing me to pull him a tad early from his Midway Knudsen gathering back to P-town, where we met my family across the street from my house in the Parking Garage for Papá's work. We weren't the only ones with this idea, (meant for no getting stuck in north provo stadium traffic) but we had the whole place to ourselves after the small crowd cleared after the show and we lingered because we just couldn't get enough of the cheap thrill of the *sparkler*.

view of my patriotic employer from the top floor of the garage...

waiting, waiting...

i think i was a little tired of waiting?

good thing ben's camera was there too to get the ZOOM shot...

i spelled my name, while ashton spun in circles and someone else was slow

stars!!!

... and josie and i spelled a special note for our long lost brothers.

and a scooter ride around downtown before heading back across the street to home!

"PROVO'S NEVER BEEN SO GREEN,"

said Ben,

in mid-June 2009 - the notorious month when Provo tried to be Seattle.

EL TEMPLO

*Photo above marks my first time messing with iPhoto features...

Can't remember which Saturday in June this was. It was rainy and it made the Draper temple's stone turn beautifully dark. I loved it. We hit it on a busy day - with only a session every hour and since the Jordan River temple was closed, it was serving double-time. Ben & I did initiatories instead...

and then used our gift cards at Pei Wei!

"IT CAME! IT FINALLY CAME!"

... a quote from Sid in Toy Story. Ben must have just said it in his head.

We babysat Eli tonight and Ben tried out his new toy. When we got home late, he got out of the car and started taking pictures of an injured dragonfly in our parking lot. We came in, and then he asked if he could go take more pictures. By the time he came back, he had an award-winning photo. I hope he'll post one soon. If not, I'll see if he'll let me touch it.

LAST DAY OF JUNE

{ sights in our neighborhood }

HE WAS NAMED AFTER A COMIC

CALVIN Moisés Juárez is 20

These were taken YEARS ago. I think just before I left to London in 2005.

I remember telling him his favorite color couldn't be red because that was Sean's favorite. I remember us telling him that his favorite color had to be yellow. I remember doing "Stay-Up-Club" with Sean and thinking we were so sneaky to leave Calvin out. (Back in the day where we all slept on the same foam futon on the floor). He turned out all right, though.

But Missionary Calvin is not left out anymore.

He landed yesterday on foreign soil for the first time (I hope) after a venture with flying on airplanes for his first time. (Since he was a baby). He wasn't supposed to leave P-town MTC until after the 4th of July, but London needed him. So my family got a call Wednesday night to say he was leaving the next day. He was nervous because he'd be traveling alone. No one to follow from point to point at the airport. I've been so worried ever since.

But why be worried? This kid's got smartzzz.
I'm positive he was the Chinese whiz of his district. (Of couse, I don't think he really needed his Chinese through the airports...) His mind is insane. He can work things out and make connections and then he can even explain it to you in the most proper of grammar but it will probably all go over your head.
He's street smart too though. He's one of the best drivers in our family (next to Papá, and maybe me, of course.) He's careful. He's sure. He's steady.

He's got a good head on his shoulders and even better he has a testimony like a rock. No one can knock him down. Those first few days in the field are tough but I bet he's taking it all in stride. I bet he's lengthening his stride. I miss him so.

Calvin, thanks for being born. Te quiero.
(Even though you can't understand Spanish anymore...)

LATELY...

We go to work and then we come home and are somehow busy until bed.

Last night I didn't go to bed until the birds started chirping at dusk. I was asked last-minute to design a brochure to help raise funds for families helped by this place. I think it was worth a sleepless night.

Ben went to the driving range with Levi.

We played World Cup soccer at the Sertoma field with little goals. I held my own as the only girl but I hate being competitive sometimes because I hate that I didn't score ONCE. I did get some fancy bruises on my hand and hip though. Thanks, Levi. (For organizing, that is)

I've been spending bits of time at my dear Amanda Knight Hall to help make something kind of like this, for Typophile Film Festival 5.

Ben's doing hard labor at work to help Blade move to a more great and spacious warehouse.

At the Downtown High Rise, I spent a whole day making a sailboat out of foam core to go around the coolers for today's free BBQ at the Nu Skin in celebration of the Team Elite Baltic Cruise. Marco helped me a lot. Internship is awesome.

Ben's also just been being amazing. He washed all the dishes for me yesterday. And today, while I had a lil' nap, made yum lasagna with chorrizo and then coleslaw and then Breyer's Ice Cream with really good strawberries. (Finally, good strawberries this year!)

We toured the Historic Homes of Provo on Friday- this year in the Timpanogos neighborhood. My fave. Tawny & Jaxton came! We also made pizzas the night before with Jon & Tallia. I put beets on mine even though they all made fun of me.

I've also been doing a logo for my cousin Ty-ty. Carmen and Ben helped too.

Tomorrow we're going to the Jazz Draft Party at Energy Solutions Arena. Ben said he got to go when he was 12. I've got a feeling it'll be like he's 12 again.

...

Yay for Provo lately and links too. I'll get back to photos next time.