Neglecting my Journal

Today I was looking at a post from one of my really good friends. It was a picture of all of her journals.  There were SO many!  I felt a little twinge for a minute wondering why I have never really picked up journaling. 

I honestly don't know why.  I used to love to read my Mom's journals and I love to read Paul's mission journals.   I have written... just not very much.  

I guess my reasoning is that I do it here.  I feel like it's illustrated so much better with pictures too.  So here it is.  My journal, out there for everyone to read and at some point I hope to print it.  Then I'll have a photo album and a journal.  I'm okay with that.  :)

This is a mismatch of photos from the last several months....that period when I didn't ever blog.  I missed out on sharing so much.  These pictures of Audrey and her cousins in Houston mean so much more to me now though...so I guess it's fitting.  

From the top: a visit from the Kendall's during the winter last year, an Easter egg hunt with a few close friends, and Easter day....oh how I wish I had of gotten a photo of all of us that day.  My birthday...I turned the big 32 this year, Audrey begging her Dad to build a fire in the backyard, and our last time in downtown Houston. I can't believe the year is already halfway over! 

Climbing Mountains

Since arriving here Audrey has pointed at every rocky surface she can find and says, "Mom I want to climb that mountain".  I think in her mind she was thinking of scaling torturous cliffs.  I think she was a little disappointed on memorial day when we took her hiking on trails.  It wasn't until she saw the view below that she was convinced that this was adequate.  She didn't ever want to be done.  I don't blame her.  The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery.  I haven't seen anything like this in a long time.  Not that Texas wasn't beautiful in it's own way, it's just easier to want to be outside in the summer here.  I'm sure, in the Winter I'll wish I were in Texas taking walks and watching Audrey run around in the sprinklers in November. I guess you just have to take what you can get.  :) 

Poppy loved it too, so it was a win win.  When we got home Paul finished painting my desk (he's amazing), and Audrey and I made dinner for the missionaries.  It was a beautiful day!  

Cloudy Days

We had a few rainy days here.  It's hard to want to send a Dog out in the mud to go potty and then let her back in the house without washing her paws...so that's exactly what I did.  I think she really likes the rain because she kept wanting to go out for no reason. Lots of mud! 

While we waited for the clouds to pass we built a house out of popsicle sticks.

It seems since I got here that a lot of women have commented on Audrey's big personality.  At first I didn't understand.  I'm with her all day and I guess she's a lot like me because the only thing I recognize as being different from other kids is that she has a really big imagination and she is so expressive with her face. See below and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.  

I hope that she keeps being herself for a long time.  I feel like at a certain age you become less comfortable with who you are and you start becoming what you think everyone else likes.  I feel like I still smash myself into that box all the time.  I hope that when she heads off to school she is comfortable and confident with who she is.  She should never think she's less of a person because she's not like everyone else. 

I know that her imagination won't last forever....unless she becomes a writer, but for now I'm enjoying every bit of imagination I can get.  She's a fairy one day and a pirate the next.  Somehow she knows that her stuffed animals come alive at night to go on adventures and protect her while she's sleeping.  She has gone on many adventures by herself inside her closet and has a lot to say every time she comes out.  (If you haven't read the children's series "Skippyjon Jones" you should. She only has one and I think I've read it a thousand times.) 

I'm going to be sad when these days end.  School is going to be very hard for me.    

Beautiful Montana

The things I love about Montana since moving here:

• The Mountains, I never realized how much I missed them. 
• The cool mornings and cool evenings.  We've taken a lot more walks lately.  I might even start running again.  
• The street behind us that's not finished.  It's been Audrey's favorite place to explore.  The little lake down the street.  It the most beautiful little spot and provides hours of entertainment and swimming.  
• The women who have befriended me so quickly.  
• The rain smells like the rain from Utah, my former home.  I never knew that rain smelled different in different places.  When it rained for the first time I had to roll down the window down and take in a deep breath.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.
• The little park down the street that is really nothing much, but it's ours.  
• The new small home I moved into.  I love that I can clean the whole thing in one day, and I love it even more now that it's starting to feel like home.  
• Going camping again.  I can't wait to see what the stars look like out here.
• Being closer to my Mom and Dad.  Even though I'm still far away....it feels so good to be close enough that I could drive if I wanted to.  

It feels good to call this place home.