Cell phone pics catch up--my new semi-permanent blog title

So perhaps you've all caught on by now....I'm a little short for time...and on a run of just giving you big boluses of camera pic posts...

As the weather gets less delightful I hope to step up my posting quality and frequency...though they'll prolly all be camera phone pics b/c it's just so dang easy...and I might be a little inclined to go with what's easy these days :)

Anyhow...on with the catch up.

This has been one of the best summers I've had in a long time.

I'm doing a lot with my friends and my girls

Getting out and having fun.

This summer I've gotten back to tubing.

Go back home--get some tractor tubes, maybe a few drinks and hit the river with some friends.

My mom drops us off a few miles upstream on the little river I grew up on and we spend the next few hours floating down.

It's fabulously relaxing and wonderful.

One of my very favorite things to do.

I hope I can get a couple more runs in.

Here are Amy, Karri and I crammed into the front of my Mom's ranger with her.

Ready to hit the water.

That night we also went to a concert at the fair.

It was on my summer "to do" list and I am very thankful for my great girlfriends who made it happen.

We got lots of bracelets...I love event bracelets.

Is that strange?

And...I actually drank beer!!!!

It had been quite a long time....but it

something you had to do at a county fair.

So I champed up.

We saw Buckcherry.

I knew three of their songs...they played all three.

I was very pleased.

It was a good show.

Here is Amy schmoozing the crowd.

You don't want to know what she was harassing that guy about...

Karri says she has no filter.

I think it's just set low.

Amy will tell anyone what she thinks.

She told the guy before this one that he was a bad dancer and he should stop (it was true).

You would think she might offend people.

But they all seem to like it.

And as shocked as we were.

The bad dancer seemed rather pleased.

And, he stopped dancing (think Elaine from Seinfeld)

The night was great fun and over way too soon.

But it was the perfect summer day to me from start to finish.

I will remember it always.

Onto more random pics
My girls.

Down at the river at our family reunion.

In case you are freaking out about seeing children along the river edge.
You can walk across the river.

And about 20 of us were standing along the shore to rescue them from the knee deep water if needed.

A picture of people taking pictures.

Should have included audio :)

The start of family volleyball--an old tradition we brought back.

It is doubtful anyone will get an offer to play professionally.

But we sure have fun!



I tried to sleep in a tent that night with three little girls.  It was not going well (think crying kicking girls, biting mosquitoes, sticky conditions and hard ground)....and then at about 2:30 am a windstorm kicked up and it started to storm.  Thanks to the help of my cousin-in-law (yeah--that's really a term) and my cousin I had the tent down and the girls loaded into the Pilot in minutes.  Then back to my mom's house for a few merciful hours of sleep before morning came.

Tayla with her morning cup of Joe...it was a rough night for all of us 

The carefully packed tent

Dessa is very sensitive to mosquito bites.

Poor dear :(

Bella testing out the boat for our next tubing adventure

Tubing run number 2

Know of any?

There were some battery issues with the Pilot.

Thankfully I was rescued by a very nice man who was willing to loan me his charger.

I know they are kinda young...but I let the girls get tattoos.

They begged me

And they were in good taste

My Tator Tot.

A very sweet card I got from a very dear friend the exact day I needed it.

I love that saying.

And I liked this pic.

Stay tuned for more catch ups...

Hope you're all having a fantastic summer!