currently: july

"The dandelions and buttercups gild all the lawn, the drowsy bee stumbles among the clover tops, and summer sweetens all to me."

- James Russell Lowell

Reading: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillipp Sendker.  Such a sweet, sweet story.
Making: plans for my 10-year high school class reunion weekend next month.  Can't wait!
Cooking: breakfast for dinner.  Yum.
Drinking: too much caffeine.  I had two Diet Mt. Dews today and am way too chatty.  Oops.
Deciding: that my small group is the best there is.

Wanting: to spend all day, every day, outside.

Playing: this album by The Brilliance.  I particularly love the instrumental versions of each song.
Watching: Parks and Rec, Season 2.  I multitask and do abs while I watch - the perfect combo. 
Exercising: back to (cautiously) running and adding some strength training! 
Learning: more about God's heart through this She Reads Truth study on the Sermon on the Mount.
Pinning: grilling recipes.  Gotta take advantage of this summer grilling weather.

Wishing: that our friends Chris and Emily lived closer to us.  We had such a fun 4th of July w/ them!
Wearing: golf attire, more likely than not.  :)
Needing: to check the words I speak more closely - that they may be uplifting.
Reflecting: "...not that there are any sins little, for there is no little God to sin against..."
Feeling: impatient to see my friend Jess' new house tonight and celebrate with a bottle of wine.
Praying: for the families of those lost in the Malaysian plane shot down over Ukraine yesterday.
Loving: the fact that I get to see my mom twice in one month next month. 

{beautiful Lake Erie on July 4th}

enjoying the ride

The first roller coaster I ever rode was Space Mountain at Disney World.  It was not exactly a pleasant experience.  Long story short, I cried my way up, down and around the entire ride (and long waiting line, too).  I'm sure I was quite a pleasure to be around.  My next roller coaster experience was at Busch Gardens in Florida.  We rode the Kumba - the park's first inverted roller coaster.  I was so scared, but once we really got going I found that I actually loved it.  The thrill of the ride.  The adrenaline rush.  It was intoxicating.

Over the years, I've ridden tons of roller coasters.  Every choir trip in high school ended with a day at Six Flags.  We spent dawn until dusk winding through hours of lines, anxiously awaiting the one-to-two minute adrenaline rush of each roller coaster ride.  Some of my best high school memories are from those trips.

{Six Flags San Antonio circa 2003}

friday five

Is it just me, or did this week seem to last forever?  I think it's because we were spoiled with a short week for the 4th of July last week.  I'm glad the weekend is almost here.  Between a birthday party, bridal shower, date night and dinner with friends, it's shaping up to be a busy but fun weekend.

On to my five silver linings this week (linking up here)!

4th of july recap: part 2

The rest of our day in Put-In-Bay was full of exploring.  We had the best lobster bisque bread bowls in town at the Boardwalk...

4th of july recap: part 1

Happy belated Independence Day!  We spent the weekend celebrating America's birthday with our good friends (and awesome hosts), Chris and Emily, at Chris' family's lakehouse on Lake Erie.  We had the best time!

On the 4th, we took a ferry over to Put-In-Bay to explore for the day.  The typical modus operandi, as we were told, is to take the ferry over and rent a golf cart to get around once you arrive on the island.  You wouldn't believe how many golf carts we saw over there!  We rented our own (the infamous Clarabella) and drove all over the place on it.