The Glorious 4th!

 We're home after an amazing long weekend in Boise! The 4th of July did not disappoint as usual. In typical Starnes style we crammed it all in over a few short days. Get ready....for picture overload time.

 I ♥♥♥ the 4th of July!!! And here is why!

Food:I made some delicious white chocolate strawberries and then dipped the tip in some blue sprinkles. I saw the idea in Family Fun and they turned out SUPER cute!

 We indulged in all sorts of delicious BBQ, yummy salads and delicious goodies over the holiday including 3 cakes! One for my brothers birthday, one for my birthday and of course we had the traditional flag cake!

 Here is everyone singing Happy Birthday to both James and I!  ☺

 Friends: We had such a blast getting together with our friends. We went over to the Haskells on Saturday night for a BBQ with the Langfords and the Koppings. Then we went swimming in the pool that WOULD have been right across the street from our old house. It was a little sad and a little surreal to be there but we still had lots of fun nonetheless.

Here is my (sniff sniff) house.....kind of felt a little stabbed in the heart when I would look over at it but hey....life goes on right? I like symbolism of the gate in the picture. Me on the other side of the fence looking in...haha. Hey, at least the people who bought it are taking care of it..as well they should since they bought it for a freaking STEAL of a deal! Nate just had to keep whispering in my ear..."It's ok hon...I'll buy you a better house...I promise."☺Ok...moving on.

Later on that night we met up with the Koppings again at around 11:00pm at a place that my brothers absolutely LOVE to go. It's a place I have heard a lot about but have never been. We were totally game for a little adventure so we headed out to State Street. We went to this DIVE called Merritts for some white trash 24 hour delicious SCONES! The place was so gross looking, some Hells Angels rolled in while we were there. Oh, we laughed. GREAT times. And REALLY great scones.

Another night we met up with the Haskells again after Nate's bike race for some Cheesecake Factory. We adore the Haskells. Once again...laughed so hard my cheeks ached! Nate and Chris were rocking the same hat that night. Biking brothers....that's what they are.

Family:My sweet baby nephew was blessed over the weekend. I couldn't get enough of that little guy. He is SO darling. I wanted to snatch him up and bring him home with me.  ☺

We also found some time to run over to the MK Nature center to see the huge 6 foot sturgeon (YIKES) and enjoy some wildlife.

Of course the only nature the boys really enjoyed was this:

Gotta love boys.

Fireworks:We enjoyed the fireworks including the almost $300 worth of illegal fireworks that my dad picked up over in Mt. Home. It was a very LOUD exciting night. Hehe.

Flat Water:Earlier on the 4th we headed over to our favorite (secret) lake. Lake Owyhee. Seriously....warm water, no crowds, no waves...it was INCREDIBLE. Shhhhh...don't tell all of the millions of people who when to Lucky Peak on the 4th. ☺

  Freedom/Fun: We decided to head back to Idaho Falls going a different way. I was getting so sick and tired of the same ol' drive so we decided to change things up a bit. We went through Fairfield and Arco. On the way we stopped at the National Monument Craters of the Moon. What a little boys dream! We had fun exploring a new part of Idaho that really isn't very far from our IF. The caves were incredible! We want to go back there ASAP!

Love the 4th, love the freedoms that I am blessed to enjoy, love my friends and family and I love making memories in a country that I am proud to be apart of.

"God Bless America....land that I love."

Perspective

We found out last night that some friends of ours during the law school days just suffered a horrible tragedy. Mark (the dad in this photo) passed away leaving behind a sweet wife and 5 beautiful children.

Usually I am bouncing off the walls excited as the 4th of July is just around the corner. Today though, I have been fervently counting my blessing...and constantly praying for this family. I'm so grateful for my testimony of the gospel and I that I know that family is forever. My heart breaks for Brooke and for her children. When things like this happen and they hit really close to home it puts life into perspective. I am rededicating myself to focus on the things that matter most...to not sweat the small stuff and to live each day to the fullest. You just never know...... 

I'm still looking forward to our long holiday weekend with family and friends but I know without a doubt  I will be holding them a little closer. I hope that all of my family and friends who enjoy reading my little old blog will do the same.

Happy 4th of July.

Where the wild things are......

If you find yourself walking through our neighborhood on a typical summer day....you might come across some unfamiliar sounds. Strange sounds of one kind or another coming from the backyard of the Starnes home.

You see, this is the meeting place for all monsters who love to roar their terrible roars, gnash their terrible teeth roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws.

The wild things love to be at our home all day and all night until the big mother monster shouts...BE STILL!!!

The noise, the messes, the food consumption...it goes hand in hand with friends loving to be at our house all the time. REALLY though.....I'm glad they like to be here. ☺

Rexburg Rapids!

I was over the moon thrilled to hear the Rexburg was getting a WATER PARK a few months back! I still don't quite understand why Pocatello has one and now Rexburg yet Idaho Falls doesn't. O well...I'm was thrilled anyway.

I decided to take the boys today since the weather was BEAUTIFUL and Nate is gone at Scout Camp for a few days. We needed something to fill up our day and wear these boys out! Today was the 2nd day in operation. I thought it would be overwhelmingly packed but I was pleasantly surprised. We got there right at open and it didn't start getting crowded until a good 2 hours into our stay. The boys and I had a great time. I was even interviewed by the Rexburg mayor, city counsel members AND the designer of the water park! They wanted to make sure I had a fun enough time to come back in the future! We did...and we LOVE how much closer it is then the one in Pokey.

These are the pictures I scroll through for my sanity during those long winter months! We're soaking up EVERY MINUTE of summer sun we can!

17 days of kindness

Age is a matter of feeling.....not of years.

I've been thinking a lot today about the big 3-0 coming up right around the corner. I have 17 days left in my 20's. Whoa. 30. 30 isn't old if you're a tree.☺ I have vague memories of being at my own father's 30th birthday.....strange but true.

Part of me wants to CRY and part of me wants to CELEBRATE! After all this is a milestone birthday!  While blog surfing about the topic of turning OLD...I mean 30, I came across one that gave me a great idea. I wish I had thought about it a little earlier and since I'm not a complete month out I am going to get started tomorrow. Instead of "30 days of kindness" I'll call it "17 days to do 30 random acts of kindness". Yeah the title stinks but I'm excited nonetheless.  Each day I want to give to someone else.....do something to lighten someones load even if it is just a smile.

Tomorrow it starts. As I check off my list I will come back and cross off the items I complete (in no particular order!) Bring it on 30! I figure if I stay busy focusing on some easy and fun goals I won't spend too much time dwelling on all of the things I DIDN'T accomplish by the time I turned 30!

Here I go!

1. compliment someone's hair √

2. listen. really listen.√

3. share a smile & a warm hello√

4. bake a treat and give it to a neighbor√

5. call someone you've been thinking about√

6. be patient√

7. be sincere when you ask "how are you?"√

8. donate some money√


9. leave a generous tip√
 
10. leave a treasure on a stranger's doorstep√

11. avoid judging others√

12. surprise someone√

13. give someone a hug√

14. deliver flowers to someone special√
15. send happy mail√

16. say I love you√

17. reach out to an old friend√

18. make someone laugh√

19. anonymously pay for a stranger’s meal √
20.make a yummy breakfast for your loves√

21. cheer up the sad/sick √

22. make a new friend√

23. send a thank you card√

24. make someone's bed√

25. read to a child (as long as they want)√

26. leave a secret note for your love√

27.be on time√

28. write a letter to a friend √

29. tell a loved one you're thankful for them√

30. hold the door for someone√

Activity Days

I ♥ my calling working with the 8 and 9 year old girls in our ward. We did a really fun activity last week so I thought I'd do a recap for anyone who cares. (I guess this one is for you Angie!) We decided to do a daddy/daughter drive in movie night! The girls had to work on a cardboard box CAR with their dads and bring it to the church that evening. We were having a DRIVE IN MOVIE NIGHT!

We started out playing all sorts of silly games. We had a jump rope, hula hoop and blindfolded coloring contest! Then we had the girls "drive" by in their cars and we gave them awards for "fasted looking" "biggest gas guzzler" things like that.

 After awards everyone could head over to the CONCESSION counter and order up some hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, red vines, and other movie treats!

 Then everyone had to park in their stalls to enjoy the feature presentation TANGLED!

Love these cute girls!

The busy, crazy, strange, fun, scary, and FANTASTIC day.

Yesterday was so WEIRD. It seems we endured every kind of emotion and every type of weather all crammed into an 18 hour time span. It started out as an absolutely beautiful and perfect summer morning. I dropped Dallin off for scout day camp and took the other kids to my Zumba class. Everyone was teasing me relentlessly since I haven't been there in over 2 weeks. I'm glad they missed me. It makes it easier to get up in the morning now that classes are outside and much EARLIER than I would prefer.

After Zumba we did the baseball thing:

Then we had lunch and played with friends at the park which was really fun. I've organized a playgroup for the summer and was happy that 4 other moms joined us. The sprinklers turned on while we were there so I came home with some very WET boys to say the least!

After playgroup it was still only 3:30 and HOTTER than hot outside. (NOT that I am complaining...I've been waiting for this heat since last November!) As soon as Dallin arrived back at home I thought, hey...lets just head up to Rexburg and play in the splash park for a couple of hours. Nate wasn't going to be home until 8 at least since Wednesdays are his group ride nights. We headed up to Rexburg and met up with Uncle Yamo and Aunt Sierra. We played in the water and rode the carousel for an hour or so.

Then suddenly out of NOWHERE rolled in this ginormous black cloud and it started to rain and hail. The wind was blowing, the thunder booming and lightning flashing all over the place. It was surreal.

We jumped in the car and headed home in the storm. I could see the lightning reaching all the way down to the ground and suddenly remembered Nate was out on his bike in this crazy storm. I tried calling him a few times but he didn't answer. I started panicking. Where was he? Is he struck by lightning and dead somewhere on the side of the road? Did he forget his phone?  Did someone veer off the road due to all of the rain and smack him? Yeah.....my mind does that. Worst case scenario, I go there. About an hour later I got a call from Nate...."Hey, will you come pick me up? I'm over by Shelley." I was SO relieved! When I picked him up I gave him an ear full. Yeah, instead of being loving and kind I pretty much ripped him a new face because he SCARED me to death. They yelling, the screaming, it was all done in love. ☺

Later that night Nate bought me my 30th birthday present. If you want to know what it is then you'll just have to wait until my birthday to find out. Needless to say I am SO over the moon excited that I could hardly sleep! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

What a day!

Staying busy...staying sane.

At first I thought we were out of our minds deciding to shut the cable down for the summer. After a few weeks though I am noticing that we hardly miss it. With all of the sports we have going on and all of the running around that we do every day it is nice to look around and see THIS when we have some down time:

 The boys were setting up their own "mini golf course" in the front room this morning. They even added a small water feature.....or a bowl they added green food coloring too an sprinkled a little paprika in it as well. Creative or strange....I'm not sure. ☺

No cable in the summer.....a surprisingly good thing! ☺

Back to the sports we've been so busy with. The oldest 2 boys had tennis lessons right before we left to go out of town. Parker and Dallin love to play tennis which is a good thing since it seems like EVERYONE plays here in Idaho Falls. I like that Dallin has a nice NO CONTACT sport that he enjoys and excels at. ☺

Landon and Parker have been playing baseball as well. Thank heavens Dallin decided to "retire" from baseball this year. It would have been too much having 3 going at once!

Please pardon the proud mommy moment but Mr. Parker is the ONLY 6 year old on a team of 8 year olds and one 11 year old. He hits better than most of them and yes...I am that strange mom in the stands BEAMING! He refused to play another year of t-ball and I don't blame him at all. After 3 years of t-ball he was more than ready to move up to machine pitch. It is SO much fun watching this teeny tiny guy step up to the plate and knock one to center field! It makes watching baseball a LOT more enjoyable for me anyway. Sidenote: Parker plays for the Braves which is fun to cheer for since that was my high school mascot. Yelling "Let's go Braves!" Yeah...it takes me back to the ol cheer days.

Mr. Landon plays for the Lightening Bolts. Is there anything cuter than watching a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds playing t-ball? I think not! Kids running the bases backwards, chasing butterflies, laying down in the outfield. Love it.

We've been so busy so far this summer. It's a good thing since I feel like I still don't have any really close friends here in Idaho Falls. It's just different here and even though I try so hard to make the best of things sometimes it gets kind of lonely. In Boise I had my family and friends who were ALWAYS going and doing fun things and here I feel like everyone kind of keeps to themselves. Whenever I think, "we should go to a movie, or the zoo or meet up for lunch" I can think of a dozen people I could call up in Boise but not so much here. It's a little disheartening since we have been here over a year now. I kept thinking that things would get better but I'm realizing now that it just is what it is. It makes me so grateful for my own little family....for my boys who are best friends with each other and for my sweet husband who puts up with my whining. It also makes me so grateful for my good friends who call me on a weekly basis to check up on me. So for now....we'll just keep playing hard and staying busy. Just me and my boys.

Alright...enough ranting! Positive thinking.....positive thinking. ☺