Seeing Double.

Kendall and her friend took their dogs out for a playdate.  Look at these two English Cream Golden Retrievers.  I cannot tell who is who.  They are exhausted after a fun filled play time.

Bailey going to camp with Sidney.

Willow has an obsession with cardboard boxes.

How on earth did she get up there?

Levi!

Sidney has been hauling Pigeon up to Star for some of her jump lessons.  The arena where they are doing the lessons is simply gorgeous.

Look at these beautiful flowers running down the center of the arena.  They divide the flatwork side from the jump side.

The trailer is finished.  Isn't it amazing!  We have been loving it.  Though, it has taken Levi some time to get used to loading in it, but we are doing it.

It matches my truck.  This makes me smile.

Flowers, naturally!

I celebrated my birthday this month.  Naturally, it included flowers.  But first, chocolate cake and birthday wishes!

My sister gifted me this beautiful orchid.  I have heard that these can be tricky, so wish me luck!

The girls and my parents treated me to beautiful cut flower bouquets.

While we are on the subject of flowers, I will share a few other treats from my yard.  My first bouquet of roses for the year.

My peonies were off the charts this spring.  It is such a bummer that they have such a short bloom season.

Remember the dahlias?  Here is an update.

...and they bloomed.

And the flowers just keep coming:).  This has been a truly unexpected treat.

Sip and Paint, At Home Style.

For Christmas this past year, Sidney had gifted me a lovely paint and sip basket.  It only took us six months to find the right time to do it.  We invited my mom and Claire to join us.  Sidney made it very special by setting up a nice table full of treats and supplies.

It was a super fun evening.  We visited with one another and saw our paintings turn into something beautiful.

The Puppy Place.

I do not love to travel, but I do so often for work.  As such, I always try to find the nuggets of joy in these trips.  AIA national this year was in San Diego.  I deem any trip to San Diego a treat.  Here was the view from my hotel room.  Check out this yacht.  It was insane to watch the size of the crew alone that maintained this boat.  For perspective. that is the clam shell ampi-theater in the background. 

We hosted an awards reception the night before the conference.  They were going to discard these bouquets, so I volunteered to take one to my room to enjoy for the week.  Win!

One of my favorite things at AIA is the puppy park.  This vendor sells the turf, but they always bring puppies as the main attraction.  The puppies are always crazy energetic in the morning.

By early afternoon, they are zonked in a pile.  The next morning, they rinse and repeat and start off full of energy again.  They tried to send one home with me.  It is a good thing that I was taking a plane...or else!

I love the sights and sounds of this beautiful beach town.  I will see you again in August, San Diego!

My Aunt Nena.

My Aunt Nena passed away on June 10th.  It was super sad.  My mom had been going up north to visit her quite a bit this past year, as her health was failing.  My aunt lived a very hard life.  She had been in a terrible motorcycle accident when I was a little girl.  She was pronounced dead at the scene, and they were able to revive her.  She suffered from brain damage and lived an unconventional life.  She was a beautiful soul and would literally give the shirt off her back to whomever needed it.  She was a force to be reckoned with, as life had taught her that she always needed to be ready to take care of herself.   

Her health declined very rapidly at the end, and my mom was not able to be there with her.  My sister was able to drive over and hold the phone up to Nena so my mom could say goodbye.  

My work sent this beautiful planter in honor of her.  Nena loved butterflies.  I shared the planter with my mom, and she has taken great joy in watching it thrive and thinking of her sister.

I will forever remember coloring with her and exchanging cards and tea bags with her through the mail.  She loved deeply and lived life the way that she wanted to.

Montana Road Trip.

Kendall took a road trip to Montana with a couple of her friends.  The goal was to see Mumford and Sons at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman.

Road trips are good for the soul.  They are always an adventure.  The girls got a hotel and the outfit changes began.

They spent a day thrift shopping.  My friend that lives there said there is a known corner where there are some amazing thrift shops.  Kendall is an old lady at heart and fell in love with this display of glass dishes.  She purchased a few of the tea cups to take home with her.

They found all kinds of fun and funky things to look at.

Where is pooh hiding?

They were also on the hunt for cowboy boots to wear to the concert.  Of course, we had plenty of pairs that they could have borrowed, but what is the fun in that?

Score!

Then it was concert time.  It turned out to be a beautiful June day.

Afterwards they found a place to play some pool and have some fun.

To put those new/used boots to good use, the girls found tickets to Parker McCollum once they got back to Boise.

I love the equipment guy in the background smiling for the camera!  This just makes me giggle.