The Truth Is...

I have been busy and this has caused me to fall behind on my blog... busy playing Bejeweled. Seriously - what is my problem? I'm considering making an appointment with the Bishop. It's a real problem. It's so bad that when I close my eyes at night to go to sleep, I see little jewels sparkling and exploding. Maybe it's not the Bishop I should make an appointment with, but more a therapist! It's not just blogging that gets pushed to the back burner - my kids, my pile of laundry, my sleep, my meals... I don't even wear make up any more.

Okay, enough with my obsession. Life has been crazy and I guess Bejeweled has become my latest "down time." Our summer is quickly coming to an end. I have mixed feelings about school starting. I am ready for our family to get back into a routine and I am most definitely done with my kids fighting non-stop, but I am also feeling like there is a lot we didn't get in. There are places we always go during the summer (Thanksgiving Point, Hogle Zoo, Lagoon) that have been left out. But, what can I say? I tried. We are going to Lagoon on Thursday so I guess two things to leave out isn't too bad. And, if you ask Jer, my kids are spoiled rotten because I try so hard to keep them entertained all summer. Really - this is my way of keeping them busy enough that they don't fight and wearing them out to the point of exhaustion at the end of every day. It's my way of staying sane (not that it really works, but I try to convince myself that it is).

We made it to the cabin (only once this summer) and that is a big one on our list of things to do. The kids absolutely love the mountains and time at the cabin. I love that the older they get, the more they seem to appreciate it.

My Nature Girls

This is the perfect marshmallow! I would've gotten a nickel from my dad for that one!

Okay - so this is supposed to be our "cute" family photo. However, mom ruined it with two things: A. run run run before the timer goes off on the camera and B. the Twilight shirt has gotta go! (We were camping, okay?)

So, it's July, but there is snow! Okay, if you drive far enough UP the mountain, you will eventually find snow.

Here's to all the Johnson's: Does this look familiar? These are what we call the "Barbie beds" and I think all the Johnson boys built these same huts when they were the ages of my kids.

As silly as this photo may seem, it's dear to me. I LOVE sitting at the kitchen table at the cabin and playing games while eating chips n' salsa. Rumicub is my "cabin favorite." This is what I call a "getaway."

Another little "getaway" I had this summer was Girls Camp. It was crazy - as to be expected! I love Girls Camp. I am a geek. I went for 8 years as a Young Woman and now I get to go as a leader. While I did have a blast when I was young, I absolutely needed it as an adult. It was a lot of work to get there (so much preparation - holy cow!), but once we were there, it was so refreshing. I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to leaving my kids behind to take care of 14 teenage girls for a week. But, they were great. I even survived being away from Jer. Thirteen years of being married and we've really only been away from each other like that for a handful of company trips. We had a few mishaps (like me getting a sinus infection and an ear infection and driving home at 2am to relieve the pressure - I saw the Dr. the next day and went right back up to camp), but all in all, it was INCREDIBLE!

This is just before the hike - we started out with a few more than we ended with. :)


These are the girls that actually made it 3 miles.


Warning: Do not take your new car to Girls Camp. This is what happens!!

So, that's what we've been up to. In the midst of all our summer fun, we have kept busy with the usual stuff: Soccer, Clogging, Young Women's, Scouts, Activity Days, playdates, yard work, babysitting, and work. I do wish we could take a week off and run away sometimes, but all in all, it's been a great summer. I really don't think we would know what to do with ourselves if we weren't running from one place to the next. Soon we will just squeeze school into the picture. Jer and I actually tried to "plan ahead" and got tickets to Depeche Mode months ago - it's next week and guess what! We will be running from a soccer game to the babysitters to the concert. But, hey, at least we get a date night, right?