Feelin' 21

I know I am not the only one out there that as soon as summer hits, you feel like you might have all this spare time...then all of sudden all of your weekends are booked up and your busier then the rest of the year. Summer has literally slipped away from me, leaving me with little to no time to write on my blog. That's life for ya! What was going to be a short post back in June has now turned into a summer recap.

I don't care who you are, but everyone loves having a birthday at some point in their life. My birthday was on the 22nd of June so I am a little past due on telling everyone thanks for the birthday wishes! I had an awesome weekend and it was full of fun. I know there are some people out there that celebrate their birthdays just like I do. They tend to turn into an all weekend extravaganza some years. I think I honestly just like to use my birthday as an excuse to spend some time with friends and family and sometimes just get out of town. Dakota and I planned ahead and decided to go to Lagoon! I have been determined to go for a few years now. It is a little harder to make it to Utah now that I am living in Rexburg. We invited Sierra and Justin (our fun newlywed friends) to go as well. Previous to this, Dakota told me to pack an overnight bag and be ready to leave our house at 3 PM the day before Lagoon. So he surprised me and took me to City Creek in Salt Lake to stay the night and of course to do some shopping! He's seriously the best and just knows me so well. We had a blast at Lagoon the next day, but were worn out from the fun and sun.

The Log Ride at Lagoon                          Shopping at City Creek, UT

Time Lapse in front of the SLC temple.

Fourth of July came around! Everyone has to love some aspect of this holiday, whether is be the BBQ's, fireworks, family get-togethers, parades, warm weather, festive clothing, or simply having a day off work. I was not so fortunate. Usually it is me that has the day off and Dakota has to go work. It was the other way around this year. The Jean Girl was at three locations for Fourth of July selling clothes for the day. It was fun to get out in the communities and do a little bit of people watching as I worked. Dakota is seriously such a trooper. He had the day off and still came with me to sit in a hot booth for a majority of the day. Afterward we went to a BBQ and watched the Idaho Falls fireworks that are put on by Malaleuca. If you are ever in the area, it is a great show to watch. It lasts long enough to be worth traveling a little way for it. However the crowd is huge. Unless you have connections with someone somewhere, it is hard to show up spontaneously and get close to watch. The week previous we went to Huntsman Springs in Driggs to watch the firework show there. We loved it! The environment is laid back and super family friendly. However I must say that I am partial to the events that happen in the upper valley in the Jackson Hole and Driggs areas. We were surprised by the amount of people that were there. They had a few bands playing throughout the evening including some of the original Beach Boys. They also honored Mr. Huntsman himself. He seems to have a pretty incredible life story. This firework show is one we will more then likely be attending in years to come.

Huntsman Springs Fireworks, Driggs, ID

 
Malaleuca Firework Show, Idaho Falls, ID

The next fun getaway we had was going to Bear Lake! The VanOrden's always have a little family reunion in Bear Lake during the summer. It always happens to fall on the same weekend right before spring finals at BYU-Idaho. However Dakota and I were lucky enough to have most of our finals over and were able to make it. All growing up, my family owned rafting boating instead of boats for lakes so I had never been to Bear Lake with my family. So this year was my fourth time going. It is an amazing lake and really fun for families. The beach is awesome to just play around on and enjoy the sun. We had a great time and it is always fun to get out of town to be with family. I always seem to leave with a good sunburn and even better memories! My skin is still in recovery.

The week after getting back from Bear Lake was full of packing our whole apartment and moving to our new apartment. We love our new place. We literally didn't even move more then a quarter mile from our previous apartment, but dang did we find out how much stuff we really have.

Well as busy as our summer has been, it hasn't slowed down yet. August will be full of more fun weekends. We have a Fisher family reunion in Jackson, weddings, and welcome homes. There will be some more fun pictures to come!

P.S. I'm not one to make up my mind easy. So bare with me as I may change my mind here and there about naming this silly blog. I will eventually settle with something. Until then...