mondays are just a walk in the park

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day.  The temperature hovered right around 70 and the sun lingered behind some light clouds to provide a winning combination of sunshine and shade.  My mom and I decided to talk Katelyn out for a walk in the park.

Katelyn sat up in the stroller with out the car seat.  I can't believe she is growing up so fast!  I remember the first time D and I took her to the park.  She was only a few weeks old and we had some major cabin fever so we put Kate in the stroller and had a picnic at the park.  She was so tiny in that little car seat and she slept the entire time.

Yesterday, Baby K spent the time drinking juice and enjoying all of the wildlife we spotted.

Walks are one of Katelyn's favorite things.  She is always happy to sit and look around or take a nap while I do the walking.

the back to school picnic that finally happened

Many weeks ago, I decided that I really wanted to have a Back to School Picnic. I wanted to drive up the canyon road and spend an afternoon napping under an aspen tree listening to the rush of the Provo River at my side.

We planned to spend last Monday fulfilling my desire and I thought about it for weeks. The night before, I laid in bed, stirring, and constantly asking D if he was excited about the Back to School Picnic. And like the devoted husband he is, he replied yes every time.

The next morning, I drove to the grocery store to pick up some provisions for our journey. At a red light, I started to notice something strange in the corner of my eye. It was a flashing light the shape of Oklahoma taking over the upper left corner of my vision. I could see it when my eyes were closed or open and the fear of the unknown began to set in.

In the grocery store, I called the expert on all things in general: Mom. "You're getting a migraine. It's just an aura," she explained. She then told of how auras of flashing lights, crackling ice, and neon worms preceded her migraines and her mother's migraines, and her mother before her. She made it sound like a beautiful family legacy.

So, in similar fashion to the advice I asked for when I received my first special visit, I asked her what to do. I took two ibuprofen and one for good measure and continued with my shopping. By the time I returned home, however, all I could manage was to put the milk in the fridge, stumble into the bedroom, peel my contacts out of my eyes, and crawl in to bed, not to be disturbed for hours.

When I woke up, I realized that I had missed the window of opportunity for afternoon napping along the Provo River. I was so upset, I made Jack and D take me to Target to walk around.

Luckily, the picnic was easily postponed and we spend a beautiful August afternoon, eating pasta salad, laying in the grass, and dipping our toes in the freezing snowmelted water.

These are the only pictures D and Jack allowed me to take of them.

Jon and Tina were much more cooperative.

the farmer's market

Today, we visited the Provo Farmer's Market.

Can you tell that D and Jack were really excited about it?

I love the farmer's market. Here is what I bought.

We also bought these plants for a dollar each.
 

farewell

Goodbye summer vacation.

It's been real.

snow in june

When I get back to school in August and people ask what I did during the summer ...
... I might have to tell them that I spent it at a snow cone shack.

lazy Sunday

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was out and big white puffy clouds were rolling past the afternoon sky. Bob Ross would call them "happy clouds."

It was a long cold winter that stretched it's icy fingers into spring. Cold and rain dragged on for weeks and the usual pleasant spring that makes me happy I live in Provo was absent for a while.

But today was perfect so D and I ventured out this evening with a blanket and a snack and enjoyed the little patch of community grass by the side of our apartment.

summer redeemed

If you have read my blog, you know that I am pained when fall ends. I try not to think about it but I struggle. Most of the time I think summer is stupid.

Summer has one redeeming quality and that is watermelon. Watermelon is wonderful. During summer, it is pink and juicy and it loses that mealy texture it sometimes gets.

When I was a kid, my siblings and I would fight over what we called the "bowl." The bowl is that end of the watermelon that you have to cut off to get to the rest. There are only two bowls to a watermelon and three fighting kids so you can see the problem.

It was great if you won the bowl but it was even better if you grabbed the melon baller out of the drawer before anyone else. Sitting at the kitchen table eating perfectly round and chilled melon balls out of the watermelon bowl was one of the high points of summer.

When I got older and moved into an apartment with a fridge of my own, I realized that no one could take the bowl away from me. Soon, I took it a step further. I found that if I took a tiny slice off of one end of the watermelon the whole melon became a bowl. That discovery changed my summers.

So today, although fall is about as far away as possible, I am happy because I bought a watermelon and I'm eating out of the bowl.

queen of the barbeque

people who say they don't like zucchini have probably never tried it grilled.

When I was younger I thought that grilling was not for girls. I never had any desire to own a grill, store a propane tank, or deal with smoke and soot.

And then D and I were given a grill as a wedding gift. A really nice grill. And it seemed wrong not to use it.

... and now I am hooked ...

Grilling changes the very nature of your favorite foods. It transforms flavors and textures to create something new. Barbeque takes

something you've eaten so many nights in a row that you think you'll lose your mind if you see it again and you feel stressed because you can't think of what to do with that stupid frozen chicken breast ...

sorry.

Grilling gives you a reason to enjoy outside and watch your dinner transform to beautiful juicy flavors. Even cleaning the grill is fun. There's something about clearing the way for delicious meat, vegetables, fruit, and even bread.

So for the first time this spring, D dragged the propane tank out to the curb and I again sat in my throne as the queen of the barbeque.

i'm back and i brought fall with me

...and anyone who knows me well, knows that I like fall more than most people.

and by that I mean that I like fall more than most people like fall...
...but by that I also mean that I like fall more than I like most people.
Just Kidding.


Sort of.

I really do love the season and I don't really recognize the Autumnal Equinox as the start of Fall as most people do. To me, Autumn is a state of mind and heart and it begins as soon as I sense it.

I spend nearly all of August watching for the slight signs of Autumn that no one else recognizes. Sometimes, it's the beloved peach stand down University Avenue. Sometimes, it's the lighting of the "Y" for fall graduation. Often, it's just the fact that it's August. In any event, it will begin for me and I will know it and I will be happy.

This year, Fall hit me unexpectedly. I was standing in our little bathroom/mudroom diligently folding clothes on a beautiful Saturday morning. Usually, I relish in the weekend sleeping in privileges but this morning, I awoke at 7:30, alert and ready for the day. I stayed in bed until 8:00, surprised by the earliness of the day. I crept around the house, getting little chores done and priding myself that I was awake before 10:00 (or noon for that matter) until D roused from the bed. Standing at the dryer, folding freshly cleaned clothes, I asked him to take out the garbage. With the creaking of the front door came a wonderful, familiar scent.

crispy air

I sensed it and smiled. Autumn was here early. I couldn't help but put out my Fall wreath and pumpkin pillows. I dragged my sister to the dollar store to pick out an abundance of cinnamon candles to fill my home with the aroma of holiday. It is still September but the Robertson home is decked out for Halloween.

I can't explain what it is about the season that brings me so much joy but I am aware of its presence every morning and mourn its passing when December arrives. But every time the season leaves I simply look forward to the next.

Happy Fall!

bridal veil picnic

Today, Dave and I took advantage of the beautiful outdoors. We drove up the canyon to Bridal Veil Park. We skipped rocks and dipped our toes in the freezing snow melted water. We ate turkey sandwiches, carrots, and apples. Finally, with our bellies full, we laid on our sleeping bag and enjoyed doing nothing. Romantic picnics along Provo River are the best.

On the way home, we drove past my favorite fruit stand, which is now open for business. Driving home with an overflowing bag of fresh peaches definitely marks the start of Fall for me. :)

dave and i went camping

Last month, we went on our first camping trip ever.  Dave's sister was going camping with some friends and invited us.  We spent Friday morning gathering borrowed camping supplies from family members and buying food for our excursion.

We went to Strawberry Reservoir and found an empty spot to set up camp.  Strawberry Reservoir is beautiful and the weather was so nice.  We spent the afternoon tossing a football and trying to throw a hatchet into a tree.  I could not believe that I made it.

At night, we built a huge fire but no one had any chair to sit on so we took the benches out of my van.  Driving a van isn't the coolest thing but sometimes it is really convenient.  We sat around the fire and listened to Dave play guitar while everyone else sang along.

Dave was so nice during the camp out.  One of the things he discovered about me is that I do not like to go to the bathroom outside.  We found a restroom a few miles away from where we were camping and every time I had to go, he drove me down and waited outside of the door so I wouldn't be scared.

When it was time to settle in for the night, we decided not to set up a tent.  It had been pretty warm that afternoon and we wanted to sleep under the stars so Dave and his roommate Jon and I laid out on a tarp.  It turned out to be freezing.  We were definitely not warm enough and we did not have enough blankets!  Poor Dave gave me all of the warm blankets and had to suffer in the cold.  To make matters worse, I stole all of the blankets that he did have.  He still makes fun of me for it.

We somehow made it through that freezing miserable night.  That morning, we noticed a little stream running by the bathroom.  There were huge pink fish trying to swim upstream or something.  They basically were just facing the rushing water and staying in the same place.

When we got back to our apartments, we decided to get cleaned up and meet back later.  I had given Dave a spare set of keys to my car just in case we got locked out or something.  I thought he was taking a really long time to shower but when he got back I noticed that he had taken my car and had it vacuumed out and perfectly clean.  What a nice surprise!

I had such a fun time camping with Dave.  :)