With my lightning bolts a-glowing I can see where I am going...

Monsoon has sprung, and our afternoons have become dark and spongy, perfect for curling up with a good book or an Andrew. If we were of the religious variety and were living when the Earth was still flat, I am certian we would be checking the skies for Thor and his hammer, balls of fire, and Zeus laughing, using his lightning bolts like scissors.

At work the other day, hammering started in the form of quarter-sized rain drops. The five-lane road in front of our office was a flooded river. My co-workers and I watched as a cardboard box-come-sailboat navigated past. Cars were pulling over, the rain water flowing over their wheel bases. In one underpass, a car drowned in seven feet of water.

Thunder is the loudest I've ever heard. Like in the old movies or plays when behind stage or camera they'd shake giant peices of tin and nearly blast the audience away. Andrew and I resist the urge to cover our heads and duck (maybe an inherent instict left over from the Zeus days?), then grin at each other sheepishly. Secretly we're both looking around the see if the ground has splt into two, the world ripping apart.

Then the rainbows come. Double rainbows, spanning one side of the valley to the next.

Roll it around in your mouth

Words I really like the sound of:
malfeasance
pergola
lozenge
bellybutton
unctious

Words I do not:
coif

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!!!!

This Last weekend Andrew and I flew to Sacramento to Andrew's parents' ranch to surprise Steve (who, with his girlfriend, also flew in) for his birthday. Aunt Sukey came too! We had the best weekend. The night before we left, we were so excited we had trouble sleeping.

Greg picked us up at the airport while Gail picked up Steve, Lindsay, and Aunt Sukey who came in shortly after we did. Sneaky Sneaky. They arrived at the ranch where we were waiting for them, and in he walked. Andrew and I have missed Steve and Lindsay immensely. We've missed the whole family immensely! We were so happy to see everyone, and to have everyone in one place. That never happens.

Friday we spent on Folsom lake, water-skiing and swimming. The water was so warm, and we splashed about nearly all day. They have floating outhouses. I've never seen that before. But it makes a certain kind of sense.
We went to dinner at the Ale House- so yummy in my tummy. Then decided to have a little fun at the hotel. We played a few drinking games with Steve and Linds, and I will never forget Andrew's impression of "Dancing like a cookie," and the story of him fainting in the 2nd grade and no one noticing.

The next dawned with us getting breakfast at "Ma Calendar's" as Greg calls it (ask Andrew about his awesome coffee), and running to Costco to get THE SEVENTH HARRY POTTER BOOK!!!!! We had a Birthday Barbeque at the ranch which meant more food and laughing. I love this family so much. I just love the stories told and the funny quips.

That evening we drove into Sacramento for a River Cats baseball game and fireworks. It was perfect. The whole weekend. It was just so good to be there with no drama, nothing but everyone loving on one another. Andrew and I didn't want to leave. We are thinking of maybe making Sacramento our home some time down the road. We'd be near Andrew's parents, who I've fallen in love with over the past year and a half, and not too far from mine. The city is very much like Boise- it's the capital, has a river running through it, has many surrounding burbs, etc. We're thinking about it, anyway. It just feels good there.

This weekend was the greatest treat. We are so lucky that Greg and Gail set the whole thing up.

Sunbathing in Your Radiance

I was sitting here reading while Andrew played his guitar, and it hit me, as it sometimes does, how much I adore this man I get to see everyday. I sometimes can't believe my luck. 
Andrew has more depth to him than most people, and he is so loving and silly.  I sometimes get so happy by little things with him.  Like the other day I went to call him to let him know I was on my way home, and it struck me as I pressed the first speed dial button that he was the FIRST speed dial person.  I've called him this way a million times.  I don't know why, but it just made me so happy that I had him as my #1.
We reach for each other often in the middle of the night, just to make sure one another is there. In the morning it is usual for me to wake to snuggles. We make each other laugh repeatedly with a million little "inside jokes." We have our own rediculous language that I'm sure would sound foreign to anyone other than us. And I am always calmed by his voice. I delight in taking care of him, and why not? He takes such care of me.
His hands strum his guitar, and I am reminded of when we were first dating. I used to watch the way his fingers plucked and pressed the strings on his Taylor, and I felt myself falling in love.
It is the same still.

I've got to go, I've got more Andrew to listen to.

Marrissa Cooper died tonight. I knew it was coming, but I still can't believe that she did. Especially as she somewhat redeemed herself towards the end. Hrm.

We found an apt. I am pretty dang excited about it. It is a bit of a drive from my work (about 25-30 minutes), but closer for Andrew Handsome Pants. But the coolest part is that it is the best and newest one we looked at (about 12 or 13 different places) and the cheapest! Minty! It has 9 ft ceilings, a pool with stone lions spitting into it, spa, really nice workout center, and it is at the base of these gorgeous mountains.


Of these photos, our apartment living room is the main photo, and then the bedroom on the top right is ours as well. The other two photos, crap. Please disregard.
So we move in September 1-ish. We are ready to have our own place again, not that it won't be hard to leave our foster home in the west mountains. I sure will miss being able to sun bathe in the buff. I'll miss the remote control window shades (there are four in a row, and we sometimes have races to see if we can get the last one going before the first one is done), and the garage, the bunnies- but we might have some out there- and the garden. Oh I will miss the garden.

Fortho

*It should be noted that when I was little I didn't realize that TheFourthOfJuly was actually the fourth day of July. I thought it was one word- Forthojuly. So when I was marking dates in our family's calendar my mom told me that the Forthojuly was on the fourth of July, and I marked it accordingly. My family will never let me live that down, and in fact we still celebrate Forthojuly. It is remarkably similar to the Fourth of July.

For this Fortho Andrew and I decided to jet up to Phoenix for the night. We found a Hilton Resort and got a great mid-week room rate. We got to our suite, donned our white hotel robes, and ordered room service. Sandwiches, beer, and chocolate covered strawberries. The room was awesome. We had a great view as we were up on a bit of a cliff. There were all sorts of shoppes, restaurants, and several swimming pools with water slides. Wednesday we woke up, read in bed a little, (Harry Potter, anyone?) then threw on our suits, and walked down to get some breakfast. We then spent the remainder of the day by the pool, reading, swimming, and relaxing. It was so bourgie and ostentacious. We ordered drinks by the pool. A guy even came around with chilled mango-infused washclothes to cool us off.
We headed home late in the afternoon with slight sunburns, and me a slight buzz, congratulating ourselves for a trip well done.

I love my boyfriend.

The temperature outside- 117 degrees.

On the way home...

One By One All Day

I completed my first week at my new job! The first few days were a little overwhelming. Having never worked in the interior design industry, there is a lot for me to learn. But now that I am learning more and doing more, I am liking it quite a lot. It's a little family, there are only 6 of us. Everyone looks out for everyone else.

Plus, I got to order new planning stuff for my Franklin Covey planner! Office supplies and planning stuff excite me.
I'm not sure why.

We saw "Evan Almighty" last night. It was about as good as can be expected. There were a few funny parts. Very few. All in all it wasn't bad, just not awesome.

And now I am enjoying my Sunday watching "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."
I finished my book, "Water For Elephants." It was set with a circus backdrop in 1931. I don't remember ever going to a circus when I was little. I'm not sure there were any in Alaska. It made me want to go see one now. I would imagine they take a lot better care of the animals now. Hopefully anyway.
I'm thinking I might read the 6th Harry Potter in prep for the 7th (19 days, 11 hours, 31 minutes, 48 seconds).
Oh Hurry Up Harry!