Summer of Picnics #8

BURGERS ON THE GRILL

Place: The grill and picnic area at Heritage Court
Menu: Grilled hamburgers with cheese; fresh garden salad with tomatoes, artichoke hearts, carrots, and parmesan cheese on top.
Description: Delicious and relaxing :-)

 

We have lived here for a year and still never taken advantage of the grills and picnic area. We decided we could not waste another week! And it was a good choice. The complex provides a great shade for the picnic area so we could escape from the hot sun while grilling.

Yum Yum!

Happy Picnicking!

Act 1; Scene 34: How many pieces of taffy can YOU eat in a week?

The Saturday before last, we went up to Cache Valley for the McFarland family reunion. We were all very excited about what is becoming an annual event: candy guessing. There were jars and containers of all sizes filled with different types of candy, and we had to guess how many were in each. Whomever guessed closest won the jar of candy. I just happened to guess the EXACT amount of taffies in this jar--57. 

 

Yup--that's the jar. I took this picture exactly one week after having won the prize.

Notice that it is empty.

That's right. 

Here's a closer look:

Empty.

Robert refuses to eat salt water taffy.

Refuses.

He thinks it's nasty.

There's really no one else around.

So besides the couple that I shared with my Mom and brother, and the one raspberry one I gave to Kristen, and the other raspberry one that I used at drama camp,

I ate them all.

All.

Which, I believe, would equal around 52 taffies.

In one week.

Oh Nelly. The 4th of July must be approaching.

Act 1; Scene 33: My Niece, Age Three and a Half, is a Diva

This past weekend Robert and I have been helping his brother, Joe, and his family pack up and make the big move to Ada, Ohio. Not only was there cleaning, packing, wrapping, and loading to do--but two kids to watch out for. That's a lot of work for a Mommy and Daddy! But don't worry--the minute that Rebekah discovered that I had brought along a camera she was destined to be entertained the entire time. 

"Take a picture of me, Carson!" and "Let me take a picture, Carson!" and "Take a movie of me, Carson!" and "It's time for the camera to wake up from its nap now, Carson" is what kept Rebekah entertained. 

What can I say...my niece is a Diva! 

We took pictures of Rebekah: 

Rebekah took pictures of herself: 

Love this one. Cheetos were a big part of her day. :-)

Rebekah wanted her picture taken with the moving truck:

 

 Rebekah took pictures of everything in the house: 

 

My favorite picture Rebekah took:

We even got a video of her, in which she reveals her future plans:

Yes, this little diva has even figured out whom she is going to marry. His name is Athen (like the Greek City, only minus the "s"), and he is nearly 10 years old. Rebekah is a woman after my own heart--she goes for the older men ;-). She knows her mind better than I did at her age!

All in all, these two Divas get along very well. 

Have fun in Ohio, Rebekah!

Summer of Picnics #7

CAMPUS HUZZAH 

Place: A patch of grass across from the JFSB, overlooking the RB and Utah Lake.
Menu: Delicious Gandolfo's Sandwiches. Yum!
Description: Goodbye, Campus!

 

This was the view to the East of our picnic. 

 Some of the best deli sandwiches ever--Gandolfo's!

(You can see where I will be wrinkled when I have wrinkles :-) )

The view to the West--the RB and Smith Field House, and mountains. I have been eying this lovely little secluded spot of trees and grass and shrubs on my way down the thousands of RB stairs each day. The view, we discovered, was not quite as majestic as I thought. Mostly tops of buildings. Picturesque. But we could still see somewhat beyond them! 

 

As part of New Student Orientation for summer term going on that day, they were giving out free snow cones and salt water taffy. Yum! Great day to be on campus--lots of new freshman figuring out the lay of the land, and us celebrating the end of our campus days. 

(Another exciting thing about this post is that there are pictures of me--Robert commented that I always have pictures of him eating. So this one is my turn to "open" for the camera)

Happy Picnicking!

Summer of Picnics #6

ROASTING WITH THE FAM

Place: The fire pit in the back of the Salt Lake home.
Menu: Fire-roasted hot dogs, chips, carrots, and s'mores
Description: Campfire smell! :-)

 

First cook-out of the season! Sadly, it seems like mid-June is WAY too late for the first cook-out. Oh well, better late than never!

A lot of the family was gathering that weekend to hear my brother speak in church on Sunday--his missionary homecoming address. We had a lot of fun picnicking with everyone!

I wonder how many pictures I have taken with Robert eating hot dogs? If I didn't know better, I'd say hot dogs were his favorite food. :-)

Happy Picnicking!

Summer of Picnics #5

READ-A-THON PICNIC AT THE PARK

Place: Pioneer Park in Provo, UT
Menu: Home made banana bread, fresh pineapple, and broccoli-raisin salad.
Description: Reading and munching in the great outdoors! :-)

 

I still have to read about 800 pages in a week for one of my classes, on top of the text book readings. Needless to say, my nose is often in a book. We decided to make a date out of it :-). Good thing Robert loves to read, too! (And yes, that yellow book is entitled "No More Dead Dogs" and is as fantastic as its title.)

 

Delicious broccoli raisin salad!

Ah! Banana bread disaster! No worries, the next loaf came out of the pan beautifully. I learned a few things on the first try :-)

Happy Picnicking!