These last few weeks, SO much has happened. Here's to a little summer! :)

So this last week, I started a new job.  I load, sort, and fold towels, sheets, and pillow cases in a small laundry room at a local hotel.  It's hard ...lonely, and well, monotonous, but doable!! :)  At least I have a job!!  The hours are less than what I was expecting and hoping for, but it's okay.  I will figure it out!! (I need about 40 a week plus some to make my financial goals, in and of it's self 40/week is a miracle, but more money/hours by Fall Semester will be needed to make ends meet, so it will be more miracles!! I know it will work out! :)  

I have no pictures of my new job setting, but here's some other fun stuff my family and I have been up to these last few, wondeful, but busy weeks!! 

 Missy, after her big math final (last week of school)

I came home to this one day after work and thought, "Miller! (her math teacher) What have you done?!" ...she's fine but it was hard and she's glad it's all over! 

Missy after "Miller final":

SECOND: Sam and Graduation

Sam grdaduated from high school on June 9th (last Saturday) and it was AWESOME!!  We took some pictures, here they are!  :) 

 

 

 

 Checking the pictures taken on my phone, to see if they were good. :)

 

THIRD:  Grandparents in town

It was lovely having my two grandparents in town, Grandpa Brown & Grandma Robyn because they are great and lively.  They are so funny!  :) ...We got to have a couple meals with them and my cousins and then one with just them and my family while they were here visiting for Sam's graduation, and it was SO fun!! I love my family! 

We sat around the table and just laughed at things my grandpa animated about his work (he works for an electric company-not necessarily exciting but the way he told the stories about their latest drama was!) 

 Grandpa resting after a good Sunday dinner! :) 

Baby resting after Sunday dinner

 Missy and I chillin' at the table :) 

 Family Gathering! :)

 Little Cutie! :)

 

...THEN, I got a new job and started working, so I was really busy, but I went to institute, and church class for adults on Wednesday night and saw some friends, went shopping with my sister, -Missy and I found a fabulous mirror for our room where we can put our make-up on & do our hair~basically a vanity!  We've been using this really cool oval one that matches our room pretty well with the Hawaiian theme, weaved twig-ish type frame but it was just too small and two of us couldn't put our make-up or do our hair at the same time-very easily.  It could be done, but it was hard!  SO, we got a new mirror and plan on redecorating our room soon too!  (We moved all the furniture around so it's fresh and I'm SO excited!!)

Second to last, I have been grocery shopping for my mom and we have been moving towards a 'flexitarian' diet my mom calls it!  It's really cute and I'll explain.  We've been thinking about how we can eat better, my mom got bored with her recipes, and my dad and brother -now sister too!- are avoiding sugar in the name of becoming more healthy and for some, more able to perform well athletically.  My dad and brother with a bunch of uncles are riding their bikes from Seattle to Portland this summer and the deal is my dad, or brother has to pay the other $1 if they eat sugary treats (i.e. candy, desserts, cereal with significant amounts of sugar, and so on!) This is hard, because then I feel guilty eating ice cream, but I'm coming around too! 
I don't know how many of you have seen the movie Forks Over Knives, but it's an interesting documentary about the danger in eating certain foods and what do to about it.  According to the movie, the 'American diet' is not good and we should change it in order to avoid a serious medical condition such as heart failure later-or cancer.  This is hard.  It requires eating a strict diet and encompasses a new lifestyle, so it's hard for my family to change all at once, especially when my mom is starting fresh with recipes for this diet.  I asked her, teasingly if she was going VEGAN and she said, "No, ...I'm going flexi-tarian."  :)  lol It means she's trying to be healthier but not willing to go "all out yet."  It's cute. 

So, my family is going healthier and I'm eating healthier (not always, but sometimes: green smoothie here, vegetables, humus -she and my dad have gone crazy with humus recipes! plus I'm trying to cut back on the sugar-oh! and LOTS of salads with a variety of greens!! ).  I can be an emotional eater where I eat because I'm sad, weak, or it's social, but I'm learning to gage my hunger and only eat what I need while still enjoying food and then cut back on stuff that's outright bad for you-like desserts.  Still learning, I'm not great, but I'm better! :)  

This is a long way to introduce these pictures, but I feel like it needed to be said and after all, this post covers several weeks, so it's okay to be extra long! :) 

Here it is, me buying my mom 10 packs!! of whole wheat pasta with Wheat French Bread at Albertson's.

...AND, a lentil soup that my mom made and it"passed" (not all of the new recipes have), but it's still in my fridge (leftovers) after DAYS of sitting there and ...well, it wasn't the best!! :)  She's learning and it's fun!! It's an adventure! 

Lastly, I made some more friends in my Singles Ward at church (the wards that are organized at church for just Young Single Adults-this one's great! ...and I just got a calling as a representative for my ward in a committee including "singles" from other 'family' wards so we can get together and have fun!! :)  It's fun and I made some new friends so I'll be posting pictures soon once I get some of those, but for the meantime, I'll just tell you that this week, we had a BBQ, played sand volleyball, passed a Frisbee around in the park, and then went for a late night snack at a local restaurant (ALL in one night!) and it was pretty fun!  I took my friends home late (around 12) and realized I hadn't stayed out that late for a while (out, not up-:))  Then on Saturday my dearest friend here, Shayla & I climbed to the top of Table Rock, one of two plateaus in the valley and told our weeks' drama, caught up, AND relaxed by her pool afterwards!  It was pretty fun and I felt pretty pooped by Saturday night!  Here's some pictures!! :) JK, to be posted on the  next post, because I don't know the location of the camera card! :)

Toodles!

  -Heidi