Summer 2010

So you would have thought with all my time this summer that I would have been blogging. Especially since I have had an awesome summer!! Each day was a new adventure and most likely a memorable one. I have had lots of laughs and tears. Lots of ups and downs and crazy turn arounds. But in the end I have grown so much!

To begin the summer, I lost a dear one to me. Grandma Pearl Bates Solomon passed away. As much as a loved having this most amazing woman in my life, I was grateful to see her exit this life and back into the arms of her husband and loved ones who have also passed on. She will be missed.

~ Grandma's last birthday, 90th ~

And what is summer without a little bit of fishing and tree swinging! One Saturday afternoon we took to the lake, to sit back and relax. We found a spot along the Silver Creek where we also found a swing. It was a lot of fun. No fish were caught, just memories were that afternoon.

Throughout the summer I applied and applied and applied...and applied to every teaching position I was qualified for. But we will come back to that...

Summer nights brought fun times. Birthday parties and "just because" parties brought me closer to the wonderful friends I have made here in Chandler. It has been great to laugh, joke, and smile everyday. I could not ask for more.

--still applying for a job--

As most of you know my favorite holiday is during the summer. I love America! And I love celebrating the independence of this great nation. There is no other place but Taylor, AZ to celebrate this great day. The small town pride just hits home with me every 4th of July. Luckily I was able to celebrate it with not only my family but some of my close friends. I was able to introduce to them the crazy traditions of firing the anvil, the Jenning's band, cheese souffle, Patriotic program (Taylor style), Navajo tacos (twice), Taylor rodeo, fireworks, and more.

~Eliza and Devrin~

~ Truck full of "Anvil Followers" ~

~ Alison, Adam, Eliza and Me ~

It was a long day but you only get to celebrate the 4th of July once a year so you have to make the best of it which is not very hard to do in Taylor. I have to say sharing my small town with city folk was an awesome experience. I was glad to 'educate' them especially when it came to the rodeo and anvil.Maybe the best story about a city folk was Eliza thinking the bulls at the rodeo were called "Bucket Bulls" because they come out of the bucket. She now knows they are called "Bucking Bulls."

This 4th of July was definitely another memorable holiday. It was great to get back to my roots again. All my applying for a teaching job was about to pay off too. The constant applying, praying, and worrying was about to return my back to my roots 24/7.

...to be continued...