Building

Yonder and Teeny are in the garage building a couch frame from some DIY plans they found online. I love that they're here! I love that they chose Massachusetts as their first post-graduate adventure. I love that they're working together to create a place to rest. They've signed a lease on a place to live on the North Shore, and I predict they will have many visitors in their new home. Living 15 minutes from Boston guarantees a stream of family and friends who will want a place to rest when they choose New England as a destination. Big things are happening for these fledglings who are building the foundation of their story along with that couch frame.

It's good to imagine "big" things happening in 2016--I'm glad that we have so many moments we think of as "big..." 

Really they're just a collection of small things that happen regardless of how we choose to categorize them. The best part of life is made up of the small things, I think, and building the small things up to be big: that's a win in the big picture.

coordinating flannel shirts = win
coming inside to assemble the frame = win
s'mores by the fire = bonus win

We're tripping along more than a week past the new year, and I'm still collecting Christmas decorations from dusty surfaces around the house. Cleaning up Christmas feels like the next big thing; besides what's for dinner and whether I'll get in a shower today.  I say in my head that if I get a shower at least four times a week, 

the tree put out before my mom's birthday (January 8th) 

and the outside wreaths taken down before Valentine's Day, 

I'm on schedule.

Good so far.

Here's to building up to BIG things in 2016.

Danforth Art Museum

My friend Leslie Graff hosted a reception at the Danforth Art Museum to highlight the opening of her Domestic Series Installation. Ladies in a museum makes for a fun night out; we loved visiting with Leslie and LOVED her work.

Skip on over to the Danforth Website to learn more about their free family days, and check out Leslie's art!

For the record...

We DID have a New Nerf Year's Eve Party.

 We DID run barefoot around the house at midnight.

There WAS a fresh coating of snow/ice that had fallen just a day prior to our celebration as if to mock the brazen tradition we are beholden to. There WERE cold toes and happy faces and lots of chaos to ring in the New Year. Just the way we like it.

kidding. September left already. lemme sum up:

We went to Maine.

It was our last hurrah of the summer.

We shopped, we hiked, we relaxed, we enjoyed the ocean, we learned about lobstering on a real live lobster boat, we ate good food and enjoyed each others' company.

We love it here.
Maine makes us happy.

Sweet Mesquite partnered up with her second companion in SanDiego: Sister Wardinsky from Arizona, who is serving her mission in Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and is in SanDiego for her three month tour. The mission is continuing to look super great on Mesquite.

Isn't she lovely?

 Family from Canada come for a visit.

 Enrique moved to Washington, D.C. to start his internship with The Institute for Gulf Affairs. He is working at a restaurant to pay the bills, and is making decent tips.

 The students had their first day of school.

Morning boy started 5th grade.

 Leeli is a freshman.

 Rooney is a Junior.

 On the first day of school, I took off with Thelma and we had an excellent adventure. 

Hiking and ice cream included.

Leeli made a record three visits to the temple in a week to accomplish a personal progress goal.

 I continued to work towards my goal of

#FiftyHikesat50

 More family visitors!

 Spent a day at the Brimfield Fair

 Enjoyed MANY rides in Angela.

I give up on August. Meet me in September.

I'm post-dating this entry.
It's actually mid-September and I've been spending the past six months trying to do this blog thing all backwards, remembering things that had happened, and then posting about them.
Here's the facts:
I'm doing some great LIVING, and some awful remembering.
I love summer. 
Here are a few pictures from August.
It was great!

Hiking.

Girls Camp.

News from our missionary.

Family visitors. 

 Kimball's.

 Sunday driving.

 Visits from Enrique.

 Sister time.

Together time.

 Tomato time.

A week in Manhattan.

 Gardening.

 More Hiking.

(Sleeping Giant State Park, CT)

 Friendships.