for my jewels : Summer Catch-Up

August 1, 2010

Sorry I haven't posted anything for awhile. Life has just been flying by! I wanted to write about a few of the things we have been able to do this summer. This is a very LONG post! With that said, here goes...

JUNE
Jake worked crazy hours at work during June! That was literally all he did. He sprays pesticide and fertilizer on fields all over the valley. June is the busy month for spraying, so he worked lots of overtime. It was a good opportunity to save up some extra money though! Every once in awhile, I am able to go spray with him. His machine is HUGE! When we go to a field to spray, the wings span out to 100 feet wide! The cabin where we sit is pretty nice though with air conditioning, radio, and a little seat for me to sit on. It amazes me how much technology is used in farm equipment. Jake has a computer by his side that keeps track of where he has sprayed, how much fertilizer he has used, and how much he has left. After he sprays the outskirts of a field, the computer will actually take over and drive the sprayer! All Jake needs to do is turn, straighten up the arrow to where he needs to spray on the computer screen, and wallah! The sprayer drives for him. It is actually pretty cool to see it all work.

I finished up my long-term sub job at the high school. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun! One of the highlights was I got to help out at graduation. I got to wear one of the black robes with the graduation capes. It was pretty sweet. It was a LONG graduation, but a good experience! I learned so much from my students. They were great to work with! After the sub job ended, I headed back to the bookstore on campus. It has been kind of nice to work with my previous co-workers. Teaching is great, but it is VERY STRESSFUL! Being at the bookstore is stressful, but come 5:00 in the afternoon, I can go home stress free. Teaching stays on my mind all night after I leave school. :)

July
Work finally slowed down for Jake which was nice. I felt like our summer could finally start! We had a fun 4th of July weekend with our families! We went to the P-town festivities with my family. Later in the day we went boating with Ryan and his family. We had a lot of fun!!!

We were also able to go to a birthday party for David. We went to two movies, The Last Airbender, and the new Twilight movie. In between the movies, we all went to Crown Burger. Those boys LOVE that place! It was my first time, and I have to say, it was pretty good. However, I couldn't bring myself to eat the pastrami burger.

Over the 24th we went to a dinner at my parents house. My Mom, Cecy, and a couple of other friends made a WONDERFUL dinner that had a bunch of different foods from Honduras. They did it to give a soon-to-be missionary, who will be serving in Honduras, a taste of what the food will be like. My favorite was the beans and tortillas! I just can't get enough of those things!!! It it always fun to hear my Mom talk about the culture down there. Hopefully it gave Dillon, the missionary, a better idea of what the culture will be like.

This last week we had the opportunity to go river rafting with Gary and his family. We rafted down part of the Payette River. This was the first time I had ever been rafting, and wow, IT WAS A BLAST!!! No one fell out of the boat, at least on purpose, until we were towards the end of the run. We were coming up on one of the bigger rapids on the run, and Jake just fell right out. I was terrified! We tried to pull him in, but to no avail. The water was going too fast, and it was taking Jake along with him. Gary just yelled out to Jake and said, as we were approaching the rapid, "It's all on you buddy! Go through it!" I was terrified! Go through it?!?! I think we were all a little nervous for him. Jake just faced the rapid and braced himself. Luckily the water was pretty deep, so there weren't really rocks scraping him at the bottom. He went through the rapid okay, but came out of it without his hat, shoes, and his paddle. We went through after him, and after it calmed down, we were finally able to pull him in. I felt so thankful that he was okay. I was so freaked out he was going to get hurt. Thankfully, it turned out okay.
Thank you guys for taking us! We had a blast!!! Definitely one of the highlights of our summer.

After rafting, we headed to a girl's camp by Twin Falls for a family reunion. It was for Jake's Mom's side of the family. We had a lot of good food, did a lot of fun activities, and got to meet a lot of great family! The only thing that didn't go well was our night. Luckily Jake's parents had an extra sleeping mattress we were able to use. It was a nice one! However, the air deflated from it all night. Long story short: Jake and I got zero sleep! Next time we will come better prepared. It was better than sleeping on the floor, so I can't complain too much. We had such a fun time, especially with all of the nieces and nephews. These are a few of the funny things they said over the weekend.

Deanne to H: Did you brush your teeth last night?
H: Uh...(contemplating)no, but I took a mint because I left my toothbrush at your house.

E: Mustard is the number 2 worst thing.
Jake: It is? What is the number 1 worst thing?
E: Satan.

Miss A would wink at me with her right eye. Then she would say, "You're dead." I guess her older siblings taught her how to play Murder in the Dark, and its something you say in the game. Ha, it was too funny though.

E: Ah dang! I've got swimming lessons everyday of the week but Saturday and Sunday!

A: I don't just like you, I love you!

H had been asking us to go hiking all morning. We were getting ready to go and Jake asked him: H, are you ready?
H: Yes! I'm all packed! I've got my water bottle, swimming suit, and a hammer...just in case. I've got some other stuff too.

Anyways, they kept us laughing all weekend! Family is a great blessing! We have had a great summer so far and look forward to the last few weeks!