Summer Shenanigans

Rice Terrace in Bali

There are a few things that just make summer more special than the other seasons during the year. I am a teacher and summer means FREEDOM. Possibility. Time. I went on an epic trip with my Mom, so summer usually mans travel to me. Also, it gives me an opportunity to get into more mischief than usual. 

1. The best thing is a lot of my house gets that good deep down cleaning it has needed the last 9 months. I started this summer cleaning out my closet. YUP. All of that fit in my closet. I sold it and some other stuff on Facebook which made a little extra pocket money.

2. I get to read, two books that have already been devoured are:

I highly recommend both. 

Choosing our Glory was such a thoughtful read about the three degrees of glory and applying them to our life. It opened my eyes in many ways...there is another blog post billowing up in my mind about this and some of the things I learned and am trying to apply in my life. Anyway, if you are looking for some spiritual enlightenment that is not Skousen but makes you think....this is your book. 

DAD GUM YOU FAULT IN OUR STARS.  I couldn't put this book down and it was my friend when I came home from Asia and couldn't sleep at 2 in the morning and had the yearning to eat...lunch. It is a very good read with lots of one liners that pop into my head occasionally. Like, Pain is meant to be felt. I devoured this book in about 2 days. I then went to the movie alone and cried and cried and cried and ate my cheeseburger from In-n-Out because I was starving. It was so good. The burger and the movie. 

I also read a book called Wheat Belly. I enjoyed it very much but have decided that I love wheat too much to give it up or demonize it as part of my diet. However, also a very good read and food for thought. Literally. 

I am now onto The First 2,000 Years which is fabulous. I am on Chapter 2. 

3. I get to spend time with my munchkins who I love so much. I took Aydan to lunch and to see the new Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow, which was really good. Go see it. Oh and I get to see movies. I LOOOOOOVE the movies. So much. In fact, I told a guy I would never go out with him again because he only rented movies from Red Box, he didn't like spending money on movies. Which told me two things: CHEAP and LAME. Back to Aydan.

That was some Cheesecake...some peanut butter Reese's something concoction. I would never order but sometimes it just isn't about you. He was in sugar coma heaven. As you can see from the previous picture I also love...not doing my hair. Quite literally. What is the point. It is HOT. 

This would be half the contents of my classroom in my kitchen. So NO I am not a hoarder. If you come over to my house...sorry. 

4. I love SUMMERTIME APPLES. That is right. In Arizona we harvest apples in June. The neighborhood I live in has some orchards with apples in them. The kids and I went over early one morning and picked some. We then canned apple pie filling half without cinnamon and half with. 

AND NOW.....A TYPICAL SUNNY D EXPERIENCE.

APPLE THIEVERY

The apples are ready to pick. In fact they are quite over ripe. I had book club at my house where we discussed a book called, The Element by Ken Robinson. A book I also highly recommend. After book club a few friends and I went over to the orchard to pick some of the already turning brown, they are so ripe apples. We realized upon arrival that we didn't bring anything with us to gather them up with. After, giggling probably quite loudly and checking out the apples and trying to pick them and gather them in our shirts....My friend looked into the trunk of her car where she had a GIANT ORANGE TARP. PERFECT. We wrapped that sucker around the tree covering the ground underneath it. We then had a discussion of how to get the high up apples off of the top of the tree. When it was brought up that Apple Jack in the TV Series My Little Pony just runs up and kicks the tree trunk and all the apples fall off. We did not kick the tree, but we thought maybe shaking the branches a little would do the trick. AND IT DID!! Apples came off that tree lickity split. We were so excited and moved to the other side of the tree to begin shaking. Did I mention it was 11:30 PM? When suddenly a figure in man's pajama bottoms, no make-up, scraggly hair and a t-shirt began to walk toward us. The thing spoke............... it was a she and she said:

Um...Excuse me. I can see you shaking the branches of that tree. 

Me: Yeah?

Well, Do you live in the neighborhood? THESE apples are only for people who live in the neighborhood. You know I can see your tarp. 

Me: We live in the neighborhood. ( ummmm..yes...I pay the astronomical HOA fee just like you sister...Hairs on the back of my neck starting to stand up...DO you DARE CHALLENGE ME?!?? BRING IT.) Ok not really, but a true annoyance and feeling like SOMEONE should GO BACK TO BED and possibly mind her own business...was how I felt at that exact moment. 

You Know.......(sheepish grin, trying to look cute).......These apples are for all the of the families in the neighborhood and everyone comes with their little baskets and their families and just takes what they need for their applesauce. I wasn't sure if you lived in the neighborhood with the giant tarp and all. We have people drive up here in vans in the middle of the night and clean the apples off of these trees. 

Me: clearly annoyed. Trying to be kind, but thinking GIVE ME A BREAK I have NEVER seen ONE family picking these apples, let alone with their "little Utopian baskets" I am so irritated with this Orchard Police Lady who lives across the street at this point. I feel it is best to keep my mouth shut and let her have her "fantasy idea of the orchard" say. I am however, ready to give her my address if needs be. When my friend obviously more Christlike says.

We're sorry. 

Me: You know there ARE three of us and we are all splitting these apples. I am sorry we woke you up, we were probably kind of loud giggling and talking. 

I wanted to say....it is very bad for the trees to not have all of their apples picked it stunts their growth, there are PLENTY of apples as we are only picking from one tree in the orchard, and GO BACK TO BED and continue to police us from behind your mini blinds lady....but I didn't. 

Okay, well I just wanted to make sure......heads back to her house. 

We continue picking until we are done. I mean three ladies in their 30's stealing apples in the middle of the night is SERIOUS business. It sure made the apple picking more fun, feeling like I was getting in trouble for something. 

5. LAST CHANCE.....new leopard heels and cute black dress! I love Last Chance. I love having time to drive out to Last Chance! I got a brand new bedspread (King Size) for $20! Love. 

6. I have officially become that person that brings their dog every where with them.Except, this is just a loner dog we are babysitting. This is Jimmie Johnson Jr. my little sisters dog. He is the cutest. 

7. Summer Time Goals! The kids and I are working hard on some goals this summer. I just used an old page of a calendar to keep track. 

8. The Gym. I have joined a new gym called Orange Theory and I am pretty much in love. I feel challenged every day. It is in and out one hour and rotates from treadmill, to row machine, to weight room. I burn about 500 calories every time. Today I burned 570. They hook you up to a heart monitor so you can see your progress and I just love that. My cousin goes and I meet her a couple times during the week and that is super fun. You know I can be a lazy person. I love naps, actually I love sleep in general. However, I am SO much more balanced when I work out every day. I love getting in this routine again.