The Death of an Exterior Decorator and Other Summer Happenings

It must be Summer, as I haven't blogged in over a month.

This Summer I had great dreams for my yard. My front yard flower beds were going to be covered in pretty flowers and bushes. I was going to get a cement pad for a patio in the back yard. I was going to have a nice vegetable and spice garden, our backyard was going to be level, I was going to have a fence around it, we were going to fill our side yard with gravel, and I was going to grow so many pumpkins.

What has actually happened so far:

• I planted some flowers, most of which have died. I planted some lilies that never came up. I do have a little sunflower that is about four inches tall so far and my sweet alyssum (which happens to smell like urine if you get really close) is thriving and well. The roses I planted last year bloomed again, but they were promptly trampled by something, along with another little tiny sunflower plant. One of the rose bushes has survived, but I think the other is toast. The pretty flower I got for mother's day at church struggled, but it keeps holding on and it's actually looking really pretty now, so there's that. The lilies I planted yesterday came back up as well and the stems are looking very healthy and hardy, but it has yet to actually produce any lilies. There are many buds, but they've been there for weeks and refuse to open. I like to think that they are waiting for something special. Because, you know, sometimes flowers are much more in tune with what's going on in life than people. 
• As for the veggie and spice garden, our yard still has yet to get leveled all the way and thus the place we were going to put our garden is still under construction. I had already started growing parsley, oregano, basil, and a tomato plant in my house, which I intended to plant outside, but they have all since died. The oregano never actually grew, the parsley got wilty after we were gone to Bear Lake for a long 4th of July weekend, so I threw it away. I mean, I probably could have revived it, but what do you even do with parsley? I think I used it once in the for or so months it sat in my window. My basil grew really well and it got really tall. I even contemplated writing a story called "Karissa and the Magic Basil Stock", but I thought better of it. It got little flowers on the top of it, which were quite pretty. I'm not sure if you're supposed to let them flower, but I did anyway because I was curious. And then I was gone to girl's camp and the plant got too big for it's little pot and I didn't know what else to do with it, so I cut it down. The tomato plant is now in a bigger pot outside, but still has yet to produce any tomatoes. 
• So, as I said, no veggie garden for me, but I swore I would grow pumpkins and I shall! I was quite depressed when the time for planting came and went and I had no garden place, so I planted pumpkins in my front yard. The tallest one is only about six inches tall at the moment and the smaller ones keep dying off, but hey, we still have until fall for it to grow actual pumpkins, right? My greatest desire of growing plants is to grow some lovely pumpkins. If nothing else blooms please let there be pumpkins! 
• Also, there is still no more fence than what we started with in the Spring. 
• And our side yard is half way full of gravel, so at least we got half way on that one. 

I will not lie, I have been quite distraught and discouraged about the whole thing and every time I see my dying flowers and weed filled flower beds and lawn, or my neighbor's lovely yards I get pretty sad. 

Next year you guys. Next year.

But, besides my great failure as a gardener Summer has been really lovely. Well, and despite that one week where it was like 103 degrees everyday! Please let that never happen again. 

Here's a little taste via photos of what my Summer has looked like:

Jayson grew a beard for about a month and I loved that ginger beard with my whole heart! But Jayson said was too itchy and shaved it off. 

We had these lovely people over to celebrate the Summer Solstice with some good grilled hot dogs and corn (my favorite Summer dinner). When the first day of Summer is on a Friday, it's special.

And we also babysat these cute kiddos and blew bubbles.

I love her face.

Jayson the great teacher

I just can't get over how cute this is.

Also, one day Ruby decided to eat some of the gigantic mountain sized dandelions we have in our back yard.

I also got to go to the zoo with all of our cute nieces and nephews on Jayson's side. It was so lovely. I haven't been to the zoo for ages. My favorite part was when I was holding little Henry by the seals and he was watching, smiling, and pointing at them in awe. 

This girl makes the best faces!

I can't get enough of Kenna's hat. She's so precious.

This kid sat on the polar bear and just looked at me and smiled like, "take my picture please!" This kid is basically me when I was little.

The twin cousins, Jayden and Henry.

Sammy is a stud.

We got to go to Bear Lake for the 4th of July and it was wonderful, as always.

Jayson is making a grumpy face because I took a picture of him reading a text book about lawns, which we were all teasing him about doing. Because, I mean, seriously. Who does that on vacation?

Henry and his cute face.

Ha! This one kills me.

I've been re-reading the Harry Potter series this Summer and it's been such a delight. There's really nothing better than reading by the lake.

I'm a sucker for a good harbor.

I also got to go to girl's camp with the lovely young women in our ward and some of the amazing leaders that I serve with. It was so wonderful. I just love these girls to pieces. 

Two of my best friends Marni and Sarah also came to visit this Summer and it was so wonderful to have them here. It was so much fun to get together with them and the other girl's. This girl time was much needed for my sanity, but alas, I did not get any pictures of any of any of the time we were together because I was enjoying myself way too much.

So, that is our Summer thus far.