As summer officially draws to a close... *sigh*

As the summer comes to an end I can't help but feel sad that it is already over. Fall is a beautiful time of year but it only reminds me of the looming winter ahead and how I am going to freeze to death. Michigan is known for its winter temperatures as it is often described as "bone chilling".

In order to get my mind off the upcoming Fall and Winter, I've decided to reminisce about this past summer. This summer was wonderful and is filled with great memories.

Originally we didn't plan on much traveling but somehow ended up going to Nauvoo, I also went to Ohio with the girls to visit the Morrison Family and we also found ourselves in Utah--twice.

Our garden has grown beautifully and we all enjoyed spending time in it, especially the girls. Mayah was/is quite a fan of snakes/bugs and Malia was our little piglet--playing in the mud while Duane and I weeded and watered the garden.

Ariel came to visit us twice, during the month of June and again in August. Ariel did some dating, made some friends, went to Kirtland, Ohio with our stake for youth conference, did some babysitting and also made us clean out our trash-hole of an apartment helped us get our house in order.

Duane traveled to Europe on a business trip this past May/June. He was there 2 1/2 weeks total. He spent some time in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and England. Obviously Duane was usually quite busy doing business-y things but he did get the chance to stay in a castle--all the while shoving his face full of paella--during his stay in Spain, drive over 120 mph (or was that kilometers per hour? hmm...I'll have to ask him about that) on the German autobahn and also ate some very bland food during his short stay in England--ApparentlyEngland isn't fascinating and/or exciting for the business traveler. While in Portugal, Duane was able to visit some families that he helped teach/baptize during his mission. He hadn't been back to Portugal since he left 20 years ago. It was a wonderful experience for him.

While Duane was in Europe I was at home holding down the fort. The girls and I did quite well on our own for the first week and a half. We kept busy by going to the park, did some shopping, went to the garden, and we went swimming quite a bit. It was the last week that just about killed me. Single parenthood sucks and I don't ever want to do that again--EVER!!!

The Fourth of July was quite fun. Ariel was still with us during that time and she invited her friend, Anderson to our ward picnic. Duane and I went to see Transformers while they babysat the kids and that evening we all went to see the fireworks display near our apartment. The city of Westland didn't start the fireworks until 10-ish at night so the little girls were passed out by the time the fireworks were going off. Too bad they missed it because it was a great show.

One of my favorite things I did this summer was go swimming with the girls 2-3 times a week. As a result I upped my chances of getting skin cancer got a really great tan. The girls also turned into little mermaids as their swimming skills improved. While neither of them really know how to swim all that well as of yet, Mayah did learn how to tread water, jump into the pool, and hold her breath under water. Malia can sort of hold her breath, is great at blowing bubbles, and is quite good at throwing rocks/pebbles into the pool when I am not looking. The girls and I really did love going to the pool and we are really sad that the outdoor pool at our gym is closed until Memorial Day 2008.

We did quite a bit more over this past summer but I just listed my favorite memories. I plan on reliving these memories while the leaves start falling off the trees.

Needless to say, I can hardly wait for summer 2008.