july review: the lake, harry potter, and american idol tour

so july is basically over

and

hobby lobby already has christmas set up - that stresses me out

it tells my brain the year is over

and i've yet to figure out my plans for school in 2012

really, i need to figure a lot out.

ANYWAY

...now for my foto-review of recent events:

this is B...and me:

me and b were good friends

back in our byu days

and still are

really, he's one of the few i'm still in touch with

we relate on a lot of things in life

i miss him.

THOUGH

now i'm overly excited

because B is getting MARRiED!!!

to miss kelli lebaron...

they are a perfect match

(i hope she doesn't mind me snagging her foto)

and

they've asked me to be in the wedding

which is perfect

because i wasn't planning on missing it anyway.

so...november 5th is the big day

i already have my flight to Salt Lake

and my dress

purchased.

and can't hardly wait for this reunion

and happy times.

my first time back to utah in

3 1/2 years.

other july events...

THE END CAME

6 hours of Harry Potter

Part I and Part II

we all just left ever more disappointed

that Hogwarts is not real.

my sister, Cinnamon, and her kids were in town

we spent a day at lake lanier

the water made me miss my view of the beaches

in Puerto Rico and Barbados

and how i wished i could live like that forever

right on the water.

i did not document my evening at the Fox Theater in Atlanta

for Fiddler on the Roof,

but i did get something from the

american idol 2011 tour concert!

it was a very fun night

and full of  s t e l l a r  talent

all i had was a lil dinky camera, so the fotos are not up to par...

singing celo green's "forget you"

lauren alaina and her new hit single "like my mother does"

scotty mcreery

i had to capture the ONLY jacob lusk fan in the audience.. HA!

he came on right after james durbin (fotos below)

everybody was up and going wild for james

...and then the disco lights came on

jacob came out...

and only one person was really into it.

james durbin rockin out in the crowd

i thought he did the best

of course, he did sing Muse

and i love Muse.

i wish i had some fotos of stefano langone

he was my crush in the beginning

(paul mcdonald being the other - LOVEhim)

though it seems he's come out of his shell a bit

because he had half his clothes off through his performances!

believe me, no one was complaining.

mine and ryan's happy face

i left craving more live music

too bad there are very few shows coming up

that i'm interested in at least.

we made homemade spaghetti sauce with some of our tomatoes

...we cut up some...

and then mom went out for more to add to it...

and look!

my first sunflower bloomed!

we have quite a few more now.

and bigger

:)

things to look forward to. everybody needs them.

we are growing more veggies than we know what to do with.

 i ran across these colorful ideas

...

thankyou, bhg!

Spinach, Grapes, and Bacon

Top baby spinach with grapes, bacon, dilled Havarti cheese, and pecans, then drizzle with warm bacon-raspberry vinaigrette.

Tomato Egg Salad

Roma tomatoes filled with creamy egg salad and a tangy cucumber mixture top crisp greens.

Chickpea Salad with Grilled Pita

For a meatless dinner idea or simple side dish, toss garbanzo beans with tomatoes, feta, mint, and an easy vinaigrette and serve with warm pita wedges.

(this one makes me excited because i have an obsession with hummus & pita)

Farmer's Market Grilled Cheese

For a quick dinner, layer spinach mayonnaise, goat cheese, zucchini, and tomato on sourdough bread, and then toast until golden.

 some of you might be gagging...

but i'm a veggie lover!!

can't wait to try em!

july...are you here YET?

apart from some very dear loved ones coming that month

i think i failed to mention that we got tickets to

.

.

.

it's true.

for the first time ever, i followed a complete season with my mom.

when they kicked off paul mcdonald, mom told me,

"if he ever comes in concert, let's go!"

coming from mom, age 60, and not a concert-goer

i smiled.

now look who's going!

lovely.

the last concert she went to

was when she accompanied me and some friends to

Spice Girls

yes...that was my first concert

i was 11

i think.

haha...though i was thoroughly distraught

because when they toured in the states, Ginger Spice had already left the group

she was my favorite.

disappointing.

anyway...

i also have tickets in july for

at the fabulous fox theater in atlanta

i got them for kevin and i to go.

the FOX is my favorite, so he has to experience it.

now i just pray everything comes thru for his visa.

and i've never seen fiddler

...so i'm excited to see the old Russian man dance on the stage singing

"if i were a rich man...dabadeedledeedledoodledoobadeeba dum!.."

haha...something like that.

i've realized i have this fetish for throwing things away.

or consolidating/organizing.

now i'm not OCD about it...but i love tossing out uneeded things.

under my bed, in my desk, in my closet.

i get it from mom.

i used to HATEDETESTLOATHE

coming home from school and having my room newly organized

and seeing a large black trash bag full of stuff

and hear mom say:

"i went through your stuff and organized it all.

you wouldn't  B E L I E V E  the junk you had!

i have a whole trash bag full of stuff you won't even miss!"

how did she know what i wanted to keep and not?

she didn't.

i hated it.

there was no privacy at my house...

she entered any room

went through any drawers.closets.whatever.

so this past week mom and dad were out of town.

we have this organizer on the desk in the kitchen.

four shelves high. plastic.

who knows how many years we've had it.

so i decided to update it.

i found a very nice looking alternative @ office depot. 

on sale.

bought three to stack on top of each other.

perfect!

now the fun part:

the thing is stuffed full of random papers

pictures

wedding announcements

mail

handouts

mini calendars

receipts

business cards

newspaper clippings

restaurant menus

gardening tips

...you name it...who knows...

but i took the liberty to throw out what i thought was junk!

4 shelves down to 3

and much slimmer, fits less.

PLENTY thrown away.

it looks much better.

best part: mom comes home.

sees it

and i tell her,

"you wouldn't  B E L I E V E  the junk that i threw out!

stuff from years ago...

you won't even know it's missing!"

her eyes got all big and she gasped,

"NO!"

haha...sweet revenge...

dad chuckled. 

i'm my mother's daughter.

not quite sure why i just shared that.

if you know my mother, it's kinda funny.

ps...i love my parents

happy hump day!

american idol

my mamita has got me hooked watching

american idol

i always thought liv tyler had it good

 because her daddy is

so rad!

and of course...

he's only made the show so much better.

i've loved steven tyler since i was little.

i remember being 7

my sisters would have MTV on

i loved the music video for

Livin on the Edge

or maybe i just remember it so vividly because he was basically naked

and had such a HUGE mouth.

either way.

i liked it.

haha!

i even remember doing a powerpoint presentation in middle school on

Joe Perry, the lead guitarist in Aerosmith.

anyways...

jennifer lopez too.

definite improvement.

american idol has stepped up so many notches with her and steven.

SO...

it's getting down to the good talent.

i have my favorites.

 i LOVE paul mcdonald

his voice - style - whole package

how can you NOT love him...

i hope america does not boot him off quick.

Their version of the BEATLES

"Blackbird"

L O V E D I T

then this guy, stefano...

i think i like him just because he's so stinkin adorable

and he's not arrogant/vain like some of the others that put off those vibes.

of the ladies,

i like miss Karen Rodriguez.

her and Pia Toscano. great voices.

check out their Beatles duo of

Can't Buy My Love:

anyway...

i'm not a big tv person.

but, american idol has got me.

Biggest Loser too...heh

my mom and i switch between the two on commercials.

arthur is an inspiration.

anyway...

only because i mentioned it

i had to look it up...

and here it is

the music video that so many years ago i fell in love with

AEROSMITH

it's still great!