It's Officially Summer (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Even though summer break began before Memorial Day, I kept reminding myself that it wasn't actually summer yet. Now it really, truly is summer - both according to the school calendar and by solstice. My new reminder is, "Don't complain about the heat. It's only June. It's going to get a lot worse."

Fact #2: I don't do well with heat. I'm a big, sweaty woman. Church is particularly hard because it's always really hot in the chapel, so I wrestle my four kids for an hour in the pew, and then I have to go do a circus performance for the primary for two hours. By the end of church, I usually smell like a dumpster, my back is soaked from my sweat, and my hair is starting to curl underneath.

Fact #3: Maybe our wards shouldn't be divided by geographical location. It would be much wiser to divide us by what temperature we want the thermostat. Please put me in the 65 degrees ward.

Fact #4: We celebrated the first day of summer by taking a day trip to Bear Lake with my friend and her kids. It was adventurous and involved drifting kayaks, lost paddles, pop-up shade canopies flying in the wind, and car keys being locked in the trunk but then not actually being locked in the trunk (it was a day of rescue missions).

The good news is that we all made it home safe, and we brought home enough sand in our clothes to fill a sand turtle.

Fact #5: Today Eva decided that she doesn't like our toilet paper. Of all the things for a three-year-old to have an opinion about! This resulted in her crying for over an hour, and if anyone asked her why she was crying, she would say, "I hate that kind of toilet paper! Hmph!"

Fact #6: I am barely keeping afloat this summer (figuratively and literally - as I've never been a good swimmer, and I sink like I have a butt full of lead). I'm tired and overwhelmed all the time, and I can't help but wonder how this time last year I was responsible for all the things I am now, plus I was taking three classes and doing an internship. Surely I was a basket case, but I don't remember. I've apparently blocked it from my memory.

Fact #7: Fortunately, I am feeling a little better emotionally.

Fact #8: Over the weekend I painted my friend's front door.

And umm.... she's out of town.

Aaand she doesn't know.

And... oh my gosh... what have I done?

Fact #9: I've said it before, and I'll say it again - there is something deeply satisfying about spraying my kids with the hose.

Fact #10: Eva has never been comfortable in water, but this year, she has taken some pretty big steps toward water fun. She played in Bear Lake last week, which was pretty surprising. Then over the weekend, she got in my mom's pool with me, and then she let me get out and leave her in. Then last night, she floated in a pool with a life jacket for about two hours. This is huge!