I throw my hands up in the air sometimes...

Well, what a party month it has been!  I have learned more than ever that school in summer is hard and much harder than spring!  Overall, that I think it was worth staying for.  Lets start at the very beginning.

JULY:

2nd-Block Party / Fireworks. Saw The Last Airbender with Anna and some wardies.  It was the worst movie ever!!!  It was pretty amusing though.  Came home and played Hearts with everyone NOT on the computer!

3rd-Made cupcakes with Anna that we were going to decorate all cute for the 4th, but we never got around
to it.  The cupcakes sat there on their plates waiting to be decorated, until they were as hard as rocks and we tossed them.  We laid out by the pool.  Anna and I drove around Provo in Steve's truck while Josh blasted patriotic music, including a techno version of America the Beautiful.  Just spreading the holiday cheer while everyone watched the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire!  Then we went off-roading, "diggin'" as it is called, which was soo fun! 

4th-Went to church, made dinner with Anna, took a nap.  Meanwhile, outside, the people of Utah gathered from all over and set up camp along University Ave. to save their spot for the Independence Day Parade...on the 5th of July.  So our ward decided to set up camp outside and set up a projector screen.  Everyone and their mom in Utah was outside either biking around, on their scooter or motorcycle, honking horns, and just hanging out in their tents, or on tarps, or on their mattress, etc.  Anna and I went over to Steve's set up where we watched Nacho Libre on the projector and had some small fireworks going and some sparklers.  At 3 am I decided I better get to bed, especially after off-roading so late the night before.  You'd think in my exhaustion I would hit the pillow and be out.  But no.  The crazy people screaming, honking, laughing, climbing on the roof above my head, blasting music, etc, all in preparation for a less than exhilarating parade kept me up until 5, yet woke me up at 7.  Needless to say how grumpy I was.

5th-So, grumpy or not, I got ready and went outside to watch the parade with everyone and their mom.  It was fun.  Afterward, I got my first energy drink, which was ineffective.  Then some wardies and I went to J-dawgs, which was simply delicious, and then we went to Mona Lake, which was crowded, cold, but fun.  Then, we had a ward FHE and we played Water-balloon Battleship, which was pretty awesome!  At last I made it into my nice, warm, comfy bed and just about died.

6th-Oh, but it doesn't stop there!  Randomly, at about 8pm Steve invited Anna and I to go camping with him and some other people in the ward.  So, I was spontaneous for once in my life and I up and went camping.  It was fun, we just had a bonfire, talked, and then all 10 of us slept under the stars on the same tarp.  Well, 9 of us slept.  I am not to be included in the "us".  My spot on the tarp was conveniently placed over a boulder half buried in the dirt.  I could never get comfortable enough to sleep.

7th-I was so tired from camping that I skipped my first class to take a nap, then I went to my next class, came home and slept some more.  It was great.

Now I don't remember exactly what happened on the rest of the days of July, but know that they weren't as action packed as the first week, but were still full of fun!  For instance, I saw the edited version of Troy and 300 since I've been curious to see them.  Basically watched a ton of movies, really.  I saw Inception and Eclipse for the 2nd time with Julie who came to visit with her brother, I got to see Kevin and Kim and hang out with them!, etc. (note that not all of these activities / movies fit between the 7th and 11th of July)

11th-We had church outside, but it required walking up two dirt/grass hills in heels.  I made it up, but coming down was a little more difficult because I was scared I was going to fall down.  Surprisingly, I made it to flat ground, which I took two steps on before completely and dramatically wiping out and falling in slow motion to the ground.  Where I stayed because I was crying laughing, trying to figure out what in the world happened and what I could have possibly tripped on.  Luckily only Anna witness my clumsiness.
 
12th-We had a stake activity at 7 Peaks Water Park!!!  It was sooo fun.  I loved all of the rides, especially the half-pipe one!  And, it was quite exciting when a very random and cute boy asked if I wanted "to go on the super intense slide" with him.  I was flattered, but since Anna and I had our double tube, I couldn't and didn't want to ditch her.

14th-Anna and I went to a shaving cream slip-n-slide!

15th-Hung out with Leah (I think)

16th-I got to babysit my cute baby nephew Jace ALL DAY!  I went over there at 8am, and babysat until Brent and Lacey got home at 5:30.  Then we made dinner, played with Jace, and watched Arrested Development.  Good day!  I love my boy!

17th-I think this is the day that Anna and I invited Andrew and Arthur over and we made crepes and watched Breakfast at Tiffany's!  I love crepes.  Need I say more?  Oh, I love nutella-it is one of the greatest pleasures in life.

19th-The day I saw Inception!  It was fantastic!!!

23rd-First Anna and her friend and I participated in the World's Largest Water Balloon Fight!!!  It was crazy fun.  There were about 4,000 people there.  I was pretty much in the front row, so I got owned by several balloons, but it was so fun!  Goggles were helpful.  Then I raced home to shower and get ready (Anna kindly curled my hair) and pack to go to Idaho for Kiley's wedding reception!   So I picked up Lacey and Leah and off we were!  We met Kate at the reception in Pocatello, and then at the end of the night we headed back to Rexburg to stay for the night.  It was so good to see all of us Troy girls together again!

24th-After a silly night with a very tired Lacey, we helped Kate pack and move out, loaded up my car to the brim with clothes and girls, and headed off for Utah.  We dropped Kate off at the airport, and then hit up Ikea on the way home and ate lunch there and explored the generous splendor of the store.  I shuffled the whole time...I could not pick up my feet at all.  So we drove home and I crashed.  Woke up, made dinner, watched a movie, showered, and was off to bed!  Yes, we were gone and back in 23 hours.  I drove for about 9 of those...

25th-Church, food, nap, movie.  What else?

26th-LAZY DAY.  I napped, watched Pride and Prejudice, once alone, then again cuz Anna wanted to watch it when she got home.  I did do some homework during the second viewing...

27th-Saw Letters to Juliet in the dollar theater with Anna.  Came home and showered.  Avoided homework.  Saw Date Night in the dollar theater with some people.

28th-Actually did my homework at last, made cookie dough (and one cookie and I froze the rest), watched The Wedding Planner, and then was out like a light.

So now, here I am, on the 29th of July already.  I have no idea where the time went!  Looking back, it was even more of a fun-packed month than I thought and I don't know how I have been surviving because that schedule looks absolutely exhausting.  But totally worth every second. :)