Snape, Snape, Severus Snape...

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's finally here! I've been waiting for so long, and while I was very excited to see Twilight in November, I remember sitting during the previews thinking, "Man, this was supposed to be Harry Potter!" But now, it's here. Favorite Harry Potter book. Oh my, oh my, oh my! I've never been a huge fan of this Dumbledore, but I think he's going to be fierce in this one. And I'm so excited about Snape. Bah!!!

In other news, I have certainly been slacking on this blog and I have no real good excuse. But my house is pretty clean, so maybe that's something. Also, we were on vacation, then recovering from vacation, then going down South for our friend John's show which was phenomenal, and so on and so on...but enough excuses. So, how have you all been? Anything you're excited about (besides Harry Potter, because honestly, who's NOT excited about it???)?

Grand Adventures at the Grand Canyon

Drove. A lot...

Enjoyed the peace of sleeping outdoors...

Had some good 'ole family time...

Enjoyed a sunset...

And even a sunrise...

Celebrated a happy day of independence...

Hiked along the canyon...

And all along the watchtower...

Contemplated ancient homesteads...

And were generally shocked at the wonder of God's awesome creation.

Friday Favorites: Favorite Things Swap

I'm very excited about this Friday's Favorite. It seems it was designed for this little weekly tradition of mine. Here it is. The 3rd Annual Favorite Things Swap. The gist is, you sign up and are in turn assigned a partner. You then create a package of three of your favorite things to send to that person. It can be anything; books, clothing, music, lip gloss, you name it. And in return, you get a charming package yourself full of fun and wonderful goodies. How great is that? I'm already signed up, and think you should as well! Head over to Kelly's blog for all the info and to get yourself signed up. Here's a way to spread your horizons a bit and make new friends at the same time. Have fun!

And the winner is...

Michael! You'll be proud to know that the Doodle drew your name. Thanks to everyone that entered, you guys make these give-a-ways a lot of fun!

Lots of exciting, blog-worth things going on here, but too busy to blog about them just now. Stay tuned.

Friday Favorites: Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream

I love Ruth and Eric for many reasons. They're kindred spirits, aye? We all love our Lord, traveling, books, and good food. Or maybe I should say great food. Eric's a 1st generation Italian that was raised on a farm, so let's just say that this guy knows what food is supposed to taste like. So, apparently he started researching ice creams, to see what's out there, what's good, and what's natural. The answer? Haagen-Dazs. It's a household name. And while I'm sure I've had some before, I never really sat down and tasted it..savored it. Now that I have, I'm pretty sure it's the best stuff on the planet. (Sorry, Snapple.) It's 100% all-natural and made with truly quality indgredients. You can taste the difference. Being high quality, it's not cheap, but there are deals here and there. (Trader Joes, I love you!) They have killer flavors like Vanilla Honey Bee, Creme Brulee, (that looks odd without the accents...) Rum Raisin, Green Tea, and my personal fav, Dulce de Leche. They have a new selection, "Five", so named because each ice cream is made from five simple indgredients: milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and the "flavor component." "Five" flavors include ginger, passion fruit, and brown sugar. And as if all that wasn't enough, they have their Reserve Label (what is this, wine?). I mean, come on, Fleur de Sel Carmel and Amazon Valley Chocolate? That's just too good to be true. And check out this, because each reserve flavor has a food and wine pairing. Ha! These Haagen-Dazs people know how to please the masses. Or me, at least.

So, as if the ice cream itself didn't induce you to try it, this might. It's time for another prize! Leave a comment, and on Monday I'll randomly pick a winner and buy them some Haagen-Daz, their flavor choice. If you live far away, we'll work this out somehow...good luck!

Travel Plans

A trip to New York City needs to spring into action, because this girl is obviously ready for the Subway.

So, while we're speaking of travels, what are your summer plans? It seems this is the year for adventure. Amy's in Rhwanda as we speak (as I write?), Britt and Hannah are headed to Haiti again. Michael and Farah are going to, wait for it, ROME! And my dear friend Emmani is crossing the States and playing shows. And seriously, check out this blog of his, I laughed so hard.


Jon and I are headed with his fam to the Grand Canyon very soon indeed. I've been there 3 times, but combine all the time I've spent there and it's less than 24 hours. Quick trips. It'll be nice to chill there awhile. (Anyone out there remember the Epic Adventure of the Secret Valentines Day Road Trip back at CBU? Good times.)

Then, later we're headed up to Mammoth with ALL of Jon's family and my mom, plus 3 or 4 other families. It's a tradition that dates back to Jon's grandma and her sorority sisters. They headed up there in the summer with their families, and it's kept going, slowly trickling down through the generations until, here we are. I find it pretty amazing. Last time they went (it's every three years) we were in the Carribean, so we missed out. But we're ready to embrace the fun this year!

So, what are your fun summer plans?

Clouds

I enjoy weather. Rain, snow (in small doses and generally when it's nowhere near me), hale, sunny weather, cloudy weather. And clouds in general. A week or so ago I was outside around noon and the sky was breathtakingly beautiful, covered in whispy, poofy white clouds. I grabbed the camera and documented. They almost seems like clouds you would see in a painting, but not perhaps real life. Maybe that's why I liked them so much...they seemed special. Epic, perhaps. Just proof that the Master Artist is way more creative than we can even imagine. He not only made these clouds, He made every cloud, the sky, the sun, rain...oh, I could go on and on. Hope you enjoy.