Strummin' his Way Back to School

The Boy started his last year of middle school and I believe I echo most of the moms in the blogger universe who are wondering exactly how this happened so quickly.  What happened to summer days at the pool and baking fresh cookies while the boys were out playing lacrosse?

A friend told him this week that he always has the coolest t-shirts.

The boy is learning more each day on the guitar.  His sisters and I remind him of all the benefits of knowing how to play...

Guy with a guitar equals "chick magnet"!

  Now if we can just get him to sing along.

The Boy stirs my heart when he picks and strums his guitar...it was Jocie's guitar before he discovered it gathering dust in her quiet room. His sweet music takes the edge off of the difficult days when I feel the emptiness of not having the Red One here for what would be her senior year at LHS.

And then I get to take Jocie's girlfriends out to lunch.  The man who snapped this pic asked me if they were all my daughters.  I smiled and said "Yes they are all mine!"  During lunch the girls and I discussed many important things.  What are their plans following graduation?  Who will be the first one married?  Who has never even been kissed?  Who is "the dark horse"?  We laugh and smile and soak up each other's memories of Jocie. 

It feels good and it is enough for now...

When Dreams Come True And Could You Please Pass the Bilar

Early Friday morning we turned on the GPS and entered Dione's new UCLA address...and we were off. Just a few short 778 miles and we would be there.  With an estimated driving time of 13.8 hours, I knew I was going to need some serious Diet Coke to survive...but not too much...too many potty stops!

 This is an actual law classroom where Dione will undoubtedly spend many hours learning how to be lawyerly. 

We spent Saturday moving in boxes and furniture, Ikea shopping, Trader Joe's shopping, and finally a visit to the law school campus where Dione beamed as she showed us around.

 The Boy drove 1600 miles round trip just so he could spend as much time as possible with his sister...he loves her like that!

  So...I'm not usually the ridiculous mom who makes the family buy matching UCLA Law school hoodies and take pictures out conspicuously in front of the law school sign. 

 But perhaps all that driving went to my head...because here we are.

Notice that all the UCLA law hoodies are back in the bags the boys are carrying. 

 Incredible sycamore trees on campus...I know they are sycamore because I know how to use "the google"!

 The campus was beautiful and large...and beautiful!  Thank you Dione for that nice pose.

Dione's apartment is a few miles from Venice Beach so we threw on our booty shorts and roller blades and went out for a stroll on the pier.  OK...we didn't all throw on booty shorts...just Dean did...OK none of us did.  But we did have a very fabulous dinner and watched the sun set over the ocean.

 Early the next morning we turned on the GPS and entered our home address...and we were off. Just a few short 778 miles and we would be there...with an estimated driving time of 13.8 hours.  Wait...didn't we just do that...oh that's right, but we were going West that time. 

And this is what LA looks like from the freeway at 6:00 am and the smog hasn't burned off yet.  Do you think Dione can hold her breath for 3 years?

 And this is what 778 miles looks like.  If you look way out in the distance you can see Whiskey Pete's.  I don't know how Whiskey Pete is able to build a hotel in the middle of the desert and get people to come stay there. 

A few beautiful pics from the Virgin River Gorge portion of the trip...way too many Bilars (yummy Swedish candy you can only buy from Ikea) and we arrive home only 11 hours after we left LA.  Dean would like to especially thank his radar detector for saving him from at least 2 tickets!

So excited to watch our girl over the next 3 years as she learns how to be lawyerly! 

Fair is Where You Get Cotton Candy...

Happily, my mother taught me to sew when I was just a little girl through our local 4-H program.  We called our group the "Super Sonic Sewers."  I'm not sure why, quite honestly!  Every year we would enter our outfits in the county fair, always hoping for a blue ribbon...and fearing a red ribbon.  To some people, it didn't seem like the judges were very fair...at the fair.

For the past 15 years I have been sewing quilts.  I have never entered one of them in the fair.  I decided months ago that this was the year...I would make myself enter a quilt in the Cache County Fair.  As I entered the Home Arts building at the fair, suddenly those fears and inadequacies I had when I was a young girl came streaming back.  What if the judges hated it?  What if my quilt making skills were all wrong? What if I received a red ribbon?  This quilt is completely hand appliqued, took 3 years to make and I absolutely love it.  Would I still love it if it received a red ribbon?

***

Well...turns out the judges loved my quilt...they gave it a special recognition ribbon and considered it for the sweepstakes ribbon.  I was so pleased!  Sometimes you have to face up to your fears...look them straight in the eye...and stop worrying about that dreaded red ribbon.

The month of August came scorching in quickly and now I can feel summer melting away even faster.  The Garlick Press has a few big events happening soon, and I am looking forward to them all. 

In honor of one of them...Dean and I hosted a beach party for Dione as we usher her off to UCLA law school this week.

Now I don't want to brag, but move over Martha...there's a new centerpiece queen in town. 

And you might be thinking "but I thought Dione was going to Boston".  Well, a new opportunity opened up and she switched coasts.

And now Dione has us all singing Katy Perry's

"California Girls".  It's pretty catchy!

"I know a place

Where the grass is really greener

Warm, wet and wild

There must be somethin' in the water

Sippin' gin and juice

Layin' underneath the palm trees

The boys

Break their necks

Try'na creep a little sneak peek

You could travel the world

But nothing comes close

To the Golden Coast

Once you party with us

You'll be falling in love
Oooooh oh oooooh

California girls

We're unforgettable

Daisy Dukes

Bikinis on top

California girls

We're undeniable

Fine, fresh, fierce

We got it on lock

West coast represent

Now put your hands up

Oooooh oh oooooh
 

Toned, tanned

Fit and ready

Turn it up 'cause it's gettin' heavy

Wild, wild West coast

These are the girls I love the most

California girls man

I wish they all could be

California girls."

OK, so that was the edited version of Katy's song. 

Wow...we are so very proud of you Dione. We will miss you more than you'll know, but can't wait to visit you in sunny California. 
You go California girl!

 

Ewwey...gooey...chewy

It's our tradition...ewwey, gooey, chewy night on the eve before you have braces put on your teeth.

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The idea is to "pig out" on everything that will be taboo once you get those dreaded braces!  And the boy nearly made himself sick trying to eat all of the yummy, sticky treats.  Oh, and he was so excited to get those braces...not! 

Gooseberries and a silly Goose

We found some gooseberries at our local farmer's market again this year.  I had to take a few pictures before making them into a pie.  

And yes...her eyes really are that blue!  Incredible aren't they?

New York State of Mind

A visit from our favorite New York City family means many things... 

and this trip it meant spelunking!

This is my friend Francesca...she is 7 going on 27.

She loves Chet like a brother...and teases him the same way.  She nicknamed him "The Goat" because of the way he climbed the stairs in Minnetonka Cave like a mountain goat.  

Francesca brought along her parents Frank and Lisa as well.  We love many things about these friends from NYC...from Frank's Brooklyn/Sicilian accent right down to Lisa's New York style.  

When Francesca visits she likes to do many things with me...including baking and sewing.  Hmmm...two of my favorite things to do, no wonder we are friends!

This time we taught her how to make sugar cookies...homemade frosting and everything.  Don't tell her mom, but I think she ate about half the dough! 

Francesca is a very intuitive child.  She made sure we cut out many snowflake cookies and then decorated them with red sprinkles.  She made a special red snowflake just for me!  She also liked the cookie cutter shaped as Utah.  I asked her where the city of Logan was located on the cookie. 

Smart girl...she pointed it right out!

Dean and the precious child just "chillaxin" after a day of baking in the kitchen.  Francesca asked her mom if she could be a "part-time" Garlick!  Yes...yes...Francesca!  We love girls at our house especially ones as cute as you.  Why is NYC so far away anyway?