oh yes we did.

i made these. and they were freakin awesome.

john's exact words were: "these are the best cupcakes i have ever had in my life."

so, go ahead and make some.

you're welcome!

hello!

we had a very fun pioneer day, with family, ice cream, and many many fireworks. at one point during the night, my uncles reenacted the final duel between voldemort and harry potter in hp7p2. they each had a "wand" {firework} and it was classic....

blame it on the tetons.

over the weekend, we traveled to the teton mountains for some fun backpacking with our friends!  we got about 50,000 mosquito bites each.... but, thanks to janessa's bear bell, came home without being mauled by bears.  it was a wonderful trip.  we sure love our dear friends.

i'm completely smitten with muti's garden.

monkey likes it, too.

over the weekend....

we have done nothing but cook/eat yummy food, enjoy time with friends, and watch great movies.  

1-2.  the product of a lazy saturday.
{3.  my $6!!! diet coke at the movie theater}
3-4.  dinner and harry potter with these friends.
5-6.  my old man's birthday.  {love him!}

mango sticky rice.

honestly,

jump on a plane, or a bus, or a train

RIGHT NOW.

come to salt lake city,

and walk straight into this restaurant.

order....

the crab won-tons:

 the red curry:

 some pad thai {a classic}:

 and don't forget the mango sticky rice! {honestly, the best i have ever had}

 

while you devour the meal, you can enjoy the cool artwork on the wall,

and also observe this elephant carving.

and play with little umbrellas in your drink.  

and don't forget to sneak a pic outside to remember your wonderful adventure,

to an extremely delectable thai place.

{that plane ticket was totally worth it, no?}

as we sat down to eat, i contemplated all the fond memories i have of dating john.

we ate thai food a lot.

our first date even, was at a thai food place.

as i contemplated, i said to him:  

"i think our relationship was built on thai food!"

"and love!" {he said, defensively}

swim.

a photo of my brothers, swimming at their neighborhood pool.

swimming lessons.  ah, swimming lessons.  we have a love-hate relationship, you and i.  at times, i really like showing little tikes how to swim in the pool.  other times, i feel like i should like to sink to the bottom of the deep end.  sometimes, those two full hours of pruny hands and a freezing body to teach kids to move their uncoordinated bodies in ways they aren't familiar with, just does me in.  and the coaxing.  ah!  the coaxing, and pleading, and encouraging to just put your face in the water, dangit!  i mean, how hard can it be, really?  when a strong {if i do say so myself} person is there to catch you at a moments notice?  we all have irrational fears.  i was {am} scared of zombies and that's an irrational fear, because no zombie is going to exist ever- right?  right?  

and then, oh, swimming lessons, the joys of teaching little ones to do bubbles under and monkey-airplane-soldier.  and how cute they are when they say do their big arms out to their animals in the water.  and the smile that spreads on my face when a student says, "thanks for the swimming, teacher.  i love you".  it melts my heart, it does.  and, despite the exhaustion, i will always remember the joys of felt whilst teaching swim lessons.