July 29

I'm grateful that guests actually showed up for the Lia Sophia party I hostessed this afternoon. I had nightmares that nobody came. But not only did they show up, they also bought jewelry and a few booked their own shows with my younger sister. This means free jewelry for me! WooHOO!

July 28

My mom is so cool. She STILL bails me out when I say yes to too many people. I'm grateful today that not only did she type in a huge amount of recipes that my congregation submitted for Dave's Last Supper, she also called all of the guests I'd invited to the Lia Sophia jewelry party I'm hosting tomorrow afternoon for younger sister Anna. Thanks, Mom!

July 27

The good news is that the backs of my knees were not burned. But the backs of my thighs were not so lucky. Do you know how hard it is to get up and down from your chair with that kind of a sunburn? I'm grateful today for this cool, blue gel that sucks the heat out in a flash.

July 26

Today I'm grateful that sister Johannah brought her boys down and dragged us all to Bear Lake. Although it started out as overcast and slightly sprinkly day, the clouds finally blew away and the sun turned the water it's usual stunning turquoise-blue. The water was warm and the raspberry shakes cold. A perfect day, all in all!

July 25

The past three whirlwind-like days have been survived sans Hart. He's been on the river, fishing and enjoying lazy days with friends. I'm grateful for his return today. We definitely missed him, but I think his dog missed him the most.

July 24

I'm grateful for this wonderful floppy hat today. I was talked into riding on the Democratic float in the Pioneer Day parade with the kids and this hat kept me from turning into a lobster. We threw candy to the thousands of children lining the streets and yelled "Go Democrats!" and kept cool by squirting each other with spray bottles.

And the two democrats that live on Center Street cheered us on.

I'll do it again, I'm pretty sure. And I'm voting for Marychild!

July 23

Tonight was the Last Supper for our pastor, held in the church gym and sans A/C. I am not exaggerating when I say that the temperature by the end of the dinner was at least 104.7°F. I'm grateful nobody fainted!

No seriously, I'm grateful that despite the heat, the evening was such a wonderful time of song and celebration in honor of Dave and Emily. I wish my brain had been less heat-addled to remember to photograph the quilt that was given to Dave and his family. The blocks were handwritten messages of love and best wishes from congregation members and friends and handprints of all of the children whose lives he has touched. It was absolutely beautiful. We will miss them so much!