June

Omigosh, it's July!

June was a whirlwind for us.  Anybody else?  I swear that we were non-stop all month.  I am always hoping that things will slow down, but they never seem to.  I can't wait until I am done with class.  I am looking forward to having some of my evenings and free time back. (Oh, wait, that's me hoping again...)

 Toyota trucks of all shapes, sizes, and colors meeting up before going on a trail ride.

(this was only a fraction of the whole group)

We started out June still recovering from jet lag and then soon packed up the truck to go the Great Smokey Mountain Trail Ride. It's an event put on by the Toyota Land Cruiser Association.  Matt goes on this trail ride every year with his brother, Michael, who co-owns ACC and Smoking Gun Custom Powder Coating, which are sponsors for the trail ride.  This year, Matt asked me if I might like to tag along. 

One of Michael's customers, Josh, won the rock crawling competition.  It was a lot of fun to watch!

I had a really good time and it was really nice to see all of the people, trucks, and events that Matt talks about every year.  I rode with Michael on the trail two days and had a lot of fun.  We generally got out of the truck whenever we reached a really steep or tricky spot to investigate the best route.  It wasn't until just before Michael's alternator died on the trail on the last day, resulting in a jump start, that I actually rode on the really tough stuff with him.  Not because I don't trust him, but it scares me!  Still, he is a great driver and his truck is incredibly capable (you wouldn't believe the stuff these trucks move over, the pictures are deceiving as to the inclines and roughness of the terrain) and I felt pretty safe with him.

 Michael in his spring green '71 FJ-40 (Land Cruiser). 

We took our newest K9 addition, Cooper, along for the three day/three night camping trip and I think he had a very good time too.  Of course we were all whipped, smelly, and mosquito-bitten by the time we got home...

I may pass on this trip next time.  ;)

Oh, and of course it's ultimate frisbee season.  I've had fun catching a couple of the boys' games (Matt and Wade are on the same team this year) with Amanda and Staci. I think it's more of a social outing for us and we're often caught up in a conversation when one of our husbands scores or makes an awesome layout.  (Don't tell them that.)

I've decided that I need to get a telephoto lens.  My kit lens makes taking action shots from the sidelines all but impossible. Oh well, this fuzzy pre-throw photo will have to suffice.

Moving on.

I haven't really bought very many plants this year.  Partly because I'm maxing out on flower space, but mostly because I just haven't had enough time to keep everything weeded/fertilized/sprayed, etc. like I have in the past.  However, some of the sweet ladies at Dave's Garden set up a swap where newbies (that's me) could get a box full of daylilies in exchange for postage.

One of my sponsors ended up being a lady who lives a mile from my house!  Can you believe that?  She let me come over one day in May and we dug up a few plants for me to take home. Then, she sweetly invited me over at the end of June to see her beds in full bloom.

I was jealous.

She has something like 200-300 different cultivars of daylilies.  She's got several beds completely dedicated to them, and they truly are a sight.  I've never seen so many colors, patterns, heights, and styles.  She should charge admission to those flower beds, they were so pretty.

I think I may have drooled a little.

I just have to remind myself that I already have some beautiful daylilies!

On a side note, aren't those pictures gorgeous!  They're straight of the camera (because I don't know how to edit anyway).  I'm still not very good with my DSLR yet, but I think my flower photos are turning out exceptionally well.  I still need practice in any other environment other than the yard in early evening, but I am in love with these results.  These photos were taken with the kit lens too, not even the nicer lens that my dad loaned me.

Anyway.

Around the end of June, my high school class had its 10 year reunion.  I could not decide if I wanted to go for the longest time.  It's not that I didn't love my friends in high school, but I haven't kept up with most of them since college, and just thinking about those years (the most insecure of my life!) still makes me shiver.  That, and I'm so uncompetitive about what I've "accomplished" in the last ten years.  I am pretty content with where and who I am in life and wasn't sure if it was going to be one of those competitions on who lives in the neatest place, makes the most money, has the cutest kid/coolest job, etc. 

Jenny, me, and Lauren.  10 years later.

I caught up with one of my very good friends right before the reunion weekend and at the last minute decided to go ahead and attend the informal night, which hadn't required prior reservations.  I'm really glad I did.  There were several girls/guys that I have missed so much and I got to see almost all of them.

One of my girlfriends went to the formal reunion night and picked up some stuff for me out of the time capsule, including a letter she wrote me and one I wrote myself ten years ago.  It was kind of fun to read what 17-year-old Becca had to say to 27-year-old Becca. 

As I was reading, I thought, "wow, I was so mature.  I had some really good insight."

And then I got to the page where I listed all of my crushes and boyfriends since 4th grade.

Some of what I hoped for the future turned out to be true (some things not so true):

In 10 years from now, I'd like...

- to be out of college with a solid degree? doctor architectural engineering?

- married to a strong Christian, happily married

- possibly a kid or two

- to advance my Christian growth, a lot

- still keep in touch with my family & Alisha

- to have waited until marriage

- to be able to own my own house & a car I picked out

- to still be in love with my husband

- to further mi espanol

- to find a good church I enjoy attending

- to have a figure

Haha!  All sounds like serious goal setting until that last one.

Wow, this must be a record-long post.  Anyone still reading?

(crickets chirping)

Oh well.

Back to flowers.

If you're still reading and not tired of flower photos yet, here are a few more...

I love this red and pink clematis on the left and the lacecap hydrangea on the right.  The white shasta daisies are fun and cheered up my desk at work last week.  Something about fresh flowers on my desk makes me happy.

And here is my double hydrangea, 'Together'.  I think the flowers on this plant are really striking.  I'm trying to eventually turn it blue, but the pink is pretty too.

That's all for now. 

Adios.