1. Traffic laws are there for a reason...obey them
2. It's a good idea to keep the curling iron away from your forehead
3. When you fall asleep in public places this is what happens...
4. With a little faith and prayer, something you thought was going to be a disaster can actually turn out ok
5. I go back to school in less than a month
6. My life revolves around water (that includes the Olympics)
7. Once I get into a book, it's hard to put it down
Learning from your day to day life is important, even if it is just random little things that don't actually matter haha!
Seriously, I have been waiting for this day to come. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics! I love absolutely everything about the Olympics. It is so amazing to think about the hard work and dedication of all the thousands of athletes from around the world. Even though it is a competition, I feel like the world becomes one and that there is so much pride and love for your country as you watch the events take place. You get to experience the successes and the failures; the heartbreak and the pure joy. The cheering crowds, the intensity, performances, and behind the scenes looks. It's just so cool! I don't think I could even pick a favorite sport to watch, they are just all so amazing! The Olympics have always been something I look forward to. The best two weeks of the summer or winter for sure. And it's always awesome to see the different venues and to take part in exploring different parts of the world. Someday I Will be at an Olympic event...it's on my bucket list. I hope you enjoy this special time as well!
I love these two commercials...Moms are the best! And always the #1 supporters of their children :)
Summer Jam #26
Summer Jam #27
Tonight is opening night of the show! I hope it all goes smoothly and that everyone will perform their best. There will definitely be some serious prayers goin on tonight.
About 36 hours of work, 2 dress rehearsals, and 3 shows. It's gonna be busy!!! This song and the choreography have been running through my head all day. I even just checked out the scene from the movie...LOVE it!! Such a catchy tune and perfect to dance to :)
Having a little down time at rehearsal and thought this song was appropriate. We performed it two years ago in the show and it's such a fun one. Love ABBA and love Mamma Mia! I sure have been singing and dancing my heart out today!!!
I got to sleep in this morning! Then we went shopping and I realized, once again, that I don't like shopping. It makes me tired and trying on and taking off clothes is not fun. Plus, my mom always does a great job of picking things out. I don't even need to be there haha! Then I headed off to work and ended the night playing games with half of my family and two of my best friends. It was pretty much awesome.
P.S. there was an amazing thunder and lightning storm last night. LOVED it!!! And then pouring rain this morning. Nothing gets better than those sights and sounds :)
Let's just say I love my job. Which is definitely a good thing because I'm there ALL DAY LONG! I don't think I can get enough of the little kids. They say some of the funniest things. I wish I could remember them all, but here's a few off the top of my head:
-Teacher: Who knows the rule of the day?
Child: Don't play London Bridge because the bridge falls down and that's not safe!
I'm glad they have safety on their minds haha!
-Mad swimmer on the loose!
-Teacher: Is that how you spell your name?
Child: Um, yes. That is all the correct letters
-You help give fantastic back float rides!
Gotta love it.
I received an email from Moon Apartments today regarding some moving in details and reminding me that school starts in about a month. How crazy is that?! Still a lot left to do during summer, but going back to Utah is right around the corner!
I'm in love with my t-shirt blanket and so glad it's finished! It was a lot of work, but a great summer project. It's HUGE and holds so many memories. I've been using it all day and can't wait to use it in the many years to come!
Yesterday, I felt like I used every minute to the fullest and it felt wonderful. I was at work from 9-4, worked on my blanket from 4-6, went to the Rainier's game from 6-10 (fabulous night for baseball, seriously nothing gets better than a sunny, warm night, friends, free food, and a hometown game. I'm a true American girl), and then spent the next hour finishing my blanket. Success!
As I've been preparing for the upcoming Broadway Revue; "Reel Music: Songs From the Silver Screen" it has made me want to watch every movie that we are doing a song from. They are such good classics! So the first one was Disney's Enchanted and let's me tell you, if you need reminded that true love still exists and that you can have a happily ever after, then you should definitely watch this movie! With a combination of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, this fairy tale is magical! Now, I am in no way ready to be in love or get married, but I am confident that when that day comes, I will be able to find true love.
As a cast, we joke all the time because as is signature for Disney, everyone just seems to know the song and all the dance moves. Everyone they meet in Central Park just joins in haha, it's quite entertaining.
Summer Jam #15
Today's jam should be a recording of Be Still, My Soul played by Ben, Sarah, and Mary Blackner. Love that song and we had the opportunity to play in Sacrament Meeting today!
I was just sitting, reading my scriptures when all of sudden, I hear some massive thunder. I was a little bit confused because there was neither rain nor lightning in sight. It looked like a sunny, summer day to me!
So I did a little research. I found out that it's called "dry lightning" and that it is possible to not have rain. As for the lightning: because of the sun, you just couldn't see it.
In addition to the thunder, there are plenty of dogs barking haha! Apparently it's not so fun for them to listen to.
Gotta love learning new things and experiencing the lovely creations of our Heavenly Father!
All the boys in our house have been on their high adventure bike trip this week and let's just say it's been very quiet around here. They came home today and boy, do they know how to make an entrance. They can't go more than 5 minutes without being in our room to tell us something, be annoying, give me a pick up line, ask a question, get in my face, or just hang out. I feel claustrophobic haha! I guess it's nice to feel loved, but I shall miss the peace.
What a care free song. Love this ride and love Disney!
The other night I had a dream that I was in Paris. PARIS! Such a lovely place full of adventure, history, and I suppose in some cases, romance. I can't wait to (hopefully) be there next May! French was one of my favorite classes in high school and even though I haven't continued to take classes, I think I remember enough to get by. This dream reminded me of this quote:
Sometimes you just need songs that make you think and lyrics that can change the world. This is a great relaxing song and a little bit more reverent than some of the others for Sunday.
Last summer, Emily and I were sitting at our kitchen table and this song was playing. I had heard it before, but didn't really know the words. But I loved it and summer really is sweet!
I remember this song playing at the water park in Moses Lake a couple years ago and Sister Roisum saying how much she loved it because it was so happy! And it's definitely true! I love how upbeat and positive this song is. Perfect for summer :)
The 4th of July is most definitely my favorite holiday and I was so excited to be home this year! There's nothing better than traditions and being with all of your family.
I started off the day at 4:00 in the morning doing the paper route. It was actually kind of fun, but I couldn't believe I was actually awake at that time. I then got to take about a 45 min. nap and then we headed over to the Lybbert's for breakfast! And boy, was it good! Pancakes with fruit and bacon.
Kenz, Alli, and I met up with some other family to watch the parade down in Steilacoom. Baylee and Berkley stocked up on the candy! Seriously every group in the parade handed it straight to them. It was such a nice day and it was fun to see some other friends while we were there.
I feel like this was the never ending day, but then we went to visit Jacob at EFY! It's so nice to only live like 10 min. from UPS. I love the atmosphere of EFY and hope to be a counselor next summer. I have such fond memories of my 4 years that I spent there.
We hurried back to get ready to go down to the lake. I hadn't been there forever and it felt so good to be back and relive my childhood. We hung out in the boat, went on some fun tube rides, tried to learn how to surf, and knee boarded. The freezing cold water didn't phase us at all! We also enjoyed a great BBQ and then sat back and relaxed as Justin and Michael put on a great firework show for us. We also got to see all the other fireworks around the lake. Such a blast!!! Fireworks are so amazing and I love everything about them...the colors, the sounds, the surprises. It seems so magical, I'm sure I could watch them forever :) I couldn't have been happier with how the day went and was dead tired. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out!
I'm so grateful for this country we live in and for all the many opportunities we have here and for all the many blessings that are given to me. I've always loved history and learning about how our great country was started. Sometimes I even wish I lived in Colonial America. There are so many fascinating stories and such amazing men helped establish our freedom and write the declaration and the constitution. We have had great men lead our country and I think that there's nothing better than the red, white, and blue!
There are so many great American songs that it was hard to just pick one, but here's Summer Jam #4!
There was a ginormous fly in our house today and it would not leave me alone while I was reading! I would stiffen up every time it flew past me and was especially worried that it would get on the fruit snacks I was eating...gross! But of course I was too lazy to get up and try to kill it haha! Later, my little brother informed me that he had killed it. Hallelujah!
The great actor Andy Griffith passed away today. I have never watched The Andy Griffith Show before but I have a couple friends that love it. So in honor of this man, I watched the first episode of the show and I loved it! I was cracking up. Opie is definitely my favorite character :) If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!
My favorite holiday was kicked off tonight by the annual fireworks at Cheney Stadium after the Rainiers baseball game. All the Blacker family got together in the back parking lot of Lowes and enjoyed the show :) Fireworks are definitely one of my favorite things...ever. We were also blessed with a gorgeous full moon!
Saturday was definitely one of my favorite days since the summer has started. I got to go the Mariners game! I've been begging to go since I got home from school and I finally had my lucky day :) My dad texted me at work saying: 2 tickets to the red sox game tonight. all yours... ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I was so excited!! Any baseball game is fabulous but there's nothing like your home team and your favorite team! The atmosphere at Safeco Field is indescribable; family friendly and I don't think there's a bad seat!
Jordan and I had a great time together and I was so glad he got to go with me :) Love sibling bonding time!
It was a fabulous game! So many great plays and our not so good team won at the bottom of the 11th inning! It was very exciting and even though there were probably more Boston fans than Mariners fans, there was still tons of cheering at the end of the game haha!
Here's Ichiro doing his infamous ritual before the pitch comes
I learned something after going to this game. The Red Sox have been my favorite team for a couple years now. They are a great team and always do really well, making it to the playoffs before the World Series each year. But there's just something about being on your home turf and wanting the underdog to win. The entire time I was secretly hoping the Mariners would be able to pull it out and take the win. And those M's did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed myself, even through all 4 hours of the game. Baseball is my favorite sport to watch and even though most people think it's so long and boring, I find it fascinating and love that it's an American pastime. I look forward to many more baseball games this season :)
There's nothing like summer nights where it's still warm enough to not need a jacket, it stays light forever, and it just feels like an adventure can start at any moment. You could be having a bonfire, playing games, looking at the stars, listening to good music, the possibilities are endless.
I kinda forgot that I was going to do this because July came so quickly. I honest can't believe how fast time is always flying by. It makes me wonder if I'm using my time wisely and doing as much as I could be. Probably computer time, including blogging should not be a priority haha!
I've been going through my itunes library and listening to some summer stations on pandora to pick out my songs. There are some good ones! And here's one that illustrates the start of summer perfectly!
Here you'll find all my favorite things and get to read about my adventures with friends, family, and my third graders. I'm Mary Abigail and I'm so happy you're here!
