Tuesday, June 2, 2009

june

i love the month of june.

as a child, june was the start of summer break. it meant no school, waking up early to jump on the trampoline, swimming (kinda... more like standing in a shallow pool and splashing water at my brothers), baseball, and playing with friends.

now, june doesn't promise a break from school. or a break from work. but the things it brings to me are much better than that.

we started off the month with dinner at alex and sarah's house. they were kind enough to invite us over for a little bbq. sarah is quite the hostess, and i was impressed with how lovely the table was set. dinner was delicious and we had a great time chatting and catching up with them. they are good people. sarah told us some awkward stories and we laughed and laughed together. we're grateful for good friends like them.

in 10 days, i will be celebrating my first anniversary with branson. i can't believe how fast this past year has gone. we've been married one whole year. technically, 355 days. and some days it seems like only yesterday we walked out of the temple together, hand in hand as husband and wife. other days i forget it has only been one year. i have to remind myself that it has only been a year. somedays i feel like we've been married forever - like i can't remember what life what like without him. and then there are the most frequent days, when i find myself in awe of how much my love for brans has grown over the past year. brad paisley said it so well with his new song, "... and i thought i loved you then..." - i am truly amazed at how much more i love branson since we got married. i'm quite a lucky girl.

in 16 days, my brother will officially be halfway through his mission. as much as i can't believe branson and i have been married for a year, it's even more incredible to me that austin has been gone for a whole year. he is such a great missionary. i love getting the chance to talk to him almost every week through email. technology rules! ha ha but he is doing a wonderful job. he loves the people of canada and he loves spreading the word. and in a year, he'll be home to tell me all the crazy stories he doesn't have time to email.

the roses in our yard are the. most. beautiful. things. you. have. ever. seen. i am not joking. gramps had quite the green thumb in his day, and grandma has continuted in his footsteps. gramps planted basically a million things in the yard. but the most prized were the roses in the front. there are six or seven rose bushes, and within the past four days, they have all bloomed with the most gorgeous roses i have ever seen. i am just waiting for my camera to recharge so i can document the beauty.

at least twice a week, the ball field across the street lights up, and i can sit and watch softball games from my front room. occasionally (more often than not) fly and foul balls will sail over the fence and land in our yard. my favorite is when they send little boys over to retrieve said ball. they run over to our bushes, but as soon as they step into the driveway, it's as if they are on a secret mission and can't be caught under penalty of death. i have even seem on boy get down on his stomach and army crawl arcoss our lawn, pick up the ball, then army crawl back to the driveway, getting up and sprinting back to the field. if i remember correctly, i giggled for hours after that.

my brother taylor is graduating from high school. it makes me feel old. and then i remember i'm not really. and even if i was, thanks to my 16 year old face, i wouldn't look old. but i digress. tay has had quite the busy year. he was the editor-in-chief of the yearbook, in ensemble - the premier vocal group at olympus, in concert choir, the seminary counsel president, taking several AP classes and managed to maintain his 4.0. the kid is a rock star. he makes my high school career look super lame. i'm proud of tay and can't wait for him to start the next chapter of life.

the lower half of my index finger has most of the feeling back - only a little bit of numbness. however, the tip of my finger is still completely numb. i really did a good job of slicing through. it definitely wasn't a half-effort. heh. i've been told the nerve will grow back, which is good news. but it might take a couple years. i'm hoping not that long. the wound, itself, is still tender and still hurts some. i'm still careful not to use it much. and i've become adept at typing, playing the piano, writing, and all sorts of other things you need to use your hands for with only 9 fingers. i've gotten pretty good at compensating with my thumb and middle finger.

we have lots of other happenings this month, and i'm excited for them. along with the perfect weather. (until the end of june when it generally gets a little too hot... but right now, it's lovely.)

june is a great month.

2 comments:

Kiley said...

You're kidding, right? One year already? Happy Anniversary! And I can't believe that Austin is almost halfway through his mission - whoa! Time flies when you're having fun! I love the army-crawler-ball-retriever! Makes me giggle too!

Erica said...

Shan, I love your posts. I feel like I can see in my mind everything you're writing about. June IS a fabulous month. :o) Congrats on your upcoming anniversary! And a belated Happy Birthday to your sweet mom - we love her so much!