I've made it a birthday tradition to "go somewhere." When I was a kid, my birthday fell over fall break, so we were often out in the mountains on a camping trip somewhere.  Then for a couple of years there I was in Hawaii (17), Mexico (18), Hawaii (19) and Austria (20). Exploring Scottsdale was a bit anti-climactic for 21, and for 22 I had college classes to attend BUT I got my "ex-boyfriend" to take me out for ice cream--I even taunted him into a passionate kiss in the car in a hope to remind him how much he liked me. (I'll give you a hint to who it was: we tied the knot a few months after our brief reprieve). For 23 Dallin and I explored some beautiful autumn forests, and for 24 we spent a day down near Arches. For my 25th birthday this year we went back up to the mountains for a relaxing day trip.

Lastly, we got to watch our friend's cat. Suki is very timid and expresses her fear through hisses and growls.  The first few days, Arlo hid under the bed to escape the bed. And then suddenly they became best friends, chasing each other around with their chirps and purrs at all hours of the night. 

Playfully hunting each other

 

Dallin did NOT see it coming. To celebrate his 25th, I invited every one of his friends to a BBQ at a beautiful grove near our house.  He knew I was busy most of the day with school things, but I exaggerated how long it would take me to get home. (And that only because he refused my plan to keep him busy -- I had his friends invite him to the range, and he said no.) I pushed the hour through rush hour and recruited the help of my cousins to blow up balloons and get the new portable grill up and running. Then, leaving enough time for everyone to show up, I went and picked up Dallin.  I had told him I had a "surprise double date" planned since he wouldn't leave me alone about wanted to find out what was hidden in the trunk (a lot of hamburger/brat buns).  Without giving him any more than that, I had him get dressed in casual clothes and drove him over. As we walked toward the vine-wrapped veranda, Dallin asked me why I was so smiley.   And then he saw the shiny gold "Happy 25" sign and said, "Wait, those are my people!"

We serves brats and burgers, and people brought games of beanbag toss, Kamjam, and various ball games. The sun went down too fast and I failed to get pictures of half our guests, but it was a fun party and I was so grateful that everyone came! At the party were Dallin's current and former work friends, his gamer friends, our relatives, and our old house roommates. It was a success for sure!

Fall isn't officially here, but walk into any store and you'd think it was mid-October. A few weeks ago Kaeli and Cooper invited us to go on a double date to make soap.  There were lots of soap molds to choose from, shapes from flowers to cats to Star Wars characters. Dallin and I chose festive shapes to prepare for the coming months of fall and winter, and we chose equally nostalgic scented oils to go with them.  We chose colors, and then a girl brought out warm melted soap to pour into the molds.  After we finished mixing the soap, colors and scents, we played Uno on waxy stained cards and waited for the soap to cool in the ice.  Poor Kaeli had an allergic reaction to something coconuty in the air and had to go home with Coop.