Flashback: July & August Highlights

So, like every blogger out there, I have gaps in my posts.  It may look like all I ever post about are trips to California, but there were some really great things that happened in between and since our last California trip.  Instead of posting a million pics, I'll just pick some highlights :)

 Our landlord is a horse breeder so we always have cute filly's and colts running around.  This little filly has such a great personality; she loves people and as you can see, she's not shy at all:

 Our friends the Ririe's came over and we took them to see the horses. Little Hannah stole a kiss!

 From baby horses to baby kittens- what's not to love about Mr. Butterscotch?  Our friends Aaron and Tiffany's cat had quite the liter! We call her (the cat) the teenage mother because she was not even a year old when she had her kittens... poor thing!

 Ethan and Porter loved their new kittens, as you can see, Butterscotch is getting used to Ethan's hugs!

 Next stop- camping in Idaho! I sometimes forget how beautiful Idaho is- probably because I usually just remember how FLIPPIN' FREEZING it is! This trip was a good reminder of Idaho's enchantment.  Well, we went camping with Sam's Dad and his lovely wife Diane and some of her kids.  They are a fun bunch and we had a great time!

I love it when I get to drive (and yes, I love posing for pictures too, Sam humors me- bless his heart!)

We camped right along this creek and Sam also reaped of its' bounty...

Well, it was bountiful with these little guys... but he was proud!

 The kids got a big kick out of Sam cleaning his catch.  I still don't know why he threw the dead fish head in the wading area the kids were playing in... go figure!

Sam and his dad, Bing! Aren't they two peas in a pod? If you observe them together it doesn't take too long to realize they were cut from the same cloth. P.S. I loved how blue this lake was- even more stunning in person for sure!

The creek flowing from the lake; I kept looking for beavers cuz hey, why not?

Sam treated me to tickets to Broadway's The Lion King when they came to Salt Lake.  He accidently got them during a Thursday at 2pm and couldn't get work off so I got to invite Tiffany! We had a blast... Ladies Night! Well, I guess day ;)

 My cute Grandma Fran wanted to see me and I missed my Seattle peeps! So, we split the bill and I went to the "Emerald City"

 Had to stop by Ivar's fish and chips! I love this sign and I wish I had one in my house for Sam because he LOVES to eat everything ALL the TIME!!! hahaa ;) 

Um, yah- DELICIOUS!!! Of course I fed some fries to the seagull's- it's tradition!

My Aunt Marti Call (my Mom's sister) was my lovely hostess for a few days- I always love seeing her because my Call relatives are very special to me! It was my Uncle Adrien (Marti's husband) who told my Birth-mom about his Sister in Law, Marilyn (my mom) who wanted to adopt a baby (me!).  If Adrien hadn't been my Birth-mom's Doctor, I wouldn't be Devanie Checketts Roberts today!

 My cute Grandma Fran and her boyfriend Glenn.  They are so sweet together- they met in a grief support group at their church when both of their spouses died.  They took me to dinner at this swanky restaurant with a gorgeous view!

 This is the birth-family, folks! From left, my brother Kelsey, sister Montana, Birth-mom Carla, me, brother Ian.  I love spending time with them and am grateful I have them in my life! We went to the Seattle Zoo together one afternoon.

 I saw a lot of this though- elephant butt.  Makes me feel better about myself... hahaa!

 I missed my Halls Lake buddies SO much so I was thrilled when they all got together to hang out with me one night.  When I lived in Brier, WA these were my homies! Well, they still are ;) It's crazy because we pretty much all got married within a couple months of each other. Maybe it was something in the water- I guess it does rain a lot in Seattle...!

Back to Idaho! Sam and I went for a weekend to see some fam. His brother Dan is building another house on his property. It's funny becuase the neighbors tease him that it looks like he's building a church. Dan just says, "Yah, you wanna join?" He slays me! Well, when we were there, Sam helped him out with some framing

  Kinda looks like a church, just think Barn-style instead! I think it will look really cool when it's done, Dan always does a great job.

 Last stop: This is the Place Heritage Park, SLC, UT.  Sam's brother Dan's company restored a barn that burnt down at the Park.  He needed some emergency work done to get things wrapped up, so since we live here and Dan lives in Idaho, Sam went over to help him out.  He looks so woodsy and craftsman-ish... I kinda like it! ;)

 This is the barn halfway done, it's in the original style from the 1800's. 

And of course, me! And guess what, I'm not all the way posing here people- I totally helped! It was actually fun to feel all carpenter-ish.  Who knew?!

p.s. I'll do one more flashback post soon to catch up, so stay tuned!