Nothing much is going on for us right now. I think we are mostly preoccupied with buying a house. We probably ought to wait another year or so, but I have to deal with them every day now and it's kind of become a hobby....looking for the right one. We actually put an offer in on one of them. Here's some pictures:

 

I don't know that we'll get it because the bank has to approve the price. But I think we will end up buying one pretty soon. It's so exciting! We're full of all sorts of ideas of how we want to landscape and decorate (that last ones me :) ). We'll have to see I guess. 

Here's a list that I found that made me smile....

Natural Highs: Think about them one at a time.

1. Falling in love. 
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 
3. A hot shower. 
4. No lines at the supermarket 
5. A special glance. 
6. Getting mail 
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 
11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price. 
12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry) 
13. A long distance phone call. 
14. A bubble bath. 
15. Giggling. 
16. A good conversation. 
17 The beach 
18. Finding a 20$ bill in your coat from last winter. 
19. Laughing at yourself. 
20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 
21. Running through sprinklers. 
22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 
23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 
24. Laughing at an inside joke. 
25. Friends. 
26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you. 
27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 
28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 
29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 
30. Playing with a new puppy. 
31. Having someone play with your hair. 
32. Sweet dreams. 
33. Hot chocolate. 
34. Road trips with friends. 
35. Swinging on swings. 
36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and 
drinking your favorite tipple. 
37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without 
feeling stupid. 
38. Going to a really good concert. 
39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger 
40.. Winning a really competitive game. 
41. Making chocolate chip cookies.. 
42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 
43. Spending time with close friends. 
44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends. 
45. Holding hands with someone you care about. 
46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) 
never change 
47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over. 
48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired 
present from you. 
49. Watching the sunrise. 
50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another 
beautiful day. 

We got to spend all day Saturday fishing! I haven't been fishing for several years, but Justin's sister and her husband have a fishing boat and invited us to come along. We spent nine hours sitting in that boat cruising around Strawberry Lake. My face is incredibly sunburnt. I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror.... I look like an Indian. A sunburnt Indian. 

I just realized I've been tagged! So, Here goes:

All Good Things Come in 3's

3 JOYS

1- My Family. I love spending time with them!

2- The gospel of Jesus Christ

3- Chocolate Cake

3 FEARS

1- Definitely Spiders....something about all those pointy legs and fangs that really gets to me

2- Regrets 

3- Losing someone I love 

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS

1- Decorating :) 

2- House-buying: we're hoping it will be in the next few months!

3- reading Twilight....again (gotta refresh my memory before the 4th book comes out!)

3 SURPRISING FACTS

1- I can shop in Mandarin, climbed the Great Wall, and petted a very large Tiger

2- I am slightly OCD....towels and pillows must be laying in their correct position or it bothers my brain til I fix it 

3- I have a titanium rod in my back, but have yet to find something besides a forward roll that I can't do ;)

As I am typing this I am sitting in my newly re-modeled zen garden. The sun in setting and there is light dancing off the water in my wall fountain. I can smell the honeysuckle in the air...in fact, it's currently growing up a pretty cool looking tiki torch.....yes...this is definitely my happy place ;).

We have had kind of a slow week. One of those that really does let you stop and take time to look at the clouds in the sky or watch your flowers grow.

On monday we took a quick trip down to Yuba lake. This is the first time this year we got to use the waverunners! Everyone was so excited.....probably a little more than necessary (note the video).

It was beautiful. The water was perfectly still just as the sun was setting (not a frequent occurrence for Yuba), this meant you could fly through the water at 55 mph without even the trace of a wave to slow you down.... although the numerous bugs aiming for the whites in your eyes might do the trick instead. It was amazing and it was a good way to bring in summer.

We spent most of the week working. I am really enjoying learning more about my job and how the real estate field works: I know it has nothing directly to do with my almost bachelor's in Psychology, but hey, anything to do with people relates to Psychology. I have always been a big HGTV and home improvement/decorating fan, and I love seeing and hearing about the homes that my boss works with (he specializes in Alpine and Highland). It makes me want to own my own. I'm sure Justin wouldn't be too thrilled to hear this though, lol. That means we would end up having more rooms to decorate....as of right now there is really no more room to put anything. So my shopping trips have been cut back (much to his relief).

(examples of nothing left to decorate)

The fourth of July was spent being lazy and barbecuing, followed by a few legal fireworks in the front yard...nothing too out of the ordinary. It was a great day to think about all the freedoms I am grateful for.

On saturday we wanted to go to Seven Peaks. After arriving we changed our minds. The lines were out the door and around the corner, and the lazy river was backed up tube to tube. After the gray clouds moved in and the rain started we headed back. We are going to try again in a few days. So, instead we went and played in my parents recently purchased wading pool. It's only three feet deep and fourteen feet wide but that's enough room for seymore and cecil (our seahorse and sea turtle, respectively) to fit comfortably. With a swing hanging from the tree above it there were enough toys to last several hours for the boys. We dried off on the tramp and then waited for nightfall in order to do something that I have not done in years: Nightgames. I LOVED nightgames when I was younger. there's nothing like sneaking around in the dark with the sensation that someone could be lurking around every corner. It was exhilarating as a kid, and I found just as much so as an adult. Although it was troubling to find out that I'm not nearly as lithe or as fast as I use to be. In fact my greatest defense this time was to lay there quietly like a big camouflaged slug. This worked wonderfully better than trying to escape the quick movements of my younger siblings.

Afterwards we laid on the grass and watched the stars. No worrying about bills or work or the future.....rather, just being. It was a nice way to enjoy the weekend.