A long time ago when the earth was green...

I had a birthday (over a month ago). Scott went over the top with my birthday this year. He surprised me clues for a week-long scavenger hunt. He took me to Anthro to get "whatever I want" (I got hair clips for ten dollars). He surprised me the night before we left for the river with a surprise party with a ton of my friends and my family members. I had no idea that many people could fit in our apartment! He organized the whole thing! He even invited Kyle and Allison, and it was the first time we've really hung out in months! Scott also gave me music in my kitchen again so I can rock out while I do dishes. I really did have a fantastic birthday!



The day after my birthday we took off for a week on the river, and Scott said "Happy Birthday" to me every day until the trip was done.

The day after the river we started babysitting my cousins for a week.





The day after babysitting was over we left for St. George to hang out with my parents, Kirsten, Nick, and the kids. I put all these pictures on my mom's computer, so I don't have them to post.

But I do have this picture. And I will say that THIS is why I love my family. Nephews in keens (thanks to my dad).



The day after St. George I caught up on A LOT of laundry.

We had about a week to be normal, and then we left for California to celebrate Robbie and Kelley's wedding!













The day after we got back I left for a week long girls' camp (completely unprepared with the classes I'd have to teach and the activities I'd have to organize. Whoops.)

This was also the day of Scott's birthday. I felt terrible leaving him on his birthday, but he came and joined me on the most beautiful mountain with the most remarkable sunset, dutch oven cobblers, fifty young women singing happy birthday, and an incredible telescope to view the rings of Saturn.







Scott worked hard for a week while I put out teenage drama fires, taught certification courses, led a lot of hikes, and really got a new perspective and appreciation for Scott and for our marriage. I'm so grateful for him! I came home pretty smelly. And I had to teach the Young Women a few days later. The YW testimony meeting gave me plenty of inspiration.

The day I got back from camp we went to P.F. Changs with my parents, grandparents, and the Evans' clan for a Father's Day/Scott and Dad's birthdays celebratory dinner. Scott is completing his kayak set-up for his birthday. We've got two kayaks... no paddles... and one PFD between the two of us. It's time to complete the set. I love Scott. I think his birthday is my favorite holiday! I do think it's funny that his birthday will always be the same week as Father's Day, and my birthday will always be the same week as Mother's Day!

Dad sent us home with the great wall of chocolate and plenty of leftovers. What a wonderful Dad!

We spent Saturday getting the house back together and exploring Emigration Canyon.

We spent Sunday hanging a bit with Andrew, eating dinner with the Evans family up in Fruit Heights, and visiting our wonderful buddy Eric (who was engrossed in a wild game of Killer Bunnies). Since neither of us had our Dad's nearby, we gave daddy day greetings over the phone. I was able to sing to my dad's answering machine in Boston... which I'm sure he just LOVED (he never called back for a second verse). Happy Doddy's Day, Dod! I sure love you!



Somewhere in the middle of all this we kayaked the Provo River with Matt and Andrew and we went to the Real game with a bunch of people from work. I have NO CLUE when those events happened. The Real game was AWESOME!

I'm just getting things organized and getting life back on track while trying to shake a headache I've had since the trip to California. I don't get headaches often. They never last this long. Scott told me to drink plenty of water. I informed him that I've eaten half a watermelon, but he had the nerve to tell me that watermelon doesn't count for my water intake.

I'm looking forward to life getting back to normal. Happy to be back and blogging.

For those of you who don't know the Shel Silverstein poem about the unicorn. I used to have it put to song as a kid... so that's where the post title comes from.

A long time ago when the earth was green,
There were more kind of animals than you've ever seen.
And they'd run around free while the earth was being born,
But the loveliest of all was the unicorn.
Now the Lord'd seen some sinnin' and it caused him pain.
He said, "Stand back! I'm gonna make it rain."
He said, "Hey brother Noah, I'll tell you what to do,
Go and build me a floating zoo.
And you take those green alligators and a couple of geese,
Two humpy bumpy camels and a chimpanzee,
Take two catsandratsandelephants, but sure as you're born,
Noah, don't forget my unicorn."

It's a long song... I won't go on. Why do these things get stuck up top?