Is It Fall Yet?

I had a hankering to redesign my blog tonight. I think, despite how nice this summer has been, I'm ready for fall (hence the leaves on the sides).

 I guess I like every time of year for different reasons, but these are the ones that come to mind as to why I like fall, in no particular order:

• Everyone else stops complaining about the cooler weather and rain because it's "expected."
• My birthday!
• The colors of the leaves changing colors.
• TV shows start up again.
• Our anniversary!
• It means Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming.
• Football season (although this has potential to be bad depending on how well my teams play - Go Browns! And go Cal Bears!).
• Baseball playoffs (also dependent on how my team is doing - Go Giants!).
• The air feels crisp and cool.
• It tends to rain more often.

I think I also like fall because it's the time I associate with new beginnings, probably due to when school starts each year. Even though I don't get summer break anymore, I tend to make my goals in the fall instead of January 1 like everyone else.

Do you look forward to fall, too, or am I alone in this??

The Hidden Gate & Nearby Park

So last week Matt and I finally explored our apartment complex a bit (after living here for a year and a half) and discovered a hidden gate behind a dumpster! Of course, I got a little over-excited about this and decided we needed to come back the next night when I had my camera. Here it is:

So of course, once we went through the gate and continued on our walk, I had to snap a few more pictures (I did have my camera with me). Here are a couple of my favorites:

Then, for church on Sunday, we met at Burfoot Park. What a fun park! In addition to the typical playground and open grass they have woods and a beach. Okay, so the beach isn't a real beach (not one with sand that you can go surfing on), but it's still a great view.

While we were there I snapped a few pictures of a few friends including my friend's daughter. Here are a few favorites:

The Last Few Years

I just spent about a half hour reading through old posts. It was fun! I started this blog a little less than 2 years ago. Reading through the posts from the beginning to now was like briefly visiting the last couple of years. It's fun to reminisce and get nostalgic, even if it's a shorter period of time.

I'm super excited because next weekend will probably take me back a few years, too. One of my best friends from college is getting married!! I'm so excited and can't wait.

As much as I miss my high school and college friends being around, I really love where I am now. The last year and a half has brought some new friends that have started to become close friends and have become such a blessing.

I know it's easy to wonder what life will be like 20 years from now, but I wonder what it'll be like 2 years from now. Just seeing how far we've come in the past few years has really made me realize that, although the changes along the way are small, it's possible to see growth in even just a couple of years.

Apparently I haven't grown out of avoiding bedtime and late-night blogging, though...maybe in a few more years??

Owl City

I can finally see, that you're right there beside me
I am not my own, for I have been made new
Please don't let me go, I desperately need you


Despite being short, I think Meteor Shower is one of my favorite Owl City songs. It's amazing how just 30 words get me to stop, slow down and realize how much God has done in my life...and how much I need Him.

I've been listening to Owl City's newest album, All Things Bright & Beautiful, on Spotify recently. So far my favorite song is Angels, although there are definitely some other fun tracks, too. I'm excited to continue to become more familiar with them. I still really like the Ocean Eyes album also. My favorite songs? (Well, besides Meteor Shower) Vanilla Twilight and Fireflies.

July Fireworks, Baseball & Softball

I have a few hours with absolutely nothing to do for the first time in a while...and it is great! I've been enjoying the Giants game on Sunday Night Baseball while surfing online, reading a book and drinking a homemade smoothie. I figured I could take a break from reading to update my blog :)

Fireworks on the 4th were super fun - I even set one off! I think I still enjoy watching more than creating the show, but it was a good experience. I was able to snag a few photos, too. Here are my favorites:

The next fun event of note was Thursday night, when my small group spontaneously decided to go to a Tacoma Rainiers game together (too bad we missed the Grizzlies by one week). Sadly one of our friends is moving to Minnesota, and she mentioned she hadn't been to a Rainiers game yet and she wanted to go, so a couple of women stepped up and pulled it together overnight to make it happen. Here are a couple of pictures:

Then, the next night, our church softball team had a game - and we won! After 2 forfeits and 2 losses, it was really fun to actually win one. Here are a couple of pictures my friend Sarah took:

This week also included a trip to the mall where I actually found several items I liked (I'm really picky). I kept forgetting there was an Old Navy in Olympia; now that it moved to the mall I'm much more likely to stop by. The sad news from my trip to the mall: I found out both Auntie Anne's and Wetzel's Pretzels are gone! Of course, upon this discovery, I started craving an almond flavored pretzel. I might have to venture up to Tacoma sometime soon...

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! What do you have planned for the day?

Matt & I will be heading up to a friend's house to hang out with them for the afternoon / evening. Last year these friends introduced us Matt to the excitement of setting off fireworks, so I'm sure the evening will include a few explosions. At least it's legal and the friend we're visiting has 3 acres of land :)

Matt setting off fireworks with our friends last year

Last night, Matt started teaching me how to do the scorebook during a baseball/softball game. I mention that because baseball is American. Anyway, my dad used to keep score when we'd go to games so I've understood the basics before, but never actually filled out a book myself. Granted this will probably mean I get to keep score during our church softball games...but it's a useful skill, right?

Regardless of what you do, I hope your 4th of July is a great one! Want to know more about America and Independence Day? Check out this fun infographic.