So I need to apologize as I have seriously neglected the blog.  I think it has something to do with having 3 active kids and it having been summer.  Much more to do when there is all of this sunlight out rather than being cooped up in the house in pure darkness.  So as the summer dwindles away I will get to work on my postings, pictures and latest Hurst updates.
What has been happening this summer??????
Well we started with Justin going away for a few days and I decided I wanted to paint the house.  So I started painting the walls and with some help had that done when he returned.  But when your house gets new paint, you realize you need to update other things also.  So that led us to putting in new laminate wood flooring throughout the entire house.  Tearing out our old kitchen and getting new cabinets and gorgeous granite counters installed.  Still working on putting things back in their places, but we will get there.  We still have the bathrooms to do also, but that might be next year.  Who knows.
I have come to realize that doing home improvement projects yourself is very satisfactory, but it sometimes isn’t the best relationship building activity.  Now we didn’t have any huge blowouts or anything.  I think it is just the fact that you are living in such disaray that everything starts to get to you.  So eventually something happens or someone erupts like a volcano, er not violent like a volcano though.
So we are very thankful that it is coming to the end of the house remodeling.  Only we still keep seeing all these little things that still need to be done that take so much time for something so little.

We also took a HOT trip to Vegas in July.  Justin’s brother Jeff got married to Cristy, a lovely lady from Mexico.  It was super fun and a great wedding.  It was wonderful to see all the family.  The kids got to meet their uncle Phil who had never met any of them.  We were happy that everyone was able to make this trip.  I also was able to see a great friend from high school.  Marianne and I used to have lots of fun back in the day.  We even went on our first group date together after our 16th birthdays.  It was so awesome to see her and her family.

We took the family up to McCarthy to camp for Memorial Day.  We camped and also rode our bike’s up the road to Kennicott.  A crazy hard ride for me.  But I may just be a wuss.  Oh well.  That was a fun trip with the Barney’s.  Justin actually rode his bike for half of the dirt road AKA McCarthy Highway.  I don’t know how he did it, but I was and am still proud of him.  While he was biking, I was in the Expedition with the kids and before we were able to get on the road my battery died at the campground.  Who is around on Memorial Day at the campground in the middle of the day??  NOONE!!!  Not even the campground managers were there.  I think everyone went to the parade.  But afters many tears and prayers and me leaving the kids in the hot truck with all doors open while I ran down the road to see if I could flag down a car.  After a few cars of noone being able to help, finally a family stopped to help me.  It was seriously an answer to my prayer.  Even better was that the kids were entertaining each other and playing nicely when I came back to the truck.  I was so worried about leaving them there while I ran down the road.  But thankfully our Heavenly Father was watching over them and me.

Lots of outside time with the kids.  Kara’s birthday was a care bear fun day.  Brooklyn’s birthday was spent in Vegas and we had yummy cake and she had all of the Hurst cousins there with her.  Then we were back home for my birthday.  And the Morris’s helped us celebrate that.  Yummy dinner and cupcakes made by Dustin-THANKS!!!  YUMMM!!!  Then Justin’s birthday, we had a water balloon fight in the backyard and grilled steak for dinner.  The best part was the homemade ice cream cake that was so delicious!!!  I think I am going to make those more often.
Summers are filled with so much fun.  If it could be summer all year round up here I would love it.  I am reminded everyday of what a beautiful place we live in.  Amazing mountains, waters, glaciers, falls, wildlife, flowers, etc.  So much to appreciate.  I hope to remember that when the dreadful day comes and the white stuff starts falling again and ruining my days outside.  YUCK!!  Maybe the kids will be sick less this winter and be able to play in the snow more often. …..Can you picture me crossing my fingers and wishing really hard?!

We are looking forward to ending the summer on a nice note with Ryan’s birthday.  Still don’t know what we are doing.  All he says when I ask him what he wants to do, is that he wants all of his cousins to play at his house with him on his birthday.  Poor guy.  I keep telling him that he doesn’t have any cousins that live here anymore.  So no more birthdays for him with cousins.  But he can invite friends.  And then he tells me that he doesn’t have any friends.  Just his cousins are his friends.  Ohh, my heart melted for him with his sad eyes looking at me.  We will make this a wonderful birthday for him and he will remember it for a very long time.  So it’s alright.

I hope that everyone else had a wonderful and enjoyable summer.  I end this as I go to can some more apple pie filling and applesauce.  I also made my first ever crabapple juice.  And I must say for my first juice ever made, it is pretty dang good!!!

Until next time……..