July 2023 Randoms

 Independence Day: 

Although we didn't do much to celebrate the 4th this year, we did finish it with a bang. We were so excited when we found out that Jeff Crosby's band would be performing in Salmon on the 4th, so our only plans were to go to that concert. Thankfully, both Josh and I had the day off, but Kanyon had to work at the grocery store. Josh and I went to Sweetwater Hollow that evening, and we sat by/danced with our friends Phil and Darcy, and the Judy family. We had such a fun time! The concert ended after 10:00pm, then we drove up by the hockey rink in town to watch the Salmon fireworks show, and Kanyon watched it from his friend Sam's house. It was fairly short; it only lasted 15 minutes this year. 

Outdoor Concerts:

In addition to seeing Jeff Crosby (our current favorite band!), we also got to watch a few more outdoor concerts in Salmon in July. On Thursday the 6th, there was a free outdoor concert at the Sacajawea Center with Muzzie Braun singing. Josh went to that, and I joined him for the last 30 minutes of the show after I was done working at the pharmacy and doing concessions at the movie theater. We've seen  Muzzie perform before; he's an old country singer/songwriter from Challis that Josh's grandparents used to listen to! We like his music style.

Sarah Burton performed at Sweetwater Hollow on July 20th as an opener for another band. Sarah was the musical guest in our group when we floated for a week on the Middle Fork with Wilderness River Outfitters the previous summer. She's a solo act, and is a songwriter from Canada, but performs a lot in Austin, Texas too. She didn't perform as long as we hoped she would for the pre-show that night. We like her relaxed music and how she opens up onstage about her past and includes the process of when/why the songs were written.

Our Garden:

Because I worked full-time this summer for the first time in 20 years, I didn't have time to weed the garden. Josh and Kanyon were working full-time, too, and between all of our weekend trips to hot springs, the garden wasn't a priority and it definitely suffered. We'd planted potatoes and onions in the spring, and the rhubarb and raspberry section were still there, and they all grew, thanks to Josh's mindful watering, but seeing the overgrown weeds was an eyesore and I felt bad that it got ignored. One evening in July, Josh helped me tackle some of the weeds. He worked on the onions and I worked on part of the raspberries. 

These lilies that I transplanted 3 summers ago really flourished.
They are located in a flowerbed between the garden and the ditch. 

Josh weeding the onion rows

The disastrous state of the raspberries--the weeds were taller 
than the raspberry plants!

Cloudy Sunsets:

We just love the lighter-later nights of the summer, and we both delight in the breathtaking views that sunsets often bring. 

Week Full of Family & Friends:

Ammon stayed with us for the week of Monday, July 17th to Friday the 21st (see previous post for more details). The very next day (Saturday the 22nd), Tiffany, Scott, Isaac, Joel, Emmy, Dallin, and Al came to visit. The Entrikins stayed at our house this time around, instead of at Grandma's or an Air BnB. I had to work all day, but Josh got the house cleaned and Ammon's bedding washed and the yard mowed before they arrived. They all hung out inside that day, mostly playing on their devices. When I got home from work after 6, we had a hamburger BBQ in Grandma's yard. Then they came back up to our house and we played Telestrations and watched a movie together. They went to church with on Sunday, then we ate at Grandma's house again before they left to return to Pocatello. 

The next day after they left (Monday the 24th), I had a Dr. appointment in Idaho Falls with my ENT to have my throat scoped again to determine if there was any change with my vocal cord nodules and scar tissue on my larynx. Sadly, there wasn't so the Dr. determined that I indeed had permanent damage from the toxic chemical I was exposed to in February. After my doctor appointment, I met with Tiffany for lunch in order to bring her a few things they'd forgotten at our house. We ate at CupBop: I love their food and Tiffany hadn't been there before but wanted to try it. On my drive home, I stopped in Mud Lake. I met up with my Dominoes friends for a summer game night at Val's house. We had so much fun together! These girls bring so much joy into my life!

I went to snap a photo of the group, and it happened to be right
at the exact moment that Rosalba told us she was going to be 
a grandma! I love all the excitement in this photo!

Jonah and Micah's one-year mark on their missions was on July 18th! It feels so long since they left, but I'm glad to be on the "year of lasts" rather than the "year of firsts" now! On Wednesday, July 26th, we got to see both twins at the same on their weekly video phone call to home. It's pretty rare when that happens, now that Jonah's P-Day is on Wednesday but Micah's is still on Monday. But sometimes due to special circumstances, like holidays or birthdays or a change in their P-Day because of special visitors or their country's national holidays (Micah is in Chile and Jonah is in Canada), we get to see them together. I absolutely love when that happens! It makes my heart SO happy to get to see my sons weekly and hear about their progress on their missions, but when I get to see them at the same time, it's even better and my heart feels so full! Occasionally, on special occasions, Ammon join in the video phone call too, and it is absolutely heavenly to have my whole family together for even just a few minutes on my screen!