NEW HOLIDAY

I proclaim today to be "pick-weeds-from-a-field-near-your-house-and-put-them-in-a-vase-on-your-kitchen-table" day!

I dare you!
(Not bad for weeds, eh?)

GROWINGS ON AT OUR HOUSE

I recently went downstairs to our cold-storage room and found this bag of potatoes {gleaned from last fall} growing...Medusa hair. I'm thinking it's probably time it was thrown out.

It made me think of our garden. It is currently yielding bushels and bushels of luscious, green...weeds. We haven't even watered it once!

In our defense:

1.) I do have some successful blooms on our front porch. They make me very happy.

2.) Andrew helped some friends build their house this year for free. As payment, they are sharing with us the benefits of their gigantic garden...without the work of watering and weeding!

The peas were ripe first. We were just over there picking buckets and buckets full.
{Andrew and Josh}

Our freezer is now stocked with the yummiest of garden peas.

I'm excited for the corn, onions, beans, cantaloupe, carrots, and lettuce to come!

SUMMER SCHOOL

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I have been working in a summer school kindergarten class since the beginning of June, and the last day was Friday (hooray!). Cool thing to happen this week: The principal arranged for an Apache helicopter to land on the school grounds. The captain used to be a third grade student of my principal's back in the day!

Here it comes!

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You wouldn't believe the wind this machine picked up! It was blowing over large speakers and small children.

After the captain got out and introduced himself, the students were able to walk around and touch the helicopter. The kids...not to mention I...loved it!
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ALSO:
I wanted to share a few things. Kindergartners I have learned, are VERY different from the 3rd graders I am used to.

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1. I had to get after a kindergarten student for repeatedly licking the bottom of her shoe . She was just sitting on the ground with her foot up to her mouth...licking away like it was an ice cream cone. What possessed her, you ask? Only goodness knows.

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2. I also wanted you all to take part in the following conversation. Maybe you can help me make sense of it:

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I am sitting at a table painting with 5 kindergartners. They notice a boy pouting on the floor (who was recently in trouble), and they begin to discuss amongst themselves what could be making him upset.

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BOY #1: Oh, he's just depressed.

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{pause}

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(to the rest of the table) Do you guys know what depressed means?

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BOY #2: No...what does it mean?

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BOY #1: {very matter-of-factly} "It means he's in love with someone, but he's just too sad to admit it."

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MRS. ASHMORE: (To BOY #1) Have you ever been depressed? (I just had to ask)

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BOY #1: No...I've just been pissed at my brother.

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{pause}

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If you're depressed to a cop than you'll go to jail.

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MRS. ASHMORE: What does that mean?

(I'm kind of confused at this point)

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BOY#1: You know (with a shrug)...it means he's being a pouty bum, or he's in love.

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Can any of you shed light on this poor child's logic?

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We Almost Died this Weekend

A bunch of the family met up in Utah to make the 5 hour drive down to St. George, Utah. My cousin, David, was having his Homecoming. We all squooshed into Grandpa's van for a horrifying journey in a vehicle that among other things, swayed back and forth as if we were in an ocean storm. Probably the only thing that saved us was that Grandpa wasn't driving.

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Uncle Rob drove while he and Grandpa Brown spent the entire 10 hours that we were on the road heatedly debating business and politics. My cousin Janaya read her books while Aunt Joy (the only person I know with the ability to whip up 3-course meals in a swaying 15 passenger van) laughed at all of Andrew's jokes.

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The van's A/C was also a little sketchy, so the rest of us stewed on the back benches.

(Andrew takes care of church business over the phone, Tikla folds origami flowers that will soon decorate her wedding reception, and Karsten...makes us all laugh.)

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My cousin Davin beautifully displays the general mood of the van:

hot, tired, and uncomfortable.

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This is my miserable self. Wouldn't you know it...I woke up the morning that we left with a fever and sore throat.

Despite it all, whether you believe me or not, we really did have a good time.
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Once we arrived, I met up with people like mi madre and the lil' sis. They drove all the way up from A-Z.

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Cousin Tikla:

Sickeningly in-love with Austin Fife, tan and sexy islander, loads of fun to have around


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My mom and my husband's handsome GQ pose.




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The happy climax was seeing my sweet, David friend again. Here I am with David and Heather after his Homecoming talk. I loved living with these two cousins while I attended Dixie College. Good times.

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Rachel's Rexburg Temple Shots

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After working all summer on the temple grounds, I decided I had to capture what I was seeing every morning as we dove the truck up that hill at 6 AM. I know the grounds so well--every plant and flower, every crack in the pavement, and every remote corner of fence. You learn quick after 40 hours a week of weeding, deadheading, planting flowers, mowing lawns, etc. It made me fall in love with the place! I also love to take pictures so hopefully you'll enjoy as I share both of these loves with you.