day-to-day (and is it really July?)

I knew July would come

and I was okay with its arrival 

and yet I still feel like it snuck up on me.

First of all it entered (as always) with such style. . . 

flags and fireworks, clouds and croquet 

= a festive Independence Day! 

(please excuse my goofy rhyme ~ hope you had a superb July 4th :) 

Then it brought rather normal activities. . . 

A dentist appointment where I got to write a short book about my health 

Cleaning the basement and saying goodbye to our entomology board in the process 

The pups going to the groomer's and getting spiffy handkerchiefs  

My dad helping me practice filling the car with gas

Seeing A Winter's Tale at Shakespeare in the Park (not so normal, but nothing too crazy :) 

But the event that has my head spinning is the Helen Keller ballet.

There's been spinning of all sorts as preparations accelerate. This is performance month! I am incredibly excited. . . . and incredibly sentimental. Because the shows are every other year, this will be my sixth and last show. It's been such a wonderful and large part of my life! Thus, I'm trying to enjoy this final summer of dance.

{Something that added to the excitement this week was a fun little promo video an alum of the program made. It gives you an peek into the story. . .}  

Wishing you enjoyment throughout this month~

May I?

May I rewind time a bit and take a look back at May? 

I experienced my third college visit.

Run-throughs for the Helen Keller ballet began. 

I started working on my bun, amused by the curly after-effects. 

I helped with an art-themed birthday party for my favorite six-year-old triplets.


My family ate Croute Appenzel at Andre's, an almost legendary dish in our household.

We also enjoyed a slightly damp morning at an amusement park.

I fell out of a leap and experienced my first real dance injury.  

Thankfully nothing was broken, soreness and swelling stayed at a minimum, and I recovered after dancing gently a couple of weeks.

In the mean time, I baked paleo banana bread.

I reentered watercoloring.

I began ACT prep for my final time. I found these words to be rather a good differentiation on life as well as standardized tests. . .

The puppies were happy.

The colors of flowers were also happy.

The sky was magnificent.

And the road continued. . . 

Peephole :: March

As I venture back into blogging, I'm here today to share a peek into my March. . . 

The snow gave way to green, and I admired this tree as it bravely budded despite still chill temperatures. I found the combination of cranberry, blue, and tan to look especially pretty and rather fitting for March.

Another combination that seemed oddly fitting? Three Girls at Five Guys :) My sisters and I enjoyed a bit of an adventure on our own one Saturday while my parents celebrated a friend's 50th. Fun comes in many forms. . . 

For me one of those forms is babysitting. Pictured above is Peek-a-Boo with sweet girl and Guess Who with her brothers. So thankful for the opportunity to see them grow! 

I'm also thankful for our church's orchestra in which Middle Sister plays violin. Plus, an extra practice for her meant an opportunity for me to attempt knitting in a triangular pattern (finished project coming in April. . . :) 

I enjoyed music in a whole other way upon attending a Third Day/Skillet concert with a dear friend (who happens to be a beautiful singer and an avid Third Day fan) one weekend. Superb music and company!

A homeschool winter dance the following weekend was also entertaining. What made it fun was going with girls from my ballet program (perfect group, right? :) We got ready together, danced together, and finally enjoyed IHOP together.

Now for the fun transformation of the month: The puppies are now one year old! Still high energy, still mischievous puppies, and still rather cute :) 

This, along with school and dance that managed to stay un-photographed, was my March. Soon I'll tackle April. . . 

snow (dog) days

gingerly

before / after

saying hello to autumn

September seemed to slip away and now October is following suit, trying to disappear around the bend. Autumn has definitely arrived, along with long pants, sweaters, grandparents transitioning to an assisted living facility, school in full swing, and news of our dance program's ballet next summer (to be continued. . . :). Here's a peek at the things capturing the attention of my camera (or rather, phone- having fun welcoming them to this bigger screen, despite the lapses in quality). . . 

Hope you are having a lovely autumn!