the little gunnell family : Fourth of July 2015

Happy Fourth, ya'll!

As most of you are aware, I'm not from the south at all, but the deeper we go into discussions of linguistics and grammar in English (in my ELANG 223 course), the less actual "rules" there seem to be. Which is a little bit confusing as a former editing minor, but what is "the right way" anyway? So anyhow, that means I can use ya'll and it's perfectly acceptable for me to do so. (P.S. if you take that class at BYU, Sister Nancy Turley is pretty great!).

I love America the beautiful! Land of the free, home of the brave. It's nice to forget our economic, social, and political problems for a day and just praise God for our freedom.

Our little family has lived in Provo for FOUR years and this was the first time we've been to the Freedom Festival or watched the parade! It was fun, even though it was very hot (everything is hotter, I've learned, when you have to carry a toddler or a baby through a tight crowd), but we loved spending some time with Whitney and Brian and sharing our fruit salad. Whenever an old car would go past and I could smell that strong, mechanical scent of gasoline, it reminded me of the boats on Lake Winnipesaukee. I'm thinking of home today as I always do on the holidays (fact: I've only spent one holiday with my family in the last four years).

Tenley was very tired and a little grumpy, but she enjoyed the parade and clapping and yelling "yay!" with everyone else. She also loved the horse-drawn carriages that went by. She kept saying to me, "More horsies, more horsies." Sadly, I was not in control of the parade floats or every other one would have had horsies just for her.

After a steamy morning, we fought the masses back to our car 6 blocks away (though it felt like 12) and then meandered back toward our apartment through a few side roads. It's not convenient to live on the corner of 900 east and University Parkway during holidays. They also re-direct our intersection. It's like hey, people, we live here and have to get home because the kids think they're dying and our brains can only take so much whining per day.

At home, we turned the A/C and bedroom fan on and everyone (but me, sadly) took nice long naps. I am incapable of taking naps unless I am at my limit (which happens very rarely, I guess I have a high exhaustion tolerance). I think I would enjoy a good nap now and again but I am always busy and by nature I can't sit still very long (unless it's like 10pm, the kids are in bed, and we're doing a netflix marathon). Basically, unless I'm sick (or one of the kids is) I definitely can't sit on the couch and watch TV all day (and I wouldn't want to anyway, I'm sick of TV). I hate being cooped up inside and am pretty certain I would get depressed if I didn't play outside at least once a day (and usually several times). Dalin and the kids are still asleep right now, so I am planing on getting a good start on my New Testament course, which is not looking as "easy" as I had expected it to be.

I did, however, finish my Composing Personal History course after turning in my 65 page final (and received an A--easy peasy;) so I am down to three courses until I am officially done!!!!! It's such a good feeling, even though I can't really celebrate all that much since I still have to complete New Testament in the next three weeks (eek!). I'm slightly anxious, but it'll work out.

I can't wait for August! I love Independence Day, but after there isn't really much to look forward to until my birthday. I'm not a happy birthday person. I usually don't care at all about my birthday (I just want to stay in my twenties forever--come on!), but I'm kind of excited for Tenley to turn two! I have a little Kelly doll for her that she chose at Target a few weeks ago and which I've been saving and I think she'll like having a little doll she can take with her. Plus my mom is coming for graduation because she's the best, and then I wish I could say we were going back to New Hampshire with her...and we are! Just not in August:/ But in mid and late September, we'll be heading home and hopefully we'll get a few warm ocean days and a few cooler fall days while we're there.

I am sorry to say this (especially when it's only July 4th) but I am already excited for fall! I used to be a summer girl (and still am when I can go to the ocean) but I love fall clothes and smells and flavors. And I'm really into that romantic feeling of the cooler air and harvest and colorful leaves. It's just pretty and the best. Plus, the fact that we're going to New Hampshire then has made me long for it just a wee bit more;)

Well, have a lovely Fourth and thank you so much to our service men and women. Will and Julie and any others I know--I am so grateful to you for your willingness to serve and protect us. You're the greatest! (Plus Will and Julie are having their first baby this fall so that makes things even more exciting!).