This summer had hit the ground running and is not about to stop! At the end of May/ beginning of June, Kenny and I were lucky enough to take an Alaskan cruise. Kenny's brother, Scotty, shared a suite with us; His parents and uncle were in the suite on one side of us and his other uncle and aunt were on the other side. Our balconies opened up so all three were joined. A couple of weeks before the cruise, we were called and offered an upgrade from a mini suite to a large suite with 3 times the normal size balconies. Of course, we didn't say "No"! Along with the upgrade came the mini bar completely stocked and free of charge for the first round of items, canapes delivered daily, free flowers, corsages and boutonnieres on formal nights, free Internet on the ship, no waiting lines, and free in room movies! It was incredible and probably a once in a lifetime opportunity! Those suites are otherwise too expensive for these working Joe's. The sights in Alaska are amazing. When you are a Minnesota girl born and bred, you don't see many mountains or glaciers in your daily life. The cold temps, however, were no stranger to us:) We went on a whale watching tour and got to see Humpback and Killer whales, sea otters, and sea lions. We also seen bald eagles and various other birds of interest. (Sorry, I'm not good with names!) Not to mention mosquitoes the size of my pinkie nail! I am very glad for opportunities my life has brought me. Traveling has been one of my dreams since I was little and I have been blessed to not only travel "the states", but also many countries. That being said, I liked Alaska; I'm glad I was able to go and see it; But I can honestly say- Once was enough for me!

The rest of June went a little slower then the rest of the summer will go. Scotty celebrated his 35th birthday. My cousin-in-law's wife turned 30. My cousin-in-law and bff's fiance turned 31. I helped at Glencoe's days by selling food one weekend. I threw a baby shower for a co-worker. And, of course, Father's day. My Dad came to our house for the weekend. My present to him this year was a car care package and a "coupon" for a free car cleaning and car wash. My dad was a mechanic by trade and one of the things that always comes up when we talk is car maintenance:) We grilled out and had Kenny's parents over to celebrate Father's day. I am very grateful for my father-in-law. Any time we have a question about the house, vehicles, or problems, we know we can count on him to help fix them. An example? I found a hole in our cedar siding when I was leaf sucking around the house. Big Kenny, as I call him, came over and helped my Kenny fix it. We had called out a company to fix it, but they never got back to us with an estimate. We don't have to ask for help with him. He just offers, or does it. I don't think Kenny knew the value of the father-son relationship he had with his dad until the last couple of years. I think that is true of most kids, though! You don't realize what an asset your parents are until you're older. Unfortunate, yes. But at least the realization comes before it's too late.

What a very busy month July has been. July 3rd, we helped my sister's fiance celebrate his 40th birthday. It was so fun to have all of us sister's complete with kids there to celebrate.

John's 3 kids from his previous marriage were also there. Even though John and Jeni have been together 6 years now, it took me until this party to realize these three great kids are apart of our family. The triplets love them to death. They love the triplets. I come from a blended family. I have a half brother and sister. We were raised together and I never think of them as half, nor do I introduce them as so. People often wonder how they got blonde hair and no freckles, so I end up explaining it. But other then that, I never feel like they are any less my brother and sister then my full blooded sister is. That is how Alex, Nick, Chris, Megan, Michael, and Janelle feel. I'm sorry it took me this long to figure that out. They are good kids. They call my Aunty Nicki and I am proud to consider them among my family!

Then there was the 4th of July. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love to grill. I love to spend all day outside. I love to watch the fireworks while listening to patriotic songs. I am PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!!! I was planning on spending this year alone. Kenny had to work. My sister's were both going to other places. My friends either had to work or had other plans. However, within 5 minutes I had a ton of people to celebrate with. First, both my sisters decided to come to Waconia with their families. Then my cousin-in-law called to join us. Then her brother, sister-in-law, and niece came, too. While holding our spots, my parents-in-law called and invited me to sit with them. It turned out to be a great day with great people!

This past weekend, my "niece", Sylvia, celebrated her first birthday. What an incredible girl with an incredible family. Her birth mom, and birth aunt and family made the trip to spend the day with her. How amazing her adopted parents are to let us all be a part of her special day. They are two of the biggest hearted people I know and I thank God every day for them. I have a bunch of pictures I would like to post, however my camera is broke so I cannot upload them:(

Next, we have a camping trip planned. Every year, Kenny's family gets together and goes to Becker's Resort. This year, we are bringing my oldest nephew with us. I have been excited for this all month. I love camping. I love how relaxing it is. Every year, this is the only vacation we take where we can take naps, read books, and generally be lazy. I love it! I'm looking even more forward to it bringing a 9 year old. There is something about going camping with kids that brings back all the magical memories of camping trips I took as a kid. The wonder of the outdoors, watching the stars, spending the days in the pool and the nights around the campfire. I have so many things planned. I hope Izaac has as much camping with us and I have imagined for us!

Kenny's cousin's graduation party is also this month. I have to work, so won't be able to make it. The weekend after that is my niece's 2nd birthday party. I am uber stoked for that. She is a little lady and I love being able to spoil her with cute clothes and princess stuff. After 9 nephews, I needed a little girl!

August doesn't hold much reprieve for me. The triplet's celebrate their golden birthday the 6th. Their party is on the 7th. They are so lucky to have summer birthdays so they can have pool parties:)

The weekend after that is my father-in-law's birthday and the Carver county fair. I doubt I will be able to get off work to help him celebrate, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to the fair after work!!! I love the fair. I love the food, the booths, the games, and the rides. My facility is close enough that I can bring residents there and get them treats such as mini donuts, kettle corn, and funnel cakes. Any Midwestern knows, fairs are a highlight of the summer and not a single person I know doesn't have childhood memories of the fair.

Later in August is my sister's 30th birthday. She does not want to have a party so I will have to figure out some way to help her celebrate this milestone. I refuse to let it go be unnoticed:) After that, summer will slowly slip to fall. Life will slow down and before you know it, the holiday season will be upon us. I hope you all have a safe, sun and fun filled summer!