Hot Days of Summer {Summer 2015}

Well, summer started off with a bang! {pun intended} and it has been going full-throttle ever since!  This has been one of the longest stretches of hot weather we have ever seen in the Pacific Northwest...and it's still showing 80s this week.  Consequently, here are picture glimpses into what we have been up to during all of this heat.  Is it really Fall, already?

The day before I left for France, we celebrated Father's Day down at my parents' property in Silverton.  It was a memorable family time, with some target practice, a picnic, and my Uncle Bruce taking people on 'rides' on the tractor.

I came back from France, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend.  This year, we spent time at another friend's property four-wheeling, swimming, playing with animals, and talking to old friends.  Famous Amos followed the 4-wheeler for the entire course of the property...

But Caleb was the one that was completely wiped-out from all of the new smells and sounds...

 We also celebrated the red, white, and blue, that weekend, by watching a rodeo.

My sister and I bravely decided to take four dogs (2 adults and 2 pups) to Lake Merwin one day to beat the heat.  We were successful!

I was able to spend time excavating our yard, in preparation of painting the exterior of our bungalow.  The jasmine flowers continue to be my favorite...

In July, Captain America and I were able to take a trip to Québec to visit family, relax, as well as meet with a panel for a seminary in Montréal.

 

Our flight back entailed an extremely long layover in Dallas, so we were able to visit this famous location, where we could look back at the history of our country...

Back in the Pacific Northwest, we got a steal on Coho Salmon! So, a friend and myself spent a lovely afternoon vacuum sealing all of it!

August, also marked the month that my sister-in-law came to live with us while she was on furlough.  She got pampered with tons of flowers for her birthday {which inadvertently meant I got pampered too}!

While she was here, we got to go camping at the beach and then try our hand at deep-water fishing on the Pacific Ocean!  This time around, Captain America wasn't as steady on his feet but we were able to each catch our limit and bring home some outstanding rock fish and cod.  Caleb was a champ, by the way, camping for the first time...

In August, we found ourselves going to the beach three weekends in a row! The following weekend for a friend's birthday party and then again because Eric and Marc were finally back in the States!  The dogs definitely didn't complain and we had a blast seeing my brothers and being together as a family...

One Saturday, in the midst of all of this, we were at our regular Saturday morning coffee/running meet-up...when a new revelation was put before us...Yes, my sister got engaged!!

Thus, commencing the search for the perfect venue, wedding planning, etc...

For traditions-sake, plus the amazing price of blueberries with all of the hot weather, my friend and I spent a nice afternoon picking...

With at least two dogs at home, we've spent some of the cooler evenings tromping around down by the lake and letting them get rid of their excess energy.  It's been a beautiful summer.

Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, so before school started, my sister and I got a nice pedicure.

Once a week, we spend time with Captain America's grandparents.  For Labor Day, this year, we took them to the Portland Aquarium...there is definitely a strong family resemblance!

Captain America also became a year older in the last couple of weeks.  We celebrated, just the two of us, at a restaurant that I will one day be able to eat at, as well as by playing old-school arcades, and then stand-up paddle-boarding with a group of friends and family on the Willamette.

The Queen Bee, Captain America and myself were also able to participate in an 8k to help raise awareness for cerebral palsy...

With an amazing school schedule this year (I'm down to a .8 and teaching all upper-level classes), I'm feeling less tied-down by my classroom.  Thus, a group of fellow French teachers and myself attended Coeur de Pirate's concert on a school night!  We all joked that we were getting too old for this but we had a great time...

Well, it has been quite the memorable summer stretch and the heat just seems to continue.  I know that Captain America and myself are looking forward to the change of leaves, rainy days, and cooler temperatures.  It will come, one day!

~Andréa

In the meantime, how have you been beating the heat?