our visitors have come and gone. now its time to get back to real life.

back to 3 meals a day, possibly cooking a meal or two instead of eating out,

and maybe working out once in a while.

we'll see how it goes. could be a disaster...

marci was here for a grand total of 11 days

which left us plenty of time to

eat, eat, eat

shop
paint our nails

walk all the way across the golden gate bridge AND all the way back

go to the farmer's markets



[joe's must have of the week:oysters. i passed on having a taste.]

go to an a's game

 

see the new batman movie

swim

hit up our favorite ice cream joint...a few times

watch jef propose to emily

&

catch up on some much needed sister time

this was her third time visiting us so she's practically a local now.

megan and tyson came for a couple of days too which was great.

we all went to the wharf, the bridge, another a's game, golden gate park,
and a few of our favorite resaurants.

a sister & a baby

this post is going to be a quickie but full of good news!

first up:
marci is here to visit for 10 days!

we've had so much fun already and i'm so excited that i still get her for a week!

now we just need to figure out a way to eat
5 meals & 4 desserts a day without gaining weight...

next:
i have a new baby niece!

keslyn jane burton

born thursday, july 12 at 8:30 pm

(just in time for marci to get on the plane and miss the whole thing)

6 pounds 15 ounces, 19 inches

i spent the majority of the day crying because:

a. i was so excited to have another niece; being an aunt is just about the best thing ever

b. i wasn't there for her birth, and i won't be able to meet her until august

c. i felt super guilty that marci missed her birth to come visit me

at the end of the night we got to skype with my fam

and see the new babe for a little bit.

look at that hair!

she sure is a cutie and i can't wait to quickly claim my spot as her favorite aunt.

oh, and watching kayden and koby love on her...just about the sweetest thing ever.

she's a lucky girl to have such good big brothers.
congrats to the proud parents, lindsay and craig.
welcome to the world little one!

i really love the 4th of july. i know i know, so does everyone else. our celebration this year was a new experience for me: it was my first year missing the murray parade which is just about the saddest thing to ever happen to me and this country. the 4th of july parade was a tradition in my family long before i was even born, and something that has lasted into my adult life. let me tell you, i love that parade. the floats, the marching bands, cheering on the runners, the heat, waking up at 5am, the candy, throwing the nasty taffy and poppers back at the floats...i love it all. so this year i had to miss it, and i was NOT happy about it. AND my family didn't even go, so i'm not really even sure if we can call ourselves american anymore? still, joe and i managed to have a pretty fun celebration over here...

on the 3rd we went to the much anticipated marin county fair. all of my primary kids told me how fun it was so really we had no choice but to check it out. i loved every second. it took me right back to my childhood. we ate corn on the cob, turkey legs (my first and probably last experience doing so), cotton candy and funnel cakes. we rode the swings, the big slide, and the gravitron (this used to be my favorite ride ever and i remember riding it over and over at the 49th street galleria. this time it lasted a little too long and i was scared of my hair getting stuck in between the cracks). we finished off the night with a firework show and playing a few of the ridiculously overpriced games.

on the 4th we mostly just enjoyed having a day off work. we celebrated our freedom by sleeping in, hitting the pool, shopping, checking out all the cool camping gear that we hope to own one day (i'm not a big camper, but i think i would be if i had all the cute accessories...), watching the carnival fireworks from our balcony, and eating. a lot. nothing says america quite like stuffing your face, right? happy birthday usa, we love ya!

lots of love

life has been pretty good to me lately and i've been feeling extra blessed.
sometimes its the little things that make give me the greatest joy.

10 things i'm loving right now:

1. coconut ice cream from the scoop in fairfax
2. back rubs.
   [sometimes joe gives them without me even asking, usually he makes me beg for them]
3. string cheese
4. having fresh flowers in my house
5. getting new nail polish
6. how soon the 4th of july is
   [definitely one of my favorite holidays.
   but then again, what holiday do i not like?]
7. farmers markets//fresh produce.
8. bagels
   [even though i read somewhere that a bagel has the
   same nutritional value as a donut...]
9.  sytycd
   [a new season has begun and i couldn't be happier.
   i'm also quite pleased that not only will the hubs watch it with me,
   but he actually likes it too]
10. joseph clegg jeppson 

art festival

directly across the street (freeway) from our apartment is the

marin county civic center.

it's a beautiful building and was the last commision by the famous architect

frank lloyd wright.

we can see the marquee from our front balcony

so i always know what fun events are coming up.

and they have farmers markets all year round!!!

last weekend was the marin county art festival. sounds fun right? joe and i braved the 95 degree heat and headed over, ready to take in some art. we payed $10 each to get in and i think i can speak for both of us in saying we immediately regretted it. don't get me wrong, i enjoy a nice painting here and there. but walking around in the hot hot sun looking at things that i can't afford...not the best time. joe refused to leave until we

got our money's worth

so we walked by every booth, bought a $6 freshly squeezed lemonade (which was actually really good), and listened to the live music for a while.

i enjoyed sitting in the shade more than i enjoyed the music, oh well.

 makeshift band

 a little family of stilt-walkers

i don't know how they didn't overheat and die in those costumes

 these weird little things were for sale at a going rate of $600! not sure who would buy them, or where you would display them, but they were kinda cool.

the art festival wasn't all bad, but i can't say that i'll ever go again...