Summer Here, Summer Not

Well, we could have titled this post "A Summery Summary Part 2", with it being a continuation of our previous post of summertime festivities, but I felt so emotionally captivated by the title "Summer Here, Summer Not". Quite a ring, right? One of our favorite things we did in August was to attend the Davis County Fair. They had a darling petting zoo, free pony rides, and raucous rides to ride. We can't wait to go again next year!


Here is Summer admiring the fowl display. She adored meeting all of the animals and they, in turn, tried to look their best and even flirted with her a little. Cute!

Summer had them eating out of her hand! Here she is, hand-feeding the babies a culinary delight of supremely luscious and flavorsome straw. Summer loved feeding and petting the animals, and squealed in delight!

Holy Cow! Summer was chosen by the farmer to milk the cow! She felt so excited and proud.

Let us take a moment to admire this curious animal's caramel colored highlights, tousled bangs, well-placed horns, and enigmatic pose for the camera. So deeply dramatic...

...and this handsome creature posed for our camera, providing an excellent view of his captivating profile, which he knew only served to emphasise his sweeping eyelashes, stately horns, and platinum goatee. Not to mention, his stylish number badge and thoughtful, somewhat pensive expression. Haha!

I walked beside Summer, protectively holding her waist as she rode her pony so she'd be safe. I tried not to giggle, though, as she repeatedly swatted and batted my hands away, saying, "No Mommy - don't hold me!"

She loved the rides and wasn't a bit scared!

"Yes, and as I ride this flying contraption, I am prepared to patiently pose for the insistent and demanding papparazzi, who choose to follow my every move. It's the price I pay for being a famous sought-after star... or at least a darling toddler."

We, on the other hand, have no papparazzi tracking us, so we are therefore forced to take photos of ourselves.

A Summery Summary

Fall has fallen! I always feel excited for each new season that is upon us, while remembering the happy memories of the previous one. Here are some highlights of our fanatic fun this last summer!

Sugary hugs mixed with cotton candy at the Fruit Heights Founders Day Celebration...

Cookies and flowers! We bake cookies at LEAST twice a week at our house and I love Summer's help in the kitchen. This was a snickerdoodle batch!

The beauty and the bewitchery of our Summer in the summer!

The Relief Society Fiesta! Jerald and I dressed up in Mexican garb for the occasion. The extra length of Jerald's sideburns and the "chin thing" were the artistic results of my eyeliner pencil! That night, he and I performed a dance number for the ladies that included a mixture of samba, paso doble, cha-cha-cha, salsa, and mambo! ¡Tiempos buenos!


This is my cute friend Wendy Orme. The night of the fiesta, I MADE her strike a theatrical pose for this picture. She'll desire my violent death for posting this, but we're hot shots in this hot shot!

Mi familia feliz!

The 24th of July! We attended the Pioneer Day parade in Ogden with Jerald's family. In the below shot, Summer looks understandably concerned about this green-haired, clownish, irregular, yet decidedly cheerful man-character.

That evening, we all went to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. I LOVE rodeos! The excitement, the energy, the crowds, the blasting country music, and the amazing talent of the cowboys and girls. Summer had the merriest time too!

Jerald used the color swapping feature on our camera for this picture. It just signifies that Summer is a bright, blazing, lustrous flame of illuminated color in a world of gray...

Here is Summer with her adoring Aunt Becca. I love this shot!

Oh, I have so many more memories with pictures to post, and I'll do that in the coming days. What a happy summer we had! And I hope you did too!

Safety and Contentment

What a Saturday night to have for a Saturday night! I was privileged to attend the women's session of General Conference for my church at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City! My dear friend, Cheryl, shared tickets with me, my sister Steph, and our friend, Kirsten. Thanks, Cher! We sat on row six! So close that we could have hit Dieter F. Uchdorf with a baseball. Not that we would ever want to, seeing as he is so powerfully debonair. As they say in his native German ... such a "gut aussehender Mann!"


It was not a dramatically easy affair getting there that night, as I'd had a frantically busy day and experienced shockingly offensive construction traffic and other dark horrors on the drive to Salt Lake. Later, though, as I sat among the thousands of women, listening to words so enlightening, brightening, and "right"-ening, I felt overcome with a feeling of happiness and ... safety. I knew I was right where I was supposed to be, doing just what I was supposed to be doing. And isn't there is a feeling of cozy security that comes from doing what is good and right? I thanked my Heavenly Father for a wonderfully uplifting night and for the happy fact that I could personally return President Monson's energetive wave. And I'm thanking Him still!

Good Things

Here is a thinker of a thought I thought while thinking this morning: Do we see good things because they happen? Or do good things happen because we see them? I believe we'll always find what we're looking for. So shouldn't we look for the positive? Here are the good things I looked for and saw today:

1. Summer slept in this morning until 8:15! Therefore, we did too. Refreshed, revitalized, renewed, and rejoiced!


2. Jerald made delicious pancakes for breakfast before he left for work...which was just downstairs! I love that he works from home.


3. A telemarketer called. Now, one would not normally consider this a simple pleasure of life, but I MADE it one...because I was kind to the sales representative. After my cheerful greeting, she said, "Wow, excuse me while I fall out of my chair! You have no idea how much your kindness means to me after all the horrible things people shout at me all day every day." In the end, I chose not to buy her product, but wished her a wonderful day, and she gratefully wished me one as well. I apparently made her day! And that made MY day.


4. I went to get Summer up from her afternoon nap and she told me she'd just written a song and wanted to sing it to me. It was a song of one sentence repeated over and over. That sentence was, "I love my mommy." That's a day maker!


5. Warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven. My mother has always said there's about nothing better in life than warm cookies with cold milk. She's right.


6. Dancing With the Stars! Season Premiere! Tonight! I'll be watching! You know, I'd really love to be on that show. The only way, though, is to either be a dance pro to teach the star, or a star to be taught by the dance pro. Which could I achieve first? Stardom or "Pro-dom"?

As I type, the night is still young! What other wonderful things will happen? You can bet I'll be looking. Don't you forget to look for the good things in your day as well! Make it a game. The more you look, the more you'll find.

"The Build Up to the Build-up" A Movie Quote Laden Beauty Tip Volume 2

A woman's hair is her crowning glory - "a precious cornucopia of creative energy!" (High School Musical). Unfortunately, the use of styling products can cause her hair to develop a build-up of build-up. It becomes so very "Dull...drab...BLEAK!!" (Auntie Mame) Many clarifying shampoos designed to remove build-up can strip her hair and dry out the strands, "which life experience has taught her is a virtual certainty." (Hitch) Haven't we all looked in the mirror and "darn near cried twice" (Sabrina) at the sight of the weighed down mass of the dead cells we call hair, and shout, "How dare you, you cupcake!!" (Miss Congeniality) We look away and worriedly murmur, "This is good. I was rusty on panic." (Always) But there IS a solution. A vinegar and water solution! "It's cheap, but it's potent." (Laura) How deeply nice that is, because "you have to understand, I am the cheapest man alive!" (Father of the Bride) Let me take a moment and show you how simple and glorifying this shine-inducing treatment is! You may think you shouldn't take the time to hear this heart-stopping advice..."Well, I don't think you should either. That's why I'm gonna show you this one thing and then kick you right out." (Groundhog Day)

First, cleanse your hair, if you like, with this shampoo, for which I have a deep testimony, and then combine one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of water. Pour the mixture over your hair. Run your fingers through the strands and massage your roots for a few seconds. Rinse with cold water and condition as usual. Perform this treatment once every two weeks or so. I'd probably only use it on hair that isn't color treated, though. It restores your hair's PH levels and removes product buildup, while increasing shine and bounce.

Later, as you brush through your newly gleaming and glimmering hair, your loved one will admire you from across the room and say, "I like to watch you brushing your hair. You do it so capably." (The Bishop's Wife) Suddenly..."you're off your chair in one exquisite movement...the moves of a jungle cat." (My Best Friend's Wedding) You toss your hair over your shoulder and say, "Hey man, check me out!" (Runaway Bride) You gaze in the mirror and marvel at the silkiness of your strands and say, "Ya, but Frank...feel how smooth they are. (Fletch) Later, on the street, a friend approaches and says, "There's a sort of glow to your hair. I was watching you in the mess hall this afternoon." (The Major and the Minor). "How it shines and shimmers", your friend exclaims! "Is it lacquered?" (High Society). Before you know it, everyone will be begging for "a lock of thy jet black tresses." (Anne of Green Gables) You may even "get a permanent - just for the occasion." (The Wizard of Oz). Now, I could let you have your moment of dull hair, "but alas...a moment...was all I could spare." (The Scarlet Pimpernel) So open your cupboard and pull out your household vinegar. It works! "Get on it. It's a good train!" (The Italian Job) "I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up! Great holiday fun." (Clueless) "Get it? Got it. Good." (The Court Jester) "Because the rules of haircare are simple and finite. ANY Cosmo girl knows THAT!" (Legally Blonde)

He Changed My Mind

Regretably, I never very much enjoyed the church hymn, "If You Could Hie to Kolob". Pretty words, but so dreary sounding. So very "minor key". So when Jerald chose that song as one of the eight hymns to arrange for his new piano book, "Hymns of Exaltation", I thought..."no". But I remember watching him sit at the piano, furrowing his cute brow in intense concentration, experimenting with different chords, and stopping to grab the pencil from behind his ear to quickly write the notes and jibberish on the scrap of paper on the piano. I listened to his dynamics - the tender, soft notes, verses the commanding, loud ones. I noticed he had changed the last verse from a minor key to a triumphant sounding major key. His arrangement, depending on the verse, sounded strong, peaceful, faithful, contemplative, gregarious, warm, determined, imaginative, fearless, triumphant, positive, righteous, joyful, and confirming. Suddenly, without realizing it...I fell in love with the song. And those adjectives I used to describe it are also the very attributes he possesses himself - ones I love and recognize every day. Jerald has the ability to transform "dreary minor key" life circumstances into gladdening jubilance. For this reason, among many others, I fell in love with him too. I now share, as a birthday gift to you all, his arrangement of the song I now adore - almost as much as I adore the performer. Happy Birthday, Jerald.

""If You Could Hie to Kolob"

Summer Happenings That Happened

Many fun happenings have happened this summer! We Simons think of ourselves as tourists in our own city and we try to take advantage of everything our community has to offer. Earlier this season, we took a day and went to the Pioneer museum and temple square. Afterwards, we topped off the day with lunch at the Lion House. Here are a few photos of our adventure!

There is a ravishing rose garden just outside the Pioneer Museum.

There's nothing like inhaling a heady, sweet, rich rose, dotted with water droplets, and warmed by the sun.

We luxuriated in the glory of the fountain by the Church Office Building. Cute Summer called it "the ocean"!

Jerald could raise the powerful shoots of frothy water with the mere raising of his commanding arms! :)

It was a mighty HOT day, and Summer and I relished and reveled in the icy water of the flowing fountains.

Well, you can't NOT pose on the platform with the majestic Salt Lake temple behind you. The photo op presents itself every time. Look at Summer, my little rose of a poser!



We saw many lovely brides that day and Summer wanted to meet each one. She was just sure they were princesses. Of course, each bride was happy to be adored by our little Summer. Their photographers saw the Kodak moment and went crazy snapping photos. And so did we! I wonder just how many bridal photo albums there are, now, in which Summer graces the pages!

We've had such a wonderful summer and I'm excited to write more posts with lots of pictures about our happy times.