Beauty Tip - High Beam and Gleam

Some beauty tips are so majestic, they must be professed and proclaimed! I am about to plug a beauty product that is very near sacred to me and mine. It is called High Beam by the brand "Benefit". I discovered it at the Sephora in Times Square in Manhattan a few years ago and it is still my favorite makeup product. It's a luminous liquid highlighter that you dot and blend over your makeup onto your cheekbones for an ethereal and glimmery glow. It reflects the light for a natural-looking and lustrous luminosity that, thankfully, does not contain glitter particles. No one wants to resemble a human disco ball, now, do they? Glittery cheeks are reserved for those under age eight, yes? After I've applied my foundation, I apply a couple of drops of High Beam to the tops of my cheekbones and tap it gently with my fingers so I don't remove the foundation underneath. Then I lightly apply blush to achieve a natural looking flush. For some extra tips, you can mix one or two drops of High Beam with a dollop of foundation in your hand and blend the mixture over your cheeks for a healthy-looking, glisten-y glow! You can also blend a bit of High Beam into the inner corners of your eyes to look beautifully awake and bright-eyed. High Beam is also lovely dabbed on your collar bones when they naturally reflect the light. You can buy High Beam online, at Sephora, or anywhere Benefit products are sold. Hopefully, with this recommendation, you'll be "sold" even before you "buy"!

A Model Ballerina

Once a week for one hour, I stand with my nose pressed against the window of Summer's dance class, gazing at her very cuteness as she gracefully whirls and twirls and promenades and pirouettes. Summer loves her darling teacher, all the friends she's making in her class - not to mention the dance steps she's learning. I know I'll cry at her first recital! Here are some photos outside the dance studio. These are Summer's own supermodel style poses she came up with herself! A true model ballerina...

A Fair to Remember

It would be fairly fair to say we had more than a fair time at the fair! (How's that for uses of the word?) Davis County puts on such a darling fair, that to miss it each year would be unhallowed and blasphemous. The best parts were Summer's giggles and grins on the rides and seeing her meet and pet all of the animals. Oh! There was this awesome sheep whose "baaaa" sounded just like a bass-voiced man. You've never heard anything like it! Jerald could imitate it perfectly, which thoroughly thrilled the animal and delighted the crowd. People gathered around, laughing hysterically at this comical display of the sheep and Jerald conversing and communicating so effectively.

Boys: "Wow, there's a hot girl in the backseat!"
Summer: "Are you guys checking me out?"

Flirting aside, the ride began and Summer loved being the backseat driver!

This is my favorite picture of all. Summer adores animals so much and got such a kick out of this charming duck. They had a very deep and meaningful conversation, both of them using various terminologies, forms, and dialects of quacking.

It truly was a fair to remember!

Hymns of Exaltation

The pianos in our home get a daily workout. Not just from the dozens of piano students earnestly hacking at the keys, but from the resonance of Jerald's melodious compositions. I get a free concert from Jerald every day. And it is never taken for granted.

When Jerald set about arranging the hymns for his Hymns of Exaltation piano book and CD, he felt inspired from Heavenly Father for every rhythm and note. At times he felt as if the music entered his mind and heart from heaven above, and he merely notated what he what he heard and felt. If, indeed, he felt so guided and directed by the spirit, then this music has the ability to soften the hardest of hearts and to lift even the most sorrowful of souls. Besides that, Jerald's music is simply beautiful. He selected non-denominational hymns, so Christian religions worldwide already know them and love them. And now, through his CD, they will love HIM!

You can listen to each of the songs below:

Click on the album cover below to purchase a copy of the CD
"Hymns of Exaltation" ($12.97)



Click on the image below to visit Jerald's website (www.musicmotivation.com)

July 4th and 24th

Independence Day and Pioneer Day are filled with traditions for our family and this year did not disappoint! On the morning of the 4th of July, we went to the Kaysville Breakfast followed by the parade. We love chaos, crowds, and mayhem, so it was all right up our parade route!

Later, Jerald grilled us all some hamburgers and hot dogs and we had a traditional Independence Day cookout with the whole family!

After we ate, we all attended the fireworks spectacular in Kaysville. Look what a smashing sunset we had! I want to eat it!

Summer zonked out five minutes before the fireworks began, but luckily she woke up with the first "boom". We had such a merry and cuddly time together watching the display!

This picture is so fabulous for many reasons: Our nephew, Jared, on the left, looks violently nauseated. Summer looks candy-sweet. Our niece, Mary, on the right, looks maliciously resentful, and my brother, Nate (obviously caught in mid-sentence), looks intensely and compellingly surprised!



On the morning of Pioneer Day, the 24th of July, we drove into Salt Lake for the Days of '47 parade! We lucked out with a perfect spot in the shade, which ensured our true and abiding happiness.


Later that evening, we drove up Meuller Park Canyon for a hot-dog roasting, s'more making, and stream wading extravaganza!

On such a hot day, wading through this gloriously cold stream was like entering another celestial sphere. :)


The stream's stones, however, dug into our feet like daggers, but the joy in our hearts aided us in withstanding the pain. That is such a gorgeous canyon!

...And on the way home, we enjoyed yet another sunset of lovely proportions. We loved our July holidays and hope you did too!

Birthday Beauty

Summer has turned the "fantastic four"! June 12th was the magical day, but the birthday celebrations lasted a whole week prior to the event. We participated in a different surprise celebratory activity each day and she got to open one present each morning.

The first day of Birthday Week, my mother and I took her out to lunch to the Lion House Pantry in Salt Lake. We first snapped a few shots of her amid the flowers by the Joseph Smith building to capture her extreme cuteness!

I stashed some matches and a Birthday candle in my purse to stick in her slice of layer cake. We joyfully sang Happy Birthday to her, ignoring the astonished stares of the other diners.

Afterward lunch, we shared oxygen with an actual celebrity! Okay, here's your quiz question: Who is the local singer/cute boy who SHOULD have won American Idol a couple of years ago? David Archuletta, you guess? You win! He was signing his biography at the Deseret Book store and we made the wise choice of stopping to take his picture.

Another day that week, we had a prim and proper princess tea party with Summer's aunt Cindy and cousin Annika!

For another activity, I took Summer to the Treehouse Children's museum and met up with some of her other cousins. She looks like a hot rodeo queen!

We also took her to Cherry Hill to frolick and swim! We had a great time, but the weather turned ghastly with pounding rain, thunder, and killer lightning. The weather show started just AFTER we left, though. Phew! Jerald is hot, by the way. Just so you know...

We also had a park day! Here is Summer striking a striking pose. :)

Wow, all of these festivities can wear a girl out!

Then, the night before her birthday, my parents and Jerald and I took her out to dinner to Fazolis, where we experienced some inspired Italian food!

On her ACTUAL birthday, Jerald and I delighted Summer with balloons and streamers that the "birthday fairy" had spread about her bedroom for her to wake up to that morning. We made the wise choice of actually informing her of the plan this time around, as opposed to last year's Birthday surprise spectacular that didn't go over too well (click here to be reminded of our sad and deflated balloon spectacle). We gave her some presents and then, Jerald whipped up her favorite breakfast of some fluffy pancakes before we headed up to Park City to meet up with Jerald's family at their time share resort. We celebrated her bithday with a pink frosted cake at her request, and then spoiled her with more presents. :) Yes, we were wearing coats. It was a lovely and ARCTIC June afternoon. What's up with THAT?

The best part of giving Summer presents is the look of pure delight on her face!

I think we would be perfectly content to stare at Summer all day long. She is mesmerizing. I thoroughly enjoy her company and tell her every day that she is my best friend. She's fun, quick-witted, smart, (she has already learned how to read!), sparkly, gorgeous, smells like cotton candy, and is a gifted dancing queen. Simply click here to view her disco dancing skills. It was a delicious treat to make her feel as loved as she is on her birthday. We're so thankful to be her parents and cherish even the very thought of her. :)