Oh Summer

This morning

it was clear

that fall is coming

And it made me miss summer

already.

Truly,

I don't remember a better summer

Maybe because this was the first summer

since I was kid

that I indulged myself

in family....lots and lots of family

and the first summer

in ages

that I actually have a swim suit line

Thank you boat and thank you neighborhood pool

I needed this!

From the annual Garner Gathering....

Lagoon (always) and the Cabin (in Park City this time!)

I just love watching these little cousins interact and love each other

Who wouldn't love

5 teenagers to tease

and

15 littles under 7 to kiss on?

Some things I want to remember....

Breakfast on the patio, lunch on the patio, dinner on the patio...my favorite

Holland saying so many times, 'this is the best summer...ever!"

Eating Ice Cream in Pioneer Village

Dodging the ground chucks on the Park City slides

12 avocados + Head of Garlic + 3 limes=Seriously? How can that much guac be gone in 20 min?

Cheek cramps from listening/watching Jen and Andrea on the tube while Tom tried to dump them.

Mom + Charades + Pamela Anderson=had to be there

Dad in the hot tub with all 11 of the littles, feeding strawberries to whoever could stay under water the longest

Running a 5k with Andrea, Hillary, Michele, Brian, Jaden, McKenna and Cole

Michele, Jaden, McKenna and Cole all taking first place for their age group

Laying on the grass, eating ribs, watching the fire works

Holland asking every day how many more days does she have her cousins for?

The littles playing on the beach, Adam engineering a mud lake, and the babies sitting in it.

Snow cones...a lot of snow cones

Handsome Man

I love this picture of my Grandpa

and

I love this last picture of my Dad with his Sibs

There is a lot of love in this Garner family

I love knowing that

I love that all my Sibs were there

I love that we all slept in one big room together

(even though we had our own)

and stayed up until I don't really remember falling asleep

laughing and crying and planning

I loved hanging out and catching up and eating treats

with my cousins

and aunts and uncles

and great aunts and great uncles

Garners love their treats

Leslee always made sure Grandpa had his

I loved hearing the stories

from Jo about the tricks and memories and heartaches

they shared

I loved hearing my Dad say that Grandpa was

the best complete father anyone could hope for

I can agree on that....for him and for me

I loved hearing Blair say that Grandpa taught him

to love his wife

That Grandpa and Grandma had quite the

love affair

with each other

I love that Scott threw out a marshmallow egg

to each of his Sibs

Because they were Grandpa's faves

I love that the funeral home let us give

Grandpa one more ride in his pick up truck

He always loved to drive his pick up truck

Fast

Hunched over the steering wheel

Smiling

I love that all of his Grandsons

rode with him

and his Sons

drove him

I love that he received a 21 gun salute

and the dignity that the honor guard gave him

and that now he is resting next to Grandma

I love that the ward made ham for the luncheon.

Since Grandpa was a butcher

He was a ham snob.

He would have loved that ham.

I love that

we drove down to Grandpa and Grandma's house

one last time

and climbed the box car

to scan the property

and looked over the canals

and stood in front of the cow barn

and listened to the birds in the trees

and listened to each other say

'remember....'

And then,

we all (except me because I had to drive)

jumped in back of Dad's pick up truck

and rode down to Kelly's Market

where Grandpa use to work

and where he and Dad always took us for candy

Oh, we got candy too, one last time.

$28 worth

I love this family.

The Silver Fox

I am kind of excited

for my Grandpa today.

Today, he is with Grandma

and Kathy

who I have never met

but who I love

because she loved my dad

and took care of him

Like Grandma and Grandpa

took care of each other

And can again after 21 years

He has waited for this day for that long

and to be with Kathy for longer.

Grandpa Garner always

smelled like wintergreen lifesavers

buttoned just a few on his shirt and let the breeze flap his tails

always had a crackly fire going

beef barley soup on the stove

banana chocolate chip cookies in the jar

and chocolate cream pie in the cupboard

His silver hair was always combed in waves

His hands were rough and spotted

His boots were always on

Grandpa gave kisses kisses kisses

while he held your chin in his hands

Love was never a question

His eyes were the color I have

His voice was deep and happy and easy going

He taught me how to balance on the

stool while I milked the cow

and laughed while he chased the turkey

around the pen, grabbed it and wacked its head off

all in a few quick strides

And after he and dad cooked a pig under ground

and carried it in on a stick, not forgetting to wedge an

apple in its jaw

Grandpa carved it, soaked the ribs in sauce

and then let the the dutch over do its magic

At 1 am, I stood around the counter with

Him

and

Dad

and Scott

and sucked those ribs clean

All while he licked his lips

and giggled at how good it all was

the ribs and life

He and Grandma were so smooth together

They seemed to know each other's moves

and needs without words

They were always in the kitchen together

Somehow I remember lots of kissing and tush pinches

and laughter

They seemed to do a lot of that

It must feel good for them to be doing that again.

I miss you

but I am so happy for you

Sisters

I kind of feel spoiled

I have 5 best friend sisters

and 1 best friend sister in law

and 1 best friend mom

and we all got to spend a long weekend

Together

in Washington DC

all because we all have

1 bestest dad

who thought it so important

that we get together

without the guys and kids

except me of course

because I got to bring along my

1 best friend little travel buddy

I am pretty spoiled.

(Jen of course captured the whole weekend here:

http://justamomwithacamera.blogspot.com

and I am not EVEN going to try to top it!)

Sisters

I love when a quick last minute trip
all comes together
Especially when
it is my sisters
all coming together.

Jen came to do her "Baby Wisperer" magic on
Beautiful Baby Jack

So Ashley and I invited ourselves to be part of it.

And that is all we did.
All
Day
Long

And then we finished the cozy snow day off
with a yummy dinner and laughs.

Sisters.

Home and Home

going home to utah every summer is a must

A must because

I must see my family

I must indulge on shaved ice

I must eat at cafe rio

I must sit on Mom and Dad's back porch

with my sisters

while the kids run through the sprinkler

and jump on the trampoline

and hunt for rolly pollies

and eat endless creamies

and while we chat and cry and laugh and make fun

And then,

we go to where we always go every summer

since I can remember

This year we said

Really, we need a bigger cabin

Because after all there are.....33 of us plus two on the way

Oh, and a Chiwawa

So we got a bigger cabin

Which meant Papa HAD to get a bigger boat

One we could tuck the kiddos away from the sun in

and one we could dance and sing and teach the kiddos

how to ski and wake board and ride the tube without getting wet

But isn't it interesting that we did it all back at the old cabin?

The cabin I remember going to with Papa to finish building

and roll out the carpet--that hasn't changed since I was 3?

All the kiddos lined the beach

skipping rocks and looking for minnows and fish egg pods

And asking why does the water smell like......?

It still has the same smell that you only know if you have been

there before.

We found sticks and twisted hangers and made

marshmellow torches that tasted like mosquito repellant

and watched the bats and the same sun set

over the same lake

We walked the streets and shops of West

and ate popcorn and lollie pops and fudge

Yes, the fudge

While our faces were lit by the laughter of the PlayMill

Oh and of course we went to Lagoon too.

And then on the last day,

We decided we needed a puppy of our own to take home.

(the first pup was....a nightmare?  and this one, well lets just say

he is a fluffy little cloud name Giorgi Bernardo)

I love this family of mine.

Family

When my parents are

Out of the Country

and right now, they are really far

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Holland, Russia

and I can't call them when I want

which is a lot

I find myself checking each

morning and night

for at least an email

And then I get thinking about

when they aren't just

Out of the Country

but in Heaven

because I know that is where they will go

And then I think about before that

because That is what I am around everyday

The Aging

And I watch WHO takes care of WHO

And HOW they take care of the WHO

I don't have to wonder who will take care of them

My Parents

They will and then We will

I find so much peace in that

24 Hours

I love that my brother Tom can say

the day before

Lets go to the beach!

and I love that we could go with him

I don't think I have ever been to the beach

with my brother

Cannon Beach could not be more perfect

And in classic Tom fashion

We packed more in 24 hours than you usually 

would think is possible

But that is the magic of Tom

And to see his sweet family bond

with Holland

was magic

Tom, Hill, Addy, Elsie Bears, Cohen

We love you

And we will go to the beach for any

24 hours you have