what's black and yellow and follows the sun everywhere?

i've never had a favorite flower until last month when these desert sunflowers started growing literally everywhere around me.  now i wouldn't say this type of sunflower in particular is my favorite - the bigger the better (i would have loved to see the world record's 32 1/4 inch long sunflower head) - but i've definitely enjoyed the yellow hue these flowers have brought to utah the past month.  and judging by the state of these sunflowers, you wouldn't even know it snowed last week.

oh yeah, and a few weeks ago we snatched a few these off the side of the road and oh was it fun to watch them grow and blossom - maybe that's what a baby will be like someday?

capua babies babies

there have been two new additions to the capua family in the past month: johnny & heather had a little boy in august and carly & ryan had a little girl over the weekend.  i cannot wait to meet these two and i can't believe i have to wait until december for that to happen.  in the year 2011, there will have been four babies born in this family {amber is due in december and remember azy had sully in the spring} and i have to admit, i love being an aunt.

introducing Samuel Giovanni Capua

and Scout V Blaney

i'm in love already!

labor day peach pickins' instagrammed

yesterday we ate tomatoes, basil, peaches, and even garlic straight from the garden - papaw's garden of course.  we picked peaches straight from the trees and then i laid on a blanket in the backyard and read my book.  summer never gets old.  even when all you did during the summer was go to late night movies and sleep in the next day, work part time as a waitress, read for your own pleasure, become addicted to army wives and eye lashes, hike, and BBQ on your little grill nearly every night.  summer never gets old, even when you didn't do anything really important.  the past two weeks have been hard.  going back to school has been hard.  trying to figure out what i actually want to do with my life right here and now is hard.  somehow i thought when i got married and graduated from college, i would have some of these "important" things figured out...but i guess not?  but for now, i am grateful for this weekend and the warm weather that has reminded me that i get to choose to be happy everyday.  yesterday i was happy just to pick peaches off of a tree and today i will be happy to go fishing (p.s. i'm going fishing for the first time today) and tomorrow i will be happy that i have choices to choose from.

lake tahoe 2011

we spent a week in lake tahoe with my family (most of my extended family included) and loved every minute of it.  

we....

went to emerald bay and had fun jumping off the almost literal 2 inch ledge

we loved having wireless technology at the cabin

we went to Echo Lake for ice cream only to find we were a minute too late

and so we ended up...

blowing bubbles

and taking embarrassing pictures

and more embarrassing pictures

and talking to elliot about the meaning of life

and then we enjoyed the scenery by taking pictures

and we drank bottled cokes all day long

and we played tiny wings all day long too

and we hung out in blow up boats at the beach

and we wore huge sunglasses

and we talked

and we ate delicious food.

and then we went home and unfortunately this was the last big vacation of the summer for us.  i seriously can't believe summer break is almost over.  all i can say is it is a good thing it has been a really really great 4 months and i'm glad it will be warm for another couple months or so because i'm definitely not ready for the weather to change.

my best friend's wedding

mr. and mrs. sayer have been married for nearly a month now already and i really couldn't be happier for them {...especially after they let me sleep away the afternoon at their house when roofers started banging away my roof early one morning}.  as mentioned previously, i journeyed to iowa for this event, i would not have missed it for the world.  the wedding was beautiful and quaint, and in typical elizabeth fashion, she was putting on her make-up and dress only twenty minutes before the photographer arrived {if that} and only seconds after sweeping and clorox-ing the reception room.  it's hard to believe that me and my 7th grade homeroom buddy, fellow corn pollinator and hickory park hostess, freshman roommate, and BFF {don't worry jennifer & lily...this applies to you too} through high school & college are both married now.  crazy, who would have guessed?  anyway, enjoy the pictures - the top three are courtesy of their fabulous wedding photographer at http://freebirdphotographyiowa.blogspot.com.  isn't her bouquet amazing?

who will be next??

such a magical place

a couple of weeks ago i went home for a week for my best friend's wedding {elizabeth cohea sayer: wedding post to come} with the super added bonus of visiting my family.  i'm sure everyone is like this with their hometown/place, but to me, there is nothing like an iowa summer.  as soon as i got off the plane in des moines, the rush of humidity and the subtle earthy smell of iowa told me it was finally summer.  don't get me wrong, i love love love utah summers, but fireflies, humidity, cornfields, little bunnies running around everywhere {which i didn't even really appreciate until tanner pointed them out to me},

tanner: "...you mean, bunnies are like squirrels here?"

and the color green scream summer to my heart.  so while i was there, i went to the pool everyday and rode the lazy river approximately 50 times i'm sure, rode my bike around with my little brother everywhere, watched the fireflies with my dad, ate cupcakes almost everyday with my mom, helped my little sister pick out decorating things for her college apartment {what?????}, went to a wedding, saw old friends, and enjoyed basically doing nothing all day everyday.  it was relaxing and so iowa to me.

since then, we have been working working working mostly and we are off to california {take two} to hang out with my family in tahoe tomorrow!  cannot wait.

oh and p.s. i have to congratulate my sister and her boyfriend on running their first {and probably last, right, madison??} marathon one week ago.  almost makes me want to get off the couch right now. almost.

swamp cooler summer

we live on the second story of an old brick house - keep in mind, science says heat rises - and we think it's completely perfect and charming except for the fact that it lacks climate control in every shape and form.  in the winter our electric bill was through the roof {and our house was none the warmer...} and this summer we find relief from the heat in only one corner of our house where our swamp cooler lives.  despite its initial shockingly loud motor and never-ending hum, it does a good job of keeping our {single} room cool.  and this is why our bed has become our permanent summer dining room table.

p.s. post about my iowa vacay coming ASAP.