Family Fun: Firth Style

Another Firth Family Vacation has come and gone and left me patiently awaiting the next adventure. Mom and Dad procured a lovely cabin/house in the gorgeous Grand Lake Colorado from a friend which housed all 16 of us. There was good food, laughs, games, canoeing, hiking, exploring... and did I mention food? It was a riot to have the whole crew together. No one can play games like the Firth Family. Mom's spin on win it in a minute was a gem I won't soon forget. As these pictures have sat loaded on this blog patiently awaiting for the day they will transform from "draft" to "entry" for far too long already, I'm going to give up on any sort of attempt to writing about these for now. Instead, enjoy an onslaught of photos. And really, some of these are more hilarious without an explanation (ie grandpa with pantyhose over his head).

 

 

Okay, one exception because this photo is hilarious. Ben calls it "I am My Boyfriend is Me". This could be one of those find-the-5-differences-in-the-two-almost-identical-images games. The saddest/best part is, this happens all too often. It's not that we don't believe in individuality, we just don't pay attention to details... and we own a ridiculous amount of same colored clothing articles. After seeing this, we've decided that perhaps it could benefit us to start giving a little attention to some of the details. Unless we want to look like we're wearing some sort of team jersey. And cool kids do wear jerseys...

dav

 

It turns out I blog mainly as a form of procrastination

I love the weather of the Northwest. I don't tire of the grey days as it makes me all the more pleased and appreciative when the sun graces us with it's presence. After all, whenever the temperature sneaks past anything over 80 degrees I take it personally as though I'm being punishment for something which makes me one grouchy girl. I wasn't too bothered by summer's late entrance this year, although it was strange to have a family order hot chocolates at my work on Father's Day. Having spring spill right on over into June has allowed me extra spring cleaning time, which I was in desperate need of. Boxes of unneeded belongings have finally been purged from my shelves and closets, leaving the spare bedroom looking less like a closet and more of an actual (functional!) room and me feeling incredibly liberated (& in love with Powells. Getting cash for things I don't need without a garage sale is AWESOME!) With July almost upon us I'm itching for camping trips, hikes, picnics, bbqs, and reading in the sun (okay... the shade, but with visible sun).

Being out of school has left me slightly shell-shocked. I'm only just beginning to awake without a wave of to-do list anxiety. I'm having no problem at all staying busy, It's just nice to have The Busy be on my own terms. It feels great to put my textbooks away and instead turn to my neglected reading list. I have been working on a handful of art projects, mainly of the paper mache variety, which incidentally I have decided is the most unappreciated medium ever. Love the flour paste, friends. Love it. My favorite is a joint project with Ben; a multi-media mural of sorts which I'll definitely be posting pictures of upon it's completion. It has been wonderful to delve into creative outlets without being hindered by school studies. Remind me again while I'm pursuing a degree? ;)

A plethora of pies are still being made and devoured. I'm so behind in posting pie pictures I'm not quite certain where to start, so I'll leave it until the next time I upload pictures. I made a strawberry banana cream for a friend's party on Saturday. Ben is convinced it was my best crust yet, so I may finally be getting somewhere with this pie project. I'm worried that as the  temperatures continue to climb it will hinder my baking, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. We found brand new Aussie grill on craigslist for $20 and have loved being able to once again enjoy grilled meat and veggies... without heating up the house. Summer is so wonderful!

I plan on officially bringing in summer this Friday by celebrating two of my favorite fellah's birthdays- my dad and brother, while in the presence of the great Taj Mahal at the Portland Blues Festival. I sure wish they would both be here with me, but am looking forward to a trip to Colorado in a few weeks with the whole fam.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll get to hear my favorite: