Rachel Feeding Goats at the fair.

We had a lot of fun at the fair this past week. Jared worked for a couple hours at a work booth at the fair, so we decided to go and meet him when he was done. The girls loved feeding the goats. Rachel giggled every time the goats licked her hand. It made me laugh. The girls primary president treated them to icees, which was perfect because it was HOT. The high for the day was 104. The high for the next day was 76! We had a great time.

Bonneville Hot Springs

Jared took Friday off this week. On Thursday we went to State Fair in Boise and on Friday we decided to go camping. It was SO much fun! We got to our campground and then went on a little hike (less than 1/2 mile) to a river with hot springs running into it. It's called Bonneville Hot Springs, and it was one of my favorite camping trips ever! The water temperature was perfect, and the depth for our kids was great. Camping was good too. It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be, and we had a lot of fun eating canned food and telling stories around the campfire. Jared said that it was maybe the easiest fire he ever started because everything was so dry. Jared did almost all the work getting everything together, which always gives me more motivation to go camping :) I just love going into the mountains and getting a breath of fresh air.

Dust if You Must...

Tonight I was organizing my file cabinet and came across this poem. I think it was given to me from my Grandma Spencer because it looks like her handwriting at the top. Thanks Grandma!

"I can't tell you how many countless hours that I have spent CLEANING! I use to spend at least 8 hours every weekend making sure things were just perfect- "in case someone came over"-. Then I realized one day that no one came over; they were all out living life and having fun!

Now, when people visit, I find no need to explain the "condition" of my home. They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun. If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice.

Life is short. Enjoy it! Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake a cake or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
music to hear and books to read,
friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
with the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair,
a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go- and go you must-
you, yourself will make more dust!

It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived. "

I just love this! It is how I try to live my life. I wish I could have both worlds, but I'd rather be on the enjoying side of life. Of course there are times very often :) when we must clean, but is it a want or need?