july {and, the trouble with cell phones}

hello.

before i vent, i wanted to share a few pictures from july.

i didn't keep up with my promise, and only posted one recipe here in july,

but here are the highlights of the month, a few days into august. 

the dog days of summer are here, and even though kevin gave me the true definition/history of that phrase,

still...it's too damn hot to do anything.

july was filled with lots of good food, lots of friends, and lots of water. 

boyd helped me shop at our favorite asian store, and i made fresh spring rolls one day.

and let me tell you how crazy i am. after buying fish sauce for the first time,

which was a horrifying experience, 

and making peanut dipping sauce with 3 different recipes that day,

i found a good one that i really love.

and when i remember where i wrote it, i will share it here.

4th of july.

it was FUN.

and wild.

and i won't share all the pictures. {wink, wink}.

 waterpark days with the best of friends.

 summer is about playing with sweet friends as much as we can...

and sometimes getting sent to our rooms.

i don't want to write about boyd losing his teeth when he's on tooth number 12,

but he had a big day, losing 2 teeth in one day.

i think he's lost 4 this summer.

some evenings find us in our pjs early, worn out from the sun,

trying to read books with boyd, like i promised we'd do all summer,

yet summer is almost over, and i didn't stick with it.

but, i am ok with that.

ice cream with boyd, at a fun place called melt, near downtown.

i had coconut curry, which i want to eat over and over again.
how those 2 ingredients work together in ice cream, i can't explain, but it was heavenly.

boyd had vanilla bean, and a tiny taste of mine.

a rare breakfast date with kevin, at a tiny, local taqueria.
it has become one of my favorite spots to eat.

i love my plants in the summer, and our neighborhood bunny.

boyd just finished a 2 week swim lesson, that was gifted to him, and he learned so much.

we are so proud of him.
he overcame some fears, and really listened to his instructor.
swim lessons are such a good thing.

sleepovers, and a hangover breakfast.
these boys tooted and laughed, ate and ate and ate some more,
and played video games and watched a movie.
i love that i can look at them, and see their 2 mamas having sleepovers, 30 something years ago.

and, i made a tomato pie.
the perfect summer treat.

 obviously we packed in more good things, but i didn't always have my camera ready.
july was like june, it was good, and it was messy.
some days i wanted to rewind and make summer start all over again,
because it's going too fast, because i won't get these days back with boyd, and because i messed up a time or two.
some days i pulled up the school website to make sure i had the right start date for the first day of school, because it needed to start yesterday, and i don't want to miss it.
highs and lows.
life.

..............

 cell phones.

please, please do not take offense. this is just my experience, my perspective.

last night i was sitting at dinner with kevin and boyd at a restaurant,

and i looked around, and i'd say at 9 out of the 10 tables, people were not only on their phones,

but they had a fork in one hand and a phone in the other.

at the table behind us, as a lady was sitting with her husband who was hooked up to oxygen, 

and i wondered how much longer he'd be on this earth to enjoy the company of his wife,

she answered the phone 3 different times, and you could tell the conversation was not an urgent one.

i was so put off. 

kevin and i started having a conversation about cell phones.

i love mine and i think it has a lot of benefits.

but....it is not my pager. i am not on call. sometimes i have the volume off. i plug it in at night in the other room. if i don't text right back i'm truly not trying to be rude, i'm probably just living my life and enjoying my friends and family. maybe i'm in a swimming pool and i can't text back. or maybe i'm just making a choice to not pick my phone up for a few hours. 

whatever the case may be, it's OK. it's all OK, really.

i love that some people get this.

thank you.

technology is a wonderful thing.

and it's robbing us blind of the most precious gift that we have.

 the beauty of technology...

my most favorite text of the day,

when kevin texts me each night and says,

on my way.

happy august.

love,

nicolle