Busy, busy.

I haven't been this busy for as long as I can remember. I haven't even been able to upload all the photos that were taken while my sister Laurie was here! Boo.
Laurie and her four darling girls came up last Wednesday and stayed until Saturday. It was a blast having them up here and our house seems to quiet at night without the sounds of girls giggling in our guest room. On Wednesday night Laurie, Heather, our friend Andrea and I got to see the outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Boise Shakespeare festival. I would have loved to take pics of the play, but it was strictly prohibited. It was an amazing production and the swinging 60's clothes mixed with the Beatles music made it all the better. Thanks so much Heather! What a great early birthday present!
The funeral for Grams was on Friday and it was a beautiful service. We went to the rosary vigil on Thursday night and then Friday I worked for a few hours and then went to the funeral. Levi and all the other first-born boy cousins were the pallbearers. He did a great job and looked handsome in his suit. My father-in-law Brad gave a very touching talk about Grams' life and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Grams was buried next to her husband Harold in the beautiful Morris Hill cemetery. After the burial we went the open house at the downtown Red Lion. The place was packed with family and friends and we had a great time visiting with everyone.
Saturday was Levi's stepmom Julie's birthday so we went to her sister's house for a little get together and ate some yummy cheeseburger sliders. Also on Saturday night Heather hosted her famous (at least in the east side of Boise) block party for the fourth of July. It seems to get better with each passing year. Neighbors come over to her front lawn and we feast on cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chorizo, salads and many, many desserts. It means a lot to us that Heather does this each year and I'm so disappointed in myself for not charging my camera's battery because I only got a couple of pictures (which I still haven't even uploaded!)
Well, the busyness never ends. I have to get ready for work and then start getting ready for our trip down to Utah to see my good friend Carl get married. We leave on the 8th (our anniversary and my sister-in-law Avery's birthday), the wedding is on the 10th (my birthday) and then we'll come home on the 11th. I hope our pooches survive without us for four whole days!!
Here's some pics of the past week:

The outdoor theater where we saw A Midsummer Night's Dream

I think Andrea could be our long lost fourth sister!

I took Laurie and her girls, plus Wilson and Eliza, on my favorite walk.


Levi and some of his cousins. The altar girl in the background cracked me up. She was wearing bright pink Converse high tops with her altar girl robe. Super cute.


Avery and Chris at the reception after the funeral.

Brad and Julie at the reception.


Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it, but Sevy helped make an amazing picture board for Grams' reception. It had dozens of pictures all throughout Grams' life and it was a big hit at the reception.