Weather warriors

Brian & I took the pups for a weekend camping trip to one of our favorite places. We avoided scorpions and survived a thunderstorm in a tent. Amazing experience.

Gotta love Hilyard's Backwoods Bait & Tackle. Just call 637-BEER for all your camping and fishing needs.

(They've got gusts. The bait kind, of course.)

Sweet dreams!

Lilly

Home sweet home ... at least for the weekend.

Lilly

Dakota & Lilly

Brian took this gorgeous photo on our drive home. Heavenly.

See more photos in my newest Facebook album.

Look west, young woman ...

Thank you, Western Sky, for making my heart sing, my lips curl into a smile and my life feel very, very small and very, very big in a single glance.

Chillaxation

The theme of my weekend was all about chilling and relaxing. I fought a headache most of the weekend, and Brian was very sweet to cook dinner Friday night (scallops -- yum!) and clean the entire house Saturday afternoon while I rested. Additional signs that I was just plain taking it easy:

I read 100 or so pages of my current read, "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. (I can't wait to see the movie, which opens Friday.) My new favorite reading spot is a new hammock in my backyard. Brian surprised me with it. He found it at a wonderful store, Ten Thousand Villages, while he was in Lincoln for a recent work conference. I've wanted a hammock for years, and I'm enjoying it as much as I thought I would. Dakota & Lilly always get very excited when they see me carry it out and hang it up. Dakota will sit next to me so I can pet him while I'm reading, and Lilly -- no surprise -- thinks I'm lying in the hammock so we can play fetch. (I usually oblige.)


I met my friends Ann & Nicole (I like to call then Anna Nicole when they're together) at Bella Luna for lunch on Saturday. It was good to chat and catch up.

After my killer headache subsided, Brian and I met his parents and brother (Eric was in town visiting this weekend) at Gindi for sushi. It was ... interesting. The meal included watching my father-in-law pop about a tablespoon of wasabi (thinking it was plain avocado) into his mouth and, realizing his horrific mistake, spit it out onto his plate. It was laugh-out-laugh disgusting. My Jade Dragon Roll and Thai tea were delicious, though, so it all worked out OK. Then Eric, Brian & I met up with some friends at Oeno and watched the movie G.I. Joe, which was so horrible it was hilarious. A fun night in an unexpected way.

On Sunday, my sister Jen and friends Courtney & Nicole came over to transform T-shirts using patterns from the book "Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt" by Megan Nicolay.

I've already made six of her patterns and have been exicted to inspire my friends to do the same. We ate lunch, watched "Twilight" and entertained Kaden while our hubbies were golfing together. (My brother-in-law was spending time on his newest hobby: sailing.)

Nicole & Kaden

Courtney at work overhauling her Mustang T-shirt

Cute!

Jen working to transform three T's into a very cute summer-weight scarf

My creations, clockwise from the lower left: twisted tank, wine cozy, drawstring tank, scarf, shrug and halter top.

The wedding singer

I recently sang in my longtime friend Chrissy's wedding. (I must love this woman. Among my repertoire? "Ave Maria" in Latin. Joking: Love you, Chrissy!) Brian and I also sang a duet, Casting Crowns' "Your Love is Extravagant" -- a beautiful song that means a lot to me.

First up was the rehearsal and a charming dinner at Court Avenue Brewing Company in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.


Chrissy & I met in Iowa about 25 years ago, which is really saying something when you're only 30. She's among my dearest friends and is really like a cousin to me. (One of my earliest memories of her was when we walked home from first grade at Lewis & Clark Elementary School. I held my pink Rainbow Brite lunch box in one hand ... and her hand in the other. I wore pigtails and could care less that the older boys made fun of our public display of affection.) We've stuck by each other through the Gremlins, New Kids on the Block, adolescence, divorce, illness, college, courtship and more. It was an honor and a blessing to sing at her wedding.

One of the fun things about our friendship is that she has two younger siblings who are the same ages as my two younger siblings. And our mothers are dear friends. Growing up, my family moved away from her Iowa family. But our families spent a week together every summer, in Illinois for a few years and then in Kansas.

And just like in the good ole' days, our moms lined up their kids for an annual group photo:

From left: Jason, Jen, Amanda, me, Nicki and Chrissy -- the original "Lucky 6"

Now, the number of spouses included in our photos keeps growing. This time, we welcomed Chrissy's brand new husband Josh into the club. He's one lucky guy.

From left: Josh, Brian, me, Chrissy, Brian, Jen, Nicki, Amanda & Jason (Not pictured are my brothers-in-law Ryan & Kurtis, who weren't able to attend the wedding.)

Jason is the last single one of the bunch of us, so I'm looking forward to one more Dixon-O'Toole wedding extravaganza.

In the meantime, Brian and I have a few more weeks to practice for our next wedding singer event, my cousin Kayleen's wedding. La, la la la!

July in the blink of an eye

Take a peek at some of the fun I had in July, in addition to playing another round of golf; treating myself to a pedicure; replacing my beloved Treo with an HTC Touch Pro (I love it!); admiring a fawn, a rainbow and a gorgeous sunrise (on different days); eating curry as often as I could; and celebrating a close friend's birthday.

• I spent an afternoon hanging out with my family and delving into my maternal grandmother's 1939 high school yearbook. Grandma Doris died before I was born, but I can't deny the connection I feel with her. She was short, feisty and swore her dyed red hair was natural. (I swear my strawberry-blonde hair is. Honest!) I loved this "2 big 2 be 4forgotten" note I spotted on one of her pages. I guess high school students were about as clever then as they were 58 years later when my classmates wrote similar notes in my high school yearbook. It made me smile:
  

Other images from that day of Grandma Doris' relatives:

Mom & Kaden


Baby Kaden with Auntie Amanda & Uncle Kurtis, who were in town for a visit

Amanda, Kurtis, Dad & Brian getting some laughs out of the Bobby Knight Golf Outtakes video on YouTube. (Check it out. Funny stuff.)

• I met Molly, my parents-in-law's new cocker spaniel puppy. Isn't she adorable?

Molly, Brian & Lilly

• I saw my friend Jackie Clark's presentation at quilt guild. She's a kick-ass local fabric and pattern designer who is funny, sweet and inspirational. And she & her sister remind me so much of how Amanda & I are together that it's just freaky.
  

• I traveled to Los Angeles for a Knight Digital Media Center working conference about journalism and social networks. It was an absolutely fabulous trip -- except that I was without my luggage for 82 hours, thanks to U.S. Airways, which was less than impressive with its customer service through the unpleasant ordeal. (I've never been so happy to see a suitcase.) Nonetheless, I met some great people, learned some amazing things and enjoyed my getaway.
  

I stayed in the impressive Westin Bonaventure in downtown L.A. The hotel has set the backdrop for lots of movies. For example, I rode in a glass elevator featured on "True Lies." (Kind of fun and random in a Hollywood sort of way.) My 16th-story room had a fantastic view of L.A. skyscrapers. Take for instance this urban sunrise:


Without my suitcase, I did feel as if I was camping in a four-star hotel, but my desserts -- if not my personal possessions at hand -- were very Hollywood:


Now time, I'm sure, for another crazy month. Let's call it August rush.

Smelling the roses ... and drinking the lemonade

Several sweet Life is Golden fans have checked in on me recently to see how I've been doing since I've let a month slip by without updating by blog. Truth is, I've been preoccupied making lemonade out of some lemons that life has thrown in my fruit bowl. Yep. Life's a bitch sometimes. There. I said it. But I am blessed to have supportive family and friends who add some sugar to the mix. (How's that for a fruity analogy?) Thanks to those of you who have offered friendship, encouraging words and prayers. Please keep them coming.

Fortunately, life's not all sour grapes. Stay tuned for a more cheerful update about some of the adventures I've had since the 4th of July.