My Amazing Summer!

Wow!  It has been over 3 months since I last posted on my blog!!!!  Honestly, I have just been enjoying life with my family and friends.  We had an amazing summer!  Unfortunately, my blog and business got pushed to the back burner while I was gallivanting around the world!  But, life has calmed down, the kids are back in school, and I'm pushing full steam ahead with my crafting!  So be prepared to see a lot more from me.....starting NOW!

I LOVE taking pictures, so I thought I'd share a few photos from my summer.  Though I took thousands of pictures this summer, I narrowed it down to just these (a very hard task)!

We started out the summer by heading to Park City, Utah.  My husband and I ran as part of the Ragnar Relay.  There are 12 people on a team, and we take turns running for a day and half to finish the ~200 course.  This is my second Ragnar, and my husband's third.  While the sights of Utah are breathtaking, it was hard work running through the Wasatch Back Mountains!  Here are a couple of my favorites from that trip.

 

While there, we visited the Olympic Training Park.  This was a fascinating show featuring the Aerial ski jumpers! 

When we got back from Utah, my niece and nephew came to stay with us for the week leading up to 4th of July.  It was so fun watching all the kids play together and enjoying cousin time!  

Next, a few friends and I took a quick girls weekend trip up to New York!  We stayed in Times Square, saw Chicago on Broadway, and visited many of the city sights.  My favorite thing (my first time doing this in NYC) was a Sunset Boat Cruise.  I only had my phone, so I don't have any great pictures.  However, here are a few of my favorites!

In mid-July, we headed down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for a week at the beach with more family!  We always stay in the 4x4 area (you have to drive on the beach to get to your house) because it is so much more serene and peaceful!  Plus, the wild horses are constantly wandering around your house!  This was a magnificent treat for my horse-loving daughter!

 

 

 

At the end of July, we flew off to Paris and Ireland for my first EVER European trip!  Words cannot describe how amazing it was.  Our Paris trip was really just a one-day layover, but long enough to explore some highlights of the city and to witness our friends get engaged on the Eiffel Tower!

 

 Sunset over Paris from the Eiffel Tower!

 While in Dublin, why not run a half marathon :-)

  No trip to Ireland should be complete without a Rainbow!

 Cliffs of Moher, on a perfectly, rainy Irish day!

 Our road trip through the countryside showed us lots of sheep and ruins (not always together).

 Bicycling adventure through Killarney National Park!

The beautiful Ashford Castle!

 You can't get more picture perfect than this!

 Connemara County - In my opinion, this was the most beautiful day of driving!

 Adare Manor

Shortly after our return to reality, my daughter celebrated her 8th Birthday with her first Sleepover party! I believe it was everything she imagined it would be!

We finished off the summer with our annual family camping trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Then the kids started back up in school!  It was a whirlwind of a summer, but I wouldn't change a thing!

However, I am happy to get back into doing something else that I love.....crafting!!!!  Just imagine how many scrapbook pages I have planned for all these beautiful pictures ;-)