1. I have a new blog?…

Long story short, I needed a fresh start.  Or something.

2. Joey and I drove up to Brainard Lake last weekend for an amazing hike.

And yes I did just say last weekend.  Blog much, Lauren?

It was basically just a walk in the mountains which is totally my kind of hike.  And the scenery wasn’t half bad.

The whole rain, hail and dodging giant puddles thing was even kind of fun.

We knew those emergency ponchos would come in handy at some point in our lives.

3. Joey is doing that whole marathon thing again.

Nothing makes you feel lazier than waking up two hours after someone has gone out to run 12 miles.  Except maybe sitting on the couch for the rest of the day while that same person who just ran 12 miles is out doing yard work.

4. This.

My mom bought herself a new dog for her birthday.  He’s a 1 year old longhaired dachshund mix who’s still a little skittish.  And who makes Huni look much more like a goofy overweight dachshund.

But I still love that goofy girl.

5. I planned my mom a little birthday dinner surprise.

Which is much less surprising when you have to call her and tell her she has to stop planning her own birthday dinner.  And even less surprising when she tells you what she wants you to make and comes home 20 minutes before you expect her to.

I wonder where I get my inability to not be in control in the kitchen from??

6. I kinda love Colorado.

Even at 5:30 AM when I just went on a run that I’m pretty sure I was not awake during.

7. My mom and I saw 12th Night at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival last Sunday.

My favorite part was the grasshopper that fell on my mom’s head then landed on her shirt right in the middle of the play, but the drunken supporting characters were a close second.

I absolutely adore seeing these plays every summer.  Call me a nerd.  Or call me an English major.

8. Imperfect peaches are pretty perfect.

These were on sale on the Farmers’ Market because they have a bruise of two.  One farmer’s trash is another Lauren’s treasure.  That’s the saying, right?

9. If these are the kinds of things you can expect from Maui, consider me officially moving.

We’ll fondly refer to this as “the night we ate an entire pineapple.”  Which is second, of course, to “the night we ate an entire King Cake.”

The Opening Ceremony couldn’t have been longer.

Mr. Bean couldn’t have been funnier.

Michael Phelps’s back couldn’t be any bigger.

And I couldn’t be happier.

I love the Olympics!

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go sit in front of the TV and watch some sport I’ve probably never cared about before like it’s my favorite thing in the entire world.

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