a monday post

I feel like things have been so hectic in the gilbert household.

so many ending to-do lists--and blogging has sadly moved to the bottom.

i've been resorting to my personal journal lately.

all through middle school and high school, I was an avid journal writer.

In fact, I can count on my two hands the number of nights I missed throughout those seven years.

there has always been something therapeutic in journal writing.

then, after a certain roadblock in my life, I stopped writing suddenly--it was too painful to write in my journal (a story for another day).

I resurfaced my journal writing when taylorray walked into my life.

and since starting my blog, my journal has more become a place to record my deeply personal and spiritual thoughts; whereas my blog records our day-to-day activities.

the last few weeks, I have been pouring thoughts and feelings into my journal, with things that seem too personal and intimate to share on a blog.

I've been battling a few personal "dilemmas," and I have luckily found immense comfort in three sources:

taylorray

my journal

and a loving Father in Heaven

so while I have been a little MIA on this blog lately, I am happy to report that things seem to be coming around--as they always do. :)

aaand, on to happier things!

this weekend involved a lot of reading, messy ponytails, pantsless afternoons (wahooo for uniting in the love of hating pants!), and chess matches!

I have been on the worst losing streak with chess lately.

and I was getting soooo frustrated.

like the last three games were games that were MINE. so clearly mine!

but then somehow, I would lose

anyways, on saturday night, I FINALLY won!

it was the best feeling ever.

we are just a liiiitle competitive over in this gilbert household.

I celebrated for so long, that taylor finally whipped out his phone to snap some pictures.

I might have been just a little overboard happy about this victory. ha!

and we also joined mom and dad gilbert for part of their camping fun over the weekend!

we just joined them for saturday afternoon--I wasn't quite feeling the "sleep in a tent" deal.

especially since taylor left me friday night for his scout campout! ha

taylor was sooo happy to take out his shotgun and shoot some clay pigeons

(which, I will admit, that I definitely thought clay pigeons were a type of bird at first, and I was mortified that we were going to be shooting real live birds. just wave hi to this little california valley girl over here!)

and just look how beautiful utah is this time of year!

do you spot four little people?

and this guy's shooting skills are pretty spectacular!

I told him that it makes me feel pretty safe knowing I'll have him by my side in the event of a potential zombie apocalypse. 

and I was really super lucky, because I got to form a really intimate relationship with the dirt and rocks.

aka two full winding canyons was just a little too much for my carsick self.

so I spent a majority of the time keeled over throwing up.

luckily, the first time I threw up (when my whole lunch, plus some, came up) I was by myself. 

a quesedilla isn't so pretty in reverse!

but for the next 40 minutes, I had some awesome dry-heaving episodes.

and even a few black-out moments from throwing up so much!

so yeah, that was a lot of fun.

I think everyone was a little nervous when I said I wanted to shoot the gun, especially since I was still shaking from throwing up. haha

basically we had a pretty great little weekend!

I'm kind of dreading these next two weeks--they are packed to the brim with mostly not-so-fun stuff.

but some pretty great holidays are just around the corner.

the weather is getting a little cooler, and the leaves are changing, and...ahhh this time of year gets me at my giddiest.

OH, and go to your local library and check out "the kitchen house" RIGHT NOW.

it is sooo good.

I'm gonna curl up next to my cute reader-husband (currently rereading "the giver") and read next to him, slash also bug him with weird voices and tickling attempts.

thumbs up for making it through another monday!