Victoria Lee: This Summer

It's been a while. It appears that nowadays I only post when I have something huge to post- like a trip to France. I suppose that in comparison to that, everything else seems pretty blah.

But actually I totally forget about this little blog. Because life hasn't been that blah lately. Alex and I graduated, spent a week down in Zion's, moved out of our apartment, shipped all of our (endless) stuff off, drove cross country TWICE, and among a million more little things- we will be moving back to Brazil in less than a week. This time for a more extended period of time- like.... two years. Oh my.

Right before we shipped it all off

Turns out this summer has gone by far too fast for my liking. But it has been an oh-so-good one, and the perfect way to jumpstart our move to Brazil. I got to work a lot, cook a lot, spend amazing time with friends and family, and even more quality time with my one and only. Who can complain about that?

I don't even know where to begin when it comes to pictures, because it's not secret that I am a lover of pictures. I'm actually impressed with what my little Droid is capable of- and it almost did our summer justice.

First off, food. Because let's be honest, that is the top of the list. I learned how to make homemade mozzarella! This was a huge achievement and source of bragging for me. Because nothing beats fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella from scratch. I used the recipe from here and every time has worked like a charm. Don't forget to drizzle kosher salt, olive oil, and balsamic-

Next, cross country. Well- close enough. Utah --> Connecticut to drive my brother's car out, and then mine. I can't even tell you how incredibly intimidating this was for me. You see, I don't drive much. With the benefits we have at Jetblue, this is something we just never saw the need for. I seriously stressed about those 33 hours. I made healthy snacks, rented audio books, downloaded lots of music, and tried my best to plan out every little detail. Funny how things never work out as you plan, but usually make way for more memories. For instance, our favorite was just talking and stopping at random hole-in-the-wall's for lunch. Who knew it was so simple?

Not that it was picture perfect by any means. A few of those hole-in-the-wall's were big regrets that made us sick to our stomachs. And for the first trip, Alex had the hiccups the ENTIRE way. They ended up lasting 8 days... it was brutal. But I actually loved the road trips and would definitely do it again.

I also rode a horse a few times with my best friend from forever, Abby. I galloped!!! All of it was crazy, terrifying, and completely exhilarating at the same time. Naturally, her horse and my horse were big competitors and loved to pick up speed whenever they could. I would be lying if I said I was totally pleasant about it. Absababs pulled through again, big time. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was up there!

OK, this post is turning into a novel. Saving the best for last, Zion's. Because that is my home away from home. Almost every summer growing up was spent there and I love everything about that place- especially spending time with my cousins. It was Alex's first time, and it was beyond amazing to show him everything. Poor guy, I never shut up about the "memories" and "good times". Of course, we did the Orderville Gultch hike, which was even better this year. Along with four wheeling, swimming, rock climbing, and (friendly but very competitive) family volleyball. That place just does my heart a whole lot of good.