4 t h of j u l y

last year, we spent the 4th in Nikko, Japan. we stayed in a really crappy dirty hotel place, ate fish for breakfast, walked around mausoleums, looked at waterfalls, went to ninja theme parks, and didn't really celebrate the fact that it was the 4th. so that was last year. (also, you can see how much shorter my hair was back then.)

this year was also different from the 4ths of the past. it was my first time running in the Freedom Run with my mom! we did the 5k, but we didn't actually run the whole thing. this was my first race, and I'm not the fastest runner in the world, so we only ran when all the people were watching us. we walked for the rest of it. but I feel pretty good about it, and my time was 43 minutes and 14 seconds.

 Wesley volunteered and handed out water bottles.

after the race, we watched Wimbledon. Justin asked me if I was this annoying when I actually play tennis, because watching tennis with me is bad enough. I told him I was worse, I grunt and I scream and I make noise. then I just kinda showered, took a nap, and our family (except for dad, who was finishing up some work) went to this sushi place. but Mom and I didn't really want to get sushi, so we just dropped off my brothers so they could eat with our cousins, and the 2 of us went to Cafe Rio instead! then I took a 2 hour nap and got ready for our annual BBQ, the Culdesac of Fire. our whole neighborhood comes to our culdesac and brings a salad or a dessert, we all grill hamburgers, and light off fireworks. after it gets dark, we can see the fireworks that are going off at the stadium in our very own neighborhood! this year, a lot of my cousins on the Wendelboe side joined us. everyone was in town because my aunt Emily got married yesterday! (post to come). it was great.

of course, Haley and I had to get a picture. she gets taller than me everytime I see her!

wesley kinda sucks at taking pictures.

the next day, everyone forgot about Timpview tennis practice except for me, Jen, Mannon, and Catherine, so that meant 2 whole hours of serving practice. we all know about my perfect, consistent serving and so does the Coach, but she wanted me to have more power with my serves. so I guess my streak had to start over from scratch again, because I can't get a spin on it and still hit it in at the same time. then, my friend Kalela who I've known since 1st grade came to Provo from Illinois to visit! we haven't seen each other for 2 years, so we just sat in my room for 4 hours and talked and talked. it was great to finally catch up! and yesterday, my aunt got married, and once I upload the pictures, that post will come. so yeah it's been a pretty good week!