my personal public service announcement.

Summer is here so it's time for my personal PSA. I'm begging you to wear sunscreen.

As someone who battles skin cancer, I'm a regular at the dermatologist's office. Just a couple weeks ago I was in for a check-up and sure enough they decided to slice yet another little chunk off my back. At this point I'm not too concerned with scarring, but I still get anxiety from the process - the needles, the slicing, the treating of the wound. I'm a huge wimp and always have to wear headphones to calm my nerves.

Sure enough, I got the call that my biopsy came back irregular. It's not melanoma but a pre-stage called displastic nevis so I had to go back in for more cutting. I'm not pleased.

That being said, I urge all of you to wear sunscreen. No, really - do it. You will still get tan, I promise. And, if you're naturally dark and "don't burn" just humor me and throw on some SPF8. Anything. I absolutely love the sun and love being tan but as Danny says, "I'd much rather have you alive and pale than tan and dead."

Before I get off my soapbox, if any of you still go to tanning beds on a regular basis, please consider spray tanning or lotions instead. I was one of those girls with the "unlimited tanning packages" in college, and at just 23 I was diagnosed with Stage II Melanoma which was on its way to spreading to my lymph nodes. I wound up with a large scar, icky treatment and getting on the every-three-months dermo visit plan. Yeah, being tan isn't really worth it. I'm not going to tell you to avoid the sun - because I don't even do that - but be smart about it. Wear a hat to protect your scalp, always wear sunscreen - especially on your face (come on ladies, we're too young for wrinkles) and try to never get to the point of being burnt. Oh, and be sure to get checked out at least once a year.

Okay, I'm done with the downer talk. But seriously, throw on some sunscreen this summer.

{getting ready to be sliced, again.}



homemade cookies & cream, kinda.

Ting decided to take his craving for Cookies & Cream ice cream into his own hands and whip up a frozen creation. Watching him you would have thought he had Cold Stone Creamery on his resume. It was legit.

I asked if he would sing and dance if I put a dollar in the tip jar... I got the stink eye.

impromptu family dinner.

Now that Tricia is back to work, Vicky is watching Makaela during the work week.

Lucky her (and them)!

Vicky ended up taking Makaela to her house yesterday, so once all us "kids" got off work we headed to the Dogg's house to smooch on Makaela, hang out and grab some Greek food for dinner. 

B-Joe was in Tucson so he missed out on all the fun.

As you can imagine, Makaela stole the show. Hard to believe she's already three months old. Such a sweetie.



gone swampin'.

Here in Arizona we have something called flood irrigation. It's primarily only available in older neighborhoods that have lots of grass and trees, and fortunately, both of our homes in Phoenix have been within irrigation areas. Besides being awesome for your trees, grass and plants it's waaaayyy cheaper than having to water grass and trees the traditional way out here in the desert. 

Here's how it works. You check your neighborhood schedule to see what time you're scheduled for flooding - yup, the entire front and back yard floods. Your slot can be at any time of day or night, so typically you hire someone who's in charge of handling your neighborhood's irrigation. During your designated time, you're allowed to open the valve and flood your yard. However, it's crucial you stay on schedule and close your valve at the right time so the next person can get their water. It's like dominoes. You can even get fined if you don't follow the schedule and mess everyone's water schedule up.

Kinda funny, huh? I sure thought so when I moved to the desert.

Our favorite part is watching Huntie get so excited to "swamp" through the yard. He absolutely loves running through the water and splashing around. I need to get a video.

{this is at the beginning of the flood. the entire yard disappears under water}

{you can't tell, but we have a soaking wet and muddy (but happy) pig}

{danny handled this night's flood... he takes his jobs very seriously}

pool crashers.

Weekend temperatures hit 100+ and since we're no where near a beach, 

we were desperate for the next best thing - a pool.

Since we don't have one, we decided to head over to a local resort for an afternoon by the pool. 

It was awesome. Yummy cocktails, live acoustic guitar, magazines and swimming. 

{the resort is up against camelback mountain}

A wonderfully relaxing summer day that we ended with one of our favorite meals. 

our (friend) galaxy.

i have this framed in our house and in my cubicle.

it's a nice reminder since our friends are spread out throughout the globe.

i hope our far away friends feel the same way about us.



art inspiration.

Let's be real, Danny and I don't really know anything about art. I'm usually much more into photography, but when I recently saw Maya Hayuk's work I was smitten. I love it. I want it. I have to have it. It makes me so happy to look at it. Anyone know where I can get it?

I guess it's the way Danny felt when he found his rabbit. He just loved it - and bought it.

The rabbit was the start of us slowly replacing our generic art and decor with things we love. Pieces that have a story or mean something to us. Sure, it doesn't all match - but we're totally okay with that. In fact, we're kind of excited about it.