Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Oh blog, we have got to stop meeting like this...

It's been over a month. Darn it. Let's just start fresh. I can work on catching up later (never). But I really don't think anyone is sitting on the edge of their seats waiting for a recap of my July vay-cay, so we'll just move on to more pressing matters. Namely: Food.

I just finished watching Food Inc. with the husband. I'm not really sure why we decided to watch it. I typically just get annoyed watching such films. I find many of them to be extremely biased propaganda designed to be emotionally manipulating. But this one was pretty good. It basically just presented the facts. Which is quite an accomplishment, considering the lengths at which the food industry goes to keep us from knowing these facts. The problem is, at the end of the film, I was left feeling pretty outraged, and pretty powerless. Sure, the movie encourages me to buy local produce and purchase meat from companies that treat their animals ethically, but really, what can I do? I am currently living in Altus, Oklahoma- not exactly a location known for their fancy food stores and free-range chickens. Wal-Mart is about my only option when it comes to grocery shopping. There is hope on the horizon, as we are moving to Spokane soon, where hippies are a much stronger force. But that still doesn't solve the problem. Sure, I will have access to ethically raised animals, but the root of the problem still remains. Cary and I were discussing how the problem ultimately lies within the consumers. Sure, the big food companies are committing grievous sins, but we are paying for it! If the consumers simply refused to buy from these companies, they would have no choice but to change their ways. The other glaring problem is the fact that most of us are happily oblivious to the horrible things that are happening in the food industry. Chickens are fed genetically modified food designed to make them so fat, they can't even stand up. Sows are kept in crates for nearly their entire adult life, treated as little piglet factories. It's disgusting, and inhumane. Don't get me wrong, I love bacon. But I also love my dog. And pigs have an intelligence level very similar to dogs (I know, right? I was shocked.) I can't even imagine my poor precious pooch being treated in such a horrifying manner. So, America, (since I have all of America at attention, what with the heavy traffic on my blog. Hi Mom!), stop it. The first step it to stop the ignorance. We can't take any action if we don't know there's a problem. You should watch the documentary. I'm not planning to become vegetarian or vegan or any of that tomfoolery, but I think I will exercise more caution when it comes to where I get my food from.


Sorry to get so serious on a Sunday, folks. To lighten the mood:

Let's move on.

Well, fine, if you're going to beg, I guess I'll post some super neat iPhone pictures from the last month of my life.

 Looks like we're going in reverse chronological order. It was my birthday! My husband was a gem, and made me breakfast, and cute dry erase board birthday signs. And flowers! And presents! It was a delight. I was spoiled rotten, by both my hubby and my family. And I got lots of cards, which is the best ever. I highly recommend birthdays. Two thumbs up. Amongst my favorite gifts is this little buddy:

 I can now make Diet Coke in my very own home. And other sparkling beverages. Huzzah! Don't talk to me about the irony of worrying about natural food and the fact that I love Diet Coke... Nobody's perfect.

 I am not really much of a cake person, so we went to Braum's for ice cream that night. I told Cary to take a picture, because I don't think I've ever had a birthday pass without a picture of me with my birthday dessert. I fear the repercussions of disturbing such a tradition. So here I am, looking awkward and squinty with my double scoop of cake batter and chocolate something. And there's Makamae creepin' in the background.

 It's hot. I spend my days sitting around and encouraging my air conditioning to keep the faith. Every afternoon around 4 or 5, it just becomes too much for the A/C to bear, and our apartment reaches 80 degrees. It is very unpleasant. I can't wait for Spokane.

 And now it's Alabama time! I spent a week in Alabama, lighting fireworks, skiing, swimming, tanning, drinking my body weight in Diet Coke, and soaking up every moment with my amazing family. I tried to take about 15 different pictures with my grandparents, but was foiled every time. These are the two best. Gosh, I love those two.

 They are the best people in the world. I hope to grow up exactly like them. I asked if I could move in and live with them forever, and they said yes, but my husband said no. He is always cramping my style like that.

 Many card games were played. We play this awesome game called "Oh Heck", and on the last hand, you have to put your card on your forehead and not look at it, and then you have to bid on whether or not you think you'll win. It's a good time. And everyone looks so dignified.

 Ellie Bellie and Uncle B having a snooze on shore. Cutie pies.

Ellie's awesome lake get-up. She really wasn't a fan, but boy howdy I loved it. She is so stinkin' cute, I can't even handle it. Katie should be very afraid that I will snap and steal her someday. It's a real possibility.

Also, I got bit by some kind of spider or other unpleasant bug, and my foot got very large and I got an ugly cankle. It was gross. You're welcome, for sharing.

In conclusion, July was a most excellent month filled with family, food, and fun. And August is shaping up to be another excellent month. I love watching the Olympics. On the one hand, they are amazingly inspiring. I watched track and field one day while I was running on the treadmill, and it motivated me to get my bum in gear and hustle up. But as I am writing this, I am watching gymnastics and thinking that I will never achieve anything even close to these 16 year olds, so I should just go ahead and eat some cookies. And then I'm even more depressed, because I don't even have any chocolate chips.

We have 6 more weeks in Altus, and then we begin a nomadic period of life during which we'll go to Del Rio, put our belongings in a truck, move them up to Spokane, put them in a storage unit, find a house, and then move our stuff from the storage unit to the house. I better start pumping some serious iron to keep up with all that heavy lifting. Anywho. I'm dying for Spokane and to have a house and to be reunited with all of our things. It's going to be like Christmas!

I can't think of a nice way to wrap up this post, so here's a picture of Abby shaking off after going swimming:

So dainty.