Time Flies . . .

Why does summer always seem so short? Is it because we look forward to it the whole year and it doesn't even compare in length to how long school is? Or maybe it's because time flies when you're having fun. I have definitely had a summer to remember. It all started on June 4th when my Mom, Stockton, Harlee, and I left for Park City and spent a week laying by the pool, shopping, eating at kneaders, doing yoga in the mornings, and taking long drives through the beautiful mountains. On June 12th, my parents, Shae, and myself got on an airplane and flew 13 hours to the Heathrow Airport in London, England. We spent 5 days in London touring on the Big Red Buses, shopping at Harrods and Regent Street, visiting Buckingham and Kensington Palace, riding bicycles through Green Park, seeing two Broadway shows, eating marvelous food, and visiting all of the major historical sites such as Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Kings Cross Station (shout out to Harry Potter), Oxford, Stratford upon Avon (another shout out to Shakespeare), Windsor Castle, and so much more. That Saturday, we hopped on the Eurostar and took a train ride to Paris. We spent a little less than a day trying to accomplish as much as we could. We saw the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Ponce de Leon, the outside of the Louvre, and were occasionally bothered by teenage gypsies trying to pickpocket us. I tried to run into my dear friend Emily Brown, but failed. Paris is Paris. I loved it. On Sunday, my dad flew home to boring old Utah while the three of us took a train ride and a ferry to Ireland. We spent 5 days relaxing at the Ritz Carlton on the Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry. We rode bikes through the gardens, walked along the sea front, ate dinner at Johnny Fox's pub, and became friends with the nicest and most hospitable people. Ireland is truly beautiful in every way. After our amazing trip to Europe, we came home to Utah. I spent a week being home, the, headed off to Girls Camp at good old Mia Shalome. I had a way more enjoyable time than I thought I would. The day after I got home, my whole family (Dad, Mom, Riley, Shae, Addie, Harlee, Stockton) went to Nauvoo and Chicago, Illinois. We went through the whole church history experience in Nauvoo, and then went on to Chicago where we rode bicycles through the city, spent a day at Six Flags, ate at Ed Debevic's, shopped on Michigan Avenue, and saw Harry Potter!! This was definitely a trip to remember. After this vacation, we had our annual Green family reunion in Fairview. Next week will be our annual Hunsaker family reunion in Park City. ......... and then school starts. Overall I would say that this summer has been very educational, relaxing, and entertaining for me. I feel like I've done everything from staying in the Ritz Carlton in Ireland to staying in a trailer in Fairview. I'd say I've had a pretty well rounded summer. When I think back to these past couple months, its not the places that made the memories, its the people. When I think of my trip to Europe, I don't think of the time I first walked into Harrods, or ate my first real scone, or watched the Queen of England drive away from her Castle, but I think of the time my mom, Shae, and myself danced like fools in a random Ferris Wheel overlooking Windsor Castle, and when Shae and I rolled down the hills at Powerscourt Gardens. Had I spent this whole summer with people I didn't know, or even by myself, it wouldn't have been have as rewarding as it was to spend the whole summer with the people that I love the most. My summer turned out to be simply perfect.