one last summer getaway

Last week we made a last minute decision to spend a few days in Hot Springs, Ark., before Hank starts school.

Crossing the old Memphis - Arkansas bridge.

I didn't realize quite how literal the city name is. You can see the actual springs, where the water is just under boiling.

The city was built around a row of enormous bath houses. People came from all over to take a bath in the springs. Only two of the houses are still open for business, and one has been turned into a museum.

Hot Springs has quite the selection of steak houses, some right on Lake Hamilton.

We went to a little theme park, where for some reason I decided to ride this. Horrifying due to my trust issues with safety restraints. Scroll down to watch it in action, and you'll see why.

We found a cute little diner where we had the best sundaes ever.

The end of summer is so bittersweet, don't you think?

goings on

Gosh I've been such an awful blogger lately. Here are weekend snaps from the past two weekends.

We had a low key fourth watching and playing with fireworks.

We got kiddy pools for the pups. They had a ball.

First tomatoes from the garden. Homemade muffins.

Sallie graduated from her class and is one step closer to becoming a therapy dog!

Linking up with 6inthecity.

guess where I've been?

yep. the happiest place on earth!

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge for the second time. I want to live there.

And don't hate me, but I went here...

Safari at Animal Kingdom.

Lion King Show.

Fireworks at the Grand Floridian.

It was the best trip ever. I want to go back!

in the summertime...

Summer for me officially begins tomorrow as today is my last day at the job!

I'll probably become a little sketchy here in the intrawebs because I'll be diving into work for this.

But I'm also making time for lots of things I haven't been able to do this past year. I'm kicking off the summer with a memorial day week at the beach and then a long weekend in seattle. And I've started to compile a summer bucket list:

•  I'd like to cross off quite a few things from this list (skydiving and disney {i can dream}, lots of reading {lord of the rings}, volunteer at st. jude, homemade pasta, shooting range).
• Go to the memphis zoo and see the new teton trek section (I'm gunning to do this one next week).
• Join the ymca (doing this tomorrow!) and workout every weekday.
• Spend lots of time with my grandmother (and at her next door neighbor's pool). The job has turned me into a terrible granddaughter.
• Take lots of little trips to our little house in the country, doing nothing but reading on the boat all day.
• Try out all the new restaurants on my list.
• Massive overhaul of all the stuff I have at my mom's house. 90% of it is heading straight to the trash/goodwill (read: clothes from the 10th grade).
• Cook something with rhubarb. It scares me.
• Get my patio all finished.

Hope your summers are shaping up to be wonderful, too. I'll pop in here and there over the next few weeks to say hello and make you all jealous with pictures of paradise!