We started off this July HOT – 99 degrees. This calls for my favorite summer wine (seriously, I could drink it all year) Rose!This was the Rose we served at our wedding. When I found it I instantly loved it (and the price point). It was perfect for our wedding. However, I *accidentally* bought too many bottles, so we had a few cases leftover after the wedding…Hence why I’m still drinking it almost a year later. It is seriously my fave, and it brings back great memories, even though I didn’t drink it on the actual big day (I was more worried about the bartenders making our Cherry Limeades correctly).

But hot days lead to warm nights…And then of course there is the 4th of July, which, sorry everyone…is my least favorite holiday. Of course I like BBQing and the festive and patriotic food, but nothing has ever trumped my memories of it as a kid. There have been too many years now where it lands on a Wednesday and you just have to go to work the next day. Or you don’t want to travel because it’s crazy out there during the 4th. The woes of being a full time adult, right? However…this year it was on a Friday and on the 5th we went on a little excursion…To the Alpine Slides on Mt. Hood! The amazing Erin was visiting us and we took her up for a little adventure. If you have never been, Alpine Slides are fun, fast, and DANGEROUS! Well, only if you get a clear shot all the way down. You can get stuck behind a line of people going slow. But sometimes that is for the best, considering the fact Jordan wiped out. The giant scabs are still all over his body to prove it…There is an entire Adventure Park up at Mt. Hood. With go karts, ziplining, mini golf and tons of other stuff to do besides Alpine Slide. We chose not to go in the giant blow up hamster balls on such a hot day…On our way back we had to drive through Hood River, for another epic stop at The Gorge White House. It’s kind of like a very small scale adult Disneyland – Wine, beer, AND cider tasting. A gourmet food truck on site, berry picking, flower picking, and a market all await you. Plus this tractor, and I love Erin:Usually when we are heading back home through Hood River we are too wiped out to stop at all of the wineries and breweries around that the town has to offer, so The Gorge White House is the perfect one-shop stop. However, we did make it to a packed Double Mountain Brewery:After this we almost gave up. But we decided we had to hit one more stop before going home, the East Wind Drive Inn in Cascade Locks. (Keep in my Jordan was extremely worried about his open and gaping wounds from the alpine slide).If you have read Wild you know exactly where this place is. They have giant ice cream cones that make many people happy everyday…Wait in line, you know you want these ice cream cones!

The rest of the month was pretty relaxing and your standard summer. This is good, because August and September are going to be madness! Below we have a farmer’s Market Bounty…Heck yeah.And OBVIOUSLY 7/11 Slurpee day! We didn’t go on July 11th because that shit was crazy, so instead we bought these cheesy “mason jar” slurpee cups and mustache straws…Because we are suckers for any gimmicky promotional item. These will come in handy later, trust me.

Clyde Common for Brunch. Let’s just say I can’t wait to go back here for dinner.

THE CUTEST! Otto loves swimming, but what he loves most is bobbing for those torpedos that you throw in the water. Shallow end only, of course. But watching him dunk his head into the water to get them is one of the greatest things on earth.

Gotta love the standard deer sightings in our neighborhood as well:

Other than that, I’m trying to savor the summer and be outdoors as much as I can. Running in early mornings before it gets too hot, and more than anything lap swimming at the local Outdoor Pool. An outdoor pool where I can work out but not have to worry about the drama of my next swim meet is truly a happy place for me.That’s about it for July. Let’s hope I get some more posts in before August rolls around…