June 2026 Highlights

Here's what our family was up to in June 2026!

The biggest highlight was going on a Caribbean Cruise with the entire Evans side of the family to celebrate Tom & Margi turning 75!

I did a whole huge separate blog post about our Caribbean Cruise HERE.

My vice. 5-hour energy shots.

WE HAD A BEAR IN OUR BACKYARD! I kid you not.

I was scrapping away in my office which faces out to the street and I saw my neighbor talking to the police. I went outside and asked her what's up and she said there's been reports of a bear wandering around! We could even see evidence of said bear: trash cans knocked over a few houses down! Eeeeps! I came inside and told Chris and he said, "Wouldn't it be funny if it was in our backyard?" So he looked and IT WAS!!! He was sitting at our bird feeder, enjoying a morning snack. We're about 20 minutes from the mountains so it's pretty unusual but not unheard of for bear sightings in our neck of the woods. This was our first time seeing one since moving here 8 years ago. It was AWESOME.

Jane went to Young Women's Camp. Apparently it was also Young Men's Camp but somehow Fox conveniently didn't tell us...

The night she got back from camp we took her to Fujiyama as a consolation. She does not like being outdoors.

After the 13th batch failed, I removed the eggs and a different pair of house finches built up the nest and laid 5 eggs. Two weeks later they started hatching! I must admit it was so nice not being constantly worried and paranoid about baby birdies. I should have left the unhatched eggs in the nest... but a male bird kept coming to the nest and was super confused about the situation. So by me taking out the eggs, nature resumed. It's the 3rd clutch of 2026 (well, 2nd that made it full term) and 14th batch overall in 5 years! Each clutch has been 4 or 5 eggs, never 3 or 6. Interesting right?

I take the kids out to lunch a lot in the summer, it's kind of our thang. We went to our local Noodles & Co for the first time.

My brother Eric and his wife Tanya and their littlest Isabel flew out to Colorado so they could go to Tanya's sister's engagement party.

Isabel is so gosh dern CUTE.

Tuckered out.

I finally got up the guts and courage to get my tragus pierced!! I love it so much.

Time to focus on all things 4th of July so once again I brought Phong a picture for inspiration and they turned out so festive!

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Enough about us, let's look at kitty pics! I call this one "COPYCAT".

Amy's new favorite spot is in a drawer above my head as I'm exercising. And cuddling me at night.

When we're gone on vacation she hangs out under our bed a lot.

Sandy used to sleep in this tiny spot behind a book display in Chris's office and recently rediscovered it. | Ooh lala Sandy.

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Onto scrappy goodness!
I only shared one 12x12 layout and one double-page spread here on my blog in June. Sharing definitely ebbs and flows with my work schedule. The pages are linked below if you want more details about them:

Rainbow Flowers Layout // Pinwheels Spread

I spent the majority of June getting my 4th of July kit & class prepped and ready to release!

I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING.

Collating all the 4th of July ribbons & threads. 

Putting together the 4th of July kits.

They sold out quickly, thank you so so so much! I already have most of the supplies for my 4th of July kit for 2027!

Then I got to work making my project for teaching at the Simple Stories event in October. In the two hour class I think we'll get the covers wrapped and the pages cut, it's a CHONKER!

I didn't take a whole lot of photos in June outside of the cruise. I was so very busy busting out assignments and working on huge projects that I was really a homebody trying to cram everything in between vacations and events. Especially since the next 6 weeks or so I'll be gone every single Saturday doing something or other! Summer is in full swing!