4th of July's in Utah are my favorite! It acts as the family reunion for my mom's side of the family and I LOVE IT!
Everyone meets in the same spot in the Blacksmith Fork Canyon for a big breakfast, followed by the Hyrum Parade on Main Street, (which was started by my great Grandpa Savage!) and lunch at Aunt Jill's. These are a few things that come to mind when I think of the beloved fourth of July and all my family:

Uncle Todd wearing his striped apron he made in high school, flipping pancakes

Hugging Uncle Corey, trying to get him to say "I love you." (He said it to me once!)

Taking the group picture on the picnic tables- making sure any significant others who's permanency is questionable are stuck on the end so we can easily cut them out of the picture if/when necessary!

Mylan's 7 daughters - The last few years have been especially fun as some start their families! The mini-mini Savages waddling by the new newborns, while prego pregger moms capture the moment! (This year 3 of them were pregnant!) The traditions really will continue forever.

Jill's funny trucker husband from Arkansas
Playing in the river as much as you can get away with
Climbing the trees
Mylan's HUGE fruit salad - Mmmm
Someone always sets their drink down right in the crack of the picnic table, (covered by the table cloth), inevitably pouring a full cup of OJ or Milk on innocent victims. :) It happened 3 different times this year!
Catching salt-water taffy, (a tootsie-roll is a big thrill!) and being sprayed by the fireman's hose in the parade
Counting and recounting my taffy (Now it consists of me just stealing from the kids when there's actually something good!)
Feeling loved, blessed and grateful for such fun family!

All the pictures are actually from the past 5 years. I scanned some older pictures i found from previous 4th of July's that I thought were pretty classic!
My awkward stages, being a foot taller and top heavy as a kid are not exactly fond memories, but this is a good one of Brett, Taylor, Amber, Adrian, Monica and I in 96.
Daxton sitting next to Grandma. I think that is Kellen she's holding (2003?)
My mom with Grandma, lookin so cute! (1996?)

Recently I have extra appreciation for:

HOT WEATHER, SUNSHINE and time at the LAKE!

The peace and quiet that comes AFTER the creepers working on our roof go home at night

My best friends under 8 and over 80

I am now home. Almost as cool as Hawaii.... :/

Love Story (Taylor Swift) meets Viva La Vida (Coldplay) on the piano

ALOHA - Does anyone even read this? Leave a comment or let me know someday if you've ever looked at this.

We took a trip over to the Big Island this weekend to the Kona temple! We may or may not have rented a UHaul as our mode of transportation... :) I'll have to write about my amazing weekend soon but heres some pieces of my brain lately:

I LOVE HAWAII.
Ya. Ok. Of course it makes perfect sense to just randomly go live on a tropical island? Of course. I'll just take fun classes with students from 78 different countries while my winter season will consist of 75-degree weather everyday. I'll go snorkeling, skim boarding, boogie boarding, build sand castles, play frisbee, football and soccer on the beach. Eat bananas straight from the tree. Unlike the people who come from literally all over the planet to pay hundreds of dollars for their one-day admission into the Polynesian Culture Center, I'll just go for free and be friends with all the people who perform there. And while my Rexburg friends' boogers freeze together, I'll be hiking and jumping off waterfalls. Ya know. Whatev.

Life is too good to be true. I'm afraid that once i leave here, reality is waiting to strangle me! I'm anxiously dreading my flight to the mainland. My time here has been surreal. I feel as though this UNREAL dream vacation I've been experiencing as everyday life has to have some fine print. Whats the catch??? I really don't understand. Its like I'm waiting to get the bill in the mail or something. Am I really just this blessed?

I've had so much fun at BYU-Hawaii! I've only posted pictures because every time i write something I delete it! Some things are better unsaid because words just don't do justice lately. Life hasn't been easy but life has been GREAT. Here's a short attempt at communicating recent thoughts:

I LOVE HAWAII! Expanding my perspective towards reality teaches that I am insignificant and ordinary- just one of the billions of kids with whom I share the planet. Yet i carry an entire world of my own, invisible to many, shared with relatively few, exposed to none. It is funny how life is still life, whether I'm in the middle of the ocean on the tiny tropical island of Oahu, or back on the mainland in the arctic tundra of Rexburg Idaho. I am still Robin Bell and everything that goes along with being Robin Bell. Insecurities, talents, humor, joy, heartache, weaknesses and all i possess are inevitably mine. I will always be me no matter where I run. So I'm learning to love Robin Bell!