Fleeting June

I can't believe it is the last day of June. Where does it go? Summer is kicking in here with temps in the 90's tomorrow. UGH. Northampton Tuesday Farmers Market - I am going to melt. I bought a fan because I have power for my freezer. On the good side, my plants in the garden will grow, grow, grow. 

I picked up some strawberries at the Bernardston Farmers Market the other day and made some strawberry ice cream. You can find the recipe here on this post. It is yummy. This time I made a half batch because I only purchased a pint of strawberries. 

Last week, Julia and I went away for a few days. She requested that I share these photos and the story which I wasn't going to do but here goes. Julia is almost 16 and has been a fan of Dancing With The Stars for several years. She is especially fond of the dancer and coach Derek Hough. Let's just say that is an understatement. She has told me time and again that she is going to marry him. I, being the sensible mother, have answered her back at least 50 times "Julia you are never going to meet him, much less marry him." 

But I was wrong. No, she isn't engaged to him but last week, my sister Jenn treated Julia and I to tickets to Move Live - a dance tour featuring Derek and his sister Julianne for Julia's 16th birthday gift and Christmas gift. 

My sister has got to be one of the most generous people I know. She got "VIP" tickets which included a Q&A with the two of them. Julia had her question all planned - "What keeps you motivated?" She stood up, took the microphone, and she got a great answer from Derek. Both Julianne and Derek were very inspirational in their answers. They definitely have careers in motivational speaking if they want them.

The show was pretty fantastic. It was a combination of dance and singing - lots of amazing lights and music and a fabulous NJ crowd in the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank NJ. 

Julia may have her challenges but when she gets onto something, it is hard to stop her. Her next want (after the meeting and the marriage) was an autograph. I said my sister was generous but she is also very patient. We waited behind a black fence along with about 70 other women - from young girls to women in their 70's for at least an hour after the show wrapped. 

These people were not leaving. Julia got the autograph. Score. 

Derek worked his way down the row and half way down, people started asking for selfies. He obliged. I knew she now would want one of them. Julia is little and she was lost in the crowd. He didn't see her but as he was leaving, I told her to run and yell. He turned, and then took a selfie with her. 

Julia says it was the best day of her life. Thank you to Jenn for making it happen. I love this photo of Julia as the show opened. Talk about happy and excited. Sweet.

 
If you get a chance to see the show, check it out. Really entertaining. What talent in that Hough family. The other thing that we took away was that both Derek and Julianne have worked very hard for their success and they continue to. They seemed very down to earth and sincere - so nice to see celebrities being real and being good role models for the public. I don't know if any of you watch DWTS (goodness knows, if Julia wasn't interested, I never would have) but this past season with Derek and his partner Amy Purdy was really inspirational. I can't imagine how many people with disabilities are looking to Amy as a real role model. Good job!

The rest of the summer will be a let-down for her, for sure. No big plans here for trips or vacations. Just sticking close to home and caring for the garden and animals. Enjoy your last day of June.