Zavoral Villa!

"We're live in 20 seconds!!" That's what we heard as we rushed into the studio where the live filming of America's Got Talent, Week 8, Night 1 was taking place. With only 15 more seconds left, the stage crew hollered at Jeremy and me to get to our seats. A few weeks before, I found the show on hulu.com (since we don't have real TV) and soon became an avid viewer. When I found out that the finals would be filmed in Hollywood, I went online to get tickets. They were free! All we had to do was show up no later than 4:00 pm and wear "hip" clothing (yes, that was in the instructions, mentioning that we could get turned away if our wardrobe wasn't cool enough). Not sure if our clothes were up to par, we panicked when we were still on the highway at 4:30. LA traffic sucks. When we finally got to the studio, we were shocked that they still let us in, but it was standing room only. I guess they figured our clothes were more of the second-class type. As w...

Highlights included: Three itty-bitty baby elephants, 4 older baby elephants Watching the elephants for a LONG time, splashing, walking, nursing, taking mud baths, creating mud-sunscreen, beautifying their bodies with mud, eating grass, shaking the dirt off of their grass heaps, chomping, pooping, bellowing, trumpeting, and more. The "journey into Africa" ride The steel band performance Being hot (it hasn't really gotten hot yet in HB, so it was nice to feel some heat!) Drumming with the African acrobats. Jeremy and I actually gained a little audience as we jammed out with one of the African drummers. And I learned a few new patterns! Nature Walk Making clay figurines Watching all the kids' different reactions to the animals, performers, plants etc. Critiqueing the variety of parental strategies displayed throughout the park- something very easy to do when you don't have your own kids :-) Not rushing

In Sunday school, we studied Psalms in the Bible and then we were given time to write our own psalm. Mine ended up rhyming: Psalm of Independence Day By SarahLynn Zavoral Land of freedom, land of choice, For thy sake I sing and rejoice. Constituted with wisdom from God, By thy beauty I am awed. Jeremy is not one to write lovey-dovey stuff, but his psalm ended up that way! He will KILL me if I post it and he will swear never to write anything from the heart again. So that's why it's here, too. Please don't say anything to him about it in person or on facebook/email, and I might get away with it: Psalm of Gratitude By Jeremy Zavoral Praise the Lord for blessing me with a wife who is as pure on the inside as she is beautiful on the outside. And how grateful I am for the opportunities the Lord has opened for me in my career and education. Amen.

Fourth of July is by far my favorite holiday! (Easter is also a favorite, but I think I love the 4th even more). It's the holiday of pancake breakfasts, concerts in the park, red white and blue parades, summer sweat, national anthems, historical reverence, BBQ's, watermellon, fireworks, homemade ice cream, family and cousins, and that intangible thrill in the air of pure summer joy and American pride...never to be squelched by the falsehood of a fictitious character or pagan tradition. So forgive me if I get a little nostalgic. Our first 4th (2006) was spent in Utah shortly after we were engaged. We ate pancakes in the street, watched the parade with Jeremy's family, strolled around the craft fair on main street, and took a nap in a park near my apt. We also introduced both of our parents to each other! That was a big moment, very successful. Our families played football together and we watched fireworks from Squaw Peak. (no making out though, cuz our parents were there)...