Sam has shamed me into actually updating--something I've been putting off for about 2 months. He updated, and I didn't. What's the world coming to?
As a warning--I'm going to be back-posting so that posterity doesn't know what a slacker I am. You've been warned. Now look forward to the posts.
ADDED: Okay, the updating is complete. There are 9 posts altogether (unless I counted wrong, which is quite possible), and they start in May and go to now. And I realize that my life isn't really so interesting that you really care about where you can find descriptions of the last two months of it, but in case you do, there you go. XOXO
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
God Bless America
We are so proud to be American. We love this nation and everything it stands for. It was valiant men and women, our forefathers, who stood in defiance of what they knew to be ungodly and unjust, who sought better circumstances for their lives and their families. They sought the right to worship God according to their own dictates. They sought a land where they could raise up families unto God with the opportunity to be everything and anything that they could conceive in their hearts. This defiance was not spiteful severance from the lands that bore their own fathers, but rather a separation from the inequity of greed and selfishness ruled by the whims of the eternal Adversary, who is headless of all government except to the extent that it serves his maniacal purposes.
In glorious and bright opposition to the oppression of souls is the life and light of a loving God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Great Divine Heavenly Father through His Holy Spirit and providence inspired individuals to seek new horizons with courage. It is only when we give up on ourselves and each other that we fail, and these individuals did not give up. From the pilgrims and explorers to the patriots and revolutionists that in controversy stood for what was right, men and women lived and died so we could have the luxury of true freedom. It really is our manifest destiny--"you can't stop it, neither can I"--even though we must earn it with valiance and courage. The heart soars to think of our heroes who signed the Deceleration of Independence, battled indifference and greed, left hearth and home to fight an impossible war. A government was founded that was backed by God, a constitution was formed, and dreams were as great as the frontiers ahead.
Over and over again we have fought for our liberties, our rights, and our land, so we could let freedom ring in our own hearts and in that of any who desired it. Despite the tyranny and schemes of evil at home and abroad, despite scandal, fear, mistakes, and uncertainty, still the emblems of freedom stand.
We know that God inspired our forefathers to till the perfect land for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored again to the earth, to remain ever after until the Son of God returns in His glory to revel himself to all the earth. Where else could a 14-year-old boy have such freedom of choice as to consider multiple religions, including the possibility of none being correct? God has blessed America to be the cradle of the Church of Jesus Christ. Where else could such a church be legally established in such times?
Thank God for good men and women who have led this nation through civil war and dispute, through two world wars, through a great economic depression and more recent recessions, through defending democracy amidst great controversy in Korea, in Vietnam, and in Iraq. Courage and mercy have led us, and they must continue to be our guides. God bless our veterans. Individuals will scheme, but we--the stewards of this land, the people--determine our destiny. "Our future is as bright as our faith." Our greatest enemies are pride, selfishness, apathy, and sloth. Our greatest allies are courage, industry, love, compassion, and faith.
Men and women have died for this cause, and so many more have day after day lived out their lives striving to fulfill the American dream of a happy, productive life. God bless this land and its good people. Let no soul forget who they are and what they can do with their voice, their heart, and their honest hard work.
Perversions, tyranny, oppressions, deceptions, and countless other enemies rear their ugly heads in the most beguiling ways, confusing good for wrong and evil for right, yet we will stand triumphant as we better ourselves as individuals. The greatest way we can improve our country is to improve ourselves. It is our duty to ourselves, our families, our spouses, our children, our neighbors, our parents, our noble forefathers, and our God to be all we can be as Americans or citizens of any nation on this earth. We are the future, and we must learn from the past. God bless America. Though there are corruptions and complications, our government works and has worked for the benefit of us the people for 233 years. It is the government of the people, by the people, for the people, and it can only fail if we as the people give up striving to make it succeed.
Our prayer is that goodness may reign from the mountains to the rivers to the plains to the coasts of this great land. Take a moment and consider the great nation in which you live and re- pledge your allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands--one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
"In God we Trust"
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Fourth of July!
Can I just say that I love it when Independence Day is during the weekend, because it means I get a free day off of work?
Yesterday Sam and I celebrated not having to go into work by babysitting our friends' little girl, who's probably the cutest toddler in existence. I didn't get any pictures of our day with her because she was always on the go! Man, I didn't think she was ever going to run out of energy! We took her to the festival that was set up downtown, which was so much fun! There were a ton of booths to go shopping at and a stage for people to perform at and historical displays and carnival rides and all kinds of things. She got to run around to her heart's content on the grass, and by the time her parents met us she was out. Like, a little kid's balloon popped right by us, and she didn't even flinch. Chasing her around all day was probably the funnest thing I've done in a long time. I can't wait until I get to be a mom and have my own kids to chase around.
Then this morning we got up early (sort of) to find a spot to watch the 4th of July parade, which was really good. A lot of people set their stuff up for it last night and spent the night camped out on the sidewalks. Talk about dedication. This is about how dedicated I was:
Yes, I held down the fort from any usurping intruders who wanted to block our view. A very noble endeavor, one you can see I'm taking very seriously.
After the parade, Sam and I went back to the festival thing and walked around all the booths with some friends. He and his buddies did this cool thing where they were on a pole-bridge-thing and then had to try to knock each other off with padded sticks that were as big as they were. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I wasn't thinking, I guess. It was pretty funny to watch, though. Sam went flying when he got knocked down. Giggle.
After hanging out for a while, Sam and I went to . . . Stadium of Fire!! Yes, yes we did. It was so cool. I'm so glad we spent the money and went. We had pretty good seats, too--on the east side of the stadium in one of the bottom sections, about 30 rows up.
This is the stage before it got any use.
One of the neatest things about it was that our section had chairs--like the kind you can rent so you're not just sitting on the backless bench, except they were like cheap plastic lawn chairs, only blue and little. It was so nice to have a seat back! And the section right next to us didn't have the seats, so Sam chose very well.
Here we are waiting and fooling around with the camera. As usual, my waiting involves a book.
The evening was so cool. I can't even think of how else to describe it. At the beginning 3 fighter jet-things from Hill Air Force Base flew over the stadium in formation, which was awesome, and then a ton of dancers tore it up on the field, and then SheDaisy performed. I know you can't distinguish them, but here they are.
They were really, really good. I didn't know most of their songs, but there were a few I recognized, which was fun. Then after SheDaisy finished, a group of fire dancers took the stage in the middle of the field, which was so, so, so cool. I mean, wow. They were flinging around the fire sticks and fire hula-hoops like they weren't on fire, and without hesitation, too. It was awesome. Sam took some pictures of them, but you can't really see anything, so I'm not going to post them.
Then the Jonas Brothers came on. And here is my confession: I like the Jonas Brothers. There. I said it. I, Holly, a girl of almost 23 years, am a big fan of the Jonas Brothers. Whew. I feel better with that confession out in the open.
So, with that said, the Jonas Brothers were amazing! They put on a really, really good show. I channeled my inner 13-year-old and sang along to all of the songs (well, the choruses of all the songs, since I only know 2 by heart) and danced and had a great time. Sam had a good time, too, but he plugged his ears pretty much the whole time. He's never been to that kind of concert before, so he was totally unprepared for how deafening and continuous the screams could be. I, however, have fond memories of being defeaned and of cheerfully adding to the din at *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys concerts, so it was like revisiting my middle school years. Poor Sam, though. I should have thought to bring him earplugs. Anyway, here are the Jonas Brothers.
I know, I know, you can't really see them. But it's still fun to post the pictures. The woman next to us, she had a camera that zoomed in so close than when Nick was playing the piano for "When You Look Me In The Eyes," you could see him like she'd been right next to him. Unfortunately, our camera is not that awesome, but if you really squint you can sort of tell who is who. Maybe.
So they were pretty awesome. Then came the fireworks, which were phenomenal. I loved it--the whole evening. Definitely, definitely worth the money. I'd go again in a heartbeat.
What a wonderful 4th of July. I can't think of one thing we could have done that would have made it more awesome. The bar's been set pretty high for next year, it seems.
Yesterday Sam and I celebrated not having to go into work by babysitting our friends' little girl, who's probably the cutest toddler in existence. I didn't get any pictures of our day with her because she was always on the go! Man, I didn't think she was ever going to run out of energy! We took her to the festival that was set up downtown, which was so much fun! There were a ton of booths to go shopping at and a stage for people to perform at and historical displays and carnival rides and all kinds of things. She got to run around to her heart's content on the grass, and by the time her parents met us she was out. Like, a little kid's balloon popped right by us, and she didn't even flinch. Chasing her around all day was probably the funnest thing I've done in a long time. I can't wait until I get to be a mom and have my own kids to chase around.
Then this morning we got up early (sort of) to find a spot to watch the 4th of July parade, which was really good. A lot of people set their stuff up for it last night and spent the night camped out on the sidewalks. Talk about dedication. This is about how dedicated I was:
Yes, I held down the fort from any usurping intruders who wanted to block our view. A very noble endeavor, one you can see I'm taking very seriously.
After the parade, Sam and I went back to the festival thing and walked around all the booths with some friends. He and his buddies did this cool thing where they were on a pole-bridge-thing and then had to try to knock each other off with padded sticks that were as big as they were. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I wasn't thinking, I guess. It was pretty funny to watch, though. Sam went flying when he got knocked down. Giggle.
After hanging out for a while, Sam and I went to . . . Stadium of Fire!! Yes, yes we did. It was so cool. I'm so glad we spent the money and went. We had pretty good seats, too--on the east side of the stadium in one of the bottom sections, about 30 rows up.
This is the stage before it got any use.
One of the neatest things about it was that our section had chairs--like the kind you can rent so you're not just sitting on the backless bench, except they were like cheap plastic lawn chairs, only blue and little. It was so nice to have a seat back! And the section right next to us didn't have the seats, so Sam chose very well.
Here we are waiting and fooling around with the camera. As usual, my waiting involves a book.
The evening was so cool. I can't even think of how else to describe it. At the beginning 3 fighter jet-things from Hill Air Force Base flew over the stadium in formation, which was awesome, and then a ton of dancers tore it up on the field, and then SheDaisy performed. I know you can't distinguish them, but here they are.
They were really, really good. I didn't know most of their songs, but there were a few I recognized, which was fun. Then after SheDaisy finished, a group of fire dancers took the stage in the middle of the field, which was so, so, so cool. I mean, wow. They were flinging around the fire sticks and fire hula-hoops like they weren't on fire, and without hesitation, too. It was awesome. Sam took some pictures of them, but you can't really see anything, so I'm not going to post them.
Then the Jonas Brothers came on. And here is my confession: I like the Jonas Brothers. There. I said it. I, Holly, a girl of almost 23 years, am a big fan of the Jonas Brothers. Whew. I feel better with that confession out in the open.
So, with that said, the Jonas Brothers were amazing! They put on a really, really good show. I channeled my inner 13-year-old and sang along to all of the songs (well, the choruses of all the songs, since I only know 2 by heart) and danced and had a great time. Sam had a good time, too, but he plugged his ears pretty much the whole time. He's never been to that kind of concert before, so he was totally unprepared for how deafening and continuous the screams could be. I, however, have fond memories of being defeaned and of cheerfully adding to the din at *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys concerts, so it was like revisiting my middle school years. Poor Sam, though. I should have thought to bring him earplugs. Anyway, here are the Jonas Brothers.
I know, I know, you can't really see them. But it's still fun to post the pictures. The woman next to us, she had a camera that zoomed in so close than when Nick was playing the piano for "When You Look Me In The Eyes," you could see him like she'd been right next to him. Unfortunately, our camera is not that awesome, but if you really squint you can sort of tell who is who. Maybe.
So they were pretty awesome. Then came the fireworks, which were phenomenal. I loved it--the whole evening. Definitely, definitely worth the money. I'd go again in a heartbeat.
What a wonderful 4th of July. I can't think of one thing we could have done that would have made it more awesome. The bar's been set pretty high for next year, it seems.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Photography Night
For mutual tonight, we had a professional photographer teach the girls a little bit about photography and how to take good pictures. After explaining things like lighting, posture, posing, etc., to them, she unleashed them on the world outside.
Luckily, it was a nice day--which, considering the month of rain we've been having, is really saying something. While the girls were off snapping pictures, the photographer took individual portraits of each of the girls for free, and then a group shot of everyone, which was really nice of her to do. The girls all seemed to have a really good time, especially when they got to be the photographers. Being a leader, I got to be a model several times--sometimes without knowing it. I thought the pictures were funny, so I whipped them up into a collage for your viewing pleasure. Aren't my girls talented? I think they captured my true essence.
Luckily, it was a nice day--which, considering the month of rain we've been having, is really saying something. While the girls were off snapping pictures, the photographer took individual portraits of each of the girls for free, and then a group shot of everyone, which was really nice of her to do. The girls all seemed to have a really good time, especially when they got to be the photographers. Being a leader, I got to be a model several times--sometimes without knowing it. I thought the pictures were funny, so I whipped them up into a collage for your viewing pleasure. Aren't my girls talented? I think they captured my true essence.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Rock Climbing
For mutual tonight we got to have a class activity instead of an activity group activity, so my adviser and I took the girls rock climbing. It was so much fun! Sam was nice enough to come as an additional expert, and he belayed the girls the whole night.
The girls all did so good! They were all brave enough to try and kept going when they got frustrated. It was a lot of fun. I hope we have the chance to do it again!
Anyway, here are the girls' exploits. P.S. These pictures were all taken with my phone. Pretty cool, huh? It takes good pictures. And P.P.S. I experimented with Picasa to make the collage. Fun, huh? I had fun, anyway.
The girls all did so good! They were all brave enough to try and kept going when they got frustrated. It was a lot of fun. I hope we have the chance to do it again!
Anyway, here are the girls' exploits. P.S. These pictures were all taken with my phone. Pretty cool, huh? It takes good pictures. And P.P.S. I experimented with Picasa to make the collage. Fun, huh? I had fun, anyway.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thanksgiving Point
For an anniversary present last year, Sam's parents gave us a gift card to use at Thanksgiving Point, and since our anniversary is in December, we decided to save it for now, when there would actually be things to do.
I'd never been to Thanksgiving Point before, so this was really exciting for me. We went to the gardens and cruised around on segways--I know, the coolest thing ever!--and then we went to the dinosaur museum and saw a movie on IMAX while we were there, then we saw Night at the Museum 2 to go along with the museum theme. It was such a fun date! Sam and I haven't gone on a special date like that for a long time, maybe since the day we got engaged, so it was extra special.
Anyway, here is my evidence of our movements.
We started off on the porch of the gardens, getting instructions on the use of segways and learning how to balance and go forward and stuff. Sam didn't have to practice as much as I did, because he already did it last year with his parents.
So once I got used to the segway, we cruised around the gardens, which were beautiful. It was a little early in the year, so it wasn't as flower-y as it could be, but it was still gorgeous. As you can see here.
Here we are cruising. Sam's showing off, of course. This was before he crashed into me. As you can see from the picture, he didn't take the moving vehicles very seriously, so of course he wasn't paying attention when I stopped at one point--I was about 20 feet in front of him at the time--and tried to show him something. When he didn't reply, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him coming at me full-speed, and luckily I had time to jump off and avoid tumbling to the ground, which he was not so lucky about. He still rammed into me, but he didn't knock me down. He missed his chance this time and will have to wait for a next time, I guess. We were really lucky that the segways weren't damaged, though. If they had been, the price would have probably hurt a lot. He made up for it, though, by presenting me with Stadium of Fire tickets. Talk about exciting! I've been wanting to go so much, and now I get to!
At the museum, we saw lots of cool things. The dinosaur skeletons were huge! I forgot how big they could be. And I had to get a picture by the gigantic maybe-this-existed-maybe-it-didn't shark to prove that I'm getting over my fear. At least when it comes to fake sharks.
The IMAX movie was pretty cool. It was a documentary of some delta in Africa and it was in 3-D, so we got up close and personal with some of the animals. It was really neat. Except for the part when we were exiting and someone had thrown up in our aisle, so we had to climb up to the next aisle to avoid it. Yeah, that was gross. It smelled, too.
After we explored the museum, we got to see Night at the Museum 2, which we really liked. It was a good movie--I really liked the characters, and there were some good jokes. Not as good as the first one, but pretty good so far as sequels go.
And that was our day. Talk about a fun time! I'm so glad we got to do it--it was fun to just hang out with my husband and do something we normally wouldn't have the chance to do. Thanks, honey!
I'd never been to Thanksgiving Point before, so this was really exciting for me. We went to the gardens and cruised around on segways--I know, the coolest thing ever!--and then we went to the dinosaur museum and saw a movie on IMAX while we were there, then we saw Night at the Museum 2 to go along with the museum theme. It was such a fun date! Sam and I haven't gone on a special date like that for a long time, maybe since the day we got engaged, so it was extra special.
Anyway, here is my evidence of our movements.
We started off on the porch of the gardens, getting instructions on the use of segways and learning how to balance and go forward and stuff. Sam didn't have to practice as much as I did, because he already did it last year with his parents.
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So once I got used to the segway, we cruised around the gardens, which were beautiful. It was a little early in the year, so it wasn't as flower-y as it could be, but it was still gorgeous. As you can see here.
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Here we are cruising. Sam's showing off, of course. This was before he crashed into me. As you can see from the picture, he didn't take the moving vehicles very seriously, so of course he wasn't paying attention when I stopped at one point--I was about 20 feet in front of him at the time--and tried to show him something. When he didn't reply, I glanced over my shoulder and saw him coming at me full-speed, and luckily I had time to jump off and avoid tumbling to the ground, which he was not so lucky about. He still rammed into me, but he didn't knock me down. He missed his chance this time and will have to wait for a next time, I guess. We were really lucky that the segways weren't damaged, though. If they had been, the price would have probably hurt a lot. He made up for it, though, by presenting me with Stadium of Fire tickets. Talk about exciting! I've been wanting to go so much, and now I get to!
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At the museum, we saw lots of cool things. The dinosaur skeletons were huge! I forgot how big they could be. And I had to get a picture by the gigantic maybe-this-existed-maybe-it-didn't shark to prove that I'm getting over my fear. At least when it comes to fake sharks.
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The IMAX movie was pretty cool. It was a documentary of some delta in Africa and it was in 3-D, so we got up close and personal with some of the animals. It was really neat. Except for the part when we were exiting and someone had thrown up in our aisle, so we had to climb up to the next aisle to avoid it. Yeah, that was gross. It smelled, too.
After we explored the museum, we got to see Night at the Museum 2, which we really liked. It was a good movie--I really liked the characters, and there were some good jokes. Not as good as the first one, but pretty good so far as sequels go.
And that was our day. Talk about a fun time! I'm so glad we got to do it--it was fun to just hang out with my husband and do something we normally wouldn't have the chance to do. Thanks, honey!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Hiking the Y
For YM/YW tonight, we took upon ourselves the endeavor of hiking the Y. A lot of the kids had done it before, but it was a first for Sam and me, and man, it was steep! I had no idea how steep it would be--especially the very end on the Y. But we persevered and were victorious. Yes!
At the beginning of the trail, I gave a little spiritual thought, then in the middle another leader gave a thought, and then at the top there was the final spiritual thought. They were all about mountains and virtue and temples and that kind of stuff. It was a really cool experience, and the youth actually seemed to listen. Sam was a bad example, though--his cell phone went off during my thought. I know. I had to sit him down and talk to him about that, and now he understands that that is not acceptable behavior. Teehee.
Anyway, back down at the bottom we got creamcicles, which I think was the best part of the hike. And since there were more refreshments than people, we were all allowed to have more than one, even the leaders. Talk about exciting.
Here are a couple of pictures from the night (my girls and some Mia Maids).
At the beginning of the trail, I gave a little spiritual thought, then in the middle another leader gave a thought, and then at the top there was the final spiritual thought. They were all about mountains and virtue and temples and that kind of stuff. It was a really cool experience, and the youth actually seemed to listen. Sam was a bad example, though--his cell phone went off during my thought. I know. I had to sit him down and talk to him about that, and now he understands that that is not acceptable behavior. Teehee.
Anyway, back down at the bottom we got creamcicles, which I think was the best part of the hike. And since there were more refreshments than people, we were all allowed to have more than one, even the leaders. Talk about exciting.
Here are a couple of pictures from the night (my girls and some Mia Maids).
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
Get Fuzzy
Because I grew up with a cat, Rob and Satchel's comments really rang true. So funny!
I'll have a real post soon, when I get around to it. I've been busy and actually took pictures of what I've done (or had Sam take pictures). :)
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Memorial Day
For Memorial Day today, Sam and I went on a date to RC Willey, where we walked around, looking at furniture we had no intention of buying and partaking of the free hot dogs and sodas offered in the back as lunch. It was pretty awesome. For some reason, Sam and I love RC Willey dates. You just can't top the excitement of having dozens of salespeople rushing up to you, asking if you need assistance. What could make you feel more important?
After our date, we went on a fun hike with our cousins Matt and Tyrelle. It was so much fun! It was little Ellie's first hike (their daughter), and she had a great time. The rest of us all had fun, too. See?
The trail was very exciting, because we got to cross a stream every five minutes or so. I was wearing my trusty hiking sandals, so I splashed around happily every time we got to water. By the end of the hike, my pants were soaked to my knees because I always went straight through the streams without looking for a path, and some of them were kind of deep. It was awesome.
The other exciting part about the trail were all the beetles we saw. I think we saw over a hundred scampering along, and they were huge--like, cockroach-sized huge. I couldn't believe it. So that was exciting because you had to watch where you walked, otherwise you'd hear a really nasty crunch.
After our hike, we came back to our apartment and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the little charcoal grill thing our landlady was nice enough to let us use. Mmmm. We have the best landlady. And the best cousins.
After our date, we went on a fun hike with our cousins Matt and Tyrelle. It was so much fun! It was little Ellie's first hike (their daughter), and she had a great time. The rest of us all had fun, too. See?
The trail was very exciting, because we got to cross a stream every five minutes or so. I was wearing my trusty hiking sandals, so I splashed around happily every time we got to water. By the end of the hike, my pants were soaked to my knees because I always went straight through the streams without looking for a path, and some of them were kind of deep. It was awesome.
The other exciting part about the trail were all the beetles we saw. I think we saw over a hundred scampering along, and they were huge--like, cockroach-sized huge. I couldn't believe it. So that was exciting because you had to watch where you walked, otherwise you'd hear a really nasty crunch.
After our hike, we came back to our apartment and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the little charcoal grill thing our landlady was nice enough to let us use. Mmmm. We have the best landlady. And the best cousins.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Funny
So, Sam and I were driving around in Springville on our way to help someone move, and we passed by this:
I thought it was so funny that I made him turn around so we could take a picture. Isn't it awesome? I love creative, funny people.
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Friday, May 22, 2009
Goodbyes
So...goodbyes aren't fun. Why do people have to move? How is that fair? And we had two friends leave around the same time, which is, like, double unfair. The first were the Colletts.
Mimi and I have been friends since we started work on the same day at Heritage Web Solutions, both of us as editors. And then, coincidences of coincidences, her husband, Jeff, was in the same program as Sam, so they were in almost all of the same classes. If that's not a recipe for bff-ness, I don't know what is. Here are pictures from our last hurrah (it involved crock pot chicken tacos, which I made, and which were very yummy. See, when the occasion calls for it, I can and will cook. It's got to be a pretty serious occasion, though).
Me and Mimi (not the best picture of me, but Mimi looks cute.)
The whole crew
After we said goodbye to Mimi and Jeff, we had to say goodbye to the Katie and Dallin. Katie and I were roommates--I don't know how good of a roommate I was, since I was engaged the whole time, but we were still roommates--and her husband, Dallin, and Sam were roommates, so we've kept in touch.
This is our last hurrah with the old apartment 113 roommates--Katie, Angela, and me--plus families. We went out to Red Robin--our standby for visits--and then hung out at Ang's apartment.
Apartment 113 girls
The gang
Sigh. I guess I shouldn't be too upset with our friends for leaving us, since Sam and I will be the ones leaving in December. But who knows--maybe we'll all end up living by each other again one day. Talk about awesome.
Mimi and I have been friends since we started work on the same day at Heritage Web Solutions, both of us as editors. And then, coincidences of coincidences, her husband, Jeff, was in the same program as Sam, so they were in almost all of the same classes. If that's not a recipe for bff-ness, I don't know what is. Here are pictures from our last hurrah (it involved crock pot chicken tacos, which I made, and which were very yummy. See, when the occasion calls for it, I can and will cook. It's got to be a pretty serious occasion, though).
Me and Mimi (not the best picture of me, but Mimi looks cute.)
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The whole crew
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After we said goodbye to Mimi and Jeff, we had to say goodbye to the Katie and Dallin. Katie and I were roommates--I don't know how good of a roommate I was, since I was engaged the whole time, but we were still roommates--and her husband, Dallin, and Sam were roommates, so we've kept in touch.
This is our last hurrah with the old apartment 113 roommates--Katie, Angela, and me--plus families. We went out to Red Robin--our standby for visits--and then hung out at Ang's apartment.
Apartment 113 girls
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The gang
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Sigh. I guess I shouldn't be too upset with our friends for leaving us, since Sam and I will be the ones leaving in December. But who knows--maybe we'll all end up living by each other again one day. Talk about awesome.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
YW Overnighter
For a YW bonding activity, we took the girls up to a cabin one of the families in our ward owns down sort of by Fountain Green (sort of). The cabin was absolutely gorgeous. Wow. And it had a really awesome swing set that the girls had a lot of fun on.
Pretty much every time they had a spare minute, they were outside playing. And the swing set was especially cool because it was adult-sized--like, it was made for adults, not for kids. So, as you can see, they could all play on it at the same time.
We mostly just hung out Friday night and had some fun bonding time. The sharing of iPods was a favored activity, as was throwing gummy bears at Sam on the pretense of trying to get them in his mouth. I think most of them got him in the eye. Why was Sam there, you ask? Well, he was lucky enough to get an invitation to go as one of the two Priesthood holders, and he jumped on the invitation. You'll never see Sam pass up a good time.
As service, the girls cleaned the cabin from top to bottom Saturday morning, making it spotless. I got to wash windows. Then, of course, as soon as their jobs were done, they were back out on the swing set until we were ready to pack up and go.
Friday night we had a nice devotional about feeding sheep, which tied in very nicely to our activity on Saturday. We got to go to a farm kind of in the area of the cabin, and the girls got to see the brand new baby lambs and pet them and hold them. It was really neat. Then we got to see the little waterfall that gives Fountain Green it's name. It was very, very pretty. Overall it was a really fun activity. I hope we get to do it again sometime--our girls don't have enough bonding time across classes anymore, and I think this was really good for them and gave them a chance to get to know girls ourside of their classes. Plus, the cabin was awesome. That alone makes me want to do it again.
Here's a collage of our fun.
Pretty much every time they had a spare minute, they were outside playing. And the swing set was especially cool because it was adult-sized--like, it was made for adults, not for kids. So, as you can see, they could all play on it at the same time.
We mostly just hung out Friday night and had some fun bonding time. The sharing of iPods was a favored activity, as was throwing gummy bears at Sam on the pretense of trying to get them in his mouth. I think most of them got him in the eye. Why was Sam there, you ask? Well, he was lucky enough to get an invitation to go as one of the two Priesthood holders, and he jumped on the invitation. You'll never see Sam pass up a good time.
As service, the girls cleaned the cabin from top to bottom Saturday morning, making it spotless. I got to wash windows. Then, of course, as soon as their jobs were done, they were back out on the swing set until we were ready to pack up and go.
Friday night we had a nice devotional about feeding sheep, which tied in very nicely to our activity on Saturday. We got to go to a farm kind of in the area of the cabin, and the girls got to see the brand new baby lambs and pet them and hold them. It was really neat. Then we got to see the little waterfall that gives Fountain Green it's name. It was very, very pretty. Overall it was a really fun activity. I hope we get to do it again sometime--our girls don't have enough bonding time across classes anymore, and I think this was really good for them and gave them a chance to get to know girls ourside of their classes. Plus, the cabin was awesome. That alone makes me want to do it again.
Here's a collage of our fun.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Boston Adventure
A few weeks ago, Sam and I flew out to Boston with my parents for the wedding of one of my good friends, Brad--he was kind of like a brother/cousin to me. It was such a fun trip! I'm so happy for him and his wife, Emily--they seem absolutely perfect for each other. Here are some pictures of the fun.
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The groom and bride and father of the bride (p.s. I love how sassy Emily looks in this picture)
The set-up for the ring ceremony
Maria (she's practically my aunt) and my mom
Me and my dad
Me and Sam
Me--hello!
Mom and me
Mom, me, and Sam--Sam is being silly, as usual. |
The Boston Temple
While we were in Boston--and other people were taking pictures of my friend and his pretty new bride--Sam occupied himself with taking pictures of the temple. Wasn't it a gorgeous day? I think I've won him over to Boston just from the temple being so beautiful. He says it's his favorite temple, so now I just have to work on actually getting him settled in New England permanently. ;)
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Get Fuzzy
Okay, this was way too funny not to include--mostly just the last block. I almost died laughing. Not even kidding.
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Friday, May 1, 2009
Our Little Niece
Here is little Ellie:
All right, she's technically not our niece--she's Sam's cousin's daughter, making her our first cousin once removed? is that how that works?--but we hang out with Matt and Tyrelle enough that she might as well be our niece. Isn't she so cute? She's a preemie, so when we first met her she was tiny. Sam always refused to hold her because she was so small and he was worried he'd break her or something. This picture shows Sam finally brave enough to hold her, and not even looking too worried about it.
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Puzzled
So when Sam and I were in Boston this past weekend, I passed something in the airport that made me kind of stop and stare.
Bored in the airport and have $200+ to spend? Step up to our Apple vending machine, where you can buy an iPod, earbuds, software, and more!
Honestly, do people actually use this kind of thing? I can't even imagine dropping that kind of money--even if it is on a credit card--at an airport. Well, besides for the ticket. But maybe I'm just really, really weird. Who knows.
Bored in the airport and have $200+ to spend? Step up to our Apple vending machine, where you can buy an iPod, earbuds, software, and more!
Honestly, do people actually use this kind of thing? I can't even imagine dropping that kind of money--even if it is on a credit card--at an airport. Well, besides for the ticket. But maybe I'm just really, really weird. Who knows.
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