The Beginnings of One Awesome Trip

Okay so it's been awhile since we've been back and this is the first time I've had the chance to sit down and share the trip with all of you! Now I have seen other takes on this vacation (namely my brother and sister in law's amazing blog)... so once you've seen my boring version of this trip, I invite you to jump over to Todd and Nicole's blog, which you can connect to on the side of mine and take a gander at all of their cute pictures. In the meantime, I thought I'd do this travelogue style and put pictures in as they happened. We left Mom and Dad's house Sunday July 12 and headed down to Todd and Nicoles. We had a total of 11 people traveling, so it required that we caravan with 3 cars. We met Todd and Nicole and ate breakfast in their parking lot, then prayed together and loaded up. Todd, Nicole, Andrew, and Rory in their brand new van; Dad, Carolee, Malerie, Kaity, and Colin in Dad's car; and Mom and I in mine. We started out and made it to St. George in time for a picnic lunch and a gas fill up. We found a park near the temple and ate yummy chicken salad sandwiches and let the kids play on the insanely hot playground, where the highlight was this weird clearish bug on the curb of the playground. After further investigation I determined that it was a dead and sun bleached bee. After that disappointing discovery, we continued on and made it all the way to Las Vegas before getting stuck in road construction that lasted until the California border. After a stop for gas and food at In N Out Burger in Barstow, we left Todd and Nicole to get their kids ready for bed, and headed out because the hotel reservation was in my name and we decided to get a headstart so we could be checked in by the time they got there with the sleeping kids. Mapquest directions in hand I started out and drove fairly successfully for what seemed like years. We're not sure what happened here, but somewhere we made a wrong turn or something and ended up lost in California's freeway system. With only our mapquest map and a map of Western and Central states (California to Arkansas), it was hopeless! I finally called Todd and Nicole and said "Where are you guys?" They said "Five miles from the hotel." I said, " Good. Where am I?" I tried to explain where I was and at the same time ended up in the wrong lane of a junction and found myself on a freeway that was not part of my instructions. Nicole consulted their much more reliable map of California and found my way for me. Forty five minutes later (and the hotel allowing Todd to check into his room with sleeping kids) we pulled into the hotel, travel weary and upset with the entire California Departments of Travel and Tourism. After unloading the cars, Mom, Nicole, and I headed off into the depths of El Cajon in search of a grocery store. After a few wrong turns, (I'm not directionally challenged normally) we finally found a grocery store and went in to buy groceries for the week. Across the street from the store was a Walgreens, where we went to buy more detailed maps of San Diego specifically and California as a whole. Needless to say, I only made one mistake driving the rest of the week! We all exhaustedly fell into bed that night and Nicole and I talked each other to sleep! Monday morning we woke up excited for Sea World. I went to Sea World when I was nine. It's changed a lot! They have a deal right now, where adults pay kids prices and you get a free day, so we were excited to see it all! We started by mapping out the shows we wanted to see, and then proceeded into the park. We stopped to watch some dolphins with trainers. Nicole wanted pictures of Andrew seeing all of the animals so this first one is Andrew watching the Sea World trainers with the dolphins. We then walked over to the otter display and this one really interested Colin. He was really excited to see the playful otters! They were so playful, that I couldn't get a very good picture of them, but I did like this one of Colin's face!
We went to see the Bat Rays and eels and touched them. It was a pretty cool experience to touch these giant sting rays, but I have no pictures because my hands and arms were busy getting into the water, however I think there are a few pictures on Todd and Nicole's blog.

We went on the Shipwreck Rapids ride three times during a Shamu show so there was no line and got sufficiently drenched. It's a lot like the Rattlesnake Rapids ride at Lagoon, only wetter! Again I have no pictures because my camera was safely tucked in the stroller where it wouldn't get wet. After that we went on the Skyride over Mission Bay and since I have a slight fear of heights (okay a little more than slight) I only took one picture because I felt it necessary to hold on!
We spent some time at the tide pool touching star fish and
sea cucumbers that reminded me of a super slimy pickle and

sea urchins. They were weirdly pokey and I only touched it once because it kind of freaked me out! (Not a great picture... too much glare off the water, but it was HUGE!)The kids really liked the tide pool and thought it was pretty neat to pick up starfish.
At this point it was time for the Shamu Believe show and we were sitting in the soak zone, so all of my pictures were taken with a water proof camera that is yet to be developed but there are some pretty good pictures on Todd and Nicole's blog. They were up higher, out of the soak zone with Mom.

After a stop for lunch and some time in the Shark Encounter where Mom got some great pictures of the big teeth and Colin and Andrews frightened looks (ask Andrew what a shark says and he'll put his hands in a point on his head and hum the first two notes of the Jaws theme!) we took in the dolphin show which was pretty comical. They have a family that helps out, and they have one of the trainers pretend to be part of the family. In our show it was the Mom. It was funny to see her fall into the water and be saved by the dolphin. I thought she was just some random woman, but Todd and Nicole had seen the show before and knew the trick. Pretty funny! Rory didn't really get too into much of what was going on, but she made some pretty cute faces at the camera!

This picture is an attempt to get the whole family down the line... Mom, some kids, Carolee, Dad holding Andrew, Nicole and then Todd and Rory up close.
In addition to dolphins, this show also featured pilot whales. I decided they are kind of funny looking.

We spent some time exploring small aquariums and then decided to go see the Sesame Street 4-D show. I took this picture while waiting in line.

After the show we were wandering over to the Sesame Street Bay of Play (a play area mostly for kids) when we heard many barking sounds, and so we detoured to the sea lion display where it was feeding time. Mom bought some fish and we all took turns feeding them. It was one of my favorite parts of the day. They were so photogenic and it was funny to see them climbing the walls trying to get the fish we were dropping. Say Cheese!
This is my hand, holding out the fish attempting to get the picture while keeping the fish away from the flock of birds that also thought it was feeding time. I got the picture and then dropped the fish and I was rewarded by a photo opportunity...
and then another...



and a few more.After playing in the Sesame Street Bay of Play for a bit, we headed out to the car for dinner, and Kaity got sick. We'd already paid for the Sky Tower, which is a huge round thing that goes up really high and then rotates so you can see a lot of San Diego and the surrounding area, so we decided to do that before heading back to the hotel. Todd and Nicole and Kaity stayed off while we went up. The best part was that it was right around sunset. It was a gorgeous view.
Shamu StadiumThe Dolphin Stadium and Mission Bay
We headed back to the hotel and swam a bit and headed off to bed. Ask Andrew where we're going tomorrow and he'll gleefully tell you "Beach!" I'll get that on here soon, I promise!!

San Diego

About 2 years ago my mom's family began planning the next big reunion and now after 2 years of waiting we are finally upon the moment of departure! San Diego is the destination and we are leaving Sunday to go for a week! I am so ready for a vacation! Work is in good hands with my assistant and I even remembered to pack the camera. . . so in one week and 2 days plan on an awesome display of family fun from San Diego! See you when we get back!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Circle

In the past I've used my blog to pay tribute to the smart people in my life. (Remember the story about the twist ice cream machine.) Today I wish to do another tribute inspired by an experience I had at work. I was working the drive thru this afternoon and an elderly woman pulled up. The menu board has an automatic greeting which asks if you'd like to try a combo meal. She said no, then proceeded to order,
"I'd like an almond fudge shake extra nuts please."
"Okay," I say. "What size will that be?"
" A large," she replies, "extra nuts."
"Alright, what else can I get for you?"
"A small almond fudge shake."
"A small you said?"
"Yes, a small almond fudge shake, no nuts."
"So you want a large almond fudge shake extra nuts, and a small fudge shake?"
"NO! I want a large almond fudge shake, extra nuts and a small almond fudge shake, no nuts!"
(By this time she's shouting at me because obviously I have a hearing problem.)
"Okay so a large almond fudge extra nuts and a small almond fudge no nuts?"
"Yes that's right."
"Okay. I'll have that total for you at the window." At which point I bust up laughing! I'm sorry, but does almond imply something I'm not aware of? Did she assume that I was going to royally mess up this order by giving her a small fudge shake? I love my job. I love serving the general public. But mostly I love being treated like I'm the stupid one... Almond fudge shake anyone? We'll even make it without nuts if you prefer!

Manti Pageant

So let me start this post by saying, it does no good to own a camera if you leave it home when you go places... I win the ditz award this week. Nicole (my sister in law) and I decided in April that we were going to go to the Manti pageant this year. We've literally been trying to go since she moved here. . . that's 3 summers of trying to go. Every year the plans fell through or someone flaked out, but this year nothing was stopping us. I got off work Saturday and packed up the car. It wasn't until we got close to Manti that I realized how crappy my packing job was. First of all, obviously I forgot the camera. Then we got down there around 5 and the sun was still pretty high in the sky, so probably sunscreen would have been a wise idea. Next after the sun went down, there were a ton of mosquitos, so bug spray another good idea. Oh well! If I go next year I'll be sure to remember all the stuff I forgot. Anyway I met Nicole at her house in Orem and we packed up the food and cooler and said goodbye to the hubby and kids and were off. We drove down and found parking very near Temple Hill. For those of you who have been to the pageant, you know that is not an easy feat. We were also parked very near the bathrooms, so we were pretty proud of ourselves. We went in and found some chairs pretty near the front in the center. The only downfall was there was a light tower blocking our view of one part of the hill, but what can you do? We had about 3 1/2 hours to waste before the pageant started so we ate dinner and decided to do some meal planning for our San Diego trip in 2 weeks. We also did a lot of people watching. We started a game of Phase 10 but only got through about 3 phases before we realized that people watching was more fun than game playing. The pageant started. Nicole had never been before and I hadn't been in about 5 years. Some things were different, but the main story line stayed the same. It was a fairly remarkable production albeit slightly overdramatic in some parts. It got over about 11:15 and we headed back to Orem where I spent the night instead of driving clear back to Bountiful at 2:00 in the morning. Today we slept late and enjoyed each others company and Todd's cooking. Thanks Nicole for a fun weekend. Let's do it again next weekend!! :) (Not my picture, clearly shown by the date at the bottom!)

Gearing up for Girls Camp

I finally received a call from the Stake representative over Beehive camp and attended a meeting. It will be a small affair with about 45 girls from about 7 wards. The stake is taking care of so much of it, it will be a piece of cake for this busy restaurant manager. The theme is DOTS which stands for Depend on the Savior. I think it's absolutely adorable and the more I think about it, I can see past the whole doing all the stuff I hate and really get into it. Only 50 more days!! Here we come!

Hanging with the family!

This last weekend, Todd and Nicole headed to Bountiful to attend the graduation party of Nicole's cousins son and decided to stay here with me so they didn't have to drive home at 11:00 at night. We made it a whole weekend and had a blast! They came Friday night and Nicole and I stayed up talking way too late, so I was tired for work on Saturday. Luckily it was just a half day and I got off an hour early so it all worked out in the end. They came to Arctic Circle around 11:30 and then Kris and Mike brought the kids and met us there. After playing on the play zone and eating some lunch we headed home to give the kids naps. When Andrew woke up from his nap he wanted to see the temple, so we called Kris and Mike and headed up to the temple. It was a pretty stormy weekend, but the rain stayed away and we enjoyed some time outside.

Rory

Andrew

Jaydon in the baby bjorn

Andrew in the stroller

Andrew Michayla and Hailey

After the temple we headed to Panda Express and grabbed some dinner and then Jesika (my former roommate) stopped by to say hi. After that it was bedtime for the kids so Kris and Mike left and Todd and Nicole got Andrew and Rory ready for bed. We stayed up late again and then Sunday we watched movies in the morning and then spent the afternoon playing with the kids and the cameras. Rory Elizabeth

Andrew reading his BYU book with Mommy. You should see this poor brainwashed kid dance to the fight song... it almost makes one a BYU fan... I said almost! Andrew, Nicole, and Todd reading the baby bible. Andrew really likes this book too. He calls it his Jesus book.

Rory and a proud Aunt Julie. Check out those blue eyes!!!

Andrew singing Happy Birthday to Jesus in his book.

This is a baby who loves that daddy!!

And her big brother's not too bad either.

Thanks to Todd and Nicole for a great weekend and for bringing up my favorite things to take pictures of!

The new camera's first pictures

Here is what the new camera does... okay so not the best way to see the great features of the new camera, but I promised the pictures of my afghan so here you go!
I totally love this edging and I don't even know how I did it! Someone asked me what the stitch is and I couldn't tell them, but I think it's so cute!

SHE GOT A CAMERA!!!

So yesterday I was thinking about the whole camp thing and decided that I really wanted a camera to document all of the exciting fun that camp will be, (not to mention the rest of my boring life) so tonight I went with Mom to RC Willey and found a great new digital camera. It is a 12.1 megapixel with 5 x zoom and a 2.7 inch screen. It's really cute! Right now the battery is charging so you don't get to see what it does, but very soon the post about my afghan will have a picture included! Stay tuned... the boring life is about to get visual!

Called to Repentance

So Sunday I attended Mom and Dad's ward because one of the kids Mom used to tend came home from his mission. I was sitting in Relief Society and the lesson was on President Uchtdorf's talk from October Conference, entitled Lift Where You Stand.
(http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-18,00.html) As the discussion ensued I found myself humbled. We were discussing the meaning of lifting where you stand and a lot of people were talking about callings and assignments and how we all have different talents and abilities, and how each calling or assignment is geared toward our talents and abilities. At one point in the discussion, I was considering my calling as Camp Director and realized that my only job in that calling is to make sure that each of my Beehives leave camp lifted. As I thought about lifting where I stand, it occurred to me that although I hate camping and hiking and so many other things about this calling; if I just change my attitude and strive to have a spiritual experience, I'll receive that confirmation from Heavenly Father that I've been looking for. If I can help each girl to have a camp experience that brings her closer to the other girls in the ward and closer to the Savior, I too will be blessed with those things and then it will make sense to me that that calling was geared to me at this moment in my life. Once again, I sit here grateful that within the parameters of the gospel of Jesus Christ we are given prophets and apostles who have had so many experiences that they then share with us, so that we can be blessed in our lives. Yesterday I was just the camp director. Today it's so much more.

8 years later...

So I have been home from my mission a little more than 8 years. When I got home I asked my mom if she would teach me to crochet and she agreed. She suggested that I start with a dish cloth and I told her that if I was doing this I was going all the way. We picked out an afghan pattern and I went to it. It was a mixture of double and single crochet in one color and I got about 6 inches of it done and got bored. I put it away and a few years later, I bought another pattern book and picked out some of my favorite colors and started again. This one I got about 3 feet done and then ran out of the colors I needed since I messed up a lot, and decided I didn't want to finish it because it looks like a beginner afghan and I don't like it any more. Another few years later I got another pattern book and started on one called Fresh as a Daisy. I got about 9 blocks of it done, decided I was doing it wrong and put it away. About a month ago, I took it apart and started over and crocheted while I watched TV to wind down after a long day of working. For a month, housework and laundry were neglected as I saw them as a burden, taking me away from my addiction to crocheting. I finished the afghan at 1:00 this morning and so today is a day for reflection and celebration! I started another one a few days ago. Today I put it down for a few hours and caught up on the house work and laundry, so now I don't have to feel guilty for crocheting for another month! It's such a great feeling knowing that you conquered something hard and won. I am really excited about my daisy afghan! I'll post a picture as soon as I get one.

SLACKER

Okay so I am a blogging slacker! I'd like to pretend that I have a good reason, but it's just not true! Tonight I am home alone, listening to Showtunes so I may as well blog! A lot has been happening, but it all fits into the boring life category. You know once all of your dreams have been realized (you've seen Wicked), everything else pales in comparison!

A few weeks ago I was called into the Bishops office where he issued me a new calling. YW camp director. Now those of you who know me, know how I feel about this calling. Apparently when the YW presidency was discussing who they should call, mine was the only name that kept coming up to all of them. They all had a confirmation that they were calling the right person. I wish I could get one!! Don't get me wrong, I am so excited to work with the YW in my ward, and the YW presidency is amazing and I'm really excited to work with them, but lets talk about things that I hate.
1. CAMPING!!! I think camping is a fantastic torture method. Why do people choose to lie on the ground in a confining bag, in the cold, smelling bad, and call it fun??? Not me. Camping to me is a bad motel or at worst a motor home. Lets stick with Motel 6.
2. HIKING!!! I think it's absolutely no fun to climb on a barely carved trail through bugs and brush, to see nature! Most hikes involve climbing rocks and/or mountains and my fear of heights and either real or imagined asthma symptoms when I mix exertion with altitude really don't put me in the realms with most peoples idea of fun hiking. My good buddy Naomi would put on a pack and hike 30 miles in a few days just seeing how long she can survive in an Arizona desert. NOT FUN!!!

Anyway about 5 weeks after the ill fated interview with the Bishop they finally released me as Relief Society Secretary and I felt a moment of regret. I was called just over a year ago when I was somewhat new in the ward and have really enjoyed getting to know the sisters in my ward. I think that Relief Society secretary should be every womans first calling in a new ward. It is a sure fire way to learn who people are. I'm sorry to walk away from that.

In other non related news, I have been "wasting" a lot of time in front of my TV. It's my winding down time at the end of each work day, and so to feel like I'm not really wasting time, I pulled out my latest attempt at an afghan and I'm more than half done. It's cute! I'll post a picture when it's all done, but so far I'm just pleased in the fact that in the almost 10 years since I learned to crochet, I will actually have a finished project. I have a box of half finished ones I gave up on, mostly out of boredom, but this one will actually join the other blanket types I have in my linen closet.

Well I'm sure there is a lot more I could say but this is pretty long as it is! Good Night All!! I have a camp meeting in the morning!!! :)

Time's a wastin'

So today was set aside as tidy up the house day... one load of laundry in the washer later, and I'm reading (and writing) blogs! I must have ADD or something because I cannot stay focused! I started in my computer room and found a big box of random important papers, so I went outside to find my file that I keep all the important stuff in. I decided to go through it and throw away everything that no longer applies. I found stuff from my freshman year at the U, stuff from countless institute classes (which went back into the file), my receipt from the purchase of my wedding dress (that sits in my closet, never worn), my mattress warranty, my cell phone warranty, 6 years worth of tax return information, and my long lost birth certificate. Not a bad find! I didn't throw much away and I'll probably not remember where that birth certificate is the next time I need it. (You avid blog readers, remind me okay?) You know that point when you decide to stop being a pack rat, and just throw everything away? Yeah, I'm not there yet! So instead of getting rid of my pack rat habit I decided to blog about it!


Oh and on a side note, my friend Aubrey won an award for her book Spare Change... best new romance! Yeah Aubrey! And for all of you who read this and haven't read that, there were six copies at my Deseret Book last time I was there... it's an award winner! Why wouldn't you read it? I love you Aubrey!

WICKED!!!

So those of you who have had the privilege of seeing Wicked for yourselves will understand when I say OMIGOSH!!! For those of you who haven't seen it, just go... find a theater that is not sold out (Salt Lake is not the place to look), buy tickets, no matter the cost, and see it! I cannot even begin to imagine how to tell you how amazing it was! I have waited 177 days with tickets and something like 1500 days before that and I'm not going to say the wait was worth it because I'm sure I would have felt the same way 1500 days ago, but it was definitely worth the wait! I've also heard a lot of people say that traveling shows aren't as good because they don't have the "stars" but let me just tell you it really doesn't matter if it's Kristen Chenowith and Idina Menzel (since they aren't playing it anywhere), or whoever was in it tonight! It was fantastic! The cast did an amazing job! Just being there was very much worth it! Now I need something new to look forward to... any ideas?

P.S. TC as you can see from the above photo, I was very much alive!! Sorry pal! Maybe next time!

Preview

Tonight is the night! I've waited 177 days for today! Wicked awaits me! I'll post more when my wait is nothing but a memory...

Pedicure Time Again

Mom and I made an appointment to get pedicures yesterday and finally talked Dad into getting one with us. Not so bad until he decided to get his toenails painted. I'm totally okay with guys getting pedicures. I'd recommend it to everyone, but my dad's brown toes are a bit of a stretch for me. Mom says it covers up all the fungus on his toes, but I still think that mens toes should be toe colored... oh well. At least he enjoyed his few minutes of pampering. He's sold on the idea. I think he'll be going with us more often now. Maybe I can get Mom to post pics on her blog and then you all can vote.

Update

I just thought I'd take a minute and do an update. It's been a while since I just blogged for the fun of blogging even though I don't have a specific topic. Easter dawned clear and beautiful and my mood for Easter matched the day. Holidays are sometimes a bit difficult for me, because even though I get together with my unbelievably amazing family, sometimes I feel like the odd (wo)man out considering I'm the only one without a family and husband. Easter was no different. Although I absolutely love my role as Aunt Julie, every one's favorite aunt, it's not the same as being some one's mom. As we spent a few minutes taking "family pictures" of all the kids and parents in their Easter finest, I chose to have my picture taken with as many of the kids who were ready at the time. I think we have enough of "my family" pictures: ie. me alone! Following picture taking, I had arranged a special family surprise. One of our good family friends, the Ball family, who Mom tended for when the kids were small, came to visit and see the growing Gardiner family. It was fun to see "little" Brittany. Mom stopped tending when Brittany was 2, and now she's just shy of 14. We have seen the Ball family since not being their daycare provider, but it's been several years and they haven't met about half of my nieces and nephews. It was a fun visit. We gathered for a pot luck dinner that was amazing and then while Todd had the little kids occupied on the trampoline we played a quick family game. Later after dessert, everyone packed up their tired little families and I stayed to play Phase 10 with Malerie, Kaity, Carolee, and Mom. That's one of my favorite activities. If I could spend a day any way I would play games and listen to Showtunes. :)

This week has been tiring for me. I'm not sure what the difference is but I've had little motivation to do anything productive, so I got a book at the library and "wasted" a lot of time just reading. Now for those of you who like sappy Mormon romance novels with a good message, allow me to recommend this book. It's a feel good book that makes you realize that dreams can come true and in the end the good guy wins. I know it's not very realistic, but that's why I read. Reality is too vivid. I want to read Happily Ever Afters. Anyway the book is called A Modest Proposal, by Michele Ashman Bell.

All in all, everything continues to be good. I'm still plugging away and enjoying my life the way it goes. Happy Blogging!

General Conference Recap

So as promised I thought I'd write for a minute and tell you my favorite conference moments. I must confess that it's a good thing that conference is OnDemand and on the internet and soon will be in my mailbox, because Saturday, although I got off work for both sessions, I was extra tired and missed a lot. Sunday however dawned bright and clear and I was alert and awake. President Uchtdorf's message when it comes out in the Ensign will be entitled, "Julianne, are you listening... this one's for you" I was very strongly directed by the Spirit during President Uchtdorf's message and it affirmed my testimony in living prophets and that thing about how when God wants to talk to us we read the scriptures (current and ancient). This talk was a modern day scripture moment for me and WOW my eyes were opened. The Sunday morning session continued with Sister Thompson's talk entitled "Julianne pay attention" and Elder Holland's talk "Jesus Christ lives and loves Julianne" I was inspired by Elder Andersen's testimony of the Savior, his personal Savior, and his testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ and I know Satan stands angry today. As always the church rolls on in it's glory, might, majesty, power, and dominion, with a very "smart" Head. Don't you love omniscience? I sure do. I'm happy to sustain Elder Andersen to the quorum of 12 Apostles and I know he'll be as much of an asset to that quorum as the other 97 men preceding him. God be thanked for his living prophets. How grateful I am that we do not walk alone!

General Conference

Today I am excited for General Conference. There are few things in my boring life that excite me, but I have finished the Ensign from November's Conference and I'm ready for more talks by our fabulous apostles and prophets! Also I'm pretty excited to see who they call to replace Elder Wirthlin. It's a good thing they let us have conference every 6 months. I think it helps to keep me righteous! Anyway I'll post later and highlight favorites!

Anna

Today marks the ninth anniversary of Anna's death. Today is a hard day for me. I sat in Sacrament meeting missing my friend. I can't believe it's been nine years since I lost her and yet she seems like a fuzzy memory from someone else's life. Today I just want to remember Anna. I met Anna when Mom and I were working at Dee's. She and her husband Duane were regulars and we became fast friends. We scrap booked together, watched movies (my first R rated one, Pretty Woman), went out to dinner (when I didn't have to work) and went to Idaho one spontaneous weekend to visit her mom. Her goal in life was to corrupt me and Todd. She made Todd a joke book with an R rated section that Mom wasn't allowed to read; she took me to Idaho and told Mom she was going to let me buy lottery tickets because she wanted to contribute to the delinquency of a minor. (She was mad when she found out you didn't have to be 21 to buy lottery tickets so I really was old enough.) We had plans to go to Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday so she could teach me how to gamble. That plan was interrupted by my mission call which came 6 weeks before my birthday announcing that I was to report to the MTC one week following my birthday so it probably wouldn't be prudent to corrupt me just before I left. We made plans to go when I returned. Anna and Duane were there when I opened my call and when I read that M. Richard Walker would be my mission president. Anna whooped and got all excited that Dick Walker would be my mission president. I didn't know Dick Walker from Adam, but Anna had known him for years. He was the attorney for the company she worked for. Then one day 5 months into my mission came the phone call from President Walker. Anna and I would not be celebrating my homecoming in Vegas. Nine years later I anticipate another type of homecoming. Today in the temple dedication I felt the possibility of that homecoming. Hopefully Anna and I will be forgiven of all the corruption and will have the opportunity to be next door neighbors in Heaven. I am grateful to know that "... that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy. "

Temple Dedication

Today was a rough day for me. Every few weeks I imagine what my life would be like if I either had one more day off a week or if I didn't have 3 + hours of meetings on Sundays. Today was one of the days when I wondered why I got out of bed and really thought about whether or not I really wanted to go to church. Now before you all think I'm some kind of apostate, I really do enjoy church and I love going, but sometimes it's really hard to get up (and I have church at 1). Also today was the Draper Utah Temple Dedication and I failed to get my recommend because I forgot to go pick it up on the days that the Bishopric was doing interviews. Yesterday I actually told my dad that I probably wouldn't go because I didn't have a ticket and it was just another temple dedication. Aren't we lucky that Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally? Sometimes I think He just looks down here and rolls His eyes in my direction. Of course it's not just another temple dedication! What was I thinking? How blessed we are that here in Utah we have 13 operating temples with one more in construction! How blessed we are that Heavenly Father gives us the blessing of attending His House! Well for all of you who are wondering, I dressed my weary body, put my hair in pigtails (my hairstyle of choice this week) and went to church where it was announced in Sacrament Meeting that the Bishopric would be giving out recommends after Sacrament Meeting to anyone who had failed to get it. I gave the Relief Society roll to the first counselor and went to join the slacker line outside the Bishop's office. I'm eternally grateful I did. My stake participated in the 12th and final session of temple dedicatory services and I wish I had an amazing memory to remember the things taught in the temple today. I was blessed in ways I don't deserve as I participated in just another temple dedication and my heart is full with gratitude for this blessing.

A Long Walk Down Memory Lane

A couple of weeks ago I was in Mom and Dad's ward for Jaydon's blessing. While there, in Relief Society, they announced the upcoming Birthday Party Enrichment activity and Billie Sue Coffin told me I should come so we could get together in a social setting instead of at church. I agreed and drove down. Tonight was so much fun! I got to see a whole bunch of people that watched me grow up and a few that I grew up with. It's always so fun to go home. I just want the women in the Mt. Jordan 2nd Ward to know that they are my idols, my heroes, and exactly what I want to be when I grow up. Thank you all for the love and support you continually show! Nowhere is there a better ward in the church! (Sorry Bountiful 12th warders... you're close, but not quite there)

Basketcase

Mom and I went and got pedicures Wednesday night. When you first walk in they tell you to grab a color of polish. It's always a kind of a conundrum to me because you know there are just so many shades of pink to choose from. I always look at the bottom of the bottle because you know there's pink and then there's carnation, rose, magenta. . . on and on and on. So Wednesday we are studying the bottoms of the polish and I find one called Basketcase! Based on my past few weeks and what I feel like sometimes, I chose Basketcase. The next day I showed my assistant what the color Basketcase is and she agreed that it was the perfect name for a nail polish and should be our signature color!

Master the Tempest is Raging

Today I walked into church and got excited to see that the opening song for Sacrament Meeting was Master the Tempest is Raging. This is a hymn that I feel is not sung near often enough, yet so very often portrays my feelings. This week has been a little bit weird. I am doing the normal mundane things as always (work) and yet I feel a little bit like my life is spiraling out of control. It's not even my life that is the problem. It's the lives of those I love most. Todd and Nicole have spent the week with Rory in the hospital fighting RSV, and all we can do is pray for them. Kristina is dealing with a diagnosis of cancer, which most likely can be cured, but again all we can do is pray. I sat in Sacrament meeting today singing the words "Master with anguish of Spirit I bow in my grief today. The depths of my sad heart are troubled, Oh waken and save I pray. Torrents of sin and of anguish sweep o'er my sinking soul, and I perish, I perish dear Master, Oh hasten and take control." The first speaker got up and introduced her topic as Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I thought to myself, "this is why I'm at church today." I need an increase in my faith. The final verse of the song is "Master the terror is over, the elements sweetly rest. The sun in the calm lake is mirrored and Heaven's within my breast. Linger oh blessed Redeemer, leave me alone no more, and with joy I shall make the blest harbor and rest on the blissful shore." I realized today that what I really need to do is continue to pray and let the Master bring peace.