Utah - Day 2

I forgot to mention a few things about Thursday...and I forgot to take pictures of it too!! I was able to go and see my former bishop on Thursday night. I just love popping in on people unexpectedly. It was a short visit (that's what happens when you make no plans) but it was so good to see them and to catch up with them and with all that is going on.

 

Afterwards I went to my aunts house. She and my uncle and I stayed up way too late talking and having a great time!! It was so much fun...man I miss them!

 

Friday morning, Audrey and I got up and went to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple! It was such an amazing experience and was so fun to be there with a friend!

 

After the temple and went and met up with a few former coworkers for lunch. It was fun to chat and catch up with them as well (again, no pictures...lame).

We went to the RG apartments in the afternoon to visit Emily. As we were walking down the stairs, we noticed that the hot tub had a sign on it stating that it was closed...STILL! That hot tub has been closed for YEARS!! Perhaps they should just close it permanently and make a new patio.

While we were in Provo we got to drive by the Provo Tabernacle Temple construction site. It is incredible. All that is left currently is the outer walls, "floating" on the air on stilts! It is amazing!

That night we met everyone at Thai Mango for dinner. There ended up being about two groups, the RG group and the Branbury group. The RG group left first and we ran out and got a picture with everyone (except for Elric and Archie - they were too quick in escaping!).

 

We finished dinner and then we all went for frozen yogurt (ah, delicious!). I was planning on getting a picture with everyone afterward, but alas my brain is shot and I forgot. I guess we'll have to leave that to memory (unless I forget that too!)

 

Thanks to everyone who was able to come!! It was so good to catch up with everyone and to be surrounded by GREAT friends!! Let's do that again soon!

Utah - Day 1

I just got home from the most incredible vacation which means it's time to recap! As usual, I am horrible at taking pictures. Most of the pictures I have, someone else took with my phone...what is wrong with me??

I got to the airport in Jacksonville at 6:30 AM. I've taken up some new eating habits and one of them item I have developed an affinity for - Greek yogurt! They must have known I was coming because they now have them in the shop there!! This was when I knew it was going to be a GREAT trip!!

I followed two cute missionaries off the plane and through the airport. It made me just that much more excited for Lori to come home! I was right behind them when they took the escalator down and realized I needed to give them just a little space. Their families were yelling and cheering for them as they came downstairs. And besides, I didn't think they needed me in all of their pictures.

This is the first picture of the mountains!! I forgot just how beautiful they are!!

Shelly and I went out to dinner when she got off work. She took me to a restaurant called Yellowfin. Turned out to be a sushi bar and grill. I went with a spicy grilled chicken and veggie plate...very hot and delicious!!! Shelly opted for another meal and the salmon roll. It looked pretty enough, but I have this "thing" about sushi - it is just not happening!!

What I didn't know about Shelly is that she is VERY convincing!! She talked me into trying a bit of sushi (but I requested a half piece - pictured on the fork)!

I really thought about backing out, but there it is, fork in hand!

Oh, the horror!!

Pretty sure it was still alive and was trying to run away!!

The point of NO RETURN!! (I made a mistake and smelled it before it went in my mouth!)

AWFUL!!!

The point at which there was seaweed draped over my tongue and it was going to take the same motion to spit it out or to swallow. I didn't really want either option, but I actually swallowed it! And no! I didn't NOT like it and I will NOT try it again! YUCK!! (But a great memory)

What we don't have in Waycross...a total of 12 lanes of traffic!! Holy smokes, I forgot how crazy this place is!!

It was so fun to make it to Utah and we had such a fun day!!

Georgia Vacation - December 2011

I am one lucky girl. I got to take a SECOND vacation in 2011 to go to Georgia. The vacation we took in June was wonderful, but this time it really felt like going home. Mom and I were talking about how, when they moved to Georgia, I said it would never feel like home and I would never want to live there. With each trip I take, I want to move there more and more. Anyway, this trip felt more than ever like I was HOME! I am ashamed to say that out of the two weeks I was there I only took one picture on my camera and about 10 on my iPod…and they were mostly of food we made and two of my niece and nephew.

So, while I would love to give you pictures to break up the monotony of my words, you will have to use your imagination.

Dad and I visited several cemetery’s to decorate or work on relatives graves. Each time we went he would tell me a little about each relative and how I was related to each person.

Over the summer they had the trees on the farm land cut down and sold and they had several big burn piles. One day dad decided to burn 4, but while he was at it he decided that he could burn 4 more. Let’s just say things got a little bit out of hand and he was out there on the tractor late into the night (after 10 PM) trying to keep the fires from spreading into the woods. When I left a week and a half later, the fires were still smoldering.

The day I got there it was rainy and made a lot of good mud. Dad took me out bogging in the golf cart (this is one I WISH I had a picture of). We were sliding all over the place and laughing so hard. Daddy was just like a little kid out there. He has been busy making a track out in the open land complete with jumps for our brother to take his dirt bike out on. Yep, we took the golf cart over ALL of them. Granted, some of them were so big the golf cart didn’t really want to go over, so we kept going back and forth, packing in down so we could. Dad took me down through the canal…again, no small feat for a golf cart. When we were headed back to the house, dad took me to the last jump he had made (this is actually the one we had to pack down…from both sides). We were both certain that at any moment, one of both of us was going to be thrown out of that golf cart. At one point, we got high centered and we had to jump out (on the jump) and push the golf cart off. I’m pretty sure dad was running on pure adrenaline at this point because he took the jump and came around again as if he were going to jump again, but instead he got this crazy look in his eyes and headed for a tree!! I thought he was joking for the first three seconds but quickly realized that we were doing this! He kept hitting the tree, not at full speed by any means, but it was constant and within 30 seconds we had pushed a pine tree over! It was so cold and rainy out there, but it was one of the BEST highlights of my trip!!

Daddy took me to breakfast at Jerry J’s for THE BEST steak biscuit EVER! Seriously, if you find yourself in South Georgia, find a Jerry J’s!

Mom and I made road trip pillow cases for Macee, Clayton, and Will. They turned out SO CUTE!

Mom and I went to our neighbor Ann’s house. We went down and made Christmas cookies with her – Swedish teacakes and bonbons. I even splurged one day and made Chicken Cordon Bleu Bread Bowls. Have you seen these before? They are amazing!! I actually even made the bread bowls because not one of the grocery stores carried them. Actually, we called one bakery in a store and asked if they carried them and the girl on the other end said that we would need to talk to house wares because they didn’t sell dishes…it was at that point that I lost hope of finding them. Luckily, this recipe comes with a GREAT recipe for bread bowls…try it!

We made breaded egg bread as a family. I made the dough and then the THREE of us braided bread, even dad (we love getting him in on the baking action!). Serve it with blueberry butter…AMAZING!

I was invited to play a piano solo in Church on my second Sunday. I am still not sure why I agreed (and so quickly) to do this. I didn’t have anything prepared, I didn’t have any of my piano music with me; the logical answer would have been to say “thanks, but no thanks”. However, I agreed and I had one week to find a song and practice it enough to be able to play it the next Sunday. It wasn’t my best performance ever, but it wasn’t bad, and it was a BEAUTIFUL song. I want to practice it enough so that I can play it and call it my best performance!

I got to go to primary! Mostly I just sat in the back, but it was so fun to be around children again. I have missed it sooooo much!

We got to visit with a lot of really fun people…some of these people haven’t seen me since I was 4!

We went to Wild Adventure’s in Valdosta. Believe it or not there is a theme park in Georgia…I didn’t know this! It was so much fun! We rode some really fun rides, and one ride that made me scream like I was 5 (the 9 year old next to me kept talking to me...haha, fun memory), but it was amazing! We couldn’t have picked a better day to go. It was about 70 degrees, sunny and beautiful. There were NO lines! We covered the entire park in less than three hours! I think we all came home exhausted (with scrambled brains) from that.

We drove out to the Okefenokee Swamp Park. We got all the way out there only to find that it wasn’t even open, so I took a picture of the closed sign (yes, the one picture I took on my camera…so sad, I know).

We went to Cracker Barrel down in Brunswick on the way to see Spence and his family. We had just been seated and ordered our food when we saw a couple from Waycross that we knew. They joined us and we all had lunch together! It was such a fun time!

I took several naps, just because I could…and because I would come in and lay down, so did everyone else. I think it did us all a world of good.

Mom and I developed an inside joke relating to the game Mahjong. I could tell you what it is, but I won’t because 1. It wouldn’t be an inside joke anymore and 2. I’d have to kill you. :)

We harvested pecans. It is no longer the terrible back breaking job it used to be. They have this dandy little contraption that you roll along the ground and the pecans pop into it as you roll over them.

We sold pecans. You take them to this building (they buy, crack and sell pecans all on site). Luckily we were just in the business of selling pecans. You dump your pecans on to this special table. One guy has a nifty gadget that takes the end of the shell of pecans so they can check a random few to make sure they are a good batch. Then they dump them into a burlap sack, weigh it and give you the money.

I got to drive the tractor. I wasn’t doing anything useful on it…just driving, but it was still fun.

I sat on the back porch in the sun and read. So lazy and relaxing.

We went fishing! There is a man that lives around the corner from my parents who has a lovely pond. He lets them go fishing whenever they like. We went down one day and didn’t catch a single fish. But the second time we went back, we started getting bites. It seemed that each time we brought in a fish it was bigger than the last! We had such a good time.

I got to play with the animals. I got to snuggle with my adorable Paco. The poor thing is so old he doesn’t see very well and he is mostly deaf. Each morning he would sit at my door and beg to come and jump in bed with me until I got up for the day. Mom and dad have also adopted a cat who answers to the name Kitty Cat (I know, original, but it works). She looks like a cat, but she has to be part pig. The thing eats at least 3 times a day and begs for more each time she sees you! She is very skittish, but loves to be petted and loved…and did I mention fed? Also, mom and dad are currently dog sitting our brother’s dog, Boomer. He is a Jack Russell/Lab mix…he is so cute! He is super hyper and loves to run and bite and eat and bite and, you get the idea. He is 15 weeks old so still very much a puppy. I put him on the little kiddie slide in the back and he kept going down it (seriously, what other choice did he have) and then I put him in the tire swing. Boomer loves to go for rides in the golf cart (not quite like the one we went on) and will chase almost anything you throw.

In less detail, we cleaned the church, played games, went and visited people in the ward, shot the guns, drove the truck (I have a power issue), ate lots of good food, worked out a few times, and basically just fell in love with Georgia! It was an amazing trip and I can’t wait to start planning the next visit (or move…we’ll just have to wait and see).

Playing Catch Up

So, I thought once I got settled here I would have time to blog more. Boy was I wrong. I was correct in my assumption that I would actually have more things to write about, but with a lack of time (or poor planning, whatever) I never actually get around to it. So, here's to playing catch up. In no particular order...
I started my new job. I have a desk next to a window that looks out over the mountains. I even have my very own electric stapler (hey, it's the small things in life).
We went to visit Georgia. We got to see mom and dad's new place. I learned how to drive a tractor, I got to shoot my gun, I ate my fill of boiled peanuts, got to go to the swamp and see the alligators and came home with one heck of a bug bite on my foot (seriously, it was the biggest bug bite I had ever had, it took over almost my entire foot. 3 weeks later, I can still see it, but now it just looks like a bruise).
I have discovered my true passion for frozen yogurt. We have it approximately once a week, and I figure it's actually a pretty healthy choice in comparison to some other desserts.
I got a library card, which is actually something I haven't had since we lived in Florida (10+ years ago!!) I always said I didn't like reading. It turns out that it wasn't that I didn't like reading, I was just reading things that didn't interest me. I went to the library today and spent over an hour just perusing the books, what an awesome time. It is my new favorite place to be.
We have experienced 4 days in a row of over 100 degrees and the air conditioning in our entire complex is out. Totally frustrating, but at least we have the pool (of course, the water in the pool is so cold that I don't actually get in).
In the past few weeks, I have also decided to be a bit more social, so I've started going to FHE, attending institute, and trying to make new friends. It's been crazy busy, but I've really felt like I've found myself a home, at least for the time being.
I may not know why, but I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. Of course, that doesn't stop the homesickness for the people I love in Boston, my job there, friends, adventures. I miss having my parents around, too, but for now, everything is as it should be. I started listening to a book on CD from Sheri Dew called, "If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard". That, to me, is the perfect explanation to everything. It's not always easy, but it's life, and that's the way it should be.
Anyway, off for a night of working out, reading, and with any luck at all, frozen yogurt!

This is REAL!

Six and a half hours of air time later, I am here!
I have officially arrived in Utah. It doesn't seem real to me at all at this point, but I'm hoping that after we move in to our apartment TOMORROW it all sinks in.
For now, I am trying to enjoy not having anything to do. When I was home there was always something to do, or pack, or clean, or something. At that point I could choose not to do anything (not that I would, right?). But here, I have nothing yet. That will change, I promise.
Lori and I are just happy to be in the same state again. We watched a movie yesterday afternoon, and would you believe someone fell asleep (it wasn't me, just for the record).
I always love visiting with Lori because she is totally herself. And if you really know Lori, you know what that means. If I had been fast enough, I would have gotten my camera last night and taken a picture of her sitting in a box - a box! We laughed for a long time!!

On the plane yesterday, there was a plane that flew underneath us. It was a pretty good distance away, and from where I was sitting it looked pretty small. I wasn't concerned with that one. About 30 minutes later, out of nowhere, a jet came flying right by our plane. I have NEVER been so scared in my life. I have to say that the cool part was seeing the jet trail it left behind - very cool up close, but I don't care if I ever see it that close again.
No one else on the plane seemed concerned by it, so maybe I was over reacting, but seriously - the sky is HUGE!! Do we all need to be in the same space??

Anyway, off for the first full day of adventure.

The list

1. My car is being shipped next Tuesday (meaning I have to be completely packed for Utah by Monday)
2. My last day of work is next Thursday
3. I leave for Utah exactly one week after that (the 22nd)
4. House closes on the 28th (possibly earlier)

We're really getting down to the end of our time in Massachusetts. I'm excited for the next phase of life, but it's coming way too fast. I don't think I'm ready!! Guess there's only one way to find out for sure if I'm ready or not.