I'm still here...

Well just in case you think that I've disappeared that's not completely true. It just seems that every waking minute that I'm not at work or doing church stuff I am spending studying for the PE exam. It's less than four weeks away, and I think that I'm starting to feel the crunch. So I'll try to keep you posted on what's going on, but if you don't hear much more from me in the next four weeks don't be terribly surprise... and you will hear from me again, if I survive! ;)

Giving Thanks

So this week has been a little interesting... I have a coworker who is going through some tough times right now and it's really made me stop and ponder. When I go through the ups and downs in my life I am SO thankful that I have always has the gospel and my Savior to turn to. No matter how much you want to say that "no one else has ever felt what I'm feeling", it's not true. There is one person who has felt and knows everything and anything that we will feel. And it is only when we turn to Him that we can find comfort. So in short I am so thankful for my knowledge of the gospel and the peace it can bring to my life in times to trouble.

I love BYU football...

Especially when they smash UCLA 59 to 0!!! I am so glad that I got to see the game on Saturday. Thanks to Liz and Josh for letting us come watch it at their house. In some ways it kind of makes up for the UCLA vs BYU game that we went to last year. And it's exciting to see the cougars doing so well right now. They are ranked 14! GO COUGS!!!

Baseball game.

So I figured out what is good about being the one of the only people in the office on a Friday afternoon... you can get the company tickets to games. Not only did I get tickets to the baseball game, but I got good tickets to the game. We were about 24 rows back from the visitors dug out. I have never been that close to the field. You can actually see the people (and the ball). I ended up going with my friend Kelly who was good with the whole last minute plans. The d'backs ended up winning which always makes it more fun! Plus since it was a Friday they had fireworks afterwards. (Sorry no pictures)

Don't worry I didn't forget...

Well if I forgot, it was just because I wasn't actually thinking this weekend. So when I was up in Utah I got together with some of my freshman roommates (Heidi and Melanie you were both greatly missed). I can't believe it's been almost 6 years since I've lived with these girls. We had so many good memories.

Thanks for all the girls memories... I love you girls!

Thought of the day...

Today in church I heard this quote and I just had to share it, because I loved it so much.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,

it's about learning to dance in the rain."

Seven Falls

So since I was back in Phoenix for the Labor Day holiday Michelle and I decided to head down to the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tuscon. The mountains around Tucson are beautiful, they are so green (at least compared to the hills around Phoenix). It was also just a beautiful day to be outside.

Bear Canyon

I was actually really surprised at how much water there was coming down Bear Canyon. I think that it was one thing that kept the hike so cool. We had to cross the water 6 to 7 times in order to make it up to the falls. It was an absolutely beautiful way to spend a day off of work.

The trip continues....

Thursday night Melissa and I stay out at our cousins house in Magna. Once again I love that we found a place to crash.

Friday morning we headed up to Kaysville to see my Aunt Diana, cousin Alicia and her son Porter. It was the first that I've seen Porter and he is already so big. It was really fun to visit with them for a little while. From there we headed down to Bountiful to stop by and see our Grandparents. They are doing well and it's been a while since I've seen them, so once again is was good to visit. That's something that I really enjoy doing. Visiting friends and family always seems to make me happy!

From there we headed down to Provo one more time to stop by and visit Marie before heading out. She seemed to be doing very well.

Thursday night we were staying at my Aunt's house in Gunlock (just outside of St. George). Since it wasn't a long drive Melissa and I decided to take a detour though Ceder Breaks. It's a turn off just north of Ceder City that takes you up through the mountains through Bryan Head and into Ceder Breaks National Monument. Ceder Breaks is very similar to Bryce Canyon, but on a much smaller scale. You can basically drive along the rim of the canyon and there are a few places to stop and take pictures.

It is beautiful, so it was definitely worth the drive. And an added bonus is that I got to use my National Parks Pass again. I have definitely gotten my money worth out of the pass, so I won't complain... and I will probably be buying one again next year. I love getting out and seeing the world.

Well after our short detour we made it down to Gunlock where we spent the night hanging out with family. Gunlock is always such a fun place to visit. There are so many good memories associated with the place. The next morning we hung around for a little bit, but had to get on the road again so that we could get back to California.

Saturday even we spent hanging out with the family and Sunday was Rob's mission report. It all went really well. After church on Sunday I was back in the car for the drive back home to Phoenix. The drive wasn't too bad, but I'll tell you that I was definitely ready to get out of the car.

Well it's been a great week! I got to see lots of friends and family. I got to spend some quality time with my sisters in the car. I got to take some beautiful drives (Alpine Loop and Ceder Breaks). It was an action pack, fun filled week and I won't ask for more.

I tried...

Well tonight I tried to make some sourdough bread. I don't think it was very successful... I think that they are a little to dense. Well maybe I'll have to try again. It's always fun to try something new though.

Oh I LOVE the Mountains!

Wednesday night I stayed with my good friends Jenny & Chris. They were gracious enough to let Melissa and I crash on the floor. It's nice to have a place to crash when I'm up in Provo.

Thursday morning Melissa and I had some time to kill, so we decided to take a drive up the mountains. We decided to take the Alpine Loop. I'm shocked that I never did it when I was actually up at school. It was a beautiful day for a drive and I can only imagine how pretty it would be during the fall colors. It almost makes me wish that I had gotten out a little more when I was up at school.


On our way back down we stopped to check out the Timp Caves. Melissa and I weren't appropriately dressed for the 40 degree weather inside of the caves, so they were a no go. Maybe next time I'm up in the area I'll have to get up there.

My "Freshman" Roommates

So to continue on my trip... Wednesday night I got together with some of my favorite girls that are still in Provo. I meet up with some of my roommates from my sophomore year. These are the girls that were so lucky to live with the RA their freshman year (and of course Tiffany who was our "sixth" roommate). It was so fun to see all the girls and try to catch up a little bit. In some cases it was fun to meet their husbands... and future children (Camille). It always reminds me of the fun times that we had together. It always reminds me that I need to work harder at keeping in touch with the good friends that I made at school.

Love you girls (sorry we took the picture after you left Sarah)

Finally all together again...

Monday morning we drove up to LAX. Now normally my parents hate driving up to LAX. (They would rather pay a little bit more for us to fly into John Wayne, which I completely understand). But this happened to be a very special occasion... Rob was getting home from his mission in Mexico City! We made sure that we arrived at the airport plenty early...

Waiting in anticipation
And then there he was... It's so fun to have him back with all his crazy sisters!

I am so proud of everything that Rob has done. It was so good to see him again. He definitely served a honorable mission. It was amazing to see him speak in church on Sunday. I honestly think that it is the most that I have ever heard him say. It's been amazing to see the changes that have come over his life in the past two years, but it's also great to know that he is still the same crazy Rob that he always was and always will be.

Finally together again as a family... even if it was only for a short time!

Lunch with a good friend.

So I think that it's always fun to catch up with old friends. So on my way out to California on Saturday I stopped in Corona to have lunch with my good friend Asami. We knew each other when we were going to school up at BYU. As always lunch was delicious, but the company was even better.