Quick or slow? you choose.

This week (so far) has been eventful. The first couple days after a long vacation, you collapse in bed, and get up for meals once in a while. I called a bunch of people about jobs, started orchestra at SLCC, Choir in the mornings(with Rachel in it too!), proabably institute soon, Saw Jocelyn(yay!), realized my room was a mess beyond measure, and noticed I ate out too much on vacation. Time to start running again :( .

This week I get to meet with the man who ultimately decides if I can go back on a mission. Did I mention I was planning on going back? Well there you have it. I have to wait until my "Sessions" are over, so about 2 months until I'll know for sure. I've been keeping up on my spanish study lately and trying to cram in scripture study. I'm just worried it's been so long I may have to get a completely new call and maybe even a new language. It will all turn out how it's supposed to though. If I go, I go, if not, I'll move on this time.

So today I finally got see Jocelyn! She came home on the 11th when I was on vacation. She kind of talks like a Samoan, has hair past her shoulders now, she's gorgeously skinny, and has dark brown hair. We got to sit down and talk for about two hours about her mission, my mission, dating etc. Her homecoming talk is this sunday at her ward at 1pm if anyone is interested in seeing her again. I'm all flushed because I thought I would have to find a substitute for my primary class until next week, but it's this sunday. As Shell would say, SCRAP!

Tomorrow my dad is bringing home an external hard drive so I can transfer my vacation pictures from his laptop to my computer. Lots and lots of pictures. I'm excited to show you all where we went and what we saw.

I went to Walmart with my my brother Michael today. We thought Ace was mature enough to be out of the kennel when we go out, but alas, he proves us wrong every time. We came home to a living room full of garbage neatly spaced across the floor. I think he ate half a bag of chocolate chip cookies. Hopefully the chocolate won't kill him. Ace insists on not only eating garbage, but new unopened foods left within range of his paws on the counter. Whole loaves of bread, bags of chips, full casseroles, you name it, he'll eat it.


bec

The land of rain?

Well, I TRIED to upload some pictures, but the dumb blogger kept losing them somewhere in the internet. I have to finish packing up my stuff as we are on our way to california and nevada on our way home, so you have to wait unti lI get back for the massive picture dump I'll be doing.

Jocelyn gets home tonight!!!!!! I'm so excited to see her when I get back, and am sad I can't see her get off the plane. After a year and a half I guess i can wait another two days.

INteresting thing happened two days ago. I noticed the brakes sqealing avery now and then, but because it was such a high frequency, my parents couldn't hear it. A couple days later, we have metal to metal grinding of the brakes. NOt very good when we're travelling up and down steep mountains. So we had to take the van to hertz and switch for a new van, because to fix the brakes would take a day we didn't have to spare. So we have a new toyota van that is lame compared to our old Hyundai we all know and love.

We're off to see crater lake and possibly a drive through jungle experience with african type animals. Hmmm, not so sure about that second one.

Need to pack now. Vacation is a blast, but I'm glad it's almost over, two and a half weeks is a long time to be confined to a van with my sister and my parents. Nerves are starting to frazzle here. How is Utah these days? I hear you guys have been getting drenched lately. Funny because here in washington, it hasn't rained once.

Gotta go now!

Bec

Vacation Part 1

We made it to Vancouver, WAshington tonight, and after a 2 hour long swim in the pool with Rachel, I decided to give you a glimpse so far of our vaction.

These are in no particular order btw. Here we have mountnoma(?) falls supposedly the second highest waterfall in America. Very beautiful, but packed with people. We forgot that it was labor day weekend. I love the beautiful trees and moss all over the ground. Green everywhere.


Cliffs seem to be the theme in Oregon.

I love ferns. I have a travel journal from years back full of ferns from almost every state I've been to.

Our bow-tie towel waiting for us at Holiday Inn Express. They give us a huge breakfast every morning. We best buds.

Full size Stonehenge replica. Some rich old guy who fought in WWII made it as a memorial for a bunch of soldiers. Cool lookin.

The parents

RAchel wall climbing.

Our sacrifice to the Washington Gods.



A vacation isn't a vacation without a squished penny to show for it.

Twin Falls Temple.

Me and the temple



Mt. Hood in the backround of the stonehenge mountain. It was SO windy!

Our first night in Idaho KOA. We had to set up the tent at 11pm in pitch black. It was anew tent too. Fun times.

The dock for the foot paddle boats.

The brindge at some gorge. Can't remember the name, you'll get all details when I get back to Utah. Base jumpers too. Videos to come.

Shoshonie Falls, Idaho.

I love all things mossy.

We'll oot n' aboot for the next couple of days. Just thought I'd give you a peek of our adventures so far. HAving a blast, and no sunburns, sickness or injuries so far. Seeya laters!

Bec

Farewell

Me and the fam(most of us) are off to a two week vacation to Washington, Oregon, and Canada. I may be the only one returning too. I'm the only one with a passport to get back into the U.S. If that happens, I'll throw a big party at my newly empty parent-free house.

A couple of our stops along the way will be Dale Chihuly's workshop and neighboring museum (just go to google images under his name and you'll see why I love the man), La Push & Forks Washington from the ever worshipped twilight series, the space needle, and buchart gardens where I hear is the most amazing sunken garden ever. Plus many more that will be spur of the moment excursions.

I'm relying on my two brothers and sister to water my garden enough to keep it alive while I'm gone. But just in case, I've had the soaker hose on for about 6 hours now. It's just starting to produce a plentiful harvest of tomatoes & squash, so when I get back I should have quite the produce collection.

I'll be sure to take mounds and mounds of pictures (you know me) and share several along the way if my dad decides to bring his laptop.

Rachel and I stopped at the library tonight to get a bunch of books for the driving part. One of them was all about HTML. I also have a book on TCP/IP I might bring. Might as well learn something along the way.

Must finish packing now.

Adios Amigos!

Gifts from Mum & Dad's Vacation and.......

.......an announcement, but I'll get to that in a minute. My parents extended their trip by one day and just got home around 8pm today. Along with smelling like the outdoors, a bit sunburned and a little more grey hair, they brought GIFTS!!! Yay!

My mom has always loved copper and got me this cool ring from a giftshop in Washington. I heart rings.

Moving clockwise starting from the top left: Painted wood box for my room, Four antique egg cups (I collect antique's), Glass star fish(I coleect blown glass and glass stuff), The little lady bug thing is a business card holder(for when i get a job) and kukua nut choker. I've always wanted one of these to hang in my car.(when I get one) And in the card holder is a music note pin. can never have enough music stuff I always say.
Underneath all this stuff is an apron with lavendar flowers embroidered on it. I am always cooking and my current apron is a little warn out. I love it. The two flower packages are wildflower seeds from Oregon. I am a flower planter heart and soul. You'll see these growing in my yard next summer. The little orange flower is a dried, pressed flower magnet. Coolness. The long green thing is a leather bookmark from Butchart Garden's that my parents saw. I am always reading a million books at once and usually end up using post it notes to save my place. Never enough bookmarks in my room. The little bear figuring is.....a bear figurine. ok, so it has an "R" on it. I have a collection of "R"s in my room and I now have a bear R!! last is the yellow lollipop looking thing. It's actually a honey lemon bear. either for candy itself or for mixing in your tea. You can guess which one I'll be using it for.
And now for the announcement!

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MICHELLE IS PREGNANT!!!!!!

She and Lema came over tonight to see my parents coming home, but during dinner Michelle said, "I have an announcement everyone. We are expecting!" She brought the paper from the clinic confirming her due date and everything. She is 6 weeks along and due sometime early in May 08'. They don't know the sex yet, but I'm hoping for a girl (of course).Oh, Toni, if you're reading this at work, don't tell anyone, she hasn't told anyone there yet. I think she may tomorrow though. thanks. Then Michelle called my grandma. You could hear her screaming thorugh the phone, she was so excited!! This will be her first great-grand child and my parents will finally be grandparents!!!! Seems only fitting someone in my family has the first great grandbaby as my dad is the oldest child. Yehaw!!!! I found this little onesey online. I am SO getting it.