Past, Present and Future

Alright, so we’ve been talking in both of my classes this week about family traditions and keeping journals about ourselves and our families. Seeing as how I usually just copy and paste what I write on the blog into an electronic journal, I thought I would write a little bit about some fun traditions that my family and I have done and a little bit of random thoughts about me that maybe most people don’t know. So, here it goes. Some of these are ones we used to do and don’t really do anymore, some we still do and some are new. I’m warning you…this might be kinda longish…

Favorite Traditions/family rituals:
· The obvious: Eating pancakes/waffles/French toast on Sundays after church.
· Sugar cookies with Grammy on the Christmas’s when she comes to our house. Nothing is better than making/decorating cookies with my Grammy! Especially when I think the cookie is an eyeball instead of an ornament like it was supposed to be and decorating it accordingly. Haha. That was a great year.
· Making a gingerbread house with my mom and sister (and now Syd!)
· Giving blood with my dad when I go home
· Playing Cranium or other games when we’re all together for the holidays
· Dad’s yummy smoked Ham on Christmas day *drools*
· The “Schweps dance” that Meredith does with the empty bottle after we eat Thanksgiving dinner
· Butterfly kisses from dad
· Christmas Pedicures with my mom, sister and grandmamma
· Being woken up in the morning one of two ways…my mom jumping on me or hearing her open the blinds REALLY loudly. Haha
· Helping mom make Jam during the first session of conference
· My brother and I bringing our mattresses downstairs to lay on during conference. haha
· Watching Anne of Green Gables with Meredith whenever I come home to visit
· Our family New Years party consisting of games, my homemade queso, little smokeys with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce and sparkling apple cider.
· When we’re together in the living room, and someone goes to the bathroom that shares a wall with it, we always knock on the wall to annoy the person in the bathroom.
· Watching MAVS games together with all our gear.
· Birthday dinners
· Having to take down Christmas decorations on New Years day. This is one tradition I wouldn’t be sad to see go away. Haha right, Grammy?
· Hearing dad’s joke of the day that he made up
· Flying rolls…need I say more? Haha
· Getting our new ornament to hang on the tree each year from Grammy
· Getting free samples and Clinique moisturizer from Grandmama for Christmas and birthdays. Oh and usually a package of socks. haha

Random thoughts:
· When I was young, I LOVED my binky. Like seriously, I don’t think I can emphasize the word LOVE enough. I learned how to talk with it in my mouth and you could understand me perfectly. As a result, I used to say my “S’s” like you would say a “T” but it would sound like a normal “s.” Good times right? Well, I’m pretty sure I had them until I was about 3 years old…my mom started taking them away from me when I’d fall asleep or something because that’s the only time she could get them from me. I started realizing this so I’d hide the ones that I still had. That way, when she took away the ones that she let me have, I could just go to my stash and pull out another one. This went on indefinitely. They didn’t realize that I had hidden so many…Good times. It’s good to know that I learned how to outsmart my parents at such a young age. Haha. Love y’all!
· I am absolutely addicted to propel as of a week ago
· When we were kids, and there was something we wanted (ex: a trampoline) we would make picket signs out of construction paper and rulers and march around my mom and dad’s room, chanting. It usually went a little something like this…”We want a trampoline, tonight, tonight, tonight. We want a trampoline (Meredith yells, SWITCH) *flip signs around* Besides, we love you.” Hahahaha so we sound like spoiled, rotten kids, but it worked so it was totally worth it. haha
· My sister and her friend, Marika, would put on New Kids on the Block concerts for us, frequently. I always wanted to play too, so they’d stick me under this box and make me push tickets up thru the hole in the top. For some reason, I loved it. haha
· When we received the previously mentioned trampoline, Meredith and Cody LOVED to bounce me as high as they could. My brother thought it was funny to continually bounce me, one after another, because I would just keep getting higher. Sometimes, I was too high and he couldn’t grab me and throw me back down onto the trampoline and I’d fly off. Usually, I’d just hit the fence or the ground…sometimes a tree or two or running into our wood pile in the backyard. I would have to get a new bandaid every day from bleeding and stuff and my sister said that I looked like one huge bandaid…hence, where I got my name that has forever stuck to my existence. Get it? stuck? Hahah wow…
· Another fun thing they liked to do on the trampoline was to get 4 big people to stand around me (I would be sitting in the middle) and they’d count to three and all bounce as hard as they could to get me as high as I could go. Somewhere at home, we have a picture of me and I’m higher than the Breinholt’s two story house. Talk about good times, and I loved every minute of it. Although, I don’t think my mom did…
· When I was really little, my brother and sister were babysitting me while my parents were out shopping or something. We had just finished building the 2nd floor of our house and the stairs didn’t have carpet on them yet. Meredith and Puden decided to go downstairs to get something to eat and somehow, I climbed over the couch they had blocking the stairs and I fell down the stairs. You know those soft spots on children’s heads? Yeah…my sister thought those were a result of me falling down the stairs…she was hysterical. She thought I was going to be retarded or something because of it. I can only imagine how funny it was on my brother’s end. Lol. Maybe that explains a lot about why I am the way that I am today…. :)
· One year for Christmas, we each got beanbag chairs. Our favorite thing to do with them was to set them at the top of the stairs and run and slide down them. In our house in Washington, there was a door at the bottom of the stairs. You can only imagine how many times we ran into that thing.
· Whenever I had to yawn, my brother and sister would always chase me around the house and make me laugh so I couldn’t finish my yawn. It always made me so mad…sometimes I would cry.
· I never had an imaginary friend, although I used to talk to my stuffed animals like they were people. Whenever my brother and sister would leave me out…or I would feel like they didn’t want to play with me (which didn’t usually happen, but sometimes it did), I would go into my room, line up my stuffed animals and vent to them…they understood me. Don’t judge. Hahaha.
· One of our favorite musicals was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. During the barn dance scene, all three of us would do the dances around the living room. Meredith and I still remember how to do them today!
I’m sure I could keep going, but I don’t want to bore everyone! :) So there you have it…some more insight into why I am the way that I am! Haha. Hope you enjoyed! XOXO

Here's to Regina!

Holla!!! Today’s post will be a tribute to my car. Yes, that’s right...my other half…where one is, there you shall also find the other. I remember the first time I ever got hit, I called my mom and I was crying…not because I was hurt (which I was, a little bit) but because my car was hurting. Haha. All I kept saying was “MY CAR!!!” lol…my mom was like, “seriously…ARE YOU OKAY? I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR!” haha. Good times. My friends nicknamed her in high school. I usually stopped to pick up my friend Allie after seminary so we’d ride together and at one point, they were doing construction on the main street to our high school. It was called Beach Street, however, they spelled it Bech on the signs…it was great. So, that’s what Allie calls her. Although, ever since I’ve had her, I’ve called her Regina. Sometimes “Reggie” for short if she needs some encouragement. Usually when I’m trying to drive up really steep hills or driving from Texas to Utah with four people and all of their luggage in her. She struggles sometimes. But give her a break…she’s a 99 Corolla. She’s not really built for that sort of thing. :)

So, the realization of winter finally hit this morning. It’s funny because during the afternoon, it has actually been pretty warm. I didn’t even wear a jacket yesterday. *gasps* However, in the mornings, it proves that Winter is alive and coming. Let me explain. Fact: My car is ghetto. Maybe not exactly “to the max” like it could be, but there are definitely characteristics about her that earn her the title. Its things like these that I’m about to mention, that make me love her so darn much. Haha. So, among other things, when it’s cold, she just kinda breaks down. I choose to feel that this is because we have a kindred connection together and when I’m cold, I usually break too…just not in the same way, obviously. Lol (By the way, for those of you who haven’t guessed already, I absolutely LOVE my car…we’ve been through a lot together) :) So anyway, one of my favorite things about my baby on wheels is that when it gets really cold and I try to get in and it hasn’t warmed up at all outside, the driver’s side door doesn’t work without some coaxing on my part. Luckily, I’ve learned how to convince it to work for the most part, but usually, not without a fight. For starters, the lock doesn’t work. It just stays locked no matter how hard I turn that key. I’ve learned ways to get past this…like crawling in through the passenger side door. The best is, when it’s cold outside, if you lock the door from the inside, you can’t unlock it without rolling down the window and doing it from the outside. It’s freakin awesome. Haha. My boss has pulled into the parking lot for the last two days when I’ve been unlocking my car on the outside while I’m in it. It’s great. She just kinda looks at me like…well…that’s Tara…I’m not really surprised. Hahaha. Love it. So, why do I lock it when I get in, you ask? If by chance I can get in through the driver’s side (it hasn’t been cold enough yet for me to not be able to jimmy my way in), usually, the door won’t stay closed. I pull it shut and it just bounces back open. The only way to keep it shut is to either hold it there (not the safest of options) or to lock it and then shut it. It’s amazing. I’ve taken it into the dealership multiple times to see if the Toyota people can fix it, and they do some things that fix it for, oh…20 minutes. Haha. It’s great. I love a car with personality. I can tell you what every scratch is from, every dent and where every missing piece of the weather stripping is that has melted off. Haha Oh and to add to that personality…I goofed about 3 weeks ago and drove off from the gas station without putting the gas cap back on *embarrassed* and so I had to buy a new one right? Since she’s a little bit older of a car…they only had bright red ones. Haha. So, now I have this awesomely large, red gas cap on the side of my car. It’ll just look more festive around Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Don’t be jealous. Maybe one day, you’ll get a red gas cap too.

Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say, is…I love my car! Probably a little bit more than I should, but I don’t care. She brings me much joy :) So Reggie…here’s to you, sister!

Not Halloween

We had our traditional “Not Halloween” party last night. Last year, we got together with a few apartments from our ward and celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas, just not on the actual day, thus is was named “Not Thanksgiving” and “Not Christmas.” Em and I decided that Halloween was getting the shaft, so we decided to throw it into the mix. We had some old timers and some new timers come, so it was fun. It was complete with pumpkin carving, yummy sugar cookies and ended out with a trip to get slurpees…it was a little cold for that, but it was totally worth it, minus the possible frost bite in my hand from having to hold it. Haha.

Also, time to celebrate. I booked the tickets/tour for our Ireland trip. I’m darn excited about it. We’re going in February so I’m leaving for home on the 12th so I can spend a couple of days there and then I'll be coming back to Provo on the 22nd. It’s going to be a great week and a half! Some of the things that I’m most excited about getting to do:
~In the evening drive to the Merry Ploughboy Pub for a great dinner of Irish specialties, which is followed by a show of traditional Irish songs and intricate step-dancing.
~Visit Blarney Castle to kiss the famous "Stone of Eloquence." Also visit the Blarney Woollen Mills where you can find quality Irish-made goods of all types conveniently displayed under one roof.
~Embark on Ireland's most popular scenic drive of 100 miles - the Ring of Kerry. This winding route reveals breathtaking sights of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks as well as coastal views of beaches and cliffs.
~In the evening head to Bunratty Castle for a memorable experience in a wonderful setting with good food and entertainment. Then take your place in the Great Hall for a medieval-style feast of excellent dishes and plenty of wine. During and after the meal the lords and ladies will serenade you with song and harp music, evocative of the Middle Ages.
I dunno about you, but I’m ready to party with the pub-ers! Haha.

I started my bowling class this week…its going to be a lot of fun. Before the class started, I was just talking to some people in my class, trying to make friends, you know? And my new friend, Sam, asked why I was taking the class. I replied with, “well, because I can bowl a 240 on the wii and about a 75 in real life.” He said well…you know, after the class, IF you can get someone to ask you out, he could take you bowling and you could school him. Haha. I know he didn’t mean it like that, but my other new friend, Kristi, and I were laughing about it the rest of the class period. Hahah he said IF! Lol. Good times. He kept touching me throughout the rest of the period too…it was weird and frankly, quite creepy. But, funny at the same time, if that makes any sense! Anyway, I gotta head out and get some stuff done. I hope everyone has a great day! XOXO

Friends, Family & Fun!

Howdy Hey Y’all! It’s been a pretty darn good last few days! I love the weekends but they always seem to go by WAY too fast. It’s okay though, that just means I’m one step closer to getting to see my baby girls at Christmas time! I talked to Meredith, Ben and Syd on Skype last night and Syd and I decided that we’re going to make up a Christmas dance to Jingle Bells (her favorite Christmas song, apparently). It should be lots and lots of fun. Mostly because we always dance together anyway, so this will be extra fun. I’m envisioning matching Santa hats and maybe some bells and/or green suspenders. Hahaha. Can’t go wrong there right? I’m excited and that’s all there is to it! :) Seriously though, this weekend was great. Friday, Em and I had a double date (we LOVE those) where we ate spaghetti, played clue and watched Red Eye. Way fun...then Saturday we just kinda relaxed and we got to talk to Jen on the webcam for about an hour! Those are some of my favorite weekend moments. Heartcha girl! Then the four of us from Friday night went to see Wall*E at the dollar theater. I really just love that movie. It always makes me giggle uncontrollably. After church yesterday, I was invited over to Aubrey and Gregs for some ice cream and brownies and Disney Trivia so in all, it was quite eventful and awesome :) I love chill weekends! :)

The BYU vs TCU game was a complete BUST…it was quite sad. Usually we rock them, but unfortunately, not this year. Woo, we got our pants kicked. *sighs* Its okay though, we still had our traditional BYU/TCU party as always and it was definitely fun to see everyone who has come up here from back home. I didn’t realize how many people lived here now! This one family, the Merril’s, were there, who I haven’t seen in at least 5 or so years and their daughter was in my dance classes in high school that I taught. She came running up to me and gave me a big hug and I had no clue who she was (she looks SOOO different) until she said MISS TARA!!! I’M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU! Haha. I was like OOOHHHH…dance kids. And then I was able to put two and two together. In all fairness to me, she was 5 when she took my class, and now she’s 9, so don’t judge me for not remembering. *teethy grin* One of the first things she said to me was, “You look a lot older and shorter than I remember!” Everyone that was sneakily listening in on our conversation started to chuckle a little bit and started listening harder to see what my response would be. Lol. I didn’t come up with anything creative, but you know…sometimes when you’re under pressure, it just doesn’t work out that way. :) It was definitely fun though. I spent most of the time with Josh and the Breinholt’s and it was a definite needed break from Provo life. Gotta love little pieces of home! And speaking of home and Breinholt’s, I’m going to see Kami in Rexburg next weekend! I’m stoked. We’re going to some Halloween concert and some other stuff. I can’t wait. I need some Kami time! :) Heartcha girl!

Alright, one more shout out to Emily…last night was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! We always have roommate prayer each night, right? Well, last night, we didn’t even get upstairs to start getting ready for bed until about 12:15, so we’re dead tired right?...to the point where everything was funny. We have a nice little system where who ever is praying that night asks what the other person needs and I asked her and she goes, “A new knee.” (she just had reconstructive knee surgery) and being as tired and loopy as I was said, “What the heck is a noonie?” hahaha I know it sounds lame, and really not funny at all, but stuff like that kept happening and we were just ROLLING from laughing so hard. It was incredibly amazing and so much fun. We freak out when we’ve been apart for like more than 6 hours. Haha. We see each other all day, every day most days and we still never run out of things to talk about. When we wake up in the mornings, I feel like I have so much to talk to her about…dreams from that night, how we slept, etc. etc. etc. haha its quite sad but very funny. I heart you girl! XOXO Anyway, I should probably get going, but I hope everyone has a GREAT week this week!

*shivers*

It snowed on Saturday...yes, that's right. SNOWED. It didn't stick, which I am VERY grateful for, however, the fact still stands that its october and I've already had to bust out my gloves. *sighs* Here is a list of things that I've already experienced as a result of the change in temperature...this makes me really nervous for when its actually "winter" time. If I'm being this much of a weenie now, I hate to see me in December! hahaha....ugh. :)

You know it’s cold outside when:
· You have to use a space heater at work WHILE wearing gloves
· You can see your breath IN your apartment
· Your ears actually hurt because they are so cold
· You have to borrow someone’s chapstick because yours is frozen. (true story…that happened today)
· No matter how many layers of clothes you have, you’re never warm enough
· You sleep with pants and long sleeves with 3 blankets and you still find yourself shivering at night…I need to get a heated man pillow. That would be sweet. I wonder if they make those...
· It hurts when you first walk outside
· Breathing doesn’t feel good
· You refuse to shower in the morning because you’ll freeze…or if you don’t get your hair all the way dry, you’re afraid it might freeze and break off.
· Your hair gets static-y and you seem to shock everything you touch.
· Shaving in the shower becomes something you’re afraid of…the possibility of accidently shaving off chill bumps, seems very real and possible. *shivers*
· You start wearing nylons or spandex pants UNDER your regular pants
· Suddenly, the thought of wearing three shirts, doesn’t sound so bad. (haha…I’m actually doing that now! )
· All you want to do in your spare time is put on sweat pants and curl up in a blanket and watch a movie while drinking hot chocolate (while dipping the toast in it…yummm.

In all fairness, I always want to do that last one...there's something about sweats that just make me happy and cuddley inside. Gotta love it. There was one more but i cant think of it off the top of my head. Just know that I'm cold. hahaha. :) I heartcha'll bad! XOXO

Bring on the Rain

So, to update everyone on my recent prison experience...it was probably one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life. Hands down. I guess I'm just full of stereotypes and expectations for what I thought I would find there, but the sisters that were there were so wonderful. They recognized that they had made mistakes and were trying to change. They were such sweet women, some of which, I could tell were really trying their hardest to get back on the right track. After the lesson was over, we visited with some of them and they were on their way. We stayed and talked with the Bishopric and RS presidency who were over the sisters and they actually asked us to come back the Sunday before Thanksgiving to speak on gratitude in their Sacrament meeting. I'm really, really excited. We thought we would take different angles on the topic so that we didn't stand up and talk about the same thing, and I had decided to talk on gratitude for our trials. We're also singing and arrangement of 'Because I have Been Given Much." I'm not the best singer in the world, so I'm a little nervous about how it will turn out, but I'll do my best :)

I think it's funny that something like that should happen though...that two nights before I knew how I would feel and the 'trials' that I would be facing, I opted to speak on gratitude in our trials. Now I KNOW the Lord has a great sense of humor. haha Maybe this is His way of making sure that I have something worthwhile to say. lol. Honestly though, I am trying my hardest to find the silver lining on this one, and I'm really not sure what it is. All I can say is that its times like these when I become closer with my Heavenly Father and even some of my friends who are there to lift me when I'm down. That's definitely a silver lining! Last night was one of those 'cry yourself to sleep nights' which was actually kind of nice...its very cleansing...silver lining number 2 perhaps? And even though I woke up puffy eye'd and dead tired this morning, it doesn't ache so bad. One of my favorite songs is Jo Dee Messina's Bring on the Rain...it has the best lines: "Cuz tomorrow's another day, and I am not afraid, so bring on the rain." That's totally how it is. Bring it on suckas. There aint nothin I can't handle! :)

In more awesome/exciting news: I got my passport this week. You know what that means?!? I'm one step closer to cavorting my way through the hills and valleys of Ireland. *does victory dance* P.S. Cavort is one of my favorite words. Mostly because of its definition though: "To romp or prance exuberantly." HA! It doesn't get much better than that. Also, my brother just called. He's coming to see me for Thanksgiving. I'm determined to believe that its just because he misses me bad and can't wait until Christmas to see me, but I'm sure he has some other motives too...you know, like his best friend or something. haha. But still...I get a whole week of my Puden Head. That means, there's a whole week of nintendo playing, movie watching, wrestling, eating and all around good times. In all honesty, we'll probably throw watching Chuck and Star Wars in there, of course. Anyway, I just got an email of a graph my coworker needs me to make for her article she's writing, so I'd better be off. I hope everyone has a splendid weekend! XOXO

Baby, its cold outside!

Even though I've been here for almost 5 years now, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that it starts getting cold here in October. I've used my space heater (for which, I'm VERY thankful for) at work every morning and I make sure to have layers upon layers on for when I have to walk to campus. In all fairness, when it comes to cold weather I just might be the biggest weenie out there. I wear that banner proudly, rest assured. I would much rather be hot than cold. Although, the snow is fun...just not when you're walking to school in it. My friends have told me about their nose hairs freezing before, from it being so cold at times. I hope that that is an experience I never have. :) I guess, my silver lining this time will be that with the cold weather, I can justify wearing my sweats more and I can cuddle up in blankets and drink hot chocolate with my dipping toast, while in Pierre...well, what's left of him anyway. Did I tell y'all that my FHE brother broke him? Yeah...the bottom kinda *pauses for emphasis* bottomed out. haha get it? Bottomed out! I crack myself up sometimes. I blame my dad. That's definitely his humor. :) At any rate, having just the top makes me feel like I'm in some kind of pod and it's quite the adventure. If you make sudden movements you kinda roll around in a very uncivilized manner. *awkward* Good times, good times. OH silver lining number two: because I'm such a weenie with the cold, it gives me excuses to cuddle with whoever I please, whenever I please. hahaha Most of the time, its people like Emily who are used to it anyway, but still...I'm a cuddle bug. I really enjoy it. I'm not going to lie. :)

Speaking of Emily...she got her surgery last week and even though I've talked to her on the phone everyday, I miss her lots and lots. Its weird that she's not there. She said she's not coming back until MONDAY. *sighs* I hope I can hold out. Its sad that I'm missing her this bad and I went and saw her on Friday for about an hour or more, and I saw her on Sunday for like 15 minutes. Man...I'm pathetic. hahaha. Love you girl! XOXO

Today should be fun...I'm teaching a Relief Society lesson at the Prison in Draper and I'm actually really excited about it. They asked me to teach on Budgeting (?!??!) which I thought was kind of an interesting topic to be teaching at a prison, but I decided to throw a little 'be prepared' twist at the end of it. I'll be sure to let y'all know how it goes! :) I do enjoy getting to say I'm going to prison today when people ask me what I'm up to! haha its quite funny. Last night, Joyce was like...hey, lets do something tomorrow evening! I quickly responded with...well, I'll be in prison tomorrow and I don't know when I'll be back. hahaha...this girl in our ward was outside on the phone and kinda looked at me like WHA?! lol good times.

Wow...I just realized it's been a while since I've written, yet again. I apologize. At least it wasn't a FULL week this time :) In all fairness though, I think the only person that really cares if I update regularly is my sister and I talk to her on the phone everyday anyway, so I'm guessing she wont hate me too much. *smiles* This weekend was fun though...Conference weekend! One of my favorite weekends of the year! For starters, Friday night I went over to my neighbor's apartment and played games and 'catch up'...she was one of my best friends from Freshman year and we really haven't seen each other a whole lot since she moved next door. It was a lot fun. Not to mention that she's kinda dating this guy that I dated briefly last year so that's been fun to swap stories about! :) Good times. Saturday, I went up to Taylorsville to spend most of the day with Adam and his family. It was really nice of them to invite me up, and definitely a blessing for me to be able to go. There are two times when I get really homesick...conference weekends and special holidays. So, it was great to be with SOMEONE'S family at least. It made the ache a lot lesser than normal so that was definitely great. Plus, they made sourdough waffles for breakfast and they were YUUUUUUMMY! :) But, coming from the girl that eats pancakes/waffles/french toast every Sunday, that shouldn't be a surprise. haha. In between sessions we went to this little crafty village thing. It was dang cute. And they had a couple of shops that had a bunch of crafty things in them that I just wanted to live in. haha. If i were rich, I would've bought most of the things in those stores, I'm sure. haha. It was definitely hard to resist...especially knowing my weakness for fun holiday decorations. Adam's family was great though...so nice and wonderful! It was kinda weird...I don't think I felt awkward there at all, which is a big deal for someone like me. *laughs* Feeling awkward usually comes pretty natural for me. lol. Its a good thing that it was raining really badly, otherwise I might not have left! haha. Sunday was good too...Irene made cinnamon rolls (you know how I cant pass those up) and I did a little Sunday cooking in between sessions. Can't beat that. I think my favorite talk was Pres. Monson's on change. Definitely something I struggle with, so it really hit home with me. Gotta love it!!!! :) Anyway, I'm gonna get back to work now, but I hope everyone has a rock on, awesome day! Heartcha! XOXO

SLC or bust!

Heya! So, I guess it’s about time for an update eh? I feel like I’ve been slacking on my blogging duties (haha that was for you, Meredith…DUTIES). Lol. Gotta love how immature we are. It spices life up just a little, right?

So, in a nutshell, the RS conference session was awesome. Each of the talks were so great and there was so much to take from all of them. My roommates and I got to go to the Conference Center, which is always an amazing experience. Especially with the crazy music lady. If you watched it, you know what I’m talking about. J I always love it when we get to sing as a congregation. It makes me feel like sayin, stay back Satan…you can’t touch this, sucka!! Haha Well, something like that anyway. J Or you can say things like Meredith said: “BANDAID…we’re singing the same song together at the same time! It’s almost like we’re together!” haha cute….Can I just say how much I love President Uchtdorf? He was SOLID. Well, they all were, but you know what I mean. Wow. Not to mention that President Monson was sporting a pretty sweet gray suit and that made me happy. They were so cute with their wives afterwards too. Talk about good times. We ended up just driving up to the Trax station in Sandy so we didn’t have to fight traffic and parking n stuff and it was pretty chuck full of women in dresses…and Utes in red. I guess there was a game that night or something. Let’s just say it was insanely packed in there. I got to know many new people in ways they probably wish that I didn’t. haha. Anyway, on the way home, we were trying to frown. I dunno why, or how it started, but it’s hard to do. Just know that. So anyway, my roommate Brittany told us that she was going to try to take a picture of Em and I frowning…little did we know that she was videoing us the whole time. Some of y’all have seen this on facebook, but for my family who doesn’t, this should be shared…

Anyway, afterwards, we were going to go to Olive Garden for dinner, but it was completely packed and like a 45 minute wait…not good when you’re already starving right? So, we’re driving around, trying to find something else that looks good and not so busy, and what do I see out of the corner of my eye? That’s right…Texas Roadhouse! Only the BEST place ever. Next to IHOP of course. It was SOO beyond wonderful to eat there. You walk in and it’s totally got the Southern, Texas feel to it. Just like back home. Although, I’m not friends with everyone that works in the Utah ones…hahah probably cuz I haven’t been there enough yet. We can change that. J So great though for sure. Emily and I were so giddy and happy. We were definitely in our element. And those ROLLS *drools* You can’t beat them. We went through 5 baskets of them. In all fairness, we each took two rolls home with us in our doggie bags, but still. All them rolls, 5 glasses of water and chicken with baked beans later, we high tailed it outta there and then watched a movie to work off the food. Good times. In all, it was a great trip! J

Other than that, this week has been kinda uneventful. I got the flu on Tuesday…good times. And Emily left me yesterday to go get her surgery, so she wont come back until Friday of next week…I dunno what I’m gonna do. Probably go back to socializing like I used to…hahaha. Anyway, I have a test to study for and tonight is Smallville and the Office so I gotta get goin. I’ll catch y’all lata!!!!