Reunions of the Arizona Kind

I spent the last week-ish in Arizona and it was so much fun!!! I started out in Mesa to spend time with Beth and her family before I headed over to Havasu to see Ashley before she left on her mission. This was my first trip to the Mesa area and I LOVED it. It was so much fun to be there with my friends :) They introduced me to "gelato" which is an Italian ice cream...*melts* Yeah, so good! And we got to go to a few little craft/decoration shops which is definitely right up my alley! I probably could've stayed in those places all day. I played with Will a lot too which was totally different from what I'm used to. Instead of playing dress up and having Syd cover me in make up and hair clips and dancing around the room with Malla in my arms, I was playing pirates, star wars and baseball! Definitely a flip flop, but still really fun! Beth told me that one night, Will was talking in his sleep saying "Tara...I just want a cookie!" over and over again. haha. Gotta love it. I think one of my favorite parts of being in Mesa (other than just hangin with the Borgia's) was getting to go through a session at the Mesa temple. Brother Borgia ended up officiating at the session we were at, so that was cool. While he was standing there, I got to thinking....I wonder if it's weird for them. An entire room full of people is sitting there staring at you and you're looking back at them and not saying anything. hahaha Meh...they're probably used to it. It would be hard for me to not slip in a weird face every now and again though :) Seriously though...the Borgia's were so great. I think they feel bad because I was "bored" or something crazy...psh! please! I'm such a boring person...I did more there than I usually do here. haha I'm used to being unemployed and doing nothing all day. lol. I really did have so much fun and they did so many wonderful things for me! I really appreciate them so much. It definitely felt like a home away from home. Oh yeah....they introduced me to the gloriousness that is the cream puffs in the temple cafeteria. Holy, wonderful! Beth also introduced me to these SWEET baking pan things that you never have to spray or anything and the food pops right out (and very nicely browned too). It was so fun to bake mini muffins with them! And so easy too! No more hassle of muffin liners or cleaning up spills when you miss the cup part (which I do on a regular basis). When I'm rich, one day, I'm going to buy some. The end. I hope I get to go back soon...I really did love it there. AND not to mention that Emily is moving there in November so that's an added bonus! All of my favorite people, minus my family, are moving to Arizona...apparently its the place to be! :)

Havasu was fun too...we ended up cramming all of us into their house instead of me staying somewhere else which was definitely more fun but maybe more cluttered than they would've liked. Ashley and I were sharing her bed which is in between a twin and a full bed. So needless to say, we had some funny accidents. lol. Apparently, one night, I was dead asleep and I started playing footsie with Ashley's foot. She laughed and scooted me over a little. No harm, no foul right? HA! A little nudge isn't going to keep me away! Apparently, no matter how far away she moved her foot, I would keep searching for it with mine. This went on for a while. I would find her foot and be set at ease and she'd move it and I'd search for it again. :) Finally, Ashley just bent her knees so her feet were behind her. I started searching as per the usual and I got frustrated that I couldn't find her foot so I let out a big puff of air and retired to sleep on my other side as a sign of defeat. Definitely funny to laugh about when I woke up the next morning. The last night was hilarious because she had put off packing until the last possible hour. Naturally, I stayed up with her to help her pack since packing happens to be one my super powers. I can always get anything to fit! Anyway, by about 1:30 we were both slap happy from running around so much the previous couple of days that we would just start laughing hysterically out of no where and it wouldn't stop until we got too tired to laugh at all. OH and deal of the week...we went to walmart to get some last minute things for her and we saw that the clinical strength dove deodorant (so wonderful during hot weather) was on sale so we took it up to the register and the guy had his list comparison thing as to what other stores were selling it for and they rang up as 2.00 each when they're originally like 8.75. Naturally, we both ran back to grab armfuls of deodorant. I'm sure we looked retarded, but I'll do what is necessary in the name of a good sale such as that one! Her setting apart was wonderful too. The Spirit was so strong. The tradition in Havasu is to go around the room and say a part of your testimony or whatever else you feel impressed to say before they set her apart as a missionary which was really neat. I'll miss my Ash-face but I'm so excited to hear about all the crap she has to eat down there! hahahaha. (and all the other stuff too)

And I'm happy to report that since its been raining here so much, its actually green AND for the last two days its been like 70 degrees outside. I was actually COLD today. Weird, I know. But it definitely feels more like fall which is something I'm not used to happening here until December...MAYBE by Thanksgiving on rare occasions. Although, I'm not banking that this weather will last long :)