FALL BREAK

It is Fall Break which means a four day weekend- need I say more? It is always nice to have a break shortly after the school year starts. Usually Fall Break is in the middle of October, so it is going to be a long stretch until Thanksgiving - but this break is much needed.

I am loving the kids I teach this year. I have a lot of the same kids I've worked with over the past couple of years and we have such a great relationship. I feel lucky to have the job I do (most days)!

I am excited for Fall and all that comes with it. I love the colors of fall and the crispness in the air. With each seasons comes emotions and memories - but I know that new memories will be made in each season too! I am optimistic as I look into the seasons of my life!

SUMMER

My summer has been one of the best summers I have had in a few years. I graduated with my masters the beginning of May - which meant NO HOMEWORK all summer long. I started out the summer with a few camping trips. I went to girls camp with the young women and it was a wonderful experience for me. I love serving in the young womens. By the way, I am now the Laurel advisor instead of the Beehive advisor and I adore the Laurels - but miss the Beehives too!

I spent the fourth of July at my parents' property in Lava. It was really fun. Chris and Kerri went with us and it was a great way to celebrate the holiday.

In July I went to California with my friend Lori and her two cute boys. We drove to sunny California and then spent about a week and a half with her parents. It was such a great trip. I was really needing a vacation. It was long enough that I actually got into complete relaxation mode before having to come back to real life! While in California we went to the beach, the Santa Barbara zoo, and Legoland. I think the best part was relaxing by her parents pool and just taking it easy. I enjoyed the time I spent with Lori and her family. Oh, and I read two books JUST FOR FUN.

Even though I go back to work next Monday - the summer fun is not over. Tomorrow I am headed to St. George. Chris, Kerri, and I decided to take one last vacation before I have to go back to work. We are going to see Footloose and then we plan to relax and have FUN. I also still plan to make it to Lava a few more times for camping with the fam.

Shouldn't it be the other way?

Today I bought flowers to put on Ben's grave. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't he be buying flowers for me for our anniversary?

Today is our 8 year anniversary. We were married June 20, 2001. I decided to change my thinking a little to make it through the day. Instead of thinking about all the things we were cheated I thought about all that is yet to come. (It was still a little hard to not think about where we would be and what we would be doing if he was still here!) Even though we didn't get to experience everything we wanted to in this life, I know that we will have eternity to spend together. I try to remind myself that we really only are apart for a brief moment - but man, it seems like forever to me!

I need to thank Chris and Kerri for keeping me busy today. I had planned to be out of town for this rough week but the plans fell through. I think I was probably meant to stay home and spend time with my sis and Chris. I really had a great time - but then again we always do have a fun time together. We did some father's day shopping, went to a movie, to dinner, and then back to their house for some wii.

THANKS CHRIS AND KERRI FOR EVERYTHING!

This week I also hit the three year mark from the day Ben was diagnosed. Man, it was a hard day - but again I tried to stay positive. When I woke up on Tuesday morning I remembered exactly how I felt the day I was told Ben was dying. I felt like my life was ending right along with Ben's. How could I possibly live without him? But now that some time has passed, I realize my life didn't end, it just switched directions. I really didn't think that I would make it, but I have and I will. The time Ben and I shared the nine weeks he lived after being diagnosed was so special. We were able to talk about things in such a different way because we knew he was leaving me. I think the time we shared helped prepare me for what was to come. I promised him I would be okay even though I didn't know if I could keep that promise. I will always cherish the days I had with Ben, especially the last few days when our loved seemed to grow every second! In fact, I think my love for him still grows as I look forward to spending eternity with him.

I Can't Believe It!

Graduation is this weekend! I cannot believe it. I just have some work to do to finish up my electronic portfolio and then one more assignment in my other class and then I will be all done! What will I do with all my time? I am sure I will find something to do!

Update

So you wanted to know how the single thing went...and here it is!

I hate the single scene.

I keep telling myself not to give up, but I'd rather have the stomach flu than go to a single activity. That may sound harsh, but really???? I swear the guys that are there are 20 years older than I am. I have told myself that for now I will continue to go to firesides and stake activities (maybe) but no more singles mingles.

Spring Break

The biggest news is that there is only three weeks until Graduation. I am starting to get very excited about graduation. I have less than three weeks to go. I am ready for the end of this journey. Maybe once I graduate I will post more. I am actually hoping to do a lot more once I graduate.

I spent the past three days in San Francisco. I went there with my sister, my mom, and my aunt. We had a wonderful time. I swear all we did was LAUGH. One of the highlights was Wicked. Only one word for that - AMAZING! It was so awesome. I hope everyone reading this gets a chance to see it. While we were there we also saw Grease. That was really fun as well. On top of seeing those two shows we spent time shopping, touring the city, taking a boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge, and eating seafood YUM!

ARE YOU TWINS?

I feel lucky to have such a wonderful family that I enjoy spending time with. I have to admit though, my favorite part of the trip was the time with my sister. We laughed, laughed, and laughed some more. It was just nice to have some alone time with her. Now that we are all grown up that doesn't happen as much as we'd like it to. I cannot even tell you how many times we were asked if we were twins. I guess we really do look alike.

Homework or My Blog?

I am down to a little more than six weeks left until graduation! I am swamped with homework and it usually comes down to the question of homework or my blog....tonight the blog won! At least for a minute.

On Monday night I had a chance to meet up with two roommates from Ricks. We had a blast! We went to the Mandarin in Bountiful for dinner and then to Applebees for desert because we didn't want the night to end. It was so nice to catch up after not seeing each other for about seven months.

Tomorrow night I am going to a 'singles' thing. We are supposed to wear green, bring a side dish, and then.......think of a date to auction off. That kind of makes me feel like I am an animal at the fair! I've decided to live like that saying 'go big, or go home'.....I am going to go big in the singles world even if it does take me out of my comfort zone.

I am sure tomorrow night will bring something exciting to post!