Saturday, July 7, 2012

I think I'm gonna take that drive

Well, it hasn't been a long time since I posted! I am pretty excited about that! :)

Fourth of July was pretty good.  I went up to Lewiston with my friend, Randi.  I also got to see my Grandma Pat and Grandpa Johnny in Logan!  That was a lot of fun!  They never fail to make me laugh!  

This is my grandparents and me!  :) I'm hoping to make it up to Logan one more time before they leave!

After dinner with my grandparents, Randi and I went shopping for a bit, and then headed to her grandma's house in Lewiston!  

The Fourth of July was great!  I think I may have decided it's one of my favorite holidays.  I really enjoy the festivities, and I love that one day out of the year, almost EVERYONE is patriotic.  I wish is was more like that all year round! The day started off with a breakfast the the fire fighters put on.  It was really neat because as we were sitting at breakfast, I looked up and realized that Bishop Westover was there.  Turns out, their family has been going to Lewiston for the Fourth for years!  It was awesome to see them, but it did make me miss home a bit!  
After breakfast, it was time for the parade!  I LOVE parades on the Fourth of July!  My first experience with an Independence Day parade was last year when I was with the Robles in Flagstaff, and I fell in love!  I think they can be so enjoyable! :) 

This is Randi and me waiting for the parade to start.  We have several other silly pictures, but I will spare you this time!  :)







I do have to say that there were more beauty pageant floats in this parade than I have ever seen in my life.  I think each little town surrounding Logan had about five beauty pageants, and every single one was represented in the Lewiston Independence Day parade!  

After the parade, we headed to the park where there were lots of booths to shop at, and a concert.  Randi sang at the park later that afternoon, and then we headed home so that I could be back at work on Thursday morning.  

The night of the Fourth, I had to myself, which was much needed!  I watched some TV and watched three different firework shows from my front porch.  It was pretty awesome.  

The days following the Fourth have been a little tricky, but have strengthened my faith quite a bit.  I found out Thursday morning that a good friend had a child pass away, and it's made me reflect quite a bit on the trials we face in this life.  Some times, it doesn't seem fair or right, but I know that trials are handed to us for a reason.  My prayers are continually with her family, and I have seen their strength, and I know this will be hard, but something that they will be strengthened by.   

It has been a reflective week in a lot of other ways as well, and I have had the opportunity to set goals and think about a variety of weaknesses that I want to work on to make strengths.  I am trying to take these goals a step at a time because some times, I get really too excited and I want to be perfect all at once, and then I get discouraged when I can't do that!  

I hope life is good for all of you!  I get to come home in just a little while!  I am excited for a visit!!  

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :)

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Putting the big girl pants on!

Hello friends!  I hope this post finds you doing well, and as chipper as ever!!

FIRST THINGS FIRST!  I got a JOB as a FIFTH GRADE TEACHER!!  That's right, I am stepping into those big girl pants come this fall!!  I am so excited to have the opportunity to teach.  I can't say that I'm not nervous, but I am mostly excited!  I think a little nerves will keep me on my toes! :)

This summer has been filled with a lot of WORK!  I have been working three jobs, but loving every minute of being busy!  I had missed it!  I am working at Sylvan, as I have said in previous posts.  I LOVE my job there.  It is AMAZING.  I am going to do my best to keep it a few nights a week during the school year just so that I don't have to leave!  The kids there are great, the teaching is great, everything about it is great!  I was telling a friend just today actually that time always FLIES BY there because I LOVE my job!!  :)
I have also been working at Opinionology.  This job, on the other hand, is not one that I am loving all that much, but I got a job there last April just to cover the summer, and when I got the job at Sylvan, I just decided to stay with both for as long as I could.  A little extra money never hurt anyone, right!?  Haha.  I am also still tutoring the little boy in the Jensens' ward.  I LOVE doing that!! :)

Other than work, I have been playing with friends here and there, going to FHE, looking for places to live and institute and finding a little more time for myself.

Last weekend I went to Andy's birthday party which was fun.  We went up to Salt Lake and did some go carting, ate some lunch and then went to the Dinosaur museum in Lehi.  Then, of course there was cake by Suzy (she is a great baker in my ward, and one AWESOME girl too!).

That night was then followed by a Glendale girls' night!  It was so good to chat and spend time with those girls!  I had missed them!  :)

The most recent project in my control was the ward summer activity!  We were going to go camping, but due to the unfortunate fires happening all over the state of Utah, the camp ground closed.  We moved the activity to a park in Spanish Fork, and it was still a success.  We had dinner and some activities, and then we went to our Bishop's house for ice cream and an out door movie!  It was quite enjoyable!

At the ward activity, we got a slack line. . . I was not very good at it, but the idea was fun!  Haha.  There are two girls in my ward though that were awesome at it!

Volleyball was indeed the main attraction of the evening!  I think Sister Stevens, the bishop's wife had the most fun with it! :)




We also played Bocce Ball.  I had never heard of it before, but I took a wack at it! :) I kept getting distracted and dancing though.  Typical. . .



The above pictures are of my friends Kyle and Robyn.  These two are so awesome!  They are two of the nicest people that I have ever met!!



 A table of friends is always good thing!  I think lots of people had a great time socializing! :)


 This was one of my FAVORITE parts of the activity- GIANT twister!!  :) SOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!


This was the BEST SET UP EVER!!  I want to do this again some day with an out door movie.  I really enjoyed it!

Even though we didn't get to do our original plan, I think everyone that came had some fun, and I am happy things worked out! :)

Another great activity I got to go to was the Manti Pageant! :) I had seen it once before, but I was excited to be able to go again! :) YAY!!

Well, that brings me to the here and now where I realize that it's after 2am and I should probably go to bed! I will write again soon, probably after the Fourth of July because I am going up to Logan which should be a lot of fun!  Hopefully, I will get a chance to see my grandparents again!  They are living up in Logan again this summer, and we were able to meet for lunch in Salt Lake just a few weeks ago.  It'd be fun to see them again!  Well, I hope you're all doing well!!  :)

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :)

Saturday, June 9, 2012

All my pants are party pants!

Alright friends!  I few substantial events have occurred and I feel good and ready to blog about them! :)

First things first- My best friend Erica got married.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to but a few of the photos from the big weekend, but you should all know that it was quite the party, and she looked beautiful!

I was feeling adventurous the night before leaving so I left at midnight on Thursday morning.  I got home from hanging out at a friend's house after institute, and by golly, I packed and was out the door.  Yes, I did get tired, and yes, I did pull over and sleep in my car at a truck stop in Beaver.  The people I tell the story to think I am insane, but hey, it was kinda fun and it did get me home A LOT earlier than originally planned.

Because I got such an early start, I rolled into Flagstaff around 8:30 am.  Courtney and I went and got breakfast burritos at our favorite Mexican food restaurant in Flagstaff.  Utah Mexican food just does not even compare so I was THRILLED.

After breakfast, Courtney and I stopped by the bus barn to say hello to some former coworkers and our good friend, Trevor!

This is Courtney and myself with our good friend, Trevor.  He's one of the best guys I know! :)

This is Pete, my old boss at the bus barn.  Good memories of bus obstacle courses and BBQs with this one.  Never a dull moment when you're hanging out with Pete!

After the bus barn, we stopped by Jana's for a little while, had a little girl talk and she made me a flower clip to wear in my hair for Erica's wedding.

Then, it was down the hill for some shoe shopping at good 'ol Metro Center.  Courtney and I had fun hunting down the perfect yellow shoes for my bride's maid outfit.

Thanks to my shoe aholic best friend, Courtney, I was able to track down the ultimate yellow shoes to go with my gray dress. This is pretty much the shoe I had pictured in my mind so I was THRILLED when we found it!

Shoe mission accomplished!  YAY!!!  By the time we found the shoes I was feeling VERRRRRY tired, but i kept on chugging as it was time for Erica's bachelorette party! WOOP!!

 This is a picture of all the girls at Mimi's Cafe for Erica's celebration!  It was so good to see old friends.  We all had sooooo much fun catching up and laughing all night!


 This is the bride to be and he best friend- ME!!! :)


 My good friend Brookie Face and myself at Erica's party!  LOVE THIS GIRL!!!!


 Miriam and me and Erica's party! I love catching up with this sweet girl whenever I go home!  She is definitely a joy to be around!


 All of the girls! :) It was definitely a fun night, and one that will be remembered! :)


This is the best friend and me partying it up for the bride to be!! :) :)

It was a fun night out for the girls, but I took off first to get my much needed beauty rest.  I knew that I had a BIG day ahead of me!!

Erica Brady and Jonathan Dale were married in the Mesa, Arizona temple on May 25, 2012.

There is something so bitter sweet about your best friend getting married.  I can't wait to watch her life with Jon unfold and see what's in store for them.  I LOVE Jon and I am so happy that he's the lucky guy that is going to take care of my best friend for the rest of forever.  I trust him with her for sure! :)

It was such a good day all around.  We had so much fun at the luncheon, at the reception and then afterwards hanging out at Justin's house!  :)

 Erica, Justin and myself at the luncheon! :)


 We were cutting a rug at the reception!! :) We had such a fun time dancing!


 This is my best friend, Gavin and his wife Cadie! I love seeing these two!


After the reception, we all (excluding Erica and Jon of course) went to Justin's house for some Marco Polo :)

After the wedding, it was but another big event, and we had the first ever family get together on my dad's side of the family.  Unfortunately, throughout my life, we haven't really ever done much with my dad's family. I thought it was a little messed up so I organized a fun little get together.  We had lunch and played a game.  There were many that weren't able to make it, but it was the start of something new, and hopefully it will be the start of something great that can continue on.  I guess I kinda long for those family ties, and this was the beginning of maybe making them.

This is the turn out from our family get together.  :) This is but a fraction of us, but it was so good to start to build associations with these people! :)

What a quick trip, but so good!  I was able to spend one night in Flagstaff with Jana and her family before heading back up to Utah.  That is always a good time, and I love getting to see her girls and getting to talk to her.  Jana is my sister by choice, and I am so grateful to have her in my life. She is one person that I honestly don't think I could live without.  

When I got back to Utah, it was more fun!  I dove right into my new job at Sylvan Learning Center, and I LOVE it!  I love going there, and I love working with the kids!  It's actually a better day when I get to go to Sylvan.  It honestly does not even feel like work because I love it so much!!  

I have also been having a lot of fun with friends! I made a new friend named Dallin, and last weekend, a bunch of us went over to his house for a karaoke party! Then, we had a spontaneous Macy's run (that seems to happen a lot in Spanish Fork).  

 Here we are, hanging out at the karaoke party!


This is our whole group at Macy's.  We found out that it was National Doughnut Day so we decided it was only appropriate to go get doughnuts! :) 


This past week has been fun because Randi's birthday was on Wednesday.  On Tuesday night, I stayed the night at her house and we had a birthday party at midnight for her.  I made her a cake and all!!  We attempted to sleep outside in the back yard, but she thought it was too cold so we moved the party inside.  It was a fun and crazy thing that we will probably never have the opportunity to do again so I was happy that we did it!  
Then, she had a birthday party with the whole gang on Friday night at her Dad's house.  His house sits right on Salem pond so we busted out the paddle boat and had a good 'ol time.  Cole and I had fun chasing a duck on the paddle boat- but that was the extent of my paddle boat adventure.  I might have to give it another chance some time because I don't know that I gave it a fair chance.  Haha. Oh well, the smores that came after the paddle boating made the whole party worth it- oh and sharing Randi's birthday with her of course.  ;)  

 So this is the cake I made for Randi's midnight birthday party.  She loves the color purple, so I decked the cake out in her favorite color.


 Randi making her birthday wish!! :)
 This is actually a really funny story behind this picture.  We decided it would be fun to sleep out in the tent.  Well, Randi wanted the air mattress, but the electric air pump would not work.  Randi proceeded to blow the air mattress up with her own air, and accomplished it.  However, right after she had used every last bit of Carbon Dioxide that could possibly come out of her, the mattress sprang a leak!!! We quickly got some duct tape and taped over the hole.  Needless to say, it got to cold, Randi wanted to go in.  We moved the party to the living room and our duct tape didn't hold the hole.  Randi ended up sleeping in her own bed that night. :)


 This is Cole and I at Randi's birthday party.  This picture pretty much says everything there is to know about our relationship.


 This is my good friend Natalie and I at Randi's party!



 I felt it only appropriate to include a picture of Randi's dad since he was nice enough to let us have the party at his house.  Her dad is a jokester.  Her WILL make you laugh.  This is his smile detector picture.  My camera detected his smile, and took the picture automatically.


 Here are some more party animals at Randi's party- Bradley, Natalie and April.

  This is Tim and myself at Randi's party.  Tim is actually a good friend of the Jensens from Kansas.  He is attanding BYU and has come over to the Jensen's house a few times for dinner and games while I have lived there.  His sister Cici, Tim, Randi and myself basically became instant friend after an epic game of Things one night.  

Well, the events of my life have been a blast.  I am still on the job hunt for a teaching position in the fall.  It's hard, but I know it will be worth it.  My friends rock, and I am loving life!  This summer is already turning out to be great, and I am pretty sure it will only get better!  I bought The Pass of All Passes so hopefully I'll be getting some use out of that some time soon!  Other than work, spending time with friends and planning our ward camp out for the summer, there isn't a whole lot of anything else going on!  I miss you all, and I hope you're all doing well.  Sorry if I missed you this last time I was in Arizona.  Hopefully, we can catch up soon!!  

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :) 

Monday, May 21, 2012

LIFE IS GOOD!! :)

I don't have any fun pictures because I have been slacking in the picture department, but I figured it was time for an update despite the lack of concrete evidence as to what my Spanish Fork life is like.

The past few weeks have been slighly on the difficult side.  I have had a ton of fun a friends and laughs around to help me to concur the stuggles that I have been facing.  Finding a big girl job is tough.  Applying and applying and applying feels like an empty effort.  I have had one interview, and I ended up getting turned down for the job.  However, I know that there is something out there for me, and even if it doesn't happen THIS fall, I'll be alright, and I will have my opportunity.  I'm grateful for the chance I had to interview because I was able to have my first experience with an actual teacher interview.  Some of those questions can get tricky for me because I have such a white personality! :)

Other than applying for jobs at every school I hear about, I am enjoying my job at American Leadership Academy.  For those of you who don't know, I have been working there for about four months now as a Title I paraprofessional and a special education aide.  This job has given me experience that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my career as a teacher. 

As the school year is coming to a close, I have started to reflect on the impact that my job at ALA has had on me, and the impact that I have had on those kids.  One particular child comes to mind, and although every student I worked with had influence on me in some way, this special Kindergartener is one that I will never forget.  Until this last week of school, I hadn't really been able to see the growth within this particular student.  I remember when I first began to work with her, she would refuse to do anything I asked her, she often told me to go away and she would throw fits.  As I learned to practice patience and love, I have become one of her safety's at school.  I have seen her follow directions, participate well in class activities and even face several of her fears.  This little girl has shown me what being involved in education is all about.  It's not really about the academics.  It's not about knowing all your states and capitals or times tables.  It's about growth and the influence you can have on someone's life for the better.  If I am able to get my own classroom in the fall, I hope to be able to touch at least one of my student's lives in a similar way that I have touched this little girl's.

Most recently, in fact, today was my very first day, I have been hired at Sylvan Learning Center in Orem.  I get to tutor throughout the summer, and after having my first day today, I already know I am going to love it!  It was truly an answer to the prayers of many that I got that job.  When I received the phone call in which I was offered the position, I couldn't stop smiling.  It was a moment of peace for sure. 

Aside from work, I am still really involved in all of my ward and stake activities with church.  I am still the ward music chair, and being that right now it's the only way I am involved with music, I love it.  I faithfully attend FHE and institure and they are two activities that I really do look forward to throughout the week.  It's fun to get to know people and be involved in the activites.  There are so many awesome people in my ward, and I have grown to love being around them.


I know that so many fun things have happened since I last wrote at general conference so I am going to try and just bullet point a few.  They will probably be out of order because I have not been good at taking pictures!

- I got an A on Cole's final!!  Cole had to write a series of papers for one of his classes.  I helped him to edit them and to write a couple, and he ended up getting a flawless score on his final paper!  It doesn't seem that significant, but I have missed homework, and it was fun to help him and to find out that he got an A.  (I guess that's the teacher in me haha)

- I went to Bdubs in Utah.  That made me miss home just a tad.  I got spicy garlic wings and all I could think about was going to Bdubs every Thursday with Courtney and Jon. 

- I took the Praxis (to get certified in Utah).  I am still waiting on my scores, unfortunately. 

- I moved out of my house one day and moved back in the next.  That was fun, and is a story for another time, but you all should know that I am still living with the Jensens.

- Cole, Jenny (not myself, my friend Jenny), Wesley, Mandi and I went to this place in Orem called Hang Time.  It's this huge place with all these trampolines.  They have trampoline basketball, dodgeball and big foam pits.  I was proud because I face my fears and did a flip into the foam pit.  :)

- I went to the Grotto.  For FHE we hiked to this place in Payson canyon called the Grotto.  It's not a very long hike and it's super easy, but I think I have found another Jenny spot.  At the end of the hike, there's a little waterfall.  I really enjoyed it, and I think I will go back soon. 

-  Oh!!  I started tutoring this little boy named Conner- just in his home.  Connie is his mom's visiting teacher, and he needed a little help with reading so I go over there for an hour each week and just read with him.  :) I really enjoy that, and Conner's mom actually has a friend that wants me to tutor her little boy as well. 

- I almost forgot the adventures of last Sunday night!  I should just start from the very beginning because it was just a wonderful day all around!  Church was great, as always.  Then I went home and had dinner with the Jensens.  It was a gorgeous day outside so we took advantage of the weather and ate in the back yard.  As we were eating, we looked over and the kids next door were throwing chickens (yes, live ones) over their fence.  It was hysterical.  After dinner I got to spend a while talking to Courtney, and I ALWAYS love to do that!  Then I headed to a singles' fireside.  They had this group called Mercy River come, and if you haven't heard their music, you should look it up.  They are three women that have some of the purest female voices that I have ever heard.  The fireside was one that I will never forget and helped me to realize that I need to sing more, and do what I enjoy doing.  They talked about having a beautiful life, and the choices we can make to have one.  It doesn't sound as cool as it actually was when I write it out in words, but I remember how I felt, and that's the most important.  After the fireside, we had ward prayer.  I don't think I have expressed it, but I love ward prayer.  When I first moved up to Utah and had my first couple experiences with it, I thought it was bvery strange, but I have come to realize that one of the reasons my ward is so wonderful is because we have ward prayer.  This particular Sunday, we had so much fun.  It was partially because Cole was on one- and every one laughs when Cole is in the zone.  :) Haha.  After ward prayer, Randi took me home and she and I decided to go for a walk.  Well, after our walk, we stayed on my porch and talked for a while.  As I had left my keys and phone upstairs, I still didn't worry when I heard someone come by and lock the front door.  I figured I would just use the garage pin pad and get inside that way.  Needless to say, the pad decided not to work so Randi and I had a little impromptu sleepover.  We were laughing so hard because I was RIGHT there, I heard the door get locked and then there I was, locked out of the house.  It was super funny. 

Thinking about it, if you don't know who the people are that I am talking about, there is an earlier blog post when I kind of give a debrief of who all of my Spanish Fork friends are if you're curious! 
I can't think of anything really that significant right this second, but I promise that I will try and be better about taking pictures to keep you all more informed of my life!  :) I get to come home this coming weekend for Erica's wedding which should be fun.  It's going to be a super quick trip, but it will be good to feel that Arizona heat. . . . maybe?  haha.  I'll write again soon!

Loves and hugs,

Jenny :)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

General Conference and Beyond! :)

The last few weeks have proven to be fairly spectacular.  Jovanni got to come out to Spanish Fork for a visit and we were able to go to general conference.  She had never been to the conference center before, or even Salt Lake.  It was really neat to show her all of the church stuff.  I loved sharing the experience of general conference with her.  When we were walking from the car to the conference center, the first session of the day was just getting out.  As all of the people piled out of the center, Jovanni's face was priceless.  She was so awe struck with the amount of people that had come to hear the prophets and apostles speak.  Being raised in the church, that aspect of it is something that had never hit me before- I was used to general conference, but seeing someone react to it really made me realize what a neat experience general conference really is.  In fact, it was interesting that she specifically noticed that aspect of it because the Wednesday prior to Jovanni's visit, my institute teacher told me that for every one seat in the conference center there are close to 650 other members of the church.  I thought that was REALLY neat because that conference center seems so huge.

Parking for conference turned out to be quite the adventure.  First, we found the lot we were supposed to be in, but the gate was not open, then we went to another lot, and got told to go in the exit of our lot.  Then, when we finally got into the correct lot, the only spot available was this one so needless to say, I got my skinny on thanks to that mini van.  :)

Jovanni and I went and walked around the temple for a little while before the session on Saturday afternoon.  I don't think I have ever seen Temple Square so crowded! I told her that she would have to come back again so that we could go to Temple Square again when everything is open! :)

Jovanni and I in the conference center! :)

General conference really has become one of my very favorite things.  Every time I have the opportunity to listen to it, I am struck with how much our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us.  One of my favorite talks from this general conference was Elder Holland's.  He spoke at the session that Jovanni and I went to, and when they announced that he was speaking, both myself and the guy that was sitting on the other side of Jovanni did an audible "YES!" because we were excited to hear from him.  There is a line in his talk that I will never forget, and I hope to be better at incorporating into my life.  He said, "Don't hyperventilate about something  that happened at nine in the morning."  Now, he was talking about the parable where the people come to work in the field at different times and get paid the same amount.  However, when he said those words, I thought about all of the little things that I tend to worry about that don't really matter in the eternal scheme.  Needless to say, I am a worry wart, but because of the insights I received from this talk, I have made a goal to TRY to not worry as much about meaningless things.  :) 

After attending the session on Saturday afternoon, Jovanni and I went to dinner and then up to Provo to hang out at Chelsea's apartment.  Erica and Jon also came down from BYU-I for the weekend, and so it was fun to get to see them and spend some time with them as well.  

Sunday proved to be another fantastic day of conference.  Jovanni was able to get tickets for the Sunday afternoon session from a girl she is connected with through family. However, she ended up meeting up with an old friend so Chelsea and I went to the Sunday afternoon session together.  It was really neat because we sat SOOOOOO CLOSE!!  (It turned out that we were actually in the incorrect section, but it was an accident).  

We tried to get a picture of how close we were, but it didn't work out to well.  Basically, we didn't have to look at the TV monitors to see the expressions on the speakers' faces.  It was pretty neat.  We also sat next to this really awesome lady.  For the life of me, I can't remember her name, but she was super fantastic and wanted to know all about our lives.  :)

Overall, the weekend was GREAT!  It was awesome to have one of my very best friends here and having lots of fun- introducing her to some of my new Utah friends, spending time with some of our Arizona friends, going to general conference and eating hot cheetos of course! :) 

Jovanni and I saying goodbye at the Salt Lake airport. (YAY, it would only be a week until I got to see her again!!) 

The next Saturday after General Conference, I left for a nice little visit home to Arizona.  :) I missed my family so much, and it was awesome to be able to be home for Easter! Saturday afternoon, I was able to get their early enough to attend the Easter Pageant at the Mesa temple.  It is one of my favorite things to do at Easter, and I was happy that I didn't miss it!!  :) 

After the pageant, my family OF COURSE went to Denny's.  It some how has become our random tradition to randomly go to Denny's.  I like it though, and some how, Stuart and I always have so much fun going to Denny's (of all places).  

THEN.... DA DA DA!!!  Saturday night, COURTNEY CATHERINE STACY PRATT came to my house, and I was THRILLED with having her there! :) She showed up with Omar, and that was a fun surprise because he had a SWEET new car that he took us for a ride in! :) 

I should have talked him in to letting me drive it! :) 

Sunday was Easter, and it's one of the best Easter's I have ever had!  I love attending my home ward after having been gone for a while!  Seeing so many familiar faces, and people that I have known my whole life is always so great! :) After church, I went over to Courtney's house for a while and hung out with her and her grandma.  That's always the funnest time.  Grandma Doyce is one of my favorite people to talk to! :) 

My Aunt Sherri, cousin Chelsie and Jovanni were able to come over for Easter dinner, and I was THRILLED about that.  They are the greatest, and I miss them terribly being away from home.  We were also surprised with a visit from Uncle Dennis and Aunt Lona.  It was a blast to have the house full of people, especially family. :) My Uncle Dennis is an absolute crack up and he had fun drilling all the young people.  

This is Stephen (my brother), Elyse (my sister-in-law), Emmalin (my niece) and I on Easter! I miss them more than I could EVER describe! 

The rest of the visit consisted of hanging out around the house, playing xbox with Courtney, lunches with my dad, a dinner with Gavin and Cadie Ely, making butterbeer, hanging out with the awesome Jovanni and of course attending a dress rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof at Apollo.  Stuart has become quite the little ham and seems to be having a blast being involved in the theater department at my Alma Mater.  

Time with the best friend was much needed.  I keep trying to talk her in to going to grad school at BYU so that she can come up to Utah and party with me!  I am so grateful to have this girl in my life.  She is AWESOME!  Even if was for only a short time, I was so happy to see her! 

On the way back up to Utah, I was able to stop in Flagstaff and see the Robles! Jana and I went to Payten's school for lunch.  I was so excited to see them.  Jana has become an irreplaceable person in my life.  She is the older sister that I never had and she will forever play that role in my life.  I honestly don't go a day without thinking about how grateful I have to have the Robles family in my life and for the impact that they have had on me.

Here I am with America's cutest kids!  :) The Robles girls are AWESOME! :) 

Unfortunately, it was just a quick stop in Flagstaff and then back on the road to Utah!  I did get a chance to stop by my old job at Mountain Campus Transit and say hi to a few people there, and tell Courtney goodbye one last time.  The drive between Arizona and Utah is seeming to get shorter every time I drive it, and it makes me want to visit home a bit more each time.  It's weird because I feel as though I almost have two separate lives- one here in Utah, and one that I leave back home in Arizona.  Someday I will close that gap a little more, and be able to combine the lives a little better, but I know I am right where I am supposed to be, in Spanish Fork, Utah (of all places) and life is GOOD! :) 

Loves and hugs,
Jenny :)