Books!!! School!!! Happy Dance!!!

Yay!! I bought my books for two of my classes today. I am so freaking excited.

I got the books I need for my American History and for my Women in History classes.

I've already started reading them, partly because I'm excited to get started and partly because I have a lot of reading to do and I want to make sure I don't get behind.

Just for these two classes, I have six books!

I haven't even picked up my books for my other two classes yet either. My backpack is going to be pretty heavy this semester, but I don't mind. At least I'm on my way!

Getting out of the house

On Friday, we went to Lagoon for Andy's Lagoon work day. We got to wear these nifty matching shirts. Aww! How cute.

It was a little chilly and we made the mistake of going on Rattlesnake Rapids first. We ended up with wet clothes for most of the day. Later that evening we went to the ES3 awards and catered dinner which was really yummy. We rode a few more rides and then got on the giant Ferris Wheel just as the sun was setting. By the end of the day, we were pooped.

We ended up renting Ghostbusters and vegging on the couch the rest of the night.

On Saturday, we went up to my Uncle's house for my family's annual, Dutch Oven Cook Off. Everyone made really great recipes and it was hard to pick favorites. We always give awards for the top three best recipes after we get a chance to try everything. We were so stuffed!

Yesterday we drove to Logan to see Andy's friends new baby twin girls. They named them Madelyn and Phoebe. Very cute girls.

Later that night Andy took me to play Frisbee Golf. I've never played before. It was harder than I thought it would be. I talked some smack and told Andy I was going to kill him on the course. That didn't happen. I pretty much sucked it up, haha! But I had a lot of fun learning and I think with a little bit more practice I actually could give Andy a run for his money.

Fall in August?

Yesterday was unusually chilly for an August day. It's been overcast and a little windy the last couple of days. And there's been that cool, crisp feeling in the air. I really, really love that feeling.

It kind of made me wish that fall was here. Fall is my favorite time of year. There are so many great things about it, from the month before it hits full force, to the months after, full of family time and holidays.

Some of the things I love the best about this time of year:

* Just before Fall, it's the change into something new- new classes, shopping for sweaters, and saying goodbye to hot summer days.

* The turning of the leaves and the beautiful fall colors that come as a result. Driving through the canyon and seeing the hills engulfed in orange, red, and yellow. Coming over the hill and seeing the change in the valley.

* Decorating for Halloween. Beginning to bake fall treats and soup cooking on the stove.

* Family at Thanksgiving and yummy, yummy food. Looking forward to family at Christmas. Taking time from our busy schedules to spend time together, cuddle in front of the fire, watch some movies and make home made hot cocoa and caramel corn at my moms.

I think I love this time of year because it feels so 'cozy.' We spend more time indoors, cuddling on the couch together, cooking together, taking time for hot bubble baths, and snuggling under the comforter at bedtime. I also love the family get togethers, laughing and just hanging out.

I'll hang on to warm days for another month or two but I'll be looking forward to Fall at the same time.

Parking

I caved. I bought a parking pass today for the University. After years of circling the campus 50 times before finally seeing a car about to pull out of their curb side spot, only to be beat out by some other desperate student, I decided it was time.

I'm tired of having to park on the street and then lugging all my books and paraphanalia across the busy lanes, over the campus grasses and onto the sidewalks and then realizing I still have to walk to the farthest end of campus to the building that houses my first class of the day.

Most times I just told myself to be grateful for the exercise and that the back pain was nothing a good heating pad couldn't cure later on. But then November would come and I'd be painfully reminded that I didn't live in Florida. It actually snows here. Sometimes, a lot!

Last year was the last straw. I'm tired of climbing through snow banks to get to the sidewalks which were never salted, much less clear by 7 am. I'm tired of slipping and falling, scattering my books in the snow drifts. I'm tired of sitting through classes with wet pants, wet socks and freezing cold everything.

So I did it. I forked out the money for the lowest ranking parking pass the campus had to offer. I won't be getting A list parking, but I will be guaranteed a shorter walking distance to class and a frequently patrolled parking lot to leave my beloved car in all day.

That is....if I make it to campus by 6:30 am and beat all the other 1200 students that also bought parking passes.

Nice Surprise

Friday was awesome. I was just finishing up my shift at work when I looked up to see this really hot guy walking by. He looked so familiar and had this mischeivious smile on his face. I blushed as he caught my eye.

I decided I had to know what this guy was up to. I gathered my stuff and followed him around the corner. Imagine my surprise when he swooped me up, kissed me and gave me a big hug. He said he was there to surprise me and take me out to dinner!!

I don't know what I did to deserve that but it sure was an offer I just couldn't refuse. He took my hand and led me out to the parking lot where his truck was waiting for us.

He said he knew I had been wanting to try this new italian restaurant called Zucca so that's where he took me. Awesome! A 'fancy' restaurant. Very nice!

The dinner was so great. I order the Pesto Pizza. It was delicious! Seriously, so good!

After dinner, I excused myself to go to the restroom. When I got back, my amazing man had ordered me another surprise. Blueberry Cheesecake. Oh my gosh. This was so fantastic!

What a great night. All through dinner I kept looking at this guy across the table from me and thinking I must be dreaming. How did I manage to get so lucky?

"Little Lou Lou"

I am so excited because I just realized today, that my sister Lindsey will be home from her mission in just three short months. I can't believe that it has already been a year and a half!

Lou and I had never been very close growing up. I was the oldest, and to me, she was the youngest who got away with everything. I'd say there was a little resentment between us and poor Jen was always stuck in the middle.

But although there was always some sibling rivalry going on between us, the three of us spent most of our time together. My mom was very good at emphasizing the importance of family time. I will always feel lucky that the three of us shared so many interests. Being able to dance, audition, take class, and perform all together was always so much fun! Having so many amazing experiences together and our mom always on the frontlines cheering us on has given me some of the greatest memories of my life.

Linds and I became very close when I moved back into my mom's house during my divorce. Lindsey was still at home and we ended up spending a lot of time together. It was strange to come home after five years and realize that she wasn't that 'annoying' little sister anymore.

We seemed to be able to connect better. We spend quite a bit of time in each other's rooms talking. We also went country dancing on Wednesdays together, which was a lot of fun. She helped me to 'get back out there' when I didn't have much steam in me for dating and starting over.

Even though we don't share the same religious beliefs, I have been so incredibly proud of her. I admire her bravery in putting herself out there and going through so many things all on her own. I know it must have been hard for her to be so far away when our Grandma died, when Jen got married and when so many other things were going on at home.

In her emails to me, she's been talking a lot about what she should do with her life once she is home. She is very ambitious and so talented. I am excited for her to start new things and excited to have both my sisters at family gatherings again. It just hasn't been the same without all three of us.

Can't wait to have you home Lilly Boop! Okay, so your not Little Lou Lou anymore but I'm your big sis so I can call you that and you can't get mad. ;)

Child's Play

Did you ever play that silly little child's game where you tried to predict what the name of your future husband would be?

You take an apple or a pear or anything with a stem. Then you start twisting the stem. With each twist, you make your way through the alphabet..."A"...."B"......"C"....."D"....SNAP!!!

The letter you're on when the stem breaks off is the first letter of your future husband's name. I was in love with Trever and convinced that someday we would end up together. Making it to "T" is hard!! I could never get there.

One time I made one twist, right on "A". I said "Andrew. My husband's name is going to be Andrew. Andrew is such a nice name."

True Story! No lie! It really happened.

But then I had an "Andrew" in my class the next year, and he was a real jerk, so I put that completely out of my mind and went on my merry little way.

Coincidence? I think not!! I should have paid more attention to that apple!