Temple Square

So, I went today with my good friend Jared Wight to temple square-which I thought I had seen it all, but it gave us something to do while we caught up since we havn't seen eachother in years!  And well, we're walking along avoiding missionaries as best we could be cause they're EVERYWHERE and its always kinda akward because they should be talking to the tourists and nonmembers right?  Well, some got us when we stepped inside the tabernacle.  We chatted for a minute or two, and then asked them if there was anything we should see specifically-I expected them to say the Christus Statue, but was surprised to hear about this presentation on the family (only half surprised)  that most people don't know about because its in a room back behind the Christus-anyways, so we say sure. And oy-it was so good.  Of course, cheezey acting was part of it, but the message was about eternal families-and they were right, there were parts in it for everybody.  It started as just something to do, but ended up being a kinda poinant personal experience for me.  Good suggestion Jared/Sister Missionaries!  Thank you!

Road Trip!

What an adventure that was!  We set out at about 8:15 Wednesday Morning, and about 2 hrs into it, had to stop.  Apparently, there was a Semi turned over that was carrying tanks of Diesel and so east bound I-80 was completely shut down for the day-maybe even through the night while they tried to clean it all up.  :P  So, at the gas station, we got directions around it-which included back tracking 45 mins, and then taking a road through another town and then getting onto Highway 50 and taking that through the Eldorado National Forest.  Which-was kinda stressfull since Sid had to be to Utah for a hearing, and there was alot of rain which had the possibility of turning into Snow (Which would be really bad in California) and it was way far out of the way, but the scenery-was AMAZING!  So Beautiful.  I was amazed at the size of some of the trees there-I have a feeling that I'm really going to LOVE the redwoods.  Highway 80 took us up to lake Tahoe-which was Also a beautiful sight.    But, After we got through there, we headed up toward Carson City Nevada, and then to Reno-then hopped back onto I-80.  I was actually surprised at Nevada's scenery.  I drove from Reno to Elko-and really enjoyed it.  I guess I had pictured Nevada to be really really flat and brown and boring.  It was kinda boring...but there were some hills and it was mostly brown but there was also some green.  So, I enjoyed it.  Plus for part of the way we had watermelon, and watermelon makes everything better.  :)

Save me SanFrancisco!

So, I've rather been enjoying some long lost down time!  Thursday we landed, dropped Travis off at his Apartment and headed back to Livermore-I just showered slept and plunked on the computer for the day.  It was awesome!  Friday, I went for a nice adventure walk, got a little more comfortable here, and went with Sid to his ward party-again, there was lots of down time, but I decided I really like it!   : D  Saturday, Sid helped me figure out the Train and busses to get to The Presidio, and then we adventured with Travis and his roommate Anton, and went to a violin preformance at the Oakland Temple Insterstake building-it was a wonderful preformance by Jenny Oaks Baker.  Note to 4th Branchians, tell Eva!  Eva I think would REALLY like her, we heard peices from her album "Then Sings my Soul, "  best ones if you ask me were Nimrod(Absolutely beautiful, despite the name) and Finlandia (a classical peice that also happens to be the hymn "Be still my soul").  Beautiful woman with a beautiful talent.  Sunday, I went to Sid's Family ward, which rocks, I like them alot.  And then Later I went to the TriValley YSA ward Fireside at the bishops house (Sids Bishops daughter goes to that ward, so, made my connections! YAY).  Which was good, and fun as there were games afterwards.  So now, I'll know a few people when I go to church there.  Woohoo!

Coming up, on Wednesday me and Sid are driving to Utah to get Alex.  We'll be there Thru Monday night, which I'm kinda happy about.  You see, Monday is not only memorial day, but its also May 31st.  12 Yrs ago May 31s was memorial day, and this year not just the 31st, but Memorial Day itself marks the 12th anniversary of my dads passing.  I feel it to be especially fitting that I can go to his graveside this year, just as the calendar has come in one full circle, I feel that my life has reached a point when I can come back full circle, and look at the events in my past without self pity.  There was a time when I wanted to blame everything that happened to me in the last 12 rs on the fact that my dad was taken from this life-but now I can accept the reality that things happen for reasons we don't understand.  And that hard things happen, and that unfair things happen, but that the atonement will make it all alright.  Maybe not now, but with time, with faith, with obedience, I can find peace and assurance in my hope for eternal life.

We made it!

So, I have this habit of not packing till the day I leave (or in some cases the night I leave), so Wednesday morning came around and what did I have to do-everything!  But, long boring story short, I managed, with some time to spare. At 8 Travis and his mom came and picked me up and I had to say goodbye to Elyse and Liam and mommy, that was kinda hard.  I feel like I'm missing such a big chunk of time, like they'll be all grown up when I see them at the end of the summer-so that was kinda hard.  What I didn't expect to have a hard time with, was wanting to go see Robin.  I mean, she's just half an hour away!!!!  I think i'd be better handling it except her mission home called Wednesday morning asking if they could test her for Celiac's disease (inability to really digest gluten)-GAH!  My sister is just half an hour away and sick and I can't go see her and make it better.  :P  Bleh, thats what I think about that.


Anyways, coming into San Fransico was awesome, the weather was bright, warm and clear and we saw the golden gate bridge from the airplane.  I guess part of me wanted to see it because people have said its so cool, but from pictures, to be honest, I wasn't that impressed.  However, flying past it, and then driving past it later, I decided its actually really cool-its a big arrangement of the red steel and cables, but it just has this charm to it....I like it, and want to go see it up close again.  Travis lives practically at the bottom of it, and his front window has a veiw of the bridge, the bay and the big beautiful trees.  Alot of them are eucalyptus and so it smells really nice there too.  Saturday the plan is to figure out the busses back into the presidio and then to explore the City with him and Uncle Sid.


So excited, and loving the sunshine, can't wait till my cousin Alex is here so I can take him around with me to explore-for the meantime, I'm just enjoying the down time.  Its a strange feeling, I havn't had this much down time in ages, theres no chores nagging at the back of my head, no homework pressure on my mind, no appointments or meetings scheduled-its pretty sweet.  It probably won't happen again for a while, so-soaking it up now while I can!  YAY!  

6 days and counting!

In 6 days, Travis and I fly to California.  Why might you ask?  Because he will become a Jedi this summer at the Lucas Film Jedi internship, and I will be playingwith Nanny-ing my 6 yr old cousin and dancing.  Hehehehehe!  I can't wait!  Some of the things I will be doing:

My uncle Sid said that he has a friend who works at some stables-we could go ride horses everyday if we wanted!  I'll be able to ride like this when we're done.

Sid also Lives 3 miles away from an Arthur Murray Dance Studio, I've emailed them and got my appointment for my first lesson set up :D

Some of ^This^ too.  :)

I hope lots of this

But don't worry, I'll be their best customer: 

I'd love to see these:

I'll keep you posted.