Fall Fun!

Had some fun times this fall!

My MTC (Missionary Training Center) companion, Emily Schroeder, and her fiance, Edwin, came over for dinner one night. It's kind of a big deal, because Edwin is from the Netherlands. He is actually one of the elders from our mission! ANYWAY, he came over too, and had his first corn dog:

He liked it pretty well :)

I also got on a little crafting kick, and decided to do some painting. I transformed a dresser:

 Quite the difference, right?

This was from IKEA, and I wanted to have a splash of color, so I went from this:

 To this!

I am grateful to Wendy (and her mom letting me invade their driveway to paint), as well as the Kingsleys, for their help in my crafting endeavors! My next project is puttin things on those shelves! Little by little, it is getting done.

 

Something else that happens with Fall, that makes it one of my favorite seasons is the changing of colors. My friend, Mike, and I went for a drive in the canyon...one of the canyons in the area, and this is what we saw:

 

Another reason fall is fun for me, is that it is one of my best friend's birthday. We have only been friends for about 3 years, but there is a special connection we have. I can't imagine my life without her, and celebrating her birthday just makes me happy. Here we go!

 

This is my niece! I am so sneaky!

  She had been standing, and then told me, "Oh! My back hurts, I sit on you!" I was more than happy to oblige.

 That's right. I got her cheese. Not just any cheese, but Tillamook cheese. Why? Because that is what she wanted, and I couldn't resist! Happy Birthday, Charlotte! I love you and am so grateful for you in my life!

Fall has been pretty fun thus far...and now we have had an onslaught of snow...but that is a different post for another day...

synonym PART 4

It just seemed more complete with 4 parts.

The rest of the month was a whirlwind of new residents checking in, getting adjusted to having freshmen again, and getting into the groove of the school schedule as a Hall Advisor (instead of conferences.

I love the change from conferences to students.

synonym PART 3

The next part of the chaos that was August is an event that was so special to me, that it would have taken something HUGE to keep me away. My best friend of over 20 years (that's right!) got married! Jill married Seth and it was wonderful! It had also been a long time since I had seen her family, basically my adopted family, so it was a BIG deal for me.

I am so grateful to my boss, who let me go for a quick trip! I flew out mid-morning on Saturday and came back Sunday. I am also grateful for my family that I got to see while I was there, and to my sister, Lora, who let me stay with her, and steal her car!

Here are some of the pictures of the GRAND event!

Jill look radiantly, beautifully gorgeous! It was funny, because the last time I saw Seth (actually, met him), I was quite sick, and couldn't talk, and when he saw me, he said, "Hey! You can talk!" Anyway, then Jill came, looking amazing. It is so wonderful to see her so happy and belonging with Seth.

 

 They had their first dance. Seth doesn't dance much, so this was a big deal.

 Mark, Jill's dad, and Jill both love to dance, so they broke it down, and it was so great to see!

 I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in YEARS! Here are Josie and Fernando.

 Fernando, Sarah, and me. We were all pretty close in high school.

Sarah, Jill, and me. We go WAY back. Lots of fun, lots of love.

 The DJ did this dancing game, where the couples who were married the longest just kept dancing. Mark and Carol were out there a LONG time. I sure do love them!

 

While home, I also got to visit with the Wadell gang on Sunday. Lora and I headed their way, and it was so great! Betty is one of my mom's best friends, and one of my favorit people. It was fun to see 3 of her 4 kids and their kids. We go way back to when we were little ones. Time flies, even when we don't think it does.

synonym PART 2

Do you love the fact that my part 2 of my adventures in August is now being posted in November?

Anyway, back to the chaos that was the month of August. I got back from DeAnna's wedding just in time for the start of:

RA Training! Woot!

This year it was so much fun! I got to teach the topic of "The First Two Weeks" which was on the first day, so I got to help kick off the week. I also got to go with the Returning RAs, which I absolutely LOVE to do!

We did some team building/getting to know you ice breakers in Salt Lake:

 During the week, we headed to the CLAS ropes course in Provo. We did some group activities:

 

The RAs of Awesomeness (read MY RAs and my associate RAs) all participated in ziplining...which is AMAZING! I got to do it a few weeks earlier, and I fell in love with it. I want to do a long range one, like in Hawaii or something. Kinda funny, considering the fact that I don't really like heights....

 This is a swing sling shot thing...

 

During RRA Training, we had some fun with  soda:

 Cooking the next morning was a flippin' good time :)

 

I am so grateful for the RAs that I have this year. I am learning from them, having fun with them, and I hope we are making a difference in the lives of our residents. I truly love my job!