Highlights of my trip back east.

Since, we are now already into October, this post is long overdue (I was back east Aug. 7 - Aug. 24), but I still want to define these highlights:


1. Seeing Mamma Mia with Ann (I really did love this movie) and kind of want to be in it.

2. Going to Deep Creek...waterskiing, tubing, canoeing with the family, and having some time to catch up with my cousin Ariel (who is almost 40 has 7 kids and I don't know when I've had a real conversation with her, but we have some fundamental similarities in our personalities - we both danced/performed a lot when we were young, are teachers, love literature and the field of education and I think she understands what it's like to be "older" and single and a member of the church since she's talked to her sister who is in this position a good amount about it).

3. Catching up with Ann and Jenny at the Johnson's. It's always fun to get together with these girls, and to see Paige and Woody, and Mark and Justin. It really is kind of amazing to think about the fact that Paige and Woody have seen us grow up along with their children. They are great people, and it's meaningful to me to have them in my life. Woody exclaims, "Wow! It's just amazing how grown up you girls are! I mean you are really women now!" Yes, thanks, Woody.


4. Seeing my adorable neices and nephew. Steph and Aaron were still living with my parents at this time and waiting for the renovations on their new house to be done. We played on the trampoline pretending to do ninja and be gold medalists in the Olympics, made cookies, and just ran around the house. It was so fun to spend time with them, and I'm already anticipating seeing them again.

5. Going to my old school. It's always so fun to go see my old kids (who'll be in first grade next year!) and that they still remember me and want me to be their teacher. This boy is not one of my old students, but I just got to know him and his parents well which teaching there. They were in Vegas a couple months ago and we went to see the tigers and lions at the Mirage. He's adorable.

6. Running in the neighborhood. I love running in our neighborhood. It brings back so many memories of my childhood, and it helps that beautiful houses have now been built in the neighborhood, so it's such a picturesque run. I run by the new Johnson's home, and think of them; I run by the Dolls and think of babysitting the kids; I run by the Keating's old house and think of bus rides flirting with Chip (Frank Keating was considered as a VP pick for McCain); I run by the Scalia's and think of Meg and the last horribly embarrassing incident when I was in the Scalia's home (I'll blog about it soon...look for the title "Running Mishaps"); and I think of the Swintons as I run by their old mission president's home).

It was a good trip. And now I'm just back in Vegas for a two more month long-haul and then I'll be done and free.