My Adventures in Space

Many memories were created this week, and I am excited to share. Monday we did speed dating at family home evening. So, I have met my yearly quota for six dates. It was good to get to know everyone a little better then we headed out to get ice cream as a going away celebration. Tessa and Kelly were out here for this semester and it’s been a joy getting to know them! They are great girls and will be positive influences wherever they choose to go.

Irene, Caroline, Sara, Me, Kelly, and Tessa

I really thought spring had sprung, especially with the beautiful trees blossoming.

Work Conference

I got to go to the Space Symposium in the Springs. I had never been down there before, and it was a beautiful day! I drove Yvette’s car down and she drove us home. It was great getting to know her better. I was the recruiter support for the event, answering questions for any who were interested. We were one of the sponsors of the event, but wow every exhibit was pretty impressive. 

At the entrance, before going in for the day.

All the companies has big booths like this, but this one was very high tech.

3D printing! A maker-bot, I never worked with one of these but it seems pretty awesome. 

This is a part built with a printer as well. 

I did three different variations of virtual reality. The first was with NASA, where they simulated the space launch. You are taken up to the top of the space craft and you can look down. You really feel like you are on a Tower of Terror ride…my stomach dropped and I felt queasy for a couple hours. I could look in any direction and see people moving as well as everything else.

Inside from my view, everything was life size to scale...HUGE

The next one I did was just a video of another launch.

Yes, that is a phone producing the 3D image...she had no idea I was taking a selfie. 

  

Finally, we got to drive a rover and walk on Mars, so cool! I was amazed the technology made you feel like you were really there. I felt a little sick after those virtual realities, but nothing compared to the first one.

On Mars driving the rover. 

We were able to walk around and gather the cool gear from booths while checking out the competition. I felt like my Dad must feel when he goes to conferences and gathers bags of swag for all of us. Companies really do just hand out however many of whatever you want. My coworker told every booth, oh, my son will love this! What was my excuse...one booth was even giving away ice cream!

Some of the gear. 

Service

I had a wonderful opportunity for service, to clean up after a teacher appreciation dinner. Our ward signed up, and about eight of us showed up to help. They immediately offered cake because the event wasn’t finished yet. Without eating gluten, almost all treats are ruled out and it’s becoming easier to say no thank you. I ate some yummy fresh fruit they had, then went to clean up what I could. As I was clearing, I saw my greatest weakness. I am not sure what the company is that makes these, but wow…they are better than most gluten cupcakes I have ever had! I saved them and had one for lunch each day. I also got to take home some of these beautiful flowers. The cultural hall was decorated like a fancy wedding reception, I was blown away. We tore down fairly quickly for how many decorations they had. It was a late evening, but I was grateful for the opportunity to serve, and I heard the event was very successful and the teachers felt it was meaningful.

Fancy tables, full of my temptation 

The jars and flowers displayed at home.

Food

We had break the fast last Sunday, and there was a ton of leftover bacon and sausage. As a starving young professional, of course I took some. With the bacon I determined I would make some yummy dish. I decided to look up recipes, and the first one I came across was a bacon ranch chicken pasta. I saw a box of pasta in the cupboard, I had ranch, so I went for it. I had never made it before, so I was winging it. I got the chicken in the oven and then pulled out my pasta box…it was about 1/3 full. Oops! But, I had to continue. I remembered some spaghetti pasta I had in another cupboard, this also a partial package. I quickly broke it up into about 2 inch strips to build the rest of the dish. Amazingly, it all turned out and it was very delicious! Wow, I enjoyed it every day. Possibly one of my more favorite dishes, if you don’t mind spending a little in the overpriced g-free market for noodles. Normally, I try to stick to the foods that are naturally g-free, I think it’s healthier and cheaper.

Temples

Sisterbug went through the temple this week. It was very hard for me to admit I couldn’t be there in person, so I made a goal to be there in spirit. I would attend the Denver temple while she was at The Gila Valley temple. It was a precious experience for me to. I took one of my roommate’s family names for a session. While there, I was overwhelmed with the deep love I have for my little sister. I think sometimes I portray that love as over-protectiveness, which I am sure drives her crazy. I only want for her to believe in herself and believe that she can successful with Heavenly Father at her side. I prayed constantly in my heart for her to feel her Heavenly Father’s love as she made sacred covenants. I too was lifted as I repeated the endowment for this lovely lady who had passed several years ago. How blessed we are to be given all we need to return to live with God again! I am proud of her and the decision she made, I hope it brings to her the blessings she desires.

All the tulips at the temple, planted and beautiful! 

Weekend

I went on a blind date this weekend. I was set up by Katey and a lady in her ward. Miguel was a good date and I enjoyed getting to know someone better. As we left my apartment, we went down the wrong stairwell and wandered around the complex for about thirty minutes looking for his car. He couldn’t remember where he’d parked. I enjoyed the walk in the fresh sprinkling air. He felt bad, but I honestly did enjoy just being outside. Once we did find the car, we went to a Mediterranean food place. I went to get that type of food with Surfer Boy in California, but never before or since so it was a good experience. I enjoyed the chicken kabob, salad, hummus, and tomato-cucumber salad. We chatted and then he took me home.

Saturday, the rain started to turn into snow. I hurried and pulled my taxes together and sent them off. I hope they were done correctly! It is nerve wracking to put them in the mail. I dropped Tabby off to pick up her car, then chilled the rest of the day at home. I spent time working, and also helping Tabby with her cover letter. She has to reapply for her job next year, they won’t automatically keep her. I was happy to help, and it made me realize that if possible I would love to do career coaching some day…she felt much more confident after our revisions.

Today, church was cancelled because of the snow and black ice. I have wonderful roommates, so we gathered at 10 in our Sunday best for roommate church. I was the organist, and we enjoyed sharing our testimonies with each other. I was uplifted and felt very blessed to be able to live in a home where we can do something so easily.

We were being really reverent. 

I am looking forward to another week.

Peace out.

-the tall girl

Celebrations and Vaca

Time continues to fly by and I am working hard to live every minute to the fullest. Here's a summary of my most recent adventures. 

Snowy Springtime

Within the last month, we have had probably a foot and a half of snow. It started with a sunny and 70 degree Tuesday and an exciting evening of Frisbee. I finished up there and went to a friend’s house for a movie night. I woke up the next day to a foot of snow on the ground. Luckily, I can work from home. The roads were shut down later that day, with regulations for only four wheel drive and chained vehicles to be out…a great excuse to not go to work the next day too! Working at home has taken practice, but I am becoming much more proficient at ignoring my personal to-do lists.

About a foot and a half...

After this storm, I made it up to the Merrill home before the next storm rolled in. We got four inches or so after I arrived Friday afternoon. We made the most of it, with a sledding Saturday morning. We were the first on the slopes and carved paths all around. So much fun!

The fam

Snow tastes really yummy!

One day during the next week, I got a text of my niece and nephew playing in the sprinklers in Texas. I sent this picture in response as we were facing another day of light snow and threat of deep ice freeze.

the ice storm

Easter

It’s been years since I have been around kids on Easter morning after the Easter Bunny has arrived, so I had to take advantage of it this year. I began the weekend with a service project at Project Cure. We sorted through medical supplies from hospitals that will be sent to third world countries. Ever since I was 10 and spend two weeks in the hospital, medical anything gives me the jitters. I really had to work to overcome this fear while sorting. We didn’t have gloves, yet we were sorting through some sanitary and unsanitary things…at least in my opinion. I survived without being poked and it made me very grateful for the Humanitarian program and all they do to support the needs of third world countries.

Saturday night, I went to the General Women’s Broadcast with Katey. It was wonderful to be able to attend with one sister in person, other sisters, and mother remotely. I felt uplifted and strengthened being surrounded by sisters who were all trying to be better.

The Easter bunny came on Sunday morning. He even hid me three special eggs. I was able to find two, hunting for the third after the kiddos had found all of theirs. They were helping me look and Kylee actually found the last one! I was impressed. I won’t be able to go as easy on them next year, or I won’t get any eggs. I was planning to leave to return to my own ward, but dinner sounded too delicious and more family time is always wonderful! I stayed and enjoyed the rest of the Sabbath day with my family. We had delicious roast, sweet potatoes, beans, and other food. I could have eaten and eaten. Sometimes you wish you didn’t feel full.

Sorting through the goods

Easter Dresses

One year older and hopefully wiser too!

This year, I had a fabulous birthday. Sometimes birthdays are hard when you leave home, but this one started out with a bang when on Thursday we were notified that we could only work 40 hours that week. I had already reached this limit by the end of the day and I had a short meeting on Friday, so I left early and enjoyed chilling at home for the evening.

April Fool’s day was absolutely delightful. I called in for the meeting to run some feedback by my manager and then enjoyed taking the rest of the day off. I needed some time, the week had been very stressful. I went to the temple and did a session, barely making it in time for the one I wanted to attend. Then, I hit the stores. I needed to be out of the house so I could keep my mind off of work. I went to a consignment store, enjoyed shopping around and found a couple great deals. Then, I hit up Sports Authority in hunt for some on sale snow pants. I lucked out and found a good pair 40% off. I was pretty excited about those. Then, I went to Target to look for some Cadbury eggs…I tried on Monday to get some on sale after Easter, but no luck and I struck out again. That night, my roommates invited friends over for a game night. There was a great turn out and it was a party for me. Wolverine brought me some yummy toffies, others pitched in some chips and salsa and fruit snacks. We played Wits and Wagers and Charades. Then, we went to the pool and got into the hot tub. We had fun telling stories of the best April Fools jokes have pulled on people or people had done to us. As we were laughing, a security guard came into the pool area. He asked who the residents were and if he could speak to one of us. Liz went and talked with him…apparently the pool closed an hour earlier. Luckily, we were very cooperative and he didn’t give us a fine or tell us never to come back. On our way back, Prankster secretly pulled up an app on his phone that meowed and he had us all chasing around this trapped cat. After a good time, he finally told us the prank. He got us pretty good. We finished the night playing a game called In-Reverse. You go in a room, record yourself singing a song then the app plays it backwards for the rest of the players to hear. They then mimic the sounds coming from the playback. Once all the segments are recorded, it flips around the mimic so it should sound similar to the original recording. It was pretty hilarious and confirmed my lack of oral recall. We finally wrapped up the night and Tabby and I stayed up way too late chatting.

My actual birthday started with my roommates singing to me in Spanish and decorating the apartment. They wrote a list of 24 things we love about Kitt and put an M&M on each. It was so sweet. I read through them all, made a quick breakfast, and headed to Prophets and Pancakes. I ate before going, but they had a gluten free mix, so I ate a second breakfast. After the first session of conference, I chatted for a while then headed up to the Merrill’s. I took a quick stop at Walmart one last time to see if I could get some eggs…again, no luck, this time only white chocolate…gross.

Flowers, card, sign.

Early morning roommate selfie.

The Merrill's had made a beautiful sign and gave me a super great waterbottle that doesn’t leak. We enjoyed the second session of conference, then continued the celebrations with a fire and egg dying. So much fun! The food was so yummy and Katey made a chocolate crockpot cake that was delicious! Jason headed to Priesthood and we went to the park. We climbed up and over things, slid down the slides, and the kids rode the bikes. What fun! That evening, Katey and I finished our General Conference dresses. They are pretty awesome, and turned out well!

Me and the kiddos

Egg dying

beautiful!

Tia on her trike 

  

Sunday continued the celebrations with delicious tacos and 7 layer pie. Yummy! We took a nice walk between sessions and enjoyed the sunshine. I didn’t get much out of the first session and the second session I was really tired, I will definitely be studying conference again. I know I missed a lot. I played outside with the kiddos while dinner was being prepared. I was sad to leave as always, as we had a ton of fun and I didn’t want to go back to real life.

Finished product!

The pie.

Traveling Aunt Kitt – Vacation 2

The real life didn’t last too long, as I was back on a plane to Cougarville. It has been a while since I visited, and Kara was on spring break so it was perfect timing! Spring has really sprung there, it was the first thing I noticed when Seth picked me up. It brought back fond memories. Tuesday night we just chatted and enjoyed the evening catching up. We were all exhausted so we hit the sack early. Ross is in sleep training, so no more comforting during the evening. He did great, I never heard him after I went to bed.

The cuteness and the picnic

Wednesday, I logged into work fairly early this morning after Kara and I had breakfast. I needed to get a few things off my plate and I am grateful I did. When I finally logged off of work, we chatted, made rice crispy treats, got lunch ready before we went for a run. We ran about 2.5 miles. We did good! I am grateful Kara has a stroller and isn’t as intense as she used to be, it’s easier for me to keep up. We had a picnic in the back yard and enjoyed the sunshine and spring weather. Wow, it was beautiful! I think we could have stayed out there all day. We came in, put Ross down for a nap and got ready to go shopping. I took Ross around the stores, which was fun. It was a little different taking a baby around, but they provide some extra entertainment. After picking up Seth and eating dinner, we watched The Fugitive and enjoyed some yummy ice cream. It was a fun evening and great day.

We started the morning with a good workout, quick shower, and then I logged in for a meeting. The meeting got cancelled and the rest of the meetings I thought I would have to call into also got cancelled! I was grateful my meetings got cancelled. We did crafts this afternoon, totally in Kara’s zone. It’s been a while since I’ve done something like that with her and it was fun. Kara is very creative! As always, her’s looked super great…and mine was okay. After we cleaned all that up, we went to Plato’s Closet and shopped. I found two shirts and Kara found a great pair of jeans and a shirt. All great purchases and I am excited to wear them. Tonight, Lisa and baby Clara came for dinner. They were so fun to see and I am grateful for the joy they brought tonight. It was fun to be able see Lisa in this new stage of life, she is a great mom. We played SkipBo once they left and Ross went to bed. Another fun, relaxing day.

Kara doing her thing

Two shirts I got

Another spectacular day in Cougarville! Kara and Ross slept in, but once they awoke we had a great breakfast of eggs, cereal, and orange Julius. We headed down to my second home, and spent the rest of the day chatting with Aunt GayLynn. I loved being in their home again, it truly is a home away from home. I know where everything goes, and I always feel comfortable. What a blessing! I was able to relax and just enjoy my family. When Uncle David, Seth, and Spencer all came home, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and treats. We convinced Uncle David to play Family Cranium with us. I haven’t played a game with Uncle David, ever. He usually refuses because he gets too competitive and then people get mad…and it’s not worth it. But, he played and we had a lot of fun! I loved seeing everyone do things they don’t usually do, especially Uncle David and Aunt GayLynn. We sat around and chatted for a couple more hours before we headed to bed.

Saturday was a fun day, besides the fact that I headed home. We enjoyed our final picnic in the park and Seth went and studied at the library. Kara and I played games and made dinner…or rather, Kara made dinner and I played with Ross. We played one last game of three’s and then I was off to the airport. During my flight my roommate got engaged, exciting! I got home late, but the apartment was still buzzing with excitement. What fun!

Playing games

A few more fantastic weeks in the books. Let’s hope this next one delivers the same results. Today at church, I realized I am incredibly grateful for the trials that are specifically tailored for me. While hearing what other struggle with, I have no room for complaint. I hope I can choose to react in a way that will bring me closer the Savior with each trial that besets me.

Peace out.

-the tall girl.