the tall girl

The tall girl has the same passion for summer as Olaf. She loves the heat, the sun, and the fun and usually never gets enough of it! Plus, everyone seems a little bit happier in the summer. Nature does good things for the soul. She has gone on many adventures this summer and continues seeking opportunities to create memories because creating memories is her favorite thing to do.

HK Visitors

We had HK visitors come to work a few weeks ago which it was super awesome because we got to do some of the cool activities with them. I really like people from over there; they are so sweet and loving! Our first extravaganza was to the bottling plant. They don’t give public tours of this place because you are literally inches away from the bottles and syrups. They could top those cans so quickly I was amazed! I wish I had a video or something to share so you could see how fast they were doing it. I don’t think I can even snap as quickly as they were topping those aluminum cans.

The next day we toured the warehouse which I wasn’t too excited about, I didn’t think we’d be doing anything besides walking around. But, oh, I was mistaken. We have one of the only auto-pick systems in the world. Well, we for sure the first to bring it to the United States. We enter what the product is we need and it sends the forklift drives for the product and they can’t unload or load unless it’s correctly scanned. Then, it puts it on shelves where it wants then it will unwrap the product and only take one case or two if needed. It builds specialized pallets. Wow! Check out the pictures, I have a hard time with a steady hand so you’ll have to forgive.

One of the specialized pallets going off to get some more.

The huge storage shelves for individual packs of product.

Somehow it knew what the product was and which side of the belt to send it to!

Johnny and a lot of coke!

One of my favorite drinks.

On Friday, we went to dinner at the aquarium and ate in the Shark Tank room. I am really frustrated because I didn’t get a good picture of the dinner area while we were there, so I found a simple one that demonstrates the point. We had bacon wrapped shrimp for appetizers, a berry salad, filet mignon, potatoes, asparagus, and layered chocolate cake to top it off. It was all so delicious! :)

Then, we got free reign of the whole aquarium. It was awesome! I didn’t have to worry about blocking the view of any little kids. I didn’t have to wait to pet the sting rays or the star fish. We only had maybe 20 of us, so it was quiet and very fun. My HK friends all gave me a hug as I left. I had only had small conversations with them, but they appreciated that I guess.

I was so sad when this was blurry!! ...but, it's where we ate.

This is a giant clam, watch out!

The petting location for star fish and other creatures.

Some of the turtles were injured so they have to put weights on to help them balance.

Baby penguins. Penguins mate for life and they all have their designated area.

This was a fun net bridge I walked across.

Doesn't this look just like my stuffed Toucan?

These fish live in the Amazon and they jump! crazy.

A closer pic of that huge fish!

Huge gross snake.

Passion fruit blossom, only comes out every once and a while. And it was the only one there!

Funny looking birds.

Exploring Utah exhibit.

Nasty salamanders.

Don't forget the whales. :)

Missionary Time

We got to go through the temple with Jared. It was a neat experience. I think when I told him that I had only gone through in December he was absolutely shocked. With his newness to the temple, it reminded me of my first time. What a great experience. He also gave his farewell talk a few weeks afterwards. He did a great job! As he started to share his testimony, the Spirit filled the chapel and I knew he would be able to influence a lot of people for good. He has grown a lot in the last month since he received his call. Look out Fresno, here comes a great missionary!

Fun FHE’s

· Classic Skating

· Water volleyball

· Giant Twister (spray painted the colors in the grass)

· BBQs

· Watermelon Carving

A kid did this! Crazy!

Skeet Shooting

Month of Holiday Celebrations

July is always fun, two holidays packed with fireworks and happy reunions. For the Fourth, I stayed overnight with the Black’s and went to their ward pancake breakfast. We then walked around the wetlands enjoying the beautiful weather. I had never walked around there before and it was fun to see the animal life and water. I eventually headed home to let them continue with their plans to celebrate with the rest of the Black family. Also, my toenail fell off. I was just putting my sandals on, and it kind of got caught, gross! Here’s what it looked like.

Because of the toe injury, I just watched my friends play waterslide kickball. I didn’t want to risk toe infection. Auntie G, Uncle D, and I went to the MTC fields to watch fireworks from the stadium. We were joined by cousins and a couple of my friends. I was a jungle gym for the night, but I got a few cuddles from the little ones too.

Shrub hula-hooping, it was hilarious.

the wetlands.

Fireworks!

A gift from my visiting teachers.

About a day after it came off...

The 24^th was also a good holiday even though I had to work. I had a BBQ with my ward and then watched the fireworks with Uncle D and Auntie G. We had front row seats. The booms and ash were all around us. The fireworks were huge and impressive. I loved them!

My posts will be a little out of order, but I didn't want to post everything in a huge long post. So, stay tuned for more updates from the tall girl.

Peace out.

-the tall girl

The last few weeks have been planed but have also taken some fun, unexpected turns.

Virginia Ward 100th Anniversary
It all began when I was sitting at work and got a text from Michelleigh asking if I was going to the 100th Anniversary of the Virginia Ward. I told her that I forgot it was the next day, so I hadn't really planned on being there. She didn't know if she could handle getting the kids ready, Andy was gone on a Scout trip.

In the end, we decided to go. She packed me some jamies, an extra shirt, some make-up, shampoo and conditioner and she picked me up from work! Grandpa was tickled when we showed up in the driveway surprising him with the overnight stay. He was disappointed we weren't staying longer. i am so grateful he is easy going enough to be okay with me showing up and asking for a place to stay. We spent the evening chatting away and enjoying our time together.

Since he was in charge of the party, we got there early and I had the privilege of helping him be a little more at ease. He spent the entire day chatting with old friends who come from near and far. I was so happy to see him surrounded with people who have known him for a long time. I got to meet baby Jane Rene, and she is a cutie. The weather was absolutely perfect and a great day for a bbq and relaxing with friends and family.

We had a short program that Aunt Karen wrote up about the history of the ward. She wrote it from the prospective of the buildings in the area and had different people be each building. It turned out so nice, entertaining, and informative. They had some of the songs sung and played from the original dedication of the building, and that was neat! There were also pictures hung on the wall all along the gym so people could look at the history. I hung most of the high ones up.

This is a collage of the 1965 Members of the Virginia Ward!

Most of us had never seen this pic before, the Golden Green Ball was a big deal and this was taken within the first year of Grandpa and Grandma's marriage.

One picture I wish I had, was of Great Grandpa Brady dressed up like a woman in a fashion show with all the other men on the "Men's Relief Society" night. It is the funniest thing! I am so glad we made the quick trip up there! I loved being there to support Grandpa, even if I didn't do much, and seeing family.

Work
They printed this can specially for me, and I was so excited when I got it! :) I didn't even ask for it, what a treat!

Wheeler Farm FHE
We went to this historic farm near Salt Lake and looked at all the animals. It poured rain on us, but it was pretty cool. I got to pet the baby sheep and calves. The sheep I was the most excited about, and then I got to be pretty good friends with a baby goat which was fun.

I got to pet the little white one. :)

This cow knelt down on his knees to get the food...I barely missed it.

Mr. Catt
Yes, the kid's last name is Catt. I would have the same amount of T's as I do other letters if that were to work and no one would probably take me seriously. I would be up for the challenge, I get challenged on my name anyways. I just couldn't stop laughing about this though. He didn't bring it up on the date, but I know he thought about it because before the date he commented on how I have the coolest name ever. We went to Cubby's for dinner and then to a book store to play a get to know you game. We had to choose 5 books that described us and then we met back up to explain each book. It was a very clever idea and it did help me to get to know him better with assisted conversation. We'll see what happens, he lives a state away.

Parade of Mansions...
This was insane and a great way to spend my Saturday. Mom used to take us to model homes all the time when we were kids. If there was a new one, we saw it. I loved looking at them and dreaming about what my house would someday be like. I was so impressed with these homes, I couldn't believe it! I will only post a few pics from each one, I tried to document things I hadn't seen before.