Adulting, a Work in Progress

What a wonderful past few weeks it has been! I am going to try to write fast, so I actually blog instead of giving up because I am too far behind. I have done a lot of fun things, so I will share the highlights.

Adulting. I went to an adulting day with the young single adults in the area. I thought there would be a lot of people here, but there was only about thirty. I guess some people think they are pretty good at adulting. I enjoyed classes about home buying, car buying, time management, and retirement investing. I LOVED the time management class, probably because it is similar to what I studied in school. It’s amazing how much time we spend on important things that are urgent and unimportant urgent things. It has helped me review how I can spend more time in the planning portion where I am focusing on important things that aren’t urgent. Tabby and I started a rousing game of speed during lunch when everyone was sitting down talking to the people they always talk to at their tables. It seemed less harmless to start a game than to join a table. When we got home, we went on our rollerblading adventures. So much fun!! I am a huge chicken, but it’s a blast being able to roller blade and enjoy the beautiful weather.

A summary of the weekend, adulting class, cleaning house, and rollerblading!

This was just too funny, and fitting for my Adulting day. 

Last weekend, it was Jason and Katey’s birthdays…Jason’s on Thursday and Katey’s on Monday. I went up on Thursday night because I was worried the weather would be too crummy, so I worked from “Home” also known as Jason’s office at the library. What a blessing it was! I got more time with them and I got a lot of work done because there weren’t the normal distractions. As usual, we had delicious food! Katey made a cake, here are some pics with us and the kiddos. This is just before Tia grabbed the cake with her hands. Katey and I did some clothes shopping, she got some awesome deals, I was impressed! Saturday we did some grocery shopping, played games, Jason cooked in the dutch ovens, Kylee and I built a tower, we opened presents, and played around. Such a fun and relaxing weekend!

We had a lot of fun coloring, reading, and eating.

Pretending to be Jason.

Game night at Fisher's. It was her 31st birthday so we played games and had dinner. Here is a capture of a curse placed on Andy, he had to copy everything I was doing, doesn't he look thrilled. 

I went on an amazing hike this weekend. We hiked to the top of Long Skraggy. Smiles, Chris, and his friend Richard went. It was a tough hike, but we had some amazing views! I honestly didn’t think we’d ever make it to the top. I was grateful for the strong men I went with who were pushed me and made sure I was okay all along the way. While hiking, I realized I hadn’t ever hiked with just men…The first thing we saw were bones. They stopped and were fascinated. I think bones are cool, but they were awed. Later, I stopped and wanted them to look at the wild tulips! Funny gender differences, I realized afterwards. We also had to cross a river to start hiking and at the end. Good thing I had Smiley’s hand to hold, or I am sure we would have toppled into the water. It did almost go waist deep…and it was cold! I am so grateful for the time I had to smell the roses and spend time in nature.

We think it was a deer. That's a jaw bone.

At the summit!

Esto had no idea i was taking a pic of him.

Cool colored rocks.

Cool stacked rocks ever!

A pretty view.

One of the views.

We climbed rocks.

Check that out! WOW!

A wild tulip! - at least that's what i thought it was. 

Today, I got to feed the missionaries. I figured most everyone here had a mother they should spend time with, so I volunteered last week to feed them. Tabby and I were the only people here, so I invited Smiley to join us to obey missionary rules. He didn’t have anywhere to go, and no one should spend Mother’s day at their house alone. I made Hawaiian haystacks with a cabbage salad for dinner. I thought it was okay, not my best meal. One elder didn’t like anything, later I found out he only eats meat…because he doesn’t like anything else. Smiley, Tabby, and the other elder all got seconds so I guess it was okay. After the missionaries shared their thought and dashed off to video chat with their parents, we cleaned up dinner and enjoyed a game of Scattergories. I was grateful for a distraction and a fun evening before we all needed to call our own moms.

I am so grateful for my mother. She is an amazing woman. On Mother’s day, I call her up and she is feeding another family and holding a sleeping baby. Dedication and service. She has taught me to always be kind, even when I don’t want to. I have learned from her that sisters are more important than friends. Testimonies need to be continually strengthened. I have learned that temple covenants are so important and necessary. Prayers are heard, and I am pretty sure my Mom has sent more prayers to Heaven on my behalf than I have…for this, I am eternally grateful. I also have many other mother figures in my life, and I am grateful for them and their love.

Have a great week!

Peace out.

-the tall girl

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. 

Time is FLYING

So, like I said, I live in Colorado and the times have been fun! I live about an hour away from the Merrill's, ten minutes from the temple, and work just outside of Denver (pretty awesome location). I have some pictures I will share and a few stories to go along with it. Time has passed so much that I can't go back and blog about everything so I'll highlight some recent fun that I've had.

TRAVELING LIFE GLUTEN FREE
I got to travel for work a couple months ago. We had a hiring event in Sunnyvale, so I enjoyed eating some really yummy food. I recently determined I needed to avoid gluten to see if it would help alleviate some of the chronic symptoms I face...the jury is still out if it really helps. I am now 4 months completely free and my goal is to do at least 6 to really get it out of the system. Because of this diet, eating out becomes difficult. Luckily, when on the company dime you can get really yummy meat and enjoy eating out like you never normally would. I enjoyed getting to know the California team and I was grateful I took the time to go out.

Giant smoothie and nasty gluten free muffin...

Chicken Cabob

Mexican breakfast at the airport

Smok'in Fajitas - YUMMY!

The Bay

SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITIES
Right before my trip to Texas, I got a text at work asking if I wanted to go to the David Archuletta concert that night in downtown Denver. OF COURSE I WANTED TO GO. The tickets were free, and I enjoyed the evening starting with riding public transit into the city. It was fairly easy, but I was grateful I had friends who knew what we were doing. It was a high school dream come true to see him live. I was singing to most of his songs as they played. It made for only three hours of sleep before heading to the airport for my 6 AM flight to Texas, but it was worth it!

The man himself

My crew

I also went to the Denver Art Museum for the first time. My coworker had two free tickets, so Tabby and I went. What an amazing museum! I was impressed with the artwork and loved the Native American section, it reminded me of my Mama Fawn who loved their culture. See the pictures below from our extravaganza. We spent about 3.5 hours there and saw less than a third of the museum.

I went to my first hockey game! It was the Arizona Cardinals vs. Colorado Avalanche. Pretty awesome first one to go to. Colorado won, and it was a fun FHE activity with the ward.

There were these people walking around the stadium, it was loud! 

I threw together a sledding party one Saturday after a major snow storm It was one of the most epic sledding trips I have ever been on. I loved it! The hill took at least five minutes to climb back up, but it was totally worth it. I went off a jump, caught probably three feet of air, landed smoothly while screaming the rest of the way down the hill. I was the only one in the group who actually hit the jump.

Me and Tabby

GAINING EXPERIENCE AS AUNT KITT
I have never had the opportunity to live close to my insanely cute nieces and nephews until I moved to Colorado. Let me tell you, being known as Aunt Kitt is probably my most favorite title I've ever gone by. There is so much love and fun accompanied with it. You get to play, love, laugh, tickle, and see the light and joy children bring into life...especially into your sibling's lives.

Two very happy boys. ..see the JOY.

Kylee and Tia are a lot of fun. I have gotten to celebrate both of their birthday's this year, the big 2 and 4. Tia is a ball of energy and excitement, who doesn't talk. Because she only speaks a few words, she has gotten really good expressing emotions with facial features and body language. For example, she gets really excited and she stomps back and forth between her feet staring at you while giving her head a little shake. Kylee uses big words and loves to tell stories. Her imagination is huge and she often comes up with games for us to play that I usually don't know how to appropriately play...which leads to her trying to explain to me in more detail. She is so loving and tries often to communicate for her sister.

Sometimes Aunt Kitt isn't really that funny....obviously

 

We had a lot of fun at the temple. 

We pulled taffy! Tia was terrified of it...and just licked the butter off her hands. 

One of her new bday dresses.

On one occasion, I volunteered to watch the kids while the parents went on a date. We had an adventurous evening. It started out with me cooking dinner, looking back and seeing them eat the fishes out of Katey's backpack that both of us had asked them multiple times not to eat. I snatched them and there was still room in the little tummies for some mac and cheese. We played Don't Eat Pete and Hungry Hippos and a farm game. Tia couldn't really play the farm game, so she spent most of her time stomping on the board so we lost where the pieces were or which cards hadn't been picked yet. As I was focusing on my turn, I hear the sound of water behind me from Tia. I turn around and she's peeing on the floor! I quickly tell her to stop, and run her to the bathroom. We finish potty there, and I give her a rag to go "clean" it up. She does and then goes upstairs to find panties...which she comes down with pants...we got it all figured out. As I was sending them to bed, Kylee starts putting on new panties and socks. I tell her she can change her panties in the morning, but with this the tears start. Because I am not her mother, I quickly tell her that's fine and to continue with the process. Later, I found out from the parents that this is a recent trend she has decided so it makes getting ready in the morning a lot quicker. While singing the good night songs, Kylee had to correct me on a few verses I sang incorrectly...it's been a while since primary I guess. All in all, we had fun and I would do it again.

Sometimes you bring out the candy when the kids have already gone to bed. 

FIRST TRIP TO FORT WORTH
Recently, I went to Texas to visit. Betty and Allen were a lot of fun, and it was great to visit Jack and Lindsay in their new home. Allen has the best laugh, and one of his new phrases is "I did it baby!" repeated multiple times. When he speaks, he's usually grunting, so if I didn't have Jack or Lindsay there I may not have been able to interpret the first time he said it. I got some good cuddle time with him and put him to sleep one night.

I taught Betty how to play Simon Says and Charades, which was quite humorous. She did a good job guessing and acting out! We also played a game called Kitty and Mommy...which consisted of me chasing her around their race track, catching her, throwing her into the love sack, and not letting her escape the dungeon. I am pretty sure this was her favorite. She is quite delightful, good at coloring, and loved little "houses" or pyramids I made out of the playdough.

Thursday night, we went out to eat at this yummy Mexican food place. I got a yummy dish, enjoying it with my corn tortillas. I don't think we watched a movie that night, as I was exhausted and fell asleep when Jack and Lindsay took the kids to bed. The next night we did watch Interstellar. It was an intense movie, but very good. We also went to the museum. I enjoyed watching Betty play with the doll and drive the emergency vehicle. The museum was packed, so we didn't stay that long. Too many children for three mostly introverts.

Longhorn, what Texas is known for. 

Watch out!

Taking care of the baby. 

We started early enough that we went to bed at a decent time. On Friday, Jack cooked a brisket in his air fryer. It was SO yummy! He did a great job with the flavors and we enjoyed some sweet potato fries with it. The brisket served many meals throughout the rest of the weekend. Lindsay and I went to the gym on Saturday morning and did a Body Pump work out. Holy moly! It was tough! We had this little bar, weights you could add and take off throughout the workout, free weights, and a step stool. We did squats, lunges, curls, and anything you can imagine while holding weights in your hands. I was impressed with the people who added a lot of weight to their bars...I was good with my 5 pounders on each side. Later that day, Jack gave me a tour of the mile long facility. Impressive! I got to see the whole assembly line, I am grateful for the smart people who can handle all the details of that machine. I also got to see where Jack works so now I can picture him there while I am IM'ing him at work. I enjoyed hearing about the work from Jack's perspective. He's very intelligent, and knows a lot about the company. I can tell he is passionate about it, so now he just needs to find the work he enjoys too! We also watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the new one. I actually kind of liked it, I'd only seen parts of it before. Sunday was a wonderful day. I enjoyed the church meetings, and the sun was shining almost for the first time since I'd arrived. The kids played outside, while I watched from the porch and chatted with Jack and Lindsay. While Lindsay laid down, Betty, Jack, Allen, and I went for a walk. I got to see the neighborhood and enjoy the "Virginia, ID summer like" weather. When we got home, I helped get dinner ready. We had rigatoni and a DELICIOUS gluten free cheesecake. The crust was gluten free chocolate chip cookie dough, and then we put mini chips throughout the cheesecake mix. Amazing, if I could have eaten the whole thing I would have tried.

the cheesecake

Betty wanted to take pics of everyone

Daddy couldn't look because he was driving.

My flight Monday morning was at 6 AM Texas time, really 5 AM Colorado time...prior to daylight savings time. So really, the flight was at 4:00 AM internal clock time, which means I woke up at 1:30 internal clock time to get to the airport in time. Luckily we did get there when we did, as the security line was backed up with people who hadn't flown before and didn't know the procedure so they broke all the laws and had to be searched...thus delaying the line dramatically. I did make it back, went straight into work, worked as long as I could and have been recovering ever since. I think I may be back to normal and finally fighting off the rest of the sickness that accompanied my lack of sleep.

CRAZY TRAINING
I am in training for a big race in mid-May, so a group of us work out on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. We usually do Insanity workout videos, sometimes P90X...both extremely hard. I haven't worked out consistently for a couple years due to physical limitations. When we first signed up for this race, I determined working out may be a good solution to some of my problems...mainly lack of social motivation and stress. Working out would help relieve stress and help me get to know people better in my ward. I believe both goals have been met, although the goal of being in shape for the 12 mile obstacle course is pretty slim....but, we're working on it! I have also picked up a little bit of running, which hasn't happened in even longer. I still hate it, but at least I feel pretty good afterwards. I am more flexible and I do feel healthier than I have in a while. I am also training to do Tri-Tri with Katey in mid-June. This is a very mini-triathlon...I've always wanted to do one, and it's way better to start with a mini and do it with your sister. This one I will for sure do, the obstacle race I am not sure I will do...it depends on what I can do by Mid-May.

VALENTINE'S DAY
We got heart attacked, what a wonderful surprise! And, I got this cool bracelet from Oma and Papa.

WORK
Oh yeah, I did move to Colorado for work and everyone probably wonders how it's going. It's roaring along. It's not as busy this semester as it was in the Fall, but I am ready for my personal spring break. If I could, I would take my total 50 floating hours off in the next two weeks before I lose them. I am transferring divisions, due to re-org changes, so I will lose the floating and gain the week between Christmas and New Years off. It's an okay trade. I do enjoy the work I am doing, as I am still learning things each day. It's been a great growing experience, exactly what I need for manager and client interaction. I didn't really know what I was getting into, but I believe it will be a good stepping stone. My current manager and grand-manager (my manager's manager) will be good advocates for my career. Although I won't be reporting to them in a couple weeks, I think I can still look towards them for mentorship which will be necessary for me to move forward. My hours are usually about 50+ a week, and will continue to be so until end of April...at least I hope that's as long as they go. I am trying harder to make sure I unplug and leave work when I leave. This is difficult for me, but I am getting a little better.

That's about all I have right now, other than the beautiful sunsets and pretty weather Colorado provides. You can see some snapshots of things I have found beautiful over the past few months. Colorado winters are gorgeous and I am grateful for the sun that shines almost daily, even when it is cold. Also I always work from home if it snows, which has been a great blessing!

Thanks for reading, sorry it's not chronological but I hope it was worth the time. I will try to write more frequently as it helps me find the hidden treasures in my life.

Peace out.

-the tall girl