Got Salt?

Today I took Hunter High School's Dance Company pictures at the Great Salt Lake. How many more capitol letters could I have in that sentence? It was a lot of fun and we were very fortunate to have perfect lighting and NO BUGS!! I was so excited because the gnats can be absolutely not great. We did group shots, class shots, officer shots, head shots and action shots. Now I need a shot. Of energy, anyway; I'm pretty sleepy right now. But, I just want to throw a few pictures on here, especially for Nat who likes to look at pictures rather than read. Sorry you're blind, honey. Fetch Forever!

This is the 08-09 HHS Dance Co

Lorna, the advisor, suggested this one. I was impressed at how in sync they were.

Here the officers are channeling their inner Tyra. I just thought it would be funny. Angles! Show me angles!

This is Morgan, one of her headshots. This girl is so funny, she cracked me up. She wanted me to do some extra pics of her, which was totally fine, but she really loved her flowers. We actually got some really cute ones. Love it.

This is Jo, or Jocifer as Tracie calls her. She's such a rocker. I think her actions were some of my faves because they were totally unique.

Well, Hello Stranger!

I'm sorry to those of you who have had to remind me to post already! I know, I know. Things got pretty off-schedule with everything in the last few weeks, but I think I'm getting back to normal. So, just a few things I want to mention that have happened in the last two weeks:
*I got another, new best friend. My cousin Jamie was able to come out with her family from Omaha, and it was so fun to get re-acquainted! Actually, I have been able to keep up with her family on their blog, but it was so funny how we first saw them. It was sunday, and after stake conference, I was laying down on my bed for a nice little nappedy-nap. I heard my dad say upstairs, "hey, I know you!" in his talking to kid voice, and I thought my nieces and nephew were there so I went upstairs. When I got to the kitchen, Jamie's kids, Leevi (7) and Raquel (4) were walking through the kitchen.
"Hi, we're going outside to jump on the trampoline," says Raquel in perfect little english. And that was how it was. No shyness from any of them, including the baby, Aaron (1), and it was soo funny. I have never, ever in my life heard one little girl talk so much in one afternoon. No joke. She wouldn't even wait for my responses, she would just go and go and go. I had so much fun with her because I kept making up stories at dinner when she was sitting by me and she would look at me like, "I don't believe you. . .or do I?" and then Tracie would tell her I was a liar. They are all such smart kids, but I spent the most time with Raquel and she is such a thinker for four years old! Or maybe she just shares what she is thinking when others don't. My favorite was when she said she wanted to watch a movie, picked out Cinderella, told me she was ready for me to turn it on and watch it with her, I set up the hammock in the basement, she sat there and swung through probably the first song on the movie and took off upstairs. Mind you, she was talking the whole time, with me saying, "yeah" and "uh-huh" the whole time, sometimes fitting in a funny remark that she didn't quite get. But I laughed. She would come down every now and then and ask me to help her get back in the hammock and then she would think of more things to say. At one point, she was asking how old me and "your sister" (tracie) were. She asked if Tracie was still a kid and my parents were in charge of her and if she got to stay up. When I told her that she got to when it wasn't a school night, she just started up again. This is what happened when I told her I was 28:
So are you a kid or an adult? How old do you have to be until you're an adult? How long can you wait until you can move out of your house? Are you married? Why aren't you married? You'll probably get married before me. But when I get married you'll probably be dead.
BREATHE! I just sat there and laughed. I wish I had a taped convo for everyone to hear because she's just too funny for words. So. Holla to Omaha and my BFF Raquel (and your fam)!

*Speaking of the funeral, it went really well. I want to just say thank you for all of the support, love and kindness that my family and I have received. Everyone has been so amazing, and I'm so grateful for wonderful friends!
*School is lame. I want to teach already. We have been going into the schools now, three days a week for the last two weeks, and I just want to go! Let me loose! I'm so excited to interact, to teach and learn from all of the funny little friends that I see. I'm getting pretty frustrated with my classes (no class should be three hours long) because I feel like they are just repeating everything I have already heard in all of my other required teaching classes. Talk about beating a dead horse! We keep hearing that teaching is something you have to learn from experience. You can learn theories and lessons planning techniques and blah blah blah, but until you get into the classroom and meet your students, you never really know what to expect. So while I really like my professors and cohort leaders, the classes I could DEFINITELY do without.
*I don't think anything else has happened, really. It has just been school and work and the same old stuff. BUT I may be one step closer to eternity after tonight. Nobody get excited, there is not a boy involved but one just might be on the way. And no, I haven't ordered any type of mail-order husband from a different country but I'm not saying I am above that. Anyway, my good friend Harmony (aka Ginger from the OC) (as in OakCrest, not Orange County, people) got married today and I fought AND WON for her bouquet at the reception. It was a valiant effort put up by a couple other girls, but, let's face it. They just didn't have what it takes, and that is desire and dedication. They weren't willing to take that extra leap or reach that extra inch with their arms in other peoples faces, but I was and I am the one who is one step closer to finding that special someone. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

I Heart Grandparents.

I have been very lucky in my life to know all four of my grandparents really well. I am so thankful to my parents that they made it a point to visit them often, because I have been very fortunate to learn from them. My Grandpa and Grandma Slack died when I was 14 and 19, respectively, and it is always nice to reminisce with my family about their lives. We have spent more time with my dad's parents, mostly because they live so close to us. I want to spend a little time writing about my Grandpa Paul, because after a long struggle with many health problems, he passed away today.
I want you to know that although it is sad and I wish that he could have been here still, my heart hurt for him every time I saw him in the last few months because he has been so ill and miserable. We have been praying that the Lord would take him home soon so that he wouldn't have to suffer any more, and today he was finally reunited with his father who died when he was 7 and his mom who raised him and his siblings alone.
When I was younger, I didn't understand him. He was often ornery and getting after us kids, mostly because we were loud and obnoxious and always into things. I remember one day a few of my cousins and I were talking badly of him and one of my uncles heard us and got after us, and it made me think. I started to give him a chance and started to build a relationship with him. I feel very lucky to have been as close to him as I was. I would often say that I was his favorite, but I don't think he had favorites. He used to call me a pill, and I would sometimes be offended because pills are usually gross, right? He explained to me one day that a pill is something that keeps him healthy and happy.
When I was a teenager, he would pull me in the office and show me all the family history he was working on, telling me the stories of my ancestors as we went. At the time, I chalked it up to humoring him, but I will forever be grateful for that time because it gave me a true love and appreciation for my forebears. When I went through the temple before I left on my mission, Grandpa invited me to do sealings for the dead at the Jordan River Temple with him every wednesday before I had to leave, because my Grandma's knees were too bad and he needed a partner. What special times we had, enveloped in the spirit of eternal families.
Whenever we would leave my grandparents house, we would give them a hug and a kiss, but a few years ago I started to point to my cheek and make him kiss me. He always got a kick out of it and it was special to me also. Even up until a few months ago, he would kiss me on the cheek and tell me he loved me. In the springtime, we would go for walks around the nursing home and enjoy the sunshine and cool air; or he would ride, I would push, even when I tried to convince him that it was my turn in the wheelchair.
Finally, one of my favorite memories is one day when he was first struggling with his concentration and having a hard time sitting still, before he went into the nursing home. We were outside sitting on the bench in front of their house and I told him that if I didn't get married before he died, he had to promise that he would come anyway. I remember holding his hand and we both got a little choked up and he promised he would be there. And I know that he will be, along with my other grandparents, present at all of the special times in my life; getting married, having children. I know that families are eternal and I know that I will see them again, but for now I will always be thankful for the time I spent getting to know them and for the love they always showed to me. And I'm glad they knew of my love for them, also.

End of an Era

Well, my friends, yesterday was my last day working at the South Jordan branch of Beehive CU. I was there for two years! I am moving to the Main branch because it is closer to the U of U and it closes an hour and a half earlier. I will greatly miss seeing my SoJo buddies every day, but am glad I will still be able to be in touch with them. I love them! We also have such great members that I will miss helping all the time. It will be hard getting to know everyone by name at the new branch, but I'm up for the challenge.
I'm lame and only took a couple of pictures, but here they are:

Nat and I were so sad. (Andi, my replacement is in the background)

But then we remembered that we will always have the Fetch Club to keep us together. After all, she is the President and I am VP. BFF!

This is Kyle. He was my closing homie. We had a lot of fun. Sometimes we just watched our own youtube vids and didn't talk for an hour (after all of the closing necessities were done of course) but it was always a good time. I thought I liked youtube, but Kyle really likes it. He showed me many wonderful things.

This should go on youtube. What a great eye.
Thanks, guys, for being so awesome and making my last day with you so rad, Nat even made me this killer scrapbook that is so cute! It means a lot to me and I'll miss chilling with you guys! But I have to admit, when I'm leaving at 5:45 instead of 7:10, I probably won't be that sad. But all the other times I'll try to hold back the tears.