Conference Weekend

I love conference weekend. When I went to EA we would always travel to Utah to watch conference... after a few times driving I smartened up and would fly. Now that I live in Provo I am so thankful that I only have to travel an hour! ANd... all my friends from home come visit! It was one big party!

Friday night Brittani and I hung out with Sydney and Kiara and Allison from home. We went to Brick Oven Pizza and then to the Bowling Alley! They are hilarious... all we did was laugh.

Saturday morning Amanda, Layne and I woke up early and traveled to Salt Lake, Jackie met us there. We were present in the conference center for the Solemn Assembly. It was truly amazing. We met up with Stefani Smith and then went to the Gateway mall by way of the Traks for some lunch. We then returned and watched the second session in the Joseph Smith Building. Saturday night we were exhausted! Syd and Kiara came to hang out with Amanda and I. Eventually, Brittani and Chris came home and Chris played a little guitar for us. He's so talented.
















Sunday morning we again woke up early and prepared a waffle FeaST! We had every topping imaginable. Everyone came over and ate waffles and watched the first session. As soon as the last speaker said amen, we were in the car and off to Salt Lake. We had a big group this time, it was fun. The Sunday afternoon session was so good, I loved it.

It's so amazing how I felt so rushed to get to conference on time, get a parking spot, get in line, meet up with everyone who was coming in with us, give everyone a ticket, go through security, fight with the old ladies to not make me check my camera and let me keep it in my purse after promising to not take pictures, find my seat, climb flights of stairs to go to the bathroom, find my seat again after a few minutes of searching out our group .... etc.

But, it's all so worth it. When I stand as the prophet enters, feelings of peace and calm overcome me. I actually love the hustle and bustle and preparation of conference. It's fun. I love to see the thousands of people that travel from all over to attend conference. The streets of Salt Lake are lined with women in dresses and skirts and men in shirts and ties walking to and from the conference center. It makes conference more meaningful. I loved every talk and every session. This is the fourth consecutive conference I have attended. Thanks Amanda for getting us the tickets this time!




























When we got home Brittani, Amanda and I made chicken enchiladas for dinner. James was visiting from AZ so he came over with Sam and Shane. Chris came as well. We had quite a feast. I had never made chicken enchiladas before. It's SO easy! Thanks for the help mom! Afterwards, the boys helped me make cookie dough for the PAzOOkie. That was quite the experience. It was like baking cookies with kindergarten children! hilarious. But they turned out great!













By the end of the night we had quite a group here: James, Shane, Sam, Kyle, Adam, Brodie, Nick, Syd, Kiara, Tory, Stefani, Amanda, Brittani, Chris and I. It was fun for everyone to get to see each other again! It's so nice to be around people that A) know each other so well and B) know me so well that our time together is effortless. We talk and laugh and pick up where we left off. SO fun!
















However, by the time I loaded the dishwasher for the fourth time Sunday night I realized how exhausted I was. To say the least today has been quite unproductive! I am so tired! This weekend was GO GO GO!

Nursing Home

Last semester Michelle and I made it a habit to go visit the nursing home every sunday. We started going because Michelle needed service hours for a class, but after going once we knew we couldn't stop. We have fallen in love with these people. This past Sunday Michelle and Zane couldn't go, so I invited Brodie and his roommate Daniel. We had so much fun. Here are some pictures of my favorite people!
This is Genevieve. She is so sweet. She is confined to a wheel chair, but still remembers us each week, which is a nice change! She has a coke a day, she keeps little mini cokes in a tiny fridge in her room. Everything in her room is just so-so. She always makes me laugh and always asks me to come visit again. She is usually watching something cool on TV too. She watches the discovery channel or any sport she can find.























Brodie is pushing Lois here on her walker. Lois is a crack-up. Notice her crown! I never stop laughing when I am around her. She has the greatest sense of humor and is all together just a feisty lady. She never remembers us week to week, but it doesn't really even matter. These other two pics are from last week when I went with Michelle, Zane and Brittani. Lois makes fun of other patients, jokes with the nurses and LOVES when we visit. She wears a crown that she won for being beauty queen after competing with several other nursing homes in the Utah Valley. She takes this very seriously, she'll always be seen wearing her crown unless her headaches are too bad. In that case her crown is "resting". She is My FaVoRiTe!! You can always find Lois talking to someone, usually sitting in front of the nurses station.


This is John. John worked for the CIA and FBI. He is brilliant. He can often be seen taking strolls around the home or sitting in his room watching the antique road show on a TV that looks fit to be entered in to the show. John will talk your ear off and tell you stories of meeting presidents and other dignitaries. He will show you his super cool FBI and CIA jackets with his name sewn on the insides. He is always so excited to see us. Brodie taught him how to really wear a hat! haha He's a fun guy.













I am going to miss these people the most when I go home. I look forward to Sundays when I get to go visit. They make my day!

Holi Fesival of Colors: Hare Krishna

Saturday night I went with a group to the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple.
We attended the Holi Festival.
This is part of a quote from a Fox News 13 story, "It's one of the most unusual events in Utah - the Holi Festival in Spanish Fork. It has an intensely Hindu message, but has largely Mormon attendance. The festival was held at the Krishna Temple Saturday."

The Holi Festival. It was Crazy. The festival celebrates the beginning of spring. For the event everyone goes to the temple in Spanish Fork, just south of here. We all bought colors (bags of pink, purple and silver chalk) and basically you just throw them at one another. It is surprisingly SO fun. The throwing of the colors symbolizes that we are all the same, all children of God. After you are all covered in chalk, there is no difference from one person to another. To start the celebration there is a bonfire and an evil demoness is burned to signify the triumph of good over evil.


This little man was the first to throw colors at us... we didn't even have a chance to buy ours yet! He's pretty cute.












This is a Hindu event, right? Well you never would have known because the temple was over-crowded with massive amounts of BYU students. I think I saw maybe 10 people that were actually Hindu, the rest were Cougars!! We got to the event a little late because traffic getting to the temple started before we even exited the freeway. We parked at least 2 and 1/2 miles away. In one of the pictures you can see us walking and the there is a huge pink cloud above the temple! CraZy! On other college campuses you'd have to be drunk to act the way we did!

I am secretly happy we weren't there for the start. I would have died from the chalk inhalation. AND my body would never have rid itself of it... I found chalk in my ears, my fingernails, my nose and MANY other places. I am still finding chalk everywhere!

We sang "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Krishna!" over and over for at least 2 hours, threw lots of chalk, danced and had a good time.

That was by far the strangest event I have ever been too. Yet, really fun. It is huge on campus. People really talk it up and BYU kids are their greatest participants. My neighbors Amanda and Jackie even got on stage and played cymbals with the band. Haha I felt like I was at woodstock in the '60's or something. weird. but cool.

We went with Aaron Anderson, Aaron Haslam, Kyle Wright, Kiara Call, Jackie Daniels-Brown, Amanda Johnson, Brodie Howard, and ME! oh and we saw Chris Matheson from my ward there too!

Winter Wonderland... in Spring!!

SNOW... in MaRcH!!! Yes folks that is correct, It SNOWED last Saturday and Sunday. But you know what? I LoVeD it... it makes for some SWEET powder on the slopes! We got a good 4 inches here in the valley and even more in the mountains!






















Even though it snowed, I had already picked out my outfit for church, a very spring appropriate outfit might I add... and I didn't want to change! I didn't want to put on my boots and tights and scarf again. So I didn't! It only made me cold, but I held my ground! It made me sick when my mom told me it was 86 degrees in Phoenix on Sunday. I CAN'T wait TO go HOME!!!