Wakeboarding & a Broken Rib?

Well, possibly a broken rib…it sure feels like it! I went wakeboarding on Saturday with my sisters and friends on Utah Lake. It was fun although I didn’t do so well without a tower on the boat, but that’s beside the point. So I crashed pretty good on a run and got the wind knocked out of me. The whole rest of the day I had sharp pains in my side if I moved a certain way or laughed. It continued for the next couple days so finally I went to the doctor. He didn’t think it was broken (just the cartilage), but he sent me to get an x-ray anyway. I haven’t gotten it yet and probably won’t, just cause there’s nothing you can do even if it is broken. So I guess I’ll never know for sure!

First Week of High School

Don't worry I'm not actually IN high school, but teaching high school. My high school is actually inside an old remodeled bowling alley. Sweet! And no, they didn’t leave any lanes to bowl on….darn! It’s a fairly small school and I’m really enjoying it so far. I have 6 classes total, teaching 4 different levels of Spanish.

It’s a real challenge, but I knew it would be. I had the easy, relaxing life in Spain only working about 20 hours every week and spending my extra time at the beach. So coming back to reality I’ve had to jump right in. It’s been hard work, stressful, and I don’t have much free time. I have to put in a lot of extra time preparing 4 different classes every day. But it’s also very rewarding. I figure now I get to make up for what I didn’t do in Spain :)

The school is great, the teachers are great and the kids are great, so I can’t complain!

Moving to UT

So Lisi flew back to T-town from Seattle to spend a few days at home then she drove up with me to UT. She wanted to stop everywhere, but I wouldn't let her....haha! Sorry sis! First it was the meteor crater in Flagstaff, then the lookout point to the Grand Canyon, then the slot canyons, then swimming at Lake Powell, then Cedar Breaks, then who knows where else!

I think she was just stalling since she didn’t want to go back to UT. I did oblige her by stopping at some Indian outposts on the way to Page and we even tried to swim at Lake Powell, but it didn’t work out. I would have LOVED to stop at all those places, but I was stressed about moving and starting a new job so I wouldn’t have enjoyed them. We got there late enough anyway.

I actually couldn’t move into my apt. yet, so my sister kindly let me camp out in her new condo for a week. Then my little sister came up a week later. Her new condo had turned into the homeless shelter. Haha! Anyway I’m glad to be in UT again with my siblings, but I already miss AZ and wish I could be there too! I wasn't home very long after getting back from Europe and with the trip to Canada.

Vancouver Island, Canada

My sisters, my Mom, and I all went up to Canada for my cousin's wedding the end of July/beginning of August. We flew into Seattle then took a ferry to Vancouver Island, where the wedding was to be. I felt like I was back in Europe again visiting the quaint little town of Sidney and the very touristy Victoria. We saw the famous Empress hotel where the Queen of England used to stay, the European-style government building, water planes, and a wacko dude performing his idea of an enlightening show with juggling fire torches over people and pulling a tennis racket through his entire body while balancing a golf club on his chin. Yeah......He was surprisingly funny actually!

Butchart Gardens

So these are the world famous gardens of Vancouver Island. Can’t go without seeing! They are so beautiful too. We all went with my Uncle Dennis the morning before the wedding. They had a sunken garden, a Japanese garden, an Italian garden, a rose garden and so on.

Julia's Wedding

Two nights before the wedding my Mom’s side of the family got together to go out to eat and have a little fun, and then the night before the wedding, there was a backyard BBQ to celebrate the soon bride and groom-to-be, Julia (my cousin) and Silas. It was a great opportunity to meet both sides of the family and re-meet people I hadn’t seen in years.

The next afternoon was the wedding, outside in a beautiful garden. It was a beautiful ceremony with toasts, dinner, speeches, and a dance to follow long into the evening and night. One thing I forget about Canada is that it can get very cold at night even in the summer. Therefore, we had to cut the dance short unfortunately. It was a wonderful evening to spend with Julia and Silas though!

The bride & groom, Julia & Silas

My cousin Kayli & Silas's brother

The father and the bride

Me & sisters with my Uncle Dennis & Aunt Connie

My cousin Sam with my sisters

My mom with my Aunt Kathryn

my cousin Ivan and girlfriend Lara

Sidney by the Sea

The next morning was a brunch to celebrate the new happy couple and mingle with relatives one last time before everyone parted. The whole weekend was so great to spend so much time with family in celebration. In the Mormon culture, we usually just do a reception and lunch, not much more. So this was a nice change and very refreshing. Plus it’s a great vacation!

We spent the afternoon in Sidney wandering around on the piers and through town before heading back to Seattle on the ferry.

Sleepless in Seattle

So it was a packed day in Seattle. We stayed at my Uncle Dennis’s house in Seattle, whom I hadn’t seen since I was a little girl. He’s got to be the funniest guy ever! So in Seattle we had a fish & chips picnic down by the locks. They entertained us for quite a while, especially seeing a sea lion get stuck in one. We also watched the salmon ladder.

Later we drove down to the houseboats since I wanted to see them and we saw the famous Sleepless in Seattle house. It’s on the market for a few million….anyone interested? We met a guy that had been living on his boat for quite some years who showed us around.

We then drove to a spot for a fantastic view of the Space Needle, then finished off the day at the famous fish market. The guys there thought they were pretty funny by wiping their fish hands all over us. Blah! Back at Dennis’s we had a delightful dinner of mussels and oysters! Oh wait….did I say delightful? I’m not a big fan. Especially not raw oysters…my cousin made me eat one....

New Car!

After having hand me downs I finally bought my own car! I drove a little while Nissan truck in high school and a white Isuzo Rodeo in college (famous for driving places it shouldn't go!)....BOTH of which belonged to my brother beforehand. Well, you can imagine how sick of white I got after 8 years of it so I decided to branch out.

I had 1 week to buy a car before moving from T-town to P-town. So I looked around town a bit, but as you know there aren't much choices. I test drove a few Nissan Altimas, but they weren't that great. So my parents and I went to the big metropolis one day for the big car hunting day. All day we weren't seeing much, but then I found it....my perfect match....an '05 Nissan Altima. I couldn't be happier! We had a heck of a time wheelin' and dealin', but smart as I am, I let my mom take care of it. By the end of the deal, the dealership had appropriately nicknamed her "The Rock." Couldn't have done it without her!

I'm going to miss driving a stick shift and a car I can drive anywhere, but with gas prices these days I figured I needed to leave the SUV behind and look for a car. So here she is!

Back by Popular Demand

So I was going to be done with blogging, but I've had some people ask me if I'm going to continue. I guess my life was interesting enough in Spain that everyone wanted to know. Well, sorry to break it to you guys, but now my life is going to be just the same as everyone elses! And I'm excited for it too! I'm super glad to be back in the States, although I absolutely loved my time in Spain. There's no place like home. And when I say home I mean the U.S. soil. Plus sharing hostels and bathrooms with other people for 6 weeks makes you begin to feel like a homeless person!

And if I don't continue blogging I'll have no motivation to keep up on everyone elses. So today's your lucky day :) I won't be sending out emails when I update it like I did before so you'll just have to check back on your own. Guess I'm making you the responsible one now eh?!