Summer 2009

Life has been very busy this summer; I'm back working at the group home, I've been working at the Telefund, and I've been busy socially as well, which is always good. In July I was having some second thoughts about my decision to go to China, but after lots of prayer and booster calls from Mom and Dad, I've decided to still go. It's something I've wanted to do for a loooooong time, and I figure now is the best time in my life to do it. Dad and I are leaving end-ish of August to drive my car back to Maryland, as I don't want to sell it, and I will be flying to China in the beginning of September. AGH!!! I'm so excited!!!
I've also been having a lot of fun with friends this summer. Ashley Johnson, Stephen Clouse, and Robbie Petterborg are my main source of entertainment; we've hung out like every night, and we have a lot of fun together. We do a lot of cooking and movies on Robbie's big screen (and by this I mean a projector on an entire wall). Action movies are really cool this way, as is the Planet Earth series by BBC we've been going through. The hunting snow leapords, elephants, and desert sandstorms are super cool when they're bigger on the screen than you are in real life.
So next week I graduate from BYU. I've been a student here for 5 years, and it's kind of difficult to imagine me leaving. It's comfortable to be a student and know what's coming the next year. Even though I'll be sad to leave, I'm excited for this new phase in my life. I also stopped working at the Telefund, which was very sad. Most of my college friends were made there, and it was really a good place for me. I'll miss it a lot.

Ashley and Stephen are engaged, and getting married in December. This was on the fourth at the Freedom Days festival, and I joke that this is how their marriage is going to be...


Fourth of July up on Y Mountain to watch the fireworks from Stadium of Fire. This way we were spared the Jonas Brothers. Left to right: Robbie, me, Ashley, Stephen

I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It was so awesome; I've never been to a midnight showing before.

I went camping this summer for the first time in 9 years. With nothing to do that night we resorted to interpretive dances around the fire. This has something to do with magical milk and unicorns, which if you've read the Fablehaven series, will make somewhat more sense. My friends Holly and Bradford.
Bradford was doing something about a baby quail.... best interpretive dance of the night

Not sure what Robbie was going for... a bunny rabbit?

My dance. Not sure what *I'm* going for either....
Me and my good friend Holly. ~Holly started the fire, it was always burning, since the world's been turning~
Robbie bought a cake decorating kit, and we made a mongo carrot cake that took six hours from start to finish. I had the biggest subsequent sugar high in a veeeery long time. We kept sampling the frosting during the making process, and then to actually eat the cake and frosting, well you get my point. We had fun decorating.
Robbie is stabbing the cake while Ashley decorates.

Telefund summer BBQ. It was a lot of fun, and there was a watermelon eating contest. Awesome

Holly and me.
Spaghetti night!!
A berry smoothie that was a-MAZ-ing!!!

So that's pretty much my life this summer. A lot of fun, a lot of work. Good times.