Week One

Gosh, it feels like it's been a month. Today marks the first week being away from my family. Gee, morbid aren't we? I am holding out. No, I doing fine. I have finally gotten a schedule to follow so I won't get cabin fever. I have two more weeks to stick--have fun before school starts. I really am doing great. It's just the parts where I'm talking to myself or keeping the tv on to simulate family noise. I have started to leave the house more often. Rachel is letting me borrow their third car. Halelu!! once I find my way around the city or at least down town I'll do better. Jeff has opened his house to me but really he's not there either. It's the alone part that's making me go mad. *smiles big*

One thing that I should've jumped on sooner than just Friday night was keeping my scriptures close by. I am determined to stick to my schedule that gives me an hour of study time. (with my stats i should make it 3) but I'm am trying. That's the good part.

Monday was pretty good. I resurrected my blog ( HAHAHA!!! ) and little else. I figured out how to work the tv. Big accomplishment. *crowd silent and lone cough sounds*

Ok ...Tuesday I left the house and went for a nice walk down the Jordan. It's really pretty there. I even took the bike for a spin and I loved it. Wednesday I was kinda bummed. I didn't get to go on the super youth activity. Jeff had to go and get himself called as ward clerk ( so happy for him btw ) and I had to go and ride the Front Runner to Ogden so I couldn't go to Jackson Hole.

The moving-ness behind me. hehehe!!

BUT OGDEN WAS FRIGGIN' AMAZING!!!!! Ok so i get up early and get ready for Debbie, Rachel's mom, to come pick me up. then we head to the station in down town. Once we get the tickets, the boys, Ethan and Drew, are so hyped up to be on the train for the first time.

We go up the stairs to the Double Decker and the boys are super excited. Ethan kinda gets nervous but then we're off and they're pointing at all the stuff out the window and they're having a blast. We have to wait forever because the train ride itself lasts for like 45-50. ( I know AGONIZING!!! lol ) We get off the train and there is a museum of when the trains first came through this area just down the street from the unloading dock. It was pretty cool because a lot of their stuff in the museum is hands on and it's so great for kids. I got some pictures before my camera died on me but most of it is of the boys.

( Couldn't turn Pic was being stubborn )

All the fun train stuff was awesome. We even saw some trains we could climb on and Ethan kept sawing he was going to get hurt! He said, "If I get hurt you're paying for medical." I had to laugh. Because I couldn't imagine Mackenzie ( same age mind you ) saying the same thing.

During our little exploratory mission, Ethan groaned about being hungry. I was too because I was so excited about today I forgot to eat breakfast. So after we left the museum we headed down the main street. Boy did it remind me of an old western. Every other shop was an antiques place. We passed shop after shop the hunger in our stomachs getting louder with every closed sign on the cafe. As we passed the stores I noticed something very odd lining the street. Horses. There were a dozen horse statues everywhere. And they didn't look like regular horses either. They were painted all kinds of different colors. Some had designs of stripes and swirls but others had pictures. Ethan even found one across the street with a TRex painted on the side of the horse. It was pretty neat.

Finally we found some lunch at a Karen's Wild West Cafe. Let me tell you, they have some really awesome food. I almost couldn't eat all of it!! And for you who know me, that's saying something. *cheeky smile*

Time flew by as we walked around looking at the horses and trains that Debbie was wondering what time we had to head back. Thinking we missed the train was not good for us at the moment. So we ran. I had to carry Drew half the time because he just wouldn't walk any faster than his sagging pants would allow. He was good sport as we booked it for the train stop. Resting in the shade waiting for the train to come Debbie decided to check with someone in an important looking vest about when the train going back would be there. Not five minutes later an important looking vested person walks up and points to the train going Northbound and tells us that the train is heading back to Salt Lake. I had to laugh. Waiting usually helps instead of jumping to the nearest info desk.

Anywho....we made it back to Salt Lake and we were all exhausted. It wasn't until the coming back that I realized I had missed the Jackson Hole trip. But life goes on and to the patient gives it's fullest reward.

So patient I was. Then I went bike riding. I rode down the Jordan River Parkway on Thursday and it was pretty neat to see how green everything was. I know I know! How odd of her to say the place was green. Well to someone who only sees it when the rain comes and when the sun doesn't kill it before it grows, green is pretty. I liked the ride. I think I rode 5 miles that day. I rode from Steve's house down the Jordan Trail all the way to 17th S. If I had known to turn and keep riding east, I would've found Jeff's house.

Noted to self.

Friday was when it all came to me. I missed everybody. I also realized i hadn't read my scriptures. It hurt because I'd promised Dad I would. That's the day I realized I needed to get off my lazy toosh and get going on something. I made a plan. My schedule I was talking about it made. I set time aside for exploring or bike riding and time to read my scriptures. I had a plan finally. But it would have to wait till Monday because the next day I woke up at 10:47 am.

YIKES!!!

But Saturday was awesome. I got to leave the house. WOOT!! Rachel went school shopping for Ethan and Drew got chased around by yours truly. It was funny. He loves to go shopping and hold mommy's purse and Ethan hates shopping. But Ethan was a good sport. He actually enjoyed himself. And I got to see the outdoor mall!! It's so cool. I didn't know a mall could be outside. I really liked the set up and Rachel helped me figure out more places to go. After the shopping was finished we forgot that we forgot some things Steve wanted us to pick up. So we went to the store but the smells made us hungry. Darn you Smiths.

SOOOOO......we went to Blimpies for dinner!! We picked it up and brought it home. On the way back Rachel showed me Liberty park. Another place to go now noted in my head. It's got a pond for the ducks and a pool for people. hehehe. I will defiantly head there one of these days. Jeff was at our house when we got back and we all relaxed.

Then Jeff got a call about someone needing help moving in. I said yes despite the pretty clothes I was wearing. Luckily we grabbed my stuff to head to Jeff's for night so I had a change of clothes. There was a friend of Lauren's, a mission companion, that had just moved up from Tucson and went to their new house. But when they got there, it was a train wreck. It was a maze just to get to the front door. There was literally no way any of their things would be able to get into this house. Lauren offered up her shared garage and we all set off to Lauren's to unpack. Let me stop to say I really like Lauren's place. She shares with her room mates but MAN!! It's a really nice place.

All the family's stuff from the moving van was packed neatly in the garage and they left to return the moving truck before the sabbath. And what did we, Lauren, Jeff and I, do???

We went to see IRON MAN 2!!!!!!! It was AWESOME!!! I liked it. And hanging out with Lauren was great. She's such a cool person. We even got to see her today. After church service and after Lauren's church service we went to her house to eat dinner with her brother. He was really funny and we had a blast trying to figure out why the sweet potato looked like hicama.

Then we went on an exploratory mission for a good hiking spot. We went to Mont. Olympus!!! It was soooooooo big!! I had to take pictures and they laughed at me for doing so. They saw it was funny because they saw the Mont. all the time and didn't think much of it. But I know I will when I see it. It's so beautiful.

So yeah this past week has felt like a month and been full of really awesome highs and some secret lows. But I am doing better everyday.

Week Two here I come!!!!