...i'm happy...

this past weekend was a BLAST! the past three weeks actually have been just amazing, minus the stomach flu epidemic that hit our house. i have spent the past three weeks in california, arizona, and seattle. i had a great time with family and friends.

in california my uncle married my cousin's mom. yes that is right. they had a kid together, my cousin, about 20 years ago and kind of "broke up." well they tied the knot two weeks ago. i had a great time doing my aunt's hair for the wedding. it had been a while since i had done hair. it felt really good to create something like that again. maybe i'll go and get my cosmetology license...

after that i road tripped out to arizona with my mom to look for a house to buy and interview with the kyrene school district. learned a lesson about fundamentals and blind spots. that i will share later.

then it was back to california. thats when the stomach flu hit. seven of the eight people in our house got sick. corinne was visiting with her two little boys and they got sick too. it all started with olivia! yup the little ten pounder got us all sick. but we still love her to death.

while i was there i had dim sum, went shopping, went swimming, laid out, ate ice cream, read two books, and played with olivia!

SEATTLE!!!!!!! i got back to SLC on wednesday night played with angelina and then got in a car thursday morning and drove out to seattle with andy, jordan, and andy's parents. the drive was beautiful. i finally went to oregon. we played some really fun games along the drive. andy and jordan are officially the best memorizers. but i still claim that i'm right there with them if they weren't using stupid medical terms! oh well.

we, as in amy, lindsey, mike, and myself, spent friday setting up the reception. lights, wire, and ivy! ah. it was fun but really hard work.while andy and jordan went golfing. and quinn was MIA. amy and i went to our suite and gabbed about life and its mishaps. she helped me get ready for my adventure with aj. i was a little nervous.  she kept me grounded. i don't think i would have survived the weekend with out the eye gel, kidding but sorta not. but really i don't think i would have survived with out amy.

my mini adventure through the pacific northwest helped to put everything into perspective. it goes back to learning how to stand still.

as i think about our adventure i kind of have to laugh to myself.  our first date and this adventure started out the same, had similar background noise going (i.e. baggage), and somewhat of the same resulting feelings. 

the first time aj and i went on our first date he told me we were driving to salt lake for a concert.  i was beside myself.  i kept thinking about what we were going to talk about for the 45 minute drive up there.  we talked the entire time. i remember laughing and feeling at ease during our date. and the result when he dropped me off that night was hope.  after a long history of empty promises, darkness,  and suffering from a broken heart, i felt hope. 

well this adventure was no different.  we set out on a drive.  aj and i drove to a little town called north bend and ate at twede's cafe there on the one and only main street. we picked up where we had left off after a few moments of awkwardness and nerves we just chatted like we never missed a beat. 

we went to a near by lake. it was absolutely still. it was breathtaking. we attempted to skip rocks (like old times at utah lake), but there weren't very many to choose from. so we opted to walk around the lake and explore. apparently it was a time of day that would have been great for fishing.  after we drove with the windows down in the truck and sang along to boondocks by little big town and some other great country tunes. we then visited snoqualmie falls. its waterfall that drops 270 feet. we hit it just at sun set. it was beautiful.

for the first time in a long time something in my life felt right.  being here at this place, at this time, with aj felt right.  i can't say that about much else in my life up to now.  other things felt good.  but this felt right.  i needed to be here.  i needed this experience for whatever reason.  the stillness of the lake, the ease of our friendship, and the timing allowed me to stand still and feel of the mercy and tenderness of the Savior's love.  it helped me to feel of the mercy and tenderness of another person whom i missed.  i was overcome with a soft sense of joy.

standing there with him, the waterfall was like a finalizing washing away of the "stumbling blocks," or rocks for the sake of the metaphor, i had been facing.  not only between myself and aj.  but so much more.  as we stood and watched the majestic sight i let it all go.  i let the waterfall take the last remaining debris.  i felt refreshed.  and most of all i felt at peace. 

it was nice to have some one call me to tell me they were going to be late.  it was nice to feel some one being considerate of me.  i hadn't felt that in a while.  it was nice to just talk. it was nice to just be together. it was nice to not have to put on a happy face since it seem to come naturally.  it was like the feeling you get when you have been away from home for a really long time and the journey to the front door has been all but pleasant.  then you push open the door and take that first step inside.  that's what this felt like.  thanks aj.



the next day was the wedding. it was a long day to say the least. we did some traditional chinese events in the morning. then the sealing, followed by their reception. i teared up when jessica hugged her dad outside the temple and when they shared their dance. i'm a daddies girl through and through. jessica and justin will be great together. no doubt about it.

the other fun came in the early hours of the morning. haha. we drove into seattle at like midnight every night just to do something. one night we just drove around and never got out of the car. i can't even begin to describe or illustrate the humor and fun we had. i'll try to list them and those that were there can appreciate them: eye gel, jack in the box drive through, chocolate milk, contacts, taxis, dicks, skin walkers, big toes, towel wrapping, being on tv, poems, diapers, singing, prom poses, "how about now?", wendys, the cross fire friend, 3 people to a bed, and that is just the surface. there are pictures in the green grass on the other side and the other side keeps getting better. also, amy said it better in her post sleepless in seattle. read it!

over all, i just want to say that i am happy and these are some of the things and people who help me to realize just how happy i am!