"This is the place"

So my Utah trip was quite successful. I don't think anyone really wants to know the gory details. But i'll give enough to suffice. It was everything I could have asked for. Short enough that I didn't feel like I overstayed my welcome, yet long enough to get in most everything I wanted. I saw the people I wanted to, I felt good about the things I did, the things I said, I caused some drama, stayed up late, took late night swims, played volleyball, giggled, chatted, watched movies, ate good food, had great conversations and overall had an amazing weekend. So amazing in fact that I've decided to move back next month :) I know, I know. It's been a long time coming...I've been saying since I left that I was going back, but then things changed, and it didn't feel right, I needed to stay in California. This time was different though. My heart is healed, I've grown, and I feel like now is the right time to go. At the same time though, if things don't work out and I have to stay in California for a bit longer, that would be okay too. They are both the right paths for me.
So here are some pictures of my trip (more scenery than anything else)

Christmas Break consisted of...

A couple stops at In N Out. :)

A visit from "Santa"

Christmas Eve with mom (for the first time in years) and the Sorensens.

Christmas morning with mom (like normal), and Christmas night with dad.

Hanging out with my best friend. A lot.

Late night movie excursions. (Benjamin Button was amazing)

A New Years' party with friends in the valley.

Craziness ensued, as it should with my friends.

An old friend's wedding to another friend (and no, it wasn't these two, ya sickos).

[This is Jacob, the best man, and Craig, the happy groom]

Catching of the garter by the best man/best friend, and the lack of bouquet catching skills by the other best friend :( Oh well, I touched it....I still get part of the luck, right?

The happy couple. :)

Overall, winter break was pretty successful. I didn't do a lot in the sense of enjoying amusement parks, etc, but I spent time with the family (although the pics don't REALLY show that) and friends. It was great having all my guys home from their missions because I had more people to hang out with and to see, something I haven't had for 3 years. Finally, we're all back together (except for when we all leave for school again). It was a bit chilly in California, but warmed up towards the end, which was hard to leave when we knew what was waiting for us back in Provo (negative degrees and snow/ice). I'm excited because now I can start snowboarding, but others are not so pleased.

I'm in my last full semester at BYU and am excited because I feel like I have some fun classes, but at the same time, am a little sad/scared. Sad to leave the place that I've called home for 4 years, and scared about what the future has in store for me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

I love the 4th of July...especially after this year's. Probably one of the best ones to date. It's the peak of summer. The weather finally feels like it should, school is out, fireflies and mosquitoes are out, and people are firing up their grills. The summer can only get better. And it will, I think. Everyday seems to go by faster though, forcing me to rush to the end, to the fall, when all I want to do is sit back and reflect on each and every day, to appreciate what could well be my last summer of my young life.

The week started crazy busy, with me working 3 14 hour days. Wednesday I got a slight respite by not having to work at Express, but all those hours, even with enough sleep, wore me out. By the time Thursday came around, I was ready for a break. But I had to get through my last 14 hour day. The only thing that made it worth it was the fact that I had a friend and two new friends waiting for me outside the mall when I got off work. Jay came down for the weekend with his good friend Mikey and his sister Lana. I'm pretty good about meeting new people, so it wasn't too hard for us three to be instant friends, especially when you're forced to :). We came home that night and sort of set up camp in Holden's room, where we would all be sleeping. We watched Madagascar, talked and got to know each other then crashed around 1 or so, even though we all thought we'd be up all night. Mikey was the first to rise Friday morning and proceeded to wake us all up so we could go to the city (it was his first time visiting DC so he was super stoked for it). After getting ourselves together, we finally managed to get to the metro station (thanks to my fabulous memory/sense of direction) and headed to the city. we arrived at the federal triangle stop to find hordes of people lining the streets...apparently they were waiting for the parade to start. After trying to figure out where we wanted to go, we headed towards the capitol, intending to make a loop around the National Mall. we made all the stops necessary for Mikey to enjoy his first trip to our Nation's Capital: Natural History Museum, the Capitol, the Air and Space Museum, the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WW2 Memorial where we sat and enjoyed the cool water of the fountain since the humidity was almost unbearable, and the highlight (at least for Lana and I...) the National Archives, where we saw the Declaration of Independence, the whole reason for the Fourth of July, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and enjoyed the chills we got from seeing these important documents on the anniversary of our nation's independence. wow. what an experience that was. It had rained earlier that day so we were slightly wet when we decided we needed food, and REST. we were so tired from our marathon walking. we ended up at this great place called cosi where we spent a good hour just sitting. it was actually down the street from the White House which was really convenient. Anyway, because it started raining again, we ended up buying a couple umbrellas and a poncho for each of us to sit on once the fireworks started since uh, we forgot to bring blankets... hah. it ended up working out really well, so i guess it was worth it. Our spots on the mall were fantastic. Right near the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool, so we saw everything and the fireworks? WOW. Best show I've seen. It was really the most amazing day ever. I've always wanted to spend the 4th in the nation's capital and now I have. And I never once got us lost hah. SCORE! After the show we walked up to Metro Center to catch the redline back to my house but stopped for the best pizza ever, and some delicious milkshakes, then sat on the sidewalk to enjoy them, letting the crowds thin out at the metro. Once we got back, we tried to watch National Treasure 2 but Lana passed out and I tried to fall asleep haha. Not very successful. This morning we woke up wayyyy later than planned and headed to Denny's for a late breakfast then went back through the city to get to Arlington National Cemetary. What a great end to a great weekend.

Now that we're all great friends (and we are, seriously) we're counting down the days til MEXICO!!! woo! haha totally cant wait for that trip :)