June 11, 2009

On June 11, 2009, my best friend, Tara Johnson, married David Nielsen in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This was a day that we had waited for for a really long time. Dave and Tara had been friends for seven years before they finally tied the knot. This day was so special and I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of all of it! The ceremony, the luncheon, the dinner and everything in between...including the rainstorm (which I have been told brings lots of luck on your wedding day). I am so happy for you, Tara! I love you guys!!!

A Summer Surprise: A Visit from the Hughes Family

I was pleasantly surprised one June day when I received a message from my dear friend, Katie Wilson Hughes, informing me that she and her family were in town for the week. Her husband, Bill, had come up for some business and Katie and their kids were able to join him on his adventure. I joined them one day and we went to the Ballard Locks in Seattle and out to lunch. It was so much fun and I honestly think that Katie has some of the coolest kids around! Needless to say, it was also a great blessing to be able to reconnect with Katie. Katie and I go way back to the days when we were participants at Academy For Girls...probably when we were about 12 years old. We also had the incredible blessing of serving as counselors at Academy For Girls together. I love Katie and cherish the friendship we share. Thanks for the visit!!!

A Wedding Shower for Tara

I had the great opportunity of flying home for my birthday weekend in May. While there, I was able to throw a fun wedding shower for Tara Johnson. It was such a fun party with the ghetto gals and other friends of Tara. Not to mention, our amazing mothers that were there. What a great opportunity it was to celebrate and incredible event in Tara's life! As I was with my friends this particular night, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the people that Heavenly Father has placed in my life. I have often said that one of the ways that I can feel Heavenly Father's love for me the most is through my dear friends. They really are the best and I loved spending this evening with them and celebrating our little Tara Sue's engagement. It was well worth the trip home!!! :)

How Many Times Have You Been to the Senior Prom???

Autumn and I: One of my favorite kiddos of my whole career!!!

The Chaperones: Joanie (English Teacher), Me (Counselor), Denise (Psychology Teacher), Chris (English Teacher), and Stephanie (English Teacher)

The other night, I was with a group of my friends. We were reminiscing about high school days and the topic of senior prom came up. We talked about our crazy adventures the night of our own senior proms. They then asked, "Angela, how many times have you been to the Senior Prom?" I replied with 3. The past two years, I have had the opportunity to chaperone the Senior Prom. I LOVE doing this! It is such a special night for my kids and it is so fun to see them all dressed up and having the time of their lives! I am grateful to be a part of the memories! :)

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

Every Spring, Skagit Valley, Washington comes to life with vibrant colors and many tulips. I have never been to the Tulip Festival but in early May, I went with Sarah, Evan and Jeff to see what everyone had been talking about. It was definitely worth the trip. We also stopped to see Western Washington University. I love visiting college campuses whenever I get the chance. I always feel like there is something that I can share with my students once I have gone and seen the campuses that they are choosing to attend. It was a great day trip! :)

Three Weddings!!!

This summer was pretty busy with three of my best friends getting married. Tara Johnson was married to David Nielsen on June 11, 2009 in the Mt Timpanogas Temple in American Fork, Utah. Sarah Russell was married to Evan Stout in the Seattle Temple in Bellevue, Washington on August 1, 2009 and Jamie Taylor was married to Chris Clark on August 8, 2009 in the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was fortunate to be in attendance at all three of these weddings. They were all beautiful brides and I honestly believe that it is nothing short of a miracle when two people fall in love and the connection happens. I am thrilled for all of them! The best part about it is that I love all three of the guys, too! I am now hoping that I get to follow in their footsteps someday! :)

A Trip to Mexico...

I have a good friend of mine, Tenille, who is not afraid to go exploring with me. We get in the car and just drive. We have had so much fun seeing what is around the area and also just having our girl bonding time. Some of the places that we have gone? Well, we have ended up at the Naval Base in Bremerton, the foothills of Mt. Rainier, the beach at Ocean Shores and you guessed it...we went and paid a visit to the troll that lives under the bridge in Fremont. We called this excursion "troll hunting." I thought it was very interesting how many comments I got on my facebook status when I posted that I was going "troll hunting." The dating scene at times might feel like that but I can assure you our troll hunting was a bit more adventurous this particular night. :) Not only did we find the troll, but we also found some other cement figures that were dressed up as if they were having a big celebration. We couldn't resist taking some pictures with our new found friends. :) (If you are interested in finding out more about the Fremont Troll visit this website: www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2236

So, why do we call our adventures, "Going to Mexico?" It all started when I told Tenille about an experience I had while I was living in Arizona. I lived there for only six months and was there just so that I could do my undergraduate internship. Anyways, one night while I was there I was hanging out with a couple of my friends. We had been to dinner, played games, watched movies, etc. It was midnight and none of us were tired. We were thinking about what we could do and were talking about how none of us had been to Mexico. Then one guy blurted out, "Let's go to Mexico." So, that's exactly what we did. We got in my car and drove down to Mexico. We even made it across the border without any problems. We got there around 4 AM and let me tell you...the only thing that is happening in Nogales at that time of night is the bar thing. We obviously didn't want this and so we took some pictures of our adventure, walked around for an hour and jumped back in the car and headed home. It was...and might still be...the most random thing that I have ever done. So, when I told Tenille about this, she drove to Ocean Shores on a whim and thus, we began our Mexico trips. :)