My last 10 days in Lewiston...

I finally found out what my final grades were for the semester. I ended up doing pretty decent! Just by getting the grades it affirms the fact I know that there is a loving God haha :). It was a really rough semester for me! I got all my stuff packed up out of my apartment with the help of my mother, sister Malissa and Hope, grandparents and my friend Tyson Woodbury. Between then and now I've been able to spend time with my sister Coleen (from San Francisco), brother in-law Todd, nephew Jake, Aunt Virginia (from Utah), Uncle Guy (from Oregon) and Dawson grandparents besides those that live here in Lewiston! It was a great treat.

Left to Right: Grandpa Dawson, Dad, Aunt Virginia, Uncle Dan, Uncle Guy and Grandma Dawson

My little Jake :)

Coleen and Todd. Jake's amazing parents!

Tyson and I playing at the park with the family

Jakey and I swinging. He loves it, too!

Me watching the boys shooting the 50 caliber rifle!

Tyson, Dad and Todd watching Uncle Guy shoot.

The result of the morning.

Tyson, Malissa and I messing around.

Tyson and Hope all dressed up and ready for church!

Loving on my little nephew! Look at that smile! :)

Tyson and I just having some fun together :).

Us enjoying mom's homemade pizza! Mmm!!

Here I am sitting at my parents' computer 4 hours before my plane leave the ground and takes me on my way to Virginia. I thought I would update my life at little. There will be more updates soon when I get settled, but for now this is what has been going on in my life!

Changing things up a little

Today I got a new hair cut which I love! My hair was getting way too cumbersome and I no longer had any bang. Both of those problems were solved today. I got my bangs back and can easily take care of my hair with it's new length. I think it's perfect for me!

Also, I ordered my new phone online today and it should arrive in Virginia tomorrow which means I'll have a nice treat when I get there on Tuesday morning! :) It's a fun red color and touchscreen as you can see in the picture.

Filipino, Egyptian and Italian

Malissa came up to stay with me for the last time before I move to Virginia. She came to help me pack up my stuff, but we also go to do some fun stuff.

Friday night when she came we went to a movie night that I had set up so I could say goodbye to everyone. We watched the Sandlot! It had been WAY too long since I'd seen it. It's such a classic. My friend Jake Dahl had NEVER seen it. Naturally the rest of us were shocked. Afterward, she, Tyson Woodbury and I went to the Bagel Shop. She got a pizza bagel and Tyson got a Sweaty Teddy (sounds appetizing eh?). He thought it was a pretty awkward name, but it tasted good! I however got a mango smoothie and Sourdough Jack from Jack-in-the-Box. They were both delicimous.

Back: Thomas, Nicole, Malissa, Me, Jamie. Front: Charles, Adam

Tyson Woodbury. I get this face a lot haha.

The next morning Malissa, Nicole Dalton and I headed to the Farmer's Market. I had never been, but all year long I'd been wanting to go so I jumped at the chance when Nicole suggested it and asked if we wanted to go along. I'm so glad we did! Not only did Malissa really enjoy it I did, too. We got to try a couple different ethnic foods which was SO awesome! Malissa and I got a Filipino dish called chicken pancit which is basically noodles and vegetables. It was SO delicious! Right next to the Filipino stand was and Egyptian pastry stand so I got one of those and that was also absolutely fantastic.

This cute older lady is from Manila in the Phillipines

The man in this picture is originally from Egypt,
but is a professor at the University of Idaho.

That afternoon my new friend Nick Smith made us authentic Italian pizza. He served his mission in Italy. I will never look at American pizza the same again. I prefer Italian pizza it's so simple, fresh and incredible! The Italians know how to make food!

Me and my new friend who goes to BYU, Nick Smith.
We're planning a Christmas party for when I get back
from Virginia in December :).

The delicious result of Nick's expertise in making Italian pizza! Mama Mia!

I don't get to see my kindergartners anymore...

My last day volunteering at West Park Elementary School was last Friday. It was so sad to say goodbye to those kids. I've grown to love them all so much and seeing their little faces so sad when I told them it was my last day was enough to break my heart. My little Madison said "Will you send me a picture of us so I'll never forget you?" Stella and Bailey said "Nooooo, it can't be your last day!" Brenden said "Here's my phone number so you can call me...." Not being able to see them twice a week made my move to VA that much harder. Here are some pictures of my kids! I'm going to miss them so much!

Mrs. Hill and I.

Jackie, Caira, Addie and Aengus

Madison, Stella and Bailey

J.J., Brenden and Skyler

My jump rope friend Kalkidan :)

17 days and counting...

My life is going to change quite a lot here in about two weeks. On May 25th at 7:00PM I'll get on a plane and start the 2,719 mile journey from Lewiston, Idaho to Williamsburg, VA. I'll reside there for about 6 months and everything will be different. The culture, climate, people, surroundings and everything else. It'll be a whole new world. I'm looking forward to it definitely, but lately I've found myself pondering the reality of it a lot. I'm going to miss my family very much I can tell already and all the friends I have made here. However, I feel it's a much needed change. I know that I'll learn a lot about myself and mature and have some amazing experiences I wouldn't be able to have if I didn't go. I'll be happy to help my aunt out with her boys as well. There's nothing wrong with getting more practice with children.

Until that day I have three finals to get through next Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and lots of time with my family. My sister Coleen, brother in-law Todd and 1 year old nephew Jake will be visiting fro San Francisco on the 20th and my paternal grandparents will be arriving in Lewiston within the next hour. I'm going to soak up the time with them as much as I can!

CRAIG MORGAN

A few of my friends and I went to the Craig Morgan concert here on campus! It was so great! He's one of my favorite country music artists. He played a lot of great songs tonight. An hour of Craig Morgan for only $3 was amazing! I got some good pictures and had a great time.

Spring Break 2009

Last month I went with my friends Nicole Dalton and Jake Dahl on a road trip to southern California. It was a long drive, but also a lot of fun! On the way down we stopped and stayed with Jake's family in Buhl, ID. I found out that his brother Jared had his last dinner as a missionary with my aunt and uncle in Virginia! It's such a small world in the gospel. We got to California the next day in the evening. We stayed with Nicole's grandparents in Upland, CA for the week.

Day 1 - we went to Huntington Beach and Corona del Mar beach. I liked Corona del Mar the best because it had lots of tide pools to explore!


Day 2 - was Sea World and the San Diego Temple. Sea World had a lot of cool animals. I think my favorite were the dolphins and sea lions. Shamu was pretty cool, too! The San Diego Temple looks like a fairytale castle. It is fitting because happily ever after really does happen there! It was so beautiful and a needed trip.


Day 3 - we went to the San Diego Zoo and Old Towne. We tried to find the Mormon Battalion site in Old Towne, but the building was being renovated. It was still a fun little part of San Diego! We got some food at The Alamo. Their burritos are HUGE and cheap so it was perfect! The Zoo was fun. We took the bus around to get a feel of what there was to see and then picked what we wanted to see.
Day 4 - was mostly homework day, but later in the evening we went to Sun City, CA to visit my paternal grandparents. It was sooo good to see them! They stay with my family in Lewiston, ID for the summer, but I won't be there this summer so I jumped at the chance to see them. I'll be in Virginia for 6 months starting May 26th.


Day 5 - was the busiest. Our first stop was The Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was fun to see just for the experience, but we only stayed a few minutes. I bought a cute dress in Hollywood and it was only $10! Next stop was La Brea Museum with the tar pits and prehistoric fossil cache. It was really interesting! From there we went and I got to do a baptism session in the Los Angeles Temple. It was such a great experience! I had the baptistry all to my self! It was a great spiritual experience and time to ponder. Two temples in one week was my favorite part of the whole vacation! I loved the ocean, too, but that came second. After the temple we headed to the Santa Monica Pier. There was a Ferris Wheel and cute little stands around the pier. Playing in the water was a lot of fun, too.Overall, I had a great vacation! I really hated driving straight home from California the next day and I'll never do it again, but I survived! I have all the pictures from my trip uploaded on Facebook for all those who have it.

Me & Malibu = One Great Weekend!

So one of my younger sisters Malissa came to stay with me for the weekend (Feb 6-Feb 8) to celebrate her birthday (Feb 5). We had fun playing games with my friends, watching movies, eating tater tots, shopping and lots of other things! I had fun surprising her with a birthday cake when we were at my friend Nicole's house. All my friends and I sang to her and she had NO idea it was coming! That was the best part :). Here are some pictures of the weekend: