I have about a bajillion pictures i need to update on this blog but my computer is still in hibernation mode and i have yet to load any since... well... august. So i'll just have to be extremely vivid in my descriptions of life through the October month...
Highlights: Camping trip in Lancaster, PA. We took a bike trip last month and camped out in Amish Country before doing a 20+ mile bikeride through the most beautiful countryside with the changing leaves. I LOVE fall. I love the leaves and the smells and the fact that it's my birthday :) I was with some of my favorite people ever, making peach cobler, freezing to death all night, and surprising waking up to find a bike next to me instead of my roommate. Don't know how that happened but i think she felt the life of her bike was more important than her own. It was a fantastic weekend.
I also was able to get together with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Andree Lamal. She flew in for a brief spout and I just love that girl. I love talking to her and learning from her and we got to go to the DC Temple which was really great. I wish i could have taken work off to chill with her longer. And i REALLY wish that I wouldn't have taken her to the heart of the slums and had her eat dinner at a terrible little diner. I have this obsession with thinking every hole-in-the-wall place is going to be phenominal- it's really not that way at all.
We had our first Fall Concert at school. The kids performed wonderfully, the church we had it at was SOO good to us, and besides all of the refreshments being eaten before any singing actually took place, it was a success.
I got to go to Utah for a very short stay during General Conference weekend. I must say, i hate hate hate being so far away from my niece and nephew. My grandpa at one point made the comment that i should just move back to utah since they were all there and i missed it so much. It's funny, i thought about it for awhile and then came to the conclusion that I could. and i might be really happy. But I'm happy here, now, and I'm where I think i want to be. That's good enough momentum for me to keep what I'm doing and deal with the fact that I'll always have no money because i spend it all on travel. that's alright with me. I'll see them again soon :)
I turned 24! This is a milestone year for me. Why 24 you may ask? I feel like i'm finally taken seriously, to be honest. 23 is viewed as being so young out here. I feel like i have a viable opinion suddenly. I'm really going places. Look out world.
I won tickets on the radio! It wasn't very smart cuz i won them just as i pulled up to school and multiple of my students heard me on the radio making a fool out of myself. It was Homecoming Weekend and I told this radio DJ about the football game i was going to. He gave me tickets to the men's USA World Cup Qualifier Game. It was incredible. But then he asked how old I was because I sounded so young. Yes, yes. I know. I'm not too much older. Anyway, after a few more akward questions he graciously let me hang up. Class after class I had a student approach me with the same akward questions, trying to be either funny, rude, or clueless. Needless to say, the tickets were worth the ridicule.
I got to see my parents! They came out actually the end of September but they are the best you could ever ask for. I went through the Washington, DC Temple. My parents are so wonderful to take time out of their busy schedule and support me.

Okay, the news you've all been waiting for and didn't even know about....
I'm heading for the Holy Land for Christmas! It's been on the top of my "places to visit" in my life list since I can't even remember. Some friends from VA were going so it sparked the idea, and now the trip is shaping up like this:
4 days in London
9 days in Israel; Jerusalem, Galilee, Bethlehem, ect
3 days ish in Cairo, Egypt.

I can't even begin to explain how excited i am or how sad I am that I won't get to see family at Christmas.

I have SOO much more to write but my eyelids are heavy. More soon.
Happy election day.