An American in Paris

Yes, I'm in Paris! It took a couple days to sink in (it still hasn't entirely). Ever since I left home, I've been blogging things in my head, so I'm really excited to have Internet access again. Wendy, I'm going to copy your good thing/bad thing post to tell you about my travels and my first day here.

Good thing: Because of my layover in London, I am now the proud owner of a passport with two stamps in it.

Bad thing: I had to get from Gatwick to Heathrow (an hour-long bus ride).

Good thing: My few days in Germany were a great transition between home and school. I think coming to Europe helped with the culture shock--it hasn't been too bad. So far. It was also the perfect combination of planned things and non-planned things. Thanks again, Doris! It was great (and when I got here I was the only one in the group not suffering from excessive jetlag loopiness)!

Bad thing: The bus that I was told to take from the airport to the hotel apparently doesn't exist...so I had to take a bus, then lug my luggage into the metro, then change lines, and walk for at least another half hour before I found it, only to discover when I got there that I could've taken a more direct metro route and not had to change lines. The nice lady at the airport information desk lied.

Good thing: When I needed help, I spoke French to the people and they actually understood and spoke back! I thought it was way cool the first time it happened. If he ever reads this, I want to thank the very nice policeman who knows a "leetle beet" of English for making my life easier.

Good thing: SO excited to see my friends Jacqueline (my roommate here, who lived two doors down freshman year) and Emma (her very good friend from home who lived the floor above us freshman year) again!

Bad thing: Our hotel was sketchy (not to mention the clerks hated us), but I guess that's to be expected when you want a relatively inexpensive hotel in Paris. Also, the restaurant where we ate Saturday night was nothing special. I've enjoyed the meals with my host family much more.

Good thing: We had a way fun night in the hotel (despite the unpleasant smells) looking at Emma's pictures (she's into photography almost as much as Kaci is...maybe more), listening to music and eating Nerds, the last American junk food we'll have for a long time.

When I arrived, Bro. Welch took another girl and me (our arrivals were so scattered that it was just the three of us) to the restaurant where we ate in the Latin Quarter and gave us a mini-history/geography lesson on the way. He pretty much knows everything. That was my first glimpse of Notre Dame, the Palais de Justice, and everything in that area. We went inside an old church, Saint Severin. It's on the smaller side as far as churches go so it was cool to see the stained glass up closer.
We went to a Paris branch on Sunday (which meets in the Institute building where all our classes are), which was really cool. There were all kinds of missionaries there and already I've met one who is so familiar...must be the friend of a friend at BYU. After church we went with Bro. and Sis. Welch, the faculty directors, to the Eiffel Tower!
My first view, complete with traffic light. I included that for Matthew. :)

The Seine.
A statue of some guy near the tower.
The view from underneath. That thing is ginormous.
Then we walked to the Welch's apartment where they served us ratatouille (kind of--the pasta was separate) and we watched the Tower sparkle on the hour after it got dark (we could see about the top quarter of it from the living room). It was their way of helping us relive the movie "Ratatouille." This is some typical Paris architecture I saw on the way.


The entrance to the church/Institute/school. There are two doors to the chapel/classrooms inside the courtyard. It was built in the 17th century and after passing through many hands, the Church bought part of the building in 1997. The rest is still private residences. We read all this on a pamphlet the Welches had. I'll have to find one or google the name of the building if I can remember it. It's very interesting.
The staircase that leads to where the institute meets upstairs. I haven't attended yet. This is immediately to the left of the previous picture.
On Monday we began classes and then, after a long bus ride from the hotel and getting lost several times, Jacqueline and I finally met our host family and moved in! We were both really nervous, but they are SO nice. They are Monsieur et Madame de Martene, they have five children of which two are still at home. Their 24-year-old daughter, Amelie, is just staying until she can find an apartment in Paris. We especially like their 13-year-old son, Quentin, because he reminds us of our little brothers (he's even the same age as you, Logan!). Last night he was the only one home at dinnertime but he was very good at making polite, yet interesting conversation (since we weren't really helping) but still letting us know things about himself. (And we had real ratatouille.) I asked him if he likes his school and he said he likes it but it doesn't like him. They also have a dog, but I actually like him and he doesn't make me sick! I haven't had any allergy or asthma problems here *insert sigh of relief here*. This is my room!


Isn't it adorable? That's not even the best part. As if the family wasn't nice enough, Jacqueline and I have our own "flat," as the dad calls it (he likes to practice English with us). It's a basement with two bedrooms, bathroom, our own private door and a KITCHEN!!! And they have WiFi which pretty much = heaven after being Internet-deprived. We were so excited. Also, the neighborhood is adorable and Mme de Martene told us she'd show us around on Friday since we don't have class. In short, I'm doing great! I could go on about my classes, but that's for another post. Hope everyone's doing well!

Cologne

After the Dusseldorf adventure, Doris took the day off (this was Friday--wow it feels like it's been so much longer than 4 days) and the three of us went to Cologne.
These shops were all over the train station, it seemed like. Le CroBag? It's a combination of croissant and baguette, fyi. I just thought it was funny. What a terrible word.











The Cathedral
We went to the Cologne cathedral--my first one ever! It took several hundred years to complete. This crane sat on the building for so long that it became a landmark of its own.
It's ginormous--largest facade of any church in the world. It blew me away.
Beautiful stained glass. There's a big modern panel of glass too, put in after the old one was destroyed. Personally, I like the old stuff better.
The shrine of the three kings that houses the relics that the Archbishop of Cologne supposedly got from Italy in the 12th century. Sorry, forgot to turn off my flash on that one. Read more on Wikipedia if you want. It's interesting.
A ginormous organ suspended from the ceiling!


A street in Cologne, which is really cute.
I ate my first real schnitzel here, at the appropriately-named Im Martinswinkel. It made me so happy. :)
A cool building.
A cool tower.
Another cute building.
A ginormous boat on the Rhine River.












The Chocolate
As we were walking along the adorable river looking at the adorable buildings we saw...the Lindt museum! That's right, the chocolate people! It was something we couldn't pass up.
After learning more about cocoa beans than I ever would have otherwise, we got to the really fun part. Anyone for a giant Lindt ball? :)
Yes, that is a chocolate fountain. Looks beautiful, tastes beautiful. We weren't too shy to go back to the lady handing out samples for seconds...or thirds. Okay, so I had four. The walking canceled it out.
There was a room with a little chocolate factory where you can see how it's done. Becky and I felt like bursting into Oompa-Loompa song. Here, the little magnetic robot thingy is sucking the chocolates on the next stage.
And here they're being wrapped...really fast.
Hope you enjoyed! Paris pictures coming soon.

Hello Germany!

I'm in Europe! I wish I could've posted my Germany pictures sooner, but Jacqueline and I just came to stay with our host family last night and haven't had Internet access. So here they are! I had a great time with Doris and the Alberty family, who are very kind and generous. Doris' old roommate Becky, who is replacing her as au pair, came the day after me, so I had fun getting to know her too.
Me on a bus in London. It was really annoying having to switch airports.
Dusseldorf! That tower is called the Rheinturm and is the city's version of Reunion Tower in Dallas. At least I like to think it is. I know it's very gray, but Doris said at least it would be realistic. :)
A cool tree.
Dusseldorf is apparently THE place in Germany for modern art. Unfortunately, Doris and I aren't big fans. So we just walked around and enjoyed the city. (And Becky and I ate wurst for the first time.) There's all this funky architecture on the harbor. Yes, those are giant colored people on that building. The closer you get, the scarier they are.
The building next to it.
On the Rhine.

Frito: the last full week

Best names
Toi
Krishna
Antwanette (Kaci and Tom, how 'bout Petra Antwanette for your first daughter?)

Best cities
Red Level, AL
New Ulm, MN
Queen Creek and Gilbert, AZ
Oakton, VA--can you say NoVA? :)
Lewisville, NC
Lewisville, TX (see below)

Best foreign matter
cardboard
band-aid
nail

Most unexpected call
I was taking my morning break when one of my fellow reps across the way said, (in her British accent) "Summer, put on your headset. I have a transfer for you." Then she called and said, "Here's Elder," before she transfered him. So while I was saying hello, I was wondering if she had really said "elder" and who was this person who asked for me? Then I heard his voice...it was Elder Battista from our ward. I couldn't help laughing. The missionaries came for dinner last night and we talked a little about what I do at work. He said, "So if I call and tell you how great your chips are you'll send me coupons?" I said, "Yeah, just ask for Summer," not thinking he'd actually call. Funny.

Weirdest kid
The girl who called complimenting some product and then said no when I offered her coupons because she either didn't know her address or was scared to give it away. She sounded about 5 years old. Then she called back a few minutes later and said something about contacting us tomorrow. Went on and on like I knew what she was talking about. I didn't, but when I asked her she hung up.

Creepiest call
Imagine the creepiest voice you can because you'll need it for this one. When I answered there was suddenly slow, jazzy sax music playing in the background, and then a low male voice said, "I would like to request some Frito-Lay recipes."

Cheapest person ever
The guy who wanted a refund on two 35-cent stale bags of Funyuns. Seriously. It took me a while to convince him to take coupons. He wasn't very nice about it either.

Letters
Most concise letter about a hair...ever
Dear Sir,
Found this hair in my bag of chips
Thanks for your concern

Harshest letter
Dear Sirs,
I have been watching the Tostitos commercials that have been airing during the college football games. As little to nothing is said about the product, I can only discern that these commercials are trying to communicate possibly one of two things:
1) Your customers are idiots.
2) White men are morons (I notice no diversity in the fools eating your product).
Please satisfy my curiosity and tell me which group you are trying to insult.

Longest letter about nothing
Dear Gentry :)
Last month, I sold my KO shared and put them into Pepsi stocks.
For 2008, I made a vow to buy MORE!
To celebrate, my husband and I went to the local Safeway and bought 3 bags of 12 1/2 oz (each) of Original Lays, Cheetos and Lay's Chile Limon. It was one of their deals at three bags for any Frito-Lays chips for something like $5. To go with chips, we bought our usual Pepsi products--Regular Pepsi, Cherry Pepsi and Fruit Punch Gatorade.
Cheetos have been my "stress food" for years. My husband and I demolished the bag on the way home. The Original Lays came next. Those never last in our home more than a few hours. We are lucky if they make it to my husband's lunch bucket the next morning.
So here it is. January 7. We still have half a bag of Chile Limon with no takers in sight.
The stuff is nasty. For potato chips, they taste just AWFUL. The Chile-Limon combination isn't very distinct. The flavor is lost. As a consumer, I can best describe this product as someone sprinkling taco seasoning over Original Lays before serving it. It just doesn't work!
I put the bag in my husband's lunch (half full), and it came right back, untouched.
Right now, the bag sits in the living room or on the kitchen table. It will probably make it to the garbage by Friday (neighborhood pick up day).
I will turn 50 in May, and I can honestly tell you I've consumed Frito-Lay products all my life.
I work with a personal trainer, now, but there are times when I go for the Original Lay's or the Cheetos. Or sometimes, I'll get some dip together and go for the Tostitos dips or the Fritos. There's so many of your products out there, so you can't possibly go wrong.
Except for the Chile Limon! At our house, it doesn't make the cut! But you can count on us to purchase Frito-Lay and Pepsi products! We've only been doing it for years!

What do they package?
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm am writing you for a school project and the reason I'm writing you is because recently I purchased a big bag of cool ranch Doritos and the bag seemed to be full but it turned out when I opened the bag that it was 3/4 full of air and 1/4 of chips. I was very disappointed because the chips were so good but there wasn't much of them and it was a gigantic bag.
The store said that I could not prove that it wasn't full when I brought in the 1/4 full bag of cool ranch Doritos and to go away and stop complaining, I told my parents about that and they were shocked that they would say that to a paying customer and we didn't know what to do about it. That same day my teacher gave our class this assignment to write a letter and either complain or compliment a company and to ask questions, I have some questions.
Do people package the food or machines, if it is a machine I would consider looking at the machine to make sure it is performing correctly. Also before you seal the bags, assign someone to make sure they are full of chips not air because this has happened to me many times and I am finally doing something about it. In conclusion I would like you to send me a big bag of cool ranch Doritos or refund my 3.22$ which I used to purchase the bag of chips.

Soaps and 2 large bags of Doritos every day?!
Dear Sir or Ma'am:
My husband and I have been buying your company's Doritos in various flavors for years. We eat at least two large bags a day while watching our soaps. (Hey, you GOT to have something to munch on while watching "As the World Turns.") A couple of days ago we purchased a new flavor, your Doritos Collisions. I'm sure it's a good product but most of the chips were stale. (The bag may have developed an air leak in shipment.) The Guaranteed Fresh date was Feb 26 on the 12.25 ounce bag we bought. We have enclosed the Guaranteed Fresh date and the UPC from the bag. We thank-you for your attention to this matter.
Still a loyal customer,
Beverley

New door and fence

Check out Mom and Dad's blog for pictures!

Frito: the first full week

Best names
Merle
Shaunte (shawn-tay)
Kellynn
Markeeda

Weirdest foreign matter
"There's this piece of artificial hair in my bag." Huh?

Most impossible request
This lady called and said, "I need a recipe that uses Fritos, corn, tomatoes, and such and such." Okay, let me run over to the kitchen and see what I can come up with in 30 seconds.

Worst prank attempt
A bunch of little kids: "Can I get a #5 with large fries?"
A bunch of teenagers: "Can you tell someone to tone down this cheese dip?! I mean, my mouth is on fire. This stuff is seriously dangerously cheesy!"
Is that really the best you can do? If you're going to prank, at least make me laugh.

Weirdest weirdie
The woman from Laredo with a heavy Hispanic accent who asked where she could buy a lot of Cheetos. I thought she was talking like 1000 bags and wanted to order them, so I told her she couldn't. Then she explained that she didn't want to order them, she just wanted to buy big bags. So I told her to go to a place like Sam's or Costco. Then she started talking about some Frito-Lay place in Laredo and asked for their phone number. I told her I didn't have a number for Laredo but I gave her one in Corpus Christi. She finally thanked me and I thought the conversation was over until she said, "Okay, Sam's and what was the other store you said?"
"Costco."
"What's their phone number?"

Letters
Here's another from our friends who did the taste test at that NC elementary school. I wonder how long they'll keep coming.

Dear Sir,
A few days ago my clas did a taste test We had Utz frito Lay, and Wise After much thought I chose your brand was becase it smelled good and it was delicous. It has real cheese. Another reason I chose your Brand was becase it melted in my mouth. It was $2.49, But it costs that much because it tastes Better. Thank you for also for puting the good tast into the cheese curls. I well Buy youre cheps in the future.
Sincerely,
Max

Most-difficult-to-decipher orthography award
Hello To Who it may concern. I purchase your 50 variety pack chips. I purchase them for my twin's b-day party. I put the chips on a tray I lite the kid's pick there chips. my sister was the frist to tell me the chips. Was smash in the bag. then slowey every one came to me in told me. every bag was the same I cant be leeve this. this got me very up set my familly in friends ask me were did I Buy the chips. At Lucky food store my ant went in purchase a nuther box of 50 that chip's was good. this not fair what happend to my twins b-day party

Best-explanation-for-the-salty-chips award
Dear Friend,
I am very disappointed. I just purchased a bag of Lay's potato chips. I buy them quite frequently, and I have always been pleased in the past. When I opened this bag, the salt content is terrible. I could not eat them. This is a 13 oz. Bag of Lay's Classic. Apparently the quality of these chips is not up to par. I would appreciate it if you could look into this matter.

Most eclectic/best get-to-know-you award
Dear Frito Lay Corp.,
Your chips are by far the best! If I could eat them every day I would. They go great with a sandwich and some water. Hi! My name is Olivia King. Two of my favorite sports are soccer and basketball and there is nothing better then a snack after a game. About how many times a year do you restore your products?
Sincerely,
Olivia

Police Beat favorites

I think most people who read the BYU Daily Universe Police Beat would agree that it's a little ridonculous. Here are some sample incidents from last semester. I hope you enjoy!

Tip of the week Sept. 20: Mo-peds are a great mode of transportation but drivers need to take necessary precautions to drive defensively. Assume other drivers can't see or hear you and be prepared to take evasive action. But the most important thing is to wear a helmet, because traumatic head injuries are the leading cause of fatalities. On a motorcycle or mo-ped you can be right, but you can be dead right. Well, that's putting it bluntly!

Suspicious behavior
Sept. 16: Juveniles were reported launching objects in the Richards Building area, in the direction of the pool. As police were taking this report, another victim complained of somebody throwing objects from the west overpass on North Campus Drive. Police think the two incidents are related. One of the victims followed the suspects to Helaman Halls and got a room number. Nobody responded at the room, but police are following up on this incident.

Sept. 17: A 21-year-old female student reported a suspicious man near the old UVSC campus, west of Helaman Halls. The suspect was described as a 30-year-old man, 5-foot-10, normal build, scruffy face, a two-day-old beard, a European accent, and wearing a tan baseball cap, tan shirt and dark pants. He was reported for being suspicious simply because he didn't fit the profile of a student or an employee, and being a little bit off the man thoroughfare of campus, the student was concerned.

Warrant service
Sept. 15: After stopping a 24-year-old male student for an illegal left turn, police discovered he had an outstanding warrant for $172 for failure to register a vehicle. The student was taken to the bank where he withdrew the money, then was taken to the Provo Justice Court where he paid the citation. He was then taken home since the vehicle wasn't correctly registered. Shouldn't've made that left turn!

Criminal mischief
Oct. 6-7: The Chicago Bears logo was painted on the window of a 2006 Honda Civic in the parking lot south of the Knight Mangum Building. Relish was also dumped on the car. It is unknown if the car was damaged as a result of this vandalism.

Disorderly conduct
Oct. 7: A witness heard an explosion outside F. Smith Hall in Heritage Halls. When she went outside to see what it was, she saw two males standing near a small bottle on the ground. The device was similar to a dry ice bomb, but the ingredients were different. The offenders have been identified as two students living in Snow Hall. They were charged with misdemeanor violations of disorderly conduct. Who cares what the ingredients were?

Communications violation
Oct. 2: An independent study student threatened to disrupt the IT system with constant e-mails and phone calls because he was unhappy about a grade he had received. Several e-mails were exchanged between the student and the department. The student's grade was raised half a point, but he is still unhappy about his grade. Why raise his grade at all?

Property damage
Oct. 3: A sign reportedly fell on a vehicle in the visitor parking lot east of the Wilkinson Center. There was no apparent damage to the vehicle. Am I missing something? If there was no apparent damage, why publish the incident under "property damage"?

Harassment
Oct. 4: Two teenage girls were reported speeding around the northeast parking lot at Wymount Terrace. They were harassing pedestrians, screaming at them, calling them names, and at one point, nearly hitting somebody. The officer met with the two females in the car. Their excuse for their behavior was that a pedestrian was careless. They claimed he walked out in front of them without paying attention and they almost hit him. There was some disrespectful verbal commentary between the pedestrian and the car occupants.

Stalking
Oct. 5: A female student reported that her former boyfriend was stalking her. On one particular day, he called her 26 times. She was given some safety tips and a copy of the police department's no contact letter. The police will be working the case and more than likely giving him a letter telling him to leave her alone. "More than likely"?

Theft
Oct. 5: Two cardboard star figures were stolen from a promotional booth set up at the Bookstore. One was Han Solo, the other was Princess Leia. Well, good thing we know who they are, because we're their only hope.

Oct. 5-15: Three Hollywood bases were taken from the Miller Park playing field. The white 15-by-15-by-3 inch bases are valued at $200. Okay, I can understand why stealing Han and Leia would be great fun, but why baseball bases?

Threatening
Oct. 3: A male student received a text message on his cell phone indicating that he would die within 9 hours and 16 minutes. I laughed so hard.

Roommate conflict
Sept. 12: A conflict, due to a failure to communicate and just talk problems out, was reported between two 18-year-old female students living in M. Smith Hall in Heritage Halls. The roommates have been arguing over apartment chores and accusing one another of destroying each other's food. Profanity and some hair pulling was involved. This has been turned over to the housing office for a resolution. Um...profanity and hair pulling??

Suspicious activity
Oct. 23: A 19-year-old female student, living in Taylor Hall in Helaman Halls, received a suspicious phone call from a man claiming to be a psychology student who asked her to participate in an experiment for his psychology class. She had read the police beat tip of the week in The Daily Universe on Oct. 12, and hung up on him. Is the Universe just trying to put a plug in for their tip of the week?

Oct. 26: A man wearing a dark sweatshirt was reported hiding in the bushes on Maeser Hill. An officer talked to him and discovered that he was there with his girlfriend, playing a game. The officer suggested that they shouldn't be doing that and they left.

Oct. 29: An 18-year-old male student was lying on the couch in his apartment and heard the front door slowly open. A man peered in, saw him lying on the couch and ran away. The police suspect he was intending to commit a crime. Unfortunately, they were unable to get a description on the suspect. A description on the suspect?

One of my favorites:
Oct. 27: A male individual was reported yelling in the Eyring Science Center. When the officers arrived, they discovered he was actually singing along to music playing on his iPod.

Suspicious incidents (I'd like to know the difference between suspicious activity and suspicious incidents)
Oct. 4: A BYU employee was driving down the hill near the Tanner Building when his vehicle was hit by a water balloon. He thought the balloon came from the direction of the Tanner Building or Helaman Halls. There are no suspects. It's just a water balloon...

Oct. 6: Three female students were reported for suspicious activity outside Felt Hall in Heritage Halls. When police arrived, they discovered the suspects were shooting each other with squirt guns. They were interviewed and let go. Since when are squirt guns suspicious?

And my other favorite:
Oct. 5: A female occupant of Wyview Park was asleep in her apartment when someone threw a cat through her partially open window. A man outside the window was communicating with her, trying to talk her into letting him come into the apartment, but she refused. The police think he threw the cat through the window so she would let him in. The suspect has not yet been identified. What??

I'm glad he's still happy

Another Frito mini-post. This one's for you, Natalie. :)

Best names
Meta
Otal (both women)

Best places
Kankekee, IL
Weekiwachee, FL

Best foreign matter
3" flat, beige piece of plastic with a hook on the end...???

Worst prank attempt from a kid trying to sound like an adult
"Can I get a pizza?" Really, is that the best you can do?

Best conversation starter
You know, people don't realize how many elderly people there are. There are lots of diabetics and elderly people on blood thinners...

Letters
Recently just discovered your sun chips love-em & good for you-- or not much SALT & FAT Thanks-- But a tiny complaint Last 3 BAGS Bought at once had DRY crackly chips TOO OLD? Still happy

Hi, my name is Brandon Clark. Doritos and Chilli Cheese Fritos are my favorite chips. I'm writting this letter concerning my recent purchase. The Chilli Cheese Fritos doesn't taste as good as the ones I'm use to. They taste like half the seasoning was taken away. I hope it was just a bad batch and not because, like more and more companies, your trying to "penny pinch". Thank you for you time and I wish that Frito-Lay keeps their top quality standards. Please don't stoop down like other companies that "cut corners" because in the long run they lose out on good customers.

Hi, I bought a 15 1/4 oz jar of Tostitos Salsa con queso dip and it was sour my son tried it and agrees with me, later on my wife tried it and noticed that it was not good, could you please reimburse the $3.49 or send me a free coupon for a free 15 1/4oz jar.

Seriously, does anyone go to school anymore? I also received:

1. A sheet of paper filled on both sides with the loopiest, scribbliest handwriting I've ever seen, of which only an occasional word like "Funyuns" is ledgible.

2. A sloppily-folded napkin with some nappy chip crumbs inside and this written with a name and address: "Mail a refund back of three dollars in cash Rush." I don't think so.

Semester in Review

Since I didn't upload any pictures from my camera this semester, I thought I'd blog about them now that I have some free time (and an adorable new laptop with wireless). :)
So think way back to football season...
Rise and shout!
Natalie and Candice at a game. I don't have any pictures of the game that Dad came to because I didn't want my camera to get wet. But that's ok. Dad kept saying he was fine, but I know I was frozen and nearly dead by the end.
It SNOWED on Sep. 30. I remember because it was the day of the general RS meeting and I had gone to World of Dance before that (without and umbrella). When I got home Kristin was sitting on her bed talking on the phone and when she glanced out the window said, "What is that white stuff coming out of the sky?"
Goofing off on the way to the meeting...with the lens halfway open.
The view from the front of the MOA. That statue is supposed to look like Squaw Peak, the mountain behind it, but I don't really get it. I don't get most of the statues outside the MOA. On a related note, my security buddies and I, who get paid way less than the rest of on-campus security, are getting a raise! Yay! Good news, just not very good timing.
I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills...
My friend Stephy and I and her friend Lacey went to BYU-I for a weekend to visit Steph's sister Maria. We stopped in Blackfoot to befriend this giant potato.

The almost-complete Rexburg temple was a 15-minute walk from Maria's dorm. It's really small, but beautiful. The open house is going on right now and the dedication is next month, in case you were wondering.
Maria, Steph and me.
Sign of the week: a hair salon by the grocery store where we went about four times since there was nothing else to do and we wanted to visit a certain boy who worked there. When he asked if I was from Louisville (CO--Steph and Maria's hometown and where he served part of his mission), I thought "how did he know that?" Then I realized we weren't talking about the same place. Blonde moment.
We were really bored on Saturday night so we ended up going back to the store to look for inspiration. We got sidewalk chalk and decorated the sidewalk outside one of the boys' dorms until it was too cold to stay out any longer. Then we went inside and watched the Red Sox beat the Rockies.
We stopped by the Idaho Falls Temple on the way home.
Putting hand turkeys on the window.

Hope wishes you a happy Thanksgiving! (Sorry about the glare.)

Matthew showing off his soccer skills...
and instructing Logan and James on a play.


Our in-house ninja.
Putting a puzzle together.












The last Sunday of the semester my study abroad class was invited to Bro. & Sis. Welch's (the directors) for a potluck dinner. It was fun, but I couldn't stay long because Tommy and I went to the Erdmanns' for the Christmas/anniversary shindig.
The Erdmanns' beautiful tree.
Our beautiful tree.


















My roommate Natalie's birthday isn't timed well. It's Dec. 19, right in the middle of finals. This year Kristin was getting ready to leave for Vegas the next morning with the band and the rest of us still had finals to study for. It was still fun, though. We got her a High School Musical 2 game that she didn't want to wait to open, so we did that in the morning before I went to work. That evening her math buddy Erica joined us for birthday cake and Candice came over to study with me and bring presents from her gals. The day before I had some free time and some spare baking ingredients, so I re-made the blonde brownies that I brought to the potluck dinner and didn't get to taste. Yum!
Before...
After
Her real birthday cake, complete with Funfetti frosting.
Roomies.
Now we're back in Texas. Here's Kaci's beautiful Christmas apple cranberry pie before it imploded in the oven.
Mom and I babysat Eli one night. He really liked applying Chapstick...to his nose. Then he started eating it so I took it away and he got mad. He was also very suspicious of me and mom the next day when F&A came over for dinner. I'm no longer the favorite aunt.

That's it for now...Happy 2008!