hello september, i'm glad you're here!

it's sister weekend here and i can think of no better way to ring in my favorite season.
i loved driving up south temple today, toward the mountains and then continuing my drive up sunnyside to the zoo.  the trees are looking SO beautiful and i think my fall leave ride has to be bumped to next week so as not to miss them in their prime! whose in?

lb and i rang in one of my favorite months with real class today!  we went to the zoo.  i only go to the zoo every 5-7 years or so because the zoo makes me sad but i am proud to say, i made it and i didn't cry! it's a serious accomplishment.  christin's favorite part of the zoo was the gorilla who just happened to walk right up to the window to say hello (i'm pretty sure that actually happened the last time we were there).  my favorite part was definitely the polar bear!  boy does he know how to put on a show, seriously, he was kicking off the glass, floating on his back and then doing flips in the water.  he would even climb out of the water and jump of the rock (okay jump, fall, you know what i mean). he was adorable.  i was sad the otters weren't out though. ezra made me SO excited salt lake was finally getting otters!

a trip to salt lake wouldn't be complete without going to litzas. yummy as ever.  our favorite waitress was even there, marie.  she knows our routine down to passing a cup of blue cheese off for ranch for christin to dip her pizza in since their blue cheese is gluten free and their ranch is not.

on the way home, we almost got washed down our street--torrential rain storm. the weather is CRAZY! the rest of the day we watched movies, i worked on my paper, we sorted all of christin's alphabet beads (quite the task) and occasionally went out to throw the dog a bone.  literally, ruby needed some exercise , more so distraction actually.  so i played catch with her--50 throws wears her out for a little while.  but no less.  absolutely no less.  what a dog.

essentially, september is off to a great start.

I delight in loving my little life.

this is the quilt i'll be making (although i'll be doing a different version but essentially the squares are the same).
work:  Today, I was a commuter in the Salt Lake Valley.  Oi!  Going to the Sandy Clinic was such a great experience!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to observe so many awesome clinician's during my "training" period.  There are so many things I am excited to incorporate into my own practice as an SLP.

learning:  Today also marked me doing the URLEND+AE program "official."  I'm really excited, a little nervous to embark on this 2 year post-grad fellowship but it will be so good.  Its amazing all the people I've just happened to meet to make this happen, and who will help to make it a success!

family:  Tonight the parents went out on a date, aw.  So it was me and C and C for the evening.  LB wanted to 'finish her own stuff' (aka making necklaces, because she is the most thoughtful kind soul ever), Craig was watching wagon train, and I was...doing nothing (my brain is reaching its capacity, i swear).  Well, then I hear someone go outside and soon,  there was Christin with Ruby all leashed up, knocking on my window, ready for a walk.  So off the three of us go...Christin in one hand, Ruby in the other.  I'm sure we were quite the sight, and we got some great looks (story of my life).   And I just relished in every moment.  For so long I thought living at home was so bad, but it is so good!  I get to come home to this!  And so, tonight as we walked, I really felt like it was one of those 'perfect moments' to be filed away into the permanent happy thoughts file in my brain.  (And Ruby is the best dog ever!  Story of the dog not on a leash, dog comes running up, Ruby of course, got her mohawk, but as soon as I said, "Rubes" she twirled in a circle, and came and sat at my foot, still attentive on the runaway dog, but sitting and being obedient.  High praise for the pup!)

talent development: i may have signed up for a quilt square group.  yes that means that starting next month, every second saturday i will be at sew and save, taking in my made up square and getting the pieces for a new square to have done by the next second saturday.  thankfully i have the best mom and neighbor to teach me the tricks.

gospel studies:  i've been stuck on the same chapter and verse all week. I start the chapter over again, only to end up at the same place, pondering and pondering and pondering.

 "I will give away all my sins to know thee..." (Book of Mormon, Alma)

right?  It just makes me think, reflect, and ponder change and repentance.  Intentional change.  Intentional repentance.

mission: President 2 got home earlier this month.  Roadtrip this weekend to his homecoming with fellow sisters.  I'm super excited about it!  As I talked to one of my companions the other night, I couldn't help but think about how I am so grateful for the experience of a mission for a million different reasons.

I delight in Sunday.

Today was a really good day.  It is always good when you can start the day feeling you were where you were supposed to be.  And it only got better from there.

Yesterday I ran across some of my "lessons learned" that I wrote down at the end of my mission.  My mission president counseled us to write down the things we learned within the first 3 days of our leaving to go back home.  Our "lessons" were supposed to be little one liners, 'snippets' of truth.  I have shared some lessons from the mission and since then previously on the blog (see label entitled: lessons).  As I read through the list yesterday I thought...oh dear.  There are so many little things that have seemed to go by the wayside over the past 2 years.  Little things I learned, tried to commit myself to always doing, that I somehow seemed to have forgotten.

One of the most powerful things I read yesterday was a lesson taught me by President himself.  He said, "Your spiritual life is only as good as your prayers and scripture study."  Today I have reflected a lot on that.  I am so grateful that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we believe and know that change is possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Today I am also really grateful for family.
Really grateful for family.
Here are a few pictures from tonights post-dinner fire.

 Favorite Christin quote of the day: "I have legs Sis!"

 A few of the surviving tulips.  So beautiful!

 Rubes and Penny.

 Craig and Rubes.

 My first roasted milkyway of the season.  YUM!

My favorite mountain and my favorite view of it!

My favorite new picture of Ruby and I.  Don't let this "angel puppy" picture mislead you.  Sometimes she is a "naughty puppy" like right now...as she barks incessantly outside. 

I delight in picture taking.

Until today, I hadn't taken a "real picture" (aka, with a camera that is not my iphone) since Christmas. Spending time with LB and the dogs was just the ticket. This summer, I fully intend to take more real pictures. Pictures of people, pictures of places, pictures of unique things.

I delight in being home for the holidays.

these folks are no longer my neighbors but i have enjoyed their decorations for EVERY holiday...they're hardcore

Well I'm playing the catch up game but the end of the story is--I'm home for Christmas and couldn't be happier. The past week has been incredible--incredibly stressful and incredibly joyful!

• I finished my last final ever. Boy does that feel good to say.
• Christin slept over at my apartment
• Went to Provo with LB, saw Grandpa and visited BYU (and Cabelas)
• Craig slept over (it was his first sleepover and boy did we have a blast! I hope we can do it again! Nothing compares to quality time with my amazing brother!
• Ate red iguana, went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and saw the lights at temple square, drank hatch's hot chocolate AND drove around looking at Christmas lights with Mary (and we did it all while NOT discussing homework)
• Moved home
• Went to church at my Salt Lake ward where I sang in the choir and felt the spirit of Christmas so strong
• Hung out with my awesome neighbors
• Feasted with friends--always an entertaining experience
• Organized all the stuff in my life--its way too much stuff
• Did some Christmas shopping
• Watched Christmas movies
• Bowled with 'the gang'
• Organized a semester's worth of papers
• Burned a pile full of PHI info and bank documents--why is that so refreshing?

The point is, there is no place like home for the holidays. Eating meals with other people. Playing two games of Skip-bo over lunch. Praying and delighting as a family. Living in a house with heat and insulation! Finding joy watching Craig and Christin find Clyde, the family elf, every morning. Listening to the canada geese land in the back field. Playing with Ruby--worlds cutest puppy. Singing Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer with LB, world's cutest sis. Moving furniture around and creating a scarf rack with dear dear dad. Enjoying a trip into Sam's Club (for the first time EVER) with my big brother Craig. Watching Mom smell all the different types of perfumes Dad and I "potentially" picked out for her for Christmas. I have so much to be grateful for and so much to delight in. What have you delighted in lately?

I delight in a Christin-ism.

"Sis, I put our dogs in a kennel. I say, "Ruby kennel Ruby." "Ruby say, I think not." "Run away." "Leash, I say, Ruby come, come Ruby." "I trick our dog, leash. Kennel."

"Our dog need puppy school Sis."

I delight in the following picture.

Its not the greatest picture by any means--but I think its great. Yes, this is the new pup Rubes. This picture is old--she's not so small anymore--unfortunately. (She is however small enough to escape from her kennel. Don't ask me how she squeezes out but I've witnessed her doing it.)

Back to why I like this picture--Penny is terrified of the water and rightfully so. When she was about Rubes age, she fell in/jumped in following Lucky, not realizing she didn't know how to swim. Dad plucked her out and ever since...she's kept her distance from the water.

SO, the goal for Ruby was to make sure this was not the case. Labs are supposed to be water dogs. When we took her to Island Park this summer, we kept her around the water and even took her to one of our favorite family spots at the buffalo river. She still wasn't keen on going in but then she fell in...I plucked her out...and so this is the look she gave me post-traumatic experience.

I feel like facial expressions, even when they're coming from dogs are pretty classic. I get to work a lot with 4 and 5 year olds and I LOVE IT. Sometimes, they tell me things like:

• "oh, that's a rhombus"
• "my mom told me i couldn't draw that picture"
• Picture shown to elicit the word judge responses: "that's the prophet", "President Monson"
• Picture shown to elicit the word church: "temple" (me: where do you go on Sunday?) "Oh, church...sometimes i get temple and church confused"
• "can you just tell me which one its most like"
• "is that the closest?"
• Picture shown to elicit the word book: "scriptures," "book of mormon" "book of mormon stories that my teacher tell me, are bout lamenites in ansehisory are bout fathers sea if man righteously"
• Picture shown to elicit the word dish: "my mom doesn't keep candies in a dish, she keeps them in a jar--but its empty"

Maybe you can't enjoy these as much out of context, but at the moment, they've all been hilarious.

Don't ask me how I went from a picture of my dog to stories about 4 and 5 year olds. All of them make me happy. Things happening next week are about to make me SUPER happy! More on that later.

I delight in the feel good files.

Sometimes people just say the right thing at the right time. Lately, I feel I've been the recipient of kind words and I'm very grateful. Kind words can go a long way.

Today my home teacher came over and read me this month's home teaching message. He seemed surprised when my comments seemed like I'd already read it, yep...I only had 31 previous days to read it and I've already sat through my parents home teaching lesson so don't be surprised if I read it. I love the message though and I'm happy to hear it any time. I've wanted to count how many times the word love is mentioned in that compilation of quotes from President Monson.

I haven't counted but the answer is a lot. Something my home teacher shared with me is that a visiting authority on his mission told them something to the effect that there would be no hermits in the celestial kingdom. Warning: that is not church doctrine but I liked it! It makes sense though right? Communication is at the root of what connects us as a people. Expressively and receptively its the give and take, its how we learn and grow. Its is a means of good in our lives or at least can be.

I've been reminded as kind words have been spoken to me that I must share the kind words I think in my head. The excuse that 'they must know' or 'its so obvious' just won't do. Never suppress a generous thought.

***What does the picture have to do with anything? Don't be an ankle biter and save the souls who might get eaten. Ruby's run in with Chip on the island. Chip was a lost dog a long way from home, who didn't seem to recognize home when we got him there.

I delight in Ruby.

Meet the latest addition to my family...Ruby. This picture was the first real life look I ever got of her.

She is one of the better puppies we've had. She's the smallest pup we've ever had but she's smart, beautiful and can hold her own against Penny.

A few facts about the new pup:

• My family had intended just to look at her (they hadn't officially decided they were going to get a puppy although Christin had been telling my Mom that she should want a puppy for her birthday for months) and brought her home.
• Her parents are red labs so she has a lot of red in her.
• She has the smallest paws of any pup we've ever had.
• She already points (hunting term).
• Craig is her favorite person. I decided this was a fact since she will cuddle up to Craig more than anyone else. And Craig carries her around the house...its the cutest thing you've ever seen!
• The item that she entertains herself with best is a plastic cup.
• She can go for a walk, but only walks next to you when there is someone ahead of you.
• She goes for rides with my mom and sibilings.
• She is a toe biter.

I delight in Ruby.

source

This week+puppy=bearable

That's the equation of the week. This week is...almost over, thank heavens! There is still so much to do (and the lack of sleep is not helping).

My family went to just look at a puppy the other day. Somehow the looking turned into adding a new member to the family. My Mom sent me a picture of Christin holding Ruby (the little pup) and the text said, "She is ours." I wondered if she meant Christin or the dog...she meant both. My whole mission I loathed dogs. If you were my companion--you'd know I loathed pretty much any animal (the cats, the cats, the cats, the dogs, the cats) but puppies melt my heart and little yellow lab puppies...ah! Ruby and I are going to be having some serious bonding time this weekend!

So, in summary--delights getting me through today:

• A successful session!
• A wee-bobby in a batman outfit (complete with cape)
• A chat with Craig
• Thoughts of a puppy
• The rainbows and butterflies group
• The team effort of the social skills group
• The reality of sensory integration
• The hamburger dinner I've been craving all day