"Up the Canyon"

So here in Utah, you don't "take a trip to the canyon," you "go up the canyon." Here are some photos of the afternoon my Grandmother and I spent there this fall.

















































































Can you find the guy who jumped out of a tree and surprised me?













According to one of my science teacher colleagues, the thick, orange stripe on this little guy's back means that we are going to have a very cold, very long winter!

The Cutest Little Pumpkin Ever

This is my nephew who came Trick-or-Treating at Halloween this year. Isn't he adorable?! My very creative sister made his costume out of an orange canvas trick-or-treating bag (she cut holes in it for the legs), an orange shirt, black knee-highs, and a piece of green felt!

The Pictures Tell the Story

Disclaimer: My brother-in-law told my sister that I wouldn't like the idea of a balloon launch because it was bad for the environment. I affirmed that opinion and convinced the kids to agree to each only launch one balloon. However, the joy on their faces was difficult to dismiss and is something I will never forget (so I let them each do 2 more).

Thanks

Look what showed up at my house one night this week! My sister and her family surprised me with some encouragement to keep working on this miserable dissertation. Then my sweet friend, Trinette, stopped by with lunch yesterday. I am so grateful to all of you who have listened to me whine and complain, crumble with discouragement, cry floods of tears, and otherwise emote. You are the ONLY reason I have made it this far and I DO appreciate your sacrifices for me and feel your prayers. I don't deserve you, but I'm certainly grateful for you.

Did you know . . .?

I awoke Thanksgiving morning feeling a little sorry for myself because I was staying in Michigan instead of spending the holiday with my family in Kansas. However, several friends here invited me to spend the day in their homes. As I enjoyed my day, I found myself reflecting on the blessings of a ward family and thinking about the other people and places I love:

Did you know . . . that the little things you say and do have changed (and continue to change) what I think, who I am, and the shape and direction of my life?

There are so many times that your words pop into my head, that I hear phrases you say coming out of my mouth, that I see the world through your eyes, that I feel your influence in my heart, and that I am grateful that some of the person you are has become a part of the person I am!

Then I am amazed when I think about how long ago those words were said, those thoughts were shared, and that influence was planted. It reminds me to be careful . . . and it makes me smile!