A few more things that happened last week

Last week was good but busy.

On Saturday, we went car shopping. I have a new position at work with less flexible hours, so a second car has become somewhat of a necessity. We bought a 2007 Hyndai Sonata that we're quite happy with!

Sunday was the whole chicken fiasco :)

Last Thursday I was able to meet up with our friends the Childs. Thomas was taking care of car stuff so he couldn't come.

On Friday I got to go to a baby shower for my old roommate Megan! Our other roommate Natalie also came. It was so fun to see them, and Megan and Evan will be fantastic parents!

Yesterday we participated in a ward service project and got to enjoy the beautiful weather as we did yard work in the neighborhood. It was a really nice relaxed day!

oxox

A brief stint in animal husbandry...

Last Sunday evening, we took a walk around the neighborhood.

Just as we were getting back home, we discovered a chicken next door at our landlord's property where they have their office. They use it just as an office, so we knew the chicken was not theirs.

We called around the ward a little bit to see if anyone we knew was missing a chicken. Nope.

A couple came by who was house-sitting for their neighbors. They thought they recognized the chicken as belonging to their neighbors. I carried the chicken down to their place (nobody else was brave enough to touch it). Then we saw the other chicken, still in its pen.

We called Provo City to see if animal control could come get it. Don't have an animal emergency on a Sunday evening, because no one is on call to take care of it...

We ended up borrowing a cage from some friends in the ward. We kept the chicken in our kitchen overnight. We fed her cornmeal mixed with plain yogurt, with some vegetable scraps (lettuce, strawberry tops).

 The next afternoon when we got home from work, the hen had laid an egg!

Unfortunately, we live in an apartment and cannot keep a chicken. Animal control came and got the chicken Monday afternoon.

But it was fun while it lasted :)

oxox

BYU throws great graduation parties!

So, I didn't walk at commencement or anything, but since I graduated in December I was able to attend the [free!] graduation celebration BYU puts on every year for graduating seniors (and their spouses & children).

We first went 2 years ago when Thomas finished school. It's a fun evening with free food, free games & prizes, awesome free entertainment, and a raffle with some great prizes.

The campus life museum brought some of their live critters out to this event.

We ran into some of our friends at the party.

After dinner and a game of pool, we were entertained by Provo band The Strike. They had a fun sound, obviously influenced by Maroon 5, Bruno Mars. We enjoyed their style and their brass.

President Cecil O. Samuelson addressed us briefly.

Then we were treated to performances by the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble and their band Mountain Strings. They are always amazing.

Anyway, it was a really fun evening out for us, even though we didn't win anything in the raffle (darn!).

Oh, and I was really excited to get my mini diploma in the mail this week :) My real diploma came a few months ago, but this one fits in my wallet :D

oxox

Conference Weekend

In April and October every year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds a weekend-long General Conference, where church leaders, including our modern-day prophet and apostles, speak to church members. It is a highly anticipated event in LDS circles, and Salt Lake City, where the conference is held, booms during this time.

The addresses given focus on relevant counsel for individuals and families living today. Some topics touched on this weekend include:

• building strong eternal marriages
• coming closer to Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments
• maintaining high moral standards
• the significance of the law of chastity
• making our homes peaceful sanctuaries by keeping the Savior at the center of our lives

Thomas' dad came to Salt Lake with some friends from his ward for General Conference this weekend, and we were able to join them.

We went up on Friday night and went to the U and hiked Ensign Peak before catching dinner at Gateway Mall and then heading to Thomas' aunt's home for the night.

On the way to the U we saw this. It was across the street from a children's hospital.

Utah State's "U". "Enemy territory" ;o)

View not quite from the top.

Monument on Ensign Peak, where Brigham Young is supposed to have said, "This is the place," on coming into the Salt Lake Valley.

So... generally when we've asked people to take a picture for us, they've at least tried. Not this time. We asked this teenage boy to take our picture and he didn't even glance at the viewfinder. It was very odd, but something to laugh about :o)

On Saturday morning, we attended the first session of the conference at the Conference Center on Temple Square. It was wonderful to be there again! The Conference Center is a spectacular building.

Afterward, we went back to Thomas' aunt's home for lunch, and some friends of the Bradshaws from France joined us for a quick meal. A friend reporting to the MTC this week was set apart. Then we watched the afternoon session there before heading back to Provo for the Priesthood session and to go back home.

I was a little outnumbered...

On Sunday, we ended up watching the final 2 sessions at home.

In the afternoon, my dad and a friend who works for him came to visit on their way back to California from an adventure in North Dakota. They stayed for dinner and the friend stayed with some other friends and my dad stayed at our place for the night. It was good to have him here, though too short!

me & my dad!

Overall it was a great weekend!!!

oxox

Lisa's Birthday and our Third Anniversary

For my birthday this year, I told Thomas that what I really wanted was to clean up and organize our apartment and get rid of the stuff we don't need. We took a day and did just that! It was good. I also got some new clothes and Thomas got me my own French Bible! We've been reading La Bible together recently, but have had to share one book since that is all we had. Now we each have our own copy!

On my actual birthday, after work, we picked up KFC on the way home and had a nice little picnic at a local park.

Thank you to each of you who sent birthday greetings! I appreciated your gifts and wishes. It was nice to be remembered on my birthday!

Two days later, we celebrated our third anniversary! It was a fun day. We took part of the day off work to hang out together (and go to Tucanos during lunch time!).

We started off our afternoon with a trip up into Provo Canyon to walk along the river.

It was a sunny day, as shown by this handy dandy weather rock...

Provo River

Then we headed to Tucanos for a delicious lunch.

After recovering from all the food, we attended a sealing session at the Provo Temple. It was so nice to be there on our anniversary and remember the promises we made three years ago! When administered by the proper Priesthood authority in holy temples, entered into by faithful people who strive to obey the Lord's commandments and keep covenants, and prioritized and treasured, marriage and family relationships can last forever! We are three years into our eternity :o)

oxox

March 2013

The past month in Provo we have had really lovely weather. We've been able to get outside a bit and take some walks. It has been so nice!

The first weekend of March, we went back to where Thomas proposed along the Provo River.

 

 Here are some other things we've seen as we've gotten a little fresh air and sunshine.

Rounded-off ice chunks under the bridges along the Provo River

Cute neighborhood cat that visits sometimes. He used to have a collar but wasn't wearing one when we saw him this time. He is so pretty.

Looks like a good place for a nap!

I do not know what this is.

The Y

Among other happenings, we were released from our calling in our ward's Sunday School. Thomas now has a Priesthood calling (he is a counselor in the Elders' Quorum) and I have a Relief Society calling (I am an assistant secretary to the presidency). It is a change of pace for us (weekly Sunday School lesson preparation has been replaced by more meetings for Thomas, and I am working on a photo directory for the Relief Society) and will allow for personal growth in new areas! We are happy serving the Lord wherever He inspires our leaders to assign us. We enjoyed teaching the youth in our ward, but we are enjoying these new callings, too.

I had a birthday and we celebrated our anniversary, but I will post about those separately.

For Easter, we sang in our ward choir and then had our friends the Gates' over for dinner. It was a nice, simple way to commemorate the life, atonement, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately we forgot to get a picture of us and our guests...

oxox