Our First Visitors

Mom and Dad flew in last Monday about midnight and were able to spend the whole week with us! I hadn't seen them since August, and Kevin hadn't seen them since June....so it was about time we were all together :) Tuesday we just relaxed, looked at pictures, talked, and made a really yummy dinner. (Oh, I also found out on Tuesday that I passed the Praxis...so now I am really official!) Wednesday we decided to head to Key Biscayne and it was the PERFECT day!! There was a little breeze and Dad loved the fact that there are palm trees in the middle of the beach that offer very nice shade from the hot afternoon sun! I was happy that the weather was so nice because Dad kept commenting on how he couldn't feel the humidity at all :)
On Thursday, Mom and I decided that we would go shopping for a few hours and let Dad relax at home. We were trying to hurry, and by about noon, I told Mom that I was shocked that Dad hadn't called yet. We left the mall to head to TJ Maxx and we were about to call Dad when we remembered that he had left his phone in the glovebox when we had gone to the beach....which was why he hadn't called us. Hahaha. It was funny at first, but I also felt really bad that he was stuck at home with no way of calling us. We tried to be brief at TJ Maxx and then headed home. We found Dad relaxing on the couch watching a movie. I was just surprised that he was able to get everything working correctly :)

On Friday we headed to Key Largo for the afternoon. I was a little disappointed that the snorkeling was all booked at the John Pennecamp Underwater Water Park...but we went on a glass-bottom tour instead. It was a lot better than I expected.
We boarded a really nice boat and headed out to the reef. On the voyage out, we lost one of the props...so it took a while longer to get there than normal. Once we were there, we headed down below to view the coral reef. It was really beautiful and the visibility was great. Near the end of the tour, Mom and I started feeling really sick and we had to head back up top to get some air. I guess because we were going so slow over the coral, we were getting rocked back and forth by the waves and the boat was tipping like crazy. So, after about 15 minutes of feeling like I was going to throw-up, we started moving again and I started feeling a little bit better!
Saturday we headed to the Everglades for an air-boat tour and wildlife show. During our boat tour, we saw some pretty birds, 3 or 4 baby alligators (super cute) and several really huge alligators. Two of them were in the water, one was up on land. It was fun seeing them in the wild and Kevin loved the boat ride as we skimmed over the marshes. (Kevin is wearing my sunglasses because he forgot his and I had two pairs in my purse!)
Dad, Mom, and Kevin in front of one of the air-boats..
After the boat ride, we headed over to a wildlife show where the Ranger showed us how to "wrestle" an alligator, which actually just involved getting behind it, and jumping on it's back. But it was amazing to see how quick the alligator could clamp it's jaw shut. The Ranger said it was like a mouse trap...if you touch anywhere inside the alligator's mouth, it triggers the "trap" and the jaw will snap shut. At the end of the show, he let us hold Louie, a 20 pound alligator that I think was about 4 years old. He was kinda cute actually, but maybe because his mouth was taped shut!
Mom was excited to show her kindergarteners :) She looks like a pro !!

Overall, we had a great week and we were sad to see them go...but they made it safely back to California! Thanks for coming to visit :) We love you.

"Live Like You Believe"

I just got home on Friday afternoon from an awesome four days at Girl's Camp. I was really nervous before hand, and super busy with final preparations, but everything went really smoothly!! We had 8 girls that came to camp this year, and they are really great girls who all get along and have fun together. It really made me remember why I love camp so much.

Although it was very different going as a leader, it was a very rewarding experience and I definitely learned a lot. I had a great time, but I have to admit that I enjoyed being able to take a shower without wearing flip flops and I am pretty sure I slept for about 12 hours straight the night I returned home!! Thanks to my Young Women for a great week :)

P.S. In case you are wondering why I am wearing a long sleeve shirt in the first picture, even though it looks like a hot day....it is because I totally burned my arms the first day at camp although I had on sunblock, so I was trying to prevent further burning. Let me tell you, it was miserable to be so sweaty hot, with two shirts, and doing a service project where we planted trees for 3 hours in the hot afternoon sun. All I can say is, it better turn into a tan!!!

I Passed!!!

Just wanted to thank everything that prayed for me as I was preparing to take my big tests a few weeks ago. I just found out on Friday that I passed my COMPS, which was the written test I had to take to graduate from my program. I am still waiting to hear back about the Praxis, which is the national test for professional licensure. I didn't feel super great about this test, so I am really praying that I passed that one as well!!! The good news, is that I can take it again if I didn't pass...I just don't want to have to study all over again. A month of straight studying was enough for me!!