You are all probably thinking (the whole 5 of you that sometimes read this), where is Allie? Well my friends, I have been a lot of places over the last month or so. I have been a busy woman with a lot going on in life. I'm not even sure where to start...
Back in April for spring break, my friend Jessi and I were able to take a trip to California. It was amazing! We made a stop in Vegas and saw the strip. It's just something you have to do in your life time. We were then onto California where we were able to go to Disneyland, California Adventures, Hollywood and the beach. I have never experienced Disneyland and it really is the happiest place on earth. I wish I could tell you more but it would take forever. You'll just have to trust me that is was pretty great.
Jessi and I at the top of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and at the "happiest place on earth"
May was very busy with the school year coming to an end. There were so many things I had to get done before I headed out. We enjoyed some fun last weeks of school with field day, a field trip and a PJ/game day. I love those kids so much and was so sad to leave them. I had one of my girls bawling at the end of the last day of school. They are just amazing children and I was sad and very excited to see them move on in their lives.
Some of my girls dancing in the rain on field day and almost all my kids the last day of school
The day I ended school I drove up to Rexburg for my sister Kim's wedding. Her and Tyler were married in the Rexburg temple on May 30th. It was very nice. We had a reception there that night, which was beautiful. Some of my family left that night to drive to Spokane and I drove with my parents early the next morning. Saturday we spent at our home in Spokane getting ready for the reception there. The reception was set up in our back yard and had a "tropical" feel. It all turned out very nice and with a little "rain dance" around the firest we were able to keep the rain away.
Tyler and Kim right after they got married and what the bridesmaids and groomsmen did to their car. They weren't very happy about that.
I flew back to Utah on Sunday, was home for about a half hour, enough time to pack, and then checked in to do EFY (Especially For Youth). That has consumed my life for the past two weeks. You check in Sunday and have a meeting that night at 7pm. From then until that next Saturday around 9am when the kids are gone and your meeting is over, you are on the job. It is the most rewarding and most draining job I think there could ever be. The first week I had the 16-18 year-olds, with a group of 12 amazing girls. I adored those girls and gained so much love for them. We had a "company" of 50 kids, 24 girls and 26 guys. They were all so great. This past week I had the 14-15 year-olds. I had 9 sweet girls and a company of 48 kids, 27 boys and 21 girls. It has really been an AMAZING two weeks. It is amazing how you can gain so much love for these kids in the 5 short days you work with them. I love to see their testimonies grow and the friendships they make. I think I have learned just as much, if not more, from my experience as they have. I wish I could tell you all everything that happened these past few weeks but it would take forever. If you want to know more just ask me, I could go on forever.
My group "Not Ashamed" from the first week and my co-counselors, Enrique, Jes, and Mark
My second group "Believeth" and my co-counselors Eric, Sydney, and Mitchell
If I had favorite kids from these past two weeks these would be them. My girl Calais (Cal-a) from my first week and my boy Dylan from my second week. Calais was an absolute sweetheart and so much fun. She called me "Coach" and I loved it. Dylan was an amazing young man. Struggling a little with the gospel, but I was able to really touch his life. I called him "Precious".
So there is my life in a nut shell; the VERY condensed version. I am alive and life is moving forward and a little too quickly if I do say so myself. But I'm happy and life is great!
