As of Late.

I have had a little too much free time & I have no life when Ashley is at work.

With this free time I have had a lot of time to think and I have come to the

conclusion that I do not want to waste any day or time  doing meaningless things.

I want to make the most of each and everyday and enjoy them to the fullest. 

Part of this was brought on by the fact that I will be 20 years old this coming

October and I still cannot believe that I have been alive THAT long. I don't 

want to waste any time because it is flying by and I want to get the most out

of life that I possibly can. So, I will no longer allow meaningless things bother

me and I am going to spend more time doing things that matter and that I will

help me grow as an individual. I am on a quest to become the best I can be.

I Wish I Was Homeward Bound.

It's amazing the effect that music can have on a person. Lately I've become quite found of the song "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel. They have long time been favorites but I never listened to that song much. Since I've been here in Manti I've listened to it quite often and it always makes me homesick. I've decided to dedicate this blog post to those who I miss dearly and whom I wish I could see if I was homeward bound. 

Letters & Packages.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Manti High School's letter lighting with my co-worker KD. I was curious what a letter lighting was since we never had one at the high school I attended. At this event they have bags arranged into huge letters for each grade level with candles inside and each class races to light all of their bags before the other grades. Afterwards they all go celebrate and dance around the letters. It was really fun to experience this tradition and take pictures! Today I finally finished this package that I put together to send to E.B. I'm sending him a mini cassette player with a tape I recorded a message on for him, a utah raspberry truffle (my FAVORITE), and some pictures of the life in Utah. Now all I have left to do is hope that it actually gets to him. As always, enjoy the pictures.

Siggin'

These past couple days (from Friday until today), Ashley and I had the great pleasure of having our dear friend Meredith Wiscombe come and stay with us. It was so fun having someone here to show the house to and to take around town. We spent yesterday showing Meredith the sites of Manti which consisted of the Manti Market, Millers Bakery, Candies on Main, Simmons Hardware, and the Brambleberry Basket. We also took her to Ephraim to a little boutique there and then did some shopping at Walmart. After that we went to our singles ward Bishop's house and visited with them for a little bit. We were able to pick some of their fruit from the orchard and played in their yard. Today we took Meredith to church with us and Ashley gave her first lesson in Relief Society. She did an amazing job and definitely has a gift for teaching. After church we went up to the temple and took some pictures in a field by our Bishop's house. This was one of the best weekends here and I think the best way to describe it further is through pictures. So, enjoy!

Time Flies.

It is hard to believe that I have just finished my third week or working at the Manti Market and that I have been living here this long. The longer that I stay here and get to know the people of Manti the more I can't imagine leaving. I absolutely love all of the co-workers and the people that I have met in my singles ward. I know, what a shocker...I like singles ward. There is just something about this ward that I love. Everyone that we have met in it so far has been so friendly. This past monday Ashley and I had a chance to go to the first Family Home Evening activity with just our ward and it was such a good experience. We played "get to know you" games and I have never had so much fun at a singles ward activity than I did at that one. We played the game where you have to name everyones name in the circle and then red rover... it was a very mature game of red rover since we are college students and all. During this and afterwards I had the opportunity to talk with and meet a lot of people. We were invited to a swimming party and to watch a movie at these girls dorms but it was already late and Ashley and I had work the next day so we had to pass. This was also a very good week at the Manti Market. I got to work this this girl named KD yesterday and it was probably the best day there that I have had. She was kind of upset about something when she first got there so I was determined to cheer her up. So for the rest of the work day KD and I shot rubber bands at various targets such as our co-worker Mitch, cigarette signs, and even a lady we weren't too fond of. KD was very grateful to me for teaching her to shoot rubber bands and for cheering her up. She turned out to be a person that I can get along with very easily and is now one of my favorite people to work with. Soon after I got home I realized that I had forgotten to get some things at the Market so I headed back and ended up staying for awhile to hang out with KD and Mitch. While I was there KD and I waited for the market to be empty and then we got on the conveyer belts and walked on them like treadmills. Now I can cross that off my list of things to do before I die. Who knew that working at a grocery store in a small town could be so much fun? I don't think i've ever had a job where I actually looked forward to going and being with my co-workers. I guess anything is possible in Manti.

Bringing Week One to an End.

I am happy to report that I have successfully survived a week (and a few days) of living on my own. During this week I have learned a few vital facts of life. Number one being that grocery shopping is NOT as fun as it seems. Sure it looks pretty fun going to the store and buying all the delicious food that you want. WRONG. In fact it is quite depressing trying to buy groceries for the week with a job that pays 6.55 an hour. The second thing that I have come to realize is that people enjoy venting their woes to cashiers at grocery stores. Also, people enjoy complaining about grocery prices to cashiers even though we have no control whatsoever on how much something costs. Another thing that my eyes have been open to is how sad being a cashier at a grocery store can be. It breaks my heart when someone comes in with their food stamp card and they don't have enough on it and I have to be the one to tell them that they exceeded their balance and have to put their food back. I have been so tempted many times to just pull out my debit card and pay the difference. I realize now how lucky I am to have money to pay for food and other things that aren't exactly necessary. The last thing that I will share is how much I have come to love the small town atmosphere. I am determined to raise my family in Manti now. I want to be able to bring my family to all the town activities and not have to worry every second that my child is in danger when I let them out of the house. There is such a sense of security here that I never felt in my hometown of Chandler. The only thing holding me back is convincing the person I marry to pack up and move here with me. The pictures that I posted with this help sum up this first week of living on my own. Enjoy my dears.