Family and Friends and Random Stuff

[okay, this got to be a lot more random than I even thought it might!]

I realized there are a few things I haven't posted about yet. Oops! Life is sure going by quickly, especially when you're only in a location for 7 weeks.

I'm still here in Arizona, but only for another few days. I work Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, then will sleep a bit on Wednesday, get together with a friend for lunch, then try and get all packed up. On Thursday, I think I'll feel like a jet-setter! I'm going to fly to Sacramento, just for the day! I've NEVER done that before!! I could get my CA nursing license by mail but it takes longer than I had available to start my next job. It is possible to get a temp license in one day, but you're required to be in person at the office in Sacramento. When I calculated the 800 mile drive one way, a hotel stay, and the two days needed for that trip, it turns out to be cheaper to fly. How fun! I'm going to land at 9:00am and leave again at 4:00pm. I have no idea if my appointment will take 30 minutes or a couple of hours. Have any of you spent time in Sacramento before? If I have lots of left-over time, are there any "Don't Miss This" things to see?

When I get back home Thursday night, I'll finish packing, then load up my car on Friday morning and take off for CA! I can't believe it's almost time!

----------
Last Thursday, I was invited over to Forrest and Julie's house for a birthday celebration. I think I said this earlier, but it was SUCH a blessing to have a fun birthday WEEK! We had an evening of great food, fellowship, fun, family, and friends! It was a PERFECT evening to sit outside and enjoy the Arizona weather!

I always enjoy a good brownie sundae and was treated to one with a candle! Don't worry, though, about the candle melting the ice cream. I waited until after I made my wish and blew out my candle to add the ice cream!
Thank you to Forrest and Julie for hosting, and to Kathy for organizing this fun celebration! I really appreciate it and am so thankful for you!!

I have SOOOOO loved my time hanging out with Kathy while I've been here. I'm sure many of you know this, but I can't remember that I've said this on my blog before -Kathy and I were roommates for a year. We lived in a three-bedroom townhouse with seven women all together. Yes, you read that right, SEVEN women! Kathy and I shared a room and while we had known each other prior to that, we built such a fun friendship that year! I had long been telling my friends that they should marry my cousins so we could hang out at family reunions together. Well, the night before I moved out of the townhouse, Kathy and my cousin Joel were engaged! How fun! (He's a second-cousin, but in our family cousins are cousins, whether first or second.) It's been really great to spend a lot of good time hanging out with them during this assignment, and so fun to watch them be wonderful parents to their new little girl!

She's such a little sweetheart!

You can tell that Grandpa Forrest really loves his role!

----------
Last Sunday after I woke up, I was excited to head over to Brian and Ronda's house for lunch and an afternoon of hanging out! They live about 45 minutes to the west of me, and with their busy schedules and my strange hours, we haven't gotten to see each other much. Ronda's not only my cousin but a kindred-spirit, so I've been especially excited to see her! It was great to see their home, be able to really picture where they live, and just hang out a bit. And, the home cooked roast and mashed potato meal was delicious! Ronda and I laughed a lot while Brian took our picture!

I had met Brian once in Arizona a few years ago, and then again at their wedding two summers ago in Seattle (can it already be two years??), but it's been really fun to get to know him better! Last night they came this direction and we went out to eat then came back to play some games but we ended up just chatting so much we didn't leave time for the games! Brian's a great guy and they are a wonderful match. And, though it doesn't show in this picture, he really does smile a lot! He just told me he doesn't smile so much in pictures... :)
Thanks again for lunch last Sunday, and for coming over here last night! It's been great to see you both, and I'm hoping it works for you to visit me (and the beach!) this summer!!

When I left their home last Sunday, it was really quite hot out. My car thermometer actually said 117 degrees, but that's because it was sitting out in the sun on their driveway. But, it really was hot! I think the high I heard on the news that night was 110 degrees, but my car showed 112 degrees after it cooled down out of the sun!

That reminds me, the forecast here for Friday, when I'm loading up and packing my car, is 100 degrees. Will you pray for me? I don't mind the heat -I actually get acclimated pretty quick and now the 70-80's have been feeling cool! But, 100 degrees while carrying boxes doesn't sound like fun.

Well, if you've stuck with me during this long post, THANK YOU! And, I hope that you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! One of the many things I miss from Fergus Falls is the great job they did of honoring our veterans, and encouraging a patriotic spirit. Here's a picture I took last Memorial Day of the great flag display they have, and you can see another post about it here.


I want to publicly thank each of our veterans and current soldiers for fighting for the freedoms we enjoy each day, and because it's specifically Memorial Day and we're honoring those who are no longer here on earth, I'm thinking of my Grandpa Swanson who served in France during World War II.