Happy Birthday to Me!

I have been so touched today. I have been so overwhelmed and honored at the outpouring of calls, cards, and birthday wishes. I feel so loved! And I had such a great day (despite having to work)! Instead of telling you about my day, I'll show you...

It started last night when my co-workers and girls in the house threw me a birthday party, made me a cake, and  got me the new Birthday Oreos (which literally taste like cake batter with sprinkles in an Oreo). Who needs candles when you can top your cake with an Oreo?

Then I got a super-sweet card from one of the girls in the house that validated why I do what I do. In the card she wrote, "You are such an amazing God fearing woman and I admire that greatly." I must be doing something right!!

Then this morning Josh took me out for breakfast before he had to go fly. If I had been wearing make-up at 8am, I probably would have photo-documented this wonderful celebration with my almost-husband. However, because of my last few adventures in Einstein's Bagels without makeup, I hide my naked face there now. The first time, I got teased by an elderly woman. I was wearing sweats, no make-up, it was 8:30am, and a rickety white-haired lady teetered past me on the sidewalk, took one look at my face, proclaimed I must have had a late night last night, and laughed. The second time, the cashier asked if I was feeling ok. I was. I just wasn't wearing make-up. You would think I would have learned my lesson, but I love Einstein's, and there was no time to put make-up on before meeting Josh. Thus, no photo-documentation. Anyway...

Then I went with the beautiful Jackie to PICK UP MY WEDDING DRESS!!!! I couldn't stop crying when I was trying it on. It was, it is perfect! All the alterations they made are flawless! I was really nervous at my first fitting when they estimated how much to take in on each side, but I am so impressed. It fits me like a glove. I can't wait to wear it for more than five minutes! When I brought it home, I had to laugh, because my closet is so short, that my dress won't fit! Thus, it has to hang on the back of my door. It was kind of funny though, because I sat on my bed, looking at the dress bag, and couldn't sit still. I kept walking up to it and un-zipping it and fawning over it as if it were a new baby! I love my dress!!! What a great birthday present!

Then I got to have lunch with my dearest friend, maid-of-honor, and roommate Jackie. I hadn't seen her for nearly three weeks because I was working, and then she was in Swaziland on a mission trip and then in Illinois visiting a friend. It was such a sweet time catching up, hearing about trips, and sharing life. And then I cried (again) thinking of how grateful I am for Jackie, her love, her heart, and her friendship. I guess I'm just a big softie today...

When I was driving back to work for the evening shift, the sun was sparkling so vibrantly on the Great Salt Lake. It was such a beautiful, warm, and sunny day, that if I didn't know it was March 5th, I would have thought it was spring!

And even though I worked all night, I taught a girl how to make quiche, played soccer, and braided hair, it was still a great day. Not ideal, but what really is?? I had a great birthday!! Thank you to all of you who have called, texted, and wished me well today! I could have had a quarter-life crisis today, but couldn't find anything to complain about!

So, 25 down, and many more wonderful years to go! :)


*Feel free to join me in my annual celebration of my namesake... It's better than the Happy birthday Song. It's Pure Prairie League!

Paparazzi

About a month ago, Josh and I had our engagement photos taken. It was so fun getting all dolled up and having a camera in our faces. Awkward at times and cold, but so much fun. We were supposed to have them taken on a Friday afternoon that was sunny and bright and beautiful. But Josh suddenly had to move into his new apartment that day, and our photographer was so gracious to re-schedule for the following day. He made a joke to dress warm and that the weatherman predicted snow, but when has he been right about anything all winter? Well, he was this time! I woke up to a true winter wonderland! It was cold, but oh so pretty. The snow was fresh and lightly sparkling in the clouded sun. Which made our faces sparkle even more.

I got an email from our amazing photographer this week with the link to all our photos. It's so fun to look through them and to start designing our invitations. Even though Josh is nearly a foot taller than me (even with high heels on), I realized that we look really good together. Despite the awkward moments of having a camera in our faces trying to capture romantic moments, it's clear to see that we really love each other. And it's clear that we are quite beautiful and handsome too! ;)

Now I know how the celebrities feel with paparazzi following them around all the time. Okay, not really, but it felt we had our own paparazzi that day! Not to mention his assistant (who also happens to be his beautiful wife) and our entourage (consisting of the Maid of Honor and Best Man).

Instead of using the rest of this blog to explain our pictures to you, I'll let you decide for yourselves...


*Check out our amazing photographer, Sawyer Pangborn, through his website here, or facebook here! 
**Like the photos that you see and want one for yourself? Let me know and I can get you one! 

Pass It On

When I first got engaged, I was first elated, and then overwhelmed when I started to think of everything that needed to be done. Now, two months into it, Almost everything is either booked or has been purchased, and even though things are moving fast as May rapidly approaches, I feel like I am able to relax and enjoy the planning. 

I have a friend who just got engaged this weekend and is planning to be married in February. I am so excited for her! But as we were talking about it, I could see the look of fear and stress overtake her face. This is a time where she should be joyous and excited to take this new step in her life, but instead she is burdened by plans and stressed that she doesn't know what to do or where to even begin. Being slightly ahead of the planning process, I offered to help her. And within 20 minutes I was able to give her nearly 20 different links to dress rental shops, caterers, marriage license and name change info, reception venues, how to register with various stores, easy invitations, and upcoming bridal expos. Having been in her shoes, I know how helpful and essential this is. 

If it weren't for Jackie, Sharayah, and other recently wedded individuals, I would have been so bogged down and lost, that I would have been on the verge of a stress-induced coma. I am so grateful for their help in my planning process (and continuous help), and I am so grateful that I was able to pay that forward today. 

So, as as the world prepares to pause (hopefully) and celebrate Peace, let's stop and think about what others have done for us. What can you do to pass this kindness on to another? What can you do for a friend or stranger that they can pass it on to someone else? As we are in the midst of the season of giving, think about what things you can give. Because the best gifts are those that can't be returned, but passed on. 

I Heart Josh!

Last week a chapter of my life got a fitting bookend. My time dating Josh started with a concert, and it turns out it ended with a concert too.

For the past five years, my friend Jess and I have been enormously huge fans of Josh Wilson, before he even produced his first official record, let alone received a spot on the top of the Christian music charts. His best friend from high school, also named Josh, lives in Salt Lake City and they would often do concerts together at the tiny chapel at the University. That's when I first heard Josh Wilson. I paid $2 to get into the concert and $5 for a plain white CD with "Josh Wilson Unreleased Tracks" written on it. I knew he was a talented musician from the first chord he played. He has unique sound equipment that records what he plays and can record and playback multiple tracks at once, thus sounding like a whole band from one man. Jess, who was my roommate back then, and I would blast Josh Wilson's music whenever we would clean our house and find motivation from singing his music at the top of our lungs. Our favorite song by far was "The Saints."

My senior year of college Josh Wilson got his big break and got his first song in the top 20 of Christian music and went on tour with Matthew West. When Jess and I heard that the tour was passing through Grand Junction, CO, we decided to drive the 4.5 hours to see him. Then Freshmen, Jackie and Josh decided to join us. We made tee shirts and had a blast on our roadtrip. Josh Wilson even recognized me and Jess from the times he had played in Salt Lake. Not to mention he was extremely flattered that we professed our love of his music on our pretty pink chests. And he wrote a blog about us, so we were flattered too.

So, when we heard that Josh Wilson was on tour with Steven Curtis Chapman and had a concert in Idaho Falls, we knew we had to make that drive and reunite the 4 original roadtrippers with our bright pink tee shirts. Wanting to hear "The Saints" like we yelled for at every concert, I began tweeting Josh Wilson a week in advance, in hopes of hearing our favorite song at his concert. He didn't play it, but tweeted me back to meet us by the curtain after the show so he could give us a private concert. It was seriously the coolest thing ever. You can watch the video below. The concert as a whole was also really amazing.

Going to the concert was such a beautiful bookend not only for Josh and Jackie's college career, but also for  me and Josh's dating relationship. For months I refused to date Josh because he was a freshman and I was a senior and I couldn't see it going anywhere. Then one night I was crying out to God, asking him what I should do. I was listening to one of Josh Wilson's unreleased songs, and God spoke back to me through the chorus. "They always told me I should guard my heart, but who are they anyway. Nobody told me not to guard too hard, that's why they never stay." I knew I was guarding my heart too hard and not willing to wait and see if God would move the relationship to something more. And it was shortly after that first concert roadtrip that I agreed to date Josh and see where it would go. So, how beautiful that three years later, we would go to his concert again and shortly after which, end our dating relationship... by getting engaged! God's timing is beautiful. :)

You can check out Josh Wilson's music by clicking here. 
And please ignore the few places where I sing along in the video. I was really excited and couldn't help myself ;)

My Marketable Mommy Skills

My roommates and I joke with our other roommate, Morgan (who is LDS), that if she wants to find a good Mormon boy to marry, she needs to develop her marketable marriage skills such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and general wifey attributes. Well, all this last week I have been going through training for my job. I have been learning how to teach to behaviors through effective praise, preventative teaching, and corrective teaching during the day, and at nights I've been learning how to keep my cool while the girls try to push all of my buttons to my breaking point.

My mom always told me as I grew up that when you have a baby, no one teaches you how to be a parent, that there's no manual for mommies. Well, I have discovered the secret to parenting: my job. Usually parents start from the beginning and figure it out as they go. It's slightly unconventional to start with teenagers, but my job is preparing me to be a parent, and a good one at that. I am learning how to deal with tantrums, encourage healthy behaviors, teach to inappropriate behaviors, and be a good role model of what a healthy life looks like. So now I can not only market my marriage skills to potential suitors who come to call, but I can also market these mommy skills I am developing to snag a good Jesus-following boy to marry ;) But hopefully these marketable skills will not evolve into a brochure that will get pulled out along with my baby pictures when my boyfriend comes home. That would be embarrassing. 

Despite working a billion-and-a-half hours these past few weeks because of training, we've also done some pretty fun stuff. Here's some pics of activities that have marketed my mommy skills...

Tonight the whole campus went to the REAL Salt Lake soccer game against the Portland Timbers. It was a tie, but funny to watch the girls get into the game and root for Portland just to rebel against the staff. As far as rebellion goes, I'd gladly take that over anything else any day! 

I've become the official hair-braider in the house. This is what I missed out on not having sisters! Glad I get to be a part of girly bonding now though :)

We take the girls running around the local farms just about every day. This is a sunflower one of the girls found against the backdrop of a blue sky and the Oquirrh Mountains. Beautiful. 

There are a few apple and pear trees in the back yard, so we've been eating really fresh fruit! So delicious! The girls seem to enjoy healthy eating more when they have the experience of picking their food themselves! :)

Friday was the campus service project of picking up trash in random places around Tooele. They were all rewarded with a pizza party and cookie decorating. This is my happy Halloween cookie. It made my tummy happy too. Yummm...

After having a few really hard days in a row of training and working with the girls and working a 17-hour day, I came home to find a bouquet of my favorite flowers by my bed. Thanks Josh for keeping me sane when work is hectic! 

Manifesto

Manifesto:  n. /ˌmanəˈfestō/ 
                    A declaration of principles, ideas, intentions, ambitions, or actions. 


A manifesto is a powerful thing. One of the most famous is the Communist Manifesto written by German political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Written in 1848, it presents the Marxists ideas about the nature of society and politics, particularly with class struggles. Today it is considered one of the most powerful political manuscripts. But it started as two individuals voicing what they believed to be true.  


Belief is a powerful thing. It shifts perspectives and perceptions. It powers thoughts and actions. It shapes cultures and nations. What would have happened if Martin Luther King Jr. didn't believe that his infamous dream could ever become reality? What would have happened if the American colonists believed in the monarchy of England? What would have happened if our ancestors really believed the world was flat and believed the coast of Ireland was the end of the world? What if Martin Luther believed that the Bible should only be read in Latin and in mass? What would have happened if the apostles believed Jesus really was dead? Belief is a powerful thing. 


I went to a concert last night to see The City Harmonic, who are known for their song "Manifesto." The lyrics combine the Nicene Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the story of the Bible to declare their beliefs about the world. These are the same beliefs Christians have had throughout history. And it is this belief that has shaped, shifted, and empowered my life. Today, this is my manifesto... 

The City Harmonic performing "Manifesto"

Me, Josh, Jackie, and the band

I Get Paid for This?? Seriously???

The best jobs are the ones that don't even feel like jobs. I know I haven't even been working for a whole week and have barely even started the honeymoon phase, but I love my job. I am an assistant at Utah Youth Village working in one of their residential treatment facilities for teenage girls. So far I've gotten paid for doing a puzzle, having a dance party, watching a soccer game, cooking, reading, and best of all, talking. Can't beat that! I know the job has difficult parts (like the hours and discipline), but overall, they are just teenage girls who just need love. Plus, it's in what seems like a remote part of the world on a farm with tons of horses. It's a great environment and despite what it feels like, it's not really that far away at all. A new girl came yesterday, so I know it's just going to get harder as she adjusts and more girls come, but it was so clear that God opened this door for me, and it's so clear already that this is a good fit for me.

My job is assisting the live-in staff, but right now, there are no live-in staff. So, needless to say I'm working a lot. But the days pass so quickly it doesn't even seem like I am working. I don't get to see my roommates much, or Josh even, but the Lord provided this job, so hopefully He will still provide for those relationships despite the busyness.

All in all, I find myself loving what I am doing because I know it's a good fit for me. How many people can say that? So grateful :)

The puzzle I did with the girls and my co-worker. Piecing together those brick pieces were a beast! 

Josh, my pilot boyfriend, did a fly-over at their soccer game on Saturday. I tried to take a picture of his plane, but I couldn't see the screen. Even though I missed the plane, it's a cool picture anyway!

The view of the campus from our driveway. SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Being Grateful

I heard a sermon this past weekend on what it means to be grateful. Honestly, I don't remember exactly what the pastor said, but it got me thinking about what I am grateful for. I can get so caught up in so much else, that I often forget. So, I began to think about it in church and started to cry. I've been thinking a lot about it since and decided I needed to write a list. So, this is my abridged list, because today, I could go on forever and ever...

Jesus and his gift of free Life
God's unending forgiveness and sovereignty
The ability to pray freely and be heard unconditionally
That my parents are alive (two of them were caught in the Joplin tornado in May)
A loving family
Three wonderful parents
Mary and her powerful and unending prayers
Josh and his physical, emotional, and spiritual protection over me
Jackie and her unconditional truth, grace, and love
Julie and her pioneer ministry and determination to declare the Gospel with her life
Amazing friendships that transcend time and proximity
My family in Christ
A place to live and enough money to survive
Political and spiritual freedom
Those who have served to protect this country at all times, especially the last decade
Time to think today about what I am grateful for
People who have interest in possibly wanting to hire me
Sunshine, mountains, flowers, and a beautiful city
A place where I can fully relax
Books and my passion for reading
My education and training to write well
Getting to share my heart and thoughts with you through this blog
People willing and wanting to read my blog (Thanks!)
Music
Art
Intellect
Strength and weaknesses
Desire to live a legacy
My life, God's protection, and God's provision
Ability to see what God has saved me from and what He's saving me for

There's so much more, but for the sake of time and space, I'll leave it at this... for now...

An Average Day in the Life of an Unemployed

Have you seen Tangled? The Disney movie about Rapunzel?? Remember the beginning scene??? Well, If you don't remember or haven't seen the movie you should go watch it. Right now. But in case time and life does not allow for that, I have included a video of that scene below. And have you read my thoughts about how that movie applies to my life? If you haven't, you can read them here. But I digress.

I am currently unemployed and looking for a job. I've only been in this situation for a little over a month, but it has felt like forever. Mainly because an average day in my life is much like that scene in Tangled. So, I invite you to step into my life for a moment to enlighten yourself about the average day in the life of the unemployed Amie Lou...

1) I wake up whenever I happen to rouse into consciousness (and depending on how late I was chatting with my roommates the night before, that could really be any time from 7am-10am).

2) Then I groggily look at the apps on my phone to read the Bible verses of the day and say a prayer for my sanity and productivity.

3) I mosey up the stairs to start brewing my coffee and while waiting, check my email on my phone to see if anyone sent me an email offering me a job during the course of the night. So far, no one has. But I look expectantly every morning anyway.

4) I drink my coffee and peruse Twitter for any life updates or breaking news in the world. And I am always amazed at how much I can learn from 160 characters.

5) Then, I search my routine job sites and find that only 8 jobs had been posted since I checked it the day before. And I am usually not qualified for any of them.

6,7,8,9,10,11,12,etc.....) So, then I usually make my bed 3 or 4 times, browse facebook for a while, read a book or two, paint my toenails, do Zumba, vacuum the floor, wash all the dishes in the kitchen (clean and dirty), look down at my toes, decide to re-paint my nails, clean the bathroom, re-organize my closet, search for jobs again and find no new postings, watch a movie, knit a sweater, check my email hoping for a job offer, stare at the wall and wonder why it's painted such a weird color, daydream about better colors to paint the walls if the landlord would let us, look down at my toes and decided that if I can't repaint the walls I'll re-paint my toes (again), watch YouTube videos like a 'bauss' (that's for you Josh), search for jobs again and still find no new postings, check my LinkedIn profile to see how many possible employers may have looked at my page, be disappointed that no one who may want to hire me has viewed it, bake muffins to cheer me up, eat muffins realizing lunch was hours ago, browse facebook again to see what my friends are doing around the world, check my email again hoping for an interview, go the gym and literally have my butt kicked in the exercise class, lay on the floor as the muscles in my body explode, see my toes and decided to re-paint them (yet again), search for jobs again and not find anything worth applying for, re-wash all the dishes, bleach the sink, clean the bathroom again, take a shower, shampoo the carpets (that one's for you Dad. Are you paying attention? ;)), light a candle and watch the flame dance, read how to make candles, realize I would have to leave the house to get candle-making supplies, decide it's not worth it, re-paint my toenails instead, make an elaborate dinner with whatever I find in laying around, search for jobs again, find nothing was posted since I last checked, hear my roommates come home, talk and giggle with them about how I entertained myself that day, check my email hoping for anything, get ready for bed, browse facebook one last time, and then I brush and brush and brush and brush my hair and wonder when will I get a job.... (Okay, maybe I only brush it once or twice, but watch the video for a frame of reference)

Everyone has been telling me to enjoy this time while I have it, but painting my toenails 5 or 6 times a day is wearing me down. It wasn't so bad before school started and all my roommates were home with me all day, but it's kind of boring being the basement bum all by myself. Hopefully I will be able to write a post soon about the average day in life of Amie Lou's job.... Ahhhhhh.... That would be nice :)

And for a full reenactment of my average day, check out this video. It's amazingly accurate...

*I don't know what country this video came from, but it's great quality and still sung in English. Enjoy. And when you can, watch the full movie. Or maybe I'll watch it for you today :)

The Dog Days of September

My roommate and her boyfriend went to St. George with his family for Labor Day weekend, so the rest of us get to puppy-sit Nick's adorable canine, LeLu. Yesterday I went to the neighborhood Starbucks with a friend. Because this neighborhood is so dog-friendly, I decided to bring LeLu to hang out with us over coffee.

Because she is still a puppy, LeLu was very excited and wanted to meet everyone sitting on the patio at Starbucks. Then she whined for a while because there was another dog that didn't want to play with her, and then she was whining because the birds were singing, but then she calmed down and slept at my feet for a while in the sunshine. Then on the way home, she couldn't see out the windows of my car, so she decided to get a better seat.

Oh, what it would be like to live as a dog. According to LeLu, it's quite the life...

 

 

The Nightmares of an Insomniac

After seeing a movie and going for late-night food at a diner, my roommates and myself decided to talk until after 2am and share fun things we had found on the internet. Because our lower-level cave is significantly cooler than the main floor, we all sat in a row on the futon in our basement living room. We were excitedly discussing cakes and frosting when we all saw a creepy, long-legged thing (literally) run across the floor in front of us. Following the shrill screams from me and Jackie, we pleaded with Morgan (the self-appointed and fearless live-in spider killer) to kill it. Her complacency toward the situation just made things worse. Probably due to my ghost-white complexion and look of sheer terror, Morgan eventually caved and went hunting with my tennis shoe. But, to no avail. The creature sufficiently hid itself underneath our plethora of DVD's.

It took Jackie a while to calm me down. It helped to know that while venomous, these nasty creatures commonly called the House Centipede cannot penetrate human skin and primarily hunt spiders and other pesky insects. And they only come out at night. But it didn't help make me less paranoid. Jackie continued to spout the virtues of this insect until she ascended the stairs to go to bed and leave me in the basement, alone, with the hidden creature. I talked myself down off of my irrational cliff as I walked into my bathroom until I switched on the light and saw a big, black spider perched right in front of the toilet. That's when I realized that my irrational fear was in fact rational: bugs (both malignant and benign) are everywhere. 

So, here I am, after 3am, sitting on my bed, paranoid that I will see another creature of abnormal speed and proportions (for the record, I did kill the spider in the bathroom, thanks to the emotional support and encouragement from Jackie). How can I have creepy-crawly nightmares when I have yet to fall asleep?? And how can I fall asleep when I am having creepy-crawly nightmares?? I feel this is a vicious cycle. Moral of the story is that no matter how much I love talking to my wonderful roommates, I have to be in bed before midnight so I don't witness the nocturnal creepy-crawling of creatures doing their nightly rounds. 

*PS, I thought about attaching a photo of the bug I saw, but that meant that I would have to look at one, and I wasn't about to put myself through that kind of stress again right now. But if you are really that curious, just Google "House Centipede," and make sure you do it long before bedtime!

On a lighter note, one of the discoveries we made before getting interrupted by bugs is that Costco.com is selling a one-of-a-kind, internally flawless, clearly colorless, 6.2 carat diamond solitaire for 1 million dollars. Say What??!?!?? Yeah, that's right. (For those unfamiliar with this talk, I'm pretty sure a 6 carat stone would be much bigger than my finger!!) Talk about a rock!!! The (un)lucky recipient of that ring will have to do arm workouts for months before preparing her hand to flaunt that chunk of ice. Check out the crazy ring here. But good news; you'd save half a million dollars by buying it through Costco!

The Mysterious Muffin Man Strikes Again!

The house was hushed in the early morning hours as dawn began to break, and the oven was set to 400 degrees. Flour and sugar dotted the counter as the faint scrape of the spoon against the glass bowl echoed through the kitchen. An hour and a half later, a variety of muffins were set on the table as they cooled. There could only be one explanation... THE MYSTERIOUS MUFFIN MAN STRUCK AGAIN!

For two of my roommates, today is the last first day of school. For one of my roommates, today is the first day of first grade (in case you're wondering, today is her first day as a student teacher). And because I am the bum in the basement who is unemployed and looking for a job, I wanted to serve my roommates and make them breakfast. But breakfast got a bit carried away and turned into three batches of mucho mouthwatering muffins! And the best part was that I uniquely invented each one. I loosely based the ingredients on my dad's muffin recipe that he stored in his head (until I asked him to write it down for me, and even that was pretty vague), and they came out pretty great! I used creative ingredients like packets of flavored instant oatmeal, Grape Nuts cereal, Craisins, and frozen berries. And they got rave reviews! If I still can't find a job that fits, maybe I can be a baker... Alas, if only I lived on Drury Lane...

Triple Berry Muffins, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, and Secret Muffins :)

To A Woman Who Has Changed and Inspired Me

"I love inspiring people, and if I can make a difference in one person's life, 
then that's success to me!"

-Sasha Azevedo

A speaker that I heard recently encouraged me to think of moments of significant change and growth in my life, and as I was doing this, I realized that they all had one thing (or person) in common. Most all of them involved my friend Julie. So, in her honor, this is my...

Top Ten Reasons I Have Been Changed and Inspired By Julie

11. She let me borrow her car for three weeks when mine was in the shop

10.  She is a modern-day pioneer, always searching to "go where no man has gone before"

9. She loves accepts me unconditionally, even though I love Star Trek

8. She always (without fail) laughs at all of my stupid jokes and validates my bizarre humor

7. She was the first one to share the Gospel with me

6. She has always accepted the sinful realities of my past with truth and grace

5. She faithfully poured into me for three years, even though she probably knew I wasn't a Christian yet

4. She is a humble leader; She has always been honest about her struggles and short-comings

3. She has challenged me to do the unthinkable (and so far, I have ended up doing everything she challenged me to do)

2. She no longer sees me as just that girl she discipled a few years ago, but she has continued to love me as a friend and peer

And the #1 reason I have been changed and inspired by Julie is...

1. Seeing Julie live life and do ministry inspires me to want to live with a more passionate faith and serve the Lord for a lifetime.

Thanks for all you do Julie! I love you :)

*I know that's 11 reasons, but there was just so much, I couldn't stop at 10!

Another Summary in Pictures

I have to give many heartfelt apologies for dropping off the face of the blogging world for so long. I have been in many transitions over the past few weeks, and things have been hectic. There has been lots of packing, unpacking, packing, driving, unpacking, driving, and packing, with quite a few fun adventures and "firsts" mixed in. So, per my style, I'll share what's been going on in pictures...

I had the opportunity to travel to Austin, TX to visit my mom for a few days. It was short, but so much fun to spend time with her!

My parents were in Joplin, MO when the massive tornado hit on May 22. I have a lot of family there, who are all thankfully safe, but this was where my cousin's house once stood. The destruction there is unreal. I was visiting my mom at the time, and so thankful my step-mom was able to get a line out to tell me they were okay!

When I got back from TX, I packed up my little Rav4 with everything I still owned and then left Portland to go to Seattle, where the big trek began. 

But while in the Seattle area, I was able to spend some great time with Josh's family and experienced first-hand the mad bball skills his 7 year-old brother has. Syals got it in the hoop just about every time from just about everywhere on the court! 

Then Josh and I left and began our big drive. But as we went over Snoqualmie Pass, we drove into a rainbow! It was a good way to start a 1700 mile road-trip over six states!

But on the way to Denver we stopped for a few days in SLC and the Three Musketeers had a chance to be together once again! And, as always, Josh and Jackie whispered to each other with their eyes in front of me. I never get to know their secrets...

Once we made it to Denver, we went up to Grand Lake, where my parents have a summer home. While there, Dad and Josh taught me how to shoot! It was so much fun and I even made perfect bulls-eye shots a few times! 

I also caught a fish! It was a pretty big Lake Trout. I hadn't been fishing since I was in middle school and never expected to catch anything. As soon as I reeled it in, I yelled at Josh to come take care of it for me ;)

My cheap dad has finally joined the ranks of Mountaineer members and finally bought a fishing boat! Okay, so maybe it's not quite sized for humans, but it trails a lure behind it and could potentially catch a fish! 

After dropping Josh off at the airport, I made my way up to Fort Collins where I will be spending the summer with Campus Crusade for Christ. As the details of our summer project start to come together, I am getting so excited to work with students here and for the staff conference at the end of the summer!

You can't go to Fort Collins without making a trip to Beau Jo's pizza. Just look at this crust... It's over 2 inches thick and drizzled with honey. Yummm... :)

And tonight, before we got rained and hailed out (golf balls started falling from the sky when we got home), I went to my FIRST drive-in movie! I highly recommend Kung-Fu Panda 2.

So, there's a brief summary about what's been going on in the world of Amie Lou. And now that I am starting to get settled, I should be blogging again regularly. But if it takes another week, please give me grace :)