Okay. Even I am tired of looking at our blog. So, for those of you still checking for updates, let me fill you in on what we have been doing this summer.
Jeni started her summer off by running the Dirty Dash at Soldier Hollow. As the name implies, it is a fairly muddy course. Jeni got a group of co-workers together and they ran as the "Dirty Dukes and Daisies." Jeni and her friend Alex weren't really concerned about getting their best time in this 5K. They were more concerned about keeping their faces out of the mud. Jeni was successful. She actually stayed relatively clean compared to many of the runners.
Also in the beginning of June, Jeni and Crystal took a short trip to Las Vegas. They did all of their favorite things: watching the Bellagio fountains, going to the Coke and M&M factories, and shopping, lots of shopping. What they forgot to do was take pictures.
Mid-June, Crystal had to go back to work, so Jeni kept herself busy hiking--when it wasn't raining. She has been on several hikes with Jessica and a few friends. However, she doesn't want me to post a lot of pictures, so you will have to find them on Facebook.
At the end of June, I took a work trip to New Orleans for the annual meeting of the American Library Association. This really is one of my favorite conferences, although not one of my favorite venues. This is really not a city I would choose to go back to visit. However, I did have a good time because several of my friends were also there. One evening we took a haunted tour of the French Quarter, which was really quite entertaining. The creepiest ghost story told that night was about the hotel in which my friends were staying. That made the rest of their stay a little less comfortable, but makes for a great story. I did a lot of walking and tried some new food. On Sunday, a friend and I drove out to the Garden District for church. That really was my favorite part of the trip. The neighborhoods were so much cleaner and it just felt good to be in a dedicated meetinghouse.
Crystal celebrated her birthday at school. She really doesn't like to work on her birthday. Since that has happened for the last few years, she has a new birthday tradition. Jeni brings cake to school and the whole class celebrates.
Jessica got a job at BYU-Idaho. YEAH! So, over the Independence Day weekend, Crystal, Jeni, Matthew, and Alli moved her into her new home in Rexburg. They worked really hard scrubbing down walls and floors and unpacking all of Jessica's boxes. Hopefully, when she gets her internet connection up, Jessica will tell you a little more about what she is doing now. What I can tell you, is that she likes her job, likes the people she works with, and is very happy to have employment.I wasn't able to go on the moving trip because I was still working on my talk. I had to speak at the LDS Business College devotional on July 5th. I had known about it for almost two months and had been worrying about just as long. Although I had been working on the talk for about three weeks, I just couldn't get it to all come together--and fill up 40 minutes--until Monday night. I really don't like public speaking and I am very glad that it is over! Crystal, Jeni, and Grandma Sorenson came to listen and give me moral support. We had a nice lunch afterwards, which made the day much more enjoyable.
Crystal, Jeni, and I went to see Harry Potter 7, pt. 2 last Thursday. We have had our tickets to a private showing for months and months. Opening nights have always been fun, but we really don't miss sitting in line for three hours.
Crystal has had her very short summer break and has to head back to work next week. But, while she has been home, she and Jeni have been spending lots of time at the pool. They are both very tan.
We hope to fill the summer up with a few more fun things before it is gone.
