Testing: one, two, three. Can anybody hear me?

Sorry for the long leave of absence, there's been a lot going on. To start it all off, one of my closest cousins and best friend Lexi got to come up from Arizona and stay with me for two weeks! I was so excited when I first found out that I think I screamed in pure joy. Although I'm not entirely sure, it was such a big blur of euphoric excitedness. Well anyways, the week before she arrived passed in a blur and then suddenly *poof* she was here! So I quickly put together an itinerary for the two weeks.

Monday: Sleep

Tuesday: hangout

Wednesday: Lagoon

Thursday: Seven Peaks

Friday: The Musical Tarzan

Saturday: Summer Fest & Fireworks

Sunday: Father's Day

Monday: BYU Art Museum

Tuesday: Bridal Veil Falls

Wednesday: Anthropologie Party

Thursday: Dropbox, The Host

Friday: Home again, home again, jiggity jig

Lex arrived late Monday night, which was also Tami's (my superb step-mom) birthday! (HAPPY BIRFDAY TAMI!) So, late that night after Tami's birthday party I went and picked up Lexi from her grandparents' house who live near my dad's home. We loaded up her luggage and went to my mom's house, because I had work the next day. During the times when I had to work Lex would hang out with Little One, Madisen. Otherwise we were joined at the hip! There are some people that somehow missed being your sister so God merely worked them into your life some other way, and Lexi and I are that way.

Well, anyways, it was wonderful. Tuesday we just caught up and hung out. Then Wednesday we went to Lagoon with some friends of mine. The only problem was, that morning my friend texted me saying they wanted to go to Lagoona Beach while we were there and I have been avoiding swimming this summer because I'm not allowed to go swimming the first six weeks after piercing my ears and my swimsuit is rather pathetic and I have been avoiding replacing it. (I'm a cheapskate, what can I say) So that morning Lexi and I ran to the store and I got a new swimsuit. Lagoon was great and I came back sun kissed. As it turns out Lexi and I are both terrified of the Ferris wheel, so we successfully avoided going on it.  (Thank goodness!)

Thursday, I took Calee, Calee's friend Sammy, and Lexi to the water park Seven Peaks. It was a little windy but sunny. However Lexi is a little desert salamander and it was far too cool for her so we spent a lot of time floating around the lazy river on a double tube. Friday I realized that I had sunburned my sunburn and I looked like a lobster back. After I finished working Friday morning, Lexi and I went and bought tickets to the outdoor musical Tarzan. Well, we got there a little late, *achem* since I never do anything by just barely getting by, by the skin of my teeth, but we got great seats! It was so good! I got to see my friends who were in the play and those who were there watching the play. At one point I ran into my friends Laura and Jon, and Jon said, "I thought you were a broad." I thought he was saying he didn't recognize me and thought I was just some weird broad talking to them, then I realized… oh he meant abroad- in China. Oops.

Saturday I woke up feeling exceedingly nauseated, so instead of taking Lex to the carnival I asked Maddie to. Then after work I caught up with everyone and we went to the High School to watch the Fireworks. Sunday was Father's Day, and as excited as I was about it, I felt distinctly uneasy. Lexi's (18) dad, Kendal, passed away earlier this year and it has been painful beyond words to say goodbye. Sometimes the memories reduce you to tears faster than you can brace for the onslaught of pain. I was worried because I didn't want to be insensitive to Lex. So late Saturday night we bought a keg of root beer and decided Lex would share my Dad. So here's to a great Daddy that is so wonderful I wouldn't trade him for any other dad in the world; who is a perfect surrogate Dad, to Lexi and others.

Monday Lexi, Adam, and I went to the BYU Art museum, mostly because I love museums. They are so beautiful, calming, and feel me with a sense of wellbeing and fulfillment. Tuesday I laughed myself silly as I tried to entice Lexi try to play in the water at Bridal Veil Falls. My desert Flower was not as well adapted to stomping through freezing fresh snow water as I am. (By the way, I absolutely *LOVE* playing in cold fresh water anything- rivers, waterfalls, lakes, etc.) So Calee, Lex, and I climbed up and down the waterfall without getting wet until we got to the flat bottom once more when Calee slipped and sat down in a foot of water. Wednesday night we went to my work party where my favorite brand of clothes called Anthropologie were half off. I bought a jumpsuit, and we played 'Dress up Lex' and ended up getting her three adorable shirts. Thursday I set Lexi up with Dropdox, so we could share music, and then we went to see 'The Host'. Considering how atrociously bad the twilight book to movie was I had very low expectations for The Host, so I was floored by how it was actually really quite good. At 8:30 the next morning I dropped Lexi back off at her Grandmas house, where her mom was, for a family reunion.

So now for the part that relates back to the title of my post: I recently found out that when in China I won't be able to access BlogSpot so I'm attempting to post this through my email since this is what I will have to do whilst abroad. So this is testing, one, two, three. Can anybody hear me?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPeEMNo26_Q