Highlights: Round Two

It's time to dish about the event of the year... Blogapalooza. What can I say? It was as much fun as I hoped it would be. I walked into a room full of women I had never met before, and I could call most of them by name and knew many details of their lives. Who could've worried there would be nothing to talk about? The problem was there wasn't enough time to talk to as many of the women as I would've liked.

I was most surprised to meet Heidi in real life, as she looked nothing like the pictures on her blog. But I was so glad she did as I begged her to (hee hee) and made the trek across the country, because it was worth every minute of it. And of course, I got to give Shally a big REAL hug for all the great things she's brought my way. Really, everyone was so fantastic, I was almost mesmerized for a good part of the night.

I may be a little biased, but I totally sat at the funnest table. I laughed so hard, that it gave me a valid excuse for ignoring the cold squash and dry chicken on my plate. I feel like I should name everyone and say how much I enjoyed each person, but as you can see here...
...there were a lot of us. Over forty, to be semi-exact. We played some games, had some "organized" discussions, and generally just loved every minute of it. Then we got locked in the student center because we lingered much longer than allowed, and the security guard failed to see the bright side of the situation. Bummer.

I may give Utah a lot of flack... and some of you may be starting to feel a little bit slighted because of it. You mustn't. Utah has a lot of wonderful things to offer. I enjoy a visit there. I also enjoy making fun of a few of its idiosyncrasies, so we'll call it even. But on its upside, it does boast the Rodizio Grill at Trolley Square. I have been there several times, and always love it. It's a Brazilian place, where you can eat meat all night long, right off the skewer and fresh off the open fire. Have mercy, it's gluttony at its best. Expensive, but worth every penny.

The morning before my flight home, Lisa, Laura and I met up with another friend from our mission for breakfast. Dorian is this fantastically talented woman who travels the world and does really interesting things. We served in Cape Verde together, and it was a crazy trip. I haven't seen her since 2000, when the three of us took a trip out to Boston together. It was great to catch up. She's so smart, so pretty, and has a very sharp wit. She's also single. So if you happen to have a phenomenal brother or cousin or maybe even an uncle... hook it up.

I was bummed it was all over, but I couldn't wait to get home to my family. I got tons of hugs and loves, and found my home fully intact. Skip is one in a million. He held the fort down and kept the troops happy. I didn't worry for a minute while I was gone. I loved getting away, and I loved coming home. A Little Time Out: It does a body good.