WEDDING BLISS

Wedding bliss was in the air. We had surfed the morning, and we were now on track to arrive for the guys to get their tuxes and be fitted for everything. Austin met us there a bit late, which unfortunately wasn't the last time something or someone was late during the weekend. We got things done, and drove to the rehearsal. My favorite part of it was that I didn't have to do anything during the rehearsal! We next went to JoTo's, which was one of Austin's favorite places to eat, and we had a great meal. Morning came fast. I couldn't believe that Austin was getting married. Just like that we were in the Orlando temple with two of my favorite people in the whole world. It was so special. I felt bad for the family that couldn't come and couldn't be inside the temple, but I was so proud of Austin and Kenzie for making such a tough choice. The rest of the week was just fun. Bayba and Chris and I just hit the beach, surfed, swam, and played all Monday. I somehow didn't drink enough water, and the sunshine/humidity combo just ate me alive. Tuesday I was sick, I couldn't sleep, I was up all night, I was sick all day, I ached, and had a fever, and couldn't eat, and took pain meds and slept the whole day. By the end of the night things were ok, and I was able to play my last day which was Wednesday. We hit the beach for some waves, but there were none, and so we just swam and laid out on the beach. I couldn't believe that my week in paradise was almost already over. It was a sad fact for me, because it meant that not only was my vacation over, but it also meant I was over half way through the 7 week break that I had off from school. I flew into Salt Lake, and immediatly was in a rental car and on my way to Great Falls MT where Mom and Dad were waiting for me. I had been summoned home for my little sis' baptism and family pictures and things. I was so disappointed. I was going to miss the best concert ever. It was going to be Relient K, Something Corporate, Allred, Deathcab for Cutie, and Dashboard Confessionals in an acoustic show. It was crazy. It seemed like just as soon as I was home in Canada, I was back on the road to Utah taking Jessica to school. We moved her in and made a small vacation out of it. Just like that, my break was over. I waited around in Salt Lake for Austin and Kenzie to return from their honeymoon, and I picked them up from the airport, and just like that, we were on our way, but not without a stop at Moki's with Austin and my's son, Elder Echols. It was great fun, and then the drive was long and ready quiet!

7 Weeks

My thoughts are on a rampage right now. Where to begin? Its been so long since I put thoughts down on paper. I guess we should go back to where I left off.

Last semester ended well. I did better then I expected on a few of my finals, and on the rest I just had a prayer that I would do ok. Things didn't quite work out perfect, I got an A- in my Economics class, and so I lost my wonderful 4.0 GPA, but I learned a lot, and I found a new calling in life. I love Economics. It relates to every part of life, including the gospel. It is one of the greatest things to have a knowledge of, and I feel that pursuing it is a smart life plan. I was one of the last in our apartment to move out, and bloody hell, did people leave a lot of stupid stuff behind. Sadly, I think after 12 hours straight of cleaning I threw out 200 dollars worth of opened food that wouldn't keep over the 7 week summer break. Austin and I finished up the last touches and we were off. We stopped at Cafe Rio, and then headed on our journey to Salt Lake. I had agreed to take my best friend to the airport. It was a joyous, and yet sad event. Austin would no longer be my roommate after this trip. We had our one last night as roommates at a families house in Salt Lake, and after staying up way too late, I dropped him off way to early at the SLC Airport. I drove back to this family's house I was staying at, and they were not home, so I let myself back inside. They came home, and found me, a guest they had only met a few times, sleeping on their couch. I was quick to put my things together and get out while they ran a few errands, and I was on my way for 7 weeks of adventure. I had planned to work during the break. I first intended to work on the farm for the harvest, but things got planted really slow, and harvest was going to be a bit late. Because of plans to go to harvest I purchased my plane ticket to Austin and Kenzie's wedding in Florida from Salt Lake, being as it was the closest major airport, and the closest to Rexburg. When harvest fell through, I still had a ticket for August from Salt Lake, and so I made arrangements to stay with a family I knew and work. I spent the first 3 weeks of my break doing concrete repairs at the new Herriman High School. I worked my butt off, knowing that the job needed to be done, and needed to be done right. It was hot. We spent almost as much time wiping sweat off as we did sweeping up broken concrete. I didn't think that job would ever end. It was honestly the largest concrete palace I had seen. There were more cracks, and shifts, and heaves than I had ever seen, and when we fixed one, someone else broke another. Finally my time to leave Utah had come. I climbed on board my flight to paradise and headed to the wedding. After spending a 6 hour layover in Denver, looking for the conspiracy paintings and trying to stay amused, I jumped on my final plane to Orlando. It was a longer flight, but it worked out well. My good friends and former roommates, Chris Peebles and Andrew Bayba picked me up at the airport. This is where the adventure begins. After we got back to Bayba's house in Cocoa Beach Florida we headed to the beach. I absolutely have to live near the ocean. I love the smell, the breeze, the sound of the waves crashing. It is the most surreal place to be. It was dark, and we had in hand, one tube sock each, a large 5 gallon bucket, and 3 flashlights. We all started up the beach, shining our lights, and trying to avoid sea turtles. I soon learned, as we saw one climbing up the beach, that sea turtles are protected, and shining lights at them can land one in prison. We weren't actually looking for turtles however. We were crab hunting. We would shine the light on them, and then desparately run after them, and try to pin them with our hand covered in a tube sock. We would quickly swoop them into the bucket, and watch as they all tried to gain an advantage against the other crabs in the bucket. We had great success doing this, and we found a half a pail full of crab. We took them home, and cooked them up and ate what we could. The next day was the day of Rehearsal for the wedding. We all got up early, however, and headed to the beach. The surf was up, and we were all going to bust out the boards. I had never surfed before, and hence was a bit nervous stepping onto a board, in open water, water that I couldn't see the bottom of. We kept trying to ride the waves, and after a few long hours of nearly standing, and falling, my chest had taken enough... Not only was my chest hair full of board wax, but I felt as though I had bruised each and every rib in my body, and my chest just ached. We hopped in the car, grabbed showers, and were on the way to Orlando for the weekend that Austin and Kenzie would never forget. My eyes are droopy as I write these words, I will continue my coastal adventure another night. Until then, TO BE CONTINUED!