Weddings, Camping, Tornado's, Oh My

Lots of things have happened since my last blog! Dawn, my sister, got married to Ryan Kellogg! Pyper and I moved to different locations, see "It's Moving Day" for more details. I went to girls camp as the Stake Certification Director. Chanda, my friend, and new roommates sister go married! To top it all off we spent last Saturday night, 2am to 3:30am in the basement watching the news to make sure we did not get hit by a tornado. Only to find out the next morning that it touched down only a few miles from us. Then jumped about 60 blocks to take out a few businesses by my work. Then last night, I am sure you all heard, we had some insane weather around here. Again we spent about 3 hours in our basement watching the news and playing games while we prayed the weather would bypass us.

Prior to that Vao, my new roommate, and I went to Bellevue to visit Dawn at the salon so I could get my hairs cut. (It has been way over due) Then we went to visit a friend of mine, Josh Gillette and his family who were in town for the day. All the while the weather was getting worse all around us. Deciding it was time to leave we grabbed dinner at Subway for the three of us and headed home on hwy 370. For those of you not from around here we headed straight into the thick of the stormy weather! As we drove down the hwy the radio announcer told us that there were swirling around and beginning to form tornado like conditions. Yeah, 15min go drive home still. Then a crazy, scared lady in a white SUV started running red lights, and darting around traffic to get home. When I turned onto the road to get us home I started watching the clouds, SCARY! I could see them swirling around above us, just waiting to form a funnel and come thrashing out of the sky! So, I drove faster, got us home in about 10 min to our quite, dry basement.

While it did miss us it hit different areas around us. The Scout Camp that was hit really bad was where I was only a week ago at Girls Camp. Where it surprises me that every building at the camp was destroyed, they are/were very spread out around the camp. It almost seems like the tornado just danced around in circles through the camp. That is the only way all of them could have been torn down! Sad, scary stuff, considering that we had tornado watches almost every night I was there. Lots of prayers going out to those boys and their leaders!

On a brighter note, here are some pics of Dawn's wedding

If you're going to throw a water balloon...

be ready to run! So I went to FHE all on my own tonight (I'm really proud of myself)...and was pretty content to miss out on the activity...but it involved a 3 legged race and water balloons...(plus wheelbarrow race...I was the wheelbarrow...and I'm broken). My partner and I did pretty good in the 3 legged race, except that we were attached by 2 heavy rubber bands...both snapped and left welts on my ankles. OUCH! Then it was off to the water balloon toss...we were doing so well and it was down to us and another team...despite the attempts at distraction by Dan, we were sooo close. But alas, we lost.
After it was all said and down, my partner and I each got a left over balloon and snuck up to Dan...mine hit it's mark soaking his shoulder and back. My partners broke in mid-flight but still managed to get him. I took off running...I did pretty good, until he rounded the far corner of the institute...but I was pretty fast and made it inside before he tossed his ammo. But he followed me in and tried (unsuccessfully) to force me outside. After hiding out for a little bit (and a brief moment sitting on a trash can...it was an accident) I snuck out the back way, up the side of the building and with my keys in hand unlocked my car from there. I started to calmly walk towards it and he saw me...so I ran...I got to my car door right as he let his balloon fly...poor Dan, it hit my windshield leaving me nice and dry. I thought I was safe...oh how wrong...after a brief moment of peace he chased me again and grabbed me from behind intent on sharing some of the moisture from his soaking wet shirt.
Ahh good times at FHE...apparently now I owe him cookies...again.

~Pyper

It's Moving Day!

Okay so it's after Moving day...but still the phrase reminds me of Saturday mornings curled up with my tv blanket, eating toasty o's (that's right...we weren't hoity toity about breakfast cereals), watching the Secret of Nimh...you know that part where the rats help Mrs B move the cinder block that is her home?
Well much like her experience...our moving day was full of stress and uncontrollable situations. For starters...Amy and I top off the tank to the diesel...ouch! Then it was off to the only UHAUL place that was open (it being a holiday and such)...only to find out that we didn't have the right size ball for the hitch (like 5/16th of an inch too big)...so I had to buy one...then we didn't have the right lighting adapter (which they tried to sell us...but Amy said "nope, don't need it"...go AMY!!!) Luckily my brother had the right one so we could be legal.
When we get home I look at the trailer...6X12 feet isn't as big as it sounds. When everything was said and done it took the entire trailer, the cab of the truck, the bed of the truck, my car and Dan's truck to get everything that was ready to go...my stuff got dropped off without too many problems (unless you count a crushed middle finger and a slip on the stairs) then it was Amy's turn...they had to take the door to the basement off in order to get some furniture into the basement...and then it was lunch time!
After lunch we headed home to finish loading the stuff for Amy to take home with the truck...I am so proud of us...we were able (with the loan of some wrenches from the neighbors) to unhook the washer and dryer, dolly them up the grassy hill in our backyard, to the driveway up 3 stairs onto our tiny porch and onto the bed of the truck...
Now we just have to unpack our stuff (at our respective places) and clean the old house by Saturday...

~Pyper

So, I have been really busy lately. Started a new position at my job. More responsibility, more stuff to deal with and the same pay... I really need something new! Alas, they have been somewhat good to me over the last 5 and a half years. I do get to work with some outstanding people that persist on teasing me about my religion daily, weekly, monthly, however you would like to look at it.

Then there is the matter of Dawn and Ryan's wedding, packing to move, and all the things that come with the territory. We can't forget my general desire for laziness either, haha... So much to do and so little time!

My deepest apologies to Pyper who has had to keep our blog going all by herself over the last little while. We really should be completely honest and state that her stories are much much more interesting than mine anyway. :)

One last thought for those of you who check this to see what I am up to, NEIL DIAMOND is coming to OMAHA!!! I must buy tickets! We celebrated his appereance on American Idol at work last week by making it our Neil Diamond week. We listened to his music every day while we digiligently prepared the work for the night interviewing staff. What a fablous way to spend the day. Sweet Caroline, You Send me No Flowers, Girl - You'll Be A Woman Soon. I will be 30 on Wednesday - I mean 24!

Amy

The whole Fam-damly (well the younger portion anyways)

Not often do all of us 'younger' kids get together...even rarer that we all agree to having our pictures taken.

~Pyper

When good rolls go bad...

Okay so I'm visiting the family this weekend and yesterday in preparation for dinner we decided to quick rize the rhodes dough...but I didn't read all of the instructions. So we put the frozen lumps of dough in a pan, preheat the oven and turn it off (as instructed), place boiling water in another pan and position it below the top rack and insert the rolls...we then promptly forgot about them...well, kind of (we thought we could leave them be for an hour and a half...but we were wrong). When we opened the oven to check on them, we had roll dough oozing over the side of the pan and brushing the oven rack...this would never do for rolls so we removed it, gathered up all of the dough, smooshed it into one giant glob and then pinched off pieces and placed them in muffin tins. They tasted good when they finished, but check out how huge they were....

~Pyper

It's definitely not as easy as CSI makes it look...

Pyper here...this weekend has been one hectic piece of excitement after another. Saturday was supposed to be a walk in the park (if you'll excuse the expression). I was supposed to meet my partner to process our first (and probably only) 'crime scene' for class. Then after 2 1/2 hours I was supposed to be headed home for a nice afternoon with the girls (watching some mushy Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte movie)...then it was off to a wedding reception and stake conference...so here's what actually happened...

I got to campus a little early and waited with my professor for about 20 minutes until my partner showed. Then we started processing...since we've never done this before it was a little slow to get started. And took about an hour longer then expected, not to mention the unbelievable level of tediousness involved (maybe I don't want to go to grad school). And of course...since it was a 'crime scene' I couldn't just pause the exercise to call the girls to let them all know I was running late. We finished up and I had several voicemails/texts wondering where I was. Luckily everyone was very understanding. Suz came over after I got home and helped me calm down a bit (I was freaking out about measurements not looking right, per my diagram, and missing ones, and evidence we should have been more thorough with (I'm hoping my partner caught some of the details I didn't) and the fact that I was so dehydrated when I got home (and hungry) that I was shaky and actually lost some of the water I had chugged when I got home (note to self...not a good thing to do when you are hot, hungry and thirsty). Suz saved me as we loaded into her car and headed to Chipotle and Sonic before going back to the house to enjoy (also not a good idea to try and hydrate with Ocean Water....though it didn't make me sick, I was just really thirsty a couple hours later). After a few episodes of Scrubs and dying Suzs' hair it was time to think about getting ready for the reception.
Amy misplaced the wedding invite....so we went to conference instead. It was pretty good...Jordan and Aaron were nice enough to try and squeeze everyone in the row together so we could all sit on the pew...Amy opted to sit in front of us with some other friends.
After conference and some friendly banter (something about Uno, my hair style, and stinky mushrooms) Amy I raced home to change for a movie with Vao and Michelle.
"Under the Same Moon" was fabulous and I would highly recommend it to anyone...be advised there are a lot of subtitles...
I think I drank almost 2 Liters of water during the movie along with the PB Twix I snarfed down.
This morning greeted me with a swollen left eyelid...which will hopefully get checked tomorrow, and the need for a mild attitude adjustment (and honestly the 2 hours sitting on hard folding chairs for church did nothing to help in that area...my bum was asleep by the first choral number)
Luckily, this week is short (thank goodness for ARBOR DAY which is a State holiday here in Nebraska)...I'm headed home for a nice longish (5days and 6 nights) vacation. I plan to do nothing but play with the nephew and niece, bum around the house in my pjs, maybe do some light shopping (and I do mean light...I have a deposit to pay next month on an apartment I still haven't found) and the every dreaded home ward visit. (the old ladies have quit asking about my dating life...but it's still rough...the kids I used to babysit are getting married...argh!!!)