I love Idaho!!

There is nothing better than leaving the busy city behind and drivng to Idaho to spend time with my family. I absolutely love it here and for good reasons. I spend Friday afternoon and evening with my mom at Fort Hall. That is one of her favorite places and she convinced me I should go with her. I am opposed to gambling for a couple of reasons...1) I never win and 2) I hate the smoke in casinos. Well one of those wasn't true this trip. I actually did win...not a huge amount of money but enough to pay for my gas this trip home so given the current prices of gas I didn't do to bad either. The smoke however...YUCK!! I smelled like an old cigarette all the way to mom's house and my hair, clothes, etc smelled nasty the next morning. I did a quick load of mixed laundry before I left Saturday morning so everthing else it touched wouldn't have the same stink...EEEEWWW!!

Saturday I made the 3.5 hour drive from St Anthony to North Fork so I could spend the long weekend with my dad and Lisa. I LOVE it here. The hills are green, the trees are still in bloom and the river is beautiful. I got to help get my hands dirty and plant trees this morning with dad. You know it is such a simple thing but one of those little things you miss out on when you live in the city and don't have a yard of your own to play in. It's funny dad even said to me this morning when I was elbow deep in dirt and pitching rocks that were just too big..."You are a farmgirl you are just living in the city for far too long!" I love it! I won't have it being called a city girl. I love all of the culture of the city but I just love being away from it all and just relaxing or helping with those little projects that need to be done.

I just finished up my first quarter of massage therapy school and I'm pretty proud of my grades. I got four A's and 1 B. The B was in Anatomy and I'm determined to make sure I get an A next quarter and until I'm done with Pathology. Who am I kidding...I plan on getting A's in all of my classes from this point forward...no excuses. I keep reminding myself of the quote I had on my wall of my office in Phoenix that reminded me of the success I was requiring of myself..."Failure is NOT an option. However, it is a lingering possibility that keeps me focused on the tasks at hand!" From the first time I read that quote I loved it and I still do and it will help keep me focused on success in the professional massage program and through the Master's program after that.

Life really is good. I'm relaxing on the weekend, enjoying spending time with my family and look forward to the week ahead. I might add that next week will be especially wonderful because I get to spend the night with my nephews and grandma next Friday while Jared and Klar are at Youth Conference. I'm so excited!
Until next time...

PS I'm currently reading A Tree Grew in Brooklyn and it is fantastic. One of the many reasons I love to come to my dad's house- he always has a million books and I can always find something good to read.