SOCCER

I forgot to mention soccer!

I love it and I don't get to play it nearly enough. I have a good Saturday morning group, although finding a good field has been an adventure (including a particularly interesting/terrifying run-in with a McLean soccer mom... she was nuts and a bit hypocritical, but just like the mission we are just creating memories and good stories).
On Wednesdays, when I can, I either get out to Chantilly or over to Alexandria to play with one of two groups. I really wish that I could play soccer daily, but it is just hard to organize and hard to get to different fields. It makes me miss the good old days of high school soccer.

In July I will be going with two of my soccer buddies, Annie and Gerardo, to the Man U/Barcelona game and BOY am I excited!! I have NEVER been to such a BIG game. Mesi v Rooney... It should be really great.




Soccer truely is THE beautiful game.

Of Late

So... forcing myself to blog is harder than it once was. But since all 6 of my followers MUST be dying to know what I am doing with my life of late, I will do it! I will share with you all what has been and is going on. I take very few pictures (which I should change) so these images are either stolen from my sisters-in-law or else boring images from the world-wide internet (doesn't that bring back a flood of memories: dial-up, "You've Got Mail", AOL, middle school, IMing!? Good times)

This past weekend I went to see a PLAY! At Ford's Theater.

It was SO fun. The reason that I went to this play (since I usually do not get to the theater nearly as much as I want) was that my and Rachel's friend Matt Anderson was performing in the play. It was really fun and he did a GREAT job. If it hadn't closed on Saturday, I would recommend it to everyone. The theater itself made the show even more fun. I had never seen a play in Ford's; sitting there and thinking about the reality of what happened there was pretty neat (...not that what happened there was neat, but feeling the history and the importance of that event was neat...) Afterward, Matt took us all backstage, which was really fun. Backstage at Ford's is TINY and Matt said he had something like 29 costume changes... can you imagine the chaos! Here is Matt in his Parisian outfit:

THIS weekend I will be participating in the crazy single Mormon Memorial Weekend celebration known as Duck Beach. This is my first official year going down (the unofficial year being about two weeks after I got home from my mission and I was with my family and did my utmost to avoid the single's group and was PAINFULLY awkward in the few things in which I participated). I will be staying with mostly people I don't know. My visiting teachee who is awesome will be in the house and a few good friends will be in a house nearby. I am excited to get out of town and to beautiful North Carolina, and to meet some new people.
This is a picture from my Aunt and Uncle's house in the OBX on the sound side- gorgeous sunsets.

As far as what I am doing day to day: I have two part time jobs (one that was just an internship until recently). I work Monday, Wednesday, Friday at the National Archives looking at Civil War soldiers' pensions and inputting data from them into different comp. programs. I also scan documents. It is OK. My other gig is with the group Morality in Media and the War on Illegal Pornography. It is a really good cause. I am involved in the grassroots efforts, growing our coalition, working with volunteers, fund raising, calling congress, etc. I do not LOVE it, but I am learning a lot and it IS a good cause and I am getting good experience with a non-profit, so I can figure out if that is what I want to do. I REALLY like and look up to my supervisor though, there are basically just two of us + an intern in the office, so I spend LOTS of time with my supervisor. She is stellar.

I reread the Hunger Games last week and I love them more than ever. We'll see how the movies turn out. I am a little bit concerned... ESP. about Peeta- who is my favorite and the most important.


I really enjoy using PAINT on my computer:


As far as my future:
I got wait-listed at BYU, which is not a surprise. But, that makes it really difficult to know what I will be doing in September... I am really thinking about moving somewhere completely new- San Diego is on the top of the list, but I am open for other places. A job would be nice, of course. Also, I need to figure out what I want to do/where I want to go for Grad school (if I don't end up wanting law school), so I can START a real career.

The best part of my life right now is them:
Joseph:


Abigail (Hapigail):


Lucy:


This is a random collection of things. I did this while doing other things, so my mind was not 100% focused, so that explains any disconnectedness or confusion :)

Cousins

SO cute.

Little Bits of Heaven

This past October both of my brother's welcomed new baby girls into their families and they have been the most wonderful additions to our family. I am a little bit obsessed and a lot a bit in love with both of them and it has really been great being so close and able to spend a lot of time with them.


This is Abigail. She is the newest member of the Marc and Sarah Oliphant family and the new little sister to my gem-of-a-nephew Joseph.
Marc has nicknamed Abigail "Happigail" because she is such a happy, smiling baby. I have had the wonderful opportunity to see her happiness in full swing- giggling at her older brother. It was the cutest. I also get to babysite Abigail occassionally. She is a smiling, content baby who adores her big brother and who would prefer to laugh than cry anytime. Sometimes when she is clearly sad but you are smiling at her you can see her struggle to not smile back at you- it's a bit of a battle between her sweet nature and her infant-need to cry. Abigail is a great blessing!!


This is Lucile, or Lucy as she is known.
She is the first child of John and Gwen Oliphant. They live up in Princeton, NJ- which is only 3 hours away and is therefore acceptable. We have gotten to see her quite a bit- not enough for my liking, of course, but enough. They were here for Thanksgiving and for Christmas and will be coming down for Easter. I am going to go see her this weekend too- so she is getting plenty of Auntie Wonderful time! Lucy is a sweet, cuddly little ball of love. She is a adorable and already has a fun little personality. Everytime I have to say goodbye to Lucy my heart aches a little bit. She is such a doll and I adore the little Goose!




And of course, I have to mention Joseph. The little boy who has stolen my heart. Joseph is such a sweetheart who loves to run around and have fun. He is really an enjoyable playmate, even for me!
Our exploits include baseball and frisbee in the backyard (he's got a great arm!), doing karate in the front yard, playing legos, memory, shoots and ladders, and tag, and we had a great time last week decorating for Sarah's birthday and making her a homemade card. He is fun and full of vim and vigor! I just love this kid!

Families are the most important and it is so fun to have our's expanding. These two little baby girls are such miracles and it is amazing how much we all love them already! So, here's to two amazing nieces and a fabulous nephew!


(Needless to say, Joseph was not at his happiest in this picture, but I find it wonderfully endearing!)

A piece of Truth

"The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman."

-Mexican Proverb