Home sweet home!

I think I start nearly every post with how bad I am at blogging...oh well!

Last weekend was my birthday (hooray!) and I flew out to Utah to celebrate. Now, I had a voucher that had to be used and didn't have any games that weekend at my school, so I indulged and took a trip home. It was really great! As I admired the snow-capped mountains while the plane was landing, I couldn't help but feel them welcoming me back! Maybe because I've been reading so many novels lately, or maybe because I was pretty exhausted from the trip, who knows...but my mind was soaking in the experience as if I were the main character in a book! I found myself describing things and noticing things I normally wouldn't have. Things like the Utah license plates greeting me as if I hadn't been away at all! And that welcome made me feel all the more "at home." It was really funny!

That night we played soccer at the church with my brother and his wifey, Jen. Ang even played too, with her bum knee. (Which I'm pretty sure is a permanent bum status) We were pretty excited to take on this other ward team that supposedly had really good players. But turns out there was a RS meeting at the stake center, so no other women showed up! We played anyway, with some guys that were already there. It was a blast!! I truly love soccer. I can't believe I didn't like it as a kid! Luckily I wised up and figured it out. And to be honest, I'm not half bad! Definitely not pro material, but I had my fair share of jukes, winning tackles, and goals. It was so fun to play with my family, and to have Mom and the babies cheering us on from the side!

Next on the list was the Birthday Bash! Since I only had a short time in UT (4 days) we decided to do a get-together with both family and friends. I was so pleased to have so many people come! And what a blast to have all the family together! There are SO MANY BABIES!! I love it!! :) A few friends came as well, people I know from the mission, from college, high school, and even from GA! Having everyone from different aspects in my life come together was great, and it definitely kept me busy. When I set off to do one thing, I'd be stopped by someone on the way and then someone else on the way back! Needless to say my food was definitely cold by the time I got around to eating. But it was a really special day. I couldn't have asked for a better Golden birthday! All the people I love under one roof.

Feeling loved and appreciated, and even missed, seems to be a general need for people--or at least for me! After my mission most of my friends had moved on in life and had their own things going on that I didn't get the sense that I was missed. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm loved and that I was missed, but it is easy to forget... But being home this last time erased all of those feelings, though I wasn't aware of them until I felt them dissipate! I just hope that the people I love and care about know that I feel the way I do about them. Sometimes it's so easy to just let them know, to just say it. But we all get caught up in our own routines and our own lives that it becomes too easy to assume that they know. Why is it so difficult to find a few minutes to contact someone? It seems silly to me, yet I find myself in that situation far too often. My sister Becca said once that we should keep in contact better so that when we DO talk we don't have to catch up. So I vowed to keep in touch better with my family, friends included! It is all of you that have helped shape me into who I am! ...so thanks :)