I just can't stop smiling!!

So, really ... I had the most amazing day ever in the world. I honestly don't remember ever being SO happy! Like ... true joy. My face hurt from smiling, and half the time, I was just smiling at random strangers!

Let me give you a brief summary of the weekend:

Ran into Alyssa at Walmart before leaving Rexburg on Friday--she lived with me and Kimball, so I got to tell her of my plans to surprise her. She's 6 months pregnant AND is working to adopt a little boy from Africa. Lots of smiles and lots to talk about!

Picked up Lisa and drove to Utah--listened to fun music, Lisa slept, talked a lot, watched Oscar.

Got to G&G's before everyone went to bed--3-year-old Addie was talking a mile a minute about her favorite colors and the Care Bear socks she got at All-a-Dollar. I didn't know the kid could ramble on like that!

Saturday morning, Dad and I left while everyone was sleeping to take my truck to Uncle Bob's garage. Cousin Ben helped me remove the tires and change the starter while I picked up the shiny things he kept dropping. I have an eye for shiny things!

Lisa and I got to meet up with Shmarah in Salt Lake. Somehow, nothing ever changes with this girl. We're just as random and crazy and inhibited as ever! We were dancing crazy in the parking lot and reminiscing about awesome crazy things we did! Somehow, I became the pole for her pole dancing.

Me and Shmarah

The main idea in Lisa coming with me to Salt Lake was so that we could spend some time on Temple Square. By the time we got there, we only had about 30 minutes. While we were walking from the car, I mentioned that my friend Tricia had gotten called to the Temple Square mission and was probably serving there somewhere. Too bad we had no time and no way to track her down. We walked into the Visitor's Center, and guess who's straight ahead of us? Sister Tricia Packer! She's been out of the MTC for less than a week, so she got to tell us of her experiences and practice on us. She was so excited to see me and was just amazing to see her enthusiasm for the Gospel and for missionary work. She was just getting the hang of things and it was fun to have her companion coax her on how to talk and teach us! By the time we said goodbye to Tricia, it was time for me to go to the airport to see Kimball.

Me, Sister Packer and her trainer

It made me think about the real purpose of this trip. What a tender mercy it was to be able to catch Shmarah before she left and spend some time reconnecting and just being silly with her. And then another HUGE tender mercy to run into Sister Packer and feel of her enthusiasm for her mission. Yeah, we didn't get to study and learn and see stuff at Temple Square, but this trip was all about the people!

Me and Lisa

I dropped Lisa off at Gateway Mall, and then was about to go the wrong way to the airport, but felt at the last minute that I should go South and went straight to right exit! I went through airport screening with zero problems and went right to the gate to wait for that familiar goofy face! As I stood there, I just could not stop smiling. It wasn't all because I was waiting for Kimball. Earlier, I thought that I was too late and that I'd missed her, but I was totally okay with that. I just felt total joy and peace and excitement about life at the moment, that seeing Kimball was just an added bonus! I looked around and everyone I saw was just beautiful! I was smiling like a goon at random strangers and everyone just seemed so happy! What are so many happy people doing at the airport? Normally it's a stressful place, but that day, it was just awesome!! About 20 minutes after Kimball's flight was supposed to have landed, I got a little concerned. I had checked to make sure I was waiting at the right gate, but she still hadn't shown up. Apparently the guy told me wrong, because I turned around, and about 10 feet from me, I see my Sister Madsen walking alongside an Elder. I stop dead in my tracks, as does she. Then she gets this crazy excited look on her face and starts backing up in shock and runs into a pilot! Then she runs at me to give me a big hug and yells, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN SALT LAKE!!" Yeah. She's kinda loud for a missionary! The whole 15 minutes we were together we just couldn't stop laughing! She's picked up an Australian accent and no longer pronounces her "R's"! We didn't have long, but we were both just giddy-excited. It was perfect! And then she was off to Spokane!

Me and Sister Madsen

When I found Lisa at Gateway, I could not stop smiling. She just laughed at me as I ran to give her a big hug, I was so happy to see her, too! Life was beautiful. It's seriously an amazing feeling! Lisa and I shopped around and had fun picking out crazy dresser knobs and spelling words out of decorative letters ... good things happening.

Me and Lisa and my favorite word! "Laugh ... L-A-F"

Then, I left her there to meet up with a friend and I drove to dinner with my extended family to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa's 50th anniversary. I sat at the kiddie table and bonded with 14-year-old Makay, 10-year-old Matthew and 3-year-old Addie. We pulled all the conversation hearts out of our gift bags and I picked out my favorite. Matthew bargained his peanut butter cup for my black olive. Good times. My family's AWESOME!

My favorite hearts. I had to steal them out of cousins' bags.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa!!

Then we had dessert and Aunt KayLynn's and watched a slide show of family pictures. Grandma gave a speech and made everyone cry. I picked Lisa up at Gateway, we picked up my truck in Provo, then went back to G&G's to harrass Grandpa. He called us "a couple of stupids" because we thought his cracker mix was gross. We talked about how 18-year-old Sydney mooned 3-year-old Addie over Christmas. Lisa got a good glimpse of our family personalities and quite the insight into why I am the way that I am! "It makes so much sense now!"

Cousins Alex, me, Amanda and Grandpa

Me, Dad and Mom

We stayed up late to finish watching Oscar and got to sleep in the big comfy bed! We left by 7 a.m. in hopes to get to Idaho Falls so Lisa could conduct RS ... we were running late. I got stopped for speeding and got a $75 ticket! But the conversation on the drive home was AMAZING! I seriously am so so grateful for good, understanding friends who listen and share and discuss and uplift and support. I couldn't even be upset about the speeding ticket! Lisa texted people and finally got the conducting covered so she went with me to my sacrament meeting that started at 11. Our friend, Kristin was speaking and it was so good to be there for her and hear the awesome messages that seemed to be catered directly to some of our previous conversations. Then the congregation sang, "Families Can Be Together Forever" and I thought about Sydney mooning Addie and Grandpa calling us "stupids" and I got really emotional, realizing that I get to laugh with these hysterically obnoxious people FOREVER! I'm blessed. REALLY REALLY BLESSED. And we've talked a lot about friendships that last. I've got a lot of those, too. I'm excited to be able to enjoy these socialities forever!

Cousins Danielle, me and Whittney