What Cowboys do

We visited my cousins who live on a farm on Tuesday. It was funny to watch all of us city kids try to fit in on the farm.



Kelcey was by far the best cowgirl because she knew that they wear plaid shirts, boots, and ride horses.



Cowboys and cowgirls like to make "dog salad" inside their hats.



Cowgirls like to show off their boots, but they don't smile for the camera.


They like to wear plaid shorts and rubber boots while riding their scooters inside the barn.



They have this pose that they like to make while feeding the horses that says, "I am a tough cowboy".



Cowgirls like to wear tie-dye shirts, white shorts, and rubber boots while they move the hay.



After a long day of working on a farm, cowboys like to dress up like Droids and play Starwars.

Am I ready?

I went to the BYU campus for the second time today with my dad. The first time, Monday, I went on a tour with my mom and dad. I was so surprised and frightened by the size of the campus. I found out that I will have access to three Olympic size pools, a gym as well as a women's only gym, 9 or so racquetball courts, indoor fields, tennis courts, a library that is the length of three football fields and has two floors under ground, a bowling ally, computer labs, and so much more it is so big!



Today was less frightening and actually quite nice. I got my school id, printed off my schedule and book list, got a bank account (which was way more complex than I expected), got a BYU football t-shirt, bought my books, ate in the food court, and found where all my classes are going to be. It got pretty confusing so I am glad my dad was the one looking at the map and leading the way. I am going to have more time to visit the campus before school starts on the 30th so hopefully I won't be one of those freshman that has a map in one hand and a schedule in the other.

Grandpa's Gym

After being cooped up in a car for a day the kids needed a some room to let out some energy. Good thing Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson has a gym in his patio.

Ele-fun

We made it to Salt Lake City, Utah in record time, 20 hours! We ended up leaving around 11 Saturday night and he drove straight through the night and through Sunday as well. He was trying to make it to a Brown family get together and he did it. Right as we got to my great aunt Katherine's house my grandma Brown swept me away to introduce me to second cousins that around my age and might become some friends while I am here. I was surprised by how many great aunts and uncles that I have never seen, some of whom seemed to know me.

We spent the night at my the grandma and grandpa Brown's little town house. They have recently been to India on a church mission trip and have brought a few things back home with them. Elephants! Handcrafted elephants!







It was nice to stay with them for the night, kind of like old times when they lived in Tulsa Oklahoma where we could visit every other weekend. I miss those days of sleeping in the huge bed that used to be my aunt Viv's, stuffing into the hammock in the backyard like peas in a pod, taking bathes in the pink jet tub, and going exploring in the forest behind their backyard. I loved that big house that was like a second home to me. I will never forget the day that we buried Kennel their golden retriever or the day that we drove away for the last time. It's hard to move on, I learned it then, but it is a way of life and the best is yet to come!

Saying goodbyes

Saying good bye is one of the hardest things to do. I wish I could have gotten more pictures, but I wasn't too good about carrying my camera around. I did get a few though.



Even though I had spent most of the weekend with my close friends, I still felt like I needed more time. So when I found out my family and I would not be leaving til later in the night I called up three of my closest friends and we met up at a near by park. I tried to get a really good one of all our shadows, but this was the best I could get.



I was able to say a few last goodbyes before leaving and managed to snap a picture with some of them. This lady, Melissa Nothum, is one of those people that I feel so lucky to know.



These are Melissa's adorable girls Ashely and Lilly (They were our photographers).



Jennifer Jones another wonderful woman. She has three way cute and active little children. She has been a youth leader for me many different times and is now the stake Young Woman's President. She is so dedicated to her family, friends, and church.

I wish I could have gotten a few more pictures with people. I was going to get one with Mrs. Hayley Fraser, my teacher who introduced me to blogging, but she was at the pool when I met up to say my last goodbye. I also wanted to drive down to Harrison, AR to say a goodbye Ipo Anderson, but I didn't time it right and it didn't work out, but I did get to have a wonderful conversation on the phone with her. She gave me advice that was given to her when she moved away from home, "You will miss them more than they will miss you." This really helped me as I said my goodbyes.

I am going to miss these and many other people who have become my friends. It's hard to believe that I am starting a new life. But I am told everyone has to do it and that I will enjoy it. So I am going to try to enjoy everyday that I have and live life to it's fullest.

Overnighter

Night full of volleyball, soccer, boardgames, music, stargazing, food, friends and fun.



We all went for a swim around 9... I think it was planned to be later so that we could not see the water. It was a pond on a farm with cows... I jumped in once and got right back out. Everyone else had so much fun jumping in and splashing each other.



I on the other hand had fun after the swim playing keep away with a soccer ball, stargazing on the trampoline, and talking all night with one of my best friends Courtney. We are going to have to do this again when I come back home.

City Museum/theme park

Last weekend my family and I went up to St. Louis with my church youth group. Halfway through the day we went separate ways. I think the youth group went home while my family and I stayed there and went to a museum. It is called the City Museum, so we thought it would be boring (when I say we I mean the younger kids.. I like looking at history and old stuff.) til we heard there was a SEVEN STORY SLIDE! And boy was this place crazy!





The skate park area was our favorite. We would run up the ramps that were made for skateboarding then slide down. Calvin is on a 10 or 11 foot one(first photo).



Outside there is a whole HUGE playground. I am not sure how high it went but... it was high! I am not sure the pictures do it justice. I just know I was really high and could not stop shaking. But common, how safe can you feel when you are climbing through small tunnel like things made of rebarb. The whole place was made out of recycled things.. even the decorations inside! (pictures further down)



I was surprised by my little sister Klarie, who is only 5, but yet climbed all the way to the top. (That is her finger pointing in the picture.) She went higher than me, proving that she is a monkey.





Everywhere that we went we found little hiding places or secret passage ways. (there were holes in the wall that you could go through and find your way through the maze to a whole new area.







When we went to the cave part.. YEAH A CAVE! we found this sign. TEN STORY SLIDE!!! My knees started to tremble and I was feeling quite sick, but we all made the trek up the ten flights of stairs. Then waited in line so one by one we could all go down. This was so scary!



Looking down I couldn't even see the ground. This picture was after so it was looking up... I don't think you can see the top.







Pretty amazing if you ask me! There was a whole tree house thing on the first floor! We ended up playing a game of tag and got pretty bruised up from all the running, crawling, and skooting around. (5 on one knee, 4 on the other for me)





Amazing decorations SO MUCH FUN!