Family Happenings...

After I got home from my trip, Amber came out for a visit a few days later. She was here for about a week and we had such a great time together! It made me really miss living close by each other. Something I love whenever we're together is how easy it is and just fun, plus it was so great to have the built in company. Since I couldn't take any time off, she was a great sport and came to work with me one day. We had some great weather and enjoyed a day on the beach and running the Santa Monica stairs and a tour of the Fox Studios lot. My friend Christi was singing in the Orange County Mormon Chorale, so we went to their concert and it was amazing, they are all so talented! We also went out to Simi Valley to the Reagan Library. I love that place so much! It was my 2nd time, but I totally feel like I could go back. The views are so pretty and I love all of the neat insights into Pres. Reagan, love him! A couple of my favorite things: a very cute video about how he met and fell in love with Nancy: yes I admit, made me cry and the tour of Air Force One: so cool to see how much technology has advanced in 20 years or so. Last but not least, in commemoration of our trip, we hit up a Thai Massage place a couple of blocks from my house. So funny, I'm not normally a huge massage person, but I am sold on this. It feels so good, they way they stretch you out, I don't think I would ever do any other kind of massage. Just makes me regret that we didn't get 2 massages a day when we were in Thailand...and to think $6.00/hr!!

After Am flew back to S.L., I flew out a couple of days later for her graduation from the University of Utah. She graduated with her Masters in Education. We were all so proud of her, she was selected to be the student speaker and as a perk was able to reserve the first 2 rows for family and guests, very cool to be up so close. She did such an amazing job! She was funny and real and her talk was so inspiring. I don't know why but I still get chills whenever I hear the graduation march, it made me wish I could do it again :)

I felt so lucky that I was able to not only be home for the graduation, but also to celebrate Mother's Day and a tiny bit of my Dad's birthday. Oh and not to mention a huge highlight of my trip...getting to meet baby Emmy for the first time. She is so cute!! I'm going through major niece and nephew withdrawal since being home! and of course family withdrawal in general: Mom, Dad and brothers and sisters too!