One more day and then "ALOOO-HA!"

The summer has been fantastic and it's hard to believe it's already come to an end!...Well, almost! Becuase up next is our family trip to my island home of Hawaii! School doesn't start until around September 14th, but we're leaving on Tuesday (that's only a day away!!!) morning because my family is coming to "drop me off"...for a couple of weeks! I am so excited to have my family in Hawaii with me. Ever since begining school in Laie, I've felt so at home there, but the only thing missing was my family! Now they will be there with me! At least for a couple of weeks!
Friday was my last day of work (Good bye, my dear Great Harvest Bakery!), and Saturday was probably my first Saturday off of work that I got to spend with my family (besides my grandma's funeral earlier this summer). And it was a GREAT Saturday! My dad, sister, and I started the day off by riding our bikes around Lake Natoma, about 12 miles I've heard. It was a really nice ride! The weather was perfect, the scenery incredible, and the people all smiling happily. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Later that day, my parents and I walked around Old Folsom, browsed through the art galleries and random stores (like one filled with mystical creature statues, geodes, and other earthy things), and had dinner outside on a balcony. 'Twas lovely!

I'm so grateful I was able to be home for the summer. I wasn't planning on coming home this summer, but my old boss from Great Harvest called me a couple days before Winter semester ended and asked if I wanted to work at the bakery again. All of a sudden coming home became a possibility and before I knew it (and after a couple of super stressful days filled with last minute packing and planning and stuffing all of my belongings under my friends' beds) I was home! It certainly wasn't the most logical thing to do (although it worked out nicely and has been beneficial to my education financially), now, looking back, I know that this is where I needed to be this summer. Thanks to the opportunity of coming home for the summer, I have learned so many valuable lessons, have been able to spend time with my family and friends here, and I was able to see my grandma Betty again before she passed away and was able to be here in the area with her and our family. That has been such a great blessing. I've been blessed in many many ways this summer, and have learned that even when things don't make sense to me, if I am doing what my Heavenly Father would have me do and going where He wants me to go, everything will work out, becuase He (very unlike me) sees the bigger picture!

And lastly, today I came accross this verse in the scriptures: "And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy." -Doctrine and Covenants 45:71. It reminds me of byu-Hawaii and the incredible people there from all around the world. I go to the best school ever. Well, tah-tah for now!