Homecoming Weekend

Boy, what a week! Sadly I have no pictures of this weekend yet. My camera died early Saturday morning and I was just too busy to think about it. I always kick myself for that. But, I will steal some pictures from my mom's iphone and share them with you later on.

Friday night was our Ward Luau, which was actually a pretty big success. Due to weather concerns, we had to move it from outside in our quad to the basement meeting room under the D-building (or "the bunker", as I like to call it). We decked it out as best we could, served real Kahlua Pig and Hawaiian food, and listened to Hawaiian music. We had a ton of people come and it seemed to be really fun for everyone. After the last people had left and the last bit of rice was vacuumed from the floor, Sam and I sat together silently in the two remaining chairs just finally enjoying being able to breathe. Finally some respite.... until our Halloween party. I'm actually really excited for that one, and the D-Basement in all its dreary glory is a great venue for an awesome Halloween party experience.

My mom and dad came into town on Friday night and took us for some really yummy frozen custard at Coney's after the Luau was over. My dad was a yell leader at BYU years ago and they came back for Homecoming for him to march with some of the yell leader alumni in the Homecoming Parade and cheer at the game during halftime.

Isn't he cute? It still fits him!

On Saturday morning we watched the Homecoming Parade. It's not a big parade, but it was still really fun to watch. I can't believe I never took the time to go when I was still a student. My dad looked so cute cheering with the cheerleaders in his old yell leader sweater. I'll definitely have to post a picture of that one!

Later in the day, my mom, Ross, and I did some shopping at Target, and I hugged Nie Nie. Yes I did. We were wandering around one of the decor isles when I saw her cute little son, Ollie, run past. I turned the corner and sure enough, there she was! (It's really not that coincidental. I've run into her before and we live in the same town.) I spent 5 minutes trying to decide whether to leave her alone or just talk to her. I mustered the courage to do the latter. I didn't introduce myself, I just told her that I didn't know when I would get the chance to tell her again and that I think she's awesome and that I love her. She then gave me a hug and told me how she is always grateful to hear that. When I think about it, who wouldn't want someone to randomly tell you you're awesome and loved? Yeah, I'm a stranger to her, but I wasn't weird about it. I was just telling the truth in a very friendly, casual way. I think a lot of people would kill for that kind of affirmation and encouragement anytime you could get it. I carried a big smile around for the rest of our shopping trip.

In the afternoon, we went to a lovely little Alumni Tailgate party at the Alumni Center, which is so beautiful. There was a tent out on the patio overlooking the valley where they served yummy BBQ fare and BYU's famous mint brownies. We schmoozed a bit with alumni both old and young, and then they headed out to the game while I headed home for a bit. I was looking forward to the game, but the thought of cleaning and shopping not getting done, not to mention my sick Samuel trying to finish homework was a good reason to stay home. We still won, thankfully!

After the game, we braved the traffic to meet up at Malawi's Pizza. Remember La Jolla groves? It's owned by the same folks, (I wouldn't mind if they created a monopoly on all Provo restaurants), and very very good. Imagine a modern-Serengeti themed experience plus great service plus fabulous pizza plus the fact that they donate a nutritious meal to a child in Malawi with every meal sold. Not to mention, they make an effort to make their food healthier and more natural. I love that. The general manager even came out to meet us when they served us an extra salad and insisted that we get two dessert pizzas on the house for the trouble. What a nice guy. Seriously, if I haven't made it clear, check out La Jolla Groves and/or Malawi's Pizza. You'll be glad you did.

Yikes, this was a long post. Sorry about that. I have a tendency to write a novel when I write about my life. To sum it all up, thank you mom and dad for coming to town and showing us a great time! It's been a long time that I've laughed so hard as I did when we all went out. I'm glad I only have to wait until Thanksgiving for my next hug from dad and girl's trip and life talks with mom. Also, thank you mom for the incredible juicer! I can't wait to make all kinds of healthy fruit and veggie cocktails!