Growth and Learning

One thing I felt strongly about my college education was that I learned how to learn. I know that may sound weird but looking back at high school I feel like I floated. I took some challenging classes but because it was the natural flow, and that's what my friends were doing. Most of my elective classes were easy A's.

I expected my college courses to be the same. I knew there would be some classes I'd have to study for and memorize facts but I wasn't ready for the application factor of college. I have to thank Dr. Jean Lown for breaking me out of this. During class I expected that she would discuss what was in the book, like every other teacher had. Instead she would bring in newspaper articles and would talk about current events. This really frustrated me at first but then I came to realize she was showing us that what we were reading and learning was REAL and could help in life. Whoa! What a concept.

That really had a point, but I don't know if I can make the connection. Drew is in a Statistics class right now. Tomorrow morning is his final exam. (Hooray and Good Luck!) It has been exciting to watch him stretch his learning capacity. When he started college he was fearful to take ANY math class. Luckily he had a great math teacher that first semester. Math has been a rough road but the last 2 semesters I've watched him blossom. He has overcome the dragon that looms about. He will still become frustrated on occasion but overall he has been successful and one of the best parts for me is to watch him help others understand. It allows for his confidence to grow and it's a great review tool.

I may have learned how to learn in my college experience but in the time that Drew has been in classes I have learned how to teach. He likes to tell people about the first time I tried to help him with math homework and what a disaster my candy bar example was but then he will tell people about how much better I've been since. I really had to learn how to adapt to his learning style and not just assume he could read my thoughts that lead me to say something or conclude something.

I marvel at how much we can progress in such a small amount of time. As I type this, I think to myself that I may be guilty of not taking notice of the progress made in recent years or months. This can be applied at home, at work, in any skill being developed...

Temple Open House

On Saturday the 25th we started the day by attending the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. We've been watching the construction as we visit Drew's brother who lives nearby. I really liked the intro video before walking through. It was a good reminder of the basics. If you have the chance to go, do.

Inside the temple I was really impressed by the simplicity of the design but the grandeur therein. I'm glad that we were able to share this with Brad, Tahnie, Brynner, and Gromo. The need for temples is because of family and it was nice to be there with our family.

Kamas Pioneer Day Parade and JUICE

Just in case one parade in a day isn't enough we went to TWO! Thanks to Brad and Tahnie for inviting us to view the Kamas parade. It felt a little more like home and the scenic drive was a definite plus!

This particular float was a local pizza place grilling on the trailer and then offering samples along the parade route. Pretty cool.

After the parade we headed to Heber to get some eats at a more well known pizza place. The big hit for Brynner was his juice, just not in his sippy cup. He would look at Dad and ask, "JUICE? Pwease." And once his cup was empty, it became "Mah, pwease. JUICE!" After a couple successful drinks, he decided once the juice was gone he could show that by flipping the cup upside down. He ended up with some juice on him but mostly in him.

Salt Lake Pioneer Day Parade

It's a family tradition to attend the 24th of July parade. This year was the same. Some uncles and cousins camped out to snag a prime spot in the shade. Thank you!

I thought I'd share some pictures.

I thought this float was fun. The ship, the sails, the water, and the words are all quilts.

Andrew, Kristi, Logan and Gromo. Love you all!

One of my uncles doing a crazy show that only happens once a year for this event.

We did some more fun things this weekend but I'll post those in the days to come.

La Puente, I love you!

Oh yeah? If you love it so much, why don't you marry it? (Small child joke, sorry)

A few years back Drew and his family introduced me to La Puente, a Mexican restaurant on State Street . Upon recommendation I tried the small combo. I was most hesitant about the chile verde burrito included. This was never something I had growing up and until recently I have not been one to try new things. Verdict: Most delicious! It's my favorite part of the combo.

Maybe 2 years ago, they had a large fire in the kitchen and the establishment went down in flames. I was devastated. I have since tried several chile verde burritos, but have not been impressed. It took some time but they rebuilt and I have dreamed of returning once again.

We had a chance to do that this weekend and they are as delicious as ever! I was fulfilled, as far as good burritos are concerned. Plus, we were serenaded by a wonderful live performer. If you have a chance to go, I recommend the combo platter. Thank you La Puente.

Tender Mercies

For no one particular reason I have been having a rough couple of days. I apologize to those who have interacted with my grumpiness. This afternoon I was headed back to work after having lunch at home with Drew when I noticed the mailman had come. There was a small package from a dear friend of mine. She has always been a wonderful influence in my life and has been on my mind recently. The small package included a ceramic ladybug and the music of "You are My Sunshine." Never before have I enjoyed the song "You are My Sunshine" as much as I did today.

I'm grateful for her and her ongoing love and encouragement. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for being mindful of me and for His ability to show His tender mercies in various ways each and every day.

Computer Safety

When Drew and I bought our computer it came with a free trial of Norton. Now that has expired. I would like to know who or what service you use and who you'd suggest.

*Also, I am a cheapskate like my brother so I'd like something with a low cost.

Please, please comment. Thanks everyone.

Open Invitation

Drew and I went to Bear Lake this afternoon. We love going and the weather has been perfect for it. This year the water level is high so the water is fairly shallow pretty far out. I don't know how everyone else feels about it but I like going out far but still being able to touch the bottom. It's also nice for small children.

As much fun as we have going together for a couple of hours and throwing the frisbee to each other, we also love going with friends or family. We like to share our fun with others, so if anyone wants to go to Bear Lake with us, let us know. We can plan a time to go or to meet there.

Drewimony

I wanted to give thanks to my Drew for making me happy. This week has offered many opportunities for me to laugh. He is a very funny person and I love it when he makes me laugh. Anymore I find that my good hearty laughs come because of Drew. Whether it be something he has done, something he finds funny, or the telling of his work woes. He has been really good at helping me feel better about myself when I've had a rough day. That means the world to me and so to him I say, "Thanks for all of it."

Accepting a Challenge with a Story

My brother has challenged anyone who would like to participate, to blog about a topic each day for one month. I found this to be a good opportunity to share a story about him.

It's been 10 years ago that I came home from a month spent in Chicago with some family friends. (Thank you Tony and Claudia!) I have fond memories of that experience but one memory I share with my mom and my brothers is the airport pick up afterwards.

I had flown on Delta Airlines as a young girl and once again had the chance to fly with them again. I thought it would be fun to ask for a pair of pin on wings from the flight attendant. So coming off the plane I had these wings pinned to my shirt. Andrew and Aaron came to the Salt Lake airport to pick up my mom and me to take us home. We were greeted by my brothers with some cheap plastic leis and then as innocent as can be Aaron lifted up my lei and pointing to my upper torso exclaimed, "Hey, you've got...things." Needless to say we all had a good laugh about it.

July 4th!!!

For the 4th this year Drew and I decided to stay local. We love the July holidays and Cache Valley does a good job in celebrating them. There are a lot of cities within a normal Salt Lake job commuting time, WITHOUT the traffic.

We got to see and feel fireworks on the 2nd AND the 3rd!

Today, the fourth, Drew's older brother Brad and his family came to celebrate with us. Thanks for coming Brad and Tahnie. After they arrived Drew and Brad were able to nab a prime spot on the parade route while Tahnie and I got the goodies together. You can't beat rice krispie treats and homemade pasta salad. Mmmm... They're a couple of Roska favorites.

This was Brynner's first parade and one of our favorite parade handouts were these small American flags. I love America!

Tahnie likes the parade flags too! After the parade we walked to the nearby city park for some grilling and stuffing our grills. I would say it was the BEST summer food I've had in years. Brauts, chips, watermelon, cherries, and pasta salad. Below Brad is lovin those cherry fingers.

One of our favorite moments of the park was when a random youngster came over and started to eat one of our hot dog buns. It was purely innocent and not a problem for us but when Brad and Tahnie, then Drew, noticed we had a stranger among us, he just looked like a deer in the headlights. More than anything I think he was embarrassed to find out that wasn't his family or their buns. To that family I say, "Stick around a minute more and we'll fill that bun and make you a plate." Thanks for the memory.

Other moments of laughter included watching two young boys fight with one another the way Brad and Andy used to do. It's so funny that as young people we fight, poke, and name call our siblings as if they were the enemy but as adults we poke and name call in jest because now they are our best friends. Since we had the already had the giggles Brad had to show us his cherry-stained teeth. I know it may not sound funny online but it was!

In other news: We have PEAS galore. They are fresh and delicious and bountiful. Drew is thrilled to see the garden producing.