Sige na Ross! Pag-ayo ayo sa imong bacation!

Today is a big day for Ross. He is leaving tonight for the Philippines to see his mom and brother after many years. I am going to miss him although I will be joining him in 10 days. He is busy packing and I am busy doing some late spring cleaning. I had to make room for all of his nursing books since he will be starting school right after he gets back.

June was a good month. We went to Utah for a Hawkes family reunion. We stayed in condos in Sandy so all of the family could stay together. It was fun to see my cousins after so long- and all the new babies. We drove through the canyons and hiked to Stewart Falls. That was a longer hike than I remembered from my BYU days. We also went rafting down the Provo river. I had never done that before and we had a great time. We just ran into a few bushes and my poor dad took the brunt of it because i took up all the space ducking. We also had a fun day at the park with all of the family- my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My grandparents are wonderful for making it all happen and wanting us to stay close as a family even though we live spread apart.

We also visited with my grandparents on my mom's side. My grandpa Grover took us out boating on Utah lake. Ross has some great videos that I will have to get him to attach. My grandpa tried very hard to wipe us out on the tube and he was successful most of the time.

I also was able to visit with some good friends that I don't get to see much. My friend Melody and I were roommates my sophomore year at BYU. That year wasn't my favorite- I was taking so many hard classes. But Melody made it fun. We have also taken some memorable trips together. And then I visited with Liana- my roommate for a couple of years at BYU. She was always a great example to me and we had were all so close as roommates. We even had plans for the retirement home in Hawaii we would share in our old age. Then i saw my friend Jodi after many years. We went to Jerusalem study abroad together and shared many personal experiences. It is nice to have friendships that have lasted over the years.

So wish Ross a safe journey. He has been counting down the days and it is finally here!