California here I come!

I made it!!! Well, it wasn't really an option not to survive, but I'm grateful it happened anyway. Finals finished on Wednesday and as a reward to myself I went to the bookstore and bought three new books. I'm so excited to read something other than textbooks in the coming months. But the end of finals certainly didn't mean the end of being busy-- now I'm just busy with different things. The past few days have been filled with moving home, starting up work, and a whole lot of fun with the rugby girls! I have spent practically every waking moment either with them or planning on what to do next with them, which I couldn't be happier about. We decided there was no better way start summer than with a little camping, so Wednesday night we went up Hobble Creek Canyon and pitched our tent. It was a beautiful night, not too cold, and the stars were beautiful. We roasted up mallows, starbursts, made banana boats, and even roasted up some corn. DE-LISH. While the night was beautiful, we woke up to a whole lotta snow. Oops, forgot to check the weather. No worries, though. It wouldn't have been right if there wasn't a little adventure. Thursday night we watched "The Interpreter" which I had never seen and I loved it! Last night we had a little fire in my parents' driveway and made smores, played the guitar, and just talked until the wee hours of the morning. We discovered a new, better way to make smores. It includes putting peanut butter on it. I mean, peanut butter is amazing by itself, but when you mix it with the graham, the chocolate, and the mallow... dang. Incredible. You should try it! In between all our bigger adventures we've been playing lots of touch rugby, going hiking, and hangin' out. While I'm not sad that school is done, I'm sad the semester is over because it means that people are leaving and going their various directions, rugby is done, and change is happening. I wish we could all be in the same spot, just not going to school.... wishful thinking I suppose. But I'm grateful I've been able to spend lots of time with my friends these past few days.

You're not supposed to have food in the library. But we figure we spend so much time there, we're allowed a bit of lee-way. Here we have roast and potatoes that Krystal gratefully brought to us as we studied till our minds melted. Hey, if you're going to break the rule, really break it. Go big or go home.

Banana Boats... yum.

We can do a whole lot more than play rugby!

The adventures don't stop there, though. In about 4 hours I will be on a plane headed to California for a week. Woo-hoo!!! I'm excited to get out for a little bit and spend more time with friends and family. My friend Jaimie is from Danville, which is by Oakland, and she heads to the MTC this Wednesday. Her farewell is tomorrow so I'm glad I'll be there for that. In case you were wondering, she's going to the Richmond, VA Spanish-speaking mission. Cool. My aunt and uncle live right next to Danville, so I'll be able to spend some time with them as well. There are a few things I'm particularly looking forward to, along with Jaimie farewell. On Monday, Ela, Talya, Ofa, and Krystal (rugby girls) are driving to Fremont where Krystal is from, which is about 40 minutes from where I'll be. On Tuesday, we're going to be heading out to Yosemite and camping there for the night and then on Wednesday, we're hiking this! Hooray! Hopefully Rachel, the captain of the team, who's from Palo Alto, will be able to come as well! Party! On Friday and Saturday, the NCAA rugby final four is going down in Palo Alto and while it will hurt a little bit because I know we're good enough to be there, it will be fun to watch. The men and the women are both playing that weekend and then BYU mens team, who's ranked #2 in the country, will hopefully win a championship. Hey, I guess if our team can't be there at least we can root for our fellow Cougars. Of course, intermixed with all these happenings will be beach parties and other fun-filled activities. Needless to say, I'm really excited to go to California!