It feels like I've been neglecting this for a while, but for good reason: I've been keeping busy! I've been spending the past few weeks galivanting around the area, and it all started at BYU campus for a Carillon concert they do annually for the Freedom Festival celebration in Provo. That's Provo's large community celebration for the fourth of July. The community claims it's one of the largest in the country, but I haven't done research on that. It may be that they are including the activities they do throughout the year (they have a large number of activities such as essay contests and speeches for the grade-school children to participate in throughout the school year). I still think the Hope of America program they do is awesome. I would have loved doing that as a child, but that tradition started later. I've seen excerpts of it on YouTube, and it's available there for anyone to watch.
I may be getting a little sidetracked there, but I thought it would be fun to mention. There are plenty of other things going on that I've been involved in. I don't think there has been a week that I haven't had some sort of activity going on. I had a fun visit with my aunt and her son (one of my Norwegian cousins) this past week for my dad's birthday, and had a good talk. This weekend, I'm going to see NEWSIES (the musical play, not the movie). Also, yes, I took the plunge and submitted a request to volunteer for the folkfest, which will be the first week of August this year. I thought it would be great since I don't get a lot of socializing to do something with people again. That was always one of my favorite parts of working at my former job. I hated the tedious work, but I enjoyed the interactions (as long as they weren't angry or complaining, that is). We'll see if I get a response and it becomes official. Perhaps it comes with a free pass to the show? It will all work out, even if I don't get a response.
With the thought of all of these happenings comes the reality that my first trip for the year is inching closer and closer. I call it, "Trip, part 1," since there's a second one in the making for November that's a little bit of an extension, but I get to bring someone with me that time! Yay! The first trip will start with a visit with my uncle's family. He's the one who lost his wife (my aunt) a month before Mom died. That was a tough time for him, losing a wife and a close sister within a month of each other. He collected all of our cell numbers and we've been communicating with him a little. I think I've talked to him more though, because I'm a little closer to him, having visited him more frequently since my cousins and I played together all the time. It's only for a day or two, but it will be fun. I'll be in San Diego, and I've never been there before, so it will give me some fresh subjects for photography.
It's all exciting and beautiful things in the happenings around here, and...
Life is good.
