What are the odds?

I just got an email from my Dad. He is currently on the USNS Mercy. The ship just left Singapore, heading towards (I think) Timor. While he was in Singapore, he was able to attend church at a little LDS meetinghouse. At the end of the church meetings, the Bishop announced that there would be a fireside upstairs in the Stake Center. My Dad decided to stay for the fireside. The speakers soon arrived, and what are the odds that my Dad would know one of the speakers? He and my Dad had gone to a science camp together when they were in high school, and had been friends all through their BYU years.

Then, weirdest of all weird, my Dad met the Sister that was also speaking. She was introduced as a professor from BYU's School of Social Work. So my Dad asked her if she, by any chance, knew Rebekah Nelson. She was surprised, but said yes, she had been my professor over my 8 month internship while I was at BYU. My Dad introduced himself, and they had a good laugh about meeting each other halfway across the world. So what are the odds that my Dad, an old friend of his from college, and my college professor would all meet in a little meetinghouse in Singapore? I've never really taken statistics, but I'd imagine that the odds are in the millions.

I just want to include a little note about why Sister Sheffield (my professor) was in Singapore in the first place. The group had been returning to the US from Indonesia, where they had introduced a program that Sister Sheffield created called the Family Enrichment Program. It is based on our LDS idea of family home evening, but adapted for those who are not LDS. She has introduced this program to many different countries at meetings held by the United Nations (if I recall correctly) on strengthening family. Her recent trip to Indonesia resulted in the government adopting the family enrichment program, purchasing 280 million copies of the manual (for which Sister Sheffield gets no royalties).

What an amazing work!

Happy Fourth

My brothers and I left on Wednesday night to come up to Utah and visit my sister and our brand new nephew. We stayed at Planet Hollywood in Vegas on Wednesday night. We didn't get in until 1:30am, so we didn't really have a chance to play around, but it was still quite fun. Inside their building there is a small area that "rains." Basically there is a sprinkler system up in the ceiling, and the water drips down into a little pool. Neat concept. We then drove the rest of the way up to Woodland Hills on Thursday. I've spent most of my time after that either chauffeuring people around or holding my adorable little nephew.

Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. What could be better than a summer day entirely devoted to family, barbeque's, picnics, fireworks, making flag cakes, and even the occasional swimming trip? I just can't think of anything that really tops it. Here is the traditional flag cake. My mom made one when we were little, and I've always enjoyed making it every year since. And no, this year I did not count out the blueberries to make sure there were fifty; nor did I make sure to put 13 rows of red and white. It still turned out just fine. It's pretty great.

Auntie Bekah

Yea! I became an Aunt today at 2:45pm, MST. I'm so excited!

Welcome to my nephew,
Chase Nelson Wyatt!!!

Don't worry. More pictures will follow. This is just the beginning. =]

Reward: $2.00

Missing!
I have been looking for this taco bell packet for at least the past 6 months.
If you run across it, please save it for me.

It makes me happy.
It's the funniest one, in my book. And it is missing.

See the Condiment Packet Museum here

Bekah, Bekah, the Strawberry Picka

Tell me these aren't the most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen! My supervisor suggested an outing for me to take the kids on: Picking strawberries at a strawberry patch. There is a little strawberry patch north of San Diego where you can purchase either a quart sized container for $6 or a gallon sized container for $11. Then they tell you what area to stay in, and you head out with your little bucket and pick your own strawberries! There were rows and rows of strawberries, and you can dig your hands through the plants and look for the ripest strawberries. Yea! It was really great. If you ever have the chance to do something similar, I highly recommend it.

I've already made mine into a Strawberry Pie. Yum!