Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Just me and my mom :)


Just me and my mom went on a trip to Texas and Arizona :) We started out going to Austin, Tx - my aunt Diane just graduated from UT-Austin with her masters degree in accounting! It was a lot of fun - I got to see my cousins who I haven't seen some of them for...close to 10 years, or more, and I got to meet all their kids! We got to Austin on Thursday, and that night we just had dinner and hung out; Friday we spent literally all day at UT-Austin campus for the graudation, and Saturday we slept in (my cousin's and their families were at a hotel so no kids woke us up early :) ), and Saturday my mom and I flew to El Paso, Tx. to visit my mission!!!

Business school graduates



Grandpa and Aunt Diane
Aunt Allison, Grandpa, Aunt Diane, my mom
 


The Masters of Accounting graduation



Graduates walking out


It was soo good to be in El Paso again! It just felt like being home again, which is kinda weird, but whatever :) I was kind of surprised that I still knew how to get around the city still, especially my first area - I was there almost 4 years ago, but I still remembered where stuff was! We stayed at a hotel in El Paso, and Sunday morning we got up and went to church in one of the wards that I served in. We went to the English ward, but the Spanish ward overlaps the English ward schedule so I got to see some people from the Spanish ward too!! I was actually kind of surprised too at how many people remember me! Not just my face, but me! They knew exactly who I was, and that was a good feeling. Another good feeling came listening to all the nice things people had to say about me to my mom.
After church, we went and saw the Enriquez family (a family that I taught and grew to be very close with); they are doing soo well! They are active and participating in the church, and they are happy. Mom said that it was really cool for her because she got to see and hear their testimonies and how the gospel has blessed their lives, and that it was really neat to think that I might have had a part in that.
After we visited the Enriquez family, we went to dinner with the Jensen's - my first companion and I stayed with them for about 3 weeks because my companion was really sick; Brother and Sister Jensen became like our parents. They made yummy fajitas, and some really yummy queso dip! I love the Jensens, and I'm so grateful for everything that they did for me - they really did become like my parents when I was in El Paso, and they always took really good care of me and my companion (who ever it was at the time).
Monday morning we got up and drove through Anthony (my 2nd to last area), and then headed out to Tucson. On our way out there, we took a detour up to the Gila Valley to see the temple; right before I came home, they announced a temple in my mission, and I finally got to go see it :) It's soo beautful! 
me in front of the temple

the temple and Mom

Mom posing in front of the temple

The temple spire and the sun...I thought it was a cool shot

After that we headed back south and then west to Tucson. I only spent a little bit of time in Tucson, so, unlike El Paso, I didn't have a place in mind for where we should stay. Mom is really picky about what part of town we stay in, so it was funny driving around town, neither of us really knowing where we are, and searching for just the right place. We had some good laughs :)
On Tuesday we woke up and drove down to Nogales, ate some lunch, and then headed back up to Tucson. While we were in Nogales, we stopped at a grocery store, and afterwards Mom said that I got quite a few looks from the men in the store...it didn't make Mom feel very comfortable, but it's very flattering to me :) Once we got back to Tucson, we went and saw President and Sister Walker (my 2nd mission president); it was so good to see them! I loved Sister Walker (Pres. Walker too, but I felt more connected and close to Sister Walker), and it was just so fun to hear as Pres. Walker told me what's been going on in the Arizona Tucson Mission and how's it growing. They come home at the end of June this year, and they have done a great job as mission presidents, and helping Heavenly Father's children come closer to Him.
Wednesday morning we got up and we to the airport. It was a good trip; I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve a mission for my Heavenly Father, and for the experiences that I had - I will cherish them forever. I'm also grateful for my family who loves and supports me, and for my mom who was willing to go to places that she thought were unsafe because I wanted to :) (side note: we didn't get hurt, we were never in any danger, but El Paso is close to the border where the drug war is going on) She and I had a really good time - lots of laughs (and no tears - shocking because I was involved, I know; but no tears, nonetheless); I'm really thankful that we got to spend that time together. :)


I kept forgetting to take pictures with all the people we saw, and while I wish that I had remembered, I will always have those people in my heart; but here are some random pictures that I did remember to take:

the apt behind the tree is where my companion and I lived in my 3rd area

on the drive between Tucson and El Paso you see so many of these billboards, and the 6 times during my mission that I crossed that stretch, I always wondered what "the thing" was; so I convinced Mom that we should stop and find out...

"THE THING" kinda weird, I know; this wasn't actually the only thing on display - there were three buildings filled with different artifacts from over the centuries

Pres. and Sister Walker told us that if we liked ice cream, we would love this place - it was true! This gelato was soo good!! and the best part was:

a cup this size - filled to every nook and cranny of the cup was only...

132 calories!! amazing, right??