6 Month Update

So - true to form - it has been over 6 months since my last blog.  I consider this a product of my rather boring, unexciting life.  I really haven't done that much worth blogging over, work - eat - shower - sleep.  Repeat.  Almost every day of every week.  The rest of my time is consumed with responsibilities for Relief Society, doing visits to our sisters, organizing visiting teaching (a task that is more never-ending than doing laundry) and also indexing.  Our stake has challenged us to index 1 million names this year, that's a lot of names!!  But we are surely and steadily plugging away.  A little behind right now perhaps, but there's still 3 months left :)

Drill Team was so much fun this year!! I got to compete with the team at Districts and at State...I loved every minute of it!!  I won't post a full video of our routine because I don't have a great copy, but here are some pictures from both the games and the drill.

 I promise I am riding in this picture...A little bit like 'Where's Waldo'.  If you're having trouble finding me, try looking between the 2 horses on the far left.  See that little white leg sticking out of the brown horse's belly? Yup, that's me :)

 Yee-haw! 

 10-bucket race, we finished first in this leg of the race!

 

The Rescue Race 

At districts I competed in the Clover leaf (barrel race) the 10-buckets, potato race, and rescue race.  By far my favorite was the 10-buckets and the rescue race.  My horse loves to do the 10-buckets, and we totally rocked it!  The rescue race was a hoot, but I thought I was gonna die!! It works like a relay race, so one person rides to the other end of the arena, gets off the horse, picks up a passenger, both get on the horse race across the finish line.  There are 3 pairs that do this.  I was the last passenger to get picked up, and was nearly falling off the whole way!! Such a rush! haha

Now, I know that there's only about 3 people who read this blog...namely my mother and two sisters.  And they already know all about this next part...but I'm putting it in anyway because I like to feel like I'm talking to people that I don't already talk to on a daily basis.  :)  

I am so excited to embark on my latest (and probably greatest) adventure of my LIFE!!  As I was going over some things today, and starting to 'dot my i's' and 'cross a few t's' - it really hit me....I am going to the Cook Islands in less than 6 weeks!!  A little bit scary, somewhat daunting thought, but I can't help but get the jitters.  For those of you that don't know what I'm doing (if there are any) I am going to volunteer for 6 weeks at a non-profit veterinary clinic based on the island Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands.  I will be working 5 days a week, with 2 days all to myself to do whatever I want to!  I will be working with the Esther Honey Foundation to provide free veterinary care for the animals on the island.  I believe that a large portion of what I will be doing is spay/neuters for dogs and cats, but we have a fully functioning veterinary clinic to perform most surgeries and treatments.  This is going to be such a wonderful learning experience, to grow in my career - not to mention taking a 6 week holiday to a tropical island.  It doesn't get much better than that!!  Here are some pictures for your jealousy- I mean...enjoyment :)

 

 

 

These are pictures of Rarotonga, the Island where I will be staying.  I don't know how big it is exactly, but they say that it takes roughly an hour bus ride to make a full circle around the island, to give an idea.  There is even an LDS branch there, it's so good to know that wherever you go in the world, the Church is there!!  And now here are some pictures of what I will be doing and seeing.

 

little bit 'a this...

 

little bit 'a that...

 

I've heard the shopping is great too...

 

and a whole lot of this - 

 

quite a bit of that...

 

Hopefully a fair amount of this...

 

and a bit less of that..

All-in-all, it will definitely be a life changing experience, and I am already hoping that I get to go back!