Live. Laugh. Love.

I'd like to announce that as of today, 

I have bought everything major for my mission. 

 Polar bear winter jacket.

Gothic boots.

Lions mane scarf.

Muppet gloves.

Winter hat.

Whoop. 

Wardrobe wise, 

I'm ready for the freezing cold of Chile. 

Mentally unprepared though.

WARNING!

WARNING! 

I took a ton of photos today. 

But it was SO nice outside. 

Super chilly, 

and rainy. 

and then it snowed! 

So, I had to.

I mean, 

IT SNOWED!

Also, 

it's my last day in Utah. 

I'm convinced time goes faster when you're on vacation.

In the morning,

we noticed all the mountains were snow capped. 

Which is weird because when we arrived in Utah everyone was telling us how 

the ice had finally melted off all the mountains. 

It's back. 

Before we knew it, 

we were surrounded by little snow flurries. 

We drove up to Sun-Dance, the local ski resort,

because we knew the snow would be greater up there. 

 My dad and I were hoping that it would snow while we were visiting. 

Though, we didn't actually think it would happen!

You don't even know how happy we were. 

Aleksi and Cortney on the other hand were a little upset. 

Winter had come a bit earlier than they had hoped. 

California and Florida girls don't particularly like below freezing weather for five long months.

Weird. 

A random glass blowing shack. 

We got hot chocolate. 

And then it really started to come down. 

A perfect scene. 

Add some deer and we'll call it Christmas at Hogwarts.

 Christmas at Hogwarts.

 Live a little. 

Love a lot. 

Laugh everyday. 

That's what I always say.

Dually noted. 

What...? 

Snow ball fight. 

So much fun.

I'm little inexperienced at this snow stuff, 

so when everyone stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths 

as I jumped out into the road and threw a snowball at passing car 

and didn't hide or take cover, 

I knew I did something wrong.

But if you're not living you're dying.

[Passing car passed on by, no harm done]

 I love Cortney.

 I love Aleksi.

 Such a graceful snowball fighter.

 Snowball fight: check. 

Eat [clean, white] snow: check

Walk on freshly snowed snow and hear the crunch under my feet: check. 

Build my first snowman: check!

  I love the snow.

 Back at the house.

[by the way, that's how Aleksi's chandelier looks with light bulbs --- so good, right]

Cleaned up for dinner with our friends, the Odoms. 

Mexicana food.

[Mitchell should've been here]

And my mom. 

and Cassie.

Rah-rah.

 The Cortney face.

 Our Cassie faces.

 The Aleksi-squinty eye face.

 And then we heard the most awful scream from below us. 

Straight out of a horror film.
My dad, the bravest of us all, 

went down first.

We followed. 

During our summer trip here, 

Cortney and I had this ongoing bet that resulted in one of us going down

in the basement at night for one minute.

Neither of us did. 

But here was our chance. 

 And then we found it. 

The source of the deadly scream. 

Only kidding. 

My dad wanted to go into the basement to check where the ash from the fire was falling. 

I know, 

I always had a knack for telling jokes.

but we did find a dead bird:

 We were happy to find no tomb stones, 

no wells full of Samara, 

no little girls sitting in corners staring at us, 

and no underwater canals full of bodies.

How bout we go inside and end the night with some s'mores. 

Sounds like a great end to a really great week.

 I'm really going to miss these girls. 

I hate goodbyes.