notes on paper: Utah!!

Has been so crazy!

Huge, crazy culture shock - I kind of felt like my brain was spinning the first few days, ha.
It's so weird coming back after all that has happened to me the past year...
it feels almost like a Twilight Zone episode.
But in a great way (: Just a really weird feeling!

Basically here's what happened -

Daddy leaves to NYC Monday morning, I arrive Monday evening, Swedish family - Magnus & Anna-Carin and their children Linus & Alva - come Tuesday evening, Daddy comes home Wednesday evening... and ever since then it's been so busy! And so great!

We've been up to the lovely sparkling Park City at night

(where I ate my first $50 meal - melt in your mouth tender, delicious salmon - best I've ever had. yum! Thanks Uncle Laman!)

Walked around downtown SLC, and the beautiful temple!
That's probably my favorite (: I love temple square! So good to be back!

Went to the Kennicott Copper Mine - super cool after reading Atlas Shrugged.

I guess it's visible from space, supplied 1/3 of the nation's copper during WWII, and is just insanely huge

Hiked Lake Blanche - gorgeous but kinda tough 6 mile hike. So, so, so beautiful.

It was so funny - We were all dying inside because it was super hard. Seriously, it was hard haha. But nobody said anything! We were all too stubborn, and we all thought we were the only ones struggling so we all just kept going and didn't admit our agonizing pain the whole hike.. haha.
But we made it! We overcame the struggle (:
And it was definitely worth it. Just going to be super sore for a few days (:
Another funny story -
At the top of the mountain is this beautiful crystal clear blue lake. (Lake Blanche).
So Alva & Linus were playing by the water, and suddenly this huge gust of wind came and blew their hats way out to the middle of the lake! Haha. As we ate lunch their hats floated slowly back to the shore, and finally when we left Magnus waded out pretty deep to grab them with a stick. It was so funny.

We also went swimming. It was an indoor pool... so no sunshine :( sad day. But the family was so fun! Especially watching the crazy cannonballs and seeing my parents trying (& sometimes succeeding haha) to dive. Way fun!

Then we had an enormous, delicious family BBQ, with way too much food, interesting stories, and lots of laughing.
It was so fun to go to Church on Sunday and see all my old friends too (:

Katharine & I have been hanging out a ton, and it's basically hilarious. We're a little bit crazy (:

and crack ourselves up all the time. Love my sister.

It's been so fun getting to know my Swedish family! They are such awesome people - so fun, and kind, and I have loved spending time with them.

And that's all I have time to write right now (: and my English was terrible, woops, but oh well!

I love Utah!

Oh and I should probably mention, I love being with Daddy and Mom again.
I missed them a ton.
And it's been so funny looking at old high school pictures & driving the 15 seater van (the beast)
okay, the end (:

We saw these shirts with these weird flaps on them, and somehow it turned into the flaps could be pulled up over your nose... and with that Katharine dragged me to the dressing room. And we took ninja pictures. We're so cool (; Haha.