On the Seas

Oh how I love cruising. Ever since I was first introduced; I've been hooked. So when the chance came for us to take a cruise with some dear friends, we couldn't get there fast enough. This time around we ventured to Port Everglades, FL for a 5 night cruise in the Caribbean waters. And what a delightful trip it was.

I couldn't possibly write about the entire trip here - but I'll mention a few highlights:

Fort Lauderdale: after arriving at 6am - we were certainly hoping our hotel would have an open room for us to at least shower and rest up a bit. Sadly, this was not the case and we found ourselves living our of our rental van. (which should have been a Swagger Wagon - but wasn't; you can imagine my disappointment). And it must be said we make four really attractive people who haven't slept for 2 days.

• Sir, how many bags do you have? Is he trying to get us to change cars? Nope, we really did forget our bag.
• 84 Thai Food vs McDonald's. Is there a competition? If you only knew.
• Swimming in the ocean. Perhaps a bad idea when there is no shower to clean up.
• How many gas stations do we have to visit to get the right snack? Three.
• Sawgrass Recreation Park. Those are real crocodiles. And Real Close! Then we got to hold one...I think my hesitation is justified.
• Third time to the hotel - yet the lady didn't recognize Mark. Weird.

We make pretty good "Homeless" tourists if you ask me. With naps on the beach and fast food restaurants to wash up in, how could you go wrong?
Key West: First stop on the boat. We walked, and walked, and walked all around this southern most part of the US. Theron challenged the landmark to find something a little more "south". And the ladies found all the free jewelry our friend Ben told us about the day before. The Butterfly garden was incredible and it turns out all our men are "lucky" since the butterflies landed on them. Not real effective as none of us won the emerald and diamond necklace raffle just a few hours later. Boo.

• "Twenty!" , "Twenty?" "Fifty!" , "FIFTY?"
• Ugly shirt contest? I don't want to spend the money!

The vibrant and diversity of the butterflies here was so intense. It was such a sight to see such unique and fragile animals.
If this picture had a sound - it would be a deep sigh straight from the gut. Cuz that is the sound each of us made as our seats found this comfortable break from our day long walk.
Cozumel: Second Stop found us in the depths of tourist country. We didn't waste any time finding a large grocery store where we could stock up on some cheap snacks before our ATV tour began. (because we could NOT stop eating) And I must say - kudos to the HUGE Walmart-like store that tickled my fancy. Very nice. We then met up with our tour guide - and were surprised to be the only ones on the tour! Fancy! An adventure in ATV's around the Mexican jungle, followed by a snorkel trip on the beaches of Cozumel resulted in a very tiring day.

• Fertility Rock anyone?
• Huge Mud Puddles!
• Rrrrroberto - 5 R's
• Pee your pants fun

Day at Sea: Agenda - rest, eat, rest, eat, rest, play games, climb rock wall, eat. Done and done.

• Andi - bless his heart. and Jose, and George Albert. Yes 5 stars to George Albert.
• Strawberry Bisque = Dessert to start. Just how I like it.
• I'll have one of everything.
• Is the ice cream open yet?
• Sexy leg competition
• Karaoke till dawn.

Cococay: We decided last minute to forgo the Aquapark and spent the entire day snorkeling. To our delight, we came across three huge stingray, jellyfish, a sunken airplane, and mighty sunburns. Perfect. All too soon, the captain called for an Evacuation of the island; which sounds a bit too dramatic. As the wall of rain came in, it didn't take but a moment to have us all soaked to the bone. The ride on the top of the ferry back to the boat was a memorable adventure I wouldn't have missed. Nothing beats a hot shower after a rain like that.
An absolutely perfect trip with absolutely perfect company. We are already talking about our next trip together. I was a little nervous having never met Mark's friends before, but we all got along splendidly. Is it too soon to already start counting down until our next one? I. think. not.

The Man with a Stick

Every morning as we drive out to work, we pass the man with a stick on his morning walk. He is an older gentleman, nothing out of the ordinary really. The great thing about this man is his wave. He waves his stick, as a friendly hello, to EVERY CAR passing by. Today we caught him at the stoplight. While waiting for our light to change, we watched as he waved at each and every car. He would raise his stick high in the air, wave it back and forth a few times, and then point the stick at the car to let them know that wave was for them.

I love this man. I love how he cheered my morning as I accepted my hello. I love how he does this every morning. His little act of kindness makes me want to give a little something back as well. I ride the elevator at work with strangers every morning and I am always grateful I get off at the second floor so I don't feel obligated to make conversation. And so, dear man with a stick, thank you for your kind hello which brightened my day enough to wish a good day to the people in the elevator this morning.

Monterey PIE show

This is what I spent my weekend looking at

As a part of the company training program, Wright's Pools Service attends the annual Pool Industries Expo held in Monterey, California. Although not entirely relaxing, it was great to enjoy a bit of the seaside. Mark attended most of the classes from Basic Chemistry to Automated Pool equipment. Whew - more then I could possibly know. While he was in classes, I spent the days walking around downtown Monterey. I spent a little over an hour in the city's cemetery. Weird that I like these places, but I really do. Some had death dates as far back as 1870. Others still had fresh floral arrangements near their stones. This little row reminded me of the cemetery we passed through in Paris. Weird to see so many graves above ground.

And I think this one was by far my favorite. Nothing like a good ol' RIP and cross bones to say what is needed. Way to go Filyau.
After meandering the cemetery, I headed down a little further to an Antique Mall. 2 stories of old stuff; my kind of past time. Secretly looking for items similar to those we got from Grandpa's farm in Utah so I could see a price tag, I enjoyed looking at a few great items and a lot of junk.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. Most of the day was cloudy and overcast, but usually by about 1pm; the clouds burned off and the temperature warmed up making for a beautiful day. And when I wasn't walking around the city, the view wasn't too bad all on its own. So cheers to a delightful city, delightful weather, and a delightful hotel room.

Self Reflection

Yes, Mark is still alive and able to type.

I have spent a lot of the last couple of days pondering my life and how it has gotten me to the point that I am right now. I feel that I have been a devoted member of my church and that I have done my best to become the best person that I can. Over the last year, however, I have been finding myself losing touch of, well, me. Who I was. What I wanted to be. I find myself looking at other people and judging them for their potential mishaps, things of which I will never know to be of certainty. I find myself complaining about the "struggles" in my life and wondering if I will be able to cope with them. I find myself without the desire to "feast upon the words of Christ" which once consumed my every thought. What was happening to me? I was looking at myself and was sickened by what was transpiring. What happened to the happy-go-lucky Mark that defined who I was?

Recently, I have had a couple of very dear friends and family presented with some very difficult hardships. A dear friend of mine in particular who was such a rock in my life, has left what he has known and always known to be true. Another friend of mine had her heart, not just broken, but absolutely demolished by one I would have never expected. Family members going through unspeakable hardships due to the economic downfall, my wife working through some difficult times....and here I sit, in a comfortable home complaining that the bathroom might never be done, about a job that is difficult and so out of my realm, but so stable and able to provide.

It was my week to teach the lesson in Priesthood to the youth, and being annoyed with that fact found myself online preparing for a lesson. I came across this talk by Elder David A. Bednar (http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/EducationWeek/2010_07_30_Bednar.htm). It had nothing to do with what my lesson was on, but the title hit me like ice water....jolting me into a sense of my nothingness. "Who's on the Lord's side Who? Now is the time to show."

I had intended to read it after I got home from church, but Kaylinn had grabbed it thinking it was part of my lesson. I started to read it in Sacrament Meeting and couldn't take my eyes off of it.....it was a talk given for me, and I knew it. This is a quote from the talk that I hope to never forget:

“Every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. Would you like to know of one of our toughest tests? Hear the warning words of President Brigham Young, ‘The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth.

Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the most deceiving of all tests.

Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people—It can put them to sleep. The Book of Mormon warned us of how [Satan], in the last days, would lead us away carefully down to hell. The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The [adversary] knows that he probably won’t be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep, like Gulliver, while he strands them with little sins of omission. And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant as a leader?

We have too many potential spiritual giants who should be more vigorously lifting their homes, the kingdom, and the country. We have many who feel they are good men [and women], but they need to be good for something—stronger patriarchs, courageous missionaries, valiant [family history and] temple workers, dedicated patriots, devoted quorum members. In short, we must be shaken and awakened from a spiritual snooze”

A message by Brigham Young given over a century ago! At that moment, I realized that I was being lulled away into a spiritual slumber. I looked over at my wife...mesmerized by the beautiful, strong, and worthy woman who sat next to me....and made a commitment right then and there that I would do all in my power to not be a lukewarm husband, friend, and leader. I knew that having potential was not enough. I knew that the Lord has truly blessed me throughout my life, and I didn't want those blessings to be a waste. I encourage all of us to take a good look at who we are and then look at what we need to become. This weekend is the perfect opportunity for all of us to listen carefully to the words of the brethren and begin the journey of fulfilling our true potential.

Delish

Lets talk about food. I am seriuosly IN LOVE with these Pork Taco's. We eat them at least once a week. I share this goodness with you! Do what you will with this fabulous piece of information! (P.S. Not my picture but this is what they look like)



PORK AND PINEAPPLE:
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or not...I don't like the spice so I leave it out)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced crosswise (I use canned...it's cheaper)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
12 corn tortillas (6" diameter), warmed per package directions
AVOCADO CREMA:
1 avocado, mashed
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. To prepare the pork and pineapple: In a cup, mix the sugar, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Mix half of the spices with the pork, then toss with the oil. Mix the remaining spices with the pineapple. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes while preparing the avocado crema.
2. To prepare the avocado crema: Whisk the avocado with the sour cream, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to keep the crema fresh looking. (Or don't...it won't be there long enough to make a difference)
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with olive oil spray. Warm over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the pork and cook, turning once or twice, for 8 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Add the cilantro and toss to combine. Transfer to a clean plate and cover loosely to keep warm. (I don't...I just add the pineapple and cilantro at the same time, stir a bit, turn off the heat and then heat my tortillas-one less plate to wash)
4. Add the pineapple to the pan and cook, turning once or twice, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Remove from the heat.
5. To assemble each serving, place 3 (or SEVEN) tortillas on a plate. Divide 1/4 of the pork and pineapple between each tortilla. Top with the crema and roll up.

Seriously Amazing! We had this delightful meal with Lime Tortilla chips and strawberris last night. There were no leftovers. So good!

I've been thinking

-- Why is it that whenever I get a little bit of money, I start planning what vacation I'm going to take?

-- I think I should just accept that my bathroom will never be done. We may never have blinds on our windows, the screen door will always be too expensive, the smell from under the sink will always be there, and the toilets will never flush properly.

-- How does one get the motivation to continually get to the gym? I am good for about a week, then go 10 days with nothing. Back again for 3 days then another week with nothing. Where does that constant stamina to "get out there" come from?

-- My love of Ice Cream is overwhelming. It will never fade. I have tried to supress it but to no avail.

-- Drinking enough water in a day is like another project. I have to make an effort to think about getting a glass and stay hydrated.

-- My commute to work is typically 1 hour. Freeway or side street. Doesn't matter. And I've found that taking the side street that parallel's the freeway is slower then the stop & go freeway.

-- I finally brought home my wedding dress from my inlaws. I reminds me how beautiful it is. I don't have it preserved in any special way, so to just hang it in the back of the closet seems a waste. I'm contemplating selling it...but the going rate for used dresses is insulting. I'd rather keep it; even if it does turn yellow.

-- Remember that time in your life when "everyone" was getting married. Why is it that "everyone" has stopped getting married and now "everyone" is having babies?

-- I have this pesky -- pounds that I have been trying to loose for a year now. Grr.

-- Our office desk was installed last week. It looks beautiful. I've repainted the wall from the light not so nice green to a bright (maybe too bright) green. Will I ever be happy? But the desk is AWESOME and I am excited to put it to use. And can't wait to get the pictures/shelves on the wall.

did you think this was going somewhere interesting? sorry!

5 Cookie Day

Today has been a 5 cookie Day.

It started out pretty normal. Alarm clock rings at 5:15 alerting me to get up and hit the road on my morning run. Followed quickly by 5 slaps on the snooze bar for a 45 minute extended sleep. Drat.

Then the oatmeal wasn't very tasty and before I knew it-it was miss-a-shower-and scrunch-your-hair-so-the-grease-doesn't-show. This method is suppose to take less time but doesn't. Threw on a new shirt to save the grungy Monday blues, and off to work.

Work was a whirlwind with my Associate being in Hawaii (wish it were me). Slammed with projects until 12:15pm. A short break to the lunch room rewards me with leftover cookies from the staff meeting I didn't attend. 2 cookies should suffice.

A mass rush needed for 2 new hires who don't have enough of their certificates in; resulting in several additional phone calls and "URGENT" needs. Another cookie should help that out.

Take a personal call to clear up questions about an appointment from Saturday. Mostly good news means another cookie.

Get yet another assignment that bumps me up into the 2 screens club. Yes, I now have two wide-screen computer monitors on my desk. It is a little weird to get use to and truthfully I think it makes things a little more blurry then I like. Grr. Cookie.

And might I add these were dang good cookies. Dear office worker who made these cookies. You are my Betty Crocker. And your cookies are divine!

**Update: I now feel I had had 2 too many cookies. Bleh!**

Rise and Shout Indeed!

(Please note: I left my camera in Utah so this post is pictureless for now. I want to get this post up before I forget everything so, hopefully on some future date, this post will include the pictures I was so diligent in taking)

It has been a few years since Mark has been able to step foot into the hallowed Cougar stadium. Growing up with season tickets, this makes for a rather uncomfortable adjustment. So when the first game of the season was announced, we had already made plans on attending.

The 11 hour car ride wasn't as bad as one would expect. Due to the car robbery that happened a few weeks back, we were forced to rely on the Compact Disk! Mark busted out his old school CD binder and we were off with a few ready made mixes. Funny to go through our old mixes from years now gone and listen to the music we loved. Mark even had some EFY dances tucked away that made for some fancy entertainment.

Friday was packed full of "go-sees". First stopping in the Salt Lake Cemetery to pay a visit to my Dad's grave. I brought a small framed picture to place near the stone which I thought was a nice touch. It was a little strange being there; I wasn't quite sure what to do. I talk to my dad all the time so doing it there just felt...forced. It was a nice brief moment.

We then spent the next few hours at the Salt Lake Temple. My first time doing service there so that was a neat experience. I was fixated on the brides of the day which goes to show me that getting married didn't take the infatuation of being a bride away. The temple itself is of course a beautiful structure; with the inside being just as ornate. The history behind the building adds to my interest so it made for a great afternoon.

Jumping in the care with just enough time to drive north and meet the parents and Bro at Maddox which is considered a staple luxury of Northern Utah. I must admit, their bread rolls were amazing. Lets just say I lost count at 7. The waitress just kept putting them in front of me! To our great luck they were also celebrating Peach Days which made for a splendid piece of pie to wrap up that goodness.

Another key highlight to the trip was our stop at Grandpa's farm. Mark spent many a summer here; so it hold a lot of really dear memories. The farm itself has been mostly untouched since Grandpa died in 2002 so you can image my excitement in searching through an old house that was full of historical collectibles. We managed to take home several really neat relics like first edition camera's, a typewriter, and a 1902 Edison player. Mark was the only one attacked by the massive grasshoppers, and I managed to get the monstro-bee into the spiderweb long enough to let us finish up and vacate. It was sad to see the farm in such bad shape; but I can't lie; it was like walking through a deserted old house from the early 1900s. I loved it!

On our drive back, we made a much anticipated stop at the home of my oldest roommate Lesli John. (Oldest as in the first one I've ever had, not in age). Lucky me! She was such a gem to visit with us for a few moments. It has been 7 years since our last get-together so it was sure a delight to reconnect. A true friend!

--this is where we left the camera so all other events were photographed with the Bouche's camera. Bless them!--

Saturday Morning! A perfect breakfast with the Anderson's and Sullivan's at Kneaders as we planned our joint vacation get away. That right folks-we are going on a reunion-of-sorts cruise with Mark's greatest High School buddies and their wives. And we're all travelling with the MVP's. (Morrell Vacation Planners). I jumped right on the train of research and booking the trip and even made an elaborate reference booklet for everyone. Despite that, it was great to see some old friends and laugh about their lives now.

And then-the moment we had all been waiting for! I mean; lets be honest here, the whole reason we went to Utah wasn't for the friends, family, or food. Those were just bonus items to the glorious BYU Football game. Dan and Krista, & Julie and Ryan joined us at the Stadium for some "rise and shouting" good times. A pre-game stop at the college Bookstore resulted in some much needed fan attire for all. Followed by a fabulous display of athleticism and sportsmanship by our cougars. Our seats were on the west-facing side of the field so we felt happier when the clock read 7 minutes in the 3rd quarter. Why you ask? Because it was then that the sun had set just enough to put us in the shade. Nice! To those who didn't watch, shame on you, the cougars won. But only because "U-dub" made more mistakes then we did. (in my opinion) Thanks to Dan's mad driving skills, we were home in no time to enjoy Chef Tom's delightful Mediterranean Burgers. Delish.

A shout out to Mike who came out to part-ay with us each night we were there. And to mums and pops for putting us up free of charge. 'Preciate ya.

And to my blog readers - hopefully there will be pictures to make this incredibly long post less boring. :)

In-Famous

Since the first day I started teaching I thought about when my students would make-it in life. You know, become rich and famous fashion designers, or movie stars, or rock band peeps; and I'd look back and say, I had them as a student. I've been in their presence.

Well my fine readers, it has happened...although not like I had envisioned. Way to go Terrence Harris, you've done your family proud. (Being that he is in the newspaper, I don't feel bad calling him out.)
Read story here if your interested. (Which, with that introduction, how could you not be?)

And a special thanks to another former student who brought this story to my attention. I always counted on them to keep me informed. :) 1 student down; 1054 hopefuls to go

Current Favorite

I am currently working on our wedding photo album. It's been a constant project forever! There are just so many pictures, I can't choose which ones to include and which to toss.

Anyway-my point is, this is my current favorite. The tulips were beautiful; I couldn't have ordered a better flower to be planted. And I think it just encompases what I was feeling perfectly. Such joy.

Lunch

I feel like Lunch is the worst meal of the day. At home I usually want to skip the meal entirely and go straight to snack. Why you ask-No good food. I have never been real good at the packing lunch bit either. Ever. At work, I'm sort of afraid to use the community fridge for weird reasons, and not too keen on using the microwave in the kitchen. Nothing germ-aphobe like; more like don't-talk-to-me-I-want-to-still-be-in-my-cubical like. Don't ask.

Consequently, I pack fairly boring lunches in an effort to be healthy and yet satisfied yet not re-heating or having to be chilled. Then, lunch time hits and what I've packed sounds not so good anymore or isn't enough to fill up a fly.

This usually results in my craving kicking in. This is another weird thing about me. I'll go through craving phases. I remember each of them so distinctly. When I was a teacher I went through the Jack in the Box phase, the Vons Bagel phase, the Taco Bell phase followed shortly by the Sweet n' Salty Almond bars. Recently it has been the Baskin Robin phase and now the BofA cafe Panini phase.

Then the worst thing happens. The crave stops tasting good and I'm back to boring useless lunches; like oatmeal; or a yogurt and a piece of fruit. Sure it fills me up but I wish something better was sitting in my stomach. Sadly I am at that junction now. I need to be excited about my lunch. I need something delicious yet convenient. What I need is a lunch revolution where there is good healthy packing food for lunches only.

The End.

And for the record, have I mentioned I miss teaching yet. Because I really do. I think about it everyday. I loved my job. And I miss it terribly.

The End. For Real.

My Bad!

I went to AAA to get my registration stickers replaced. Surprisingly it was a VERY long line. I was surprised because last time I was the only one in there. Whatever, I was going to get this taken care of today so I waited. When I finally made it to the desk 45 minutes later, I informed the lady of my situation and she gave me the form to fill out and the fee that needed to be paid. To my relief, it was only $18.00. I whipped out the checkbook to pay the fee and can you guess what dropped out?

Yes-eriee folks, my registration sticker. Apparently I stuck it in my checkbook after I paid the fee last time and thought I had put it in the glove box with the registration paperwork. So -just kidding. They weren't actually stolen. Now I'm just waiting for the items taken from Mark's car to drop out of my purse.

Silly me!

Next Blog>>

Have you ever found yourself sitting at your computer reading every blog link you have? Then clicking on the blog links of friends friends' thinking maybe you ran into them once and now you want to follow up with their lives too. AND THEN finding you still have time to kill so you resort to reading friends of your friends blogs that you have no relation or connection to but really don't care. AND THEN...reaching an all time low, you start clicking the Next Blog>> button found at the top of each blog which randomly throws you into cyberspace? Which then makes you wish you had cool things to blog about too; so you end up blogging about what you've just done?

...yeah...me neither. I'm far to busy for that.

Agency

One of the greatest blessings of mortality is the right to choose for ourselves what kind of people we want to be. So I wonder where in the spectrum of life do thieves find their actions justifiable. Last night we had our garage broken into. Both cars were searched and everything inside was taken from them. Thankfully the items taken were all replaceable so no real physical damage is done. Just the inconvenience of replacing the new Registration tags I just got yesterday for my car, the iPod, an empty purse that I really liked, sunglasses that were from Target I'm sure, and the garage door opener. The opener is a cause for great concern as now we have to get everything re-programed so whoever has our opener doesn't have access to the house when we are away.

Anyway-it is such a disturbing thing; having your belongings taken from you. It leaves you feeling so violated and unsafe. I am such a different person because I would feel sick every time I used that iPod, or put those registration stickers on my car. Hey, where did you get those neat sunglasses...I STOLE them right out of someone's car that was parked in their garage in the middle of the night. Really people? So ten points to us for not being thieves and having a conscience.

Roadshow 2010

What a BUSY weekend. Every 4 years our stake gets the youth together for the the infamous Roadshow experience. I remember doing this when I was a kid and Sister Miller put together this genius of a production with music and dance and all. Strangely enough I still remember many of those songs. I digress; this year Mark and I were selected to be the specialists for tour ward's Roadshow. What? Moi? They do things quite different from when I was a kid. Rather then weeks on end with practices and rehearsals, it is now a 24 Hour production from start to finish. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Mark and I developed, wrote, choreographed, and preformed a 6 minute skit with 10 youth. Pretty sure I am not cut out for the all-nighter fan fare. We wrote half our script Friday night until about 2am. Then gathered again at 8am for breakfast and ... everything else that followed. I was quite proud of our finished product. We did a spoof of Disney Pixar UP! and the temptations taking us away from Paradise falls. An overall great success. A few highlights included:

-- The band of temptation entered the stage singing "We're going to Lake Taho-ho-ho." (Like in Finding Nemo) and then responded "Tahoe-mu-ha-ha" every time Tahoe was said.

-- The invitation to a "mildly inappropriate party in Lake Tahoe". Very funny.

-- The song we re-wrote to "In the Jungle" and the a-weema-way's were changed to "Let's go this way, Let's go this way." (the other side chants) "No Come our Way, No Come our way..."

-- Dance Battle! Russell was getting his interpretive dance merit badge and stormed the Alpha.

-- Jason says playing Kevin made his wrists hurt. We thought about claiming workers comp.

And I hate to boast but we were the best performance of the night. With 9 other wards competing, we heard from many sources that we were the most put together and entertaining. I hope this means we're not up for another assignment! :) We were absolutely exhausted by the end of the night. So much so that we both took 3 hour naps Sunday afternoon. Nice.