BYU Weekend!!

Tom and I headed up to Utah last weekend for the Annual BYU Alumni Chapters Conference.  As usual, it was more fun to hang out with Colleen and Wade than actually going to the classes!  This is our fourth year going and we already knew most of the stuff they talked about.  But it is always a great experience to gather with the other chapter chairs and hear what fun activities they are doing.

 We asked Tom and Tamara Dufurd to join us this year at the conference.  They are on our alumni board and will be taking over as chapter presidents by the end of this month.  :)  (this makes me HAPPY . . . after 10 years of being on the board and 4 years of president, it's time!)

 Here are all the AZ people talking with our Regional Chairman.

 Colleen and Wade (Tom's sister) have been the Tucson Chapter Chairs the same amount of time as we have been.  They are also passing the torch to a great couple that has just graduated and moved down to Tucson.  

 Ya like my BYU bracelet and necklace??!!

 I had to take a picture of this!  My brother in law, Tim, has come up with an innovative method for potty training and he is launching them this year in the Macey's stores in Utah.  Yeah Tim!

 Here are some of the cool BYU kids we saw at our BYU Student Luncheon this year.  This is Tyler Day.  Tom went to dental school with his dad.  I used to babysit him!

 Lanae Carmichael, one of my absolute favorite people in the world!

 We had the lunch early this year so the kids could head over to the football game!

 We had 359 kids show up to the lunch!  Yikes!!!

 This was just the first 10 minutes---then the line wrapped around and doubled up.  We BARELY had enough food!!

There is absolutely NO way we could have pulled off that lunch without the help of Colleen's kids.  Amber and Colby ran errands and picked up food for us---they were essential to the success of this event!!  It was so fun to see Tom's mom there too.  She was a great help keeping the buffet table stocked with food!

 This year we got the patio of the Alumni Building which is a really pretty spot, especially with the stadium in the background. 

 We had a drawing of some free stuff (BYU sweatshirts, AZ T-shirts, even some real cactus!)

 Love Love Love the Gillette Twins!  They are our neighbors just returned from their missions.  Incredible boys and such great examples to Kohler.  

 Makinsey Plowman - one of my former beehives now at BYU.  She is a doll!  

Courtney Whidden - also one of my former beehives. (whoa . . . I am getting older)  She is super talented and so sweet!   

 Tom and I LOVE to go on drives, especially in Utah.  There is a development that we found, just past the Sundance exit that has the most gorgeous views!  It's hard to capture the beauty in a cell phone photo, but the colors of the hills were changing to autumn and it was simply breathtaking!

I can't put into words exactly how much I love this place.  My time in Utah, and at BYU specifically, were some of the happiest times of my life.  I stretched, I reached, I grew as an individual, I discovered things about myself that I never knew . . . and most importantly, I met my best friend, my eternal companion there.  This place, for me, is coming HOME.