Best Friends = Family

Last week, I flew to UT to go to a teacher fair and to visit some of my closest friends. The trip was COMPLETELY rejuvenating. It reminded me that I am a good teacher. Someone should hire me because the world is missing out on my skills! At the fair, I interviewed with 4 schools and gave my resume to a thousand more. For me, it took a second to get into the fair. I had to stop take a look around and remind myself that I belonged there. That I should just talk to people and not worry about the out come. In the end, I felt better and enjoyed the experience. If nothing comes of the fair, at least I interviewed. It's good to keep up my skills. But enough about the fair, you know you want to hear about my friends, and their lives, and our lives together!

Oh, one more thing about the fair, and then I am done...promise. The fair was at BYU. It was a little nostalgic to be there. It reminded me of my undergraduate years and the good and stressful times that I had there. I also got to go to the BYU bookstore. One of my favorite places to waste time. I love their books, religious hoorallys, and goodies. They will also wrap presents for free if the purchase costs more than five bucks (just FYI). While I was in the bookstore, I got a new set of scriptures. For anyone who knows me currently, you know that my scriptures are GHETTO! They do not have a cover (a.k.a. you can see the binding and the naked pages.) I lose a page almost every time I go to church. Well, my friends, I am ghetto no more! I have a new set WITH my name embossed and everything. They are so shiny! I can't wait to mark them up and find new truths and miracles in them. Beware youth! I will now be over anxious to get to use my new scriptures. Now, on to the Amanda has friends part.

One of my best friends in the entire world lives in UT. I think you may have heard of her if you have read my blog from the beginning. Her name is M.C Dille. (A.KA. Maren). She lives in Provo with her husband Jordan (well, at least she used to...I will explain in about another paragraph). Jordan is a special ed. teacher in the Provo City School District. I have a great deal respect for this man. Everyday he helps the kids who truly need it the most. He works with students with behavioral needs. So, basically, you take any kid that normally gets kicked out of class and give them to Jordan. He is a great teacher and is truly making a difference in the lives of his students. I have never actually seen him teach...but just being around him lets you know that he is good at what he does. Maren is hair stylist. (I know there is a technical term for it, but I can't remember what it is). She works at the BYU Barbershop and at the MTC. She is the one that keeps your missionaries looking so wholesome and spiritual! She is seriously talented and any head is blessed to be near her. I can only wish that I had her skills. So, anyway, I stayed the week at Maren and Jordan's apartment/house. It was a blast. Maren introduced me to the world of "Friends". Maren and I watched a season and a half together in the matter of a week. I laughed so hard I almost cried a couple of times. I was never allowed to watch that show growing up, and now I love it. Thank you Maren for introducing me to Ross, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, and Joey!

Besides a new t.v. show, Maren introduced me to her new HOUSE. That's right, the Dille family officially owns a home. The house is beautiful and in a great neighborhood. It has wood floors and a completely fenced in backyard. I think that they chose wisely on their new diggs. So, this past week, I got to help them move into their fantastic new space. Doing this reaffirmed why I love Maren so much. She is the one person in the world that loves books just as much as I do. Trust me, while moving I think she had more boxes of books than anything else. A trait that makes my heart grow eight sizes larger than it should.

Now, when Jordan realized that they were getting a house for sure, he joked with Maren that she could get dogs. This was a big mistake. Within one day Maren had already looked around and found not one but two dogs that she was absolutely in love with. So, on the day of their move, Buzz and Stitch came home with Maren. Buzz is a terrier and Stitch is a chihuahua mixed with something Chinese. They are both extremely cute and people friendly. They don't bark and are completely potty trained! The only way that I like dogs. Jordan says that Maren loves the dogs more than the house. The house was just a means to an end. Which is completely true in my opinion. So, needless to say, it was an exciting week in the Dille house hold.

Now, what could make this week EVEN better? KATI AND IAN ELLIS. Kati is another one of my best friends in the entire world, and she married a wonderful man. I love hanging out with them! They bring light into the world! I know I am cheesy, but I speak truth. If you don't believe me...you should look them up. They live in southern CA, and they flew to UT to spend the weekend with Maren, me, and Kati's family. It was FANTASTIC! Kati is a photographer. You should check out her blog. (As seen on the right of your screen!) She is truly skilled. She can see the world through a different lens if you will. Kati even brought her camera to document and take photos of Maren's new dogs. Ian is in real estate, and is incredibly good at what he does as well. What can I say? I have really talented friends! They are a beautiful couple and I am happy to have them in my life.

So, anyway, you know that you are REAL friends with someone when there is no music on, no t.v., and you can talk for hours on end without realizing what time it is. I will really miss the physical bond that we all have. By that I mean: it is great to talk on the phone and everything, but still, nothing beats the live in person visit. Being able to see the faces behind the jokes and sarcasm.

I feel as though I could talk forever about my awe inspiring friends, but I guess that I shouldn't tell all of their business on my blog! I had a great, rejuvenating week. We ate at Costa, Kneaders, chili's, and lovely homes. We played games, saw the Young Ambassadors, Celebrated the birth of Kati Ellis, moved the Dille Family, and much much more. I am truly blessed to have these wonderful women in my life (their husbands can come too. I approve of them :))

If you made it to the end of this entry, I applaud you and thank you for taking the time to completely read my ramblings.