Denver

We were in Denver for Ben's Representation in Mediation competition that was part of the American Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Conference.  Although they didn't make it to the semifinals, it was a great privilege to be in the top 10 teams in the country. This is Ben's teammate Joe, and the coaches, Lynn and Sharon. 

We took time to explore Denver, and there was lots to see within walking distance of the hotel.  We saw where the first G8 summit was held back in the 90s.  It's actually part of the Denver Public Library and the room is open for people to wander into during the day.  The picture above shows the seating arrangement, and the picture below shows the actually table they sat at.  I'm in Tony Blair's seat, but the name plate says Anthony Blair which took me by surprise since most of the world knows him as Tony.

This is a view of Downtown Denver from the G8 summit room.  I was impressed with how clean the city was (downtown Minneapolis doesn't really impress me with being clean).  The conference was held in the Sheraton (can you find it?), and I had never been in a hotel that was so nice.  The hotel was huge and took up two blocks. In between sessions they would have cookie carts sitting in the hall waiting for everyone to enjoy.  Unfortunately, we stayed at the Comfort Inn a block away.  Our accommodations were adequate (the hotel room was small, there were only full beds and both our feet were hanging over the edge, the shower switched between scalding hot and freezing cold water which made showering an adventure, the walls were paper thin and you could here the people next door), but the breakfast was pretty good!

Have you ever seen a horse on a chair?

At the state capitol you can stand on a step that is exactly one mile high.  We met some tea party supporters who were there for a rally that afternoon and they gladly took this picture for us.  We missed the rally (and so did they apparently!), but they were nice enough to snap this picture before they left.

The US Mint.  I had looked it up before we went, but their website made it sound like it was farther out of the city than 2 blocks away, so I didn't think to try and go.  If I would have known how close it was, I would have made Ben skip a lecture so we could go.  As we were wandering around we saw signs for it and got to the gates about 5 minutes after it closed.  Oh well!  

 Some of the stuff on the 16th St. Mall.  And, yes, I am in the buffaloafers.

It was lots of fun minus all the drinking everyone else did, but that is a different story for different time. 

Ok, I know it's been a while since we've put anything up on the blog.  Here are a few random things that have been happening lately.

1. I got my hair cut.  It was time and had been a while since I had gotten it done.

2. Spring still has not decided to come to Minnesota.  I was disappointed yesterday when I had to brush heavy wet snow off my car before I could leave for work.  There was probably a good 2-2 1/2" on Jimmy.

3. Ben's professors love him, and it's a good thing because he has missed so many days of class this semester.  One is very impressed with a presentation and paper he is writing on assessing the teaching of negotiation skills (or something like that) and then another has recommended him for an internship that a Hamline alum needs someone to fill.  Hopefully, it works out and Ben can have an internship for the summer AND hopefully, it will help Ben realize he doesn't want to be a personal injury lawyer. :)

4. Ben was gone so I got to work on a couple of crafts.  Unfortunately, some didn't turn out like I hoped and some did.

5.  My favorite coworker came back to work at the bank part-time.  I was really sad when she left, but I'm excited to have her back. 

6. I'm ready for a vacation and have been perusing places to go.  The two places we both want/need to go in the near future are my mission and Ben's mission.  Ben said we'll have to do mine first (it's just a little closer and would be a little cheaper).  Plus, I think we both would like to see the temple in Rome while we are in Italy, so we have to wait until that is done.

7. There will be a post about our Denver trip soon with pictures, and I will also put pictures of crafting projects up soon, too.

8.  Ben might be going camping with the YM this weekend.  Thank goodness because it helps fill Ben's camping need and I don't have to go.  And, I'm working this Saturday so when he gets home Saturday morning, he can get all cleaned up and wash all the smelly camping clothes/blankets/etc. and I won't have to do it.

9. We are still pondering how we are going to get the next JAGs.  We only have two episodes left before we have none to watch.  We have seen some pretty good deals online, but some were at sketchy sites.

10. I only have a few more nights to close the drive thru and then I will be done with late nights at work.  Yes, tonight is one of the last few.

2 years and counting

This weekend I celebrated being home from my mission for two years.  It makes me feel old because I've been an RM for two whole years (but I have accomplished a few things in those years, so I'm not that concerned about it).  Anyway, for those who missed out on the awesome-ness of my mission, here is a small recap:

This is Sarah's own description of them dropping me off at the MTC:

"Emily, Preston, and I took Joanna to the MTC today. I was more than happy to miss an hour of work to go, and I'm glad I could. I was impressed with how well Joanna composed herself considering she is one of the softhearted family members. But then, I know she didn't eat anything all day and could barely say more than two words at a time. I am committed to write to her at least once a transfer, but I have a feeling she will be expecting more."

Sarah did not write once a transfer, but she did do better than some people in the family....  And, once we had dinner in the MTC that night, I ate very well.  It was ice cream night:)

Andalusia

Home Sweet Home

Andalusia seemed to fit me just right, probably becuase it was a small town and also because the branch was so small.  It was very similar to Mt. Vernon including all the crazies in the branch, but I loved it.  I still get homesick for it and will probably write a letter to one of the families when I'm done with this.  I love Andalusia still to this day!

Tallahasee

The Bowcutts made Tallahassee manageable.

Tally was a hard area because the sisters (and elders) before I got there didn't do any work and had created some hard feelings with the bishop.  While it wasn't my favorite area, it was probably the best one for me.  It stretched me in ways that have been and will be beneficial to me.  I also learned so much there about the gospel.

Destin

 The perfect place for a missionary to die.

It got me pretty spoiled.  I'm pretty sure this was in February on our way home from district meeting one week, and now I dream of those white sandy beaches and the emerald colored water and that I could be there instead of still freezing in April here :(  It was a totally different experience in Destin, but it helped me get ready to come home.  And, I had a great companion to send me home.

And then I was home.  Tan.  Happier than when I left.  And in a coat.

For never having wanted to serve a mission, and refusing all possible notions of serving a mission, I LOVED MY MISSION!!!!!  I learned so much about myself and my potential as one of Heavenly Father's children; who Heavenly Father really is and how vitally important Jesus Christ is to the plan; and how to really open my heart to others and let them into my life.

And, for those of you who want the longer version  (ie, all 18 months and 3 weeks worth of letters) you can check out my old blog joannasjourneys.blogspot.com for the full in depth letters.  And believe me, they are in depth!  Ben's youngest brother's letter this past week was titled "Dusty, very very dusty (long email)" and I had to laugh.  It was a few short paragraphs.  My siblings would have loved it if my long emails were only a few short paragraphs!