Well, looks like I have to go back a few days...

Wednesday, umm.... there must have been something good on Wednesday..... hmm....

Thursday was great. We had a "Summer Party" at work, meaning we all brought in stuff to eat. Our director brought in Cafe Rio chicken and sweet pork (YUM) and we had taco salads and burritos. Lovely.

Marie and Tana and Brooke picked me up from work and we headed up to American Fork to stand in line and wait for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two. We made a couple of friends while waiting, and one of them even joined in the Movie Game. Brave of her, no? I was super happy to have my Ashley friend there, too. I love that I get to still hang with her. It was a ton of fun to talk and play games with friends and family. We bought some Chocolate Frogs from the Trolley, even. So fun. The movie was just... awesome. I loved it. There were things that I didn't love, things I would have loved to see but didn't, things I would have loved to see done differently, but overall it was a really great movie. I'm pleased. And very sad that it's over. That's the end of Harry Potter. I'm sad about this. I mean, I've been constantly looking forward to something Harry Potter for about ten years straight. Other people have been doing the same for nearly 14 years. Crazy that it's all over. Well, not totally, I guess, if you plan a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and if you spend time playing around on Pottermore. But the stories are done. Finished. Over. Forever. So so sad.

Friday, I slept in till about noon. I made cookies. I packed up. And then I hit the road with Marie and Jana to go down to Maple Grove for the Chinn Family Reunion. Good times. Here are some highlights:

On Friday night, we made gourmet 'Smores. Doughies might have been the best. Wrap the mallow in a refrigerator roll (like Pillsbury ready-made rolls), and roast it over the fire. When the roll is browned, cover it in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Soooo good. I also enjoyed the creation Marie, Jana, and I came up with: chocolate swirl mallows, raspberry fill Ghirardelli square, and pecan Sandies. Yum. On Saturday, Jacob played with a caterpillar.

We also played "Minute to Win It" games. The team captains (the youngsters in our family) played Hanky Panky. Collin won, even though Jacob and Indie started pulling out big clumps of tissues at once instead of pulling them out one at a time.

Braden and Cameron played Ready Spaghetti. This was a tough one, for sure. Carrying soda cans from one side of the table to the other using only a dried spaghetti noodle! These two didn't win, but they came darn close. Good job, boys!

Courtney won the first round of Baby Rattle. She got all of the gum balls from one two liter to the other faster than everyone else. You should have seen this. She was the only girl on her team. The guys were all cheering her on. This was one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life.

Later, Marie, Jana, Hunter, and I hiked. This was a pretty crazy hike. It was a steady climb up in places. We were slipping and sliding up the side of the hill. We climbed for about 45 minutes before we decided to go back. On the way down, Jana fell once, Marie fell twice, Hunter slipped I don't know how many times, and at one point I had to sort of slide down in a crouched position using my shoes as skis and my hands to guide me. Believe it or not, it was fun!

There was a deer that came down almost right into our group area (where we gathered to cook, eat, play, and just hang out). We had dumped some barbeque sauce in that bush. The deer must have been really hungry to dare to come down that far, and that close to not only a bunch of humans, but dogs as well. One of the bigger dogs started to go after the deer, and it finally ran away. But it kept coming back all day long. Crazy.

And on Sunday, we had our Family Auction. Every year, we donate goods and services to the auction. The money goes to pay for Family Reunion and Christmas parties, as well as other gatherings and family needs (such as flying Mom out to Utah when Grandpa was in the hospital for emergency surgery a couple of years ago). This year, the hot item was a football signed by all team members and coaches of the University of Utah football team. It went for $310 to... Grandma. Yep. But I promised photos of the items I put up for bid. First, the bag I crocheted (which went to Britney). And second, the "U" bikini. That's right. Kayti won this one, but she promises she's not going to wear it in public. She's gonna put it in a shadow box and hang it in her room. (By the way, there's a "U" on the butt, too.)

I absolutely adore my family. They're all some of the best people on the planet. It's always fun to be with them, talk with them, and get to know them better. It was really hard to go back to work today. It's always hard to go back to work after having such a great time with my family, getting away from everything else.

I'm really looking forward to going home in a few days. I fly home Friday and I get to stay for an entire week! I can't wait to spend time with my parents and brothers and sisters. And (bonus!) it coincides with the Heywood Family Reunion! It'll be the first time I get to do BOTH reunions in one year! I'm super happy about this.

As for my happy thought for today, I got to be of a little service on my bus ride home today. The driver had only driven this particular route one time before. She was a little nervous and wasn't sure where she was going, so I kinda helped guide her along the route. And she was really nice. Just a little thing, but it was good to be of some use. Also, I got to help my Lauren friend laugh at something that was really bothering her. We made it into a joke, and she felt a little bit better. So, only small things, but I hope they made a difference. I know they made me feel useful.

And now we're caught up! Except I still can't remember anything about last Wednesday....