I have been remiss.

Hello again, blogging community! Sorry I've been missing for so long. Life got the better of me. I will try and offer a comprehensive, yet brief, summary of my to-dos since I last posted.

I finished my first semester of grad. classes (glory be!), and enrolled for Spring classes, all of which looked more promising than the ones I had just finished. I went home for Christmas break and enjoy the redicolously long four and a half weeks that U of Iowa gives its students. I was marvelous. Christmas was beautiful and the whole family was home.

New Year's day came and went and I had the great fortune to spend it with Nikki Barkume, Kim, Curtis and Phil in Cedar City. On New Year's day Papa Barkume took us out ice fishing, and it was my first adventure of this kind. I had a blast!! Behold the pictures:

I then went back to Iowa (just missing a week of sub-zero temperatures where people were advised to not be outside longer that 10 minutes) and commenced a much better semester than the last one.

Work, work, (Phil came for Valentine's Day, awww . . .) work . . . Spring Break!!! I came to Utah and expected to spend a week there when Phil declared: "Let's go to Vegas!" To Vegas we went. Behold the pictures:

Now I am slaving away in that end of semester crunch where everything is due in the next three weeks, and where did the rest of the semester go?!?!

I love you all. I love the Lord. I really enjoyed listening to the words of the Apostles and Prophets in General Conference and then remembering the Atonement of our Savior, without which all is for naught. I am blessed beyond reason, and am more grateful than I can say!