BYU!

Today I had the awesome opportunity to take my 7th graders on a field trip to BYU. We spent the day visiting the Paleontology Museum, the Bean Museum, and the Museum of Art. It was so fun to walk around the campus that I love and enjoy the beautiful spring weather.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Charles Abuo in front of the Marriott Center. I saw him from some distance and told the kids I was walking by who he was and swoosh! they were jumping around him begging for autographs. I was slightly embarrassed at having to keep telling them to leave him alone and apologizing to him--but he definitely seemed to enjoy it. He seriously must have signed thirty autographs--and all with a smile. After all the kids had gotten their autographs, I snuck in and took a picture with him on my phone--I know!

I thought to take pictures a little late so only got the last one. 

Me and Charles

Some students being statues by the sculpture pond.

Sew Busy

If you can remember my post about Christmas, you'll remember that I got a sewing machine from my parents.

While we were with Michael's family the week after Christmas, I was able to use it and learn to love it.  Since then however, it has been in the corner of my front room, in its box, makin gme feel guilty. So today I went on to pinterest and found the directions to a skirt I pinned long ago and pulled out my sewing machine.
This was the first time that I had ever attempted anything like a skirt. Square blankets, pillows and bean bags were the extent of my sewing répertoire--until this afternoon!
Luckily my mom thought to give me all the basic sewing essentials. I got out my measuring tape, pins, scissors and a handy dandy seam ripper, cut my material and sat down at my sewing machine ready to begin.
I had to re-thread the bobbin to navy, directions to do such I had to look up in the manual. Then I had to thread the lower and upper mechanisms (again, thank goodness for the manual).  When that was all done I lined up my fabric and pressed down on the pedal only to hear a CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP. "E6" was flashing on the monitor, so I quickly turned to my manual again and found that "E6" meant that there was a tangle somewhere. 20 minutes later--after I took apart everything that could be taken apart--I found there was no tangle.
What was I to do? I called my mom, of course! She told me to take some things apart and clean different areas, which I did, but the dreaded E6 remained flashing on my screen as well as the horrible noise.
To make an already too long story short, I ended up doing what my mom told me to do, only a little more carefully and the machine worked! Thank you, Mom!
Two hours later, this is what I got. It's a little big (I was afraid of making it too small) and I can see two mistakes just looking at the picture, but I'm still proud--and I'm still wearing it to church tomorrow.

It looks long in this pic, but it is actually only about an inch or two below the knee.