Life Changes

So I have a bit of news :)

As many of you reading this know, I served at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, for 2 and 1/2 years. I loved my time there, and I've missed it many times over. So how fitting, that in the month of September, the month I left Israel in 2004, I find out that I have been invited to serve again at the Baha'i World Centre! This time will be for a shorter period, from January until May, and I will be helping out in my old office. I'm so excited!!!

That being said, this news brought on another life change. I am moving back to Alaska. I have loved living in Minnesota, and the thought of leaving so many friends here makes me sad, but ultimately I am really excited to be moving back to Alaska. It's where my family is, and it seems to be the place that I left my heart. Heck, those who know me here in Minnesota know that I can never stop talking about Alaska :)

Prior to my news of going to Haifa, I was already pretty sure I was going to move back to Anchorage at the beginning of next summer. Since now I will be in Haifa until the beginning of next summer, I've decided to move my belongings back to Anchorage beforehand. Which means my time in Minnesota is short. My friend Megan is going to fly down from Anchorage and drive back with me, and we'll be hitting the road mid-November. This will afford me a month at home with family and friends before my brother and I head over for our Baha'i Pilgrimage and then I stay on for my service.

I'm a whole ball of emotions. Mostly I'm very happy, but of course I'll miss being in Minnesota. It has become another home to me, so I'm sure I'll be back to visit... there better be some couches I can crash on!

On a completely separate note, it has been pointed out that my blog title could be sung to the tune from Smurfs. I leave you with that :)

Shelly and Lindsay go to the Fair

Once upon a time, there were two girls, Shelly and Lindsay, who went to the Minnesota State Fair:



Upon entering the fairgrounds, they encountered the end of a parade, with tiny ponies:



After walking and eating, Shelly and Lindsay went on a quest to find the busts of butter. While they thought it would be nigh impossible, because they didn't know the name of the building they were in, they were fortunate to encounter kind people who had been to the fair before, and could put them on the right path:



With their bellies full of tater skins, and their eyes amazed at the sites already seen, they decided to ride the Ferris Wheel in the Midway:



Ah, but at this point in their adventure, Shelly and Lindsay decided that sitting and watching something would be a nice rest from the walking. So they ventured to the skate park, where they watched some superb skateboard tricks:



To end the day, Shelly and Lindsay ate what any self respecting person at a State Fair in the Midwest would eat - cheese curds!


And they lived happily ever after (with only slight stomach aches from all that cheese).