Welcome, Jackson Keith!

Adele and Jackson Keith

I have a new nephew -- and he is the most adorable thing! Jackson Keith, who entered our family on September 19 (aka Talk Like a Pirate Day), is a very docile and happy baby. Julie, Amy, and I traveled to Idaho to see this new little guy over General Conference weekend. And lucky for us, we also got to see Mom and Dad as well.

I love my own family, but being adopted into Julie's family has been such a blessing in my life -- especially when it comes to having nieces and nephews! Except for the occasional hit with a baseball right in the nose (thanks, Sammy! lol), I love being an aunt. When Jessica called me Aunt Adele, I almost cried. It was the coolest thing. So, even after my own biological sister has children (which, let's be honest, could be looooooong before I ever have children of my own), I will still enjoy being Aunt Adele to anyone who will let me spoil them. :)

Some of My Recent Adventures

Me on the beach at sunrise

After FGS finished, my friends/co-workers Anna and Crista joined me on a few adventures around the Philly area.

Sunday morning we woke up and left the hotel in Philly at dark o'clock and drove to Long Beach Island, New Jersey to watch the sunrise. Even though I was completely exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open (and I was driving!), I am grateful that we did it. The end result was simply breathtaking! Watching sunrise on the beach was worth every minute of exhaustion.

The Italian Stallion...and me!

A trip to Philly would not be complete without visiting the famous Rocky Steps (aka the steps of the Art Museum) and the statue of Rocky Balboa himself.

Remember the wise words of Rocky Balboa in Rocky IV: "If I's can change, and you's can change, EVERYBODY can change!" Amen.

70,000 Frequent Flyer Miles... and Still No Place to Rest My Head

I'm on the road...again. This time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One would think that I'd get used to all of this travelling, but I never do. Even though I'm a more efficient packer and have my get-on-the-plane rituals (curbside check-in is a dream!), I still get anxious about leaving again and still can't sleep once I get to my (very posh) hotel room.

Case in point: It's 12:32am here in Philadelphia and I can't seem to fall asleep. I've checked my email 10 times already and could certainly keep working... but I just want to go to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day of setting up the booth at the Pennsylvania Convention Hall (thankfully the convention hall is within walking distance this time) and then the genealogy conference starts tomorrow night at 6:30pm and runs through Saturday evening. It's going to be a long week....

So, if you ever think that business trips are glamorous, think about this: My job takes me all over the country, but all I usually see are 1) the airport; 2) my hotel room for brief periods of time; 3) the convention hall; and 4) whatever restaurant we decide to eat at late at night after the exhibit hall closes for the night. Once in a while, I'll get to catch a historic monument or something like that; however, mostly I never get to actually see the city I'm in, which is kind of a shame. I really love to explore and travel; I just don't get to do that with my job. I fly in to set up, stay for the duration of the conference, and then I'm off to my next "adventure" in another city.

Maybe some day I'll be able to come back and visit all of the cities I've only seen through the windows of my hotel room / the convention center...?

Meeting One of My Heroes

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I am not one to get all "groupie" about celebrities -- not even for the New Kids on the Block! But there are a few people who I deeply admire for the lives they lead, the examples of Christians that they are, and the inspiration they give me to lead a better, more Christ-centered life. Bronco Mendenhall, coach of the Brigham Young University Cougars football team is one of those people.

So to actually get to hear him speak and MEET him (!!!)... that was... well, there just aren't words for how wonderful that was for me. I am impressed by the way he lives his life close to the Spirit and expects his players to live great lives on and off the football field. Tradition, Spirit, and Honor are not just marketing phrases for Bronco or his players: they are standards by which to live.

Thanks, Coach Mendenhall, for being an example of a disciple of Christ and for not only raising the bar to build powerful players who courageously fight on the football field, but for raising the bar to raise righteous men who honor their priesthood powers and fight courageously for the Savior and the truth. "If all men had been, and were, and ever would be..." (see Alma 48:17).

Happy Day!

Amy and Adele

Amy is one of my favoritest people in the whole world. For some reason or another though, we can't seem to get together often enough -- even though we live only blocks away from each other.

When Amy and I were able to finally connect and have lunch, it was a happy day! We had so much to talk about; I don't think we stopped talking from the time we said hello to the time we said goodbye.

Thanks for such a fun time, Amy! We need to do this again before 2009! LOL.

My Love Dragon

This is Dustin, one of my favorite people in all the world. When he attended Julie's birthday party last year, he brought a "pumpkin for [his] pumpkin."

One hug from Dustin does wonders for the soul. Add to that his constant sentiments of love, such as "I SOOO love you, Nadele" (which is what he calls me because he can't --or refuses to-- pronounce my name as Adele) or "You my love dragon"... it's enough to melt a girl's heart. I miss seeing him every day and receiving the constant boosts to my self-esteem.

Hey, Dustin -- I SOOOOOO love you!

I Am a Saint

It's true what ya'll have been thinking all of these years: I am a Saint.

Er, or, well, actually there is a saint named Adele...and she has a special saint's day on December 24. That's close enough, right?

And I also discovered that there's a place named after me (or something like that) in Canada: Sainte-Adèle.

Loco for Moco

Loco for Moco at the Hukilau Cafe in Lai'e

Being best friends with Julie has some definite perks... like going to Hawai'i twice during a six-month period. Granted, I had to pay for my own airfare and other sundries; however, the majority of expenses were paid for while she attended meetings at BYU-Hawai'i. Mahalo nui loa, Julie!

When we visited Oah'u in March, Julie's sister Amy traveled with us. On one of the mornings when Julie was working, Amy and I attempted to find some breakfast. We stumbled upon the Hukilau Cafe in Lai'e. There we sampled some of the finest home-cooking on the island--"ono food, yeah?" as they would say there.

We returned to the Hukilau Cafe again the next morning and were treated like locals: the waitress recognized us Haoles among the sea of brown people and even remembered the drinks we'd ordered from the day before. For the first three times we ate at the Hukilau Cafe, I ordered the famous local dish, Loco Moco, which is essentially two scoops of rice, 2-3 cooked eggs, meat (usually spam or hamburger), all covered in delicious brown gravy. It was yummy -- but soooo filling!

After the third breakfast of Loco Moco, I thought I might never be able to eat it again. But now that I'm writing about it, I'm getting a craving for some ono Loco Moco -- but I'll only eat it once, not three days in a row.

Are You Ready for Some Football?!

I love football, especially BYU football. (Gooooooo, Cougars!) I love BYU football so much that when I heard about the BYU Women's Football Clinic on July 31, I registered at once--and then convinced my friends Amy, Melea, Julie, and Alicia to attend with me. We, along with the other women in attendance, will get to have a tour of the practice facilities, hear from coaches and players (in addition to the coaches attending, Max Hall, Fui Vakapuna, Harvey Unga and Austin Collie will be there as well), and participate in football drills. Talk about getting an insider's look at BYU football. I'm soooo excited!

Along that vein...my friend JasonO sent this YouTube video showing a referee dancing to C&C Music Factory's "Everybody Dance Now." I never knew that a referee could get his groove on!

Adele Has a Star!

If only my surname was Jergens, this would be perfect! I always knew I deserved one of these.

For those who are curious (like I was) who Adele Jergens is, click here for more about her.