Across the Continent

Greetings all!

How is everyone? I am fantastic! I just got back from a most amazing trip to the East Coast. A vacation of the utmost experience! Maelyn and I were busy seeing just about everything! In the space of 8 days, we visited two cities, saw four plays, went to one comedy show, 3 museums, did the freedom trail, saw many various types of bodies of water, crossed many bridges, saw many landmarks, stayed with friends and family, and mingled with all sorts of diverse peoples and cultures! At the end of each day, it was a most amazing feeling to feel genuinely exhausted!

Thanks to Guinevere, Clark, and Sarah, who provided us a place to stay and had knowledge about and advice for the things we definitely should see in Boston and New York. Thanks to Mom and Dad for teaching me and allowing me to love history and to learn how to make things happen when it seems like progress and completion are impossible. It's been a great trip!

After Guinevere, Maelyn, and I went to Walden Pond, I resolved to reread Thoreau's book about his experiences and contemplations on the peaceful lake in Massachusetts. I found a most incredible quote from Thoreau's book, that really puts into great perspective some of the thoughts about my life I have been having lately. He gives great insight into human recollections of the past, present and future:

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."

Rarely does such a redefinition of perspective occur as it has on this trip. I am so grateful for it.

Life is Good

I'm in Boston!! Can you believe it?!

After a redeye and some resultant red eyes (I now see why they call it that), I arrived safely and I am so ready for a fun little vacation before reality begins again! The plan is to split 8 days between the Boston, Massachusetts area and New York City. Maelyn will come out and join me tonight at 11. Meanwhile, Guinevere and I get to play today and I get to see Ben! Wahoo!!

Life is so good. I think all the time about the t-shirt company that has "life is good" as their simple slogan. I love it! I love that such a simple phrase can encompass so much about life! I want to get one of their shirts, but I have yet to find the best deal on them.

I have had an amazing summer in San Diego, I have worked some awesome jobs, I have been able to hang out with Lincoln and show him a lot about my hometown and childhood, and I got to go on some very fun trips! I am actually looking forward to school starting! This next semester will be so much fun because all of us Thomas kids will be in one location for the first time in a really long time. Also, Spencer Pickett and some other extended family relatives will be up in Provo! I am so excited! I will be able to also keep close tabs on Lena and Ben so they don't grow up too fast and forget their Auntie Claire!

Well, I'll make sure to post pictures from the Boston trip! Meanwhile, I love you all and I hope "life is good" for you too!

I'm finished with my psychology class!!! Well, almost. I have to take the final and then I will be finished!!

I have been really busy lately, but it seems like there is light on the horizon! I have been researching information for school and admission to PT school a lot recently and things are looking more and more probable. I am just about finished up with both of my jobs that I have had this summer and I am looking forward to cracking down on school!

This last weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in San Diego. Friday Mom and Dad and Lincoln and I went over to the Picketts for a fun night of yummy food and reunion. Then on Saturday, Lincoln and I went downtown to Balboa Park and looked at some of the museums down there. We went into the San Diego Hall of Champions and got to see my name in the database down there for high school prep athlete. Kinda cool. We also checked out the automotive museum and then most of the museums were closed after that. We were thinking of going to the zoo for a couple of hours, but instead we ended up stopping by to see Evan and Hannah for a few hours.

Dinner with Evan and Hannah was so much fun! Hannah made some great food and we had a great time talking and catching up! One of my favorite things is seeing Evan just melt into a big teddybear with Lena and Hannah just caring for every little detail with Lena. They have the perfect little family! I'm looking forward to being up in Provo with all the Thomas kids together again! We are going to have so much fun!

Boston/New York countdown: 1 week!!

Updates

Hey all!

Just a little note here because Guinevere scolded me last time I saw her about not writing more on my blog than I do. Life is good. Busy, but great! I am working two jobs this summer, trying to get some independent study classes finished, and also helping out with other activities wherever possible, like mom's awesome Company B play that will be performed this week.

I just got back from an amazing vacation/trip in Colorado this last week! I was able to spend 4 days or so at a very nice cabin in Ouray, Colorado, which is just right next to Telluride, Colorado, a world-famous ski resort. I had a ton of fun hiking and driving with Lincoln and had a blast riding my new mountain board some! Ouray (pronounced year-ray) is nicknamed the Alps or switzerland of America because of its absolutely stunning mountains! There are 5 or so 14,000 foot mountains within 50 miles of Ouray, and another two dozen between 12-14,000 feet! The whole area is dotted with ghost towns, and anyone who knows me well knows that I love ghost towns and the mystery and intrigue associated with them!

In a few weeks, I am planning a trip out to Boston and New York, as a way to see Guinevere and to take a fun break before school starts up again! I will be there for 8 days with my friend, Maelyn. Anyone have any suggestions for activities one MUST do in either of those cities?

Well, there's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Love you all!

Growing up is hard to do...

So it's been a little while since I have written a post. Now that Hannah and Evan and Lena have a cute blog and Guinevere and Clark and Ben continue to wow the world with theirs, I am more humbled than ever before about my poor little blog that has so few updates...

It's always remarkable to look back on one's life at such times as this, when a new chapter is about to begin. In our family, it is so incredible to see the smiles, the laughter, the joy, the tired faces, and even the stinky diapers that come from our family nearly doubling in the year and a half! It is awesome to see the love between the newlyweds and how all are making such great spouses and parents! Mom just rants and raves about the latest treasure my dad has brought back from the other side of the world for her! Guinevere, who has become one of my closest friends in recent months, someone who I didn't think I could ever be closer to, packed up and shipped out for the summer to Boston to rock BOSE (and the harbor, while dressed up as Indians). I headed out to California for the summer and I am back living in "the room", setting up my computer on a desk where I, once upon a time, long, long ago, worked on my AP US History notecards at!

It leaves us all to ask, in unison, when did we grow up?

Does anyone else remember the GECKO club?

LAST DAY OF CLASSES!

So, today was my last day of classes for the semester! I think I am going to fail all my classes, but at least they are over! And I probably won't fail, that's an overexaggeration, but I know I am not going to do as well as possible... And I am stressed and tired! But I just got back from an awesome weekend of lacrosse in Denver, Colorado. We played four games and won them all! This next weekend we head out to Colorado again, and we are going to play a couple of really good teams, including a rematch with Colorado State, who we lost to two weekends ago. We are a very good team when we are playing together, it is just a matter of playing to our potential!

Guinevere and Clark and Ben are just as cute as ever... I wish I could go home with Guinevere for Hannah and Evan's little baby girl, Lena's blessing, but I am unfortunately swamped with finals all of next weekend! And I am in Denver again!

Greetings to all! Hope all is well! Hope you had a good weekend and your lives are much less stressful, but equally as rewarding as mine!

Love,
Claire

HARE KRISHNA PICS!

Family Day

Really long day!

9:00 AM Guinevere's meeting for Ben's blessing
10:00 Ward Council
11:00 Meeting at my aunt's ward for my cousin Connor's ordination
1:00 PM Everyone over at MY HOUSE for sandwiches
4:00 Long walk with Ali down the river trail
5:00 Freshman year reunion in alpine
7:00 Drive my dad to the airport
11:00 PM Go to sleep finally!!!

Such an amazing day with family though! So many people were in town to show their love for Ben and Connor, and so much fun was had! Good night all!

Benjamin and Boring School

Today was fun. I went to Guinevere's for a long time and played with her and Benjamin. I also was happy because this last weekend I didn't miss a pop quiz in my Biology class. Unfortunately, I did miss my class on Monday, which meant part of the quiz I had very little idea about. Consequently, I probably only got 4 out of 5. That is better than a zero though!

I also found out that the game we had scheduled on Saturday was canceled because the weather will probably be bad. That makes me sad. Oh well, more excitement to be built up for next weekend! We go to Santa Barbara and we play the #2, #3, and #4 teams! And we are going to beat them all!

Till later...

Hey I'm a first time user!

Motivated by the excellent postings on Guinevere and Clark's blog and the fact that Guinevere wouldn't let me post on hers, I have decided to make my own blog. That doesn't mean, however, that I will be very good at keeping it up. I will try though. I am still not entirely convinced about this whole blog deal... writing to an unknown audience about your life. I see the value in using it for family things, but I am going to keep it as private as possible.

How is everyone doing?

Check out Guinevere's The Fridge Door site! It's incredible! Benjamin is sooooo cute!