Prologue pt 2: All smiles

So Brad and I arrive in San Antonio with the 65 other counselors, ready for a great 2 weeks. And it was! Texas kids were really nice and a change from the kids in Utah. Not bashing on my Utah people! Texas and Utah are just two very different places.

  Brad and I never got to be Co's while in Texas, which was a downer since they were Brad's last two weeks, but we did hang out whenever it allowed. By week 5, the counselors AND kids had started asking Brad and I if were dating...nope! we were best friends. that was it. had a boyfriend back in California remember? plus, he would be back in Utah by the time I got back from San Antonio. Since we got this question a lot, we tried to play it off as being siblings. Some of the counselors bought it but it didn't last long. All of my kids did! but Brad's kids saw through it.
   Now I must mention, Brad started off doing pretty well with the whole best friend thing. He didn't make any comments about my boyfriend and backed me up when I told people we weren't dating. But um...yeah that started to fade. Brad and I are alike in MANY ways, one way being that when we wanted something...we got it. the whole patience thing only lasts so long. So here and there he would start to throw in teasing comments "Yeah we aren't dating all because of Holly". Thanks bud. But you know, he was always there for me when I was going through a rough patch. He was the first one I texted or called when i was feeling down. He really WAS my best friend. Now, the boyfriend didn't like this too much but i laid down the law. If he couldn't put up with brad, then he would have to let go of me because Brad was my best friend... for those of you who see a flaw in this...yeah you're on the same track as my sister. Tiff was like "Holly. you cant date someone and have a guy best friend. it doesn't work." of course i wanted to prove her wrong...
   The weekend in between sessions we got to do whatever we wanted. Brad and I had already planned to go to Six Flags because it was literally a 20 minute drive. We grabbed Nathan and Sarah, got to Hertz to rent a car, and was off to the park. BEST. DAY. EVER. oh man. let me just give you the highlights.
1. we went on this 200 foot tall swings thing. Brad is afraid of heights. need i say more? it was kinda funny.
2. There was this water slide where you got into a big plastic cylinder thing. kinda like the canisters you put your money in at the bank when your in the drive thru and it shoots up the pipe. so you get in the thing and the door closes. cross your legs, arms crossed across your chest. the norm for going down a slide. but...there was a countdown... 3, 2, 1, LAUNCH. the floor DROPS out from under you and you go shooting straight down the slide. oh man it was the best. Sarah was freaked out about this one but she did good!
3. If any of you have been to Wild Waters in Fresno, CA or Seven Peaks in Utah, then you know what i mean when i reference the Sidewinder or the U shaped ride (don't know what its called at the Seven Peaks). So this one in Texas is like that except WAY bigger and its more of a funnel then just a U. you get on a square 4 person tube to ride it. perfect, there were four of us. so brad and i are on the down side as it plunges down the side, with Sarah and Nathan on the other side. Nathan was across from me and oh my gosh. his face was unforgettable. mix of thrill and sheer terror. his side was beginning to lift up and he thought he was going to fall out. so great.

After the park, we went back home to change and then hit up downtown San Antonio. We went to the Riverwalk...it was breathtaking. the lighting with the cooler weather and the river right there. restaurants on both sides; on the ground level or up a story. it was so pretty. we found this Mexican restaurant and sat outside, overlooking all the people on the walk. the dull lighting, the live music

coming from the restaurant, the great food, the company...we all just looked at each other with smiles on our faces. i cant tell you the last time i was THAT happy that i couldn't talk. I wanted this. I wanted this happiness all the time. to never end. I looked at Brad and knew he was thinking the same thing. After eating we visited the Alamo because I love Miss Congeniality so I HAD to see it (:
   On Sunday we got the privilege to drive to the San Antonio Temple. We lucked out when the temple president showed up for a meeting and let us in on the grounds. YES. we got lots of pictures (: it was a nice way to end the weekend.
    Week two in Texas was crazy, if not crazier than the first week, but we had a great time nonetheless. By midweek, Brad had realized that we were going to have to head back to Provo soon, back to our lives, since he was done with EFY. and...me back to my boyfriend. Of course he didn't like this. we made the best of our last couple days together, cherishing our last dance on Friday night.
  I didn't like this. I didn't like that mine and his friendship pretty much had to end. it was a struggle.
On Thursday, I had had a deep conversation with one of my girls over a guy that she was dating. she  felt very strongly about him but wanted to keep it friends since both of them wanted to serve missions. gooood idea (: i said one thing to her that made a huge impact on me, since I'd been struggling on what to do with my personal situation. "You marry your best friend". Mmmm...


Saturday came around and we were headed back to Provo. Did I have everything figured out? Nope! but it wouldn't take long.