How Sweet the Sound

More Pics for your viewing pleasure

2012-02-09T04:25:00.008-07:00

In the caves:

At the olive tree grove behind the church of the Lord's prayer:
At the sculpture park inside of the biblical zoo:
At the marzipan shop in the shuk: (Pastries=to die for)
Inside one of the department stores in West Jerusalem on our night adventure:
Walking down an outdoor mall in West Jerusalem full of expensive shops:
At the City of David with the Al-Aqsa mosque in the background:

Noah's Ark- all for you Dad!

2012-02-06T13:52:00.009-07:00

Ok so blogger is kind of dumb and so just to warn you now, all of my pictures are out of order. But hey at least I am providing pictures for you all to look at, right? Well since I last wrote, a lot has happened. That usually happens when there is a weekend thrown in the mix. On Saturday we had church and such, which was great as usual. And then Sunday was our free day, which was such a fun one! I started my morning with a large group of around 18 people and we attended a Lutheran church service at the Holy Church of the Redeemer in the old city. One of the girls in the program is Lutheran, so it was fun to attend with her. The people there were very welcoming, and everyone attending was American, which was pretty cool. My favorite part was all of the cool songs that we sang. Definitely more upbeat than most of our mormon hymns... :) You can see a picture below of this.

After church we headed over to the biblical zoo, which was awesome! There were a bunch of cool, exotic animals in the zoo- and Noah's ark was there as well! Once again pictures below. We then spent the rest of the day and night in West Jerusalem. If we stay in west Jerusalem, we are allowed to stay out until midnight, as long as we get a taxi back home. So it was my first time staying out at night, and it was awesome! West Jerusalem is simply beautiful, and much more modern and European looking.

We started out in the Shuq (spelling?), which is a big market place and is awesome! It is mainly for food. So we bought some pastries which were freakin delicious by the way and then walked around and got some Shwarma for dinner. Shwarma is a lot like falafel, only it is meat instead of falafel. They have this hunk of meat on a rod that is being roasted all day and then they carve off some slices and put it in your pita with the toppings of your choosing. I have some hummus, spicy sauce, pickled cabbage, french fries and other stuff that I don't really remember, but it was delicious. I still think falafel is better though.... :)

We then shopped around all of the posh shops without buying anything really. And just had a lot of fun! I can't believe how expensive some things here are. Example: A bottle of nail polish remover here is around 35 shekels. That is about $9. Yeah.... A bottle of nail polish remover in the states is around $1. Crazy right? So beauty products are highly expensive, so hopefully I don't need some while I am here...

We also had our field trip yesterday- which was the city of David- or ancient Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, the city of David isn't even inside of the old city today. We saw the ancient ruins of tombs and David's palace, or what many people think was his palace. Then we went inside of Hezekiah's tunnel! Which was soooo cool. It was an underground tunnel built to get water into the city. And there is still water in the tunnel, so we got pretty wet, but it was still a lot of fun. Outside of the tunnel was the pool of Siloam, which is where the man born blind washed his eyes after Jesus put mud on them and was healed. This is one of the few places we've been that Jesus would have definitely been. The stairs into the pool are original stairs, which is such a cool feeling!!

Anyway- that has been my past few days, and it has been awesome, as always. Here are the pics!

Travis, Lee and I in West Jerusalem on Sunday night.

Me inside of Hezekiah's tunnel. It is pitch black down there, thus the use of my head lamp.
Loie and I with our hymn book after the Lutheran service.
Loie and I at the zoo
Me in front of Noah's ark.

Travis and Loie at the Shuk- once again don't know how to spell that. Also don't know why this is underlined... but I guess blogger has a mind of its own.

Travis, Loie and I in front of the penguins at the zoo

Arab Night and a Fun Surprise

2012-02-04T09:38:00.003-07:00

Well this past Wednesday night was our Arab culture night, and it was really fun! Everyone got all dressed up in their most Arabian atire and went out to party! We started out with a demonstration from some professional prayer givers- meaning the guys that issue the call to prayer 5 times a day. They sang us the call to prayer and gave us the words so we would know what they are saying. And of course with the translations as well. It was so legit!! They also did a Quran reading and showed us how they pray with their prayer rugs and such.

We then had a traditional feast in the Oasis as if we were eating after fasting all day during Ramadan. No, it isn't time for Ramadan, but we just acted like it was to get the experience I suppose. The food was really good and the committee did a great job decorating the place. The picture below is us at the photo booth in the Oasis. Do you like my turban? I wrapped it myself and everything. :)

After our meal we went into the gym and 4 local high school students taught us how to do traditional Arab dancing! It was so fun! And the kids were adorable. I was super impressed with all of their skills! And now I know how to dance... I hope I don't forget... :)

So then on Friday we had a bit of free time after class got out so a small group of us tried to go the Holy Church of the Ascension, but it was closed sadly. We then wandered around trying to find something else to do when we happened upon a memorial where they claim Jesus taught his disciples and issued the Lord's prayer. It was this absolutely beautiful court yard with this tile art everywhere with the Lord's prayer in every possible language you can think of. Literally. My bottom picture is of the one in French. The place was run by French people, so I guess it was fitting. And I got a chance to speak French to one of the workers! Behind the court yard was this huge grove of olive trees which was absolutely amazing. It also had a nice lookout over the city. Plus we were there around dusk, which was just so pretty! Here I am sitting on a olive tree, looking out at the city:
It was such a peaceful place- especially since we were practically the only ones there. So it was super secluded and there was a very strong spirit about it. This is what I imagine the garden of gethsemane was like during the time of Christ. I definitely want to go back to do some more pondering and writing and such. Let me know if you want me to find a specific language and take a picture of it for you! Emily- I already got on in Armenian! :)
It was a beautiful day that ended in the best way possible- finding a new place that was super cool. So that is what is going on with me as of now. We have our free day tomorrow and then a field trip on Monday- so I will have more pictures and stuff to blog about then. As a side note however- they are re-filming the orientation/tour video for the center and the students from this semester are in it! Which means the possibility of me being in is very high. More news on that later. They are filming my class on our field trip on Monday- more news on that soon. Well I guess that is all from me- Love!

Dream Come True

2012-01-31T09:57:00.002-07:00

Well my dream of a few years has finally come true- I went to the Dome of the Rock! Here is a picture. As you can see it is very photogenic. And it helped that it was a gorgeous day on Sunday.

So I started my free day by going to the dome of the rock, since the hours are weird and you can only go in the morning on Sundays basically. And it was SO beautiful!! Pictures do not do it justice. Seriously. Unfortunately people are no longer allowed inside.... but I did peak through the cracks of the door and it looked very beautiful on the inside as well! You can google pictures if you are curious as to what it looks like indoors.

After the dome, we went over to the YMCA where our branch president plays the carolon (I have no idea how to spell that....) bells for an hour every Sunday morning at 11. And he lets you play if you know how to. I didn't in case you are wondering. There were far too many people, but it was still a good experience to hear the bells. Apparently they are loud enough to reach 1 million people all across Jerusalem. Pretty sweet, right?

We then just wondered around west and east Jerusalem and did some shopping. I didn't buy anything (aside from a falafel of course haha). But it is always fun to look around and meet new shop owners.

We also had our field trip yesterday (Monday) to the Shephelah- which is the low hills in between the Judean Wilderness and the mediterranean sea. It was a really fun time, but it was raining! Apparently this is the wettest winter Jerusalem has seen in like 10 years or something. Pretty crazy. But thanks to the rain everything was SO green. The rolling hills actually ended up looking like we were in Scotland or something. It was pretty crazy. A lot of bible stories happened in the different places, such as Samson and Delilah and David and Goliath. Pretty cool!!

We then went to this national park called Merashah with all of these caves which were super cool! They raised doves in these caves for sacrifice and other things so there are holes in the walls for all of the doves. And we sang hymns in the caves, which sounded SO cool. I definitely enjoyed it. And we sang my favorite hymn- "Be Still My Soul."

So yeah- I haven't had a TON of excitement since Jordan, but that's what is going on. Sorry this is a little on the short side, but I will blog more later!! Love you all

Oh yeah, just got back from Jordan, no big deal

2012-01-27T06:02:00.014-07:00

Since I last blogged, I have been to Jordan and back! And it was incredible! Before I get into any of that however, I have not told you all about my weekend last weekend. On Saturday it was the Sabbath and we went on a field trip to the Garden Tomb after church. They don’t know for sure where the tomb was, but this tomb is extremely near Golgotha, so it is definitely a possibility that this was the place. The garden around the tomb is very beautiful and the people who run it are extremely nice and welcoming. We first had a little presentation from our tour guide, Richard and it was very uplifting and full of good information. Something that really surprised me though is how small the tomb was. I guess I was just expecting it to be bigger. It was probably like a 5 foot by 8 foot room, separated into two smaller chambers. We then sang in the garden a bunch of hymns and it was overall just a really uplifting experience. I really want to go back on a weekday though when it isn’t as crowded.

The next day we had a free day and a group of us decided to go out to the city. We tried to go to the dome of the rock, but it closed before we got through the line so I will have to try again for another day. We then went to the tower of David museum, which was really cool, but then it started to downpour rain and it was freezing cold. So the museum would have been more enjoyable if the weather had been nice, but we just stuck it out. We then went to a pizza place called Jacob’s Pizza to get some lunch and some shelter from the rain. Afterwards it was raining too hard to do much else, so we ran home while getting soaking wet.

Now onto Jordan. We left early on Monday morning to cross the border. It doesn’t technically take long to drive from Israel to Jordan, but with border control, it took us about 3 hours to get over there. When we finally got to Jordan, we met up with our tour guide Yousef. He was with us throughout the remainder of the trip. Jordan requires tour guides with big groups in order to protect their economy since the main source of income comes from tourism. Yousef was really great though, so it was good to have him around. So we started our tour with a trip to Mount Nebo, which is where Moses went to visualize the promised land, even though he never actually entered it with the children of Israel. The view from the top was of course incredible and the weather was gorgeous.

We then went to Madaba, where there is an ancient mosaic floor from a Byzantine church showing a map of the ancient world. They have now rebuilt a church over the floor, but the floor remains the same and is very intricate and detailed. The map of Jerusalem is how archaeologists learned about the Corda (main road) of Jerusalem and how it reflected the pattern of ancient Roman cities.

Our next destination was Machaerus- where the palace of Herod (son of King Herod who tried to kill Jesus as a baby) lived and beheaded John the Baptist. In case you don’t know the story of how John the Baptist was beheaded, you should definitely look into it because it is quite the drama. Oscar Wilde actually wrote a play about it, which I also highly recommend. Either way the palace was very cool, even though it was a lot of ruins. The columns were still in tact though! And you could see the basic layout of the rooms. After this site, we took a long drive down to Petra to spend the night and get prepared for the next day.

We stayed at a hotel called La Maison, which just means “The House” in French for those of you wondering. And it was a really cool hotel. When we drove up the workers were playing drums and flutes to welcome us with drinks and snacks. It was pretty cool! We then went inside and ate dinner, which was very delicious. During the dinner they had music playing and such and it was just a very cool experience. Somehow the dinner then turned into a dance party. Two of the workers were playing traditional flute and drums while the chefs and other hotel workers showed us traditional Jordanian dances and sang songs in Arabic. It was so cool! And so fun! The workers were hilarious and didn’t hold back in showing us their moves.

The next morning we headed to Petra- the historical site, as opposed to Petra the city, which we were already in. The site was an extremely short walking distance from the hotel, which was really cool. And of course Petra was amazing. It is kind of hard to beat that, right? In order to get to the site, you have to walk through the Siq, which is just a big slotted canyon. You eventually get to the end of the canyon though and boom… there is the treasury- which is the iconic part of Petra that everyone recognizes. Watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade for a further reference- it is where he finds the holy grail. Petra is a Nabatean city and full of buildings and other things carved into the side of mountains. I can’t imagine how long it would have taken them to carve a building into a mountain and then make it look as beautiful and ornate as it does. Truly incredible. And as usual, my words or pictures do not really do it justice. We then hiked up to the monastery which was an extremely hard hike. I think I wanted to die multiple times during it. And my legs were soar the next few days from it. I didn’t die though (fortunately) and finally made it up to the monastery, which was HUGE and very impressive.

Here I am in front of the Monastery- looking like Indiana Jones!

This is me with the guards at the gates of Petra

Travis and I riding camels in front of the treasury!

After looking around the monastery, we went back down the mountain while taking pictures along the way. Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we had lunch at a restaurant there, which was very delicious. After we were done eating, we started to head back to the treasury, while viewing everything on the way. Once we got back to the treasury, we rode camels! That was definitely a highlight because I have been DYING to ride a camel. It was a very short ride, but hey I still rode a camel. And got some pretty cool pics out it, which is what is really important, right? We then headed back and drove up to Amman, the capital of Jordan, which is where we stayed for the rest of the trip.

It was an extremely tiring day, so I basically went right to bed after we ate at the new hotel in Amman. So the next day, Wednesday, we went out and toured around Amman and some neighboring region. An interesting fact- around half of Jordan’s population live in Amman. So yeah, it is a really big city. We started our day at the King Abdullah Mosque, which was soooo big and pretty. I’m a huge fan of mosques because they are so beautiful and ornately decorated. All of the women had to wear scarves over their heads and then they gave us there black cloaks that we had to wear as well. So I guess we looked pretty legit. Inside Yousef talked to us about Islam and some of their doctrines and practices. It is always fun for me to learn about new religions. Jordan is an overwhelmingly Islamic nation, so very different from Israel for sure. Most of the men wear the scarves on their heads and most of the women wear burkas or at least a head scarf with a long sleeved trench coat on. And you hear the call to prayer a lot, but I guess that isn’t much different from Israel. The main difference from Israel is that everything is in Arabic and anything in Hebrew is prohibited. So all of the signs are in Arabic and everyone there is speaking Arabic. I had fun picking out words and letters that I know from my limited Arabic knowledge (I took Arabic at BYU for a semester). I thought I had forgotten it all, but some resurfaced, so that was cool.

Me in front of the King Abdullah Mosque in my Islamic attire

We then went to a national park with a Citadel and the Jordanian national museum inside of it. The ruins were very cool. The museum was really cool too. They are in the middle of moving it, however, so not all of the exhibits were inside.

This is the view outside of the national park. That is the Jordan flag in the background. Apparently it is the largest flag hanging in the world- or something like that. It is in the Guiness World book of Records.

We then had lunch at this really cool restaurant with delicious food. They make this very large pitas in these brick ovens and it is soooo good. And you can watch the guys working there make the bread, which is so cool. They use a brick oven with an open flame. And then the entire bottom of the oven are these fist sized rocks. They place the flat dough right on top of the rocks and let it cook. Then they get a big hook and flip it over before bringing it out to eat. It was so fun to watch!

Here's the guys making the bread- notice the stones in the bottom of the oven if you look closely.

After lunch we headed over to the ancient city of Jerash, which was awesome! It is an ancient Roman city and it is HUGE! All of the other ancient cities we have seen so far (aside from Petra) have been rather small, but this was very extremely large with huge structures that were very Roman, including theaters and nymphiums and political buildings. And there were columns EVERYWHERE just like you would expect. We explored around the city for a while and got a ton of pics and then eventually it was time to go.

We ended the day with a trip to the royal automobile museum. Basically it is just all of the cars that have belonged to the Kings of Jordan inside. And of course there were some pretty sweet cars. I’m not really a car person, but it was still really fun.

Travis, Loie and I at the city center in Jerash

Me in front of the Northern gate to Jerash

The next day we toured downtown Amman. In the middle of the city there is a huge Roman theatre that we went to. We sang some hymns there, which was really cool because of all of the acoustics. And then Brother Huntsman (who is a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir by the way!) performed a song for us. And it was just a really cool experience and very fun.

Travis and I at the Roman theatre in Amman

We then drove a little around the city and looked at all of the buildings before heading down to the Jordan River. At the River we went to the Jesus Baptism Site, which of course was very cool. The ancient church of John the Baptist was there, and where we believe Jesus was baptized. No one of course knows for sure where exactly he was baptized, but it was still cool to be there and see the Jordan River. We were on the Jordan side of course, but right across the river we could see Israel and the Israeli tourist site for the baptismal site. That was pretty cool.

The river was our last site before heading back to Jerusalem. And now I’m back “home” for a while. It’s weird to be back in classes and have things to study after having so much fun in Jordan, but hey the show must go on.

In front of the Jordan River- there is Israel behind me!

Sorry this blog post is SOOOO long, but hey I had a lot to catch you all up on! I didn't add all of the pictures, but there were a lot. I will be able to show you all much more once I get back to the states. Thank you once again for your emails- I love hearing from everyone! Love and miss you all!

Shabbat Shalom- Happy Sabbath!

2012-01-20T23:58:00.002-07:00

So this week we had the opportunity to go on two field trips as opposed to the normal one on Mondays. Which is why I am blogging again so that I can get all of these memories down before I forget them! And so you all can read about them of course. I won't be having pictures in this post... but I will post some later, I promise.

So on Thursday, it was our Negev field trip. Look on a map for further reference on to where the Negev is- but as a generality, it is about an hour and 15 minutes south of Jerusalem. And this was a FULL day. We left early in the morning and headed down to a Bedouin city to watch a demonstration on bedouin women weaving carpets and rugs and such. The BYU Jerusalem Center supports this group because it is helping these women gain skills in order to support their families. They are also teaching them to read and speak English, which are much needed skills in order to gain more rights and employment. The program is really incredible, actually. There are so many problems with women in the middle east and many of the problems can't be fixed because these women are stuck in their situations due to a lack of education and skills. This program is helping women gain an education and skills in order to provide them with tools to advance and progress out of their dyer situations. And the rugs that they make are absolutely beautiful! We went into a large tent, that was made of canvas that these women had made and watched how they make wool into yarn and then how they dye the yarn and then weave it. It was quite the process! And these women were so kind and hospitable to us. They offered us tea and little pastries- both of which were delicious. Unfortunately the rugs and things that they make are quite expensive, so I wasn't able to buy anything, but it was still fun to look! I can get you the website if you would like to order something online. It was so cool to watch the weaving. And it was also cool to be in the tent because this would have been the same kind of tent that Abraham or other prophets of the bible would have lived in.

We then went to Tel Arad- remember what a tel is? We are seeing a lot of them, so I sure hope so. At this site there was a large city at the bottom of the mountain which would have been a Canaanite city and then we climbed the mountain that had a large Israelite fortress at the top of it. The city was cool- even though it was basically just a bunch of ruins. It was cool to see how narrow the streets were, how big the houses would have been, etc. The fortress was much cooler, I must say, however. Inside the fortress was an ancient temple with all of the stuff in it, like an altar and a holy of holies! And then there were other things like dwelling houses, shops, etc.

After that we headed further south to the ancient city of Avdat. This was something from the Byzantine era, so after the bible, but it was still sooo awesome! Since it is newer, even though it is still over 1000 years old, there was a lot more to see, which was cool. And it is quite well preserved. We mainly focused on the two Greek Christian churches there- one was a monastery, and one was a cathedral with a baptismal font and other things. There were also cave houses, which was awesome. Everything was so beautiful and much more artistic in this era as well.

We then headed back North a bit to visit the tomb of David Ben Gurion- who was the first prime minister of Israel. It was very interesting to hear about him- and his gravesite has a gorgeous view of the Zin wilderness- which is where the Israelites wandered for 40 years after they were afraid to go and take over the promised land because the people were rumored to be too big and hard to overtake. See the bible for further explanation on that story- it's in Numbers. I know it would have not been fun to be in the wilderness for 40 years, but wow was it beautiful. And there was even a rainbow since it had rained earlier that day. We then sang the hymn "Redeemer of Israel." So many people that I know say that this is their favorite song and I feel like we sing it in sacrament or other meetings ALL the time and I've never really understood why. But looking out onto the very wilderness that the song is referring to just gave it a whole new meaning, and I pretty much now love the song. Refer to the lyrics for further details.

We then made an attempt to travel to the well of Abraham in Be'er Sheva, but we ended up finding it under construction because they are building a park around it. Boo. It was weird though because the well is in the middle of a modern developed city, unlike the rest of the sites we have been too. It was right next to a dominos actually. haha. This is the same well where God appeared to Abraham and to Isaac- so pretty legit. After the well we made the long journey back to Jerusalem and ended our day.

What I really want to tell you about, however, is my experience yesterday. One of the coolest I've had so far, actually. We went to the Western Wall around sundown to watch the Jews welcome the Sabbath- or Shabbat. It was seriously one of the coolest things ever. There were people EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take cameras, since it was a religious service and all, but I sure wish I could taken pictures. What was cool about it was there were so many different reactions to the coming of the Sabbath. Mostly they were extremely joyous and celebratory. People were dancing and singing and were just so happy that the Sabbath had finally come. A friend and I also went towards the Western Wall to actually touch it- because you just have to in Jerusalem right? And it was so powerful to see all of these people touching this wall and crying and praying, and places written prayers in the cracks of the wall. It was so touching. And I wish I were eloquent enough to really describe the feeling close to the wall. These Jewish women (since we were on the side for women, obviously) are so devout and solid in their faith. I feel like I can learn so much from them and how they worship God. Although there were many tears, it was still a happy, peaceful feelings, although very reverent. Further away from the wall, though- many people were dancing and singing and just purely celebrating the start of the Sabbath, which was so cool. There were a few Jewish girls that called to some of their group to come and join them! So we sang some of the songs (which we learned in Hebrew class thank goodness) and danced around in a big circle with clapping and jumping involved. It was such a happy moment and so awesome that they welcomed us with open arms to join them. It was such an amazing experience, one that I will never forget. Ever since I've been here I can't help but be impressed with those of the Jewish faith and specifically how they treat the Sabbath. I want to treat the Sabbath in my own life more like they do. They love their Sabbath and it obviously shows. And they turn off all of their electronics and such so that they can truly be with their family for the whole day. Where can I sign up to do that? When I have my own family, I definitely want to do something like that.

So yeah- in short I am loving Jerusalem and the customs. Life is great and I will blog again soon!

Shalom!

2012-01-17T11:34:00.009-07:00

As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am learning Hebrew! I really like it so far. Learning ancient languages is always pretty cool. Well this past weekend was pretty great, as usual. I think I like this whole having the Sabbath on Saturday and then a free day on Sunday thing. It's working out quite well for me. On Sunday a group of us headed over to the King's tomb, which was pretty cool. This is a picture of me and my new friend Loie (rhymes with Joy) entering into the ancient palace like tomb. It was HUGE. And pretty cool. One thing that I love about Israel in contrast to America- you can really enjoy history up close and personal. If this place were in America, there would be a ton of security guards and "do not touch" signs. Here there was one random guy that wasn't even really watching us and we could climb all over everything and do pretty much whatever we pleased. The legend is that King David was buried here, but it is pretty much certainly not true. But still cool to think about. But most of the sites are similar to this in the sense that we can walk and touch everything, unlike anything historical in America. Oh and anything old in America is like 200 years old and we aren't allowed to touch it while everything here is THOUSANDS of years old and we are allowed to climb on it. Interesting, right? I'm also loving the large lack of tourists here. There are a few here in there, but in general, there aren't too many. Nothing like Europe, which I really like. It is a much better experience when there isn't a ton of people there, over crowding it and ruining the whole thing.

Anyway- after the King's tomb, we headed back over to the Old City for more exploring and site seeing. We mainly explored the Jewish quarter this time around, which was super neat. There were a ton of sites that were absolutely beautiful and told the story of the wars fought for independence and such. The people in the Jewish quarter are also very nice and friendly- even if they are constantly reminding you that Jerusalem is their city. And hey I'm not one to argue- as long as they let me visit! This is a picture of me standing on one of the ancient streets from the second temple period. All original stone and columns. This was originally a market place. A bunch of shops would have been behind me. I'm living and breathing history people! Pretty appropriate since I'm a history major and all, right?
As we continued exploring we eventually happened upon the Western Wall- which was sooo cool. Below is a picture of me in front of it. The wall is sectioned off for men and women and all of the Jews are extremely reverent and pray while touching it or read scriptures. It is quite cool. I have really come to appreciate how devoted the Jewish people here are. It is definitely something I can learn from. The dome of the rock is directly behind the wall- and I can't wait to go see it up close! It is only open at weird times though, so I didn't get a chance to go on Sunday. Also- if you can't tell the weather cleared up and it was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day. I swear the sky is bluer here.
After the western wall, we continued exploring and made our way to West Jerusalem. I haven't included any pictures from that adventure because I have to pick and choose which pictures I want to upload or else this post would be just tooooo long. We went to the YMCA, Herod's family tomb, some gardens, and the Kind David hotel, where we met a nice man who told us a ton more places to go on our next free day. Let's just say that we did a TON of walking that day. We walked from 9 AM until sundown- so intense! We got back to the center just in time to watch the sunset over the old city, which was absolutely gorgeous. Pictures do not do it justice- but I tried to capture it none the less.

The next day was Monday- and that meant field trip day! We got to go to Jericho- which is in the west bank. It was one of the two times that we are able to go into the west bank this semester. And it was awesome!! I wish I could go there at other times, but oh well... We started out our day (which was gorgeous by the way) at Herod's winter palace. Here is me in front of one of the still standing walls. It was pretty cool- you could still see where all of the other rooms were. It didn't photograph well, but just know that it was cool. You could see different rooms, pools, and baths. It was quite the luxurious palace! Or at least I can imagine that it was.
After that we headed down to tel-es sultan, which is a tel (go look up what that is if you don't know) that is the ancient city of Jericho. You basically climb up the tel- which is a huge mound of dirt and then look at the different things that archaeologists have excavated. It doesn't seem like much, but the oldest man made things to ever be discovered are there. So that's pretty cool. This is a picture of me and Amy on top of the tel. Once again, a hard thing to photograph.
This picture is at the same site. It is a tourist site because Jericho is "The oldest city of the world." Main story of Jericho is when Joshua marched the children of Israel into Jericho, they marched around the walls seven times, and then blew their trumpets and all of the walls came crumbling down. Much of the archaeology here was done in order to prove or disprove this story. The findings are inconclusive. Meaning that some people say they can prove that it happened while others say that it didn't happen. So who knows. This is me and Loie in front of the sign. The spring of Elisha is also there- which I didn't include pictures of. But it was cool. This city is extremely green because of the water source and is full of palm trees and lots of agriculture.
We then traveled into the middel of the Judean Wilderness, pictured below. And it was absolutely gorgeous. Who knew that a desert could be so beautiful?We climbed to the very top of a mountain and simply looked out onto the wilderness. This is the same wilderness that Jesus was tempted in and that Lehi and his family would have travelled through. We were at an area called the Mount of Temptations in fact. There are sandy mountains as far as the eye can see. It is literally just a bunch of nothingness. And it is wonderful. We all sat and talked for a bit and then just sat and pondered and looked out. From this mountain you can see from one side of Israel to the other, showing how small the country really is. It was the most peaceful place I have ever been. And perhaps one of the coolest. The story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness really took on a new meaning. I can't imagine journeying throughout this wilderness for 4o days. That would have been so crazy. But I can totally see why Jesus would have come here to become closer to God. Because there is nothing BUT God out here. And it is awesome.
Here's a quick pick of me overlooking the vast desert. You can't really see it in the pictures, but I am looking at Jerusalem in the far distance. So yeah- this has been my favorite field trip so far. But there are many more to come, so I'm sure that will change. We are headed to Jordan next week!
So that was my weekend. Now it's back to the grind with classes and the dreaded homework. In fact, I should go do more homework right now... So email me with any questions! Or just comment on the blog and I will answer them as well. Love and miss you all!

Rainy Days

2012-01-14T04:16:00.002-07:00

Well this past week has been full of classes and rain. I LOVE my classes. Like seriously love. It's weird- I have yet to have a semester that is as good as this one, academically speaking. The longer I am here (granted, it hasn't been toooo long) the more glad I am that this is my last semester. It really is the ideal way to end college. I don't know what all of these other people were thinking.... haha ;) And I know it's only January and I still have a lot more time here, but I'm already dreading the day that I have to leave. I love this city and I feel like I want to live here....if not indefinitely then at least for a few years or so. It's just such a cool place to live!

So yeah, like my title suggests, it has been raining the past few days. We had a nice break in the rain on Thursday, and I was able to get out to the old city for some shopping and falafel. Yep- could definitely live off of the falafel here. They stuff the pitas with falafel, tomatoes, these cucumber/pickle things, a spicy sauce, and french fries! Sound weird? I suppose it kind of is, but the french fries are soooo good in it! And the falafel is great. All of the store owners call to us and ask us if we are the new mormons and then proceed to show us all of their merchandise and tell us about the special "mormon prices" haha. Who knows if the prices are actually lower... I suspect not. We eventually got to Shaban's- who is the guy that makes the BYU Jerusalem t-shirts and hoodies for the students as well as things like scripture cases and other mormony things. He is really great. And he makes beaded rings for all of the girls as a gift. So I got one of those, which is pretty cool. Then I went across the street to his brother-in-law's shop and bought some leather sandals, which are a must if you are living in Jerusalem. Pretty sure I"ll be buying more of them.

So we were supposed to go to the Western Wall for the start of the Sabbath last night, but it got post poned due to the cold rainy weather. And then our trip to the Garden Tomb also got post poned today, since it is still raining. We will have plenty of time to visit these places later though, so I'm not worried about it. Well I guess that's about all I have to report. I am meeting tons of cool people and really starting to feel at home here. Peace!

And more....

2012-01-11T12:00:00.003-07:00

This is standing in the shepherd's fields, overlooking Bethlehem in the distance

This is me at one of the overlooks. Excuse the hair- as I said, it was a VERY windy day that day
Me playing piano at Augusta Victoria

And more pictures

2012-01-11T08:27:00.007-07:00

See previous posts for further explanations:

This is me in front of Nabi Samuel

Eating my first Falafel in the old city!
In fron of the city that I told you about- that huge thing closest to me is the temple
Me and the girls in the group in front of the Shrine of the book
Me at the center after church!
More pics to come- let me know how you like these!

Pictures!

2012-01-11T01:12:00.003-07:00

Me and my roommates: Maddie is on the far left, then Hailee and then Sarah is on the far right. Hailee actually ended up switching rooms, so now it is just the 3 of us. We are standing on the deck outside of our room. More pictures to come soon!

Free Time Sunday and Field Trip Monday

2012-01-09T06:15:00.002-07:00

Well yesterday, Sunday, was our first free day in the Holy Land. A group of about 6 of us decided to go to the Israel Museum in West Jerusalem. Not only do we have to go to the museum for class, but I also really wanted to go, so it was a win-win situation. The museum itself was so interesting because the building was extremely modern looking while everything inside is literally older than anything else I've ever seen. There were artifacts that were 1000s of years old. The museum is organized by era- starting with the stone age and going up until today. We only looked up to the Caliphate/Islam era though. It really is amazing what archaeology has brought to our day. As I was looking at all of the artifacts, whether it was jewelry, burial artifacts, or pottery, I just had to wonder how all of these archaeologists knew so much from the little artifacts that they have discovered. After we looked at the main building of the museum, we went outside to the shrine of the book- where THE dead sea scrolls are. It was so cool! I took Isaiah a few semesters ago and I'm so glad that I did because seeing these scrolls meant that much more to me. And these scrolls were discovered not too far from here! The shrine of the book building is really cool too. It's kind of like a white tear dropped dome... I don't know how else to describe that.

Oh and good news! Even though I can't upload pictures to my blog on the JC campus, I CAN go across the street to the Hebrew University and do it there. I can also get on facebook and such, but I think I'm going to hold strong to not getting on facebook for 4 months.... at least that's what I say now... haha. I won't be going there ALL the time because I kind of like the whole idea of being separated from technology. But I will definitely go there like twice or three times a month. That also depends on who else wants to go with me because you can't go anywhere without at least 2 other people to go with you. This is actually kind of frustrating to me. Not that I want to go out alone or anything, but sometimes it's hard to get people to do things that you want to do and then you have to accommodate other people by doing what they want to do and so on. That sounds really selfish of me... and perhaps it is... I guess I just wish I could go across the street by myself if I wanted to, but I'm sure I will get used to it soon.

Anyway...I forgot to mention that before going to the Israel museum, we went to Aladdin's, which is where you go to exchange money here. Oh and it is pronounced Ah-la-deen's not like the Disney movie. After that, we walked around and found Omar's shop. Omar actually found us and yelled down the street for us to come see his shop. He has been doing business with BYU students for over 40 years and he loves Mormons. He has pictures with all of the general authorities that have visited the Holy Land. His shop consists of a TON of hand carved Olive wood nativities and other things. Mainly nativities though. And they are SOOOO cool! What's funny is that he also has things like busts of Joseph and Emma Smith, Captain Moroni, and Christ, all based on Mormon paintings. It's kinda funny, kinda cool. Omar was very friendly and nice as well. He gave us free keychains made of olive wood of course. So I guess that is the place to go for anything carved of olive wood. Omar was then kind enough to help us get a taxi over to the Museum.

So yeah... back to the Museum. After the shrine of the book, we went to an outdoor exhibit that was a replica of the Old city when Herod was the king. The temple, which I didn't realize, was HUGE!!!! The replica itself was like 30 or more feet long and probably 20 feet wide. I'm not that good at distance judging.... I will upload a picture of it and you will see what I'm talking about. The point being that it was sooo cool and awesome to see what the city looked like during the time of Christ. Seeing how big the temple was puts the whole story about Jesus cleansing the temple into an entirely new perspective. Still amazing that He did that single handedly...

We had been at the museum for around 4.5 hours at this point and decided to take a taxi back to the old city. Oh the Old City. I am seriously in love with it. I could just explore it all day every day. It's just so foreign and exciting! I can't wait to show you pictures. So we entered at the Damascas gate and found this shop that supposedly sells the best falaffel (sp?) in Jerusalem. And I do have to say that it was delicious. They put it in a pita with a bunch of different vegetables, sauce, and something spicy in it. I don't really have a point of reference to know if it the best, but it was very good and will be the standard for the rest of the falaffel that I eat. Once we finished our falaffel, it was getting close to sunset, which meant time to go home. In East Jerusalem, our curfew is sunset because of safety reasons. In West Jerusalem, however, our curfew is midnight.

This blog post is becoming much longer that I originally expected it to be. You guys said you wanted me to be detailed though, so I'm just giving you all what you asked for! :) So today was our first field trip day. It was the "Jerusalem Overlook" field trip. Which basically means we went to a bunch of different sites that overlook Jerusalem. We first went to Nabi Samuel, which is the tomb of the prophet Samuel. He isn't actually buried there, so it is actually just an honorary tomb. It was way cool. Today was ridiculously windy and cold. So it was a little difficult to stay outside all day, but hey I was in Jerusalem, so I couldn't complain. After Nabi Samuel, we went to Augusta Victoria, which is a huge Christian church with a large tower that you can climb and look out on the city. Climbing up all of the stairs was sooooo hard! I seriously thought my legs were going to give in at any moment. But I made it to the top- and it was worth it! The view was incredible. It was very windy and cold though. After we got back down from the tower, we sat in the chapel and sang hymns. The interior of the church is gorgeous- full of mosaics of Christ's ascension and other things. I played the piano for everyone, which was very cool. I have been surprised at how much I have played the piano since I have been here. I have gained a new appreciation for the musical talent that the Lord has blessed with me. And for my mother forcing me to take lessons all of those years. (You happy Mom? You told me all of those years that I would one day thank you despite all of my threats to drop our piano off of a cliff haha. I guess you were right! So Thank you) Plus being able to play the piano in an ancient church is pretty dang legit. The cathedral was huge though, so with all of the acoustics it was hard for me to play and hear everyone else singing at the same time.

After August Victoria, we went around to different overlooks of the ancient city. And then one that overlooked Bethlehem- which is where they say the shepherds were when they saw the angel. The last overlook we went to was where it is believed Abraham was when he received the revelation that he would have to sacrifice Isaac. It was so cool to look out onto the old city and see the path that he would have traveled to go make the sacrifice. Thinking about being in the land of the Bible is such a blessing and I can't believe I am here. I will have to show you with pictures the path that I am referring to.

The field trip ended with a visit to the Hebrew University. One of the students, who is also a member of our branch showed us around so that we could know where certain things are, like cool restaurants on campus, computer labs, the bookstore and the library. And then we walked back to the center- which is very close by, as I mentioned earlier. Well that was my day yesterday and today. Now I need to go do the rest of my reading... ugh. Thank you to all of you that have been emailing me. They are much appreciated!

It's the Sabbath on Saturday!

2012-01-07T05:42:00.002-07:00

Well even though it is Saturday today, we celebrated the Sabbath because that is how it's done in Israel. Church is at the center on the top (8th) floor in a huge auditorium. It is stadium seating and all of the seats are facing West. The entire western wall is windows looking out at the entire city of Jerusalem. Let me just say that it is a little distracting, but I suppose in the good way? It is definitely a good thing to have during the sacrament because you can't help but think about Christ while you look out on the ancient city. Today was fast and testimony meeting, and the district Relief Society president was visiting, who was born and raised in Israel and then went to BYU and converted to the church. She bore her testimony today and talked about how we might feel like we are really far away from home and miss everyone in the US but in a way we are home. In our patriarchal blessings it tells us which tribe we are from, but more importantly that we are descendants of Abraham- and this land was promised to him and his descendants. And that includes me! So I am home, which is a cool thought.

After church some girls and I walked around the center and just looked out at the city. Words cannot describe how beautiful the city is. And let me just tell you now- pictures do NOT do it justice. I kept trying to get a good shot of the city, but I just couldn't get one. What you see with your eyes cannot be captured in a picture. We walked around the grounds, as I said, and just took in all of the beauty. The weather out here is absolutely perfect right now. I guess the winter is the perfect time to go! It isn't too hot, but it is still warm with lots of sunshine. It is in the 50s and 60s every day which is my favorite kind of weather. Tomorrow is a free day, so I will hopefully be getting some more good pics in as well as exploring my new town!!

Hello from Jerusalem!

2012-01-06T03:57:00.003-07:00

Bad new everyone- I will not be able to post a lot, if any pictures because of the web restrictions at the Jerusalem Center, but if we ever go elsewhere for internet, I will try and post some. Due to a lack of time, I am just going to copy and past the last 2 emails that I sent my parents- enjoy!

Hello Dear Family,

As I am writing you this email, I am sitting in a chair while gazing out on the old city of Jerusalem from the window across from me. There are so many windows in this building, that pretty much wherever you are, you are looking out at the city. The Jerusalem center is up on a hill, making it much easier to view pretty much the entire city. And it is gorgeous! My flight for Tel Aviv left from New York around 9 PM on Tuesday night. The plane was ridiculously huge- it was a double decker! I had the fortune to have a window seat, which allowed me to get much needed rest. I watched Money Ball on the plane, which was pretty good, then ate dinner, which they served. After that I pretty much slept the rest of the flight. And I do have to say that the flight wasn't bad at all- it went by really really fast, much to my surprise. We landed in Tel Aviv around 2 in the afternoon the next day. And we smoothly went from the plane to the bus with no problems. As I rode from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem I just looked out the window, amazed at the fact that I was literally in the middle east! My dream of many years was finally coming true- and it felt (and still does) so unreal! At this point I was dead tired, as was everyone else, even though I had slept on the plane. Plane sleep doesn't seem to be as restful as regular sleep somehow. When we first arrived, we went to the main auditorium, where we will be having church every Saturday. The curtains were closed around the windows that take up the entire wall in front of us, and we couldn't wait for them to be opened. We had a little welcome meeting where the director of the JC welcomed us- his name is Aran something.... He is a palestinian Jew- while the other directors are Arabs. He seemed very nice- and the JC is the only place in the church that isn't completely run by an LDS person and staff. The goal of the JC is to be a bridge between East and West Jerusalem- which is the Arab and Jewish sides. They have people from both sides working there with the requirement that they have to leave their politics at the door. And apparently it is working very well and is a good example to the rest of the country that these two groups can work together. After our welcome meeting we took a tour of the building, and it is absolutely gorgeous. The rumors are all true! We then unpacked into our rooms. My roommates are Maddie, Sarah, and Hailee and we all seem to get along very well. Everyone here seems very friendly and nice so far as well. Anyway- after we unpacked, we went to dinner. The food here is pretty good. At least the first meal was. After dinner we had introductions to our classes- which seems very intense, but doable. Afterwards we all were so happy to be able to go to bed. I was soooooo tired. I went to bed around 9PM. I woke up this morning at like 5 AM to the wonderful sound of the calling to prayer. So authentic! I guess because I'm still on UT time, but I woke up feeling very rested and had plenty of time to shower and get ready for breakfast at 615. So I just ate breakfast, and am now emailing you all with the few minutes I have before we go to our orientation meeting and then on a walk of the ancient city! I will write again soon- Write me back!! Love you all!

Hello again from the Middle East,

Well I just finished lunch at the Oasis- which is what they call the cafeteria here. All of the food so far has been quite good- I haven't eaten anything outside of the JC yet though. So yesterday after I finished emailing all of you, we went on our orientation walk around the entire city. It was quite the hike! We weren't allowed to bring cameras so that we could get through the city as quickly as possible and because they say we will be seeing these sites a hundred times before we leave. Hopefully that's true because I have yet to even take a picture yet- I know, surprising. But there really hasn't been time. I am going out today on free time though- and I will be taking pictures then. Anyway- the orientation walk was pretty legit. Walking around the actual city was really fun and everything here looks so ancient. One thing is that there are cats EVERYWHERE. And no dogs. And all of the cats are really gross and homeless. We see them roaming around the grounds of the center as well. We split up into groups of 8 for the orientation walk and my group was guided by Sister Bentley- who is one of the senior "service couples." There are 3 couples here- and they aren't allowed to be called missionaries since there is no missionary work in Israel, but they do a lot of service and even pay their own way out here, just like normal missionaries would. She showed us the main roads of Jerusalem and we saw a few of the sites, including where we can exchange money and such. My favorite part, however, was when we entered the old city, which is enclosed inside of a concrete wall. Once you walked through the gate it was like you were in another time period- with a few modern adjustments since people were wearing jeans and talking on cell phones. The old city is broken up into different quarters for Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Armenians. And each quarter has a lot of different shops. I can't wait to go back and go shopping! All of the people are very friendly and constantly call out to us saying "Hello Mormons!" Inside the ancient city, we went to the holy church of the seplechre (I'm not sure how to spell that...) and some other sites that I will be going back to to get a better look. We then walked to West Jerusalem, which is very different from East Jerusalem. It is much more modern and European looking, and apparently much safer as well. We then met the buses to take us back to the center, where we ate lunch. I then had a meeting to go to because I am the chair of the birthdays and special occasions committee. After that I read a lot for my classes. and boy is there a lot of reading. I was also suffering from jet lag all day long, which was really difficult. Hopefully it goes away soon. Then that night we had dinner and then a group activity in the gym which involved get to know you games. After that I went straight to bed because I was sooooo tired. I awoke this morning to the call of prayer once again around 6 AM and felt very awake. One good thing about jet lag is that it has been very easy to wake up in the morning. We had our first classes today- 2 classes that were 2 hours long each. That was pretty rough. My old testament class will be great from what I can tell. My near eastern studies class seems really boring.... boo. Oh well, I don't think it will be too hard or anything. Or maybe it was just the first day or something. Anyway after class we had lunch and now I am emailing you. I still have yet to blog because I haven't really had time because I have spent all of my time writing everything to you. Maybe I will copy and paste.... So that's my life right now! I can't wait to see what church is like tomorrow. After I finish emailing you, I will be going to another meeting with my committee and then we have free time the rest of the day. So until next time! Love you!

I will try and blog somewhat often- so stay in touch!

Hooray!

2011-12-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Just turned in my 20 page paper!!

Just call me Scrooge

2011-11-30T13:06:00.003-07:00

This year I feel like I just don't want Christmas to come. I'm just not in the mood. Am I weird? Don't answer that- I already know the answer. I hated all of the Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving, and now that it is after Thanksgiving, and technically "Christmas time," I still find myself resenting anything Christmas. I am looking forward to going home for the holidays- that is for sure. Maybe I'm resenting Christmas because it has so many other meanings. My time in Provo is getting shorter and shorter- and all of the Christmas stuff is just a constant reminder of that. I also have just been ridiculously disgusted with the ever increasing materialism. Why am I taking a stance now, when my whole life has been filled with materialistic Christmases? You would know just as much as I would. I really do like Christmas, but I guess I'm just not ready for it to come. This time of year is just hard as well, so maybe that has a lot to do with it. I'm about to turn 24 which is awful. haha. I'm so weird about my birthday. I just hate getting older! So maybe once my birthday is over, I will be more in the Christmas spirit.... who knows... Until then I guess all I have to say is "Baa Humbug!"

Greetings from my busy life

2011-10-21T12:23:00.002-06:00

It's been a month since I've last blogged.... oops. This semester is absolutely insane though. When did I become an adult? Can someone please explain this to me? Here's what's going on.

1. I am taking the GRE on Monday. Monday people! And yet as I study for this GRE I can't help but think that this has nothing to do with grad school and that it really isn't a good way of showing what kind of a person or student I will be..... But hey, whatevs.

2. I've started applying to grad school, speaking of. I can't help but have the fear that I won't get in. May seem irrational to you, but very real to me. I need to have a plan B, just in case. And yet I have NO idea what that plan should be.

3. Money sucks. Moving on.

4. Jerusalem plans continue to go well. It still doesn't feel real, and I'm guessing it won't even after I am already over there.

5. Oh by the way- I'm in my last real academic semester of my bachelor's degree- so on top of all of the "life" stresses, I also have 5 classes to deal with. Midterms, what? Good news though- I'm pretty sure I aced my midterm this week. One more to go. (for now)

6. This is my last semester in Provo. Pretty much ever. (Never say never I guess, but for all intents and purposes, this is it!) Even though there are quite a few things that I don't love about Provo, it will be very hard to say goodbye. It's always hard to say goodbye to what you are used to.

7. I'm turning 24 soon. Ugh. 24? really? How did this happen?

8. All of my friends are having babies. Kinda weird, but so fun to look at pictures on facebook!

9. Oh and by the way.... I'm going to KENYA. week of Thanksgiving. Boom. More details to follow. I've waited to tell people just because it really doesn't feel real. But it's happening. My friend is going for a charity the week after Thanksgiving, and I am going with her a week before to tour around and experience Kenya. So I just got a bunch of vaccinations. Which made me sick, but I'm over it now and ready to Safari!

There is probably more going on with me, but those are the more pressing/important things.

Thought Process

2011-09-19T14:30:00.002-06:00

Here is how my day goes all day every day. I think to myself:

Jerusalem!

Holy Crap I'm taking the GRE....

JERUSALEM!!

i need to study for the GRE. So many vocab words

490 paper- slavery slavery slavery

I'm freaking going to Jerusalem

wow i have so much reading, i don't know how i am going to get all of this done.

i need to find more clothes that are appropriate for Jerusalem

i wonder how Ethan is doing... how can I get closer to him?

i know i'm not worried about the math portion of the GRE, but should I be?

Am I really going to Jerusalem?

I need to call mom/dad/fill in the blank

READ READ READ

I need to figure out car insurance for Jerusalem

I need to write Emma back

Words with friends takes up way too much of my life

The Quran is actually a pretty good book. What if I was Muslim? ;)

There are Muslims in JERUSALEM

I wonder how (fill in the blank) is doing...

I need to write in my Journal

Shoot. I am taking the GRE.

Am I going to get into grad school? What if I don't? What if i DO?

Jerusalem is going to be awesome.

I miss Ethan. I miss Parker. I miss my parents.

How is Parker doing? How can I be a support to him from so far away?

I'll be even farther from him in Jerusalem.

How is it possible to think about Jerusalem THIS much?

Oh shoot, I need to think more about the GRE and less about Jerusalem.

bellicose=hostile, apotheosis=supreme example, anachronistic=out of place, etc.

JERUSALEM

And the cylce just goes on and on and on....

Papa Joe

2011-09-14T13:03:00.002-06:00

For some reason or another, I'm really missing this guy lately:

It's not his birthday, or his death anniversary, or anything like that. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I'm in a family history class right now. Or that I'm studying Southern history for my major. I miss Georgia. Particularly Papa- since he was the reason that I would ever visit Georgia. I miss going to his house and having absolutely nothing to do but sit and enjoy each other. I miss not being able to walk past him without getting a long, often overdrawn hug. I miss being told that He loves me and to never forget it! I miss sitting on his swing in the back yard with magnolias, woods, and the next door neighbor's horses. I could go on, but let's just say that I can't wait to see him again!

News

2011-08-26T00:19:00.003-06:00

I'm going to Jerusalem! In other words- I got in! I can't believe that it is all really happening. I have been dreaming about going for over 5 years now and it just doesn't seem real. I really really really am excited to go. I found out yesterday, which meant it was just a good day all around. But now today the reality of it has really sunk in. Because I'm going to Jerusalem on January 3rd, this is my last and final semester in Provo. And that is honestly kind of sad to me. As much as I have always talked about leaving Provo as soon as I can (which apparently I'm doing...), I really am going to miss it. And it is a heavy burden to carry, knowing that I only have 4 months to spend with the wonderful friends I have been able to make since I have lived here.

I moved to Provo for the first time in August of 2006. I went home for the summer of 2007, but other than that, I have lived here year round ever since then. It was a rough beginning, but as I got used to the Provo ways, it really has become a great place for friends and fun times. Although Provo definitely has its downsides, there are a lot of positive things that I will miss. Mainly the people that I have met and become so close to. You know who you are!

Now that I'm going to Jerusalem, I have all of these decisions to decide upon that I thought I had longer to make. Things that I was going to be deciding next semester all of the sudden have to be decided this semester. And it all seems very overwhelming. And yet I feel a peace about it all. I know that everything will work out for the best. It always seems to, miraculously.

I am very excited to be moving into the next stage of life, even though it kind of scares to daylights out of me. It feels so similar to the fear of leaving St. Louis to come out here, and yet I feel much more ready and prepared this time. I have learned so much during my years in Provo and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. To those of you reading this and are still in the Provo area- let's make these next 4 months count!!

Yep, I'm a bloggin'

2011-08-18T01:17:00.002-06:00

Surprised? You probably forgot I even had a blog. Well I'm here to remind you that I do. Well I can't sleep. It is exactly 1:18 AM at this very moment in time. And I am awake. Obviously. I have never had trouble sleeping in my life. But as of late, falling asleep seems to be quite a problem. Staying asleep is easy, but getting to that point seems to quite the challenge. Perhaps it's because I have so much on my mind? I'm not really sure. The weird thing is, is that I really am very very tired. And my eyelids are burning and screaming at me to please go to sleep. But once I lay down in my bed, these same eyelids refuse to stay closed. So here I am, blogging. This summer has been alright I suppose. June was kind of a drag. I had classes and that was fine and all, but in reality I just wanted to go on a million roadtrips like I did last summer. I did just get back from a month long vacation to my hometown, St. Louis, though. And that was very fantastic actually. While home, the fam and I also went to DC for a little vacation. I have literally been wanting to go to DC since I was in the 2nd grade. I did a little project on our nation's capital, particularly the smithsonian, and have been dying to go there ever since. Well here I am, 16 years later, and finally achieved my goal! And the best part of all is that it didn't disappoint. We were up and going all day every day, but I didn't mind because I wanted to see as much as possible.

So DC and St. Louis were marvelous. Being home for that long really was a pleasure. I was worried that I would be aching to get back to my life in Utah, but I somehow left wanting to stay even longer, which I guess is the way it should be. And now I've only been back for 3 days and I'm feeling bored out of my mind. I just want to be DOING something. And so, as you can imagine, I am ready for school to start. It starts a week from Monday, and I am counting down the days! I will probably be singing a different tune once I see how much reading I have to do this semester. Yikes. But I'm up for the challenge. I think.

As far as other updates go- I applied to go the Jerusalem center, and I should be finding out whether I got in or not in a matter of days. According to the itinerary, I should find out on or around the 19th of August. So 2 days (ish). I'm hoping the ish part might mean I will find out tomorrow. But I guess you just never know.

Well I think that is all for right now. Maybe I will try this whole sleeping thing.... again...

Big Dreamin

2011-06-14T16:28:00.002-06:00

This is what occupies my thoughts all of the time right now. It's the BYU Jerusalem Center. I've been wanting to attend the center for over 4 years now and I'm really hoping that my dream will finally come true. I'm applying to go in January!! Pray for me to get in! I want to wake up every morning and look out on the ancient city. And there is a field trip to Tel Aviv! And if things ever clear up, then there is a field trip to Egypt as well. I guess that remains to be seen. Oh Jerusalem...

Oh hey...

2011-06-07T11:25:00.002-06:00

Oh hey, it's been a while. I keep thinking that none of the blogs that I follow are blogging very much lately, but then I remember that I'm not either. Probably because not a lot has happened worth blogging about. Here's something of interest for you I suppose- I'm in a dinner group, well actually 2 of them this summer. One on Tuesdays and one on Thursdays. I'm really really glad that I decided to join because it has been quite a good experience. I really do love cooking. And even more than loving to cook, I love to have people eat and enjoy my food. Perhaps its a vanity thing where I really just like to impress people and have them validate how awesome I am, but either way I really do enjoy it. I guess I also like having a reason to cook. It's so much easier to cook for a group than for just myself, plus I have more motivation to do it if I know that people are counting on me. I've cooked twice this summer. The first time I made Indian food- chicken tikka marsala. It was freaking good, I must say. And then this past Tuesday I made Banh mi sandwiches- which are French Vietnamese meatball sandwiches basically. And they were soooo good! Those sandwiches are one of my favorite things that my dad makes, so I figured I would give them a try.

Not only is it fun to cook, but it's also fun to chat and discuss things with people while eating good food. I have 2 awesome groups of people that are a lot of fun and I enjoy spending time with them. Plus they all cook well too! So it's just a win win situation all around. I want to always be in a dinner group now. Even when I'm married with kids, I still think it would be fun to do so. Now I need to be thinking about what I want to cook next.....

P.S. I am acing my French class. Not to brag, but yeah I guess it is to brag. Je suis intelligente!

New Post

2011-05-17T13:40:00.002-06:00

Yeah... sorry about that whole not blogging thing. I need to be better. Here's the update for ya- I'm doing spring classes- French and Utah History. I am liking my French class and my Utah history class is a hit or miss. Sometimes I think it's not so bad- other times I find it hard to stay awake during it. I do enjoy the book I am reading for it right now though. It's called "Mormon Mother." It's an autobiography of a mormon mother who was a polygamous wife in the late nineteenth century. The manifesto declaring the end of polygamy came out while she was married. I can't believe some of the things I am learning about polygamy. It's just incredible how much I am learning about the simple logistics of a plural marriage and such. Either way- I would highly recommend it for an interesting read. Other than school, not much else is new in my life. Church and work are both going well. So I guess that's all I have for now- sorry for being so boring, haha. I'll try and be interesting next time.

Apparently my class actually starts at 1...

2011-04-27T12:09:00.002-06:00

Well I thought my next class started at noon, but here I am waiting for it to start and am realizing that it doesn't actually start until 1. Awesome. I guess that gives me more time to blog though, right? Well winter semester ended last Thursday and Spring classes already started yesterday. I would be lying if I didn't say I was slightly relieved though. I was really bored those few days between school days and I didn't really know what to do with myself. So I'm glad to be back in classes- and I'm only taking 2 so that should be even more enjoyable.

I've been thinking a lot about God lately. Mainly about my relationship with him. I'm struggling to know what is and isn't ok to ask Him. I feel like I just want to lay down how I want my life to go to Him and for Him to just grant it to me sometimes. And it's not like I'm asking for some crazy, unrealistic things. I have righteous desires, and yet I still struggle to ask for them sometimes because I want to ensure Him that it is His will that should be done, not mine. What if my will and His will are aligned though? How can you really tell? I guess that's one of life's lessons that I am still learning slowly but surely.

It Friee day

2011-04-15T21:03:00.003-06:00

It's Friday night. When I want to be out doing this:

Don't these people look like they are having fun? Well that is the message I am trying to convey at least... Instead I am doing this:

Aren't finals fun? Tomorrow is my first one! And what is up with having a scheduled final on a Saturday, BYU? REALLY?! Well I could get down on my rather dull Friday night, but then good old google images reminded me that:

when I searched for an image to portray having fun. So I guess I'm having fun either way! Don't be jealous!

As Promised...

2011-04-12T10:26:00.002-06:00

A few posts back I told you all that I haven't taken any pictures this semester0 which is definitely true. But I also promised that as soon as I took a picture, I would post it on the blog, so there it is. This is Emily and I at the conference center in Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful day, even though it snowed and was kind of cold. I do enjoy the dreariness- if not only because it gives perfect lighting to pictures. Ah yes...

I pulled out my lavender cardigan for the "Spring" and got a ton of compliments on it- so thanks again Mom! I think she bought that for me when I turned..... yeah.... 17? 18? Some teen year. Or maybe it wasn't even for a birthday.... haha. Either way- it kept me warm but was still a nice spring color.

Tomorrow is also the last day of classes for the semester. Can you believe it? I can't. Wish me luck on finals!

Reflection

2011-04-06T23:14:00.002-06:00

Well I've had my blog for about 2.5 years now. Crazy how the time has flown. For some reason I decided to go back and read my blog from the beginning and I've really enjoyed what I had to say. I can't believe how much I've grown as a person (and blogger) since October of 2008. A lot of rough times and a lot of really good times. My blog seems to only reflect the good times- which I guess is a good thing. I'm surprised at some of the realizations that I had come to and somehow forgotten. So I'm glad I went back and read them because I was able to remember and reflect on those little epiphanies. I feel like I blog way differently now than I used to... And I'm not sure that's a good thing. I loved reading my older posts but as I got closer to the present I got kinda bored. But maybe that's just because I was tired of reading- it kind of took a while to get through them all. I couldn't believe how much my posts used to be filled with testimony and small praises to the Lord. And I've kind of stopped doing that. Which I definitely don't think is a good thing. Especially since Elder Uchtdorf encouraged us all to share the good message of the gospel more on the internet through blogging and social media. And so I need to get back to that. The Lord has blessed me beyond compare and it continues to amaze me on a daily basis. I feel so empowered and strong lately- probably because of conference. I'm filled with strength that the Lord has given me, for without Him, I am nothing. The Lord is full of patience and mercy. And that is what I've truly learned/am learning recently- especially within the past year. I want to get back to a simpler me, where I realize that the small things in life are what really matter. I wrote several posts in the history of my blog that were lists of tender mercies or small moments that blessed my life, and I'd like to do it once again. Simplicity is key- I truly believe that. So here are a few of the small things as of late:

1. I know I've already mentioned conference once in this post, and also in my last post. But I really am grateful for the chance I had to listen to the great council from the Lord's servants. They really know what they are talking about!

2. I have really enjoyed going to school this semester. All of my classes are really great. Today in class my teacher called on my by name! I know this seems like an odd thing to recognize, but I never really know if my teachers know my name, and it took me by surprise when he used my name. And it made me appreciate my professor more.

3. I really needed some chocolate the other day. That craving pretty much never comes to me- but for some reason it did the other day. And then I remembered that my mom had sent me a bunch of chocolate for Valentine's day! And it was delicious...

4. My roommate started a dinner group that meets every Tuesday and Thursday. We all take turns cooking and it has been really fun. I made chicken tikka marsala (Indian food) on my night. And it just reminded me how much I love to cook! Especially when I'm cooking for other people.

5. My bank account was extremely low the other day and it was kind of getting to the scary point. But when I went to check my balance to make sure I hadn't overdrafted, I found an extra $100 more than I thought I had in there. It was like magic! Some amazing angel had transferred the money into my account from above (or from St. Louis...thanks again Mom!)

6. Rereading my own blog (although it may sound weird) really gave me some inspiration today. I felt uplifted by my own positive experiences that I had fortunately recorded. It just goes to show that bearing your testimony only makes it stronger- even if you are reading your testimony from over 2 years ago.

7. I got some really cute sandals at Target! And they were on sale! And it was fun to shop with Emily this past weekend.

8. I'm going to DC this summer!! It's been a life long dream of mine to go- literally since the 2nd grade. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint...

9. I cut back on my hours this semester with school and all and although I have a lot less money, working less has been grrrrrrreat. Such a blessing.

10. I've been doing indexing for the church- just ask me about it if you don't know it is. But basically its taking digital copies of old documents like censuses from the early 1900s and typing in the information so that the names can be temple ready. Its a quick and easy service I can do anywhere that has internet connection- and it's pretty fun! At least I think so...

My Favorite?

2011-04-04T10:59:00.002-06:00

I usually say that my favorite apostle is either Dieter F. Uchtdorf or Jeffrey R. Holland. And that is strictly based on the fact that I usually get the most out of their talks. But I was pleasantly surprised by what my favorite talk at conference was. And it was a talk given by this guy:

Elder Richard G. Scott

His talk was so tender. It definitely brought tears to my eyes multiple times. I couldn't believe how tenderly and lovingly he spoke of his late wife. It touched me in a way that honestly surprised me. And it made me realize that how he spoke of his wife and marriage is what I want in my own marriage someday. His utter respect and admiration for this wonderful woman was so powerful and strong and yet meek and tender. It was beautiful to hear and beautiful to watch as tears gleamed in his eyes as he spoke of his wife and family. It just made me really realize what I really want and desire in life. What he has is what I want. And I'm not going to settle for anything less. His talk proved to me that having a loving spouse and children is the best and most rewarding thing that I could possibly have in this life and in the eternities. And it gives me hope that men like our apostles, especially Elder Scott are out there and truly appreciate and understand the importance of the women in their lives, especially their wives. So good new! These men aren't impossible to find! And that's what gives me hope. I'm so grateful that we have general conference. I always feel refreshed and renewed. And I always leave the sessions with a clarity that I can't seem to get any other time of the year. And it's wonderful. The church is true! So to explain my title- all I'm saying is that I think Elder Scott is a serious new contender for favorite apostle. Not that I need to have a favorite. I really do love them all. But I'm just trying to convey how powerful his talk was to me. Hopefully I did a somewhat adequate job. :)

I am a very stylish girl.

2011-03-31T12:53:00.003-06:00

How do I look?

In case you think I am vain, just know that the title to this blog

and the opening line are from a song that I happen to be listening to

right now. It's called Une very stylish fille by Dmitri from Paris.

Seriously consider checking it out! Also- my oxfords came!! And

I think I'm in love. Seriously. Amazing!

Right NOW

2011-03-25T15:17:00.002-06:00

Today has been a good day, despite the fact that it is snowing outside on March 25th. So much for spring.... I woke up around 8:15 and headed to my 9AM southern history class. I enjoy that class quite a bit, actually. And I'm writing another mini thesis for it! Mini thesis sounds cooler to me than a long paper by the way. In reality, it is just a longer-than-normal research paper. My topic? How the urbanization of the South led to the rise in lynching spectacles at the turn of the 20th century. Sound fascinating? Oh, it is. (and no, that isn't sarcasm) As horrifying as lynching is, and trust me, it IS, for some reason I can't stop reading about it. I can't stop being horrified by all of the gruesome pictures laid out in the book I'm currently reading. How did this happen? How did we lose our humanity as Americans in such a recent time? It's crazy. And that's why I'm doing my paper on that.

Anyway... after I went to class I headed over to the Marriott center to see a special forum where the guest was.... drum roll please.... MARK ZUCKERBERG!! Isn't that exciting? He's never spoken at a university before, and here I am lucky enough to be at his first on at BYU! I was fascinated by what he had to say. And I'm also fascinated by facebook in general. A guy sitting in front of my group was commenting on how Mark is probably the most influential person in the world right now simply because of how much time facebook takes out of everyone's day. It affects everything in your life in a direct or indirect way. And it's kind of mind blowing if you think about it. I was quite impressed with what this amazing successful 26 year old had to say about facebook and the technological world that we live in, and all in all, I'm really glad that I went if you can't tell. Facebook is great- you can't convince me otherwise! The influence it has had over global affairs alone is incredible.

And now I'm back at home after one other class I had. And it is still snowing. It has been snowing since like 10 AM. what. the. heck! I usually love snow, but it has its time and place. And this is not the time or place. Oh well, with the way the weather has been going lately, I'm sure it will be warm again tomorrow and no one would ever know that it snowed at all.

And right NOW- as my title suggests, I am cooking a pizza, blogging, watching E-Ho do dishes while listening to music, and drinking orange juice. Word.

Hello Again

2011-03-22T16:49:00.002-06:00

Hello Blog,

How are you? Good? Me too. Did you know that this is your 111th post? That's pretty cool, right? Sorry I'm semi neglecting you. It's just that I've finally realized what I want to do with my life, and therefore have been ridiculously busy with planning things and preparing myself to achieve my new high set goals. I even made a new 5 year plan to replace the old one. I'm looking at it right now, actually. Not only is it ambitious of me to have a 5 year plan (even though I've had one for quite a while now), but this plan is so pretty! I made it myself and everything. Anyway- everything seems to clear to me now, and it feels freaking awesome. Oh, you're happy for me? Yeah, me too. Anyway- I guess I just wanted to tell you the good news, although it is vague. But that's why my readers should keep in touch with me more, right? Then they would also know what you and I know (hint hint) :) Anyway- I hope you have a nice day, because I know I am having one!

Love,

Grace

P.S. I am listening some of Britney's new songs. She never ceases to amaze me.

LENT

2011-03-11T17:27:00.002-07:00

You might be wondering why I haven't been putting up any pictures on my blog lately. Well let me tell you- it's because I haven't taken any. Aside from the Valentine's pictures (which I put up on facebook) I haven't taken pretty much ANY pictures this year. I took a picture every single day in 2010, so I guess I am just a little burnt out. But hey- As soon as I do something that is picture worthy- I promise to not only document it, but put it up on the blog as well.

Anyway- It's that time of year again. That's right- lent. I just started doing lent last year, and it was quite an enjoyable experience, so I decided to do it again this year, and probably every year from here on out. I decided to go for something way hard this year. I'm giving up paying to go out to eat. And I go out to eat a LOT. So it'll be hard- but worth it. Not only will I benefit as a person from making such a sacrifice, but my wallet will also benefit. And that's the real deal folks. Let's just say that I'm not the best with money. I'm not the worst. But I'm not the best. So yeah. I have a free meal at Tucanos and a Jimmy John's gift card to get me through the next 40 days. haha. And if I happen to get asked out to dinner, I will also have that available to me. But in general, I'm going to be cooking a lot more! That's pretty exciting I suppose. I do like to cook, I just never take the time to do it. So maybe now I will, since I don't even have the option of going out to eat. It started on Wednesday, so I'm going on day 3 now. I haven't felt any withdrawals yet. Maybe I will, who knows. I seemed to fair pretty well with giving up facebook last year without feeling too many withdrawals, so maybe if I feel like I can't do something, then I don't feel the need to do it? I don't know. The same thing happened when I gave sugar one time. So I guess we shall see. Wish me luck, everyone!

Hi Grace, meet Grace

2011-03-04T12:57:00.002-07:00

This semester has kind of been a weird one for me. I don't mean it's been a bad one- in fact being weird doesn't mean it's good or bad. It just means weird. I've always prided myself in having a firm grasp of reality and who I truly am. How I feel about certain things, what I want in life, how I would react to certain things, why I am reacting that way, etc. And I'm not saying that I am all of the sudden having an identity crisis and that I don't even know who I am anymore. Because that is definitely not true. I know who I am- better than anyone else in my opinion. The problem is that I have that opinion to an extreme sometimes to the point where I almost want myself to be the only person that truly knows me. It means I don't open up to others, I don't let know people what I really think oftimes, and so on.

Ok this blog post is already going in a different direction than I was wanting it to, so let me rein it back to the point. I feel like I know myself really well, so it still surprises me when I learn something new. I guess that's part of the growing up experience? Or better called the life experience? Let me give you a few examples.

First. Lately a few of my friends have been discussing the whole topic of the love language theory. You know... that one where there are 5 love languages and you feel and receive love through one main one- even if you feel love through all of them. The 5 languages are service, quality time, physical affection, words of affirmation and gifts for those of you that don't know. Anyway- when everyone was talking about it, they just knew what kind of love language they spoke. And it surprised me to think about it and have no idea what language best suited me. (Disclaimer: I am not one to rely on psychology- especially "popular" psychology requiring you to know what color you are, or what kind of tree you are, although I do find it interesting) But it still surprised me because I can usually know what a result of a certain quiz will be before actually taking it. But with this one, I simply didn't. So I took the quiz online and the results were overwhelmingly in the words of affirmation category. I scored the highest possible score (12) for it actually. With quality time being second with 8.

It's stilly though because even though this may seem insignificant to many of you (including myself if I were an outsider), this has really affected me. As I've done more research as to what it means for words of affirmation to be your love language, I have learned new things about myself that I suppose I always knew, but just didn't know how to put it into words. Words matter to me. I need to be told that you appreciate me. I need to be asked about my life to ensure me that you are interested. I need you to listen to me and to say out loud that you are doing so. I need you to tell me that you love me and I need you to tell me why. I need you to not say things that you don't mean because I will probably never forget it. (This is unfortunately so true! This doesn't mean I won't forgive you, it just means I won't forget it) I need you to word things in the way that you mean them so I won't come away from a conversation thinking something totally different than you are. (This is also not a plug for people to start sending me notes of affirmation or comments telling me how much they appreciate me, it's more just me sharing with you what I have learned about myself- I swear I'm not being passive aggressive, and if you know me at all, you will know that's true) Is this high maintenance of me? I argue that it's not. It's just my love language.

And with this new understanding of how I feel love and usually express it as well, it has brought a new light to my current situation. (wow this post is getting a little personal... oh well, no turning back now) I have felt distant from friends that I hold dear lately. I have felt that they don't care and that I am not appreciated. Not recognizing these feelings just made me retract in a way that no one even really noticed. And I did it in a way that no one would notice. But now I'm realizing why I feel that way. And the love language quiz helped me to realize that, even if it was a stupid little online quiz. As much as I hate feeling sad or miserable, I hate even more when I don't know why I feel that way. So this quiz helped me realize that, leading to a more self-aware confident me. So that's the first thing that I've learned about myself.

Second. I'm kind of discovering my feminist side. Not my feminine side (I've already met that side of myself) - my FEMINIST side. I've read two article lately that have made me realize this. The first on being the one I plugged for in my last post and the second one being an article in the New York Times that I read today. You can read it too, if you'd like (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/opinion/04holmes.html) Although the article is specifically about Charlie Sheen, it addresses a much bigger issue facing our world. What is wrong with men? Don't they see how lucky they are to have women in their lives at all? Women are not disposable, they are not worthless, they are not less intelligent, they are not over emotional, they are not psychotic crazies. They are highly prized daughters of God. They are nurturing, emotional, beautiful, sympathetic, divine, smart, and powerful. I hate that just because they are different than men, they are passed off as psychotic, over emotional or high maintenance. And I'm tired of feeling like its the women's fault. Because it's not. It's the men of this world. I'm trying to not sound too radical, but I do have really strong opinions and feelings on this. Women should be nothing but appreciated and praised. Yes they have faults, but being different than men is certainly not one of them. Individual women have faults, not women in general. And the same goes for men. I'm tired of men getting away with such acts as Charlie Sheen while the world turns and looks the other way. Enough is enough. And now I will step down from my soap box.

Before I do so, I do want to say that I am not overgeneralizing men. I know that there are great guys out there who really appreciate women. My father is definitely one of them and I appreciate his example of loving and supporting my mother and me throughout our lives. And yes, I do have other examples, but guys- do you really appreciate the women in your lives? I don't just mean your girlfriends and wives. You should be treating every single woman in your life with dignity and respect. Don't make her feel crazy for having emotions because it is part of human nature. Instead of passing them off as crazy, try understanding them and having patience with them. Not only should you love them, but you need to tell them you love them, and show that you love them. No one is off the hook here- even if you aren't beating women, like Charlie Sheen, I'm sure your appreciation of women could use some improvement.

And before you start defending yourselves with "oh but girls don't appreciate guys either," just know that I'm not saying that isn't true as well. But girls not appreciating guys doesn't make the fact that women are under appreciated and overlooked any less true. Let's stop blaming and start accepting. I, and women in general, deserve it. And now I really will step down from my soap box.

I would say sorry for such an emotional/strong post, but I'm not, and I shouldn't be. I'm taking a stand for women! (see, I wasn't kidding when I said I met my feminist side recently)

Mini thesis

2011-03-03T12:11:00.001-07:00

want to know anything pertaining to the Choctaw Indians and the Indian Removal Act of 1830? Just ask. Because I'm the expert now. Apparently.

Writing

2011-03-01T21:30:00.003-07:00

Why does writing papers suck so much? I write all the freaking time. I write notes, I write in my blog, and I write in my journal. I easily write 50 pages a month. maybe more? that was an extremely rough guesstimate. But when it comes to writing a paper, I just don't have the motivation/ability to just WRITE. I've been sitting in the exact same spot for about 10 hours now. yes, 10. All because of a paper, that oh by the way I haven't even begun to write. Don't think that 10 hours has been wasted though- I've been researching. But now I think it's actually time to take the plunge- so obviously I needed to blog first to get in the writing mode perhaps? Or maybe it's just because I've felt a desire to blog again- because it's kinda been a while. On the few small breaks I took today, I did a few things that maybe you can enjoy as well.

Emma introduced me to a new pandora type station with no ads, got it? NO ADS! Anyway- she also introduced me to a new band MNDR (pronounced mandar according to this website). And I've been listening to her radio station all day long. I have even bought a few songs that I discovered through this station. Basically I'm transforming into an Indie-hipster. That's ok right?

I also read a really interesting article (also introduced to me by Emma) that expressed exactly how I've been feeling for a long time now and just haven't had the right words to truly express it. Emma got it from Alicia, and on her fb wall it has sparked quite a debate! I know that if people ever put links or videos on their blogs, I NEVER read/look at them, so I will understand if you choose to not look at this article either, but I'm just saying it's a great article. And although it's about women, it is written by a man and it meant for men. And I couldn't agree with the concept more. Try reading it and let me know what you think.

Read it here

I also tried the New Special K cracker chips where you can have 30 great tasting chips for only 110 calories! Definitely wouldn't recommend them. They aren't as great tasting as the box tells you they are. The flavor isn't bad I suppose and they definitely aren't disgusting, but I wouldn't buy them again. They kind of have a styrofoam taste to them- just like rice cakes. But they aren't horrible I suppose. You can try them if you want, but hey I wouldn't do it.

Just imagine- I did all of this AND researched for a paper while remaining in the same chair all day. Good thing I had no class, right? Cool.

30 Day Bust

2011-02-23T10:47:00.003-07:00

Yeah about that 30 days challenge... I'm not saying I'll never finish it. I'm just saying that I really didn't enjoy it. I thought I would like it more than I did. But hey- that's ok right? I'll put the last few topics up eventually, but every day is a little much if you ask me Plus the topics aren't that interesting a lot of the time. Maybe I should come up with a 30 day challenge that is actually cool. hmmm.... maybe I will. Anyway- don't worry- I haven't died. I'm just on strike of the 30 day challenge, which I am now calling the 30 day bust if you can't tell. Welp- see ya

Day 20

2011-02-17T13:37:00.002-07:00

Day 20 : A Bible Verse

Joshua 22: 5

" But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses, the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

I guess you'd like my thoughts on it to? I'd say the verse is pretty self-explanatory. But I really like the word diligent- its requires a certain dedication and exactness to God and to his laws. It's nothing for the faint of heart. We must cleave to him, and give all of ourselves to him. And that is definitely not easy. To give of your entire self requires energy, effort, and the ability to humble yourself and recognize that you aren't the one in control. That is definitely a hard thing for me to grasp. Anyway- here's to being able to give of my WHOLE self to God with ALL of my efforts.

Day 19

2011-02-16T20:58:00.002-07:00

Day 19: Something you want to do before you die

Well I want to do a lot of things before I die, which hopefully isn't for a long time.

1. Go to Jerusalem- preferably living there for a semester abroad, but going there in general would be ok too.

2. Graduate from college- it seems like this is forever away, but in reality it really isn't, so yay!

3. Finish reading the Old Testament- yeah... I've been reading it for over a year now... let's just say it's a slow read. haha

4. Learn to sight sing. I'm convinced that my inability to sing isn't because I have a bad voice per se, but more just because I can't sing high enough for a soprano part, but don't know how to read the alto line, leaving me to squeak out the melody, which is pretty unpleasant to my (and everyone else's) ears.

5. Learn to play the violin (or just a stringed instrument that isn't a guitar really)

6. Write a book - I'm unsure what the content will be yet... I have ideas, but I haven't really decided.

7. Get married and do that whole family thing... I guess... (totally kidding)

8. I'll just do everyone a favor and just say travel in general as opposed to listing off every single place I want to go- because trust me, there are a lot of different places that I want to go.

9. Learn to play the 3rd movement of Moonlight Sonata on the piano by Beethoven. Pretty much the hardest song I've ever heard.

10. Eat in a ridiculously expensive 5 star restaurant in NYC. I know it seems stupid, but hey it's something I'd like to do one day.

Day 18

2011-02-15T19:01:00.002-07:00

Day 18: Favorite TV shows

I could put pictures up, but hey it's not worth it- you guys know what I'm talking about

1. Glee

2. The Simpsons

3. 30 Rock

4. Psych

5. So You Think You Can Dance

Day 17

2011-02-14T13:01:00.003-07:00

Day 17: Your Favorite Song

It probably doesn't surprise you that my favorite song is a Michael Jackson song- or at least it shouldn't at this point. Thriller is my favorite song. It's my ringtone as well- and I can't get enough of it! It's also my favorite music video of all time. And yes- I have it on DVD.

With that being said, having a favorite song is a lot like having a favorite movie- it's hard to choose just one. It all depends on what you are in the mood for and such. So here's a list of other favorites:

All Time Faves: (in no particular order)

1. Take on Me- A-ha

2. Everybody (Backstreet's Back) - Backstreet Boys

3. Ain't no Sunshine- Bill Withers

4. Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris

5. Say Say Say- Michael Jackson

6. Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps - Doris Day

7. At Last- Etta James

8. Missing - Everything but the Girl

9. Share it With Me- Family Force 5

10. She Doesn't Get It - The Format

11. You Make my Dreams - Hall & Oates

12. You Are So Beautiful- Joe Cocker

13. Move Your Feet- Junior Senior

14. Bang Bang- K'naan feat. Adam Levine

15. Dangerous- Kardinal Offishall

16. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing- Leo Sayer

17. Mad- Ne-Yo

18. You Are the One- Shiny Toy Guns

19. Kiss Me- Sixpence None the Richer

20. Careless Whisper- Wham!

Current Faves:

1. Paris (ooh la la) - Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

2. Give a Little More- Maroon 5

3. Who Owns My Heart- Miley Cyrus

4. Higher- Taio Cruz and Travie McCoy

Catch UP

2011-02-14T10:46:00.003-07:00

Day 16: Things that you hate

Screamo music

World of Warcraft

Being Late

Seafood

People that text during the sacrament

Putting away laundry

People who chew with their mouths open or just loudly

Bulleying

Day 15: (sorry I know I didn't blog on Friday or Saturday, but hey here are the topics anyway!) Things that you love

Roadtripping

Special Olympics

Playing Rockband

Writing in my Journal

Shoes

Word Games

There are plenty of other things that I love - but these are the pictures that I had on my computer.

Day 14

2011-02-11T13:38:00.002-07:00

Day 14: Something you don't leave the house without

This question is rather boring, I know. Especially since I feel like these days, everyone doesn't leave their house without the same basic things- such as a cell phone, their wallet, etc. I will say though- that there is pretty much only one thing that I always have with me- and that's my cell phone. I don't always take my wallet to school, even though I usually do. And I usually have my planner on me, but not always. So my cell phone is the winner on this one. I guess I can't live without it! Who can though, really? Unless you are one of those people still stuck in 1990 that doesn't have a cell phone haha. I would say that I regret that I have come to rely so much on a piece of technology, but that would be lying. I love my iphone and all of the information I can get from it whenever I'm wondering where I know some actor from, or what a certain word means, or what the Bachelor does for a living. Information is literally at the tips of my fingers at all times. And not to mention communication! I can call or text people whenever I please, and THAT is the beauty of the 21st century.

Day 13

2011-02-10T21:42:00.003-07:00

Day 13: Someone you miss

It's little Pooky! He's on a mission in El Salvador right now- there he is pointing it out! This is at the missionary mall. He is such a sweet heart and I am very lucky to have him as a brother. He is hilarious as well. He makes me laugh all the time, it's really great. Our sense of humors just click, you know? He is a very good role model to our youngest brother, Ethan as well. He is the sweetest boy you will ever meet and he would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it. Everyone likes him, and for a good reason! Anyway- I miss him more than I thought I would- and I thought I would miss him a lot! I can't wait for him to get back, the time is already flying by faster than I could have imagined.

Day 12

2011-02-09T13:39:00.003-07:00

Day 12: Celebrity Crush

Need I say more?

Zac Efron is such a doll. And just for the record- he is older than me for all of you that are thinking I'm a cradle robber.

Day 11

2011-02-08T11:25:00.002-07:00

Day 11: Favorite Movies

I actually did a post on this a while back. I suppose I could post a link to it... but ehh... I'm pretty lazy.

Favorite movies are hard to determine for me, as I'm sure it is for everyone else as well. There are movies that are just good movies, plain and simple. Good meaning well written, good acting, and beautiful cinematography. But those movies aren't always the kind that I want to watch all of the time. Then there are the movies that I could watch over and over again- so they are my favorite simply because of their rewatchability. There are a few movies that fit both categories, but it's not often. And then there's always the mood factor. Sometimes I'm in the mood to watch a light hearted movie, or a sad one, or a mind-blowing one. So it's hard to really say what my favorite movies are... With that being said, I am making this topic a lot harder than it needs to be. So I think I'm going to pick my top 3 in different categories of my choosing.

Overall Favorites:

1. Moulin Rouge

2. Beyond the Sea

3. Vanity Fair

Rewatchable ones:

1. Clueless

2. Zoolander

3. Hairspray

Animated Movies:

1. Nightmare Before Christmas

2. Toy Story 3

3. The Princess and the Frog

Mind-blowing Movies:

1. The Others

2. Inception

3. The Sixth Sense

Musical:

1. Singing in the Rain

2. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers

3. Meet Me in St. Louis

Recent Faves:

1. Tangled

2. The Social Network

3. Harry Potter 7

Tearjerkers:

1. Steel Magnolias

2. The Last Song

3. Moulin Rouge (sorry for the repeat)

Chick Flicks:

1. Mean Girls

2. 500 Days of Summer

3. Legally Blonde

Other:

1. Edward Scissorhands

2. Ray

3. Strictly Ballroom

There are so many good ones out there! But I will leave it at that...

Day 10

2011-02-07T13:43:00.004-07:00

Day 10: A Picture that Confuses You

When I saw this topic I knew exactly what picture I wanted to pick. As it has been stated many times before, I went to Hawaii this summer with some friends. We rented out this house a block away from the beach and it was awesome. Something that made it even more awesome was the art that was put all over the walls. It was usually stuff with extremely strange quotes and such. Anyway- the best one/most confusing one was this poster mounted in the dining room.

Can someone please explain this picture to me? It was a great topic of conversation for everyone that went to Hawaii with me, and no one could really figure it out. How does an egg flying in the sky with butterflies coming out of it over a chess board explain perspective?! Like seriously.... if you guys have any idea... please let me know, I'd be interested to know what your thoughts on this are.

Oh. and the quote underneath "Perspective" says "Change is not only necessary to life... It is life" What the heck?

Day 9

2011-02-06T17:13:00.003-07:00

Day 9 - Someone or something that has gotten you through a lot

Just for the record- a lot of different people have gotten me through a lot of different things in my life. But I'm really an independent type of person- to a fault actually. When I'm truly suffering, I tend to keep most of it to myself and just tell myself that I can get through it by myself. I do have one thing though that has truly gotten me through every possible problem that has come up in my life. And that thing is my journal, or I suppose multiple journals at this point.

I guess it's kind of an odd thing to choose, but it is absolutely true. With journal writing, I just find it sooo therapeutic. I can write anything that I'm thinking about whenever I come across a problem in my life. It allows me to vent and not hold back, get excited over stupid things, and just be myself and think and write whatever I feel like writing. And it's very fun to go back and read my journals as well.

Whenever I'm going through a really hard time, I can express my fears and pains and such to their full extent and not worry about other people worrying about me. Which is where the whole independence thing comes in I guess. I can also really see how much I have been blessed with as I write down all of the good things that have happened to me and how much God watches out for me and loves me. It's a good way to reflect on the past, live in the present and look forward to the future at the same time. I'm a huge advocate of journal writing- I can't say enough good about it. So I suppose that's what has gotten me through the most, if not everything.

Day 8

2011-02-05T16:36:00.002-07:00

Day 8: A picture that makes you laugh

I went to my photos on my laptop to search for a picture that made me laugh. I only have pictures from 2010 and 2011 on there, so I didn't need to search long because this one is form January 1, 2010. haha!! I had kind of forgotten about it. Love these boys- even the creeper in the back.

Day 7

2011-02-04T13:01:00.003-07:00

Day 7: A picture of a place that you've been

It was hard for me to pick a picture for this one because I've been to a lot of cool places. I decided to go with a picture from Hawaii though. I tried to pick a picture that I don't think most of you have seen, since I didn't put it on facebook or on the blog. I'm pretty sure this is Sunset beach in Hawaii. But who really knows- I went to a lot of different beaches. Hawaii was awesome. So chill and perfect weather. It was really paradise, I must say. I would love to go back again.

Day 6

2011-02-03T23:32:00.003-07:00

Day 6 : My Parents

Aren't they lovely? Well the topic "my parents" is rather broad.... So here is a picture of them. My parents' names are Flint and Freda Finlinson. Yep- that's right. Take that for some alliteration, why don't you. It's even better when you add family at the end. I still think they should have named all of us F names, but hey that's just me.

My mother is a Southern belle from Georgia. She is extremely proud of her Southern heritage, which is where I get my love of the South from. (In case you didn't know, I love the South) I'm very much like my mom in a lot of ways. She is very practical, honest, and everyone seems to love her. I'm not sure how much I am like her in that last aspect, haha. Despite her protests, I still believe she is an amazing mother, even if she doesn't think that I have that opinion. She loves Aerosmith, diet coke, Gone With the Wind, fine dining, and planning and going on family vacations.

My father is a western boy from a small farm in middle of nowhere, Utah. You would never know that form meeting him today, but he is still proud of his heritage as well and the work ethic that it taught him. I am also a lot like my dad in a number of ways. He loves being creative, fashion, and cooking. He is obsessed with cooking actually, and spends most of his leisure time planning gourmet meals and cooking them. Lucky for us, right? He is very good at keeping in touch with and having a personal relationship with all of his children- unlike a lot of fathers that I know. That is what makes him special as well as many many other things.

I love my parents very much, even though I don't say it as often as I should. (Good thing they read this blog, right?) I always say that I was first in line in the parent picking line in heaven. I had first choice, and these people are who I picked! haha. My parents also like to use that line against me when I am not happy with them. They will always say "well you picked us!'' Oh boy... either way, through good and bad, I AM glad I picked them. :)

Day 5

2011-02-02T13:02:00.002-07:00

Day 5 : A habit that I wish I didn't have

This is a hard one because I'm always trying to start good habits as opposed to focusing on ones that I wish I didn't have. Instead of wishing, I prefer to actually try and change them. Of course I'm not saying I'm perfect and that I don't have any habits I wish I didn't have, I'm just saying that if you wish you didn't have a habit, you should change instead of wishing it wasn't so! So I guess I need to take my own advice.

I wish I was IN the habit of keeping up on current events more. So I guess I wish I didn't have the habit of ignorance? haha. I try my best to keep up with what is going on, but then I often forget. And it's so easy to just look at the New York Times online. So I wish I could get into the habit of just looking at it everyday to just know what is going on. I have TIME magazine and I need to read it more thoroughly more often. I know the basics of stuff- like oh hey there are a bunch of protests going on in Egypt right now! But I want to know the history behind them and the full on story.

The only problem is that you can never know everything that is going on in the world. I've been really good at keep track of the situation going on in Sudan right now. (Southern Sudan is seceding form Northern Sudan) And I know all the reasons and such, but that's only ONE country! How is it possible to know about the protests in Egypt, the ousting of the Tunisian president, the seceding of southern Sudan, the floods in Australia, and not to mention everything that is going on in America!? And also not to mention everything that I didn't just mention. haha. So it's a huge feat, but I'm continuing to give it my efforts. Not my BEST efforts, but hey I'm giving it effort. Anyway- I'm going to make a goal to look at the New York times every day for a week from here on out. Here's to habits that we (I) want to change! Who's with me?

Day 4

2011-02-01T12:54:00.002-07:00

Day 4: My first love

I highly considered not doing this topic and just choosing some other random topic, but I suppose I'm not that creative in thinking of blog topics... so here we are. I'm not one to have extremely personal blog entries, so I'll keep this one kind of vague. For those of you who know the story, you'll know what I'm talking about, and for those of you that don't, you can ask me in person!

So my first love... eh hem...

When I was a mere 15 I met this boy at a youth dance. We hit it off and I really enjoyed his company and he seemed to be enjoying mine as well. Not really thinking anything of it, I would talk and dance with him and so forth. All of my friends during this dance saw what was going on and didn't waste any time in finding out if we were interested in each other- and it turns out that we were! And a young, exciting romance blossomed from there. I couldn't actually date him, since I wasn't 16 yet, but we were "going out" haha. Oh man.... it all sounds so silly looking back at it now.

Anyway, we hung out with in groups for the next 6 months, talked on the phone incessantly and just couldn't get enough of each other. I found myself wanting to be a better person, loving life to its full extent and just wondering how I could have been so lucky to have this happen to me. I know this may surprise many of you, knowing me now, but hey I was 15! I was stupidly "in love." haha I put quotes because I don't actually think someone that young really knows what love is, but that's what I thought I knew at the time.

Those 6 months were great and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Due to complications that I don't wish to get into and the consequential teenage drama that ensued, it obviously didn't last. He broke up with via another friend (which I was SUPER pissed about) and that was that. I was devastated, but I did survive and live to tell the tale today. I've liked/dated a few guys since that time, but I have yet to recapture that 'stupidly in love' feeling that I felt during that first experience. And that is why I'm not married I suppose! I'm glad I went through that experience.

I actually went back through my journals over this past Christmas break when I was in town, and OH BOY. My first love experience filled the pages during those 6 months, as you would imagine. And as I read the entries, I felt all of the emotions all over again- from the excitement of having a boyfriend to the sadness of breaking up. It was intense!! Because you know that 15 year old girls are so much more dramatic than 23 year old ones.... (or are they?) I'd like to think so.... Either way it will be interesting to see how I am once I am in love as an adult. Here's to the future!

Day 3

2011-01-31T13:06:00.003-07:00

Day 3 is to describe a really good memory. I chose the last day of my San Francisco road trip. The group actually went down to the Carmel/Monteray area and went on a scenic drive. We stopped at one point to have a picnic on the beach and take pictures. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, and everything was just perfect. I have a LOT more pictures where this came from, but blogger is taking forever to load plus I don't want to make this post THAT long. Needless to say, this is a really great memory of mine.

Day 2

2011-01-30T23:31:00.002-07:00

Day 2 is to describe the meaning behind my blog name. As you can see my blog name is "How Sweet the Sound." I'm hoping that everyone has caught onto why it is called that, but just in case, I will explain. My name is Grace, as you all SHOULD know. Whenever I meet someone new, they often will sing Amazing Grace to me, which happens to be one of my favorite songs. Most people would say they get sick of the same old "Oh you are singing Amazing Grace... never heard that one before..." but in reality I love when people do it. Not only does the song name have my name in it, but just the concept of grace in general is absolutely beautiful. And the words to this song are amazing. Amazing Grace is also a really good movie that I would definitely recommend! So with that being said, the next line in the song after "Amazing Grace" is "how sweet the sound," which is where I got my blog title. So not only is the word grace sweet, but hey so am I! haha... So yeah... there it is.

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

2011-01-28T23:22:00.004-07:00

Well I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. A few of my friends have done this on their blogs and if for no other reason, I think it'll be fun! So basically there is a topic for each day and then I blog about it. Blogging daily... we will see if I'm up for the task! So let's get started, shall we?

Day 1: A Recent Picture of yourself and 15 interesting facts about yourself

1. I'm watching 30 Rock at this very moment in time. I freaking love this show, and I must say that Tracy Jordan is hilarious. Tina Fey is basically my hero for being an amazing creator of a great show and being hilarious at the same time.

2. My favorite color is purple. I'm actually kind of obsessed with it. Whenever I'm clothes shopping, I always go towards the purple sweaters, tank tops, dresses, skirts, etc. My purse is purple, my iphone case is purple, my sheets are purple, and trust me I have lots of other things that are purple. (you get the point)

3. Speaking of obsessions.... even more than the color purple, I am obsessed with Michael Jackson. I have been ever since my parents introduced me to his Thriller album when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I listened to that CD on repeat for months at a time, and then of course expanded to his other albums. I read everything I could about his life and watched every possible documentary on him. And nothing has changed. When he died, yes I cried while watching his funeral. A lot of my Christmas gifts through the past years of been Michael Jackson themed. Calendars, puzzles, DVDs, CDs, and this year the wii video game! Anyway, enough about Michael...

4. I just started a fashion blog. I really enjoy it and it's a nice little hobby I can do since I enjoy fashion but don't exactly want to get a career in the field.

5. I love making movies. They aren't amazing, but I still love filming them, editing them and then watching them and laughing a ton after I finish them.

6. I've been growing my hair out for about 2 years now and it is freaking long. Sometimes I just want to chop it all of because it really is a pain, and yet I love it being long. I've been hesitant to cut it because I've invested 2 years of time into at this point! haha. For now I'm going to keep it long though.

7. Until the age of 7 or 8, I SERIOUSLY thought my middle name was Lydia. I don't actually have a middle name, and was apparently upset by this as a child, so my parents told me that I did have a middle name and that it was Lydia. Fast forward a few years to my freshman year at BYU. I received a letter from BYU for some reason (I don't remember the contents) and guess who it was addressed to? Miss Grace L. Finlinson. Now you tell me what that L stands for!

8. Every time I look at the clock and it is 12:08, I always announce that it is 12:08 or at least smile to myself if I'm alone because it reminds of my birthday December 8th. I also get super excited when I meet other people that do this same thing. It's rare, but hey it happens!

9. I have a few mottos that I live by which some people think are kinda odd I suppose. One of them is the whole idea of mind over body. I believe this to an extreme actually. I honestly believe that being sick is a mental thing and that you can keep yourself healthy by simply putting your mind to it. It's not as simple as it sounds, but that's the basic idea.

10. I love nail polish and having painted nails. (As you can see from my last post) And as much as I love having painted nails, I hate having chipped nails, so I paint my nails a LOT. I have my phases where I won't paint them as much, but in general that's what I do.

11. I love Old Navy. I buy all of my clothes from there. Literally all of them. Every article of clothing that I am wearing right now is from Old Navy.

12. I never eat breakfast, but I love breakfast food. Savory breakfast food that is.

13. I took a picture every single day in the year 2010. I made the goal on Jan 1, 2010. And I stuck it out all the way to Dec 31, 2010. I have all the way to September 30th scrapbooked. Hopefully the rest will be done soon.

14. I love pop music. The poppier the better. I love Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and most people in that same category. And I'm not afraid to admit it!

15. It took me far too long to come up with 15 things... and I'm once again watching 30 Rock. so good!

Today

2011-01-25T15:18:00.002-07:00

Call me girly, if you will. But I find so much joy in having freshly painted nails. And I'm loving my new(ish) pink nail polish! I found some time to paint my nails while eating 30 rock today. Yes that's right- I said eating. Anyway- today has been a good day. I got to sleep in, have lunch with Kjerstin, and have cute, perfectly painted pink (try saying THAT 10 times fast) nails. Oh! And it snowed today. And I love snow! I know i'm in the minority on this one- but I really do love it. So overall - a good day. Now on to some homework...

Condi

2011-01-16T18:29:00.002-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to a forum at BYU this past Thursday with a very special guest: Condoleezza Rice. I was SO impressed and she was nothing short of inspiring. I'm so glad that I went and she made me really think about where I am going in my life and what I want to be doing. Here are a few notes that I wrote down during her speech:

"Today's headlines and history's judgements are rarely the same. We need to make history's judgement the right one."

"It doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are going."

"We as a nation are held together by that promise of being able to achieve despite humble circumstances."

"The essence of being human is integrating your knowledge of what is with your belief of what might be."

"With education comes responsibility."

"When you find your passion, worlds open up to you that you never thought possible."

"When you overcome something that's hard, you know you can overcome life's challenges. So do something that is hard for you."

"Keep your optimism. If we, who have every opportunity at our fingertips can't be optimistic, then who can be? As educated people, we have a responsibility to be optimistic."

"You can't control your circumstances, you can control your response."

"Thing that seem impossible in retrospect seem inevitable."

She said so many good things and I am truly grateful for people like her that are living the American dream and giving the rest of us hope. Thank you Dr. Rice for coming to BYU!

New Blog!!

2011-01-05T15:51:00.002-07:00

Drum roll please.....

The wait is over- I have officially started my new fashion blog. Read it, Enjoy it, Comment on it, and Follow it! Here's the link:

www.ifyoulookgood.blogspot.com

Don't worry- I will still be updating this blog as well! I enjoy all of your comments, so let me know what you think!

Resolutions

2011-01-04T12:45:00.003-07:00

Well it's a new year and I have a few resolutions, some of which I can actually share with the blogging world!

1. I want to eat breakfast every single day. I've never been very good at eating breakfast, even though they say that it's the most important meal of the day. So I'm thinking I'm going to give it a shot. I ate breakfast this morning, and I can already tell a difference!

2. Keep a planner- I've never been good at keeping a planner either. I often find myself double booking myself or forgetting about assignment or meetings, and hopefully with a planner this won't happen.

3. Start and keep up my new fashion blog- I'll probably be posting once a week, probably on Wednesdays. (Hey! Tomorrow is Wednesday!)

4. Go to bed by midnight on school nights. I'm often known for staying up extremely late and sleeping in late as well. And I'm ready to break this habit! I've been going strong for the past few nights, so now for the rest of the year!

5. Study in the library every day- this way I can keep up with my academics in an environment with not as many distractions as I have at home.

Well I have a few more that those ones, but I'd say that is a good start- pictures from Christmas break will be up soon!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:55:00.002-07:00

Well it's Christmas Eve. Another year is about to come to a close. December is always a very reflective month for me. I turn another year older, Christmas is celebrated, and the end of the year comes around. 2010 has been one of the best years of my life, I really do have to say. I've learned a lot about myself and have had the opportunity to do a lot of great things. I am a little reluctant to even let the year end- not that I even really have a choice! I've had such a great year and a part of me thinks that a new year means it all must come to an end. And a lot of things will change in 2011. I'm a little nervous about some of them, but I know I will make it through. 2010 definitely taught me that. I can do hard things- and I can do them well!

I've been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life that I met this year alone. And everyone has enhanced my life greatly. Angela, Emma, Elise, Emily, Shelly, Janna, Tasha, Auralee, Levi, Tay Tay, Evan, James, Kjerstin, Chris, Bryce, John M., Jonathan, Joel, Jacob and Pam- you guys have changed my life for the better and I know I'll never forget the impact you have made. If I didn't mention you and you are reading this, that either means I met you before 2010, or I'm just an idiot and forgot to write you down, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful for you! I love you all and here's to another year of friendship!

Now that the sappy shout outs are done- here are some highlights of the year (I'm kind of copying you, Elise :) )

1. Truffle Love Shuffle

2. Taking a picture a day

3. Scrapbook nights

4. San Fran trip

5. Going on a lot of walks

6. Spending time with Pooky before he left on his mission

7. Playing The Great Dalmuti until 6am... multiple times...

8. Arts and crafts time with Elise and Tay Tay

9. Going on tons of picnics this summer

10. Sleeping outside with Angela, Emily, and the occasional special guest, Kjerstin

11. Going to the rope swing in Mona and Big Burger

12. Touring Las Vegas with Angela and Dave- where we had the BEST slurpees ever!

13. Going to Hawaii

14. Throwing an EPIC Halloween party

15. Our circus party

16. Having the best FHE group ever!

17. My family coming out to visit for Spring Break

18. President's Day Jeopardy with costumes

19. The Blog Song by Evan and Tay Tay

20. Going down to my grandparent's farm with my friends and riding horses

21. The institue dance with Levi, Tay Tay, and Evan!

22. Hiking up a mountain in sandals to stargaze in the freezing cold

23. Riding the scooter with John!

24. Seeing Emma perform in a girl band!

25. Levi and Evan getting their toenails painted by adorable little girls

26. Going to the Backstreet Boys concert!!!

27. Having multiple secret admirers stop by

28. Volunteering at the MTC

29. I know I already said Hawaii, but the PCC deserves its own highlight! It was that good!!

30. Shopping in Park City with Auralee

31. Rekindling old friendships

32. Going to the dollar theater with Emma

33. Eating the best sandwich ever at Stellina Pasta

34. Surprising Moo for her birthday

35. Making a movie with Ethan

36. An amazing institute class with Bro. B. I know so much more about the Old and New Test!

37. Attempting the Cornbelly's maze multiple times and failing

38. Going to Portland for Thanksgiving

39. Staying at Evan's grandma's in Idaho on the way back because of the snowpocalypse

40. Making gingerbread houses for my birthday

41. Playing Just Dance on the wii

42. Writing Parker every week through emails

43. Coming home for Christmas earlier than normal

44. Eating Dad's delicious cooking

45. Having the best friends and family ever.

I think that's about it! Thanks for all the good times 2010! Hopefully 2011 will just be even better!

Suspense

2010-12-02T19:31:00.003-07:00

For those of you awaiting the start of my new blog, and trust me, I know you are on the edge of your seats, don't worry, it's coming! (that sentence had a few more commas than I would have liked, but you get the point.) Anyway, I'm currently computerless because I recylced my old one and am awaiting the purchasing of a new one. I can assure you that once I get my new one, I will begin the fashion tips pronto. On another note- I went to Portland for the Thanksgiving weekend and it was incredible. Once again I don't have a computer, however, so I have not been able to upload any pictures and put them on the blog. I'm just borrowing my roommates computer right now to write this post. So pictures to come soon. Probably around the end of December/beginning of January. But just know that I haven't forgotten about my blogs and that my new computer will probably mean more blogging! So yay for that! I hope you all had great Thanksgivings and will have great Christmases in case I don't write before then. (It's highly possible). Well until next time!

Fashion- or something like it

2010-11-15T18:13:00.002-07:00

So I would like to classify myself as a pretty fashionable person. Or at least I have the ability to know what is fashionable. Don't get me wrong, I just have those days that I want to bundle up in a hoodie and jeans, and so I do it. But in general, I like clothes. And trust me- I have a lot of them. This brings me to what I am really trying to say/ask. Should I start a new blog? Don't worry- I would still keep this one. I just think that I would enjoy having a blog that was strictly about clothes. It could offer tips on how to be more fashionable, where to find good deals, or just commentary on what the trends are currently. Plus I feel like the art of looking good and dressing appropriately has been lost. Don't people know that it's not ok to wear jeans to a wedding reception?? Do they have no shame? So in my new blog I would also want to discuss appropriate times and places to wear certain apparel. Yes, I know, I'm not the fashion God, and I don't have the say in what everyone wears (even though I wish I did sometimes) haha. It would more just be a place for people to come and read my opinions on fashion and share their own. Thoughts? And boys this doesn't exclude you- fashion is for all sexes! :) I'll let you know what I come up with for a new blog- and I'll post the link up if I decide to do it. In the mean time, let me know what you guys think of me doing a new blog!

Paul

2010-11-11T14:12:00.002-07:00

Paul, as in the guy that wrote the latter half of the new testament, is one legit dude. Yes, I just called him a legit dude. Learning about him LITERALLY blows my mind on a daily basis. It's epic, man. (Shout out to E & S- you know who you are!) more thoughts on Paul coming soon. Brace yourselves.

Halloween

2010-11-08T12:38:00.004-07:00

So I threw this freakin awesome Halloween party over the Halloweekend. My roommates and I were planning it for weeks in advance and I feel like it was my more than full time job for a while, but it totally paid off!! I was Hannah Montana for Halloween- which I think turned out pretty good. Most people got it, but there a few people that thought I was Lady GaGa? haha. Practically everyone was dressed in costume and it was great. I painted some cardboard cutouts for the entry way photo booth, and they turned out so freakin sweet! It was better than I could have ever imangined. And I had some great friends that helped me out- which was fantastic! Here are some pictures of the event:

Miley Cyrus....

turns into Hannah Montana!
An attempt to show how many freakin people were at this party!! It was out of control!! Head count so far is a little less than 300!!
Roommate picture!
The phantom made an appearance and he looked great!!
The birds we cut out and put on the ceiling- they looked soooooo tight!!
A picture of the cutouts- I wish I would have got one of their full length. They were larger than life!
Overall a great weekend!! Hard work pays off in the world of party planning!

It's Fall, Ya'll

2010-10-21T21:12:00.002-06:00

It's FINALLY fall. There is still a warm day here and there, but overall, my favorite kind of weather has finally set in. Chilly enough for a jacket, but not so cold that there is no possible way to get warm. Awesome. I'm also feeling very festive and in the mood for Halloween!! My house is throwing a crazy Halloween party that is going to EPIC. I can't wait, and I know it's going to be nothing less of a success. To show my festive spirit, I present to you a picture of myself and roommate with pumpkins. And I was having a good hair day that day!

A Good Book

2010-10-16T17:23:00.002-06:00

So I don't read often, I'll admit it. But my roommate recommended I read this one, so I agreed to. Mainly because it is super short and a really quick read. And it was really really great! It talks about the most successful salesman of the time (think around the time of Christ) and the different tricks that he used to become so successful. He has these scrolls that are the secrets to being happy in life. The story of the book was fine, but that's not really the point. The point is what is inside the scrolls. The wisdom is great and if mastered, will lead to true success and happiness. All in all, I'd say it's life changing, and a super great book. So go read it, dang it!

BYU vs UTAH

2010-10-11T22:10:00.001-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaiZsKJJlRE

American History

2010-09-20T22:02:00.002-06:00

So I'm in an American history class right now. Yes, I am pretty knowledgeable about American history, but for some reason or another, I have just been absolutely horrified at some of the things we are learning about. I know that I am living in a different time and culture, but I'm just surprised at the lack of compassion that went on in the early beginnings of this country. America should be a place of refuge, but instead we enslaved black people, threw Native Americans off of their lands or killed them, and were just awful to immigrants or any other type of minority anywhere. How can people feel ok with enslaving another human being? How can people feel ok with pushing natives off of their lands, putting them onto reservations and then beating their culture out of them until they decide to become more "white"? And then I start thinking about all of the injustices that have happened in the world and are STILL happening! When will we ever learn? Is that day ever going to come? Like I said, I know I am living in a world completely different from even 10 years ago, but at the same time, I honestly just don't understand. How can you belittle a human life so much? I guess I will just never understand completely.... Compassion is the key. I'm convinced. Let's get some, shall we?

And then Hawaii was a blast

2010-09-09T18:33:00.007-06:00

Well we did a ton of awesome things in Hawaii, I must say. I'll let the pictures do the talking, however.

We went to Waikiki beach and rented out some kayaks and an aqua cycle and took them out on the ocean. It was awesome to take on the waves with the kayaks. And the aqua cycle was a lot of fun and relaxing to take out on the ocean.

We also went out and got Shave Ice at Morimoto's. It's a snowcone on top of ice cream, and it was delicious!
This is my FAVORITE picture of the entire trip. Isn't Tay Tay a heart throb?
We watched the Sunset on Sunset beach multiple times because it was just that good. Angela, Kjerstin and I all posed for a fabulous shot.
Tay Tay and I had an epic reunion hug... even though we hadn't really been apart... haha
We went to Turtle bay and saw sea turtles- so cool!
We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, which my favorite part of the trip!
While there, we went to a luau, where they gave us fresh flower leis and smoothies in a pineapple!
We went snorkeling at shark's cove
The house we stayed at was a block away from this beach
While at the PCC, we got some sweet tats
We went cliff diving off of this cliff, which was awesome!
That little dot in the middle is a tiny jelly fish- which stung me by the way! It really stung for a while, but it was horrible. It went away after about an hour.
We went jumping off of some sand dunes on sunset beach
We went and saw the Laie temple
The whole group at the luau
I tried my hand at poi balls
This is us at the rental house, right before we checked out, eating chocolate haupia pie, sooooo good

And we went horse back riding on the beach! Which is absolutely gorgeous. So amazing
So yeah, needless to say, it was a really good time. I'm glad I had the opportunity to go

We began in Vegas

2010-09-09T14:03:00.004-06:00

I went to Hawaii a few weeks ago and it was a ton of fun. We flew out of Vegas, however, and had a little adventure there first. Angela, Dave, and I all went together and we had a really great time exploring the different sites of the city before flying on to Hawaii. Here are some pics of our time there:

We went to Coke world

We shopped around at the Venetian, which believe it or not we are inside in this picture! The whole interior makes you feel like you are on the streets of Italy at dusk.
We enjoyed the night lights
We went to M&M world
We visited the Flamingo and their "wildlife habitat"
We got ready for Mardi Gras
We took a spin at gambling
And we just enjoyed our time in general!
More pics to come soon- and don't worry, they will be of Hawaii next time! For now this will have to do. Later

Update

2010-08-16T12:03:00.002-06:00

So it's been a while since I have updated you on what I've been up to. I haven't uploaded all of my pictures from my camera to my computer, but here are a few from melon ball. Melon is pretty much just a really intense version of water polo without any rules. haha. And I'm borrowing my brother's underwater camera for when I go to Hawaii, so I took it for a spin!

And then obviously I went to St. Louis, as I mentioned before. All of us minus Dad went to Ted's- the best frozen custard ever!! Can you believe my baby brother is taller than me?!?! It's insane.
Other than that I've just been working and counting down the days until I go to Hawaii. And I leave on Wednesday! It still doesn't feel real to me. It's quite ridiculous. I'm sure it won't feel real though until I step off of the plane. Either way it will be exciting! If you have any fun suggestions of what to do in Hawaii, let me know!

Nochie

2010-08-10T14:09:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about my baby brother lately- Ethan aka Nochie. I just miss him sooooo much! Seeing him in St. Louis was a lot of fun, even though it was only for a short time due to his scouting trip. He's the happiest person I know and being around him makes me happy in return. I don't know what I'd do without him. We laugh all the time and have the best inside jokes. Playing wii and doodle jump with him is always a blast. I love living on my own and in Utah, but the ONE thing I HATE about it is that I don't get to spend more time with this little (yet taller than me now :( ) guy. Like I said in my last post, I don't know how I got so lucky to have the best brothers ever!

Goodbye Pooky

2010-07-28T17:47:00.003-06:00

Well the time finally came this morning at 6AM. Parker left to go into the MTC. I can't believe that he litereally ON his mission at this very moment in time. I know he is going to be great, but it is just so sad to not be able to see him for 2 whole years! At the same time, I am almost looking forward to the bonding we will be able to have over written letters for the next 2 years. Is that weird? This is all assuming he will write me! haha. People express themselves differently in letters. I almost feel like they are more open and willing to share what they are really thinking. I guess because they can really think about what they are writing before they send it. Every time Parker has had something on his mind that he really wants to talk to me about, he has always written me a letter or email about it. So I feel like us communicating through the written word will be a good thing, even though I will definitely be missing him. He is such a special young man (cliche, I know). He loves everyone, he puts everyone at ease when they are around him, and he radiates with spirituality. He is ready to serve the Lord for 2 years. Although it is very emotional for everyone to see him go, I know he is doing the right thing, and that brings me peace and comfort. It pains me that I'm going to have to say goodbye to another one in a few years!! But I know that Parker is setting a wonderful example for Ethan, whom I also love. Ethan, if you ever read this, know that I love you and although you are terribly homesick at the moment (he's at scout camp), I am thinking about you constantly and praying for you. I have been blessed with the world's best brothers. Seriously. What did I do to deserve this?

Danggggg

2010-07-27T19:42:00.002-06:00

They made me change my blog background. Dang it. I don't like this one as much. Boo.

Meet me in St. Louis

2010-07-23T17:22:00.002-06:00

Yes, I am in St. Louis. It has been wonderful to be home. Even though it is so humid that I can hardly breath and my hair is ridiculously out of control when I go outside and the heat index is over 100 degrees, I still love being home. I can't believe the time has come for my brother, Pooky to go on a mission. Has it really been 19 years since he was born? Am I really old enough to have a younger sibling this old? Is he really going to be gone for 2 full years? Blows. my. mind. I suppose we all have to grow up at some point, right? Well it's been a lot of fun being out here, even though it has been emotional with Parker leaving and all. I guess more details will have to come later- just know that I miss you Utah people- and gosh dang it, I miss Utah! Who'da thunk.

Summer nights

2010-07-15T13:20:00.002-06:00

This has been my night every single night this summer. And oh how I love it.

Girl talk, cool night air, fenced off back yard, waking up with leaves in my blankets, ah the sweet life.

Fortune Cookie

2010-07-04T17:20:00.007-06:00

So this is my testimony of fortunate cookies. I have always loved fortune cookies- and I love even more when they come true!! Check out this fortune that I got a few weeks ago:

And then about a week ago, this note appread in our mailbox:

And THEN a few days later this showed up in my mailbox..... from the same person, I'm assuming.

All of my roommates got one as well. And surprisingly none of them care who this "secret admirer" is. So I've been doing some detective work, trying to figure out who could possibly do this. I have a lot of wonderful people in my life that WOULD do this. But the question is who actually did it.... Slowly but surely my roommates have found out who it is, but everyone seems to think it's funny that I don't know! haha. I suppose it is. Either way, I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but I'd like to keep my suspect options open.

And here are the suspects:

John- he's such a sweetheart and does the nicest things all the time for my roommates and I. So obviously a clear option.
Jonathan- also another option. He's the romantic, thoughtful type, so this is definitely something that he would do. And look- he's crafty with the construction paper.
Levi- this really doesn't seem like something he would do, but still a suspect since he spends a lot of time with my roommates and I. And although he likes to come off as a jerk, he's totally not. In fact, maybe he's trying to surprise us all by being the secret admirer.
Evan- He seems the type to write notes to us. He's a huge fan of the written word... and also very thoughtful and sensitive
Tay Tay- he is my leading suspect. Because he is such a sweetie and the most thoughtful guy ever! Let it be known that he is so kind and SUCH a gentleman. His momma raised him right! :D (Taylor will kill me for saying this on a public blog, since he reads it and all....) But that's ok with me... He looks like a rebel on the outside, right?
And James- also a suspect.... very kind, and loves the Manor house girls... need I say more?
So there you have it.... the search goes on for this "secret admirer." I love you secret admirer! It brightened my day. You're the best.

You Will Be Missed

2010-06-22T12:57:00.002-06:00

Dear Randy,

You were only in my life for a short 9 months, but I will miss you. It was so hard for you to leave your mom's house and venture out to live on your own for the first time. It was hard for us to know how to help you sometimes, and I wish I could have been better at knowing how to help you. Remember all of the fun things we did with the guys? We went to the zoo, we went to see countless movies, we went on picnics. I will never forget your undying love for Elvis. I wish I could have seen you perform in your costume, singing Blue Suede Shoes. I hear it was incredible when you did it at work. You had a wonderful family that loved you very much. You used to always talk about how much you missed your dad. And you would always ask me if he was coming back. And I always had to remind you that he was in heaven. Then you would ask me when you would be able to see him again- and I told you that when it was your time to go, you would see him again. And I suppose your time has come. I'm glad that you are finally with your dad. You have been wanting to see him for so long. And I'm sure he's been wanting to see you too. I'm sure you're having a great reunion right now. And one day, hopefully a long time from now, I will see you again as well. It really touched me that you asked for me on the day of your surgery before you even asked for you mom. I'm glad you left this life not being mad at me, because I know you often were :) You don't have to have any more bad days- and I'm so happy for you. You don't have to struggle with the things you had to struggle with on earth. I know you are happy now, and that makes me happy. I will miss you, but I know I will see you again. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Love,

Grace

Drama

2010-06-22T11:11:00.002-06:00

On pretty much any given occasion you can often find me saying something along the lines of :

"Drama is the spice of life!"

"Everyone loves drama, some people just don't like to admit it"

"The sooner you learn that everyone loves drama, the better"

or as the headline of my blog says- "Drama is life without all the boring parts"

Who's with me?! Seriously though- I totally understand that gossiping is wrong and that having to know everything about everyone is not always the best quality, but you just need to learn to do drama right! I'm not necessarily saying that I've learned how to do it right, but I know there is definitely a way to do it. Let's make life interesting, shall we?

I just love learning about people. I love getting past the small talk and really diving into what makes someone who they are. I guess it's also my way of just showing people that I care- because I honestly do care about what is going on their life. I care about what has happened in their pasts and I care about what is going to happen to them in the future. I suppose some people would call this being dramatic. And that's fine. I fully on admit that I am THE drama queen. And I will gladly wear the title- I just want to say that it's not a bad title to have.

Yes I want to know everything about you. Yes I will ask questions that you probably aren't used to hearing. But the more I ask questions, the more I realize that people are a lot more open than we give them credit for. You just have the ask the right questions! I have also found that in general, people love to talk about themselves- which is fabulous for me because then I can just soak up all the little details and form a stronger bond of friendship. I think it all depends on your motivation behind getting to know people. Are you genuinely interested in them? Or are you just wanting to know everything about everyone for your own status? That's the difference. I'd like to think I'm the former, but I guess you can make your own opinion on that one.

So maybe it's "dramatic" for me to want to know every little detail. Maybe it's dramatic for me to encourage people to get together. Maybe it's dramatic for me to push people to do things- when really I'm just doing it because I care. And maybe it's dramatic for me to react so passionately about things that happen in people's lives, including my own. But if being dramatic like this is wrong, then I don't want to be right! It truly is the spice of life, and it makes for a more intersting and fun time.

Drama you ask?

Yes.

Comedy

2010-06-17T00:26:00.002-06:00

So I work a 15 hour shift at work- and 10 of these hours are just straight up down time. So I can do whatever I please- which is actually pretty nice. Aside from the fact that we don't have the internet. But that's also nice as well sometimes. So last night I was going through all of the shows we have on demand at work and I came across a show called "The Last Comic Standing." I'm sure everyone else has heard of this show.... since it's on its 7th season and all.... but this is the first time that I have ever heard of it. For those of you in the same boat as me- it's just another reality elimination show (i.e. American Idol) with 3 judges and all. And it's for comedians- if you haven't picked up on that already. So I sat there and watched a few episodes of all the auditions that the comedians go through. And I am just amazed! Comedians can pick any little aspect of their day and turn it into an incredible joke! It's quite impressive actually. I feel like if I were a comedian I would have to go through my day thinking "is this funny? Can I turn this into a joke? Will people laugh at this?" I just feel like that would be so much pressure!! And hoping that people will laugh at you is so stressful! So these people have got to be pretty confident in their humor! I would say I'm a relatively funny person- or at least I have the ability to be funny. But I can't even imagine having to make people laugh for a job.... it's crazy! So yeah- good for you, all of you comedians. I could never do what you do. I can enjoy laughing at your stories though. I'll leave the joke telling to you guys :)

Ode to the Manor Girls

2010-06-11T13:58:00.002-06:00

I know a lot of people think that they have the best roommates ever, but I'm ready to argue that I really do. Where would I be without these girls? (And Obama as well of course) There's such a great spirit about my Utah home that has yet to compare to anywhere else. And it's all because of you girls. I love coming home to your smiling faces and debriefing every detail of our days. I love the smell of Elise's cooking and that she's always willing to share. I love that at any given moment, there is a pile of dough rising somewhere in the kitchen. I love staying up ridiculously late with Emily, even though she has work early in the morning. I love how our entire house has grown to revolve around my work schedule. It really means a lot that you guys enjoy having me around that much. I love coming home to Emma sitting outside on the porch with her computer and that she's willing to sleep outside with me when it's warm. I love that I can be my complete self around you girls and I hope you guys feel the same way about me. I love that Angela is always willing to sacrifice some sleep so we can talk about our days and debrief about all of the boy drama- or lack thereof. I just love the overwhelming feeling of love that radiates from you girls. We all lift each other up, and that's how friendship really should be. I wish we could all be roommates forever and never have to move. I know this is unrealistic, so I just want to enjoy everyone as much as possible this summer before everything has to change. I love you girls and you have definitely changed my life for the better!!

Summer Night's Dream

2010-06-07T15:24:00.002-06:00

Last night was such a good night. I got home from a friend's house, which was very enjoyable. Levi, Angela and I then made paninis for a late dinner, which were delicious. Once it got dark, my roommate Emily and I took some lawn chairs and went and sat in the front lawn. The weather was perfect. We just sat there and talked and enjoyed the fresh night air. It did rain for a few minutes, but not bad enough for us to go inside. Our friend James then came and joined us. He also brought some fresh strawberries with dip. Fantastic. As the night progressed more of our dear friends joined us on the lawn. Jonathan pulled up a chair, then Evan brough a blanket and spread his ever so long body across the lawn. Taylor and Trent came and joined in the laughter, which eventually drew Angela and Elise out of the house as well. We all laughed and chatted about this and that. Jonathan then put on some amazing music that just set the mood for an incredible summer night. I eventually laid down next to Evan and James and just looked up at the night sky. I started thinking about how great my life really is. I have such wonderful friends and God has created such a wonderful world for us to live in. The stars are always such awe inspiring for me. I was kind of quiet while everyone else was talking and I was soaking up every moment, thinking about how I never want this time in my life to end. I wanted the night to just keep going and going and going. It was perfect in every single way. And a lot of my days have been feeling that way lately. Yes I still have my hardships, but in general I just feel ever so grateful to be able to have the experiences that I've been having lately. Unfortunately a lot of my dear friends will be moving after the summer ends and everything will change. I hate the thought of it, but I'd just like to soak up every moment this summer that I possibly can. Each moment is precious, as cliche as that might sound. I hope to have many more summer nights like the one I had last night.

Our Final Day

2010-06-04T00:04:00.007-06:00

Well I tried uploading more pictures into this post, but for some reason it's just not letting me! Oh well you'll get the point from the ones already on here. Plus once again you can go to facebook and look at tons of them there. So our last day there was the absolute perfect day. I could go back and relive it over and over again. I don't think I'll ever forget it, actually. So we woke up and went to church with the family we were staying with. And yes they are the best family ever!! (aside from my own i suppose.... haha) Church was really great- it was a really small ward. And I mean tiny!! But there was a great spirit about it. From church we drove straight to Monteray, which was gorgeous. From Monteray we all piled into Levi's car and drove to the famous 17 mile drive. I had never heard this drive, but apparently it's famous. Anyway- we got to the drive- which costs $9.50 by the way... and drove around. Along the drive there are various stopping points that you can get out and look around. So we stopped at one of the points and had a wonderful picnic on the beach. It was just so picturesque - if you can't tell from all of these pictures.

After the beach, we headed back to our new family's house for dinner. And wow was it delicious! After dinner we all hung out and took fun pictures with the girls- Rachael, Olivia, Lily, and Gwen. They are the cutest girls ever!! If I haven't already mentioned that. Watching the boys interact with the little girls was so precious! Here's Evan and Olivia.
Gweny Gwen is SOOO cute! Check out that hair!!
Our new big family. So fun!
One of my favorite pictures from the trip. L-R. Lily, Evan, Olivia, Tay Tay, Levi, and Gweny.
The girls were giving us the full treatment! They gave Elise and I neck and foot massages and painted our toe nails. All while Emily was serenading us. Fanstastic
And then we headed back down the beach for the final time to watch the sunset. It was magnificent.

After we got back, the girls convinced Levi and Evan to get their toe nails painted as well! They were such good sports about it! And I know they secretly loved it haha!
We ended the night with James showing us how to make soft pretzels. They were so fun to make and delicious as well!!
So yeah that was my perfect day. I wish it could have never ended. It was sad to leave them and California. But we had to get back on the road the next morning and head back to Provo :( Hopefully I will find myself in California again soon. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

And it doesn't stop there

2010-06-03T23:28:00.005-06:00

After our glorious visit to San Fran, we headed down to Palo Alto to say Happy Birthday to a certain E-ho, who was visiting Janna for the week. We met at a Starbucks for a quick breakfast before hitting the road for Santa Cruz

Janna told us about the scenic route along the coast to get to Santa Cruz and boy were we so happy that she did! It was truly inspiring. Evan and I enjoyed the entire trip down
As soon as we got to Santa Cruz, we realized the beaches were incredibly crowed so we headed to Aptos, where Elise's sister and family lived. And they live literally two blocks from the beach so we decided to just beach it up there. The beach was gorgeous and perfect in every way.

I really fell in love with the beach this trip. I've never really appreciated it before. But now I understand why everyone goes so crazy over it! :D