rains are coming down and floods are coming up

you know, homeschool has actually turned out to be quite nice.  i get to walk around the house in my underwear all day, and i can be doing laundry, dishes, and homework all at once.

but that's not really what i wanted to say today.  i wanted to talk about the news again.

i've been reading the news pretty frequently as of late and that can get really depressing.  actually, i think i only read one article yesterday because on monday there were at least two articles that made me nauseous.  some people...i just don't know what has happened to their brains--like star, the 25 year old girl who wants to marry charles manson.  creepy and weird.  anyway, i went to bed feeling a little down thinking about all of those yazidi stuck in the scorching mountains of iraq.  

then tuesday morning rolled around and i read the following quotation: "the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior.  The scriptures declare that 'all things shall be in commotion.'...but as you trust in God, they will strengthen your faith."  that's when i remembered how hard i had prayed the previous night before going to bed.  i felt that my prayer was more sincere and faith-filled than a lot of my prayers recently.  so, though i'm not necessarily grateful for all the horrible things going on around me, i am grateful that they cause me to seek more diligently to understand the atonement and look to God for hope, and therein find joy.  

     

also, i still think the earth is beautiful and life is marvelous.

the right to brag

to brag = say in a boastful manner.

bragging rights = a temporary position of ascendancy in a closely contested rivalry.

the right to brag = i am a firm believer that if it is not about you, you have every right to brag as much as you want.  

i love bragging for my friends and family when they do awesome things.  like my awesome friend hailey who in high school won 1st place twice in a row in the state tennis tournament playing 1st singles.  also, she finished her associates degree before graduating high school.  and she's a genius.  and she now has a masters and a baby before i've even finished my bachelors.  i love bragging about her.  

and now there's this stud muffin...he is oh so smart.  two days ago he missed a call from ohio state university.  the next day they called to offer him a spot in the class of 2018 college of medicine.  then they offered him a scholarship that will pay for the first year of school.  and just like that, our plans have changed.  it really hasn't been too hard of a change.  it's where brennan served his mission, so of course he loves ohio.  and they have grater's ice cream, so of course, i will happily live in ohio.  also, they have lots more bike trails than galveston.

also, i get to marry him in just three weeks.  

peace+love

a very white glow fish in a black pond.

word.  i am in mexico in case you didn't already figure that out.  here's what it's like:
-today i realized i almost feel like i'm on another mission.  except that i get to go out of the mtc walls (menos mal), get online whenever i want, and talk to this stud everyday

(i miss him a little bit a lot.  good thing my 2 roommates are engaged and almost engaged so they can't get sick of me talking about him)

-but other than that i spend most of my day studying the scriptures and teaching missionaries.  22 of them.  20 of which are male, 18 years old, 2013 high school graduates.  yes, it is exhausting.  good thing i don't have to wake up at 6:30 every morning.
-speaking of my roommates, i could not ask for better ones.  in our house there are 5 bedrooms.  3 of those bedrooms have one person in them (and 4 beds).  but we choose to share the three of us to one room anyway.  seriously, God knows us and cares about our needs.

amanda (engaged), me, sydnee (practically engaged)

-i stick out like a sore thumb.  in chile i felt like i could blend in a little better.  between the 25 extra pounds i had and all the german-descendants in chile i passed for a chilean or argentine pretty often.  no one doubted my ability to speak spanish.  it is not the same story here.  everyone is brown.  sometimes it works, though.  like the other day when we went out to the city and i had to go to the bathroom.  i didn't realize you had to buy a ticket at the front so i just went right in.  there was this little woman at the door trying to get my attention, but i didn't notice (she was really small).  then she turned to this guy and said, "oh, ella no habla.  ya, pase."  free bathroom for the gringa!

-i do not know how mexicans get all their nutrients.  they do not eat nearly enough vegetables.  i've resorted to taking multivitamins everyday.  but, their tortillas, tacos, and frijoles really are better.  churros, to die for.

-outside of la ciudad de mexico, it's actually really pretty.  but mexico d.f. is really pretty ugly.

mmmmm....this is not d.f.  this is an hour north in teotihuacan.

-people here drive worse than chileans.  waaaaaay worse.  our taxi driver yesterday decided to create his own lane in between a bus and another car.  

mexico is crazy, but i'm growing to love it more everyday.  and even though it's hard to be far away from home, i have already grown in a way i could not have if i were home in my comfortable environment with my classes, apartment, my main man, my bike, working 20 hours a week, doing my normal routine.  and that makes it all worth it.

picture overload!

this is what you look like when you get caught in a monsoon.  which happens every single day.

i think the sixtine chapel needs these.  mirrors so you don't have to crane your neck to look at the ceiling.

this weekend is independence day.  hence the flags.

                           

los templos de teotihuacan.  i can't tell you how many stairs we climbed that day, but it was a lot.

the teotihuacanos made 260 human sacrifices right behind where we're sitting.  back in the year 200.

el templo de la luna behind us

this is the position they would be in for the human sacrifices.

would you really expect anything else?

just one more for good measure...

p.s.  it's okay to be jealous.  next weekend i'm going to see lucha libre.  nacho libre in real life!

here comes the rain. again.

this is the story of my life...

no one warned me about this.  i am ill-equiped.  other than that and the cafeteria food, mexico is great.
peace+love

a story in first person objective

i went on a date last night with this guy in my Shakespeare class.  he took me to see Kishi Bashi in concert at Kilby Court.  it was a pretty neat concert (plus he's japanese...and, well, i love asians).  during the encore i was just watching the band when i noticed someone pushing the woman in front of me.  all of the sudden there was a man on the ground--he'd passed out.  i turned around to look for my date.  i saw him leaning down to help the guy on the ground.  when i looked closer i realized that wasn't my date....my date was the one passed out on the ground.  um.  ya.  he got right up again and seemed like he was totally okay.  i asked him if he wanted to go outside and get some air.  he said he'd be okay for the rest of the song.  apparently he wasn't.  30 seconds later he fell in slow motion to the ground again.  this time he fell backward and all these people gathered around him.  he jumped right up again after about 8 seconds.  by then the song had ended and we walked out for some fresh air.
i never really talk about my love life on my blog because it's public.  maybe i'll go private.  cause as my mother pointed out to me today when i told her this story, there is never a dull moment.  i go on plenty of dates, and even if i don't like the guy that much i almost always come home with a good story.

peace+love

close encounters of the third kind

today i experience a moment in which i was embarrassed to be a girl.
for the 4th of july, provo puts on a parade on university ave.  the night before is a mad house.  people are camped out all along the street to get a good seat for the parade.  i went to visit an mtc companion along the route.  while i was there, her sister in law jumped in front of some guy walking down the sidewalk and said, "jef!  can i take a picture with you?"  my comp jumped up and said, "it's jef from the bachelorette!"  i don't watch that show so i don't actually care and just sat patiently on the grass when to my horror, a large group of girls, once they realized who my comp and her sister in law were taking a picture with, began to gather around jumping up and down, squealing and waving their hands around like lunatics. i heard comments like, "jef with one f, i love him!"  "oh my freaking gosh, my life is now complete."  oh dear...
every time a camera was put in front of his face he flashed a smile like a pro.  he was totally eating it up.
and now 1/3 of the female attendees new facebook profile pic is that of her with her "new boyfriend" jef.

i wonder if jesus were walking through that same crowd he'd get the same reaction...
peace+love

entropy

i love my job.  i get to learn new stuff everyday.  like physics.

today's lesson...

entropy=the measurement of molecular disorder and the amount of wasted energy...

the second law of thermodynamics pretty much says that in natural systems entropy will increase unless acted upon by some outside force.

this is my artistic interpretation of entropy

i suppose the second law of thermodynamics explains the increasing entropy in my life....
in other words, i need another job.
peace+love

c'est la vie

last week i got a new job and packed up and moved to provo.  it happened fast.  but i'm happy.  i feel like i've been flying by the seat of my pants since i've been home--in ALL aspects of my life.  it is time to take control...
it's as if someone is sending me a message...

in the meantime...here's my latest obsession

peace+love

the fall

coming home from a mission and adjusting to the "real world" is an interesting experience...my life's circumstances make it even more interesting. 
today i was given about 5 minutes to make an important life decision. i really hope i made the right one.

then, i got to go be one with the earth.  okay, maybe it wasn't the most spiritual experience i've had in nature (impossible when you've got cousin sammie screaming about snakes every 5 minutes), but i've got to say, there is nothing that brings me more peace of mind and makes me feel more "at home" than getting away from civilization for a few minutes and pondering on the beauties of the earth.

hello, nature...it's good to be back.

peace+love

remember that one time we rode 65 miles everyday for a week to train for ride idaho...?

...oh wait, that never actually happened.

but, if i am ever wealthy, i will have a cabin in priest lake, idaho.

RIDE IDAHO

day 0--got carsick and barfed at the gas station in cascade, idaho...a few miles later, the car broke down. lucky for us, PAM! drove by and drove us the rest of the way to hayden, idaho.

day 1--a painful, but stunning, 67 miles to priest lake. got to camp and asked my dad why we couldn't have just gone on a cruise for our family vacation...then went for a refreshing swim in the most beautiful lake i've ever seen. think alaska without the cold.

day 2--a less painful, just as beautiful 56 miles to sandpoint. met our camp neighbors for the next week, john and kip. they loved us. then went for a refreshing swim in the lake.

day 3--a very painful, scenic 76 mile ride to troy, montana...started a mud fight with trevie in the frigid cold river and watched the one-armed man play a mean guitar.

(parent kid teams aka pretty much the only people under 50 on the trip--mom+trevor, trevie+mom, kelli+kerri+dad)

day 4--80 miles to thompson falls, montana. saw mennonites on bicycles on the way and almost died in the rain. but there was a river there too with a rope swing. and the best food on the whole trip aka banana cupcake for dessert.

day 5--fat camp. 65 miles and two summits. the second one was 2.8 miles of 8-11% grade. that

basically means it was really steep. the whole time i just kept telling myself, "i'm burning fat, i'm burning fat, gotta keep going". got to kellog in the rain. woke up in the middle of the night with

water levels rising around us in our tent. (so much for sleeping in that day). got up at 6 to dry all our stuff at the hotel and sleep in the lobby.

(after dominating fat camp hill)

day 6--a flat, relaxing 46 mile recovery to my future hometown (if things don't work out in the pacific northwest), harrison, idaho. swam in the lake (shocker) and finally got my mint chocolate chip ice cream (and a phone number) from a very cute red headed boy working at the creamery. in case you didn't know, that night was also the peak of the perseids meteor shower, so we laid out on the dock and watched mother nature's show.

day 7--56 mile finish to hayden. head winds kept me from moving basically at all downhill. but we all made it alive and ready to sleep. lucky for us our self-proclaimed aunt amy and her husband mike offered us a ride in their rv. which meant lots of sleep on the 8 hour drive to boise.

deb...the only person to finally get my dad to get up and dance...oh how embarrassing.

7 days of 448 miles of cycling+camping in the rain+eating whatever they feed you+doing your duty in port-a-potties+some of the most beautiful terrain in the united states+awesome people=i'd do it again in a heartbeat.

peace+love

Fahrenheit 451

it's far too hot outside to sit, walk, stand, or do anything for that matter.

so, i'm sitting in my air-conditioned house in a rocking chair reminiscing about recent events of life and listening to a.a. bondy.

today was a good sunday. it didn't start that way. i talked to my stake president this morning and he informed me that the 12 apostles have not made a call for me to serve yet. he feels confident it will happen this week. which means i will receive it the next week. and won't leave for a few months after that. i won't lie, this mission prep thing is not all rainbows and butterflies. there are times i feel extremely discouraged, unknowledgeable (which, ironically, isn't even a word) and unworthy. i often wonder what i'm getting myself into. it doesn't help that i'm impatient and stubborn.

then i had a missionary farewell and homecoming to attend.

at the farewell i was gently reminded why i decided to go on a mission in the first place.

at the homecoming i was gently reminded i will not be the amazing teacher on my mission. but the holy ghost will be.

what i learned from all this? i've just been selfish. my focus has been on my anxiety and my problems. not on preparing to teach the people i will come in contact with and relying on the spirit.

now i am recommitting to continue to love life and live it up but focus on the well-being of others and seeking the holy ghost as a constant companion in everything i do.

on the lighter side of things, more pictures from skydiving. apparently my mom took pictures while i was in the air, so enjoy...

sky so blue

a perfect landing (on our feet!)

post-jump hair

{also, virtual hug to whoever gets the reference in the post title}

peace+love

free fallin'

my cousins came in town from washington, so what did we do to pass the time? oh ya know, check it off my life list cause i jumped out of an airplane...with all these hoodlums

{p.s. family, i love the one random tandem instructor not related to us in this picture standing behind bethany}

that's actually my aunt, but this gives you an idea of what it looks like when you jump out of the plane...

you know what the best part is?

free falling.

i wasn't even scared. the only time i really got nervous was when we were flying up to the 13,000 feet and they opened the airplane door. which i was sitting right next to.

but walking over to the door, stepping with my toes over and falling 110 mph for a minute?

no problem.

(this is also stephanie...i didn't get photos or video--nice banana pose, steph)

anyway, you really must do this someday....it was AWESOME

peace+love

sometimes, i feel like crying

but not today...
spring break =
a new road bike
crazy heart
jonah dumping dirt on my head
working for g-pa
sunshine
insanity
skiing
bad sunburn as a result
blisters on my face as a result
top hat video
too much junk food
the cabin
hot springs
sledding
laughing
don pedros
invisible children
changing my major
transferring schools (did i just say that out loud??)
too much driving

trampoline jumping
hanging out with my awesome adopted little sister
and more driving

peace+love

take a skinny dip

lauren does this on her blog weekly and i thought i'd post my version so you can do it too! (cough -- mattie, kerri, brooke...and other people that don't blog often..but whoever else wants to too).

1. I am hoping my Valentine's day this year includes, chocolate .

2. My biggest guilty pleasure is eating chocolate . (wow, can you tell it's been awhile since i had any?)

3. I am most proud of passing college biology at BYU...with a "b" at that! .

4. If I could choose one outfit to live in it would be nudist colony.

5. People are people so why should it be that you and i should get along so awkwardly? .

6. I would rather swim with sharks than eat worms .

7. I love my iPod more than my phone .

tgif. now it's your turn.

peace+love

bless you

really not funny, but kind of actually this is...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

peace+love

murphy's law (paranoia)

i had this strange thought today when i noticed a lump on my shin--what if i lost all use of my left leg? i got choked up just thinking about it...
i couldn't HIKE!
or ski
or rock climb
or skip
or drive a clutch
or run
or dance
or cliff jump
or ride my beloved bicycle
or walk
heck, standing would even be a little difficult!

my dreams of becoming a hermit with my husband and abandoning all modern conveniences would be shattered...

but then again, maybe I'd get my leg amputated and get a prosthetic then compete in the special olympics--table tennis, or bowling...
except that my average bowling score is 44.
or i could climb mt. Everest with my prosthetic leg and get really famous...
except i don't even have a desire to do that with two human legs.
or i could fulfill my ambition of becoming a whale trainer at sea world...I'd be the first whale trainer with a prosthetic leg
yes, that's it! they can't say no to someone with a prosthetic leg.

did you know elephants can have prosthetic legs?
i'm going to bed
-what great thing would you do if you had a prosthetic leg?

how bizarre, how bizarre

there seems to be a rampant outbreak of odd testimony meetings, especially last week...

in my home ward, this woman got up and told us in detail about the road trip she took at the end of the summer with her troubled son that needed to learn a few lessons...she kept alluding to her childhood and the paper route that stayed in her family for 16 years...it was all very confusing, but she summed it up with "take your kids fishing". i figured after that people would try to keep things simple truth and try to bring the spirit back...instead a woman got up and bore her testimony about their unglamorous disneyland trip. the irony was, the most powerful testimony i heard came from a girl who gets up monthly, and until this sunday i never understood what she said between sobs.

then my mom told me this one:
"As per our conversation yesterday about bizarre testimonies - a teacher today told about her meeting. A woman stood up and bore testimony about how awful her week had been; her husband had surgery on his scrotum and was unable to do anything. She repeatedly referred to his scrotum as the audience was snickering. The woman finally sat down and her husband went up to the mike* and said, "It was my sternum" and sat down. LLM"

but my personal favorite is one published on Apron Stage a while ago:
"I heard this story from two different people who were actually in this testimony meeting this month:

The bishop’s wife is the first to get up to bear her testimony. She says, “The bishop is having an affair and it’s with YOU.” She points down at the first counselor’s wife. The wife bursts into tears and runs out of the meeting. The bishop follows her out and then the first counselor follows them out. The second counselor gets up and
says they’ll end the meeting early."

what happened at the weirdest testimony meeting you've attended or heard about?

*mom, and whoever else might be confused--when referring to a microphone as a "mike" it's actually "mic"...same pronunciation, different spelling
peace+love

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

i don't care what the song says, the truth is october-don't tell anyone, but last night we climbed to the roof of the buildings on main street via a tree...i ripped my pants as we wandered from roof to roof very slyly and very at risk-the police station is directly across the street from the block of buildings we were on...then we carved our names in a wood wall where dirty words and gang signs were spray painted...

-we bought a new kite that will actually work once we learn how to fly it (it sure is harder than it looks)--our previous kite was missing a stick, so we whittled one from a twig...it looked great but didn't really function...

-last but not least, it is finally truly fall and i couldn't be happier! my allergies mostly blew away with the wind last night, the leaves are changing, i get to snuggle in a ball while i sleep with my window cracked open, my apartment smells of pumpkin spice, and i wore a long-sleeve today...at long last, time for the cute wardrobe and my constantly happy mood

...and soon it will be winter
peace+love

vertigo

we decided to go on a little hike this weekend...little=15 miles...we started at the aspen grove trailhead at 1:45 a.m. the first 5 hours were okay...then we got to the ridge--it was like watching the 3rd lord of the rings, you know, the one with the 6 false endings...the sun was coming up and we realized we weren't at the summit...
b-"we've got to go to the summit"
me-"it's really steep and i haven't slept in 24 hours"
b-"but we're so close"
me-"i might die, but you know i can't say no"
the ridge is very deceiving...what we thought was the summit was actually about 300 yards away from the real summit...
me-"i actually really hate you right now"
b-"you'll be glad you did it"
only because that night i was treated to a very LARGE ice cream cone...
peace+love

"a scene with the trimmings of 'thrill'"

yesterday i climbed a boulder without a harness...and almost fell

as liz, my roommate, and i were talking about our current desire for a more exciting love life, she whipped out a little prose given to her by a man while in her com graphics class...he is over 60-years-old:
"i love looking at the back of your head...
oh, how it creates the suspense of when finally you turn around!
Then, stride down the aisle with your vigorous leap and most foxy steps...
As you address me with a "Hi" and I respond with a "How are you?"...Say, "Fine" and I return with a "How are you"-you then say, "Fine" and I return with, "Boy, you SURE are!" Then on your way back...your exciting blonde hair and super-large earrings actually shake and stimulate the very classroom air with scintillating, static motion-as you relax your magnetic, energized body, which is jubilantly dressed in black, and you commence reading your workbook again, while sexily "fingering" your computer keys...and once again...ah ha! I have the view of the back of your head...in the most "scrumptious" manner!"
peace+love