Families Helping Families (Puerto Penasco, Mexico)

12/27/2010

Today has been a pretty incredible day. My feet hurt. And my arms are a little sore. And my hair…what a mess. But how it got that way was totally worth it. Oh, was it worth it.

We (the entire Families Helping Families organization) all got together at the construction site bright and early in the morning. There was nothing except for piles and piles of cinder blocks and two cement foundations. Our goal for this week? To build two houses—for two families that need a home.

As we were driving to the construction site, we passed shack after shack—small RV’s converted into a house, pieces of wood nailed together with a scrap metal roof, homes missing an entire wall. I knew that the people we were building a house for would really need it. Somehow, that made the project seem so much more special. For all of us volunteers, this project could be seen as just a week of our time. For these families, it’s home. And it it’s going to be home long after this week, home long after we all return to the states, and home even long after I become absorbed once again in a life full of credit hours, church, and friends. That’s pretty incredible to me—and it’s also incredible to me that there were families from Arizona, Utah, Missouri, and who knows where else—all so excited to come spend their break here to build these homes.

We began by moving the piles of cinder blocks onto the foundations for the houses. We formed long chains and just passed blocks from one person to the next to the next. It was tiring, but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Everybody was just so happy to be there and so friendly. Even the ten-year-old kids stood in line to help pass cinder blocks.

After we’d finished getting the blocks into the houses, we all got a lesson on how to lay them. And lay them we did. I was absolutely clueless, but thankfully, there were enough people who knew what they were doing and somehow the beginning of the shape of a house began to appear. I got the hang of it after a while. Now I’m actually decent at slapping mortar on cinder blocks. I was able to talk to and meet quite a few people.

Then I got the chance to practice some Spanish with a Mexican man who was standing near me. We talked about all the basic stuff at first…and then he started to tell me a bit about his family. I told him a bit about my life in Utah and he told me that his dream was to someday go to Salt Lake City and attend general conference. He introduced me to his son and later on to his wife. It was so cool getting to speak Spanish again. Then one of the men around us asked if he was excited about this house we were building for him. I had had no idea that we were building this house for this man—I was so amazed. The Mexican didn’t understand the question because it had been in English, so I translated the question and he told us that yes, he was excited. But most of all, he said he was happy for his wife.

Later on throughout the day, I heard that this man had helped on many other houses for other families. I was so excited that we were finally helping him to get a house of his own. As I was laying block with his son, his son expressed his gratitude for the work we were doing. They were truly incredible, humble people. I got to talk quite a bit with the family because even though my Spanish isn’t that great, there aren’t a whole lot of people in our group who speak Spanish at all. It was AWESOME speaking Spanish again, but even more than that, it was just plain fun. They all had a great sense of humor and were extremely patient.

We went to a taco stand for lunch and I got to speak a little more Spanish with the owners of the stand. I hadn’t realized how much I missed that since coming home from Guadalajara. It’s a challenge, but I love it. I also hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the food.

We worked on the houses till the sun began to set. I looked back on what we’d done and I was thrilled. It wasn’t just a cement slab anymore. The walls were past my head in some spots and I could see doors, windows, electric outlets—it was becoming a house. I was so happy.

We drove home, exhausted and filthy. There was a beautiful sunset over the ocean…it was gorgeous. We showered. I’m clean and totally content. I can honestly say I’m really excited to start work tomorrow.

12/31/2010

We did it. We built two houses and finished an addition to another house. It was a humbling experience and one that I hope I won't ever forget. The electricity, plumbing, and stucco-ing should be finished in the upcoming months and the families should be able to move into the houses around March. I wish you all could see what kind of living conditions so many people here have. The family for whom we built the addition had half of their living quarters under the shelter of a tree. I'm so glad I had the chance to come back to Mexico and participate in this project and I'm glad that the Boyles were kind enough to let me come with them.

Here's some pictures!

First day of work. We started out with cement slab foundations. We started out by moving piles and piles of cinder blocks--our arms and shoulders sure felt that by the next day. We also started putting up the walls. By the time the sun went down, we were over half-way done with the walls of both houses.

the house beginning to take shape.

Second day of work. We were able to finish up all the walls. It was super windy that day and the grit got into everything. Hair, eyes, clothes, eyelid creases--everything.

The Boyles and I next to one of the finished walls.

Third day of work. A third of the groupd group began to put the roofs on the houses. Another third finished roofing the addition. Our group transported lumber and picked up some of the mess from construction. We went to the house that we were adding the addition to and helped them to clean up their place a bit. We took all the trash to the dump. We got back in time for lunch--shrimp and fish tacos. Delicious. Then it began to rain, so everybody just had to go home.

Fourth and last day of work. We helped to finish roof the houses--we tarred and nailed away--really messy work, but it was fun at the same time. We also framed the inside of the house. It really looked like an honest-to-goodness house. We picked up, reorganized the shed, and took one last good look at what we'd been able to do. Our part of the deal was finished!

Roofing away.

One of the almost-finished houses.

Pretty cool, huh.

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Day.

I just love the feel of Christmas. It's so joyful and so reverent at the same time. I mean, we're celebrating the birth of the Savior. It goes without saying that Christmas is much more than presents, decorations, and cookie-giving. It's even more than spending time with family and friends. I've been thinking about Christmas a bit over the last couple days. C.S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors of all time and he expresses some of those thoughts perfectly in what he writes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It was a sledge, and it was reindeer with bells on their harness. But they were far bigger than the Witch's reindeer, and they were not white but brown. And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red rob (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest. Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world--the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn't find it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still. They felt very glad, but also solemn." The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

"The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God." Mere Christianity.

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." God in the Dock

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first quote captures the joy and magic of Christmas. The second reveals how the birth of Christ has literally changed the world forever. And the third is a reminder of how all the little miracles and blessings we receive are really a retelling of the biggest, greatest miracle of all--the very one we're celebrating today. Merry Christmas!

The Wonder That Is Arizona.

I can't even begin to tell you all the cool and exciting things that have happened in my life since I've been in Arizona. But, here...I'll try.

1) I stepped out of the car in Phoenix...and it was like 60 degrees outside. At night. I didn't need a jacket or ANYTHING. Plus, the car we rode in to Arizona was super gas-efficient...and we only had to pay $20 for gas money.

2) I picked an orange right off the tree. And ate it. Yum. In fact, my roommate has multiple orange trees in her yard. It's hard to express in words exactly how cool this is. As an added bonus, she also has three cows in the backyard.

3) I also picked a fresh lemon off a tree for lemon zest for linzer cookies Cool? You bet. Plus, we got to make fresh lemonade. Delicious? Oh, you bet.

4) I had real Mexican food for the first time since Mexico, straight from the local Rancho market. It was pretty legit and pretty tasty as well.

5) For the past two nights, I've slept in till almost ten. I haven't done that since...last August. It's as good as I remembered. 

6) I GOT ACCEPTED INTO THE CAMBRIDGE SUMMER PROGRAM!!! This means I will get to spend my entire summer in EUROPE. This=dream come true. I'm so excited I can barely stand it. ah, Ah, AHHH.

7) I went for a run for the first time since finals. In 65 degree weather. Really, could life get any better?

8) I watched How to Train Your Dragon for the first time...okay. OKAY. This movie is adorable. I loved it. And if you haven't seen it yet...you should. :)

9) I get to leave for Mexico in only  5 days. I can't wait. I've missed Mexico so much. Even though it won't be Guadalajara (oh, LOVE), it will still be thoroughly amazing and I can't wait to get started on some volunteer work.

10) Lara and Haley made linzer cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies--both very very labor-intensive... but  also incredibly, exquisitely delicious.

11) I had a great convo with a friend last night who might be able to travel all over Europe with me next summer. If there's something better than traveling, it'd definitely be traveling with a friend.

12) A friend of mine in the air force told me about survival week. They survived for eight days on dandelions, ants, and a boiled rabbit. Although, to make it perfectly fair, before survival week, they got a two-week survival crash-course so they wouldn't have to resort to cannibalism. Even during finals week, I survive on more than ants. There's a reason I'm not in the air force. Here in Arizona, I could probably survive for eight days on just cookies and candy should the need arise.

13) Embarrassing fact: I forgot my passport in Provo. I know, I KNOW. I couldn't believe it either. But I did. I even paced the apartment before I left, because I knew I was leaving something very important, but couldn't remember what it was. Thanks to my other amazing roommate though, I'll be able to  have it express-mailed to me in time.

14) I get to watch Tangled. Which I've heard great things about.

P.S. I just got back from seeing it. It's great. Really great.

15) Even though I'm not with my family, I can still feel their love and support for me. They're awesome. I just love them all so much.

That's all.

:)

A Rather Sad Story

Well, let's just get the rather sad story out of the way. Here it is, in all its glory.

Thursday night:

I was thrilled about having finished finals. I was also thrilled that I finally had time to pick up my tickets. What tickets? Well, a couple weeks earlier, my friend had told me that she had two free tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir/David Archuleta concert Friday night. Would I like them? Well, of COURSE I'd like them. And thank you, thank you, thank you. I picked the tickets up (still in the envelope) and stuffed them in my wallet. My roommate and I were SO excited. In fact, Haley spent all night studying so she could take her exam early on Friday so we'd have plenty of time to get to Salt Lake.

Friday afternoon:

I did a couple errands, Haley took her exam, we rushed home, cleaned up a bit, and got a ride with someone to Salt Lake City at two. Since we were so early, we did some shopping at Gateway (an outdoors mall). It was SO pretty there. And the lights were gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

Friday night:

We were waiting in line to get into the conference center. I dug the tickets out of my purse and handed one to Haley. We finally got to the point where we had to walk through the metal detectors. The metal detector went off as Haley was walking through it and so we stopped. The elderly man who was looking at our tickets looked at Haley, and said, "You can't go in."

I looked at him. Ha....ha? You're kidding... right? 

I seriously thought he was joking. So the metal detector went off...Haley could find whatever was causing the problem and we could resolve that problem.

Then he pointed at the tickets. "They're for the wrong day."

"No way..." I looked. They were for Thursday night. I am an idiot. Why didn't I look at the tickets before now?

I couldn't believe it. We walked away. The standby line was huge...and it was cold. Haley and I decided we would just go home.

We took the train from Salt Lake City to Sandy. Then we took the bus from Sandy to Provo. It was a first time experience of two and a half hours--an adventure of public transportation--that did not completely make up for missing the concert, but was an adventure nonetheless. We figured out how to buy tickets, waited by the bus stop for twenty minutes in the snow, tried to avoid questionable characters, found the correct bus route, and arrived at home safe and sound. :)

Were we still a bit sad?

Rather so.

Finals=Finally Finished :)

In the past 18 hours, I have...

finished two books.

stayed up till two.

woken up at 9:30.

stayed in my pj's.

updated my blog.

not studied.

eaten a cookie.

written a letter.

revamped my schedule for next semester.

If you can't tell, finals are over. I finished my last one at 4:30 yesterday. I'm. so. happy. they're. done. :)

My no-sugar diet is over too. It wasn't too bad, actually. I think I'll still keep my sugar intake pretty low, but all things in moderation, eh?

As a side note, I'm a huge fan of Train. After a week of studying with just classical music, they're especially great. :) Their songs are solid. Love it.

Of Finals and Food.

Good news: We're almost to the end of the semester. It's a Friday and there's no class.

Bad news: That means...it must be a reading day. Reading days=Upcoming finals. Uh-oh. Yup.

As my roommate pointed out to me last night, I blog during my most unproductive moments. It's how I justify procrastinating my homework, not cleaning my room, and checking facebook (for inspiration, of course). I am in one of those unproductive moments right now. I SHOULD be finishing my portfolio for Writing Fellows, but I don't WANT to.

I really shouldn't be complaining about finals though because my finals week this semester isn't looking too bad. I've already taken my final for my Spanish convo class and I've finished my final for NDFS 191 (it was that research paper I talked about earlier). I will have to study for a really long time for my Span206 class, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to handle the final if I study hard enough. All I have to do for my advanced writing class is create my portfolio and give a presentation. That will be a lot of work...but I'm not worried about it, per say. That leaves me with just chemistry to bite my nails about. Oh, chemistry. Chemistry will probably kick my butt, regardless of how much studying I do. Nonetheless, study I will. Long and hard.

Tonight, I'll be studying for my Spanish final. Haley and I are planning on staying at good ol' Harold (the library) until the music comes on...forcing us out the door at the hour of 2:00am. This=tradition. Let me tell you, it's agonizing. And awful. And tradition. There's a certain camaraderie between you and all the other miserable souls in that place that time of night. You're all stressed, cranky, frustrated, and for heaven's sake, in the library. It's almost comical. I remember the first time I accomplished this singular feat. I don't think I'd ever understood the phrase "Misery loves company" until then. You know what's going to get me through tonight?

This.

This, right here, is a j-dawg. A j-dawg is simply phenomenal. You probably don't understand unless you've tried one. A j-dawg is one of the best AND cheapest stress-therapy treatments around Provo, Utah. Therefore, they're perfect for preparing for finals.

Just saying.

Yes. Oh, yes. Mhmm.

Just a quick note about this no-sugar diet. So...I made this deal with myself to try to go off-sugar for two weeks (You think I'm doing this over Christmas? NOPE). I'm sure it's really healthy for me. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. :)  I've been placed in the midst of temptation many times and have successfully withstood sweets of any kind. Quick note: Haley barely saved me last night when I was about to drink some chocolate milk. That was a sad moment.

Today, we have our Writing Fellows closing social. Basically, it's a cookie social with the best cookies of the semester. It lasts for two hours. Do you think I'm happy about this no-sugar diet? Do you think I'm going to cave in and eat some? The answer to both, my friend, is a resounding no.

And this is how I feel about that.

:(

aaaand she's out on the floor. again.

I walked into work this afternoon.
My boss told me that there wasn't a whole lot to do...so I could have the day off if I wanted.
I was thrilled. Two whole extra hours?
What was I going to do with all that time?
I decided to go to the Wilk and get something to eat...maybe work on some homework...and then. And THEN, as I was walking through the Twilight Zone, I saw a sign advertising the blood drive that was going on right then.

Perfect. Seriously. Although I'm not a huge fan of needles, as long as I look away, I think donating blood is an awesome way to do some service for the community. It usually only takes about an hour or so and it saves lives. How often do you get the chance to make that kind of anonymous impact for so little of your time and energy?

I walked through the door, signed in, and before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair. I've given blood at least five or six times before so none of this was really a big deal anymore. Back in high school, when I gave blood for the first time, I definitely felt way hard-core. Looking back, I'm not so sure that the nurses were thinking the same thing. Here at BYU, I definitely know they're not thinking about how brave and great I am while I await the needle.

The donation process went smoothly. After I'd finished, I walked over to the canteen (where they have chairs, snacks, drinks, etc), and drank some orange juice. Then I started feeling super nauseated and I decided I was going to walk to the bathroom. Dumb idea? You bet.

I passed out about half way down the hall. I remember walking down the hall and my vision started getting blurry. I also remember thinking Uh-oh. I just have to make it to the bathroom. (There's a room off the bathroom with couches and stuff). And then I remember hitting the wall and then the floor. Some girl ran over and I could hear her asking me if I was all right. I opened my eyes, mumbled something about how I'd just given blood, and asked her if she could help me up and walk me over to the couches in the ladies room.

Apparently I got up and started walking with her help, but passed out again about fifteen seconds later. I woke up on the floor of the hallway in the Wilkinson Center. I wasn't quite sure what happened, but man, I was so embarrassed. The girl who had helped me was sitting next to me and she told me there were some people coming to help. The nurses from the blood-donating organization ran over and then the building supervisor arrived. Because I'd passed out in the hallway, they had to call the EMT's and take a couple statements about what had happened. I was vaguely aware of the girl telling them how she'd come across me and I remember apologizing profusely for all the trouble.

I was still feeling pretty light-headed, rather nauseous, and slightly incoherent, but I knew I wasn't a fan of this entire lying on the floor with my feet propped up and being taken care of by five different nurses and EMT's. I don't think I've ever attracted so much attention in my life. Too bad that that's where I stayed for the next twenty minutes. To top it off, I realized half-way through that I was standing up a friend of mine whom I'd agreed to meet up with. But by the end of all the ice treatments, feet propped up-ness, juice-drinking, blood pressure and pulse taking, and other various blood tests, they decided it would be okay to help me walk over to a couch where I wasn't nearly so conspicuous. And about ten minutes after that, they said it would be all right if I wanted to leave.

Despite being rather embarrassed, I am so grateful for all the help they gave me. They were so incredibly kind and caring. Shout-out to the girl who first helped me: You're awesome. And thanks so much for helping out a total stranger. I still don't even know your name, but your concern for someone you didn't even know says a lot about you.

I love that there are people like that in the world. It just makes me smile. It's almost enough to make this thoroughly embarrassing experience worth it. Okay, maybe not.

But to all the anonymous people, nurses, EMT's who help out equally anonymous people...thanks. You're appreciated.

P.S. The friend I stood up wasn't even upset. Although he did threaten to tell everybody I was a faker begging for attention if I passed out again.

1 John 4:10-11

10) Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins,
11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

I was reading in 1 John last night and came across these two verses. I love them. Especially now as it's getting closer to the Christmas season, these verses really hit what the spirit of this season should be all about. It's a celebration of the love Heavenly Father has for us in sending us His Son and the love that Jesus had for us in his willingness to come. That's true love.
But it doesn't stop there. Being recipients of that kind of love, we owe it to each other to love one another as well. And that's what really makes Christmas special--everybody trying to show each other that kind of love, that kind of charity.
John also talks about how when we love one another, we are coming to know God, because God is love. Maybe that's what makes Christmas such a magical time. Because every time we show our love for our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, our families, friends, and even strangers, we are taking a single step forward in our relationship with God.
And when you think about it, that's what's Christmas is really all about.

Voces Inocentes.

It's coming to the end of the semester...everything's due. One of those things is my second cultural activity. I decided to watch a movie in Spanish with a friend. 

I just watched this.

It is so much more than just a Spanish movie.

I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who haven't seen it, but it's a movie that will make you cry, smile, and cry some more. It's set during the Salvadorean civil war in the 1980s, and follows the story of a struggling family caught right in the middle. It's horrific, poignant, and unbelievably, unforgivably real. But I'm not writing a movie review here. I'm writing about what happens after the movie.

Because a movie like that will make you think. It had better make you think. It'll make you think about the role America should play in international affairs, about your relationship with your family, about love, about hate, about whether there's a "right" and a "wrong" side, about child soldiers, and about how lucky you are.

How lucky you are. Mhmm. Don't tell me you see this

and the thought doesn't even cross your mind. Because yeah, you are lucky. But it goes further than that. It has to go further than that. You can't just post "Wow, I'm so glad I'm an American!" or "Man, that's rough. I can't imagine living like that." And then go your merry way.

There's just something inherently wrong with that. Being so blessed gives you the obligation to try to bless others. You might just be this poor college student, with an overwhelming amount of homework to do and exams to study for, trying to make tuition, rent, and groceries. Your cupboard might consist of ramen and mac&cheese. But you're still so so blessed. Books like The Kite Runner and movies like this weren't created to help you appreciate your iPhone, your Thanksgiving dinner, and the family you're going to go visit over Christmas break. They're about making you see the problems of the world so you can change the world.

It just makes me want to DO something and it seems like I can't and that's just really really frustrating. Because even though the Salvadorean civil war ended, there are still 40 countries that use child soldiers. It happens every day. Based on a true story, Voces Inocentes is not just an emotionally manipulative movie. These kinds of societal problems aren't any easier or less awful in real life.

So. I made a donation to a legit organization to help prevent and rescue child soldiers. I can't do a whole lot. But I'm going to do what little I can. And I encourage you to do the same--maybe not even to this cause. But to some cause that you feel strongly about. Start changing the world. Now.

Run hard, be strong, think big! (Percy Cerutty)

Running.
There's something about it.
Maybe it's the way that the air is just cold enough...and not too cold.
Maybe it's the sound of pounding feet all in unison.
Maybe it's the wind in my face and hair.
Maybe it's knowing that we're are in this for more than the three miles. We're in this for the future 26.2.
Maybe it's the way that I can feel the music with every single step.
Maybe it's the way that everything suddenly becomes simpler.
Maybe it's feeling the burn and the best exhaustion possible.
Maybe it's the feeling that I can conquer the world.

Jesse Owens said, "I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

Seriously.
Run hard. Be strong. Think big.

It's so worth it.

I've been losing lots of keys lately

I don't know what that means
But maybe I've been better off with things that can't be locked at all...

Thank you, Jack Johnson, for putting everything so perfectly.
Although actually, my keys have been the only things I have NOT lost over the last couple days. I've successfully lost my debit card, my graphing calculator, my iPod, and my charger. :( Pretty soon I'll have nothing left to my name. Good thing I can't lose the most important things in life, huh.

Like this:

My most adorable sister. And the rest of my family as well, I suppose :)
















Or like this:

My wonderful experience in Mexico. And all the other memories I have of awesome times and awesome people.









Or even this:

Yes, my phone. I'm glad I haven't lost this too.










Well, now that I feel better about losing so many of my material possessions...
New topic.

I went running for the first time tonight since October 30th. It felt great. Really great, actually.
My running buddy, Jenna, and I discussed how we're going to tackle the Moab marathon in April....things like hitting the gym, running in the mornings, eating healthy...and then our conversation came to this.
Jenna: "I'm totally off sugar! If I eat skittles, I get a migraine."
Me: "You're an inspiration to us all."
Jenna: "You should do it too. You'll feel a lot better, I promise."
Me: "Me? I'm junk food extraordinaire. Plus, I just bought pudding cups."
Jenna: "Just do it. Give the pudding cups away to your FHE group."

Then we talked about what's healthy and not. Prohibited: sugary cereal (you mean, MY cereal?), yogurt (apparently it has a LOT more sugar than I'd imagined...so much for all my "healthy" yogurt breakfasts), fruit snacks, pudding cups, candy (obviously), granola bars (ahhh), and basically everything else (okay, not everything) that constitutes my diet.

Me: "....okay. I'll try."

We'll see how this goes. So far, I've turned down ice cream. :)

The eating just never stops...

I have been incessantly eating. How do you choose between chips and three different kinds of dip, veggies, green bean casserole, turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, rolls, stuffing, cranberries, etc? It's impossible. How do you select a single dessert among the platters of cheesecake, cookies, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and brownie/cool whip heaven-in-a-bowl? You don't. And thus, you eat. And eat. And eat. Top that off with a nap afterward and you've had one heck of an amazing experience for the soul. Thank you, Thanksgiving, for recharging me. I have a renewed confidence in my ability to get through these last few weeks of studying, writing papers, and taking finals.

Even though I couldn't be with my family this Thanksgiving, I still had a wonderful time with Haley's family. They were all so friendly and it was a nice change from the usual hectic Provo ambiance. I guess I've been thinking a lot about family this Thanksgiving. Wednesday night we went to the theater and we walked through a casino and we saw all these elderly people sitting alone, just playing the slots. No matter how fun Las Vegas is cracked up to be, I can't think of anything more awful than just sitting in front of a slot machine by myself, forlornly putting in dollar after dollar during the Thanksgiving holidays. It's just so SAD. So lonely. I'm so glad that I was able to call and skype with my family on Thanksgiving Day and that I could spend it here in Vegas with Haley's family.

On a different note, we did go Black Friday shopping...We drove down the strip and shopped at Prada and Gucci...not. But we did drive down the strip. We shopped in the biggest Forever 21 in America. And I walked through the fanciest mall I've ever seen in my life. And we had some random creeper try to dance on one of the girls in our group. In between all of this, I made quite a few purchases. If a good Black Friday shopper emerges from the fro with tons of stuff...then I'm a pro.

Oh. Wow. It's 1:18 in the morning. I'm tired. And of course, I'm still stuffed. Good night, folks.

Giving Thanks 2010

I love Thanksgiving. I love the spirit of gratitude, the happiness, the families, the food, the everything. I also love how it gives me the opportunity to be something other than the extraordinary complainer that I can be sometimes(although I'm working on it).

I'm thankful for a lot of things this year. I'm thankful for...

the gospel. I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for church, prayer, the scriptures, and for the close relationship it's possible to have with the Savior.

my family. I'm so blessed...I have the cutest, sweetest little sister any big sister could ever ask for. I have two of the coolest brothers on this planet. Seriously. And I have wonderful parents. I love that we're such a close family.

the basics. I'm going to school at a great university. I live in a good apartment with wonderful roommates. I have food in my cupboard (usually) and a laptop. I have awesome friends. I have clothes and shoes. I'm healthy. I'm proud to be an American citizen.

the not-so basic, extra blessings. I'm grateful for all the little things that kind of enhance my life and make it even better. Things like ice cream from the Creamery, Christmas music, and pumpkins. I'm thankful that I had a place to go for Thanksgiving Break, that I found that $10 bill in my purse, that places like Costa Vida and Panda Express exist. I'm grateful for french fries. I'm thankful for Celine Dion, the Harry Potter books, and that i got accepted into the Madrid Study-Abroad Program. I'm thankful for the french toast I had for breakfast this morning. I'm glad I got to skype with my family today. I'm grateful for all these things and if I went back and listed all the little things that made life great over the past year, this post would be endless. So let's just leave things with a general, "Yes. I'm blessed. And I'm really thankful for those blessings."

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :)

Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now...

That's what you get for waking up in Vegas.

I definitely woke up in Vegas this morning. I'm staying with my roommate and her family over break...but unlike the song, the fun's just beginning.

We got a ride there with a distant cousin of Haley's. We sat in the back of a 8-person van and listened to [very loudly played] indie bands for hours. It wasn't so bad at first, but after a while, it was kind of hard to sleep. There's only so much you can do when your pillow is 4 inches away from the speaker. However, I'm still so glad they were willing to give us a ride and it was a great roommate bonding experience. Plus, they stopped at Wendy's to let us get food, even though they'd already eaten. Extra kudos to them. I was so hungry. Fries never tasted so good.

Just driving in to Vegas was incredible. We drove up to the crest of a hill and we looked down at the city and it was lights galore. I think I saw more casinos in ten minutes than I have my entire life. In fact, the house I'm staying at is in a subdivision right across the street from a huge Casino. Even though gambling is not anywhere near to the top of my list of priorities, I still think it's pretty legit haha.

Today's pretty chill...just hanging out and doing homework with the roommate and her twin. But Thanksgiving dinner, black Friday shopping, and visiting the Strip are all definitely on the agenda. I can't wait.

I am crossing Las Vegas off my list of places to visit as I speak.

Baby, it's cold outside.

There's a massive snowstorm coming our way. It should be hitting us around 3:00 this afternoon.

I'm so glad that we're driving all the way to Las Vegas starting around 5:00. It should be a grand adventure getting through Utah. If I didn't get carsick, I would totally just bring a book with me and a thermos of hot chocolate and read--and pretend I was just sitting in front of my fireplace, with an occasional glance at the storm. That would be excellent. As it is, I'll probably be praying we don't get blown off the road.

Before I can start thinking about that though, I still have to go to class at 12:00 (Thank you, Chemistry). And I still have an appointment at 3:00. But after that, I'm running (yes, running) home to pack and prepare for the adventure that awaits me in Las Vegas. I'm not even going to THINK about the two research papers that I still need to finish (and okay, start).

You know, I always swear I hate the cold. And most of the time, I do. But sometimes (like on Christmas morning and today) I love it. I woke up this morning, walked out the door, and got hit in the face with a cold front straight from the Arctic. It was unbelievably refreshing. It just SMELLED like winter. And winter smells like Christmas. And I absolutely love Christmas. The refreshing cold combined with the snow on the mountains and the fact that today is the last day of school before break...suddenly made me realize that yes, it's Thanksgiving. And I really am so grateful for my life. I'm grateful for my family, for my friends, for Christ, and for all the wonderful little things that make life amazing. Thanksgiving is always a wake-up call right before the most stressful part of the semester. It kind of shakes me and tells me "Whoa, wait a minute. Stop complaining. You're one of the most blessed people I know."

Bad news: I lost my debit card. Good news: I called my bank this morning and told them that...and they're mailing me a new one. Unfortunately, it won't get here for 7-10 more days. However, the good thing about checks is that I have so many of them...that it's impossible for me to lose all of them. So I WILL still be able to go Black Friday shopping. 

And my research paper awaits...

My research paper has been patiently staring me in the face for the past couple hours. Lucky for it, I'm really good at wasting time. Really really good.  I could be here all night at the rate I'm writing right now.

Writing and I have a love-hate relationship. One part of me loves it. Heck, I'm a writing tutor. I'm all about helping other people to enjoy writing and improve their writing skills. At times like this though, I fervently thank myself that I decided to switch majors from English to Food Science last winter semester. However, I know that next year when I'm in organic chemistry memorizing reactions... I'll be kicking myself in the shins. It'll be great.

Right now, I'd love to go on a great run...mhmm. This past semester I was training for a half-marathon. I ran that half marathon October 30th. I haven't run since. However, I'll have to get off my couch pretty soon...after Thanksgiving Break, my girls and I will be training for the REAL THING. I'll hate it. And love it at the same time.

That's kind of how it is with life. The best things in life are always the hardest things. Why is that? Let me tell you, around mile 11 of that half-marathon, I wanted to walk so badly. My knees and ankles were killing me. And there were people walking all around me. But thank goodness I had my running buddy with me. And she kept running when I was tired. I kept running when she was tired. And we crossed the finish line running together. Best feeling ever.

When I graduate, it'll be the best feeling ever. When I get my first internship, it'll be the best feeling ever. When I save up enough money to travel the world, when I accomplish my dreams, when I learn how to play my guitar, when I learn how to make origami cranes,and when I finish this ridiculous paper, it'll be the best feeling ever. I'd better get started.

Viva la Vida

I most certainly did not blog over the summer...or even over the fall.

In my defense though, both the computers and the internet in Mexico leave a lot to be desired. Yes, Mexico. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I met some amazing people, ate some amazing food, and had some amazing times. It changed my life.

Lauralee, my super cool roommate, and I had a catchphrase--"Viva la vida." We were so determined to make every single minute memorable--and you know what? It was. It really really was.

Attitude is everything. Something that I learned over the summer is that I can't always control what's going to happen. But it's okay. In Mexico, I had no control over a lot of things. Sometimes I had no idea what was going on. Sometimes I offended people. Sometimes other people offended me.

I remember this one time my roommate and I were talking in the church in Mexico with one of our friends and we didn't see an older Mexican lady standing in front of us. When we finally turned around, the poor lady was so offended that we had ignored her that she told us off, saying we were prideful and rude. I think by the end of that encounter, we were just as offended as she was.

And then I realized that it didn't really matter. That was a huge defining moment in the trip. It had been a cultural issue and I couldn't control or change what had happened. I learned to let stuff like that just roll off my back.

By the end of the trip, swallowing my pride had become such a daily occurrence that it didn't even feel like a lump in my throat anymore. Between falling off the bus, trying to communicate in broken Spanish, stepping up on my partner's toes while trying to learn to salsa dance, getting hopelessly lost, and repeatedly losing the bartering game, I learned to have a blast while being comically incompetent.

Viva la vida.

Live the life.

Life happens. You make mistakes. So you accept it, fix it, and move on. Just enjoy life while it's happening.

Yeah. I loved Mexico.

Still do. Probably always will.
Anyways. Back to the present. This fall semester has been so busy for me...the first half of the semester, I was so overwhelmed. My classes this semester have been pretty challenging and I was working two jobs...one in the Quality Assurance Lab and the other as a Writing Fellow. I got pretty stressed out.

I'm still a little stressed out, but I'm definitely feeling like I've got a handle on things :)It's been a little harder to remember to "viva la vida" but I'm making the effort.

On the bright side, only two more days of school before Thanksgiving Break! My roommate invited me to go home with her, so I'll be going to Las Vegas, baby!