Almost There.

With 2 1/2 more weeks of school left, I've decided to try and live off of all my...ahem "food storage" that I have down here at college. Do you think I can make it?! Well. Considering that I made a delicious sandwich consisting of bread, peanut butter, and cucumbers, I'd say I'm off to a good start! Don't believe me?

PROOF.

Yummers!! Thumbs up for being creative, healthy, un-showered and make-up less.


And I have a bad case of Wanderlust lately. Maybe I like to lay in my bed at night and pretend it's a hammock and that the cars outside are really waves. Summer will be here soon...and so will CHINA!!

Humming Hearts

This weekend was won.der.ful. Friday, I went to a dance concert that Marissa was in with Shelby. I loved watching Marissa perform again. She is so beautiful, elegant and animated on and off the stage. Annnnd I certainly enjoyed going with Shelby, we braved the strange siren apocalypse dance and breathed together through the dances depicting life's beautiful trials. It was a real treat.

You know, sometimes we have disagreements with people. And recently I've been able to recover friendships that were struggling. And I am so grateful for those learning and growing opportunities. I'm never one that enjoys conflict but...life happens. And I'm thankful to have a heart at peace.

Saturday night, I went to the spring play, "Korzcak's Children." Everything about it transcended the ugliness of the reality of war and uncovered the beauty that can be found through love, integrity, mercy and charity. Yes, the set was phenomenal and a visual treat, but my friends were the most rewarding to watch--seeing them give so much of their body and soul on stage. The performance was beautiful breath-taking, but I admit, I didn't cry until the very end when my friends were coming out for the curtain call. There is something about standing up after a performance and giving my respect to the performers that really tugs at my heart strings. And when I'm on the opposite end, on stage, paying respect to my audience I feel this way too. Standing ovations make my BAWL. All the time. And it's because I'm so grateful for the opportunity to perform or experience someone else's performance. I'm grateful for those talents that God has given all of us. There is so much Love in that space with those people. It is something I miss, having so many people around me that I love and love me unconditionally. That auditorium is truly a sacred place for anyone who has been blessed with the opportunity to perform there. My eyes welled-up with salty tears as I took in my surroundings and remembered all the memories, moments, discoveries and new friends made.


NEWSFLASH! Holy crap. So I applied to go teach in China right? GUESS WHO JUST GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!! I am so excited. I...words...can't describe...what I'm feeling right now. It's a good thing I went to the bathroom before I found out...that's all I'm saying :// OH MY GOSH!!!!! I'm excited. :)


Sunday, one of my best and dearest of friends was struggling. I love her to death. To death.And I would do anything for her. She has been given some hard struggles in this life and her spirit is amazingly strong. So many times she has come to help me in my darkest hours. She even asked me to be her Valentine this year. :)) Anyways, so her dad took us home from church (he's in the Stake Presidency...IT'S FINE.) and we just had a wonderful time. I love her so much.


Anyways, I was praying this weekend about how grateful I was for these opportunities. And afterwards my heart just hummed. It felt like humming ok?? I really don't know how to describe it. Some religious sects might call it feeling the Holy Ghost. And it was a beautiful feeling. :)

Dreams coming true

I finished applying to go teach English in China! I will be going with my friends Maddy, Shelby and Marissa and I am so excited. I REALLY hope I can go. It's something I've always wanted to do. It's so beautiful there and I'm so excited to share that with my friends and create new friendships with other teachers and my students. Living another culture is so enriching and I can't wait to be immersed in that. It will be hard, but so worth it. An experience unlike any other. A dream coming true. LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS! The mountains are what astound me. They are so sheer. One thing I've noticed about China is it has this magical misty feel. Really. Perfect for meditating if you ask me.

Presidential Sweet.

Here I am, procrastinating the day of writing my paper. It's due in...I dunno...a few hours. I woke up early to finish it buuuut I just need a break!

This President Day Weekend was WONDERFUL. I went home to refresh myself, and it was just what I needed. I miss doing things I usually would do that I can't here in Provo because, a) I don't have a car to get me anywhere and b) even if I had a car, I can't go many places alone without fear of getting raped. One of my closest friends, Katie, and I hiked up Baer Canyon and found a rock with a view and had a picnic and painted pictures. And to top it all off, we listened to Indian (as in Native American) music. It was MAGIC. I loved getting in touch with nature and taking time for myself to feel and enjoy the world around me and to enjoy the friendship of someone so close to me.

That night my mom and I went to my grandparents house, which is always a treat. I love my grandparents very much and I aspire to be like them one day. They are so adventurous, always giving to others and expanding their talents. They always have a new project and I love it. In their home they have a family history room full of pictures, journals, letters and heirlooms. My mom and I held my great great great great (I think it's 4 greats) grandmother's fan that my great great great great grandpa gave to her when they went to their first dance together in 1888. It was so cool to be transported back in time just by holding that fan! We found loads of other things like my great grandfather composition book from 7th grade which was around 1920. It was so fun to read his stories and what his imagination thought up. I can't wait to meet my ancestors one day. :)

Yesterday, I finished reading The Hiding Place. This book. Seriously, there are no words. I just commend those people who sacrificed so much in order to save others because it was the right thing to do. Corrie ten Boom did everything in her power to save as many Jews as she could, knowing that she could be caught and pay highly for it, which she did. I just hope that I would have the courage and nobility to do as she did if I ever was in her position. And I hope one day I can meet her in heaven and thank her for her example. Even though she didn't directly save me, she kinda did in a way. Books are GOOD.

Create.

Well, what do ya know? Here's the talk I was telling you about. Enjoy. :)

AND also.

http://www.6billionothers.org/

I'm obsessed with this. I forgot about my love for this. Enjoy. :)

don't stop thinking about tomorrow.

Just go to this site. Just do it. :)

http://www.happiness-project.com/

I'm mostly blogging this so that I have it somewhere where I can go to it again...doesss that make sense even? Hahaha.

Also this:

dailylit.com

and this:

Postsecret.com

p.s. watch out for sketchy stuff... :/

Yes...sometimes I procrastinate my homework and find interesting web sites instead...hehehe.

So, I was reading my friend Shelby's blog, who read our friend Marissa's blog and they both used lists and I really like lists because...welp they are easy to read! There ya go!

1. I got a job at Teriyaki Stix and Taco Bell at our cafeteria. First week was Hell. Sorry. But literally. I was working in my version of Purgatory...almost. But, it's getting better? Sure. I like my co-workers. It's ok because I'm getting monies!!

2. New obsession with Fleetwood Mac and America. Whhhwhhhhhhhere is all the good music in my generation? Just go listen to them. :)

3. Is it weird that I've discovered I like Bluegrass, but NOT Country? It...happens.

4. I just wanna go camping for the rest of my life. Who's with me? And I found this awesome blog about a guy who went on a cross-country road trip. ONE DAY THIS WILL BE ME!!!

48stateroadtrip.com

5. So...heh...I changed my major to Recreational Therapy. Long story short, I just get this bad vibe in the Theater Dpt. here...like sick feeling and I want to cry about it constantly. So I prayed. Then, all these people kept bringing up RT, which is something that I've had in the back of my mind. And I prayed more. I've learned that sometimes God sends us down one road so we know it's a dead end and we need to take the other road. Elder Oaks has a talk about it.

I love this choice. It makes me feel SO happy. It's more altruistic. I'd be serving people and loving them everyday, whilst doing fun things like outdoorsy stuff, music, theater, etc. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. Plus, helping people with mental illnesses is something that I'm passionate about...for many reasons. :)

6. To sum it up, my family and friends are the best. Let's just say, college isn't what I thought it would be. And I don't want to go on a rant about it but...I'm just grateful for the people I do have in my life. God is good.