A Right of Passage

Well today I hit a momentous milestone in my life.  I tried, for the first time, the famed Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.   It all started yesterday during my office hours in the Service Center here at USU. Somehow we got talking about them and I foolishly admitted that I had never tried one.  Obviously this came as a shock to my friends since the PB&J is the American kids staple food. So today when I was back in the office Amy decided it was today that I must try this "amazing" sandwich.  On trip to the hub later we had all the makings for my first sandwich.  So here is the picture proof that I did indeed bite into the concoction.  Lets just say, it won't be my go to meal of choice but overall it wasn't too bad.

the why?s and the WHY!!!!s

In my institute class we have been discussing the different ways that we ask why? Well my teacher Bro Fillmore has narrowed it down to 2 main ways to ask.  The first is the tentative, answer seeking, humble way.  The one we use when we sincerely want to know the answer.  The second is filled with anger and contempt with a dash of unwillingness.  So. Today I was thinking about this.  I do not find it to be a coincidence that today marks the 3 year anniversary since my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. This is something that I have been fighting a lot with lately. I find myself on a daily basis asking the WHY!!! and not wanting an answer.  It has been truly humbling to turn around and ask the why? instead. I still do not know the answer to that question, but I am looking.

so what kind of whys are you asking?

100 things to know about me

1. I play piano
2. I am addicted to diet coke
3. I will most likely die of cancer
4. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
5. I love little kids
6. My least favorite part of my body is the backs of my knees
7. I love to sing
8. I've always wanted to be a doctor
9. I love to quilt
10. Popcorn is my favorite vegetable
11. I want to travel the world
12. I love to make cookies
13. I am in love
14. I love my freckles
15. Country music
16. I hate green grapes
17. I love my family
18. I've always wanted a Dalmatian
19. I love shoes
20. Pedicures
21. I'm wretched with money
22. My favorite color is purple
23. I know how to use power tools
24. I love to fish
25. I miss playing soccer
26. My biggest fear is spiders
27. I had to grow up really fast so I feel like I've already been a mom
28. I love snail mail
29. I am writing 18 missionaries consistently
30. My biggest fault is a lack of emotion about serious things
31. I love/am good at public speaking
32. I miss my dad
33. I'm allergic to the sun
34. I am a people person
35. I want to change the world
36. I will start a non-profit before I die
37. I have gorgeous blue eyes
38. My hair is longer now than its ever been
39. Bugs terrify me
40. I am a hopeless romantic
41. I am a social media junkie
42. I don't know what I did before I had my iPad
43. I collect nail polish
44. I miss creating art (calligraphy, sketches, painting, pottery)
45. I love photography
46. My greatest pride is my piano skill
47. I've been to the equator
48. I will love in NYC before I die
49. Mint Cookie dough ice cream is the best
50. I hate beans
51. My sister is my best friend
52. I love glee
53. I consider myself to be domestic
54. I cannot wait to be a mom (but I can wait)
55. I want to go skydiving
56. I am a thrill seeker
57. I love to floss my teeth
58. I'm more attached to people than things
59. I am afraid of loss
60. Peonies are my favorite flower
62. I love to throw things away
63. I can shop for hours
64 I consider myself to be stylish
65. I've always wanted to play guitar but I can't
66. I would rather spend time with little kids then people my age
67. I have a destructive semi-slutty alter ego
68. I've never kissed anyone I was in love with
69. The happiest day of my life was high school graduation
70. I haven't been home on my birthday in 5 years
71. I pick my toenails
72. I tend to be too busy to eat and sleep
73. I hate politics
74. I have a problem with people who gossip but I gossip myself
75. I want to be just like my mom
76. I have both a short attention span and an abnormally long one depending in the situation
77. I can remember the most random obscure facts but frequently lose important things (passport, dl, keys,...)
78. I've never played sports competitively
79. My biggest regret is never asking my dad about his mission
80. I sing and dance but only when I'm alone
81. I can't hear out of my right ear
82. I love being a leader
83. I am actually incredibly shy
84. I hate showering, I don't like looking at my body when it's wet
85. I love to online shop
86. I am super young for my age group
87. I have a strange attachment to clothes
88. I've always wanted to learn how to knit
89. My sister and I look like twins
90. I'm a lot like my dad
91. I hate studying
92. I can play the organ
93. The strongest muscle in my body is my thumb
94. I've broken both my arms
95. I hate sour things
96. I love going on dates but never get asked
97. I need a lot of sleep
98. I wish I could chop off my boobs
99. I have an abnormally large head
100. I love sushi

Summa Summa!

Well it is finally drawing to a close.  Summer is almost officially over. This was an interesting summer to say the least.  I wasn't out parting every night like I have done in the past.  Most nights I just enjoyed some alone time. Most Friday nights consisted of me watching Bride Night on TLC sometimes even while taking a soak in the tub. I went back to work at Canyon View Cleaners and I traveled.  I also learned A LOT this summer. I thought I might as well share some of them with you.
This summer I learned...
a little bit about how to spot your true friends
some more about the need for service all around the world
what it means to grow up
I have rotten luck with airplanes
my mother and my sister are the best friends a girl could ever ask for
I do not know how to save money
I am blessed beyond measure
having a man is a "privilege" that I can live without for a while
sometimes you just need to talk it out
when life gives you lemons, stick them up your shirt and pretend like they are boobs
friends may leave but my piano will always be there to pick me back up
I have patella femoral syndrome (ok so I only just discovered this on Monday)
to accept the fact that despite the constant barrage of questions, The Lord helped me in my decision to not serve a mission at this time, and He is HAPPY with this choice because I turned to him and I will not sway through whatever the world blows at me because of my decision
I am me.

Now I am back at school and I have almost already finished a week of my sophomore year.  Tomorrow I head to Bear Lake to spend time with a friend.  I am so beyond excited for this school year and all the opportunities I will have.  I am excited to learn and grow some more.

19

I celebrated early this year, yesterday I tested into the math class I need to take in the fall. That was my gift to myself.

Celebrate what you might ask?

Well Today I turned 19.

What a wonderful day today has been. I spent a lovely morning with my momma and my sister at Gardener Village then went to lunch with my friend Brandee. It got even better when me and Brandee got to work together.  After my shift at work was over my dear friend Maddie surprised me after work with some beautiful flowers, and some wonderful gifts. 

Honestly every year I get older, and every year I am amazed at the love people show. 

Thank you to all of you for your love on this wonderfully special day

Words Are Not Enough (that is why it took me a month to write this)

OK so it has taken me forever to write this post... I started it a month ago...

It really is true.  No words can describe the experiences I have had over the past month.  I was able to spend just over 3 weeks all around the wonderful African country of Uganda.  I had the opportunity to see, experience and do things that I never thought I would ever have the chance to do.  There are so many experiences that I wish that everyone could have, yet I don't think I could describe them well enough to do them justice. So this post might be a little long because I am completely overwhelmed with emotions and feelings towards this past month.
So we headed out early in the morning on May 14th.  We spent many hours on the plane and in airports.  Our first flight took us to Chicago, then from Chicago to Amsterdam then finally from Amsterdam to Entebbe or Uganda (with a short stop in Kagali). We arrived late in the evening on Wednesday.
Our first full day we spent acclimating to the time zone and getting all our luggage organized.  That day I made the mistake of taking my anti-malaria pill on an empty stomach. Well that made me sick all morning. The next day we visited our very first orphanage/school.  This school was situated on the top of an island in Lake Victoria.  It took a two hour drive on very bumpy dirt roads and then a short 20 minute boat ride through the marshes on a tiny fishing boat.  To say we were warmly welcomed would be an understatement. Before we even stepped foot out of the van little hands were reaching out to grasp ours.  Here is where I saw a young man wearing an american flag t-shirt with the date 1999 on it, you know the ones that places like Old Navy sell, the ones that people buy every year (because it has the year on it) wear once then get rid of it. The design was so worn down that you could hardly tell what it was anymore.  We spent four days on the island and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Next we moved northward in the country to the area known as Gulu.  15 years ago this was the central area where the war was fought and they are still rebuilding.  Here the only words to describe it is HOT HOT HOT! We were sweating from every pore as we traveled around the city visiting villages and schools. This is where I had my second nervous break down.  Upon walking into my small hotel room I found large spiders along my ceiling and all over in the bathroom. Those of you who know me know that I hate spiders with a flaming passion.
Following Gulu we traveled to Murchison Falls National Park along the Nile.  Here we developed a flat tire in the middle of the park.  We also had a run in with many a swarm of Titze flies.  If you don't believe the saying that looks can be deceiving you have obviously never met a large swarm of these vicious flies.  They look harmless and innocent but in all actuality they are biting beasts.  This was the only the beginning of our wildlife adventures along the Nile. Giraffes.  These are literally the most amazing animals in the world.  Not only are they amazing they are also my favorite.  And well our jeep safari proved a fruitful place to witness these majestic creatures. We saw over 100 Giraffes in the wild.  Along with my favorite animal we saw water buffalo, warthogs, lions, elephants, lots of different types of antelope, birds, and an amazingly strange looking animal known as a Heartbeeste.  Following our jeep safari we took a river boat up the Nile river to the base of Murchison Falls.  We saw the airplane crash site of Earnest Hemingway, lots and lots of hippos and birds, more elephants, a few crocodiles and wonderful scenic views.  At the base of the falls we disembarked the boat and hiked the arduous trail to the top of the falls.  There we were greeted with cool mists from the cascading falls.  It was incredible to be in a country where so many do not have any source of water then to stand by the top of the falls where 800 cubic meters of water fall per second.  The following day we left the park and continued on our way to Lira.
In Lira we were greeted by some more hot weather and slow service at restaurants. Here a few of us were lucky enough to attend the Sunday services at the local branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The people were so welcoming.  Here we worked at an orphanage, a women's center as well as a school for the deaf.  At the Women's Center I did an eye clinic.  Here I met a remarkable 76 year old woman (just so you know the average life expectancy is only about 52) I checked her eyes and gave her a pair of glasses. The first thing she wanted to do was to see if she could read her bible, well she could.  The look of pure joy on her face when she looked up at me cannot be described. She spoke no English and I could not speak her language but I didn't need to, happiness and joy, exultation and gratitude are a universal language. It was then I really grew to appreciate the work we were doing.
Following Lira we traveled south past the equator, it literally felt like we were traveling into heaven.  The weather was wonderfully cooler which was quite welcome after the heat we had experienced in the north.  We spent two days at a school called Byana Mary Hill here we danced for hours with the kids in a classroom we learned some native dance style. Worn out and tired we returned to our hotel. After another day at this school we spent our final day of visits at God's Grace. It was a bittersweet feeling knowing we would not get to experience the welcoming feeling we had been given at all the previous locations.
We returned to the capital Kampala. Me Kami and Kelli went on an excursion to white water raft the Nile river.  We rafted through rain and sunshine as well as some major rapids.  On one of the class 5 rapids our boat flipped. Well we still had quite a ways to go through the rapids.  I imagine that's how it would feel if you were stuck in a washing machine on the heavy cycle.  Here we spent a day shopping for souvenirs. It was amazing to watch people create the wonderful things we were buying.  Sooner than I though possible it was time to return home. 7 PM on June 5th we left the hotel Yovanni where we had been staying and drove to the airport. We took a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam through the night and arrived early in the morning only to find out that our flight to Detroit had been canceled. Soon we had been rerouted through Portland.  This 11 1/2 hour flight was brutal.  Thank heavens for in flight movies. I was stuck in a middle seat. That was terrible. We arrived in Portland and made our way through customs.  Then we discovered that our flight to Salt Lake had been delayed about 2 hours.  While waiting for our flight we heard a loud boom on the tarmac. There a military fighter jet caught on fire. Well the whole airport was shut down, no one coming no one leaving.  Well we had no choice but to wait.  And we waited, and waited, eight hours we waited.  I was supposed to arrive in SLC at 2 in the afternoon on the 6th but did not land until 9 PM. (or early morning on the 7th in Kampala.)
Despite getting sick, almost dying in the Nile river rapids, and having my heart ripped out by a 2 month old baby girl who was an orphan I will never regret this wonderful opportunity.

(here is a link to some pictures from my trip!  )

The Rains in Africa

Never in my life have I ever been gratefull for more things then I have in the past week.  In case you were unaware I am currently in Uganda, Africa doing humanitarian work.  My emotions are running high as I have become more aware of my selfishness.  The past few days I have been working in a school/orphanage on an Island called Bussi. Yesterday a sweet girl taught me how to weave reeds into things such as baskets or rugs, she does this to help support her family, she is 16.  We were talking as we were working and she asked me lots of questions about life in America.  She asked me if we had elephants running around to which I said no and tried to explain the concept of a Zoo.  She then asked me if we cooked with wood and fire. I replied no.  She asked me if we used charchol, to which I also replied no.  Then we tried to explain the concept of a stove, or being able to cook inside with a flame or heat that used no wood.  Then we tried to explain that we go camping and live in tents and cook with fire and charchol for vacation or recreation. How stupid is that? We spend so much time and money focused on our own enjoyment and pleasure yet here are people who are spending their days only focused on surviving.  I have only been here a week yet not a night goes by where my prayers have not turned into prayers of pure gratitude rather than prayers of desires.
Tomorrow we start the second leg of our trip with a very long car ride to an area called Lira. We will be visiting two different schools up there. 
My friends my time is running out here in the internet cafe and I must say goodbye. I love you all and we are so blessed.  So enjoy your iPhones, your highspeed internet, your water heaters, your ice cubes, your family, your vast amounts of instant gratification.  As for me I will stay in Africa for a little longer, with a people who are content and happy with what little they have.

Much love