Last Week

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hoy pamilya!!
Today is Friday and tomorrow is Saturday and then it's Sunday and then I leave to the Philippines!!! Ano ba iyan!!!! That means what the heck in Tagalog!
I seriously can't believe it and I'm so excited! It's crazy how fast my MTC stay has flown. I have had an awesome week teaching my last lessons and cramming all I can into my little brain and heart. I really love the people here. My district!! Ah! We get to fly together and I'm so beyond pleased, except for our dear Elder Scanlan has to stay until after Christmas because he had surgery on his face and they want to make sure it's okay. But we are doing so great. Today we are doing in-field orientation ALL day and it's really cool, but really long. :) We're learning how to find people and work with members and stuff. AAAHHH! So I'm super scatter brained and can't remember anything I wanted to write to you so I'll try my best.
Family- be ready for my call some time around maybe 7:30 pm on Monday. I'm not sure how it's going to work but you could just be free. :) I can't wait to talk to ya'll and hear your voices! Woooohoooooo!
Okay, so seriously I can't think of anything right now but hopefully I'll get to write again tomorrow cause it's our actual P day, so. I will say that I love you all soosososososos much and that I know this gospel is beyond true and I love it!!!!
I will talk to most of you very soon. Mahal ko kayo!!!!
Kasama ng pagmamahal, Sis Tamang

Week 7! or 8? I can't remember!

Magandang hapon lahat mga tao!!!!

Hi family and friends! How is everyone?! I am doing pretty dang good!!!! Guess what?! I got my travel planssssss!!!!!

AAAHAAHHAHHAH! I'm actually going!!! So my plans are the biggest news, a letter is coming with more details about how crazy this week has been. As you can see I am not leaving on the 21st so maybe I can talk to Kirin on her cell? Such a bummer! That would have been awesome to see you! Can you send me everyone's plone number so that I can make sure I call the right numbers? My memory is fading and I don't want to risk it. :) Thanks! I also have a list of things I would very much love. I'm really sorry this email is so not fun but I promise the letter is better. :)

I forgot my list i've been making all week so I'll have to do it by memory:

AAA batteries

yummy smelling deodorant

liquid eyeliner- the one with a sponge, not a paint brush

the yellow, skinny memory card I saw at home because I managed to lose mine for the camera Rai sent me. It's skinnier than the normal ones.

a couple pictures of my family from our family shoot!

notes/letters

shortbread cookies- jill knows what I'm talkin about

maybe some more of the magic nasal decongestant pills- 12 hour (I had to use some of them this week)

anything else you want!

I know I'm forgetting something but oh well! Marami salamat para sa lahat!!! I love you all sooooooooooo much and know that this church is true! Please keep reading the Book of Mormon! I know it's true and will change our lives always for the better!!!! MWAH MWAH MWAH!!!

Love, Sis. Tamang

Week 7

HEWWWOOOO!!!!!

Hi my cutsie family!!! How is everyone? Thanks so much for the pdf! You should do that more often! It was great!

I love hearing about what's going on.

So I don't have much to write other than I am LOVING being a missionary! No matter the craziness and stress we go through, it's all worth it for that one moment! Dad- it's just like having a baby!!!! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!! I've learned this week two things:

• One of the best ways we can learn something is by teaching it. My testimony is strengthened every time I teach!!! AAH I can't believe it! You'd think we might be deceiving ourselves by repetition but it's not that at all. It's not deception, it's reaffirmation!! My testimony is significantly larger and stronger and more specific than it's ever been. Nuff said.
• I have had to learn that we, as missionaries, have so much to learn and it's overwhelming, but when we seriously and completely focus on our investigators the Lord seriously fills in the rest! All we need to know and do is around our investigators. I am only just learning this and it has changed my study and focus completely. I know it will help me on my mission, especially since I leave in 3333333333 WWWEEEEEEKKKKKKSSSSS! We should be getting our travel plans next week! WHAT?!

So I love you all and I love this gospel. Alam ko po na kung magtuturo tayo sa pamamagitan ng espiritu santo at magfocus sa mga intinuturuan natin na maging mga misyonero para sa diyos!! I'm so excited and scared to go to the Philippines! Most of our zone left on Monday and it was so sad/exciting. It's a bit lonely here now but we are growing together more as a district and a zone. I love my Elders!!!!!!

MWAH MWAH MWAH!

Mahal kita!

Love, Sis Tamang

P.s. Jill, you should totally send me the phone!!!

PPs. Sabinaaa! I love you squeeze!!!!

PPPS Kirin Vani, you are my favorite younger sister!

PPPPS Alex, you need to keep a shirt on man! I'm not there to fight off the ladies

ppppps Ky babes- you're the bomb.com. MWAH!

Week 5

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone!

How is my family? I'm assuming pretty good considering there is no weekly email. Must be having some fun in Cali. :) Sabina-thanks for the email, letter's on it's way and I LOVE YOU! :) Kirin- ditto. :)

Okay. So I have lots so talk about so I'll get right to it.

My week goes as follows:

· Sunday- Got called as coordinating sister which means I am in charge of all the sisters which after this week will consist of me and my lovely companion. Woohoo! I also got called on to speak on Sunday. So every week we have to prepare a talk and just be ready in case they call our names and I got called on! It went pretty well, they're not very long and it was on repentance. Elder Lance Murdoch spoke as well- he's in my branch. :) The best part of this though was as I got up to speak. Everyone lean in closer, it's gonna be good. I'm called on the fly, so I'm naturally a bit nervous and naturally a bit gassey. :) Yes. I did. As I stood up from the congregation one just slipped out!!! Literally. I had no idea it was coming and no control. of course it was super loud too! So I stand up and then just look at my companion like, "really? did that just happen?" ha ha ha ha it was so great! For sure Elders around me heard but apparently, my surprised face actually made it look like it was the chair (i found this out later). So I have to keep it together as I walk up to the podium to speak on a spiritual subject. Somehow I managed to contain myself until after the meeting but it was the greatest thing that has happened. So funnaaayy!!!!!

· I may be getting another companion this week. Her name is Sis. Sharp and she is one of our besties from another district. She is supposed to leave this week but she just found out she needs surgery in her leg so she has to stay! Biggest bummer but she's doing awesome! We'll find out if she will stay with us on Monday. I'll keep you updated.

· We got to hear from 2 apostles this week!!! Tuesday we heard from Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Yesterday from Elder Russell M. Nelson. It has been a pretty amazing week. When Elder Christofferson came I had picked a hymn earlier that I will use when I'm discouraged or sad and it's "I know that my redeemer lives" because I do! And we just happened to be singing this song that night AS Elder Christofferson walked in! The Spirit was SSOOO strong and I couldn't even sing. The reality that my redeemer lives and that Elder Christofferson is one of His apostles slammed me. It was amazing and unlike anything I've ever felt before. The apostles are called of God and there's no denying it. Thank heaven for them. How lucky are we?

· Jess mad, Shaun Baxter and Shiri came in last week and I think I forgot to tell you. I was so happy to see Jess, I cried. Oh! I'm so pleased.

· Last but not least- the sisters managed to get the soccer field to ourselves this week! This is a big deal. Just be happy for me. :) I'm way sore from playing though. Man I love soccer.

Family and friends- I know this gospel is true and it is the source of all happiness. I am thankful for it this Thanksgiving season and forever more! I love you all! MWAH!

Sister Tamang

Week 4

HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!!!

Hey family how is everyone doing? Oh, I miss you all! Thank you dad for your veekly update! It's perfect! Sounds like things are working out so great for everyone! Go mom! That would be such a cool, handy job to have and to rake in za mula! That will be fun to go to California for Thanksgiving. I kind of forget that it's next week and that Christmas is kind of soon, because we are so focused here in the MTC on other things. I'm excited though. :)

So, family, this letter I would like to talk about a little book I like to call Ang Aklat ni Mormon. The Book of Mormon is crazy amazing. This week I've realized that the reason we, humans, are missionaries for the Lord is simply so that we can introduce this little book to the world. There are few things it can't do for itself and that includes flying to the Philippines and getting people to read it, if that makes sense. The Book of Mormon literally contains the fullness of the gospel and can testify of itself! We as missionaries just have to get it into people's hearts. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and there is no denying it if you read and ask. The last two paragraphs of the introduction and the promise in Moroni 10:3-5 are so clear on how we will gain a testimony and what we will gain a testimony of! Who knew that this bitty book I've had in my room all of my life changes lives and can answer any questions we have. I can't be more specific because I don't have enough time but it's as simple as this- I want everyone in the sound of my email to read the Book of Mormon. To read, ponder and pray about it's words and origin. I know if you do you WILL receive an answer from the Spirit of the Lord that it is true, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the Lord's one true church restored to the earth. I know it because I've done it. Alam ko po na totoong simbahan ang simbahan ito. Alam ko po na malaman po tayo ang katotohanan sa pamamagitan ng espiritu santo. I love you all sosoosososososososoosoooooo much and am so happy to have been so blessed with the gospel in my life. I hope you will all let it bless yours. MWAH!!

Love, Sister Tamang

Week 3

Pamilya ako!!!!!
Thank you so much fatha for this email! I love hearing, at least once and a while, about how you are all doing. So weird that life still continues outside the MTC. I love it here but I must say I cherish our temple trips and outside gyms purely for the opportunity we have to see the SKY!!!! All the sidewalks here are covered, for good reason. But man! Sometimes I find myself longingly staring out the window during class (imagine this picture- me with my head in my hands, my little asian eyes longingly staring into the distance with the mountains and sky reflecting in the window) He he movie material! anyway... everyone sounds like they're doing great!!!!! I luff it!!!!! I got your postcard Kirin! Thank you! But I need your hawaii address so that I can write you a handwritten, no-typed, letter!!!! I need to hear from you. I've been sinking about you a lot and I see your friends EVERYWHERE! I swear I've seen more of your friends at the MTC than at home. Love ya!
Dad- you're not the CRYPT KEEPER! you are very good looking for your age. ;) I love you too! and I'm so happy about your new gadgets and your new job! You're awesome dadda!
Oh! Thanks for sending me the fun letter from everyone on momo sunday! That was fun! I was a wee bit dissappointed with the food here on fast sunday. It's not quite the same as real food, let alone delicious real food. :)
As for me- I am doing vunderful!!!!! Sister Blake and I review our days every night and EVERY night, no matter how many ups and downs we've had, my response is always "it was a great day". I'm not sure how many times I can be amazed but I'm starting to think it's infinite. :) I love it here. I love the people, I love what I'm learning and I love being a part of this work. I can't wait to be in the Philippines!!!! We teach one of our progressing investigators every day and we also teach volunteers every Thursday night. It's nerve racking but for sure Sis Blake and I are getting the hang of it. Our tagalog is, of course, lacking but we have been complimented twice on it. :) Magandang! We sing in the choir, get to hear from general authorities every week (this week we got to hear from the legal attorney for international stuff and it was so cool! He told us what the church has to go through just to make sure we can have visas and stuff! Amazing!), teach, learn tagalog, eat, and just have a great time! It is definately hard work though, especially because there is hardly ever someone watching over and making sure you're doing what you're supposed to. It's amazing how much the MTC relies on us individually!
I am doing fantastic and I love you all so so so so so so much! I'm proud of my bruzzas! I love my parents! I love Clay! I love my sistas! I love my bruzza in law! I love my Wistisens! I love my friends! I love the Lord and I love being a missionary!! Can I get a WOO WOO! MWAH MWAH MWAH!
Love, Sis. Tamang

Week 2

Hiya pamilya ako!!!!!

Kamusta po tayo? How is everybody?

Sister Tamang is doing quite well. Magandang actually! This week we have started using sentencesssssss!!!!!! We do so in hopes that we will be able to somewhat communicate with our investigators instead of ridiculously acting out our lessons!! ha ha it's great but super frustrating. Because as soon as you get what you want out and it actually makes sense, they respond!! In tagalog. At a rapid rate. Thus, we have no idea what they are saying. But I'm not going to lie, I don't think we are doing too shabby. With a buttload more patience and work we could totally do this. :) That's the language update.

For the people update I have some sad news. One of my beloved district leaders, Elder Wells, went home on Saturday. :( We had no idea until he just left in the middle of class and never came back. Our poor district leader had tears in his eyes when he told us and oh, it broke my heart. It still brings tears to my eyes but we love him and are hopeful that he will come back as soon as he has taken care of whatever it is he needs to. So our bitty district now consists of only five missionaries. Every other district in our zone has ten missionaries! it think, ha ha it's the greatest, 2 sisters, 3 elders. Woo woo!!! We're gonna be close. We had a bonding moment last night when we all, for some reason, had the giggles during our closing hymn and we were half singing- half crying to the tune of there is sunshine in my soul today! ha ha it was SO great! I don't laugh near as much here so I find as soon as I even giggle, it opens a damn of all the laughter being held back and I'm just a gonner. I've done it twice in class now and it's hilarious because my teacher, Bro. Mauzy- who is adorable, doesn't quite know what to do with me. :) So great! And there is always at least 2 echos of my laugh each time because everyone in the hall can here me and they looove to immitate me. :) The cuties.

As for the work- it is hard and frustrating and repetitive but it really is all worth it when we understand a sentence or are able to understand something our investigator says or needs. I feel like the good outways the bad like the laughs outways the screams in Monsters Inc. The laughs and the good are so much more powerful than the screams/bad that no matter how much "badness" or how much you scream, one laugh or one good moment blows it out of the water and you forget you even felt that way. :) I LOVE IT!!!!

I know that I am where I am meant to be and I have the capability to be an awesome instrument in the Lord's hand if I am but a humble servant. It's an interesting equation: humility+love+patience-pride-knowledge-strength= BEST TOOL EVER I love you all so much and so does the Lord!!!!! MWAH!

Love, Sister Tamang

One Full Week!

Pamilya po ako!!!!!

Oh! Life is still fantastic! I'm sorry if I don't answer any of your questions from your emails yet because I only have 30 mins. So I have to cruise. So I printed off all your emails and will read them later and perhaps hand reply. :)

So! I am having a grand time. I have officially been in here for 1 week and I already feel like an oldie. We taught our investigator, Aiza, five times and then SURPRISE she became our other teacher. She is really great! In the fourth lesson she felt the Spirit and started tearing up!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHH! It is the teensiest taste of what the Spirit can do to change lives and I can't get enough of it. It's just a confirmation that we are doing something right, enough to get the Spirit there and teaching. If I have learned one thing this week, it is how humongously important the Spirit is in conversion. We, as missionaries, do probably 2% of the work and then we let the Holy Ghost do the remaining 98%. (I know you like percentages dadda:) It's seriously crazy how I can learn these things all my life but not even really know til I experience it. Now we can understand why we're here on Earth. We's gots to experience it if we're going to learn it right!

Tagalog is going well. At least as well as it can for being here a week. I just made a language study plan with a long term goal to learn lesson one, fully in Tagalog by the time I leave. WOOO! I can do it! I love the language though and can't wait to be able to say what I know. In our lessons with Aiza we learned just how frustrating it is to know how to answer her questions but no clue how to say it in her language. Man! I was close to tears so many times. But in our last lesson with her we asked her to be baptized and she said no. Surprise surprise. But I bore my testimony with tears and she said she would pray to know if it was true and if she should do it! Dad, mission prep has really helped me know how to not take no for an answer (as sis. Blake has learned, I'm very persistent) and how to let silences just be. ha ha I love it! Silence is my new best friend. Especially, akward silence. :) Well that's enough about me. How's everyone doing?!

How is my loovely family? How are the Wistisens? How is Kirin? Hey! Kirin! I saw Elder Tyler Bentely. Ha ha he called me Kirin (at the MTC, didn't think that one through ha) and I thus corrected him but it was fun. :)

AAAH! Well I got to go, but I love you all so much and can't wait to read the letters!

Thank you wistisens for the gorgeous package!

Tell Clay I love him muchos muchos and I loved seeing his face! So fun that we're doing this at the same time!

MWAH MWAH! Mahal Kita!

Love, Sister Tamang

"1st 3 days!"

KAMUSTA pamilya!!!!!

That means hello family! Yes, I am speaking Tagalog!!!!!!!! Vat ze heck!

Okay. So I am officially loving the MTC. It is unlike anything I've ever experienced befor. You can hear how fabulous it it and the amazing Spirit that is here, but you never truly understand until you're here! I am already starting to feel the intensified happiness and joy missionaries feel, as well as the overwhelming feeling of ..... just overwhelming feeling. :) So, let me walk you through what's been going on:

I got here and received my name tag (wahoo!), which is in English because apparently, it is the official language of the Philippines, government wise etc. It's still cool. I dropped my stuff off in my residency, got a hunkin bag of books and was off to my classroom where I currently reside. We live in our classrooms! It's not that bad cause we've only been here a couple of days but dad, it's true. We are so confined but it's totally fine! I can't wait to go to the temple next week.

So I met my district and teacher in my classroom and they are as follows:

My companion- Sister Blake. Originally from Texas but family moved to PG recently. She is fabulous. We get along no problem, our personalities just click. Wahooo! And she's a movie quoter, don't you fret Sabina. (she has yet to see white chicks of angus thongs but we'll work on that later.)

My district is Sister Blake and I and four ADORABLE Elders-

Elder Wells- from AF, Utah. Loves bananas and looks like one too. :)

Elder Coe- from charlotte, NC and totally has the accent. So cute!

Elder Ferner- from Castledale, UT which I've never heard of, is like 6'5" and a sweetheart.

Last but not least our district leader Elder Scanlan- Samoan from Anchorage, Alaska. Fun Samoan.

My teacher is Brother Mauzy and I could squeeze his head off! I think the urges to do so here are so much stronger because, not only are there so many cutesies around, but we can only hug girls!!! This handshaking thing ain't cuttin' it.

It's also hard remembering to call people Elders and Sisters and nothing else. He he .

So we started learning tagalog the day before yesterday and we taught our first investigator IN TAGALOG, YESTERDAY!!!! They literally throw you right in. One lesson in tagalog and we're already teaching in it! WHAT?! It was so so hard because we didn't even know how to come in, what she was saying or how to respond! Oh, it was terrible but also amazing. I said a whole prayer in Tagalog and can bear a small testimony in it too. Woo woo! It is such a cool language. Oh! And guess who all I've seen!

I have seen, loads of people from lone peak, Brother Fonbuena (he sat in on my class), Elder Pete Wilkinson! Who came in on the same day!, Elders Jon Krogue and Sam Morris who are companions! Crazy! I see them all the time. And lots more.

I have to tell you about my roommates too! So they are all going to Quezon city but we all are speaking tagalog. So there's Sister Shumway (Laura shumway- jill remember sis. Slamon telling us about her?), Sister Dickson and Sister Bowman. We are all from Utah and it is so fun living together. No problem!

So that's about all I have time for, but I want to end with a little testimony in tagalog. No notes. :)

Alam ko po na buhay po ang diyos. Alam ko po na tagapagligtas po si JesuCristo. Alam ko po na mahal sa tayo nog Diyos. Alam ko po na totoo po ang Aklat ni Mormon.

I love you all so much and am working on being the best missionary possible!

Love, Sister Tamang

P.s. Dad if you could forward this and let me know your emails, I almost didn't remember. MWAH!

GGOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!!

Yes! Yes! Yes! I just got done peeing my pants after spending an hour biting my tongue and sweating profusely as I watched the U.S.A. team play what could've been their last game in the world cup. But no fretting. They scored in the last four minutes of stoppage time added!!!! I have never been so happy!! I easily used up half my life's store of nerves! If I bit my nails, they would be gone. That's all I'm saying. It was a ridiculous but awesome game. I was perched on a stool in a separate room from the rest of the Collins (who were watching the England game) watching on a laptop with my face like two inches from the screen. Humorous. :)

Anyway. Phewf. Just so much excitement to express to other Americans who will share my glee. Speaking of glee, I watched the whole first season of Glee a couple of weeks ago. I do love it! Such good music and drama. ;)

I get buttloads of crap for being American here. It's ridiculous. Anything bad or undesirable brought up in a conversation somehow gets turned to "That's because you/they are American", "That's because it's from America", "but that's expected from Americans", "all Americans complain", "oh look! A fat person! Must be American", "Oh look! An anorexic person. Must be American", "You BURN your flag if it touches the ground?! That's so stupid". It gets old. I know I am a strong person and I will never cry in front of these accusers, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my feelings. It's like they're bashing my home and how I've grown up. I promise I think it is a teensy bit of what it must feel like to have racist comments made towards you. At the same time, I have never been more proud to be an American and no matter what people say, they just don't understand. "I Love America!" (said in Chinese accent).

Ha ha another interesting thing is that I am officially clumsy due to my mishaps with the dang cobblestone and brick. I'm always catching my feet on corners and tripping. I now appreciate the beauty of smooth cement. Something we don't think of everyday. :) I have also been stereotyped as a little eater because I hardly ate anything when I got here. I try to explain that it was because I was adjusting to all the change and that I'm well over it now but they just won't have it. So there's my interesting thought.

This week's been fun just hanging with Hayley 24/7. We've gone cycling, to the park, shopping, to lunch at Wagamamas and more and we are now working on a project for artsy fartsy fun, Hayley's forte. I'll keep you updated.

I'm kind of just cruising right now, trying to fill my time with cheap fun cause I have no money. It's proving to be quite a challenge though and Hayley and I are having fun tackling it.

I'm also aware of tender mercies Heavenly Father gives me just when I need them. I imagine Him just placing little presents on my way to school or something, in the form of little notes from home or comments from friends. I LOVE them.

That's my life. Good.

I love love love love love love love love my home and everyone in it or next door. ;)

Danielle. The American.

I Miss my Home

It's as simple as that.

D.E.H.

Okay! So it's been a while. My apologies. I guess I just find it easier and easier to live without such a short connection to my home now. I've been away so long, my life is here right now. It's really crazy. But don't worry, I think about my true home at least seven times a day. I miss it so! But in the meantime, I have been having some fun. Since Italy a lot has happened. We shall start with the weekend right after Italy.

Friday:

I worked and then later that night, Me, Ellie and Hayley (that's what D.E.H. stands for by the way, Danielle, Ellie, Hayley) headed to the chapel for an institute dance. This is the equivalent of a stake dance back home just with a bit dirtier music. :) I was so excited because I hadn't gotten my groove on in forever and you guys know how I have an innate need to move my body. :) Anyway, we get there and I start dancing. I go crazy right? But it's pretty normal for me but for these English blokes it's a bit out of control. They just stop dancing completely and watch me and laugh. They thought I was a hoot. It was really fun and I had a fabulous time getting drenched in sweat. Here's a picture:

We wore fabulous glasses. Naturally. You may notice that my specs are not like the others and that is because I left my bag which had my glasses and a newly purchased top in it on the bus! Never to be seen again! Rough.

Saturday:

I work and then come home early to prep for a youth water activity. It was so much fun! We went kayaking on this mini lake they have. It was loads of fun and we all fell in in the end. Into this nasty stagnant water. Great! After that D, E, H and others gathered for a friendly viewing of the U.S. vs. England football match! This was so much fun as well because, being American, I was the only one cheering for the U.S. and got plenty of mouth for doing so. Anytime I said anything it was immediately followed by "Shut up!" from a man named Peter. It was great! And it was even better when we scored and ended up drawing with England! HAH! It was perfect really. :)

This last week has been nice as well. I am starting to really miss home but I know I'm going to miss here once I leave. Especially since me, Ellie and Hayley have become such good friends. I love them both. We play everyday and do random things. For example, on Wednesday we went to Harborne to some charity shops and it was fantastic. Charity shops are the equivalent of mini D.I.s! Naturally i adore and had so much fun! Afterwards we got fake eyelashes and nasty nails and applied those while watching films. I also got my package that day that I had been looking forward to so very much. All those who contributed, thank you so so so so so so so much! I absolutely LOVED it! It was like someone sent me a little piece of home to help me with this last stretch here.

Me and Hayley are getting along really well and I can tell that she misses a sister. She's gets lonely because she is the only child at home and even her parents work all day sometimes so she's completely alone at home. I think me being here makes her happy. And it definitely makes me happy having a "sister" away from home. I have included some pictures of our most recent adventures for you all to see. :)

Ellie and nails.

Hayley and nails.

Me jumping on and waking Hayley and Ellie after their sleepover. They looked awesome!

Me and my beloved package!

Fake eyelashes do wonders for your eye size. :) oh how i miss mine.

Nasty nails!

Since then I have just been hanging out with Hayley, watching films, eating crap and working occasionally. If you haven't noticed, I work a lot less now because everyone's hours have been cut. I think the hotel is just not as busy as they thought. Which gives me lots more time to travel and explore but at the same time it takes away all the funds that I would make such trips with. Slight dilemma.

This weekend I watched another England game, horrible, and attended a ward EFY fundraiser. It was lots of fun! We painted our faces, had burgers and I bought these fabulous suitcases from the auction! Here are the beauties:

So naturally, old luggage must be photographed complete with old clothes, setting and color. :) But these suitcases are seventy years old! Brought over from Scotland by a lady in the ward when she was twenty! She also said that during the war she sat on the dark one for twenty six hours on a train because there were no seats! They have story! I love them!

Me and Ethan sporting our rivaling country's colors.

These are Moams. They are officially my favorite sweet here. They're pretty much exactly like Mambas but they come in all different forms and flavors. Mwah!

Other than that, my life is just full of decisions and my mind is crammed with so many thoughts that I can't seem to write them all down. It's just crazy how we live lives where on one hand we have the world and all worldly things and then we have spiritual and eternal perspectives. sometimes they conflict and it causes my head to spin. I'm so glad to have a spiritual life because otherwise I would be stuck completely in the world which, from what I've seen, could be terrible. Let's just say I THINK a lot in my spare time. Well, that's my life right now. It's good as always! I love you all and miss miss miss you!

Love, The next great thinker

Too Blessed?

Do you ever feel like the world is a gift? Like it's the best place ever? Like you are too blessed?

I do.

What makes me so deserving of happiness?

What makes me deserving of hugs and kisses? Purple skittles and laughter? High places and fresh air?

Who am I to be blessed with two sisters, two brothers, two parents?

How come I have best friends and the ability to walk?

Why do I get the green light when I'm in a hurry?

Who decided to give ME the confidence to be who I am no matter what?

Why was I born in a time where movies with happy endings that make you cry exist?

I'm not really sure.

I know it's because I have a dad in heaven that loves me more than all of these things.

But why?

I may never know.

I'll just have to live with the fact that I am far too blessed and maybe share my gifts with those who may not feel quite the same way.

I love life, knowledge and all of you! I see a happy ending at the end of my movie. :)

Italy? Yes. For Real? YES!

Yes, I went to Italy and Yes, it is one of the most gorgeous places on the earth! It was so amazingly fab to see Kats and it was well worth the buttload of money I paid to go. Like, when's the next time I'm going to have a week off to visit Italy, one country over? That was my thinking. So to tell you about Italy I shall proceed to tell the story of my life while I was there. Here goes:

Day 1- I set off on a plane at six in the morning on Sunday. I was sad cause I missed church again, but Vanessa said a prayer before I left and reminded me it was the sabbath and I didn't forget. I flew from Birmingham to Amsterdam and from there to Rome. They were short flights so it wasn't bad. I also bought Dear John to read on the way as well and that was a great idea. From Rome I flew to Pisa and that whole trip took about eight hours, in which time I started and finished the book. :) I was slightly disappointed in the ending but oh well. So I got to Pisa with little incident but panicked as soon as I got to the airport. A- I couldn't read any of the signs and I had a vague description of where I was supposed to go. B- I all of a sudden realized "what if my phone doesn't work here?" C- I didn't have any way to contact Kats so I just had to wait for her call. Panic! So I wandered around for a bit trying to find my way to the train station. Feeling worried, I prayed that Katie would call soon so that I would be saved and no joke, like three minutes later my phone rings. Relief rushed through me as I said hello and was then guided to the train station by Kats. Once at the station, I was still thoroughly lost but I did my best to understand the signs and asked people what to do and got to Siena no problem. I was rather proud. At Siena I found Kats and we ran and embraced each other whilst screaming and attracting loads of attention. So great. It was so so good to see her and I was immediately sure that what I was doing was right and totally worth it. I met her group of ten girls and two boys who are all absolutely FABULOUS! I love them all! and the best part is that they go to BYU, have American accents and I will see them again after I leave! Fantastic! I also stayed at their apartment and you wouldn't believe how fabulous it was. It was straight out of a movie flat with four bathrooms, six rooms and two kitchens. Just like any film you see set in Italy or France with the cool couches and windows. Oh! I forgot to take pictures but I adored that place. I won't go into to much detail about the rest of the trip, I just show you.

Day 2- After I settled in no problem, me and Kats went out for a little day on the town of Siena. She showed me all the cool sights and the GORGEOUS views and the blissness that is Italy. I had real Italian pizza and gelato and sweat about ten gallons. It was about 30 degrees Celcius and so humid. I loved it though.

Pizza in the Piazza!

Typical view of the city

Unreal!

Every street looks like this! Bliss! I kept waiting for the director to come out and yell "Cut!"

They have escalators to get from the bottom of the city to the top! I know! Amidst all the ancient stucco and bricks there's randomly some super modern escalators.

El Duomo

Cutest truck I have EVER seen!

Large bread we're having, isn't it.

Piazza del Campo, the main Piazza in Siena. Huge and spacious and everyone just sits on the ground there and chills.

SO CUTE!

Kats and Kari and Jerom and an awesome fountain.

That night we had Chinese with the gang and just hug out.

Day 3- We go to Monterigionni. A typical, beautiful Italian city on a hill. Oh and an abandoned castle on the way. Oh and a church. :)

Reading some J-14 mag in Italy before setting out.

You wouldn't know it but we risked our lives climbing on beams three stories up to get these pictures. :)

It rained and we got soaked but it was even better for it!

Gorgeous flowers left and right.

Monterigionni from a distance. City on a Hill I tell ya.

I could easily be happy living in this house.

Day 4- BEACH!

Unreal beach in Fillonica

Sydnee, Me, Kats and Hil.

Playing in the sand.

Eating Gelato. We did this multiple times a day.

Oh my goodness! Everywhere in Italy you have to PAY to go to the bathroom. Exhibit A.

Just a gorgeous view from the plane to Italy.

On the way home I got to see the leaning tower of Pisa and the Eiffel tower in one flight! So cool!

I had to say goodbye on Thursday but it was easy because we are now confident, experienced, courageous women who live on our own everyday. Although Kats' experience is so much different then mine, seeing as she's never alone with her twelve American fellows and I am alone all the time (don't get me wrong I do have friends but it is completely different to Kats), they are perfect for each of us and we are so much better for them. SO AMAZING! That's my trip in a nutshell and I had a blast. I shall sign off with a video of Kats and me in Monterigionni. Ciao!