Trip to California

So, one of the vacations I had this summer was going with my boyfriend Jason to visit his family in California. I had never been to southern California before and the one other time I have been to California was visiting San Francisco for a weekend in high school, so it was a completely new experience for me. We had a lot of fun going to the beach, going to a Dodger's game, going shopping, and spending time with Jason's family (his brother had just gotten home from his mission). Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we didn't take many pictures, but I've attached one that we did take while we were there.

Summer is almost over

So, it seems that the trend in my blogging is to write a blog post about every 4 months, so 3 a year. Not too great numbers, I guess. I should probably update it more often. This sounds very similar to what I write in my journal entries. :)

Archery at the Andelin Reunion

Summer has been great. I did attend Spring Term and that was enjoyable, but I was very excited to not have classes during Summer Term. It has been nice. Several vacations including some reunions, etc. have been a lot of fun. Other than that I have just been working, reading, and having fun in the evenings hanging out with family and friends.

Biking with Kathy, Karen & Nate at the Andelin Reunion

Anyway, school is going to start next week and I have mixed feelings as always. Excitement for new classes, new stuff to learn, new people to meet, etc. Dread for the busyness of homework. I have started ordering my books and am actually very impressed with the BYU Bookstore. On your book list they actually give you the ISBN number, so you don't have to go there to look it up if you want to buy your books elsewhere. In addition, the online book list shows alternate places to buy your books including half.com and amazon. This makes me very happy as I always buy my books online to save some money. Thank you, BYU Bookstore. I'm still trying to find a place to live with my sister. I'm sure we'll find one eventually, but it would be nice to get it done sooner than later. So, there you go. A short update on my life. Maybe I'll find something exciting to post about and get some pictures on here as well.

I'm back!!!

Well, after a leave of two years, I have decided to post on my blog again. I had an amazing mission experience in the Switzerland Geneva Mission which is unfortunately being split to be combined with the France Paris Mission and the France Toulouse Mission (which will be renamed the France Lyon Mission). But, it really is not that tragic. The same people will still be there and the work will continue. My mission president, Kent Murdock, and his wife will continue to serve, but will move to the new mission headquarters in Lyon, France. I loved my mission and still continue to miss it a lot.

It is good to be home though. I arrived home just before Christmas after a delay of four days due to crazy snow storms in Europe. It was good to be home for Christmas and be able to see all my family members but David. I started school two weeks later and had a fun semester living with Bekah. It was a crazy busy semester, but it was good--especially now that it is over. :) But, now, it's back to school tomorrow with Spring Term classes and back to work today. No rest for the weary (Yes, I prefer that version instead of "no rest for the wicked" :)). But life is good. I'm living at home for this next week until I can move into my new apartment, so that will be fun to hang out with the fam for a few days. Well, that's pretty much it. I am still alive and back in the blogosphere.

Here's a random picture of me after the twins helped do my hair and makeup for the "Bishop's Ball" in our ward a few months ago. Sorry for the weird face. :)

Lament of Forgetfulness

So, I have realized through the years that I am a very forgetful person. Not that I am too terribly absent-minded per se, but I forget things in the past. I guess that would be long-term memory impairment.

Anyway, I have always been jealous of my brother Nate for his awesome memory of things that have happened in the past. He can seriously remember things from when he was like 3 years old. At least, he says he can and I'm inclined to believe him.

I, on the other hand, forget things very easily. A particular sense of frustration is that I forget books that I have read. I really like to read and I read a lot, but it is frustrating because I forget the books, especially if I read them quickly. I can usually remember a few scenes very clearly (usually rather unimportant ones, sadly), but the rest of the book is gone. I'm sure it's all in there somewhere, but I can never seem to dig it up.

I suppose this would be a good characteristic if was a poor child back in the day who only owned about 5 books and could get renewed delight out of them every time she read them, but since I live now and have tons of resources at hand (e.g. BYU library, internet) it would be so much nicer to be able to remember everything I read and be able to keep reading new books and remember everything in them too.

My one consolation in having to read books more than once if I want to remember them are the following quotes by C. S. Lewis that Elder Callister quoted in his devotional talk, "Your Refined Heavenly Home":

An unliterary man may be defined as one who reads books once only.

I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.

Clearly one must read every good book at least once every ten years.

The sure mark of an unliterary man is that he considers “I’ve read it already” to be a conclusive argument against reading a work. . . . Those who read great works, on the other hand, will read the same work ten, twenty or thirty times during the course of their life.

Anyway, it's an awesome talk and you all should read it.

So, I guess it is good to read the books again, but what am I to do about all the other things I forget? You can't relive life. Alas and alack. I guess journal writing helps. Then I can just reread that. :)

Haircuts!

So, my sister Elise being in town and all, we decided to go get haircuts. Kathryn decided to come with and get hers cut as well, so I took an afternoon off work and spent it at Paul Mitchell. Lise got highlights and a few more layers, Kathy got all her hair cut off (well, most of it. She got shoulder length hair instead of shoulder blade length), and I got “lingerie layers” (funny name, eh?) and bangs. The girl styled mine curly as well, which was fun because I never do it curly. It took a lot longer than just doing it straight though, so I don’t know how often that will happen. However long mine took, Kathryn and I were finished long before Lise, so we drove up to the Wilk and got Jambas and brought one back to Lise. Finally she was done and I dropped them off at home before heading back to work. Here are the finished products.

Life Accomplishments thus far

Instructions: Take the following list and bold the items you have completed or experienced.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been on television

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a lawsuit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

39/100

I got my mission call!!!

I just opened my mission call and am going to the Switzerland Geneva Mission! I will be speaking French and will enter the MTC on June 3, 2009. I'm so excited!