taste of the yum

Saturday, several of my friends and I went to the "Taste of the Valley"...umm...festival, I guess you could call it. Here's what you do. You pay ten dollars and get samples from 45 different vendors from all over Utah County. Even though they were samples, they were serving up legit stuff: pizza, fudge, barbecue, lettuce wraps, and some a-MAZ-ing shrimp nachoes. They give you a punch card at the beginning that each vendor punches when they give you your sample. We only made it through about half of the punch card and couldn't finish it because we were so stuffed. That's fine by me!

Angela and I felt left out because we didn't have boyfriends there. So we just posed like a couple anyway.

pioneer day

Pioneer Day is a Utah state holiday, celebrating July 24, 1847, the day the Mormon settlers first came to the Salt Lake valley. Their stories of faith and sacrifice are incredible. To honor them, Jaime, our friend Scott Baxter, and I went to Salt Lake to hike Ensign Peak. When the pioneers first got to Salt Lake, Brigham Young recognized the valley as the place where they should settle because he'd seen it in a vision before they left. He recognized the valley by the distinctive dome-shaped peak at the north of the valley, which is now Ensign Peak. Once they got settled a bit, Brigham Young and several other church leaders hiked Ensign Peak and started mapping out the city. The hike isn't too long and offers stunning views of the gorgeous Salt Lake valley, the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains, and the Great Salt Lake.

We then continued our Pioneer voyage by stopping at the "This is the Place" monument which marks the place where Brigham Young announced that this was, indeed, the place that the Saints would stop and make their home.

We ended the day by visiting Moochie's, a famous sandwich shop in Salt Lake where we delighted in authentic philly cheesesteaks and meatball subs. Yum.e.

Happy Pioneer Day, everyone!

brides, boats, and bombs

A couple of weeks ago, I had a bomb weekend. I'm not talkin' normal weekend. B.O.M.B.

It started with a bridal shower for my lovely roommate Aubrey Morrill, who is getting married in about 8 days! I'm so excited for her wedding, not only because I love her and because I love Jason, her fiance, but because it will be the first sealing I'll be able to go to! I'm supa-pumped. Our lovely friend DeeAura threw her a breakfast bridal shower, which included a crepe bar. Holy delicious. I was seriously blown away. And blown up, since I ate about five fully loaded crepes. Totally worth it. I don't even regret it. Angela, Aubrey, Jaime, and I pitched in on some shazam lingerie for her. Everyone else gave her boring stuff...I mean...useful, wonderful stuff.

Here's some photo evidence of the party:

Aubrey modeling her goods.

Sister Marchbanks (our former Bishop's wife) and Dee.

My lovely roommates. Aubrey was probably fake laughing. She usually is.

A very cute, pregnant Carla and Sister Farrer (former Bishopric counselor's wife), who I hope I look like when I'm celebrating my 35th wedding anniversary. Except for the blonde hair, of course. Sheesh.

Aubrey with some old friends. She's soooo glad she hangs out with us more now. Just kidding. I'm sure they're lovely people.

Jaime and me. Don't be afraid of my lack of make-up. I didn't put much on because of our awesome activity that took place after the bridal shower.

The awesome activity: Boating!!

A few months ago, our singles ward got a new Bishopric, and even though I like our new one, not a week goes by that I don't miss our former Bishop and his counselors and their wives. They were just incredible, generous, funny people. You want proof? They're not even in our ward anymore and the Farrers still took a bunch of us out on their boat for hours. I'd never been on Utah Lake before and it'd been years since I'd even been on a boat, so I was super pumped. And you can't beat the scenery (and I'm not just talking about the water and mountains...if you know what I mean.)

Our boat crew:

Angela and Mitch. And Jase back there in the back. Working hard as always.

Aubrey, Erik, and Derrick. Lovin' Derrick's hat.

Dee, the Farrer's son Beau, and me. He may be scrawny but he is one cute 14 year-old.

Hailey and Angela.

Once the girls got there after the shower, the guys had already wakeboarded. Hailey was the only girl who wanted to try it. She rocked it!

Brother Farrer. Ha.

Dee and I went on a tube ride together and I decided I don't like tubing. Maybe if it were a slow, leisurely ride I'd love it. But all the high speed turns and whiplash and holding on...not fun. Way too much effort. I love just being on the boat, though!

That night, Jaime and I headed up to her parents' house to sing with her mom and sisters the next day in church. That night were the Weber State fireworks. Because Jaime's mom is a Weber County Commissioner, we got sweet VIP parking and seating. Whitney joined us for the fun. I told her and Jaime that they each had one picture to go on the blog to represent the night. But then it turned into a photo shoot of cheesy poses. There were a few pretty hysterical ones of Jaime that I didn't include because I'm pretty sure she'd kill me. But just take my word for it. We had a great time!

the embarrassing post

Yes, I'm about to admit that I watch the Bachelorette. A while ago, I would've judged myself. But I like it. Get over it. And don't make fun of me.

On Monday, our lovely bachelorette Ashley sent home Ames.

This guy. Awkward, awkward, awkward. Super sweet. Nice guy. Very smart, impressively accomplished, super well-travelled. Weirdly awkward. I feel bad for him because he seemed sincerely shocked when she let him go. But it needed to happen.

Now these guys are the only ones left. And I can't decide who she should choose! They're all great in different ways and I want her to choose all of them. Lucky lady.

Ben, the winemaker.

Constantine, the Greek.

J.P., the romantic.

I wish I had three wonderful men to choose from. Geez.

i'll just focus on harry

I would like to clarify two things:

1. I'm not rethinking my trip to Spain because of a boy. There are no boys in my life, don't worry.
2. I'm not rethinking my trip to Spain because I'm scared. Yes, it's scary, but I do a lot of things that are scary and I'm fine.

I know it would be worth it. I know it would be fine. I know I'd be so glad I went.

I'm rethinking Spain because things aren't working out very well. Main reason: there are some documents I have to gather to get my visa, and one of them I have no idea how to get. No one responds to my emails seeking clarification. The only thing I've found online that I think might be it says it takes three months to process. That'd be October before I got it and then I'd have to wait another month or two to process my visa. That puts me in Spain about January. The program starts in October. You see the predicament. So why spend all the money to get everything else together when I won't even get the visa in time anyway? That's why I'm rethinking Spain. I'm not a wuss and I don't back out on things because of fears or boys. Calm down.

Moving on.

Tonight I went to see the final Harry Potter movie. I jumped on the Harry boat pretty late in life, not because I didn't think I would like them. Quite the opposite, really. I have an obsessive personality and I knew I'd get hooked and I frankly didn't have time to get hooked on a book series that's roughly 3500 pages long. So I didn't start reading them, or watching the movies, until two years ago when I was willing to put in the time. Sure enough, I got hooked.

I'm not a freak enough to go to a midnight showing because I never enjoy them. I'm always too sleepy then I feel bad for wishing it was over so I could go home and go to bed. So I chose to wait until the next day and go to a 7 o'clock showing. Excellent choice. I loved it!

When they were all gearing up for the big battle, I couldn't help but draw the parallel to how the final battle between good and evil will be. Both sides will be there, gathering their forces and preparing to do whatever it takes. The difference is, we have to choose our side now. Far before the battle begins. And we already know who wins. I'm so grateful to have a great leader in Jesus Christ. Someone who we can have full confidence in. Someone who we know will conquer. Someone who we know is doing it for us. Someone who really has already won the battle for us. Someone who knows the end from the beginning.

I can't wait.

this is why it's a test

Does life ever get to the point where you don't always have to make really important decisions all the time when you have no idea what the right choice is? I know agency is a blessing. But sometimes it'd be nice to just have someone tell me what to do.

Oh great. This is turning into a cryptic post - definitely DeeAura style. =) Just kidding. Dee, you're my favorite Dee that ever was.

I'm just having some second thoughts about Spain, based on the difficulty of getting a visa and my ever-shortening timetable. Also based on the growing appeal of staying in Provo. I've been asking for help but I feel like maybe they're both good options and there would be benefits to both. But maybe there's a right answer and I'm just not trusting it. Maybe if I decide on Spain, I'll spend a lot of time and money only to not get everything processed in time to actually go. Or maybe if I decide to stay in Provo I won't progress at all.

Or maybe I'll spontaneously combust.

check me out!

I'm on mormon.org! If you click on that "I'm a Mormon" button to the right on my blog, it'll take you to my profile on the mormon.org website. The new website is amazing. You can learn about all kinds of members of our Church and what kinds of lives we lead. Pretty much any question you may have about the Church, you can find it on mormon.org and most of the time it'll be answered by a completely normal, everyday kind of Mormon like me. There are also a bunch of videos about some pretty extraordinary...or just ordinary...members of the Church. Beware, though: they're strangely addicting and the next thing you know, you'll have watched them for an hour and a half. For those of you who are members of the Church, go the website and create your own profile! It's fun and really easy. Just save your answers as you go because you'll get to the end and you'll go to submit it and it'll make you sign in again then won't have saved anything you wrote. Not like I speak from experience or anything...

god be with you

My first district is in the process of leaving. I had two leave last week, three leave this week, and the final three leave next week. Monday was the last day for my three islander elders. In this picture they're the ones on the far left, third from left, and the one on the far right.

I feel like I've had a love-hate relationship with this district. Sometimes I have so loved being their teacher and sometimes it is so frustrating to have such a strong language and culture barrier. I really wasn't even sad about them all leaving. I was actually looking forward to a fresh start. I was surprised, then, at how sad it was to say goodbye to these three on Monday. I think it was because they were my favorite. They were the best workers, the most humble, and Elder To'ofohe-the one on the left- was the most fun. He's from Tonga and came with very little English, which was really hard. He's leaving now still not with much English, but he's a fun-loving, positive, really wonderful Elder and I already miss him in class. In the South Pacific, I guess it's a tradition that when someone comes to the island, they give them a flower lei; then when someone leaves, they give them a lei made of shells. These elders received all kinds of shell leis when they left so as parting gifts, they gave me several and Elder To'ofohe gave me a beautiful big shell and the wrap thing they wear...I don't know what it's called. But I was really touched. They're wonderful people and will be great missionaries. If you're ever in Washington D.C. or Omaha, Nebraska, look for these three! If you're ever in Las Vegas or Columbus, Ohio, look for the other three. They'll be there next week.

One thing I've learned from this experience is how infinite the Atonement of Jesus Christ is. It has been a much more difficult experience than I imagined it being. I had great visions of being an awesome teacher, giving them all kinds of spiritual experiences, and leaving work on a high every day. It hasn't been like that, and I don't think it's anyone's fault. Starting a mission is hard anyway- leaving behind your friends, family, and everything that's comfortable to come to this new, really strict, really difficult life. I experienced that myself when I was in the MTC. But add to that being completely immersed in a new culture and language from the very beginning and I can only imagine how hard it is for them. It's hard for me, too, because I prepare and I have these great lessons planned but they understand so little of it for a really long time. It's just really unfair.

Which brings me to the Atonement. There's a line in Preach My Gospel that says, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." That line helped me through a lot of things in my mission, and it's still helping me today. This situation is unfair. We're both trying, and we're both struggling so much to have a good experience. And we're doing it for God. You'd think it'd be easier. But it's not, because life isn't always easy. Sometimes even though both sides are trying to do the right thing, it's still hard; it's still unfair. But the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers that. He knows us both. He knows our hearts. He knows what we're trying to do. And He'll make up for it in the end. He will forgive us both for our moments of frustration and anger. He will give us both strength to keep going, even when we're not seeing the fruits of our labors. And He will ensure that someday those missionaries become the great missionaries He's called them to be. And all the effort we've both put in will be worth it. Because of Jesus Christ.

a swingin' fourth

To celebrate the independence of our great nation, a few of my friends and I went down to Mona, Utah where they have some sort of pond that has some great rope swings rigged up to it. I'd never been before and had wanted to go so I was super excited. It did not disappoint.

Here's Adam getting ready to go.

Very focused.

Let's just stop for a moment and marvel at my amazing photography. Do you see how he's silhouetted against those clouds? Impressive stuff.

I was pretty nervous at first but then I just climbed right up there and went for it. It got easier the second and third times. I only ever went off the lowest platform, which was ok because I was still having fun. I don't need to push myself to dangerous heights just for the thrill. That's not necessary for fun.

Ok, so I'm not quite as graceful as Adam. And maybe every time I hit the water I got so much liquid up my nose that I came up sputtering. But that's ok. I'll work on it.

Here I am on video. Intense action right here, folks.

Next up was Angela. I think she may have actually gone before me. I can't remember. Anyway, she'd gone before and actually went off the higher one but this time she stuck to the lower platform like me. I also got a sweet vid of her.

Aubrey wasn't sure she even wanted to make the trip down to Mona in the first place. Then when we got there she wasn't sure if she wanted to actually go on the swing. We finally persuaded her to do it, though, and she admitted that she did, in fact, have fun.

Lovely background, right? I loved the scenery that accompanied our jumping jaunt in the water. Here's Braden:

I was supposed to get a shot of him in the air, too, but I missed him and ended up just getting the tree. Oops. Sorry there, French Brade. But just believe me, he actually did swing out. A few times. This is the lovely scenery I was talking about. Utah really is beautiful.

On the way back, we stopped at what seemed to be the only restaurant in Mona: Big Burger. It wasn't the cleanest. Well I guess it was the cleanest because it was the only. Under those terms, however, it could also be classified as the dirtiest. That's a dead fly stuck there between the glass and the menu. Yum.

The man running it was...Indian I think and had an awesome accent which Angela so righteously mocked to his face. It took about a half an hour to get our burgers and we realized that we'd ordered at the drive-up window...on foot. But when the burgs came, they were totally worth it. I was craving a little Big Burger today, as a matter of fact.

I had to work last night so I missed out on the 4th of July barbecue, but I was around for the fireworks show. We all pitched in and bought some fireworks and lit them ourselves. I generally don't like spending money on anything I can't eat, so I committed to only buying a firework that cost one dollar. I actually found one, and it was a great disappointment. But the fireworks my friends bought were much cooler and we enjoyed running around while holding them as they...umm...discharged? Is that the word for it? I've heard it's dangerous to hold them while they're going off but it was much more fun that way. We even relayed them for a while. I'm sorry I didn't have my camera for that part.

Happy Independence Day, everyone! God Bless America!